Financial Analysis of Apple Inc. - 795 Words

Financial Analysis (Submitted by) Abstract The following paper aims at discussing the financial position of the American multinational corporation, Apple inc., which designs and markets consumer electronics, computers and personal computers mobile communication devices, and portable digital music and video players, as well as sells various related software, services, peripherals, and networking solutions. Apple Inc. together with subsidiaries sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative customers. As of†¦show more content†¦2009, 2008 amp; 2007 is determined through the following ratios: Liquidity Analysis | | | | | | S. No. | Detail | Working | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | a. | Current Ratio | $36,265/$19,282 | 1.88 | 2.29 | 2.36 | b. | Quick ratio | $36265-$455/$19,282 | 1.86 | 2.26 | 2.32 | c. | Collection Period(in days) | $3361*365/$36,537 | 34 | 27 | 25 | d. | No. of days sales in | $455*365/$23,397 | 7 | 9 | 8 | | ending inventory (in days) | | | | | The company is still highly liquid but this liquidity trend is in declining trend as current ratio 2.36 in 2007 is declined to 2.29 in 2008 and further declined to 1.88 in 2009. This declining trend is mainly due to increase in collection period of the sale and decrease in number of day’s sale in ending inventory as depicted above. Profitability Analysis: S. No. | Detail | Working | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | a. | Gross Profit percentage | $13,140/$36,537 | 35.96% | 34.31% | 33.97% | b. | Operating income percentage | $7,658/$36,537 | 20.96% | 19.32% | 18.37% | c. | Return on Equity | $5,704/$27,832 | 20.49% | 22.99% | 24.06% | d. | Return on Assets | $5,704/$53,851 | 10.59% | 12.22% | 13.79% | e. | Cash return on assets | $10,159/$53,851 | 0.19 | 0.24 | 0.22 | f. | Quality of income | $10,159/$5,704 | 1.78% | 1.99% | 1.56% | There is an increasing trend in profit of the company over the last three years i.e. 2007 to 2009. TheShow MoreRelatedFinancial Analysis of Apple, Inc.2114 Words   |  9 PagesCompany Background Apple, Inc. (formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc.) was incorporated in the State of California in 1977. Apple currently designs, manufactures, and markets a variety of computer and personal electronic products, including Macintosh computers, and the iPod digital music player. 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The Period Of A Child s Development - 864 Words

The period of a child’s development is a critical time in their life. Their intellectual, physical, emotional, and social aspects develop during this time and can be easily influenced by those in the present environment. Our class was given the opportunity to observe Micah recorded at 3 years old and then again at 5. In the videos, he had just reached the pre-operational period and how he is fully immersed in it. The major development I noticed during the observations was Micah’s physical and motor development as well as his advanced autonomy. According to Erickson, toddlers acquire an aspiration to complete tasks by themselves in their environment labeled as autonomy. In the video, he sought to take out the blocks by himself and claimed to cleaning up a certain toy by himself. However, it was much more prevalent today. He insisted on putting the toys down, picking which ‘friends’ he wanted to play with, and switching on and off the lights. When asked if h e needed help, he simply responded with no, he could do it. It was displayed that those influencing his actions appropriately encouraged his autonomous behavior with enforced self-control. Micah’s gross and fine motor skills were predominately shown at both ages, but there was obvious progress made at the time between the two. At the age of 3, his motor skills were suitable for his age. He played with largely sized blocks and cars. Today, he was seen playing with tiny Legos sized for older ages and board games, whichShow MoreRelatedThe influence of the Absorbent Mind, and the Sensitive Periods on the childs development of movement, language and social skills.1448 Words   |  6 PagesSensitive period and illustrate the influence of these periods on the child s development of movement, language and social skills. A child in his absorbent mind develops his movement, his language and social skills by soaking knowledge. He takes steps in different sensitive period and repeats hi s movements, words or social skill actions to improve and to perfect his movement, language and social skills. The Absorbent Mind: Dr. Maria Montessori uses the term Absorbent Mind to describe the child s mentalRead MoreSensitive Period and Absorbent Mind1093 Words   |  5 Pagessensitive period and the environment required for sensitive period At birth the child s physical development is more or less complete while psychologically it is still in the embryonic state. For this reason Dr. Maria Montessori called that the human being is still a spiritual embryo when it is born. 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Context is all Margaret Atwood Essay Example For Students

Context is all Margaret Atwood Essay Taking another example as to how there could be different interpretation to a similar act is the example of the killing of the famous navigator Ferdinand Magellan who died because of shaking hand to a tribesman who took it as a challenge to come to war. For example in mathematics, there is stream called probability where there is calculation of the uncertainty of the event occurring and therefore it always lies in between 0 and 1 but if the probability is 0 then the event is not possible and if it is 1 then it is certain. As we know that probability of an event is defined only between 0 and 1 therefore the probability of an event occurring can be either greater than 0 and less then 1 which defines the context of the theory. We now arrive at a conclusion that any statement to be true has to pertain to the Platos test for truth. We could then state that the statement is true. These sorts of statements are what we call as Eternal or Absolute truth, but as we saw earlier that to define a statement that has a mixed reaction about its validity, a context is very important to be defined so that the statement is true. These statements are what I term as contextual truth where any changes in the context of the statement would result in the statement being falsified for example there is a majority of Hindus this statement is incomplete as it can only be true for some region which would be the context of the statement, therefore the statement should be rephrased by saying that there is a majority of Hindus in the Indian sub-continent. Lastly, I would like to conclude by saying that a statement that is true eternally will remain true irrespective of the frame of reference, which is nothing but the context of statement. Many a time statements are true for only a particular reference which means that the context in those statement is all that draws the line between its acceptance as truth and its rejection. Change is a changeless law this statement is a very paradoxical statement as we know that change is inevitable but this cant be applied to this statement as it would stand as an exception. Taking another example space is indestructible this statement is also true as space can never be destroyed but on the other hand we know that there are philosophical believes of spaces curves which would mean that the universe too has a shape and therefore it has a beginning. There is also another philosophical belief that everything that has a beginning has an end and therefore these statements to be true have to be defined in a particular context or a frame of reference. I therefore believe that the statement context is all doesnt support the proposition that there is something called truth that is absolute and beyond any frame of reference known to the human knowledge of the universe and therefore it doesnt pass the second criteria of Platos test of a true justified belief. Word count- 1545 BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. MICROSOFT STUDENT WITH ENCARTA PREMIUM 2007 1 from Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2007- quotations 2 from Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2007- Encarta dictionaries 3 from Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2007.

The Christian Church And Crimes Against Paganism Essays - Religion

The Christian Church And Crimes Against Paganism The Christian Church and crimes against Paganism 1 When I started this report I knew that paganism existed as a religion before Christianity. I suspected that if Christianity developed after paganism then it would have adopted some of the paganistic practices to attract followers. From my previous studies I knew there had been some form of propaganda against the pagan religion. Through out my life, my personal feelings toward the Christian Church, specifically the Catholic Church, were those of distrust. The Christian Bible also left much to be desired. For example, Christians are not supposed to worship any graven image (implying an idol or a symbol) yet they pray to a cross. According to the Christian bible, the old testament, God giveth and God taketh away. Yet in the new testament God gives and the devil takes away. (3) Which is a contradiction of terms. 2 There were several reasons why I felt I had to write this paper. In fact, there were so many that I could not list them all without boring you. I will however discuss them all to one extent or another. The first and foremost reason was the fact that the Christian religion refuses to accept where its roots came from and still slanders the source of its roots, paganism. Secondly, the Christian church has performed some of history's most inhumane acts. Although the church has apologized for some of its atrocities it continues to persecute people to this day. The church has stolen rituals and symbols and claimed them for their own while calling those from whom they stole the symbols from as evil. Christians have called pagans Satan worshipers because they did not take the time to find out that to be pagan means to worship two or more gods and not one (i.e. God or Satan) . To this day Christians still refuse to admit they were and still are wrong about paganism. The third reason is that the Christian religion tells people that if you do not believe in my god then you are evil and wrong. Finally, I personally have been told that as long as you are not Christian (from the Catholic church specifically) then you are welcome in their church but you are not allowed to take part in the Eucharist. 3 During my discussion with Subject #1, he began explaining about Joseph and Mary, Jesus' mother and father. He told me that not only was Joseph a carpenter, as all know , but also a missionary. therefore, he explained, Mary was called the Virgin Mary because she was the wife of a missionary not because she was a virgin. The wife of any missionary was called a vestal virgin. During the time of Joseph's absences she was a practiced virgin. However, when she was with her husband they had sexual intercourse. Yet because Joseph was a missionary Mary was considered a virgin through the divine intervention of god. When Jesus started to preach he was a philosopher, He did not speak about how the Jewish or Roman Catholic Religion should be run. Jesus' speeches were a release for the people from the occupying Romans and the harsh Jewish temples. The new testament was Jesus' philosophy. In fact there are no original copies because King James rewrote the new testament as he thought it should be. The Roman Catholic Church knows of the changes but refuses to acknowledge them. While continuing my discussion with subject #1, he disclosed the main reasons why he gravitated toward the pagan way of life. As a child he was told to worship God and anything you want just ask from God and he will give it to you. He felt that was selfish. Then he finally learned what the pentagram meant. Then he felt the need to learn more. He got curious and started to think on his own. To be pagan according to Subject #1 means to be open to others about how you feel. He did not like the Church telling him that he should control how he feels. As soon as he figured out how he felt he became a pagan. The pagan church, to him, is a church of free thinking. He told me that you must not just live you have to be open or you are not really alive. The church told him to control his feelings. He did not agree with this. That is when he became pagan. However, he told me something of interest, there could not be a

International theories and Copenhagen Climate Treaty

Introduction One week conference was held in Copenhagen in Denmark for two weeks; in December 2009 to fight against global warming, an effect of greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. The participants included countries all over the world.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on International theories and Copenhagen Climate Treaty specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More President Obama of the U.S. was optimistic and had hoped that U.S. would be at the front line in the fight against global warming. However, expectations of the meeting failed even after about 45,000 people participation. This essay will discuss why the summit failed to accomplish its expectations. Two theories, neo-realism and neo-liberalism will be the basis of the discussion; with reference to the climate politics on the basis of international relations. International relations include law, economics, ethics, strategy, philosophy, culture, environment and policy an alysis (Relations 1). The theories of the approach, realism and neo-realism will also be discussed including their characteristics. Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change The Copenhagen summit was meant to create unity in reduction of greenhouse gases by involving countries all over the world. The inclusion was meant to allow all countries to play a role, whether big or small towards this event. This happened later after the introduction of the Kyoto protocol. Due to increased greenhouse gases emitted mostly by the developing countries, there was need to raise an alarm so as to reduce the influence of the gases to climate change and global warming; that had been seen to have negative impacts on the environment. The Copenhagen summit proposed for Copenhagen Green Climate Fund which would raise $100 billion annually to assist the developing countries; to protect themselves from global warming and to adapt to climate change (Wynn 1).Advertising Looking for essay on international rela tions? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The summit also emphasized on saving the tropical forests so as to stop depletion of carbon sinks. Farms and forest clearing contributed about 33% of the greenhouse gases. The Kyoto protocol seemed to omit some of the crucial areas that contribute to global warming. This is because it excludes green house emissions from shipping and aviation which emits about 5% of total GHG. Kyoto protocol had planned to reduce emissions by introduction of carbon trading in the markets. The emitting countries were supposed to be paying for the emissions they made (Wynn 1). Neo-realism and Neo-liberalism Theories These two international relations theories seek to explain different arguments but they apply some assumptions which are quite similar to each other. Neoliberals say, â€Å"International cooperation could be achieved gradually and with effort and facilitation from cross border institutions† (Ta ylor 1). Neo-liberalism accepts the fact that states are the key actors in international relations. However they do not underestimate the influence of the non states as well as the non governmental organizations. They argue that states can cooperate if they know they will benefit at the end of the deal. This theory also considers economic factors in relation to open, free markets and institutionalism. Neo-realism, â€Å"underestimates the ability of states to cooperate and overemphasize the inevitability of conflict† (Taylor 1). Neo-realism argues that nations are inclined to influence of external factors; and that there is usually domination of the powerful influencing decisions to their own interests. Climate politics showed that there was a great influence on relations between states. The result of the conference according to neo-realism was failure of cooperation and little achievement according to neo-realism. Role of International Actors The U.S. and China were the main actors in this conference. European Union, India, Australia, Japan and developing countries participated. They greatly affected the results of the summit. U.S is the greatest emitter of Green house gases. Its failure to ratify with the Kyoto Protocol was an excuse for China in this second proposal.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on International theories and Copenhagen Climate Treaty specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The U.S. president Barack Obama had great goals to change and contribute towards reduction of GHG emissions. The proposed draft prospects were to reduce emissions by 17% below 2005 emissions by 2020. The new solution was an agreement of many countries with a removal of Kyoto protocol and commitment of China, India and other countries with high economic growth (The New York times, 1). China, being one of the fast growing economies eliminated about 1.6 billion tons of Carbon Dioxide from the atmosphere by the year 2010. It was also committed to reduce its emissions. China wanted a reduction of carbon dioxide emissions by 40% below 1990 levels by 2020. They also needed support to the developing countries from the developed countries. India believed that the global warming was mainly caused by the developed countries and thus it is their responsibility to deal with the problem. Being the forth highest country to emit carbon dioxide in the world, India looked onto the west to solve the problem. India had only their domestic interest other than cooperating to solve a global problem. European Union was a major participant in the Copenhagen talks (The New York times, 1). The European Union was committed to reduce GHG emissions but there was also a conflict between it, the wealthier and poor nations. The problem of funding its efforts has also been problematic. The target of European Union was to reduce emissions by 20% below 1990 levels by 2020. Australia was also supporting the idea of emissions trading. Their target was to cut emissions by 5% below those of year 2000 in a period of ten years. Japan was also committing to cut down their emissions by 7% of year 1990 (The New York times, 2). Developing countries also participated because global warming had adverse effects on their economy. Though they did not have large emissions, they were mostly affected by the effects of global warming. They faced drought, floods and storms. They needed developed countries to apply better technology in their equipment. They also needed aid to help in protection of their countries (The New York times 2).Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The international Copenhagen convention was thus more of Neo-realism. Most decisions were influenced by the powerful economically. The conflict between the U.S A and other rising economies including China brought a disagreement. In this case United States was not able to control the outcome. Constructivism was evident because according to social politics, the superior always affect the final decision. Thus, the greater the economic growth of a country, the more the influence it had on the final decision. However, at that time, U.S. did not make it to the final decision, because their opinion was opposed though it was thought to be a superior. President Obama had been committed to the great task and included all nations, developing and developed. The conference was said to be chaotic President Obama injected himself into a multilayered negotiation that was far more chaotic and contentious than anticipated – frozen by longstanding divisions between rich and poor nations and a l egacy of mistrust of the United States, which has long refused to accept binding limits on its greenhouse emissions. (New York Times 1) This shows that the conflict was brought by disagreements which were brought up by U.S and other powerful countries that did not want to be influenced or to be controlled. Reasons for Failure of Copenhagen Summit The political influence and individual country instability posed a great challenge in achieving the expected goals which were meant to stop climate change. This was a great idea but the problem was that the proposed solutions had a connection with many economical activities in different countries. Neo- liberalism was the approach of this conference since climate change problems could only be solved by having participants from all over the world. This was because it was a global challenge. Its assumption of cooperation between all countries failed and was therefore challenged by the Neo-realism theory (Thomas 1). This was clear because most countries were expecting good results and agreement between countries. However the turn up was positive and supported the Neo-liberalism. Neo-realism dominated because, most of the developing countries were relying on industries for their economic growth. Most of them had a negative impact on the environment, the control measures would perhaps mean closure of their industries because they would become subject to paying high bills for their emissions (Thomas 1). Failure of cooperation because of domestic interests caused failure of the Copenhagen summit objectives. Major countries were India and China. These together with other rising countries opposed the proposed solutions, since they would have had a great effect on their economy. Domestic instability caused some countries to feel insecure about the decisions made to overcome negative effects of climate Change. The conflict came as a result of rich countries failing to take their respective responsibilities. The agreement was supp osed to be made after the meeting where treaties of every country would be signed by their respective representative to show their support and agreement by the year 2010. The Chinese said they turned down the offer because United States had previously refused to cooperate in the Kyoto protocol (Thomas 1). The Kyoto protocol controls Green House Gases (GHG): â€Å"Kyoto protocol is an international agreement linked to the United Nations framework convention on climate change† (Kyoto Protocol 1). It works towards reduction of Green House gases emissions through Carbon trading, clean development mechanism and joint mechanism. Kyoto protocol committed those involved to control the GHG while the convention at Copenhagen was encouraging to decrease the emissions of GHG (Kyoto Protocol 1). Kyoto protocol controls almost 40 rich nations emissions from 2008-2012. Decision of whether the Copenhagen treaty would have been to sign a new or sign both treaties was a challenge to reach to a comprehensive decision. Failure of U.S to ratify the Kyoto protocol was one of the contentious issues since the Chinese blamed them for then emissions of the past years and argued they were supposed to first take responsibility of their emissions (Kyoto Protocol 1). Rich countries were supporting the signing of a common treaty including all countries. On the other hand developing countries were looking for a way to bind the United States on the decisions they were about to make in a way they could benefit from them. Time duration of how long the treaty was supposed to take was another problem the Copenhagen encountered. Conclusion Global warming and climate change are global issues which need participation from countries all over the world. The Copenhagen conference was mainly supported by the U.S. but opposed by other fast economically growing countries including China and India. Australia, Japan and most countries were optimistic about this event but their expectations were cut s hort after they were opposed. For a positive impact to occur, better planning involving all countries should be done. Each country should not focus on their domestic issues but approach the problem as global issue. Power and domestic issues only sabotaged the process. Works Cited Kyoto Protocol. United Nations Framework convention on climate change. Kyoto Protocol, 2011. Web. New York Times. Copenhagen Climate Talks. New York Times, 2011. Web. Relations. International Relations. Sage Publishers, 2011. Web. Taylor, Nicholus. The Neo debate in international relations Theory. Tayylormckeler, 2010. Web. The New York Times. Energy and Environment. New York Times, 2011. Web. Thomas, Alex. Why the United Nations Climate Change Conference Failed. Word Press, 2010. Web. Wynn, Gerard. What was agreed and left unfinished in U.N climate change. Reuters, 2011. Web. This essay on International theories and Copenhagen Climate Treaty was written and submitted by user Elise Walker to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

The Effects of Abuse essays

The Effects of Abuse essays There is no substitute for blood. Volunteer donors are the only source of blood for patients in need of lifesaving transfusions. Donating blood is a safe, simple way to make a difference for people in your community. In this way, each blood donation provided by a donor can help to save several people's lives. The Blood Donor Benefit ProgramThe Blood Donor Benefit Program is one of the ways that LifeSouth Community Blood Centers gives back to our donors and donor groups. Under this program, LifeSouth helps defray the cost of blood components for patients covered under our plan. When a patient covered by our plan receives a blood transfusion, LifeSouth pays for the non-insured portion of the 'processing fee' (covers cost of recruiting, drawing, testing, storing and distributing the blood) that is charged to the patient for all units of blood components. LifeSouth's coverage extends to transfusions at any hospital in the United States. For more information on the Blood Donor Benefit Program, please call your local branch of LifeSouth Community Blood Centers. Find details and contact information on your local branch at Regions and Donor Centers. Donating blood is believed to aid the rejuvenation of red blood cells and can help reduce the risk of heart disease, especially in men. It also helps to control blood iron levels, which is important for older men. There may be a little sting when the needle is inserted, but there should be no pain during the donation. Donors are served refreshments and encouraged to stay in the donor chair for a short time after donating. Occasional light-headedness may occur, especially if a donor leaves the chair before having a short rest, or uses alcohol or tobacco products soon after the donation. Giving blood is one of the best gifts you can give to another human being. But, you may not know that it's good for you too. Not only will you feel good knowing you'v ...

Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Art - Essay Example He was recognized for his outstanding work in art and had won numerous awards and honors. Among these honors he had won the Master Artist Award (2000) from Artists of America. Description The painting I have chosen from the William Hook’s collection of art is the â€Å"Autumn Road† which is a 24† by 18 inch painting depicting a long road with trees and bushes on either side during the Autumn season. The colors used on this canvas are browns, orange, yellow and dark green that clearly portrays the autumn season. Commenting on the use of acrylic paint, Hook states – â€Å"Make the shortcomings of acrylic the benefits.† (William Hook) He makes use of the minimalist technique in this art work while communicating the grandeur of the landscape. Hook holds the opinion that any finished painting is an amalgamation of different techniques but, ‘impasto is achieved through light strokes of paint with no additives.’ (William Hook) Meaning The meani ng depicted in ‘Autumn Road’ is one of calmness and spirituality. The artist portrays his serenity through his work. The landscape shown is silent and calm and conveys the message of peace of the artist.

The legal issues that housekeeping department forced to confront Essay

The legal issues that housekeeping department forced to confront - Essay Example Some rooms are also interconnected rooms to serve an efficient accommodation purpose to many guests and big families. Other hotels also offer suits to the guest (Winter, Doris & Hatfield, 1989). Hotel offers laundry, dry cleaning facilities, and shoe polishing services among many others in an attempt to make the business environment comfortable through offering these special services. Some restaurants are connected with a bar that sells liquors to guests and this act as a good source of revenue. There are also banqueting, meeting and private party facilities in some big hotels that generate revenue when conferences, meetings or even seminars are held there. Resort hotels have recreational facilities like swimming pool and spa and try to make their place as pleasant as possible through using nice colors, attractive furnishing and most importantly a well kept and efficient staff (Alan & Wortman, 2005). The department of housekeeping determines largely whether the guests are satisfied when they visit the hotels. This is achieved through fine accommodation and quality service provision to the guests so that they are exited with their visit and stay in the respective hotel. The guest satisfaction and the hygiene factor are the primarily objectives that should be present in any given hotel ( Sudhir, 1985). The major revenue in hotels is generated by the rooms and the rooms that are not sold in any given night result to lose of revenue for ever. Loosing guests in the rooms can be attributed to poor hygiene factor, poor cleanliness, lack of modernization etc. A guest spends more time in the room alone than any other part of the hotel and hence a clean and hygiene environment will be of great significance. The guest may check whether the place is dusted off, whether the room is clean and may lose confidence of the place if this is not the case. Dirty and disorderly draws may deter him from putting his/her clothes down. The guest will be pleased when the

Walt Disney Theme Parks Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Walt Disney Theme Parks - Case Study Example Over the years, the company has not only grown to great heights in achieving major market share in the entertainment industry but it has also defined the American entertainment culture. The financial stability of the theme park division have served as a critical counterweight to the volatility to the media and studio entertainment divisions (Thomas, 29). The aim of this paper is to analyze how a successful 'old economy' company has adapted to changing technologies and has used the internet to further expand its business. Although the company is now a diversified one that encompasses almost all aspects of the entertainment business (film production and distribution, cable television, publishing) as well as merchandise retailing, I will focus on its main division in which it has developed a niche market, that is theme parks. This paper is divided into two parts: 1) Part I will discuss the company's business strategy in the theme parks division and will undertake a SWOT analysis for the division and 2) part II will discuss the internet business strategy for theme parks in detail, including those for customer segmentation, acquisition, integration with overall marketing strategy, technical infrastructure and handling of data acquisition, management and use as well as social and regulatory issues. When the concept of Disneyland was thoug... Over the years, it has taken the shape of carnivals and amusement parks, offering joy rides, games, inexpensive food and even vacation stay. The Disneyland was initially an extension of the already established Disney brand but now the brand has become synonymous to the theme parks. Disneylands now house restaurants and hotels and are major tourist destinations, complete with campsites, deluxe villas and even a cruise line. Disney earned revenues of $25.4bn in 2000 from its various business - film production (Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood, Miramax, Merchant-Ivory), film distribution (Walt Disney Theatrical Productions Buena Vista International), video/ DVD (Buena Vista Home Entertainment), theme parks (Caifornia Disneyland, California Adventure, Walt Disney World in Florida, Tokyo Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, Disney Vacation Club, Hong Kong Disneyland), television networks (ABC with 10 stations and 3,400 affiliates, ESPN, Walt Disney, Buena Vista, Touchstone, radio (ABC Network, with 21 stations and 21,000 affliliates), cable television (ESPN network, Disney chcannel, The History Channel, Toon Disney), magazines (Discover, Disney Adventure, FamilyFun, FamilyPC and ESPN The Magazine Media Networks), children's books and a number of licensees and 728 Disney stores selling merchandises. The Internet business of Disney includes GO Network (which wound up after the dot com bust), disney.com, espn.com, abcnews.com, family.com, abc.com, The Disney Catalog (Wasko, 2001). Yet, the business that comes to mind the most when one thinks of Walt Disney Company is its theme parks. The Disney parks have become the most visited vacation spots in the world.

Accountability for Reasonableness for Priority Setting

Accountability for Reasonableness for Priority Setting Essay Accountability for Reasonableness, for priority setting and resource allocation. INTRODUCTION Pakistan as a developing country has very limited health care resources when  considering a huge population of over 170 million. We have very few tertiary care  hospitals and they are providing services to the whole country. Majority of people in  our country are poor and they are unable to afford the expenses of private hospitals,  though private hospitals are also very few. Thousands of doctors are unemployed  and still we have shortage of doctors. Majority of BHU (Basic Health Units) are  closed as majority of doctors belong to urban areas and they don’t want to work in  remote village areas. In all these situations, it is very difficult to maintain health  care throughout country. In this essay, I will take into account four conditions of  accountability for reasonableness for priority setting and resource allocation. I will  take into account these four conditions by Norman Daniels and I will consider a  tertiary care hospital scenario where I did my house job in medicine ward last year. There were majority of patients suffering from chronic liver diseases (CLD). I will  further continue this essay in discussion. DISCUSSION Before discussing the four conditions of accountability for reasonableness, I will  briefly discuss the case scenario. In my medicine ward as I earlier said majority of  patients were of chronic liver diseases (CLD) and it includes Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C  and cirrhosis of liver. Cirrhosis is the end result of hepatocellular injury that leads  to both fibrosis and nodular regeneration throughout the liver. The clinical features  result from hepatic cell dysfunction, portosystemic shunting, and portal  hypertension. Cirrhosis may cause no symptoms for long periods. One of the major  complications is uppergastrointestinal tract bleeding which may occur from varices,  portal hypertensive gastropathy, or gastroduodenal ulcer. Hemorrhage may be  massive, resulting in fatal exsanguinations or enencephalopathy. Esophageal varices  are found in 50 % of patients with cirrhosis. There are several treatment and  management options available for esophageal varices includin g acute resuscitation  as initial management, pharmacologic therapy, balloon tube tamponade, portal  decompressive procedures and emergent endoscopy. Endoscopic techniques are also  used for prevention of Rebleeding. 1. Now, I will discuss my case scenario. In our  hospital there is one associate professor who is trained in doing endoscopy and  Wednesday is fixed for performing endoscopies. Emergent endoscopy is performed  after the patient’s hemodynamic status has been appropriately stabilized (usually  within 2-12 hours). Majority of poor patients come to hospital in end stage liver  diseases. I have taken this case series as it is a perfect example of scarce resources. Many patients faced problems as their endoscopies were not performed on time as  there was only one day fixed in a week. Now I will apply the four conditions of  accountability for reasonableness for priority setting and resource allocation. These  four conditions are publicity condition, relevance condition, revisions and appeals  condition and regulative condition. Accountability for reasonableness makes it  possible to educate all stakeholders about the substance of deliberation about fair  decisions under resource constraints. It facilitates social learning about limits. It  connects decision making in healthcare institutions to broader, more fundamental  democratic deliberative processes. 2. In my case scenario I will apply the four  conditions as follows. The first one is publicity condition. It states that decisions  regarding limits to care and their rationales must be publicly accessible to clinicians,  patients, and citizens in a publicly administered system. When the patients suffer  the complication of esophageal varices, they are informed about the limited capacity  of the ward to arrange endoscopy as it is done on only Wednesdays and surgical  ward have their own burden of patients to be done endoscopies, due to this reason  we were unable to send patients to surgical wards and the patients and their  relatives mostly agrees on this setup and if their was any emergency only then we  take help from surgical ward or send the patients to any other hospital, so the first  condition is fulfilled. In above scenario second condition is also fulfilled which isrelevance condition. It states that the reasons for limit-setting decisions will be  reasonable if it appeals to evidence, reason, and principles that are accepted as  relevant by fair-minded people who are disposed to finding mutually justifiable  terms of cooperation. In my case scenario the decision making is according to the  framework. The rationales w ere reasonable as it is evident that we had limited  facility of endoscopy and it was fairly accepted by patients and their relatives and  also by doctors and other hospital staff. In our setup priority was given to those  patients who needed emergency endoscopy rather than those who requires  endoscopy for diagnostic procedures. The third condition is revisions and appeals  condition. This condition is a very common problem in government hospitals and in  our scenario we request consultants from surgical ward to do emergency endoscopy  if we think patient is serious and he or she may die if the endoscopy is not  performed on time or in other case the other hospital is very far so that it will be late  if we send the patient to other setup and here comes the function of oncall  consultants also, the oncall consultants plays huge role in these emergency  situations. This third condition is a mechanism for challenge and dispute resolution regarding limit setting decisions, including the opportunity for revising decisions in  light of further evidence or arguments. 3. Thus we fulfill the third condition also by  revising our decisions as I explained above. The fourth and last condition is  regulative condition or enforcement. There is either voluntary or public regulation  of the process to ensure that conditions 1-3 are met. This condition is also fulfilled in  our setup as we communicate with the patient and their relatives about our limited  resources. We are able to convince patients in our case scenario. The hospital  leadership is constantly making efforts to meet the conditions of ‘accountability for  reasonableness’. 4. CONCLUSION In this essay I have discussed all four conditions of accountability for  reasonableness, for priority setting and resource allocation. ‘Accountability for  reasonableness’ is a framework that can be used to guide legitimate and fair priority  setting in health care organizations, such as hospitals. In our beloved country  Pakistan we have few government civil hospitals bearing the burden of millions of  population. We try our best to server the humanity. Iam not claiming this system a  perfect one, it needs a lot of improvement and the example is my case scenario in  which we have very limited resources. Government should establish civil hospitals in  small cities also and should increase their budget; they should recruit more doctors  and nurses as we have shortage. They should train doctors with latest equipments  and provide hospitals appropriate medicines. In addition to this all the hospitals  should be provided with computers and also be made online so that a data system  can be established and it can help the patients and also hospitals for future  reference. I will conclude by saying that in such scarce resources, government sector  hospitals are doing excellent job. REFERENCES Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment 2004. 43rd edition. Norman Daniels. (2000). Accountability for reasonableness. BMJ; 321; 1300-  1301. D K Martin, P A Singer and M Bernstein. (2003). Access to intensive care  unit beds for neurosurgery patients: a qualitative case study. J. Neurol.  Neurosurg. Psychiatry; 74; 1299-1303. Jennifer AH Bell, Sylvia Hyland, Tania DePellegrin, Ross EG Upshur, Mark  Bernstein and Douglas K Martin. (2004). SARS and hospital priority setting:  a qualitative case study and evaluation. BMC Health Services Research, 4:36

Internal Combustion Engines :: physics internal combustion engine

Most motor vehicles today use an Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) to give them power to drive down the road; ICEs are a form of a heat engine. Gasoline is burned to push a piston, which in return forces the car down the road. As the gas in the cylinder is ignited and expanded it forces the piston down the shaft. The force is carried through piston, which is connected to a crankshaft. The force moves through the transmission, down the driveshaft, and out the tires. The Otto Cycle is used to turn as much heat into the driving force as possible. â€Å"A heat engine is a machine that converts heat into work† (Heat Engines). A heat engine absorbs a quantity of energy from a hot reservoir, does work, and then gives up a quantity of energy to the cold reservoir. In the example of an ICE, gasoline is burned, creating heat and expanding the gasses. This expansion pushes the piston down the cylinder and the excess heat is carried out through the coolant system or exhaust. The work done by the engine can be determined using the equation: W=Q(hot) - Q(cold) The efficiency of a heat engine can be determined using the equation: e=W/Q(hot) Gasoline engines have four strokes and six processes in each cycle. During the intake stroke, air and fuel are drawn into the cylinder; the volume and potential energy increase. Next, the compression stroke adiabatically compresses the gases; the volume decreases and the temperature increases. The spark does not occur during a stroke but when the piston is fully raised, this causes the gases to ignite keeping relatively the same volume. In the power stroke, the gas adiabatically expands; the temperature decreases and the volume increases. Finally, the exhaust valve is opened so in the exhaust stroke when the piston moves up the gasses are released causing the volume to decrease. A hemi engine refers to the way the pistons, heads and block are designed. This style of engine claims to provide a better flow of air inside the cylinder by creating more room for larger valves in turn providing more power. The chamber on a hemi is hemispherical instead of being flat like traditional engines. This shape provides more surface area on the block allowing room for the larger valves. When the engine can breath better there is less friction and more clean air / fuel mixture providing more power.

Summer Reading Assignment: About a Boy

Mr. Wilson English 11 5 September 2012 Summer Reading Assignment: About a Boy Insensible Will, who lives comfortably off of the money from a popular Christmas song his father wrote, comes up with the idea to join a Single Parents Alone Together, (SPAT), group in order to pick up single moms. What he chooses to overlook however, is the fact that he does not have any children. This sparks a chain of events beginning with him meeting Marcus, an awkward young teenage boy who is being raised by a depressed, single mother.Marcus is constantly tormented at school and feels as though he has no one to turn to. He becomes very fond of Will who is tolerant with him at first and begins to grow attached to his high strung personality. Marcus begins to gain confidence, learn how to deal with his mother, and win the affection of an older punk rocker girl named Ellie at his school. However spending time with Marcus begins to show Will just how empty his life really is. Marcus and Will cross paths at a SPAT get together when Marcus’s mom asks her friend Susie to bring him.That day is the when both Marcus and Wills’ life change forever. When arriving home from the SPAT party Susie, Marcus, and Will walk into Marcus’s mom Fiona passed out in her own vomit. In the mix of it all Marcus doesn’t even see that his mom had tried to overdose on pills. From that day forward Marcus constantly worried about his mother’s depression instead of worrying about himself, and how he gets picked on everyday at his school. It wasn’t until he met Will that Marcus realized why he was getting picked on.Fiona, Marcus’s mom, was in denial and believed that Marcus was just fine wearing ugly shoes, and listening to Mozart. Will helps him to find himself, and to shed his nerdy and dorky skin. As the months passed Marcus began to change and he started hanging out with this punk rocker girl Ellie. At first Marcus believed that he was in love with Ellie and tha t he could spend the rest of his life with her but after taking her to go see his father Marcus realizes she is just too different and crazy. At the end of the novel Will knows for sure that Marcus will be ok when he complains about Will askingFiona to take out sheet music of Marcus’s old favorite nerdy singer. He knows the days of Marcus letting kids bully him, steal his shoes, and mock him for his old haircut are gone. Will did not only help Marcus, but Marcus helped him. Before he was ever involved with Marcus, Will was a pot smoking, lazy, self centered person. However after everything he went through with Marcus, Will changed, and for the better. At the end of the novel Will had found love with this beautiful single mother, Rachel. Even Will realized that himself.He had lost his shell and his cool and his distance, and he felt scared and vulnerable, but he got to be with Rachel, and that’s all that mattered. Fiona at the beginning of the novel was a suicidal, depr essed, and horrible mother. Even after trying to kill herself she was still horrible. She didn’t even notice how hard of a time Marcus was having at school and she wanted to take away Will from Marcus when he was the only thing making her son happy. But as Marcus changed so did Fiona. She was longer so depressed and no longer hated Marcus as her son.Even though she has lost a big part of Marcus, she got to stay away from the hospital because she was no longer depressed. Change makes you flexible, and helps go with the flow. Change makes you smarter. If things never changed, you’d never learn anything new. And every time you learn something new its makes you smarter than you were yesterday. Change reminds us that anything is possible. It’s easy to think that anything that’s stuck will always be that way. Marcus, Fiona and Will all learned how to improve their lives and it was all because of each other.

The eNotes Blog RELAX. The World Ended in 634BCE

RELAX. The World Ended in 634BCE If you are stressing because there is not a single bed-and-breakfast in  Bugarach, France (purportedly the only place in the world safe from the predicted Mayan apocalypse of 2012), relax.   For a variety of reasons, the world is NOT going to end tomorrow. December 21, 2012, has been ballyhooed for years as the date the world will end. Fin. Finito. Thats all folks. And Im not paying that cable bill either. Except that it wont be. The list of Yep-thats-it. The-world-has-become-as-evil-as-it-possibly-can-be-and-____________(your god here)-has-HAD-ENOUGH is a loooooooooooooooooooong one, folks. Better get crackin on buying that gift for your aunt, because no one is gonna give you an eternal excuse.   Here is a brief list of the various We Are DOOMED! scenarios, all come and gone: 634 BCE and Some Pissed-Off Eagles Many Romans feared that the city would be destroyed in the 120th year of its founding. There was a myth that 12 eagles had revealed to  Romulus  a mystical number representing the lifetime of Rome, and some early Romans hypothesized that each eagle represented 10 years. 1st Century, Early Christians Some first-century Christians expected Jesus  to return within one generation of his death. According to some scholars,  Paul the Apostle was one of these. 375-400 CE,  Martin of Tours Stated that the world would end before 400. Writing There is no doubt that the Antichrist has already been born. Firmly established already in his early years, he will, after reaching maturity, achieve supreme power. 500 CE,  Hippolytus of Rome,Sextus Julius Africanus,Irenaeus All three predicted Jesus would return in the year 500. January 1, 1000:  Pope Sylvester II The  Millenium Apocalypse. Various Christians predicted the end of the world on this date, including  Pope Sylvester II. Riots in Europe. Panicky Europeans, 1346-51 The  black plague  spreading across Europe was interpreted by many as the sign of the end of times. 1656,  Various Christians   Theres always been a lot of monkeying around with numbers, with sects swearing that they have figured out the secret formula (yeahriiiight. we still dont know what, precisely, the secret spices are in KFC). Anyhoo. [s]ome Christians believed the world would end this year, as 1656 was the number of years between Creation and the Great Flood in the Bible. 1697,  Cotton Mather Well-known for his love of a good prank (kidding), [t]his Puritan minister predicted the world would end this year. After the prediction failed, he revised the date of the End two more times. (Okay.. this is getting tedious. There are literally dozens more but in the interest of time, and of course, our imminent demise, lets fast forward to the twentieth century). Feb. 4, 1962: Psychic Jeane Dixon Predicted a planetary alignment on this day was to bring destruction to the world. 1975, Jehovahs Witnesses In 1966, Jehovahs Witnesses estimated it had been 6000 years since mans creation; therefore, in the fall of 1975   it would be appropriate for Christs thousand-year reign to begin. These claims were repeated throughout the late 1960. In 1974, they reaffirmed their belief that there was just a short time remaining before the wicked worlds end. Oct/Nov 1982:   Pat Robertson, Evangelical Pastor In late 1976, Robertson predicted that the end of the world was coming in October or November 1982. (Well, that  was  the year of my first date, an event many wouldve predicted would bring the world to an end so perhaps a little leeway for ol Pat). April 29, 1987:   Leland Jensen, Halleys Comet Jensen predicted that Halleys Comet would be pulled into Earths orbit on April 29, 1988, causing widespread destruction. July, 1999: Nostradamus   A prediction attributed to Nostradamus stating the King of Terror would come from the sky in 1999 and seven months led to fears of the end. Annnnnnnnnnnd Presenting Despite All Historical Evidence and Obvious Fallacies to the Contrary! THE MAYANS! The so-called  Mayan apocalypse  at the start of the  14th baktun. The Earth is destroyed by an  asteroid,  Nibiru, or some other interplanetary object; an  alien invasion; or a  supernova. Good night, all. Unless I am destroyed by aliens or burned to a crisp by a supernova, Ill see you next week with some elegant toasts for the New Year, in which, surely, there will be predictions that all of us will become toast.

How to Ask Politely Where the Bathroom Is in French

How to Ask Politely Where the Bathroom Is in French Ah la la, this is always a difficult question. Because on top of possibly sounding impolite in French,  you could also end up sounding  totally ridiculous. If you want to ask, Where is the bathroom, and you  go for a literal translation, youd ask,  Oà ¹ est la salle de bains? The problem is la salle de bains  is the room where the bath or shower is. Often the toilet  is  in a separate room. Imagine the puzzled look on your French hosts when they try to figure out why on earth you want to take a shower in their home. Ideally, if things are done properly, your hosts should have discreetly pointed out the bathroom after they took your coat and guided you into the house. Oà ¹ Sont  les Toilettes, S’il te  Plaà ®t? But if that didnt happen, the correct question would be,  Oà ¹ sont  les toilettes, s’il te  plaà ®t? if you are saying tu to your host. Note that the term les toilettes  referring to the bathroom is  always plural. You may also use the word les cabinets.  If you do, youd say, Oà ¹ sont les cabinets, sil te plaà ®t, but its a bit old-fashioned. If the evening is  super formal, you may say something like, Oà ¹ puis-je me rafraà ®chir? (Where may I freshen up?), but talking like that is quite snobbish. And anyway, everybody knows where youre going and what youll be doing once you get there. Also remember that we never say, â€Å"Take your time† in this kind of situation, which always makes me laugh.   At a Dinner Party, Be Discreet If youve gone to this house for a dinner party, keep in mind that you are not supposed to leave the dinner table...and dinner may last for hours. If you absolutely have to use the bathroom, time your exit well, for example, not just before a new course is brought in. It could be at the end of a course since the French dont remove the empty plates right away; just leave the table as discreetly as you can. You may say a soft, â€Å"Veuillez m’excuser† (Please excuse me), but its not at all necessary. And by all means, don’t say where youre going. Everybody knows. At a Restaurant or Cafà ©, Be Polite and Use Vous If youre in a restaurant or a cafà ©, its the same question. You will, of course, be using vous: Oà ¹ sont les toilettes, sil vous plaà ®t? In big cities, you often need to be a customer to use the restroom. If its a big Parisian cafà © with a terrace, walk in, look for the signs, and just go in. If its a smaller place, smile a lot and politely say: Excusez moi. Je suis vraiment dà ©solà ©e, mais est-ce que je peux utiliser vos toilettes, sil vous plaà ®t? Only in a very touristic place would you have a problem. Then, either order and pay for a coffee at the bar (even if you dont drink it) or go to the nearest public toilets. To navigate the niceties of French toilets youll need to learn how French toilets work. For instance, do you know what those weird buttons are on a French toilet?  And make sure you learn all you can about using a public toilet in France  to  avoid a nasty surprise!

DBR LAB Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

DBR - Lab Report Example e such that sections of the pavement are not subjected to excessive deformation that would otherwise result in settlement of the section or localized deformation. One of the empirical methods used in the design of pavements is the California bearing ratio test abbreviated as CBR test. CBR value is determined by carrying out a CBR test on the subgrade soil. The CBR value depicts an index that shows the soil bearing capacity and the soil strength. Using the CBR value, sub – base and base material of a pavement to be constructed can be easily designed (Knapton). Using the CBR value, evaluations of the strengths of the soils can be established by using CBR value as an indicator. The CBR value typically represents a percentage of the soil with a standard crushed soil from California. Ultimately, the CBR value is mainly used in the quantification of the response of the subgrade and pavement to loading (Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur). There are various factors that affect the CBR test. These include the soil density, the soil texture and the soil moisture. Thus, the testing procedure to be used for a specific CBR test is completely dependent on the material type being tested. A drawback to the CBR test is that it gives the total thickness of material to be applied above the subgrade. The thickness is constant for a particular pavement irrespective of the materials that are used in the construction of the layers (Yoder and Witczak). In the California bearing Ration test, the objectives are the determination of the CBR value of the soil that is being considered to be used as a foundation of a pavements. This is mainly done to facilitate the evaluation of the subgrade soil strength (Purushothama). It should be noted that CBR does not provide information about the soil properties such as cohesion shearing resistance etc. 4.5 Kg of the sample to be tested was collected from the field. A soil sample was then taken from this sample a compacted in a CBR mould in 3

Community Needs Assessment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Community Needs Assessment - Research Paper Example The work of Maninno et al. (2002) has recognized that asthma is a major cause of school and work days losses in America since the 1980s. Maninno et al. (2002) found that between 1980 and 1996, the prevalence of lifetime asthma has increased in the United States. Related with this, the study of Manino et al. (2002) reported that school days and work man-days losses due to asthma have also increased. This needs assessment focused on the problem of asthma in South Bronx because this analyst believe that asthma is most likely a serious problem in the community given the reputation of South Bronx with regard to the family income of its residents. In addition to the usual objectives of needs assessment, the needs assessment was designed to develop insights on how a health program focused on asthma can best be developed for South Bronx. Thus, the author was keen on drawing data helpful to producing insights in that direction. To produce the community needs assessment, the author reviewed do cuments, news reports, and gathered a documented testimony from at least one community leader. South Bronx is a community populated by low-income minority families in New York City. Figure 1 shows New York City on the left panel and South Bronx on the right panel. South Bronx is composed of localities labeled with numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 9 on the right panel and colored yellow. The entire Bronx (colored as peach and yellow) on the right panel is the peach colored area in left panel. According to the Lehman College that is located in the Bronx area, census data indicate that the Bronx had a population of 1.4 million people as of 2008. A significant part of this population resides in South Bronx. Unfortunately, according to the college, around 30% of the South Bronx population refuse to categorize themselves into a racial category. The Lehman College pointed out that although South Bronx is described as a low-income community, there is a section

Against Legalizing Prostitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Against Legalizing Prostitution - Essay Example nthropology, and Social Work at Central Michigan University and Shekarkhar works at the Department of Sociology and Criminology & Law at the University of Florida. Hayes-Smith and Shekarkhar focus on the flaws of the current construction and propose alternative constructions instead of prostitution decriminalisation. According to Hayes-Smith and Shekarkhar, prostitution remains illegal in most parts of the US. The authors question whether there is empirical evidence to support United States’ argument that prostitution must remain illegal for maintenance of public health/safety. According to the article, there are four assumptions of laws on prostitution. These assumptions include illegalisation of prostitution deters the soliciting of such services, prostitution spreads sexually transmitted diseases, sex work increases the vulnerability of prostitutes to victimization, and prostitution creates social disorder. Hayes-Smith and Shekarkhar argue, â€Å"†¦these assumptions have fear-inducing component directed towards prostitutes† (45). The authors add that the assumptions may also not be empirically valid. Hayes-Smith and Shekarkhar believe that laws on prostitution are directed towards benefiting certain people and groups in society, but devastating others. Community members do not have common beliefs; hence, the laws are beneficial who believe that exchange of sex for money is morally reprehensible and a way out of the traditional family order. The authors posit that illegalisation of prostitution leads to injustices because it stigmatizes sex workers, infringing their right to use their bodies as a source of income. The flaws identified in the current prostitution laws makes Hayes-Smith and Shekarkhar call for an alternative construction for addressing the inefficiencies. Additionally, Hayes-Smith and Shekarkhar posit that prostitution should actually be decriminalised because it is rampant among the upper class citizens whose chances of criminalization are

Dracula Essay Example for Free

Dracula Essay Good vs. Evil has long been expressed through movies and books throughout history. Batman beating the Joker, Spiderman banishing the Green Goblin, and Arthur and the guys defeating Dracula are all examples of literature based on the theme Good vs. Evil. In Bram Stokers, Dracula, Jonathan Harker represents the good, while the vampire, Dracula, represents the evil antagonist. One thing these four pieces share is that evil never fully overcomes good. They all start off as regular human beings, or on the good side, until their spirit and soul becomes taken over by a sense of evil. Gothic elements, such as, an atmosphere of mystery and suspense, supernatural events, gloom and horror, the tyrannical male, and the woman in distress are all present in these stories. The movie Interview with a Vampire, The Singing Springing Lark, and the story Interview with a Vampire can relate to Dracula because of their themes and gothic elements. The movie Interview with a Vampire is very similar to the story Dracula. It starts off in a dark night scene filled with dull and heavy music. Also, during the fight scene, the setting included thunderstorms and pouring rain. This shows metonymy because the dark and heavy music represents death and terror and the thunderstorms and rain were used to create a setting of darkness and fear. Other gothic elements shown in this movie were Lucy’s pale skin, the castle setting, and the exchanging of blood. In the Lindauer 2 story Dracula, Lucy’s skin starts to become very pale because she has been bitten by Dracula, which is what happened in the movie. This represents the gothic element tyrannical male, because of Dracula’s presentation of overpowering the other characters, more specifically Mina and Lucy. This directly relates to the gothic element women in distress because the women in both stories were treated poorly and were taken advantage of due to their weaknesses. In the story, The Singing Springing Lark, there are also many similarities to Dracula. For example, as in Interview with a Vampire also, most of the scenes take place in a castle. This shows the gothic element setting in a castle. As in most stories, a castle usually represents evil spirits and terror, which Dracula and the Beast both represent. Another gothic element shown is an atmosphere of mystery and suspense. In the story, the prince was hesitant to meet the girl’s family because â€Å"for if a ray from a burning light were to fall on him there, he would be transformed into a dove, and would have to fly with doves for seven years.† This is an important quote because in the story Dracula, the boys had figured out that Dracula’s evil spirit was weakest during the times of sunrise and sunset. If they didn’t get to him before the sun set, his powers were going to be restored. In other words, the change from dark to light represents a change from evil to good. In the story Interview with a Vampire, the plot line is almost exactly the same. For example, â€Å"The mere sight of a bared throat could bring about in me such a taste of arousal that I became like an animal, incapable of language or restraint.† This quote shows tyrannical male because it compares how Armand and Dracula are both similar in the way they kill their prey. They both attack where the blood is rich just like animals do and dominate their prey. It also Lindauer 3 shows a sexual side because the mere fact of killing got both of these characters aroused. For example, â€Å"With his left hand he held both Mrs. Harkers hands, keeping them away with her arms at full tension; his right hand gripped her by the back of the neck, forcing her face down on his bosom. Her white nightdress was smeared with blood, and a thin stream trickled down the mans bare breast which was shown by his torn-open dress.†(Stoker 283) This quote shows women in distress because it describes how Mina, in a sense, was raped. Just Armand, Dracula finds pleasure in killing, and transforming good into evil. One thing that all of these pieces share is that evil never overcomes good. Although evil makes its presence known and dominates at first, good prevails in the end. The movie Interview with a Vampire, The Singing Springing Lark, and the story Interview with a Vampire can relate to Dracula because of their themes and gothic elements. As Theodore Roosevelts once said, The forces that tend for evil are great and terrible, but the forces of truth and love and courage and honesty and generosity and sympathy are stronger than any before.

Great Leaders - Nnamdi Azikiwe and Patrick Henry :: World History

Great Leaders - Nnamdi Azikiwe and Patrick Henry Both Nnamdi Azikiwe and Patrick Henry though they lived more than two hundred years apart from each other, were leaders of their own time. They both lived through unbearable, and inhumane conditions. Nnamdi Azikiwe through slavery in Nigeria, and Patrick Henry through the unbearable things that Great Britain had placed upon the colonists. The conditions in both of their times might have been similar, but certainly not equal. The Africans were under much worse conditions than the colonists. They had to deal with the segregation of all the people around them. Separate benches, and even different restrooms for the Nigerians and the white men. The ex-servicemen didn't get the same privileged that the white men did. They were denied many things. Political freedom, economic security and social emancipation. They had to give up all that was theirs so that others could rule over them. The Nigerians were denied their basic human right that all people get. They were treated as if they of another kind like an animal or beast. Slavery was one of the worst things that the Nigerians had to live through. Working for others, and barely earning what would be just enough for their families, if they even got that, because some didn't get any money if they were stolen, so that other Nigerians could get money. They were sold, traded and t ossed around as if they were not people. They were forced to live under humiliating conditions. The conditions were unbearable to what the average person in America might be able to handle in this day and age. The Nigerians were torn from one of the most basic rights that we have here in America today. The right to freedom, and the pursuit of happiness. Through these conditions it is unnatural to live life, so that is why they needed their freedom. The Americans were treated in a similar way. They were forced to live under laws that today would seem to be the craziest ideas, and they seems like they could never actually happen to anybody, but they did a very long time ago. They were taxed major amounts. They paid taxes on almost every item. There was only tax on the items that they purchased from Great Britain, However they got all their items from Great Britain because there was no other place that they could get these items, so they paid taxes on everything.

Kennedy’s New Frontier Program

In November 1960, majority of the American population voted John F. Kennedy into presidency. Opposite to the tactics used by his opponent com/richard-nixon-and-supreme-court/">Richard Nixon who emphasized his experience during the Eisenhower administration, Kennedy called to incorporate new tactics to leadership and new ways to effectively use their country's rich economic and human resources (â€Å"An Outline of American History† 12-20). In Kennedy's inauguration speech, he spoke of a â€Å"New Frontier. In general, Kennedy's government through the programs incorporated with the New Frontier was dedicated towards creating ways to boost their economy, to strengthen their national defense and to extend international aid towards their allies. In this light, his administration passed several bills and policies that sought to improve their economic status, while giving a close look at the country's housing status, wage level and unemployment level, provision of social services an d improving the defense system and battling to decrease the crime rate. However, his desire to extend the fruits of economic success with the American citizens was thwarted by the mere fact that he won the presidency in such a narrow margin. His opponents from the Conservative Party and southerners resisted the plans that he carried out for his administration. Further, although one of his strongest priorities is to end economic recession and in turn restore economic growth, price increase in the steel indusry has lost him support from business leaders in the country. Moreover, in the area of civil and social rights, Kennedy fell short from providing the citizens with adequate and quality healthcare, education, international aid and space program (â€Å"Kennedy and the New Frontier†). However, despite these shortcomings, hindrances and deficits, he was able to bring judgment with the Cuban Missile Crisis which during that era was one of the most pressing international issues. This earned him a great popularity not only among the Americans, but for people from other countries as well. As such, towards the end of his term, he further initiated some measures that are thought to become beneficial for their country. Unfortunately though, on November 1963, he was assassinated. Despite his death, the liberal reputation he gained through his style and ideas continued. The agendas that he intended to implement before his death continued to become a liberal force of change for the Americans.

How and why does order disintegrate on the island? Essay

On the island two leaders are clearly marked out at the start; Jack and Ralph. Jack has a fierce desire to lead and control. From the start of the book he challenges Ralph’s leadership and is obsessed with power. At the start he controls the ‘wearily obedient’ choir with military discipline and at the end he rules his tribe of savages with fear and torture. Jack rejects the democratic processes by which rules and decisions are made, and instead imposes his own desires by force. He overcomes and suppresses the civilised restraints which originally prevented him killing the pig and gives up to his violent and bloodthirsty instincts. We are not informed in the book of Jack’s intelligence, as when he gains power, he makes very primitive solutions to the problems on the island because he has lost all sense of rational thought. He resorts to superstitious practices like leaving an offering for the beast, and uses rituals to keep the tribe together and to hide their emotions. Ralph is dependable and responsible. He is basically kind, with ‘a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil’. His sensitivity can be seen in the way he deals with Jack’s disappointment at losing the leadership vote by giving him charge of the choir. He hopes the society works in a democratic and civilised way and is shocked when things go wrong. He is intelligent, but he often finds making decisions and thinking things through too much for him, and relies on Piggy to help and prompt him. Ralph takes time to notice just how important Piggy is to him being chief, and he grows to value Piggy’s loyalty and common sense. Ralph shows physical courage, such as when he forces himself to climb the mountain and face the beast. Moral courage is shown when he admits his part in Simon’s murder. He struggles to keep believing that humans are fundamentally good. He can’t understand how a boy like him could experience real hatred: ‘But he’s, he’s Jack Merridew!’ In the end he recognises the real evil inside humans; ‘the darkness of a man’s heart’. Ralph represents the values of civilisation and democratic rule, which are eventually defeated by the evil contained within society. However, the two similarities the boys possess are that they are both stronger and a lot bigger than the others, which is the most important reason for them being marked out as obvious leaders at the first meeting. Ralph wins the vote for chief because of his; ‘attractive appearance; and most obscurely, yet most powerfully, there was the conch.’- even before the boys really know each other they already seem to respect the conch as it unites them in what seems like a orderly meeting with the sound it makes. Because of this it is seen as the tool that creates and resembles civilisation throughout the book Each of them is a leader, but the leadership each shows is based on different principles. Ralph’s liberal style of leadership takes notice of other peoples opinions. He feels the responsibility of his position and also feels its burdens. Jack’s style of leadership is based on domination and fear. He imposes his will on others with no regard for their needs or feelings. He wields power without responsibility, and enjoys having power over other beings, animal or human. The things he cannot dominate he tries to destroy, which is why he hunts Ralph at the end of the book. Jack hides his identity behind his mask and the anonymous title of ‘chief’. Jack uses these things to protect himself from remembering the civilised world, enabling him to perform savage acts with no remorse, which makes him a very strong leader, even if he is unjust and selfish. One of the main symbols of leadership on the island is the conch. This creamy shell that can be blown like a horn represents the democratic system of leadership on the island, as it is Ralph’s tool for organising meetings and controlling the boys. The conch also represents the paternalistic rà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½gime of adult authority that cares for everyone. Throughout the book the reader and the characters identify Piggy with this ideology due to his intelligence and his total faith in democracy. As respect for the conch fades, a sense of order also fades. This continues until the conch is smashed, ending order and civilisation on the island. The evil that is inside human beings is personified in the beast. Many people don’t want look inside themselves and don’t want to recognise this aspect of their nature. They look for something in their surroundings to be the cause or its embodiment. This happens on the island – the boys have lost all sense of home and security, which begins to provoke nightmares. One of the littluns resorts to muttering his name and address as a means of remembering the civilised world – in doing so grasping for security – ‘Percival Wemys Madison, The Vicarage, Harcourt Street†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢.They then begin to think the branches are snakes, which develops into a beast, which rapidly changes form in the boys’ imaginations. When the dead pilot lands on the mountain top this becomes the focal point of their fear. Jack takes advantage of the fear this causes by promising to protect them from the beast, which, once it takes a physical form, leaves no doubts in the minds of the majority of the boys – which makes Jack very powerful and he becomes the new leader on the island. Once Jack is given this authority, he extends his power over his ‘tribe’ by making them fearful and in awe of him as well as the beast. He does this by concealing his civilised identity with a mask of clay paint, changing his name so he is known only as chief, ordering his tribe to perform rituals; ‘ ‘Go on!’ The two savages looked at each other, raised their spears and spoke in time. ‘The Chief has spoken.’ ‘. And making them dance to celebrate the savage act of killing a pig. As order disintegrates on the island, the boys descend to savagery. This is best illustrated by the choir. They begin the novel in smart uniforms promoting their group identity. They then become hunters, and begin to enjoy killing the pigs. Jack then releases his savage instincts by making his mask, and they all follow suit, degenerating into a tribe of savage killers. Every time the group kills, it becomes more of a ritual and less of an actual hunt for food. This continues throughout the novel until the final hunt – which is the hunt for Ralph. This is made even more disturbing when Golding makes Roger sharpen a stick ‘at both ends’. We cannot be sure whether they intend to cut Ralph’s head off and put it on one end of the stick with the other end in the ground, or whether they intend to thrust the stick through his body and cook him over a fire. Either way, this shows just how much the boys have changed – there is no element of civilisation left and the descent to savagery is complete. Order is destroyed on the island because of the natural savagery that is inside human beings. The reader presumes that more prominent figures like Jack and Roger are ‘evil’, but all they are doing is giving in to their instincts. The only reason why Piggy and Ralph can remain civilised is by battling with their instincts, a battle that they lose at times in the book, such as at the time of Simons death. All the boys needed for their instincts take over was an escape from the influences of civilisation. I think Golding is trying to convey how weak civilisation is, as well as showing that all humans have the potential for savage behaviour. The island is a microcosm of the outside world – when the boys set fire to the island at the end, the adults are also setting fire to their world with the atom bomb. Golding has been quoted as saying that ‘anyone who lived through the Second World War and didn’t believe that men produced evil just as bees produced honey must be ignorant or mad’ – he very successfully uses the book as his argument.

Power and the Glory An UnHoly Priest essays

Power and the Glory An UnHoly Priest essays Power and the Glory - An Un-Holy Priest There is uncertainty as to why Green chose to have the priest in his novel, The Power and the Glory, be such an appalling person. Normally, one thinks of a priest to be the holiest being among all people on this earth. This belief is not proven to be true, however, in this novel. In Christianity, you learn that priesthood is one of the closest things to purity and Godliness that exists on this earth. They dont engage in sexual relationships, and they certainly dont do anything that is against the law. In The Power and the Glory, however, the priest, lovingly known as the whisky priest, does the opposite of these regulations. Firstly, he is an alcoholic. In this time, alcohol was an illegal substance, yet the priest still takes part in drinking it. It seems that almost every situation in which the priest is involved throughout the book, he drinks. In the very beginning, when he first meets Mr. Tench and gets alcohol, all the way through the end when he is arrested and killed for being caught with Brandy. The next subject matter that gives me confusion about the priest is his relationship with Maria. He had sex with her, and she had his child. This is something that among priests is absolutely unheard of, and it bewilders me that the whiskey priest would be involved in such things. The reason the priest was being searched for is because religion was outlawed. Anyone who was found practicing religion was to be put to death. One would think that all the priests would declare their belief in God, and would be willing to die for him. The whisky priest ran from confrontation about his being a priest, and instead, died for alcohol. Throughout the book, I tried to think of the priest as a good man, because most are. The contradiction of his behavior and his beliefs, however, seems like Greene was trying to make his readers think otherwise. An exact...

Six Shades of True

Six Shades of True Six Shades of True Six Shades of True By Maeve Maddox Our word true is one of the oldest in the language. It may derive from a Proto-Indo-European word for tree. A well-rooted tree is strong, steadfast and firm. By the time the word entered Old English as triewe, it had acquired the meaning â€Å"faithful† or â€Å"trustworthy.† New connotations continued to attach to true. The sense â€Å"consistent with fact† dates from about 1200. The meaning â€Å"real, genuine, not counterfeit† is from late 14th century. About 1550 it took on the sense of â€Å"agreeing with a certain standard,† and by late 1500s it could mean â€Å"accurately fitted or shaped.† In modern usage, true has at least six shades of meaning. Here are some examples from the web, together with a few synonyms that might convey the intended meaning more precisely. 1. Is it true what they say about the Moto G? Meaning: correct, accurate, right, verifiable, well-documented, factual 2. This is why, with true musicianship in mind, I rarely touch the piano in my classroom. Meaning: genuine, authentic, real, actual 3. An Australian forklift driver who some historians argued was the true heir to the British throne has died in the small New South Wales town he called home. Meaning: rightful, legitimate, legal, lawful, authorized 4. A true friendhas your very best interests at heart. Meaning: loyal, faithful, constant, devoted, staunch trustworthy, reliable, dependable 5. The costume historian views the history of clothing as a true reflection of culture Meaning: accurate, true to life, faithful, factual, realistic 6. True repentance is always characterized by at least three things Meaning: sincere, genuine, real, unfeigned, heartfelt Then again, true might be exactly the word you want. Here are some idioms that contain the word true: true as steel: loyal and dependable true colors: personality traits often concealed by one’s day-to-day behavior true love: love that does not alter when it alteration finds ring true: to sound likely (like the intended tone of a bell that has been cast properly) tried and true: worthy of trust because of previous dependability true up: straighten something true to form: according to pattern or previous behavior true-blue: totally dependable at all times Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should Know"Replacement for" and "replacement of"The "Pied" in The Pied Piper

The Twin Towers Collapse Explained

The Twin Towers Collapse Explained In the years since the terrorist attacks in New York City, individual engineers and committees of experts have studied the crumpling of the World Trade Center twin towers. By examining the buildings destruction step-by-step, experts are learning how buildings fail and discovering ways to build stronger structures by answering the question: What caused the twin towers to fall? Aircraft Impact When hijacked commercial jets piloted by terrorists struck the twin towers, some 10,000 gallons (38 kiloliters) of jet fuel fed an enormous fireball. But the impact of the Boeing 767-200ER series aircraft and the burst of flames did not make the towers collapse right away. Like most buildings, the twin towers had a redundant design, which means that when one system fails, another carries the load. Each of the twin towers had 244 columns around a central core that housed the elevators, stairwells, mechanical systems, and utilities. In this tubular design system, when some columns became damaged, others could still support the building. Following the impact, floor loads originally supported by the exterior columns in compression were successfully transferred to other load paths, wrote examiners for the official Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) report. Most of the load supported by the failed columns is believed to have transferred to adjacent perimeter columns through Vierendeel behavior of the exterior wall frame. Belgian civil engineer Arthur Vierendeel (1852-1940) is known for inventing a vertical rectangular metal framework that shifts shear differently than diagonal triangular methods. The impact of the aircraft and other flying objects: Compromised the insulation that protected the steel from high heatDamaged the sprinkler system of the buildingSliced and cut many of the interior columns and damaged othersShifted and redistributed the building load among columns that were not immediately damaged The shift put some of the columns under elevated states of stress. Heat From Fires Even if the sprinklers had been working, they could not have maintained enough pressure to stop the fire. Fed by the spray of jet fuel, the heat became intense. It is no comfort to realize that each aircraft carried less than half of its full capacity of 23,980  U.S. gallons of fuel. Jet fuel burns at 800 to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature is not hot enough to melt structural steel. But engineers say that for the World Trade Center towers to collapse, its steel frames didnt need to melt- they just had to lose some of their structural strength from the intense heat. Steel will lose about half its strength at 1,200 Fahrenheit. Steel also becomes distorted and will buckle when heat is not a uniform temperature. The exterior temperature was much cooler than the burning jet fuel inside. Videos of both buildings showed inward bowing of perimeter columns resulting from sagging of heated trusses on many floors. Collapsing Floors Most fires start in one area and then spread. Because the aircraft hit the buildings at an angle, the fires from impact covered several floors almost instantly. As the weakened floors began to bow and then collapse, they pancaked. This means that upper floors crashed down on lower floors with increasing weight and momentum, crushing each successive floor below. Once movement began, the entire portion of the building above the area of impact fell in a unit, pushing a cushion of air below it, wrote researchers of the official FEMA report. As this cushion of air pushed through the impact area, the fires were fed by new oxygen and pushed outward, creating the illusion of a secondary explosion. With the weight of the plunging floors building force, the exterior walls buckled. Researchers estimate that the air ejected from the building by gravitational collapse must have attained, near the ground, the speed of almost 500 mph. Loud booms were heard during the collapse. They were caused by airspeed fluctuations reaching the speed of sound. Why They Flattened Before the terrorist attack, the twin towers were 110 stories tall. Constructed of lightweight steel around a central core, the World Trade Center towers were about 95 percent air. After they collapsed, the hollow core was gone. The remaining rubble was only a few stories high. April 2005 Presentation by Lead Investigator Shyam Sunder, NIST. Stephen Chernin/Getty Images (cropped) Strong Enough? The twin towers were built between 1966 and 1973. No building constructed at that time would have been able to withstand the impact of the terrorist attacks in 2001. We can, however, learn from the collapse of the skyscrapers and take steps to construct safer buildings and minimize the number of casualties in future disasters. When the twin towers were constructed, the builders were granted some exemptions from New Yorks building codes. The exemptions allowed the builders to use lightweight materials so the skyscrapers could achieve great heights. According to Charles Harris, author of Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases, fewer people would have died on 9/11 if the twin towers had used the type of fireproofing required by older building codes. Others say the architectural design actually saved lives. These skyscrapers were designed with redundancies- anticipating that a small plane could accidentally penetrate the skyscraper skin and the building would not fall from that type of accident. Both buildings withstood the immediate impact of the two large aircraft bound for the West Coast on 9/11. The north tower was hit at 8:46 a.m. ET, between floors 94 and 98- it did not collapse until 10:29 a.m., which gave most people one hour and 43 minutes to evacuate. Even the south tower was able to stand for a remarkable 56 minutes after being hit at 9:03 a.m. ET. The second jet hit the south tower on lower floors, between floors 78 and 84, which structurally compromised the skyscraper earlier than the north tower. Most of the south tower occupants, however, began evacuating when the north tower was hit. The towers could not have been designed any better or stronger. Nobody anticipated the deliberate actions of an aircraft filled with thousands of gallons of jet fuel. 9/11 Truth Movement Conspiracy theories often accompany horrific and tragic events. Some occurrences in life are so shockingly incomprehensible that some people begin to doubt theories. They might reinterpret evidence and offer explanations based on their prior knowledge. Passionate people fabricate what becomes alternative logical reasoning. The clearinghouse for 9/11 conspiracies became 911Truth.org. The mission of the 9/11 Truth Movement is to reveal what it believes to be the United States covert involvement in the attacks. When the buildings collapsed, some thought it had all of the characteristics of a controlled demolition. The scene in Lower Manhattan on 9/11 was nightmarish, and in the chaos, people drew on past experiences to determine what was happening. Some people believe that the twin towers were brought down by explosives, although others find no evidence for this belief. Writing in the Journal of Engineering Mechanics ASCE, researchers have shown the allegations of controlled demolition to be absurd and that the towers failed due to gravity-driven progressive collapse triggered by the effects of fire. Engineers examine evidence and create conclusions based on observations. On the other hand, the Movement seeks the suppressed realities of September 11th that will support their mission. Conspiracy theories tend to continue in spite of evidence. Legacy on Building While architects strive to design safe buildings, developers dont always want to pay for over-redundancies to mitigate outcomes of events that are unlikely to happen. The legacy of 9/11 is that new construction in the United States must now adhere to more demanding building codes. Tall office buildings are required to have more durable fireproofing, extra emergency exits, and many other fire safety features.The events of 9/11 changed the way we build, at local, state, and international levels. Sources National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Final Report on the Collapse of the World Trade Center Towers. NIST NCSTAR 1. September 2005. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). World Trade Center Building Performance Study, FEMA 403 September 2002. Bazant, Zdenek P.; Le, Jia-Liang; Greening, Frank R.; Benson, David B.  What Did and Did not Cause Collapse of WTC Twin Towers in New York. Journal of Engineering Mechanics ASCE, Vol. 134 (2008), p. 15.Griffin, Dr. David Ray. The Destruction of the World Trade Center: Why the Official Account Cannot Be True. January 26, 2006.