Philadelphia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Philadelphia - Essay Example During the Gettysburg Campaign of 1863, numerous other battles were fought in Pennsylvania. A cavalry raid 1864 ended with the flattening of Chambersburg. The Confederate States Army occupied the city of York, which was the largest city in the North they had occupied. Pennsylvania also contributed quite a number of generals and politicians during the war; some of them include George G. Meade who was the victor of Gettysburg, Winfield S. Hancock, Simon Cameron John F. Reynolds and Thaddeus Stevens who among the Radical Republicans was prominent and outspoken(Wikipedia, n.d., para. 4). Ways in which the commemoration of the civil war can be carried out would be at the Gettysburg National Military Park. Here there can be rangers to stage a living history camp with demonstrations and programs for adults and children. There can be battalions of both Union and Confederate forces complete with artillery. Re-enactors can gather so as to reflect the actual history with all the features such as battle re-enactments, demonstrations and encampments, civilian interpreters and horses and cannons. one event that could be a highlight of the event would be a ceremony to commemorate the †Gettysburg Address† by Abraham Lincolnat the Soldier’s National Cemetery. There can be events at Harrisburg which is just a short stretch from Gettysburg where we have The State Museum of Pennsylvania. This contains collections which before had been displayed at the Civil War Road-show that has now been retired. Also contained in the museum is the infamous epic painting by Peter Frederick Rothermel â€Å"Battle of Gettysburg: Picket’s Charge†. It also contains a collection of swords used during the Civil War acquired recently which are objects linked with The United States Colored Troops (Klein, 1980). The National Civil War Museum, also located in Philadelphia, contains rare artefacts and archived pieces from the South and North with recent sesquicentennial

Ruler Dropping Test to Measure Reaction Time

Ruler Dropping Test to Measure Reaction Time Problem statement It takes every person a little time to react to any event. For example, there is a small delay before you try to catch a ball moving towards you or trying to catch a falling glass from a certain height. This time is called your reaction time. There are many ways that you can measure your response time. Some of the methods are very easy (without calculation). One of the simplest and common methods of calculating response time is the ruler drop test. Most of the athletes use this methods to calculate their response time. In our engineering physics class we were asked to use this method to calculate our reaction time. For this assignment we were to be in small groups and measure everyones reaction time by getting 10 measurements from each student and determine who has the fastest reaction time. After taking the initial measurements we were also tasked to calculate the errors of those measurements. Coming up with a plan to asses this we encountered some major problems such as, How fast is our reaction time? With each measurement does our reaction time increase? Why we tend to catch the ruler in the middle rather than the beginning? How to improve our reaction time? After we have done this assignment we plan to solve each one of those questions while providing the answers to our assignment. What is reaction time? In this method one of the students drops the ruler, the student see it starts to move and nerve signal travels from his eye to his brain. The brain simulates the signal and sends it to his finger muscles which move to catch the ruler. The whole process takes between 150 and 220 milliseconds. The process of catching the dropped ruler begins with the eye watching the ruler expecting of it falling. After the ruler is dropped, the eye sends a message to the visual cortex (which simulates what we see), which perceives that the ruler has dropped and its falling. Then the visual cortex sends a message to the motor cortex (nerve stimulation) to start the process of catching the ruler. The motor cortex sends a message to the spinal cord, which sends a message to the muscle in the hand/fingers. The final process is the process that makes a muscle to become tighter of the muscles as the hand grasps the ruler. All of these processes involve individual neurons that transmit electrochemical messages to other neurons. How to proceed the test. What do we need? An accurate ruler. Two people(one to release the ruler and one to catch it) How to proceed. When we do this test one person has to hold the ruler and release that ruler at an unpredictable time. When the ruler start to fall (the test) the other person (test subject) has to pinch his fingers together catching it. This is his reaction to the falling ruler. The distance that we take (to measure) is the distance between the bottom of the ruler and the top of the thumb where the ruler has been caught. It is very unlikely that a student can stop the ruler at the same distance twice in a row. That means that we can get a more accurate measure of that students reaction time. We are conducting this experiment several times and take an average of our results. For this assignment we take 10 measurements from each student. How to calculate. To calculate ones reaction time we use the 3rd kinematic equation, 1 s= displacement. u= initial velocity. t=time taken. a=average acceleration. Proving, To prove the 1st equation, 2 We know that the first kinematic equation is, Applying this to the 2nd equation, How to use this to calculate reaction time Because the ruler is dropped down, Calculation To calculate the reaction time for each person we took 10 measurements from each person to get an accurate value. To get the most accurate value we calculated the mean of each person. Down below are the measurements we got. Every value is on cm scale. As proven above we are going to use two equations to calculate each ones reaction time and determine who has the fastest reaction time. 1 2 Looking at the results we found, we can see there are four people with a reaction time of 0.165s. This brings the idea of errors in this calculation and method.   What can be the errors in this measuring method? Thought processing speed is different in each individual. As I explained above when I was describing reaction time to catch the ruler the test subjects muscle has to work. Depending on the thought processing speed it varies. Because we are taking average metes of each person you can see all the averages are on the same range. That means even if one person went too far with the meters he can catch up with others with fast reaction time. Other thing is because the measuring system is analogue, people can make mistakes such as the person who is dropping the ruler is not consistent with his work (dropping the ruler). That can lead to errors. Conclusion Ruler dropping test can be the easiest way of measuring reaction time but it has its own pros and cons. This method requires very minimal amount of items to conduct the test. This method also not require a specialized pace to conduct the test and can be easily set up for the test. However there are few disadvantages as well such as this requires at least one assistant to support the test subject. Also because its simple it can be incorrect when it comes to the calculations as we can see above. In our given assignment we were to find a way to measure the reaction time using the ruler drop test. This leaves us with only one question, is it reliable to measure our reaction time with this method? REFERENCES [1]B. Mackenzie, Ruler Drop Test, Brianmac.co.uk, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/rulerdrop.htm. [Accessed: 22- Mar- 2017]. [2]File:REACTION.DOC, Physics.nmsu.edu, 2017. [Online]. Available: http://physics.nmsu.edu/research/lab110g/html/AREACTION.html. [Accessed: 22- Mar- 2017].

An Orange Juice Label as a Microcosm of Society Essay -- Exploratory

An Orange Juice Label as a Microcosm of Society One facet of Herbert von Hundstein's theory of universality is that all components of culture, from obvious propaganda campaigns to written notes exchanged on refrigerator doors, are meaningful and representative of society as a whole. Von Hundstein writes in Kultur ist Alle; Alle ist Kultur, The most mundane may also be the most significant, for is our culture any less forgotten in the private conversations of two lovers? Culture does not exist in a vacuum: it permeates all like oxygen, and for that reason anything in existence is a product of its culture. (34) Therefore, a parking ticket, office memo, and orange juice packaging are all representations of culture. It is the orange juice label that concerns us here, and its promotion of ambiguity, assumptions of the audience's supineness, and reliance on other texts. The word "minute" has multiple meanings, as does "maid," and thus "minute maid" is infinitely problematic. Are we to assume that the "maid," an unmarried girl or woman, is only a maid for a minute? After those sixty seconds, is her virginity gone? If this is the intended reading, being the primary denotations for both words, then should this company really be selling orange juice and not sex toys? Examining the phrase "minute maid" from a grammatical viewpoint, we could easily extrapolate that "minute" here serves as an adjective, modifying "maid," and thus means "a very small" maid. Perhaps virgin dwarfs create orange juice. The company presumes to convey a quickness created through the additional services of an assistant, a maid making a laborious process go by in a minute; however, that reading is only one of many possible. During the 2000 preside... ... cause orange juice labels to be less ambiguous, assumptive, and intertextual in the future. Let us not oversimplify and assume that one orange juice label does not matter, that the simple commands "shake well before enjoying" simply fall on blind ears and deaf ears. As von Hundstein states, this orange juice label contains a microcosm of society: within its directives lie the problems and successes of society. The orange juice label thus serves as a litmus test of American culture in general, and we can determine that American culture requires a fairly informed populace used to interpreting assumptions and intertextuality to avoid problematic ambiguity. Works Cited Minute Maid. "Orange Juice Label." Packaging on product purchased 27 Apr. 2001. Von Hundstein, Herbert. Kulture ist Alle: Alle ist Kulture. Trans. Gary Boyle. Dresden: U of Dresden P, 1994.

Lennie is mourning the death of his puppy Essay

At the beginning of the extract, Lennie is mourning the death of his puppy – by his own hand – when Curley’s wife enters the barn and attempts to comfort him and she allows Lennie to stroke her hair. When ‘Lennie’s big fingers fell to stroking her hair’ we see that something is going to happen as the mood changes and the tension is heightened. We have an inclination to what is about to happen as we have seen the inevitability of the scenario with Lennie’s strength and Curley’s wife’s desire for affection and attention. When Curley’s wife tells Lennie not to ‘muss it up’, Lennie strokes ‘harder’, as he is overcome with the pleasure of the experience, this shows that Lennie doesn’t listen to anyone except from George, thus reinforcing what we already know. Curley’s wife says ‘ you stop it now’ and ‘jerks her head sideways’ and Lennie then panics and automatically his ‘fingers close on her hair and hung on’, this is because it is the only thing he can think to do, this emphasises his child-like mentality as his reaction is physical as opposed to psychological. ‘Lennie was in a panic’ and ‘his face was contorted’, these two short simple sentences portray the innocence and naivety of Lennie’s actions as well as reflecting the way Lennie’s mind works, short and simple. He ‘begs’ Curley’s wife to stop screaming because ‘George’ll be mad’ and ‘ain’t gonna let him tend no rabbits’ showing that he has a one-track mind, much like a child. Lennie then gets angry and tells Curley’s wife ‘I don’t want you to yell’, this again shows his child-like mindset and his anger leads him to shake her. So he’s shaking her, not in an aggressive manner, but to protect his part in the dream, ‘her body flopped like a fish’ and ‘she was still, for Lennie had broken her neck’. At this point we see Lennie, not just kill Curley’s wife, but kill the dream too. Lennie does not realise he has killed her as he continues to speak to her, he ‘lifts her arm and lets it drop’ and is, for a moment, ‘bewildered’. His mind can’t capacitate why she is not responding, all he thinks he did was shake her, showing just how unaware he is of his own strength. Animal imagery is used to describe how Lennie ‘pawed up the hay until it party covered her’, this connotes Lennie’s clumsiness and density. In the concluding paragraph of the extract we see Lennie become ‘conscious of the outside’ ‘for the first time’, he recalls what George told him to do if he gets into trouble and goes to ‘hide in the brush’, taking the dead puppy with him to ‘throw it away’ because ‘it’s bad enough like it is’. Here we see Lennie make a decision himself, be it the right one or not, he seems to have matured slightly because of the situation at hand and this event could be something that changes Lennie’s childish behaviour. Throughout the death of Curley’s wife, we still feel more sympathy for Lennie, because he is so unaware of the danger his actions can cause and he is still a naive and innocent character, despite the unintentional harm he has brought to many things. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE John Steinbeck section.

Learning Team A Reflection Essay

Throughout this course, we established a foundation in understanding Business Information Systems. This week’s objectives were to describe how wireless technologies are used in the workplace and how to use spreadsheets in business situations. While some members of Team A were well versed in Microsoft tools, others had their first lesson on Microsoft’s Excel and Access fundamentals. Team A’s members range from a project manager who attained their Associate Degree in Computer Programming, a logistics specialists for Amazon.com, a employee in the Hilton Hotel industry, and a wine educator working in hospitality—all very different fields with varying levels of information systems background. While for some it was a review, Team A can all agree that each and every one of us gained a better understanding on how and why information systems accomplish business objectives. Cheryl knew the degree in which wireless technologies kept users plugged into the World Wide Web. She was aware that smartphones and their many accessories allowed users to access their emails, schedules, mobile banking and participate in e-commerce as well as make online payments—she learned that M-commerce another growing trend. Due to telemedicine, modern technology has allowed the medical world to provide assistance via videoconferencing. In addition, she learned that setting up and using access points to create meshed networks called a Wide Area Network (WAN) (Rainer & Cegielski, 2011). Xavier learned the relevance of wireless technology in everyday life. More specifically, he learned of the different functions of varying satellite types to communicate information. Kelly learned about the two basic operations of data mining. According to Rainer and Cegielski (2011), data mining functions in  Ã¢â‚¬Å"predicting trends and behaviors and identifying previously unknown patterns† (chap. 11). Angeliza discovered that Wi-Fi was abbreviated for Wireless Fidelity as well as the synchronization of using Microsoft Excel with Access. With the objectives of Week 3 in mind, Team A members have found varying ways in which we can apply what we have learned in the classroom into our professional or personal lives. As a project manager, Cheryl can utilize Excel to track cost of goods (COGS) inventory. As a logistic specialist, Xavier can use spreadsheets in generating employee lists and creating reports to reflect the volume of freight used on a daily basis. As a team member in hospitality, Kelly can use data mining to track hotel guests’ sign up and preferences. In customer service, Angeliza can use the point of sale system to analyze the day’s sales and returns (Rainer & Cegielski, 2011). The learning activities and readings have left each member of Team A with a little more knowledge than we had previously. Cheryl knows that Microsoft Excel and Access are a perfect duo: Excel creates the tables that can be exported to Access where the data is analyzed. Xavier learned how to more effectively incorporate spreadsheet into his daily work routine. Kelly understands the role of wireless information systems in the creation of invoices for clients and making it easier to calculate daily cash sales. Angeliza learned that she doesn’t need to be an IT specialist to analyze data from Excel with Access. Despite our different backgrounds, Team A members can agree that we all gained a better understanding on how Information Systems plays into effectively and more efficiently completely business goals. Week 3’s lesson on spreadsheets and wireless technologies makes us more proficient in the language of information systems in the workplace and in our daily lives. Reference Rainer, R. K., & Cegielski, C. G. (2011). Introduction to Information Systems (3rd ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database

Echelon- U.S Spy network essays

Echelon- U.S Spy network essays Thesis Statement: Credible reports suggest that the United States is part of a massive global electronic surveillance system known as Echelon. Introduction: Many of us believe that we live in a country that allows us our right to privacy. A. 5 nations are involved in intercepting communications around the globe. 1. The 5 nations are Canada, Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and chiefly the United States, (U.S.). 2. Echelon is top secret and its existence has never been admitted by the U.S 1. E-Mails, Phone calls and faxes are intercepted and scanned by super computers and sifted for specific intelligence. 2. Echelon can also hack into computers and the files of any computer linked to a communication device such as the internet 3. The U.S. can use this system to target organizations and individuals for political or economical gain. A. There are networks of satellite that are stealing information and sending it down to information scanning stations spread over the 5 nations. 1. The Supercomputers scan through the data looking for key words that raise security flags in the system. 2. The computers then distribute the pertinent intelligence to the different agencies of government. B. The main agency in charge is the National Security Administration, (N.S.A.), of the U.S. 1. The N.S.A. is supposed to use the information to guard our country against terrorism or other types of threats against the nation. 2. The N.S.A operates without the oversight of congress or the courts. III. Allegations have surfaced about the misuse of this system. A. Former employees associated with the system have now come forward and cited that it was used for purposes not connected with national security. 1. An officer with the joint intelligence committee resigned his position after claiming he was put in charge of monitoring foreign companies for economic gain 2. The former head of the Central Intelligence Agency said the...

Ten top writing tips for scientists - Emphasis

Ten top writing tips for scientists Ten top writing tips for scientists Ask most scientists, engineers and technologists why they got into the profession and theyre unlikely to say it was because they love writing. But love it or hate it, writing is an essential part of a scientific career. Report writing skills are crucial to communicating your research, ideas and recommendations. Losing the gems of months of research in confusing, convoluted prose helps neither you nor your readers. The way you write can be more important than what you write. An instantly readable report will usually have more impact than one that is difficult to decipher. Science doesnt exist in a vacuum. So if you cannot communicate effectively to colleagues and the general public, your work is likely to be perceived as less important. In fact, if you cant communicate what you do, you could argue that you might as well not do it in the first place. Here are some top tips and techniques that can transform your written work: 1. Ask the right questions Powerful writing starts from an ordered, clear structure. Begin ordering your ideas by asking yourself the questions: what? where? when? how? why? and who? When you know what you want to communicate, and why, you can then lay out your core idea first, and expand on it in the rest of the document. Always make sure you ask yourself the exact purpose of what you are writing. When you have a clear intent, you have a much better chance of crafting an effective document. 2. Use jargon with care Abbreviations are a great shortcut when you and your reader speak a common language. But dont forget that there may be acronyms and abbreviations that people outside your organisation or area of expertise just wouldnt know. This doesnt mean that you have to avoid jargon at all costs. Just be aware of your readers knowledge and choose the words and phrases that you are certain they will understand. Most people overestimate how much their readers know and bombard them with too many technical words and phrases. 3. Focus on your reader Do your readers really know everything about thermodynamics or mass transfer? Or are they more concerned with how the science affects their environment, a product or the companys bottom line? Ask yourself the following questions so that you can tailor your information to your reader. Who will read the document? How much experience do they have of the subject? How much do they know about it? What is their likely attitude towards it? How involved in the subject are they? How interested are they in the subject? 4. Dont show off In academia, the more knowledge, information and argument you display, the higher the marks. In the outside world, only the most significant information is necessary. Summarising a wealth of related issues may at first appear to cement your expert status, but it doesnt help your reader. Managers often have several reports to read each day, so focus on becoming a solution provider. 5. Create a compelling opening paragraph Research has shown that when it comes to focus, people remember the beginning and end of something, plus a high point in the middle. This is as true for reports as it is for holidays or feature films. So make sure that your conclusions and recommendations are in the summary. If you bury your recommendations in the middle, theres no guarantee that your readers will get that far. 6. Be confident Say what you really mean and your readers will thank you for it. It can be a little disconcerting to write clearly and in plain English, especially if you come from an organisation that doesnt encourage having a definitive viewpoint. But it will help you to become recognised as a thought leader and means that your work reaches a much wider audience. 7. Learn how to KISS Keep it short and simple. Avoid long, flowery phrases and make sure your sentences contain a maximum of 15 to 20 words. Presenting information in short, manageable chunks also helps you to keep the reader with you, so stick to the principle of one idea per sentence. To paraphrase Einstein: make things as simple as they are but no simpler. 8. Get active Where possible, use the active voice rather than the passive one. Instead of writing, the reactions of various metals were tested, write we tested the reactions of various metals. Adding in the word we makes the document more personal. Dont be afraid to use the word you when writing reports for non-scientists. The idea is to engage the reader and active, personal language does just that. 9. Check for errors Always proofread carefully by printing out your document and combing through it word for word. You cannot rely on your spellchecker to know the difference between palate and pallet, especially if you have it on the automated setting. Print it out first. And if possible, put your work aside for a day and come back to it with fresh eyes. Its likely that any errors will jump out at you more easily. Also check for punctuation and make sure that your structure is as effective as it can be. 10. Use a style guide Grab a free copy of our new The Write Stuff (third edition) to help you with the writing process. This 60-page style guide contains the very essence of good writing. Request a copy here. How Emphasis helped scientists to write more clearly One of Europes leading pharmaceutical companies asked Emphasis to improve its scientists report writing skills. The problem? Many of their written reports were failing to communicate the results of their research and development work in a clear and concise way. The training programme changed how the scientists approach, plan and structure their reports. Before the training programme, most people saw writing as an irritating distraction from their research and their reports had to be heavily edited. Now, there are fewer amendments, the medical director explains. This has reinforced the lessons learned during the training, creating a positive cycle that has, in turn, promoted better writing throughout the company.

How Jay Z Overcame Failure and Achieved Success

How Jay Z Overcame Failure and Achieved Success When we think about people who have clawed their way up to the greatest heights of success and fame from the very lowest places, we should probably put Jay Z on that list. Born Shawn Carter, in 1969, in the projects of Brooklyn, the man we now know as Jay Z was raised by a single mother with his three older siblings after being abandoned by their father. His neighborhood wasn’t the best. Crime was rampant. Jay Z himself dropped out of high school, despite showing a great deal of potential, to sell crack to make money. He even shot his brother in the shoulder once during an argument. Luckily, Jay Z was able to turn some of this depravity into art. An incredibly talented lyricist, he would compete and win freestyle competitions, making a reputation for himself. He’d even read the dictionary cover to cover on multiple occasions, scouring for better rhymes. He was able to start telling his story through his music.After being shot at on a few occasions, and tiring of the dru g life, Jay Z partnered with a fellow rapper on a single called â€Å"The Originators,† which earned him a feature on MTV. He kept working with DJs to try and get more tracks recorded, but had little to no success securing a record deal. Every major label in the country turned him down. It became clear that he would never make a living as a hip-hop performer.Rather than let that news get him down, and turn him back to his old life and all the crime, Jay Z tried it from another angle. He became a producer himself and started his own label- aspirationally titled Roc-A-Fella- with two friends. It was a rocky road. Almost all of their artists left the label before making an album. By 1997, only Jay Z had managed to release one. But they persisted. They worked with Notorious B.I.G., and when he died, Jay Z was asked to collaborate on the posthumous album Life After Death, allowing Roc-A-Fella to get a little press.The following year, in 1998, Jay Z released Vol. 2 and the song â⠂¬Å"Hard Knock Life† and, well, the rest is history. Roc-A-Fella shot up and became quite successful, and was later sold to Def Jam Records for millions of dollars. As for Jay Z, he became the President and CEO and took the whole merged label by storm. He is now worth roughly $520 million, and was ranked the 6th most powerful celebrity of 2014 by Forbes. He has sold over 75 million records, won 19 Grammies, owns a record company, designs clothes, owns or part-owns real estate, hotels, businesses, even an NBA team, among other claims to fame.In his book Decoded, he says this about his song â€Å"This Can’t Be Life† and about failure:â€Å"It was a verse about fear of failure, which is something that everyone goes through, but no one, particularly where I’m from, wants to really talk about. But it’s a song that a lot of people connect to: The thought that â€Å"this can’t be life† is one that all of us have felt at some point or another , when bad decisions and bad luck and bad situations feel like too much to bear, those times when we think that this, this, can’t be my story. But facing up that kind of feeling can be a powerful motivation to change. It was for me.†So the next time you start to feel down on yourself, thinking of all the ways in which the deck was stacked against you: bad parents, bad poverty, bad everything, just remember a man named Shawn Carter turned everything around for himself and became a household name. He even got to marry Beyoncà ©. How’s that for failure being a productive force for success?

Philosophy. Comapare Socrates and Thoreau's methods, beleifs. Show Essay

Philosophy. Comapare Socrates and Thoreau's methods, beleifs. Show where they are the same and where and why they differ - Essay Example Socrates was more specific about the commitments of a human towards the state (Socrates). He has argued that the state has the most importance than anything in the world. Socrates believed that the people should work for the government and their self interests are not much important when compared to the interests of the government or the state. Even the death was considered of least importance while fighting to protect the interest of the sates as per Socrates. On the other hand, Thoreau was not much adamant about the commitment of the people towards the government or the state (Richardson). He believed that the people have another life apart from the life for government. In his opinion, doing everything as the government directs may not be a wise act for the people. In his opinion, the governments are responsible for so many evil things in the society like slavery and wars and there is no point in sacrificing the life for the interests of the government. Thoreau believed that a person’s life has lot of dimensions and its commitment towards the state is only one among them. Socrates believed that the government is responsible for giving better living standards to the people whereas Thoreau believed that the government denying it. Both Socrates and Thoreau have some similarities also in their views. Both of them believed in morality. Thoreau said that people, if left to their own ends will act justly, and should be treated accordingly by the law (Richardson). Socrates also said the same thing that "no one wants to commit injustice" for its own sake, many people end up doing so anyway (Socrates). Socrates argued that the people have a moral responsibility to abide by the state laws in response to the protection provided to the people by the states. Socrates has given more importance to the consciousness of in individual while obeying the laws. He has pointed out that the people can avoid laws if they feel injustice in it. Thoreau also more or less

Assignment #7 PKG 381 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

#7 PKG 381 - Assignment Example st part of sustainability is based on reducing the wastes that a company produces to the environment and at the same time changing the company to become completely sustainable in the future. Industries that would have the most positive environmental impact when they are engaged into sustainable practices include oil and gas industries, fertilizer, paper, motor vehicle and other industries that uses chemicals and release chemical wastes to the environment. These industries would have the most positive impact to the environment in case they engage on sustainable practices since through such practices, they will reduce lot of pollution they cause to the environment. At the same time, such industries are known for releasing some of the most harmful gases as well as minerals to the atmosphere. Such gases like carbon monoxide, sulphur dioxide and others are very harmful when inhaled by humans. At the same time, they form part of the ozone gases that cause the greenhouse effect to our environment, leading to global warming. Heavy metal such as Lead are also released by industries such as fertilizer industries, to the nearby drainages that empty their waters to the water stream s used by humans. Such metals are harmful to human lie as they cause cancerous conditions in

There should be restrictions on SNAP (foodstamps) benefits Essay

There should be restrictions on SNAP (foodstamps) benefits - Essay Example This important aspect of development serves a large population of the United States, who are in dire need. However, while some people are in support of the program for its usefulness, I feel that the benefits should be limited. A number of people enrolling for the program do not need it, which surges the national expenditure. This creates a proportional surge in taxes to cater for the program, which is a burden to other taxpayers. To begin with, some people feel that the Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program is not of great help to the low-income people. For example, traditionally, there are three basic needs in a human life. These include food, clothing, and shelter. Apparently, people consider education as a basic need for human living. Consequentially, the government only provides foodstuff in the SNAP program, whereas it should also be providing other basic needs like education. Therefore, the government should be considerate to the low-income families, since they do not have the sufficient resources for the stated basic needs. Owing to this, the government should initiate another approach, where the situation can be corrected in the shortest time possible. It is stated that the life expectancy rate and standards of life improve when people have access to quality education, high quality healthcare and a low cost of living. Apparently, giving the low-income families SNAP is not enhancing their entire life as it is only solving part of their problems. As such, many of the low-income families do not afford education for their children. This leads to low literacy rates in the low-income families, which in turn leads to a large disparity between the rich and the poor people in the society. Therefore, the program is not of much help to the low-income families, especially when looking at the other basic needs. On the contrary, Supplementary Nutrition Assistance Program caters for

Semiotic interpretation of an image Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Semiotic interpretation of an image - Essay Example With the signs in photos open for interpretation, an observer can be able to appreciate the denotative and connotative signification. The caption that has been provided is a photo of the Olympic event. It captures the moment where the participants involved are awarded with medals after victory in the sports they had participated. When awarding the Olympic participant, the protocol is that the winner is awarded with a gold medal then the first runner up is awarded with silver followed by brass for the second runner up. After receiving the medals, the next stage involved playing of the national anthem in front of everyone. Only the person who takes the gold is awarded the chance of having his or her country’s national anthem played. From the background of the picture provided, there is a possibility of stating that the event is not a recent one and may have taken place somewhere in the middle 1900s. An aspect that brings out the background of the photo is the ‘black power’ salute that the two of the participants posed. During the 1960’s, there were many instances where the black Americans fought against what they believed to be racism from the original citizens in the country. From this, it is clear to deduce that the time the Olympic event in the picture is taking place might be the 1968 summer Olympics. This aspect then is possible to award the photo with both the denotative and connotative values (Bathes, 35). There is a connotative value that the ‘black power salute’ poses awards the photo. This value is in the unity of the black Americans. The two Olympic participants can be said to be sending a message to the other black people. The message here is not only directed to the black Americans but to all the black people all over the world since Olympics is an international event. The first African country to participate in the Olympics was South Africa in the year 1904; this was under the

Physical Journeys Based on Away by Michael Gow Essay

Physical Journeys Based on Away by Michael Gow - Essay Example According to the research findings, through the structure, language and theme Michael Gow shows through his play the impact of the physical journey on the characters (travelers in the play). The physical journey of going away on holidays involves both obstacles and as well as movement to new places. AWAY, The Road Not Taken (Robert Frost) and Shakespeare’s The Seven Ages of Man (As You Like It) all convey the same message to mankind on earth – choose the right path (Frost) on this stage of the world (Shakespeare) by going ‘away’(Gow). To go ‘away’ on a holiday to recoup (rediscover the self) according to Gow is what the human beings need to understand. Gow brings out the necessity for spiritual regeneration for a sense of belonging and harmony with each other and nature. ‘Away’ is a five-act play involving three Australian families which go ‘away’ on a holiday during the Christmas of 1968. Roy and Coral (the headmaster and his wife) are on the verge of a breakup; Coral is still grieving over their son who was killed in the Vietnam War. Tom migrated to Australia from England with his family. He suffers from the terminal disease, leukemia of which he is aware although his parents do not know that is aware of it. They are taking Tom for his last holiday together and they are determined to have a good time. Tom and Meg are together in the school’s play A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and they are fond of each other. Meg’s parents Gwen and Jim are taking Meg for a holiday so that she can have a break. Gwen believes that one has to sacrifice for anything good to happen to you. The themes of reconciliation and loss emerge as one family deals with the death of their son in the Vietnam War, another faces the prospect of losing their son through leukemia, and the other by their daughter simply growing up.

Organizational Influences on Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Organizational Influences on Ethics - Essay Example The most outstanding and palpable form of counterculture (as a form of subculture) that I encountered is dressing. The subculture that was most difficult to deal with was collective ambivalence towards organizational mode and policies of operation. This is because, this form of leading subculture is mostly exhibited within the organization’s high echelons (managerial positions), yet these positions are to enjoy the value of self-management and independence. Because of this relative extension of the value of self-management and independence to organizational executives, it becomes impossible to forge a definitive and defined approach to decision making and organizational approaches. As a matter of fact, a resolute attempt to draw out a clear, monolithic and definitive organizational policy may set precedence to organizational dictatorship. Just as Owen (1990) posits, it is obvious that when dealing with these three groups or subcultures, leadership styles will inevitably vary. When dealing with the executive rank of the organization to eradicate collective ambivalence, democratic leadership style will greatly helps, since dialogue will be paramount. Likewise, to deal with the issue of inappropriate relaxative by the junior management, prescriptive and delegative type of leadership became needful. As for the problem of dressing among the junior-most staff, prescriptive type of leadership became useful, since, it is important that every organization chooses its dressing code and that these rules are adhered to. One of the examples of managerial malpractice is negligent supervision. Taking the nursing or healthcare providing institution, negligent supervision may occur when the manager or an officer in the management personnel fails in supervising the activities of both independent contractors and employees at the institution, and thereby causing the medical institution, a department or its facilities to fail in its objectives (Morrison,

Physical Journeys Based on Away by Michael Gow Essay

Physical Journeys Based on Away by Michael Gow - Essay Example According to the research findings, through the structure, language and theme Michael Gow shows through his play the impact of the physical journey on the characters (travelers in the play). The physical journey of going away on holidays involves both obstacles and as well as movement to new places. AWAY, The Road Not Taken (Robert Frost) and Shakespeare’s The Seven Ages of Man (As You Like It) all convey the same message to mankind on earth – choose the right path (Frost) on this stage of the world (Shakespeare) by going ‘away’(Gow). To go ‘away’ on a holiday to recoup (rediscover the self) according to Gow is what the human beings need to understand. Gow brings out the necessity for spiritual regeneration for a sense of belonging and harmony with each other and nature. ‘Away’ is a five-act play involving three Australian families which go ‘away’ on a holiday during the Christmas of 1968. Roy and Coral (the headmaster and his wife) are on the verge of a breakup; Coral is still grieving over their son who was killed in the Vietnam War. Tom migrated to Australia from England with his family. He suffers from the terminal disease, leukemia of which he is aware although his parents do not know that is aware of it. They are taking Tom for his last holiday together and they are determined to have a good time. Tom and Meg are together in the school’s play A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and they are fond of each other. Meg’s parents Gwen and Jim are taking Meg for a holiday so that she can have a break. Gwen believes that one has to sacrifice for anything good to happen to you. The themes of reconciliation and loss emerge as one family deals with the death of their son in the Vietnam War, another faces the prospect of losing their son through leukemia, and the other by their daughter simply growing up.

Introduction to Databases Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Introduction to Databases - Assignment Example This means the DROP operation will be performed not only on the primary key but also on all referencing foreign keys. Secondly, to avoid having null values as primary keys, always specify the primary key to auto increment whenever the database is populated. One foreign key from a table can only refer to a single primary key on another table. Moreover, it is unacceptable for the same foreign key to refer to multiple primary keys. For instance, department_id on the employee table refers to the primary key department_id on the department table and not the department_id on the job_history table. The data type and values of foreign key that are used in the database schema must match with the data types and values of primary key or unique columns for that matter. The data values of country_id on countries table, say 11, should be the same as that of country_id on the locations table. Similarly, the data type should also be same. If region_id in the regions table is an integer, then region_id on the countries table must also be an integer and not a double or

How Globalization Affects Culture Media Essay

How Globalization Affects Culture Media Essay Culture is imperceptible influence for the world and it can spread by any way. After the World Wars, the globalization make the developed country and developing country a platform that can share their culture with other country. Couple with globalization, local culture like language, diet, movie, festival and health, it cannot only spread around the world which let culture become heterogeneous and complicated, but also the different cultures fuse with each other, it makes some cultures lose their newness and distinctiveness. Body Globalization affects the language à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Ãƒ £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬Globalization strengthens the communication between the world people, it leads to the language dissemination that not limited to use own language. For China, after the war broken down the increasingly isolationist of foreign policy of the Ming Dynasty. Chinese was compelled to learn the different language from intruder. For example, Shanghai Star (2002) mention that, The first school teaching foreign languages in Shanghai was Guang Fangyan guan, established in 1863. And in 1872, 30 people from Shanghai to the United States began to study abroad. In a short time, they overcame the language barrier and even became some of the best students in their schools. Its a important step to achieve globalization at the history of China. At the moment, neighboring countries of China has influence by Chinese. Japanese language and Chinese language have deep relationship. Kibi no makibi, an overseas student study at Tang Dynasty, utilization of the Chinese charac ters component created Japanese katakana phonetic text. Later, Kukai (dharma), one of overseas students, using Chinese characters Xingshu body creating Japanese kana script hiragana. So, as everyone saw, Japanese include many Chinese character component. Globalization make the language heterogeneous and complicated, however, some smaller language was disappear cause globalization. According to Colls (n.d), In 1992 a prominent US linguist stunned the academic world by predicting that by the year 2100, 90% of the worlds languages would have ceased to exist. With the developed of globalization, people can communicate with the different people around the world. That makes the large language developed, like English, Chinese, French and so on. In some countries, the second language even more used than first language. Alaska Native Language Center (n.d) found, Alaska is home to at least 20 Native languages belonging to four distinct language families. Futhermore, Ostler (2000) mentions, Out of twenty native Alaskan languages, only two are still being learned by children. Of these twenty languages, one disappeared because in 2008, the last person that spoke this language died. These languages, Eskimo-Aleut and Athabascan-Eyak-Tlingit, are big parts of Alaskan culture. In the American language environment, people use English to talk with other people. It led to the disappearance of 20 native languages quickly at Alaska. Ostler (2000) adds that, Many linguists predict that at least half of the worlds 6,000 or so languages will be dead or dying by the year 2050. Languages are becoming extinct at twice the rate of endangered mammals and four times the rate of endangered birds. If this trend continues, the world of the future cou ld be dominated by a dozen or fewer languages. conclution Globalization affects the diet As everyone knows, different foods origin are differents, they were spread to all over the world because globalization. Japanese is a sea island, and its make the seafood, such like fish, shrimp, shellfish that contains nutritions is good for peoples health, is necessary material for their diet. And they keep the nutritional value of seafood by eaten hot or cold , raw or cooked seafood. The unique food is Sushi at Japan. According to Alex Renton (2006), Sushis migration and the process of its globalisation started in the large expat Japanese communities all round the Pacific rim in western and southern America, Australia and Brazil. Now, the Japanese sushi restaurant located around the world. And sometimes, people always saw some simple sushi shop on the street side that more people queue up to buy it. So that the world people can eat delicious and nutritive seafood by globalization. But, ten years ago, sushi is costly for the world people without Japanese. And there just were two o r three Japanese restaurants located. As everyone knows, currys origin is India. But now, curries of Thailand, curries of Japan and curries of China is also famous at the world. In especially, Thailand curry is popular that as Thailands unique food in the world. The Thailand local climate is tropical and characterized by monsoons, it makes the Thai food live on sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. In Thailand food, the most famous is the Thai curry. Its different with India curry. In Indian cooking, ghee a milky clarified butter is a key constituent of their spicy curries. An overview and brief history of Thai food (n.d) adds that, While the Thai people didnt have as much access to or knowledge of dairy products, they successfully substituted coconut milk for this creamy ingredient in their own dishes. So, it become popular around the world. And by globalization make more and more Thai restaurant was set up at many countries. French diet represents polite, rigorous and romantic diet around the world. As everyone knows, French dining atmosphere that have dim lights, candles, soft music, a set table and a nice bottle of wine is the most suitable for lovers. Its not only guide the romantic trend around the world, but also guide a lifestyle. Life elegant, enjoy every minute. To enjoy life of French, becoming the mainstream of the world. And on the other hand, the globalization makes the diet culture spread around the world, but the unhealthy diet also was spread with globalization. In especially, French diet be changed by globalization. According to the Michael, Stefan and Dana (2003) that, The taste for American fast-food products like McDonalds hamburgers and Coca-Cola has long been fashionable. Urbanization is leading to more sedentary lifestyles in French. And more and more, even traditional foods are being prepared from processed flour and other ingredients that yield more calories and less healthy roughage. conclude Globalization affects the festival Each country have own traditional festival. For example, Chinese New Year is the most important festival for Chinese people all over the world. The Spring Festival shows traditional culture festival. The Spring Festival is review and incentives on the peace, friendship and kinship, and is blessings and prayers for future life. And Christmas is the most important religion festival for the western people. And people exchange gifts, send Christmas cards, which are to make Christmas as a celebration time for people. Globalization make these featival spread around the world. World people can enjoy different featival culture. But, with the development of globalization, foreign culture has received more attention than the local culture. In recent years, more and more Chinese young people that make Christmas has become popular increasingly, they was pay close attention more for Christmas than Chinese own festival. It makes Dragon Boat Festival and other Chinese traditional festivals are classified as other countrys heritage. When Christmas coming, Chinese streets will be full of Christmas atmosphere. Roadside trees was decorative by colorful lighting; many businesses will sell Christmas items during Christmas day, like Christmas tree, santa hat. Most of young people will take party or singing song to celebration. On the contrary, young people will stay at home or play with friends like normal day at Spring Festival. quote The young people has not strong sence for the traditional featival, and they are more likely to be novel featival to attract. The traditional festival has traditional rules that making young peopel feel bound. The Weatern Festival was spread to make them take more attention to festival that can release them emotions, such as Valentines day, Mothers Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas day. Anxiously, along with the globalization development, some traditional festivals will be forgotten, and replaced by foreign festival. Globalization affects the movie Talking about movie, American film or Hollywood film is representative of the movie. Sometimes, Hollywood film leads to the world film. Action movie that have one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases is the most famous film types in the Hollywood. It attract to many people cause real behavior, great scene. In Inna Ignatovich (n.d.) opinion, Because of the economic domination of the U.S.A. in the world and serious political and economical problems in my country, the movie theaters in our cities are filled with Hollywood action movies. The low financing available to our movie directors doesnt give them the possibility of creating high quality art, so the movie theaters are swamped with low cost American films-violent action films. This type of dominance creates a negative effect on the young generation and can increase crime. In this situation, we see not just the spread of culture to another country, but also the spread of the problems of that culture. Action movie set up the peoples heroes, at the same time it also praised the violence. Globalization affects the health Topic Kelley (2004) adds that for high-income countries, the debate surrounding globalisation and health tends to focus on the perceived threat, from low- and middle-income countries, of acquiring certain acute and epidemic infections, such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, plague and, more recently, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). 6 Richer countries also fear the potential financial burden of unhealthy populations migrating from the developing world. Globalization is making the world people can go to the different countries to developed. Most people would like to stay at city or country that have more opportunity to work or have a higher salary. This phenomenon increase the country or city economy. At the same time, its also brings certain pressure for the environment of this area, and makes the environment has harm on peoples health. And then, Kelley (2004) mentions that, Cognitive changes brought about by advertising and marketing Western consumer goods have facilitated the global spread of so-called lifestyle diseases (eg, obesity) in certain populations within low- and middle-income countries. In especially, Frances growing fat problem cause fast food style. Fast food is features of American diet. Globalization make more and more fast-food brand spread around the world, such as McDonalds hamburgers and Coca-Cola. Fast food guide to fast lifestyle replace the French original strict diet culture. Sedentary lifestyles has been fashionable at urban. And then, people take many unhealthy food and do less sports than before, the fat problems has become more and more serious than before. According to the Michael, Stefan and Dana (2003) Traditional foods are being prepared from processed flour and other ingredients that yield more calories and less healthy roughage. conclude Conclusion Developing with globalization, different culture can spread around the world. Culture combine with local culture become a new culture, but it makes some small culture like language was disappeared. Following this further, how to reduce to loss of culture is big problem for the worlds people.

Accepting Responsibility for the Behavior Towards Eva Smith :: An Inspector Calls J.B. Priestley Essays

Accepting Responsibility for the Behavior Towards Eva Smith Although each member of the Birling family and Gerald Croft have had contact with Eva Smith/Daisy Renton during the previous two years, none of them is aware of the others ´ involvement in the tragedy until the day of the Inspector's visit. He makes them aware of the part they have played in her tragic end. The characters each react differently to the news and to the degree of responsibility which they should bear, Therefore I think the Inspector Call has caused the character to think about their actions towards Eva Smith. ERIC Eric is a young man, a bit of mess. His behaviour before the Inspector arrives is described as thoughtless, careless and immature. He has no personality, this is evident on page 2 "not quite as ease, half shy, half assertive". Her sister, Sheila, soon describes him as "squiffy" on page 3 which demonstrates he tends to drink a bit too much. But he shows he has a certain respect when he is speaking with his father, this is illustrated on page 4 "not too rudely". Despite his carelessness, after the Inspector arrives, Eric shows involuntary sympathy for Eva Smith when he learn about her death and how Mr Birling had lay her off. This is manifested on page 11 "(involuntarily) My God !"This tells me he is sorrowful for her. When Eric has to admit how he behaved towards Eva Smith/Daisy Renton, he has a stronger sense of guilt, but that does not excuse his behaviour because the consequences are much worse. Although not entirely to blame for her suicide, he must take much of the responsibility because he used her. He was drunk, and confessed that it happened because he was not conscious, but he feels terribly sorry for her, this is clearly showed on page 52 when he is trying to justify himself "well, I was in that state when a chap easily turns nasty" However, he did not rape her; she was offering her services as a prostitute. Also, she could have married him. It was her choice not to. He tried to help her financially but she refused to accept any more stolen money. Maybe Eva/Daisy was too honourable. Nevertheless Eric deeply regret what he did, this is illustrated on page 52 " That's the hellish thing. Oh - my God! - how stupid it all is!" This tells me he wanted to remember exactly what happened, and the fact that he can not, makes him feels angry and more guilty. As a last resort, Eva turns to the Brumley Women's Charity Organisation for help.

Occupational Stress Essay -- Work Related Stress, Job Stress

Job stress has proven to be a difficult issue to tackle. Unlike physical or chemical hazards, there is not an obvious tangible hazardous agent. This issue has also been preempted by corporate stress management, health promotion, or employee assistance programs, which explain stress as a purely personal reaction, and often treat the symptoms, not the causes, of job stress. The occupational stress field also has been plagued by a variety of definitions and difficulties in measurement of stress.(Buunk,De-Jong,Y-Bemas&De wolff,1998) In addition, changes in job design or work organization are often inherently more "systems challenging" and require more radical restructuring of workplaces than reducing levels of exposure to toxic substances or ergonomic hazards. According to Mclean (1979) stress affect everyone in the workplace whether blue collar or white collar workers. Hughes (1971, p342) supported Mclean by stating that† the essential problems of men at work are the same whether they do their work in some famous laboratory or in the messiest vat room of a pickle factory† So this essay will review the major explanations that have been given for the higher rates of stress amongst working women’s based of the interview conducted on south African female worker. Part one of this paper will discuss how the factors such as Gender’s, race, marital status can cause stress among workers. In the second part work related factors such as heavy workload demand, control over work ,rewards and poor social relationship will be discussed. Lastly changes facing South African workplaces shall be discussed. The issue of stress is complicated because there is no single definitions that allows one to defines it .According to Buunk at al (1998) psychol... ...(1978). Stress at work: Chichester .J-Wiley Eckenrode J, & Gore ,S (1990). Stress between work and family: New York .Plenum press. Frankenhaeuser ,M ,Landberg U, & Chesney ,M. (1991).Women work and health :Stress opportunities .New York :Plenum press Friesen ,D & Sarros ,J (1989). Sources of burnout among educators :Journal of organizational behaviour,10 p.p 179-188 Gale group(2004). Bad relationship affect women more . Retrieved 14 march 2005 from http://www.findaeticle.com./mobsc/18-10/62085373/p1/article. Karasek RA. Control in the workplace and its health-related aspects. In Job Control and Worker Health, eds. SL Sauter, JJ Hurrell, CL Cooper. New York: Wiley, 1989; 129-159. Philips,D.L.& Segal .B.E (1969). Sexual status and psychiatric symptoms. American sociological review,34,58-7Shostaka,B(1980).Blue-collar stress :London .Addison –wesley.

Crime and Hurricane Katrina Essay

Hurricane Katrina caused many forms of distress, displacement and disruption to the community of New Orleans and the citizens most certainly were forced to act in drastic ways for survival. The response by the people has been considered forms of criminal activity and in all senses of legal activity has been defined as crime. Acts of looting and violence were reported by many reporters of various news media. Crimes were not only committed by everyday citizens of New Orleans, but volunteer workers as well and even, what people saw as the most shocking display of violence and betrayal of trust, by the Law Enforcement Officials as well. What is also interesting is how this destructive event altered the residents’ perception of what is crime and what can be considered criminal. What was once considered to be a betrayal of trust towards another member of the community had been transformed into an activity that was now a means of survival. Some of the acts varied from a â€Å"need† to steal because they â€Å"had to† (i. e. , stealing from Bath and Body works for soap, supermarkets for food, water, clothes, etc. ) and then increasing to other side of the spectrum to murder of strangers, friends, and even family. Hurricane Katrina caused a massive social disruption to the people of New Orleans and this catastrophic event would eventually lead to their breakdown of societal rules and values. And it is this breakdown that would not be lost to the eyes of the news media and would be broadcast everywhere, all across the world (of Katrina, apocalypse 2005). The New York Times gave many accounts of the violence, destructive and slide into anarchy that was happening in New Orleans. One article, published September 29th, 2005, After Katrina, crimes of the imagination, detailed the mass amount of looting and violent crimes in the area. The article details the fears and horrors of becoming a broken society and living in fear of your once loved neighbor. Another thing this article seemed to touch on was that it was possible that fear was actually caused by a trick of the mind. â€Å"†¦Some, but not all, of the most alarming stories were figments of frighten imaginations, the product of no reliable communications, and perhaps the residue of raw relations between some police officers and members of the public. † Speaking of the â€Å"raw relations between some police officers and members of the public,† these supposed raw relations were only further hurt and ripped apart by actions made by the police department themselves. Five police officers were accused and convicted (six years later) of shooting and killing defenseless citizens attempting to cross a bridge in search of food, water and shelter. These same officers along with the help of their department attempted a brilliantly mastermind plot to cover up their crime. This included â€Å"made-up witnesses, falsified reports, and a planted gun† to prove that they were under fire by the citizens and were only trying to protect themselves. This news article Jury Reaches Guilty Verdict in Hurricane Katrina Shootings Trial by Fox News shows the corruption and hidden brutality of the law enforcement department of New Orleans. In association with police corruption and brutality, there was a similar crime committed by five different police officers a mere two days before the crime previously mentioned. An injured 31 year old male was taken to the temporary headquarters of police by his friends in search of help. The officer drove off with the car with the injured male still in the back seat and his remains were found in the torched car. The implicated officer, for shooting the injured male and attempting to cover up by burning the car with the body still inside (oddly enough) was charged with a civil rights violation and the remaining four were charged with obstruction of justice. This just yet another article (5 cops charged in post-Hurricane Katrina shooting, burning death) found in the Daily News archives describing the corruption and brutality of law enforcement in the face of disaster. However the actual brutality of the police system is not entirely at fault on its own. In a New York Times article: More Horrible Than Truth: News Reports published September 19th 2005, described of the crimes of the people against each and against law enforcement. There were gangs shooting at rescue crews, emergency room physicians were being confirming the rising amount of murders and rapes, and there were eye witness accounts of police officers being shot at while trying to help out a group of helpless victims. While there is no excusing the horrible brutalization by the police department, it is clear to see that all of it is not always unprovoked. There have also been many other forms of crime in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that do not involve looting and murder. There have also been crimes by the state and government which have affected the residents of New Orleans. In Time Runs Out for St. Bernard Parish, an editorial in The New York Times, the housing and racial discrimination was brought to light. The parish was banning anyone who was not a â€Å"blood relative† from seeking shelter at the parish. Since being in a predominantly white neighborhood this was implied to many any people of color was banned from the church. There were also crimes against the government through insurance fraud and lawsuits. Insurance companies were defrauding their clients (Attorneys arrive for opening of first Katrina insurance lawsuit, 2006) and then also evacuees of New Orleans were attempting to fraud insurance money away from FEMA and FBI grants (Katrina: Four Years Later, 2009). The aftermath of Katrina was no match for the crime that occurred during and after it. The crime destroyed the faith and rationality of the people which prolonged and deepened the chaos of New Orleans. The news media as always played a big role in the hype of the crime wave but without the media the true seriousness of the crime would have never been investigated and given proper consideration to improve.

Net Present Value, Mergers and Acquisitions Essay

One financial goal of financial managers is to maximize the shareholders’ wealth. Therefore, merger and acquisition decisions should be consistent with shareholder wealth maximization, and financial characteristics of the targets to consider in the decision-making process. The net present value method is one of the useful methods that help financial managers to maximize shareholders’ wealth. The capital budgeting decision mergers Acquisitions Net Present Value Financial managers are working for the shareholders and their primary goal is profit maximization in order to maximize the wealth of the company and the shareholders. The Capital budgeting decision focuses on the net present value method, the payback period, and the internal rate of return method. This paper has two parts, where the first aspect relates to the capital budgeting decision. This paper will recommend if Goggle should accept a new project by using the net present value method. Next, the paper will discuss Google’s potential acquisition of Groupon and if it will add value to the shareholders of both corporations. Finally, this paper will make a recommendation to Goggle and Groupon on the best course of action for a merger or acquisition. Part I First, a financial manger has to make optimal decisions they will benefit the company. A financial manger has to know how to make money and smart investments in order to raise capital and put the money back into the company. The net present value is an important concept and useful tool to use to help financial managers make informed financial decisions. For instance, the net present value concept works with the capital budgeting decision to make an informed decision on a project and the potential for profits. In addition, net present value compares the value of a dollar today to the value of that same dollar in the future, taking inflation and returns into account because dollar today is worth more than a dollar in the future. The time value of money concept takes into considerations that money has a different buying power in the future because of inflation and changes in interest rates. For example, if the net present value of a project is positive, then the company should accept the project, but if the net present value of the project is negative then the company should not accept the project. Calculations 1) Calculate present value (PV) of cash inflow (CF) Initial Cash Outflow PV of CF = CF1 / (1+r)1 + CF2 / (1+r)2 + CF3 / (1+r)3 + CF4 / (1+r)4 + CF5 / (1+r)5 PV of CF= $1,750,000 (1+ 2) Calculate NPV NPV = Total PV of CF – Initial cash outflow -Initial cash outflow + Total PV of CF r = Discount rate (14%) Part II Rumors about potential mergers and acquisitions are often a hot topic in the business press. Mergers and acquisitions can have advantages and disadvantages for a company because it has both rewards and risks. Companies want to have successful and profitable mergers that would have value to their shareholders. â€Å"One of the most common motives for mergers is growth. There are two broad ways a firm can grow. The first is through internal growth. This can be slow and ineffective if a firm is seeking to take advantage of a window of opportunity in which it has a short-term advantage over competitors. The faster alternative is to merge and acquire the necessary resources to achieve competitive goals† ( Google’s potential acquisition of Groupon would add value to the shareholders of both corporations, especially Groupon. The recent price per share for Google is $1,130. 18 and the recent price per share for Groupon is $11. 56. The Groupon company was a new company that made over one billion dollars in sale their first year in business. In 2010, when Groupon first started it was a new idea and a new site that offered daily deals. Google wanted to buy Groupon for six billion dollars but the deal â€Å"the daily-deals site that became the quickest firm to rack up $1 billion in sales and the second-quickest, behind video behemoth YouTube, to hit a $1 billion valuation. Online acquisitions didn’t get any bigger than this† (Sennett, 2012). The impact on Google shareholders would be a negative impact on their stock. For example, â€Å"there is also a perception in the market that Google would not acquire Groupon as it will have a negative impact on Google’s stock. This might be true for the shorter-term but not for the longer-term period as Groupon grows and delivers better performance† (Seeking Alpha, 2012). In addition, if Google was to acquire Groupon then Google will face tax losses. The impact on Groupon shareholders would add value to the company because Google would back it and the company could come up with more innovative ways to keep and attract new customers. The business concept for Groupon could lead to duplications by other businesses. Groupon stock would increase and the company could have made millions of dollars off a merger with Google, since Google is already a profitable company. The financial conditions of both corporations prior to the merger were outstanding. For example, Groupon had an annual revenue of more than $500 million and the company was estimated at $1. 4 billion. On the other hand, Google was already a successful company with shares of over $600. â€Å"Google Investors, however, seemed focused on Groupon’s valuation, which was estimated at 1. 4 billion during its last fund-raising round in April. Shares in Google fell 4. 5 percent, to $555. 71; the stock was battered by news that European regulators had opened an antitrust investigation† (Rusli, Worthham, 2010). Google and the Groupon Company would be more profitable if they remain separate companies because Google was already very successful. For instance, Groupon business model could be easily copied. In addition, Groupon expanded to fast, and their stock sold for over $20 then dropped to $13 in less than a year. For example, the leaders at Grouon wanted to grow the company as fast as possible, and then cash out on the company. â€Å"This was an outrageous offer for a company that had reported just $30 million in revenue for all of 2009, and any ordinary startup would have taken it. But Groupon’s growth in 2010 was off the charts, and bankers from Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs were salivating at the prospect of leading its public offering. Goldman chief Lloyd Blankfein made the trip to Chicago personally to woo Groupon. â€Å"The bankers broke out all these charts,† said a source familiar with the meetings. â€Å"They showed Eric a growth matrix that projected Groupon would be worth $25 billion in a few years. When he saw that, Google was toast† (Popper, 2013). Finally, a merger between Groupon and Google could take years because of the antitrust laws. An acquisition is successful when the company has a clear plan with specific objectives and a timeline to complete the deal. In addition, successful acquisitions also include a way to finance the acquisition whether it is equity financing, cash reserves, or debt financing. A merger is successful when there is effective communication, effective leadership, and clear objectives and planning. In addition, successful mergers also involves the elimination of power struggles and Potential pitfalls – might the combined entity actually be less profitable than either company operating independently? What are the risk factors with this potential acquisition? Explain and discuss financing options for financing mergers and acquisitions â€Å"Even though bidding firms will pay a premium to acquire resources through mergers, this total cost is not necessarily more expensive than internal growth, in which the firm has to incur all of the costs that the normal trial and error process may impose. While there are exceptions, in the vast majority of cases growth through mergers and acquisitions is significantly faster than through internal means† Apply principles of risk and valuation analysis to mergers and acquisitions

Private Peacefull

This is a book review on the book â€Å"private peaceful. † This is the best book I have read this year. This book is all about â€Å"innocence and love, courage and cowardice† as it is clearly written on the front of the cover of the book. This is a book about two brothers called Charlie who is the older brother and Tommo who is the smaller brother who go through the good side and the bad side of life because their father has died and other family issues.As they grow up they start to drift apart from each other because of a friend that they both love called molly who starts to gain love for to Charlie therefore leaving poor Charlie alone. Suddenly they have to go to war. So they pack their things say bye to their loved ones and go off to war†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. The book ‘Private Peaceful’ written by Michael Morpurgo is a book that explores the life of Tommo through past and present throughout of his life. The reader is also introduced to Charlie the brother of Tommo and how they are different towards each other. The book is one that also explores the relationship that Charlie and Tommo have.This book tells you how someone is like as a child, and how they are when they are older. An example to me of this would be Charlie. Charlie as a child was completely different to Tommo. Charlie is a very independent person he stands up for what he believes in, basically he is brave. Charlie is responsible to look after Tommo because he is very sensitive and his small brother. Example of this is when Tommo is getting beat up by Jimmy Parsons, Charlie comes to help, in the end Charlie is the one who gets punished but he just accepts it because he is brave, ‘†¦when it’s Charlie’s turn, all you hear are the punches’p24.Charlie is a character that stands up for what he believes in and what he believes was right. It was this believing attitude that made Charlie a man and took him through life. Charlie and Tommo had a really tight relationship when they were young but as time when on it started to fade a little until towards the end of the book when Charlie knew he was going to be punished after his actions. Then it became pretty intense and their relationship that was once strong when they were young became even stronger than it had ever been.An example of this is before Charlie gets shot. â€Å"This is going to be difficult enough without tears. † He holds me an arm length away. ’pg176. The book ‘Private Peaceful’ is one that makes a change on the individual. It is a book that shows how a person is able to change throughout life over a distance of time. It is also a book that tell you how individuals can stay the same, the things learnt in childhood, is able to be carried on into adult life. Tommo and Charlie are examples of this.The author is also trying to make the reader how one mistake can change a relationship so quickly and the change it can have on somebody. The book makes people realise that even though there is often change, it is really about the keeping the relationships with the people you love and using your past to change your future. In conclusion I think that this book is a fantastic book and a very emotional book and maybe a life changing book, for some individuals. For example it tells you to keep your relations tight with the ones you love, and also learn from your mistakes in the past. By Kaiser Saeed

Climate change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Climate change - Essay Example People who have inhabited different regions of the earth have been interviewed based on historic data told by the forefathers in comparison to the climatic condition in the place at the moment. The quantitative technique that yields more substantial outcome involves taking measurements to determine the rise in sea level that is attributed to the melting of polar ice. Also, the measurements try to relate claims that human increased emission of greenhouse gases contributes to the same. Further research to substantiate the claims is directed towards the determination of the overall temperature of the water bodies. The results indicate that there is a general change in climate all over the world considering other factors such as ocean acidification and decrease in ice cover compared to the past. The level of technology used in gathering the data is convincing, but further research is imperative for one to draw sound conclusions. However, it is crucial to establish more evidence beyond reasonable doubts by considering the sequence of the earth climate variations. Data on climate provide some evidence that the world is undergoing a series of climate variability, and the noticeable changes have nothing to do with human activities among other causative

Issues of Multiculturalism in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Issues of Multiculturalism in America - Essay Example The national frontiers develop more porous, cultural divergence between citizens has turned to be most important, whereas certain cultural diversities are changing, weakening for more or less a generation, some lingers through age. Prevailing interactions allow immigrants to retain associations in their communities of origin and environment, allowing cultural diversity a stable situation instead of just a fleeting situation within a nation. The situation of a nation in terms of multiculturalism, bring out important issues concerning the unity of the cultural establishments that strengthen their agreements regarding national social policy and the ability to intercede in the local results of global growth. In the study of the modern decades, it has been observed that several countries challenge to discover political accommodations, in the real sense of it, by way of multiculturalism rules. In response to these, it is disputed that by providing legality to cultural divergence, multicult uralism rules are deteriorating the national unities that lie beneath welfare state citizenship. The very essential compilation discovers cross-national qualified proof and country case studies dealing with these theories. The ever growing multiculturalism societies are, perhaps more an issue today that it was in the past. Some hypothetical explanations may be considered in the connection between multicul Pluralism/Multiculturalism 3 multiculturalism and citizenship in order to classify awareness of multiculturalism acceptably is a factor to a more detailed perception on welfare citizenship with regards to culture and its divergence. The nation is an image of culture and politics, united as they are, looking deeper on the acknowledgment of every member possessing a piece of history, terrain, and commonly language. The sentimental aspects of citizenship in terms sense of belongingness, loyalty, camaraderie, including the dim and the light segment of citizenship, obtain their value from this sense of mutual cultural identity. To those people who go against multiculturalism, scrutinizing it as an impediment to the accomplishment of a more reasonable and equal society; and those people who acknowledge the theoretical principles of multiculturalism and its endorsement throughout the social order. Between these two positions is a mixture of people, several of them either do not completely comprehend what multiculturalism is or the motivation as to why the country should be concerned about it; and those people who recognize that certain parts of multiculturalism should be established, while other mechanism have to be turned down. Issues branching from the cultural establishment of welfare state citizenship culture, develop in societies with people of culturally diverse language, religion and ethnic foundation. The culture, generally, motivates set of mutual appreciations, convictions, conduct of systems of manner that comprise a structure for the daily custom of people, and most often, it is categorized as a plan for living or the way things are done, and this is coped by experience in the path of daily life. Experienced from the outlines of culture and person's perception of ones

Extra Credit ANTH Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Extra Credit ANTH - Essay Example The scientists simply study humanity; they tend to figure around how the human race has changed to the current state it is today. Cultural Anthropology is a branch that is concerned with the behavior patterns of the human race. This entails acts of man of clothing, religious activities, and land activities. The cultural branch of anthropology is divided into two, on is ethno linguists, which deals with the study of culture language and ethnomusicologists which is the study of music traditions. Archeology is also another branch of anthropology that deals with the study of society culture. This involves the study of artefacts which reflect the early mans culture and their daily life.Lingustic deals with the study of language. This branch tends to explain how man communicated both verbally or in written form. Physical Anthropology is a branch of anthropology that is concerned with the study of human evolution and the genetics of human race. Anthropologists study everywhere humans and th eir ancestors lived. The scientist through their investigations tend to answer the question ‘why are we what we are’ as biological organisims.The biological changes responsible for bringing humanity to its present state. The ancestral remains in bone form of the human race are called hominids. Anthropologists study the hominids on their physical appearance, intelligence change that makes man distinct from other creatures. The study of the genes in man and how they influenced by the environment. Environmental factors and the effect it has to man, this include climate. The scientists investigate on the reaction of man in relation to the climatic changes. The advantages and the disadvantages of climate on the social and cultural well being of man. The scientist study the human population in relation to climate. The difference of human beings to other creatures in relation to physical anthropology research have been identified. Man is a bipedal creature, he walks on two fee t. The human race has a unique dental structure different from other creaturers.Human beings have a material culture, of which they use objects to manipulate a given environment. According to Anthropologists man has a developed thinking capacity compared to other creatures. Scientists have built a system of ideas to link thoughts explaining the result of an experiment. A fundamental theory on the origin of man was constructed by Charles Darwin. He was given the responsibility of collection, documentation and study of the natural world. Darwin succeeded in coming up with the variations of physical characteristics and their adaptations. He termed adaptation as Natural Selection; this is where the biological characteristics of species boost their survival. In his research he acquired information from scientific subjects which are taxonomy, geology, paleontology, demography and systematics. There were various contributions of scientists in coming up with a theory on evolution.Scientst R obert Hooke was the first in the discovery of cells using a simple microscope. Georges Cuvier discovered the concept of extinction by studying a fish fossil. James Hutton provided evidence is the construction of evolution life span. John Ray discovered the first scientific classification of plants and animals. Thomas Malthus came up with the survival characteristic concept. Carolus Linnaeus came up with a classification system by giving organisms unique names for easy classification. He came up with the taxonomic classification o

U.S. Supreme Court Case Tennessee vs. Garner Study

U.S. Supreme Court Tennessee vs. Garner - Case Study Example The various arms and appendages of law while towing the practical manifestations of their powers do sometimes give way to special situations that alter and remold the conscience of a society and bring them under direct and enhanced observation and scrutiny of the masses and the intelligentsia. Infact such instances happen to be the important turning points in the legal and judicial history of any nation and do many a times lead to the evolution of the existing statutory provisions in the light of the current and emerging changes in the society. US Supreme Court case Tennessee vs. Garner is one such thought provoking event in the legal history of the US that strikingly challenged the existing statutory provisions pertaining to the use of force by the law enforcement agencies and called for reinterpretation and reshaping of this earlier taken for granted aspect of the policing in the US. October 3, 1974 was one other usual day in the life of the Memphis Police Officers Leslie Wright and Eton Hymon, when they were ordered to respond to a "prowler inside call". Both the officers promptly arrived on the scene of crime and after receiving relevant feedback from the neighbors, proceeded to scan the house being targeted. Hymon noticed a person running across the backyard and with the aid of his flashlight, was reasonably able to discern that the suspect, Edward Garner was an unarmed teenager of slight built (Findlaw, 2008). When Garner tried to climb over a fence, Hymon shot him in the back of his head to prevent him from escaping from the scene of crime (Findlaw, 2008). Later on a paltry ten dollars and a ring stolen from the house being scanned was found on the body of the suspect. Hymon acted in direct exercise of the authority given by a Tennessee statute to its police officers, sanctioning a deadly use of force so as to apprehend a fleeing suspect (Findlaw, 2008). The father of the deceased teenager filed a suit in the Federal District Court, to seek damages for the death and violation of his son's constitutional rights (Findlaw, 2008). The District Court upheld the constitutional credentials of the given statute and declared the officer's actions to be legal and valid (Findlaw, 2008). However, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, while responding to an appeal by the appellee-respondent, reversed, stating that the use of force against a fleeing suspect in pursuance of the requirements of the Fourth Amendment is subject to be qualified in the light of the criteria of reasonableness (Findlaw, 2008). The basic issue that this case brings to fore is the ascertaining of the constitutionality of the deadly use of force by the law enforcement agencies against an unarmed, fleeing suspect (Findlaw, 2008). It questions the gross generalization of the provisions pertaining to the use of force by the law enforcement agencies against the relatively innocuous suspects who try to flee. Should the nature or proportion of force used by a police team against an escaping terrorist be same as that used against a harmless teenager, who attempts to escape from the scene of some petty crime This case highlights the human rights of the fleeing suspects and pragmatically checks the unrestrained use of force by t

Case study- Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case study- - Coursework Example This will result in many followers and will raise the popularity of cloud computing. a) For a new entrant it is hard to invest huge amount in infrastructure to build own data centre. Here cloud computing lessens their cost to substantial level (Pay-Per-Use facility might be recalled of as an example). Capacity Planning: - This is a course of action that an organization use to determine the production required to meet varying demands for its products. Here though Amazon is a retail organization, they shift their business from retail to cloud computing technology, since lots of small organization who are dealing with large data sets are opting to be their clients. In the long run to reduce the risk of server downtime they are simultaneously useing public and private cloud. Scalability: This is the capacity of a system to accomplish large number of works in a competent style with ultimate achievement of growth. Amazon is handling a large number of data of many organizations with flexible computing power, messaging and other services. Circumscribing this dimension, Amazon is equipped with huge resources directed towards helping an array of small firms entering new business and struggling to maintain huge database. On the other way, subscribers of Amazon for example, Zynga is using a business model where they use private and public cloud jointly. At the juncture when Zynga decides to launch any new application they use public cloud because they are uncertain about their future applicability. Once this application stabilizes in the market they shift to its own cloud computing dynamics for the reduction of risk related to the server downtime problems. TCO: Total cost of ownership is an estimation of cost method and is used to assist consumers and project managers to establish direct and indirect costs of a product or

Imagining My Future Essay Example for Free

Imagining My Future Essay My hand flies to my heart, the other to Matthew’s hand. I startle awake from an endless nightmare. Luckily, I haven’t awakened my sleeping husband, who I must say sleeps like a rock. I stretch out and sit up, the covers pooling around my waist. The moonlight continues to shine into our room from the balcony. I give Matthew a quick kiss on his hand and slowly crawl out of bed into the depths of our house. I wander the empty hallways of this home Matthew and I have built. Pictures line the wall from our wedding, to the birth of our three wonderful children, Braden, Katarina and Adam. I couldn’t imagine any better life. As my hand skims the wall, my feet sink into the plush purple carpet that lines the hall. I touch the cold metal of my first son’s door knob and hesitantly open the door. Braden is twelve-years-old, and as athletic as his father. The first thing he learned to say was â€Å"Dada† and knew how to skate before he could walk. Hockey must be in his genes – he’s the captain of his Pee Wee B hockey team. He has a great future set in front of him. I tip-toe over to his queen size bed covered with blue sheets. Braden takes after his father in looks as well. His eyes are the rich color of the sky and grass combined; his hair a dark chestnut brown; a smile that is so perfect, he didn’t need braces. As I stroke his hair and pull the covers up, I remember the first time I dropped him off at school and I imagine how he’ll deal with going to a new school next year since its seventh grade. I turn off the music he plays every night to help him fall asleep, and exit his room as quiet as I entered. Katarina is only a year younger than her brother. She’s only eleven and is as independent as a teenager. She’s sprawled out on her queen size bed covered with bright colors that swirl around. I watch her breathing, a slow rhythm of ease as she dreams ever so peacefully. She takes after me, which I’m thankful for. Her eyes are a rich green, her hair a bright blonde, but Kat was born with teeth like her great-grandmother. She’s almost to the ripe age to get braces. I hope she won’t get teased when she gets them; it’s a grave fear of mine. Kat is always striving to be her unique self, and doesn’t exactly care what others think of her. Her fearlessness is something most other girls her age crave for. She’s a bookworm, just like her mother as well. Matthew and I brought her skating multiple times, but she didn’t really get the same sensation her momma felt as a figure skater. Instead, she’s a dancer – hip-hop and ballet – and she’s extremely gifted. Where she received her gracefulness on feet is something I question myself with everyday. She’s my angel, her father’s little girl, and her brothers’ best friend. I glance over to her window which is right above her bed. The moonlight casts a light upon her drooling face and I manage to hold back a giggle. I wonder how many hearts Kat will break when she enters the scary and dreaded place of high school. My littlest boy, Adam, sleeps the farthest away from his parents. He has the intelligence of Einstein and is constantly questioning everything. He isn’t big into the high-contact sport as his older brother, but is enjoying music quite much as well as tennis. Adam is eight, and loves his guitar. He plucks the strings night and day. His looks are that of mine and Matthew’s. As he sleeps, he snores a bit and fidgets, but the stuffed tiger his grandmother gave him is tucked safely away in his arms. Right now, Adam wants to be a rock star. I only hope he achieves the dream he decides on. His clothes are scatter around his floor and being as restless as I am, I can’t help but not pick them up. CD’s of oldies line shelf after shelf. I watch him move and he silently calls out for â€Å"Grandma.† Grandma Fern passed away few months ago and little Adam was her absolute favorite. When Adam found out about her death, he was devastated. He took up a vow of silence and wouldn’t come out of his room. Finally, Matthew and I were able to soothe him out to talk to us. He’s been back to his talkative self ever since. I close the door and hear the â€Å"click† of the door. I wander back up to my room, and dance to the balcony. I flop into the overstuffed red love seat Matthew and I placed outside. In the distance, I can see a glimmer of the soft lake that is only minutes away from my home. I cross my legs and sigh to myself. â€Å"Well hello there. Didn’t you ever learn to close the door?† a deep, rough voice says. I quickly whip my head around to see the man I call my husband. â€Å"Oh, dear I’m so sorry! I was caught up in how beautiful the night sky looked. I didn’t even think about the door.† I say hastily. â€Å"Well, I’m glad you forgot. You can’t keep this to yourself, you know.† Matthew says as he joins me. I’ve known him since I was a junior in high school and I’ve been infatuated with him ever since. His face is turned toward the night sky, and I can’t help but wonder how this fascinating creature is with me. Matthew has been playing hockey ever since the age of five, and has a knack at it. He played for the Fighting Sioux in college, and was moved up to the professional league when the Washington Capitals signed him to their roster. He was ecstatic about the offer. My children and I can’t go and stay with him i n Washington State, but we go to every game we can. He’s my children’s hero, and my own to love. I place a single hand on his cheek, an act I’ve always done towards him. â€Å"It’s almost morning wife. What are you going to make for breakfast?† he teasingly asks me. He knows whatever I cook, he has to help with. â€Å"Well, I was thinking some bacon, maybe an omelet. Unless you prefer something more five star.† I instantly challenge him. He picks me up and throws me over his shoulder as if I was as light as a feather. He lays me on the bed and suddenly we are in a game of chasing each other around the bedroom. He never ceases to amaze me. Of course, Matthew lets me win and we stroll downstairs to the kitchen, starting up the coffee, and planning out what to feed our children.

John Kenneth Galbraith Biography

John Kenneth Galbraith Biography Archibald Galbraith, a Canadian schoolteacher, once climbed onto a platform atop a  steaming pile of manure to address a group of Liberal party voters before the coming Ontario  elections. â€Å"Before I begin,† he said, â€Å"I must apologize for speaking from the Tory platform.†Ã‚  Later on, his teenage son, John Kenneth, would congratulate him on the dig, to which he  [Archibald] would respond, â€Å"It was good. But it didn’t change any votes.† (Arthur Scheslinger,  1984, p. 7) So, from an early age, John Kenneth Galbraith was between the world of politics and  pragmatism.   John Kenneth Galbraith was born in 1908. His father’s involvement in politics had a  profound impact on the young John Kenneth, politicizing him at an early age. He originally  studied Agricultural Economics at the Ontario Agricultural College, but would eventually say  that he took his first â€Å"real† economics course at UC Berkeley, and that the economics instruction  in Canada was â€Å"very poor† (Dunn, 2002, p. 350). As a graduate student at UC Berkeley, he  continued his study of agricultural economics and worked as a research assistant for a â€Å"very zany  old man by the name of Edwin Voorhies† (Kreisler, 1986). He stated that it was his study of  agricultural economics that left him with a strong feeling that â€Å"social science should be tested by  its usefulness,† an idea inspired by Veblen’s dichotomy between exoteric knowledge (knowledge  that is valuable and applicable) and esoteric knowledge (knowledge tha t has no practical  application, but because of that, is considered more â€Å"prestigious†). Galbraith believed that social  sciences should be exoteric, not esoteric. In his book Economics and The Public Purpose,  Galbraith develops this idea further, saying, â€Å"The ultimate test of a set of economic ideas is  whether it illuminates the anxietes of the time† (Galbraith, 1973, p.198). In the 1930’s, while Galbraith was studying to receive his Ph. D, it was clear that  economic theory was not addressing the anxietes of the time. Economists were struggling to  explain how free markets had led the United States to economic ruin. One in four Americans  were jobless. Production had all but ground to a halt. Obviously, there were egregious errors in  the accepted dogma, which stated that free markets left to their own devices would bring about  efficiency and employment. Galbraith said that his method of coming to an understanding was to  Ã¢â‚¬Å"for years†¦start with [Alfred] Marshall, see the world as it is, and make the requisite  modifications† (Dunn, 2002, p. 351). Upon graduating, Galbraith traveled to Washington D.C.  and took a position assisting with the implementation of the Agricultural Adjustment Act, before  taking a position as a tutor at Harvard. At Harvard, he made speeches supporting the reelection of Roosevelt, cement ing his initial ties with the Democratic party. Not long after, he was offered  a fellowship at Cambridge, where the discussions centered around Keynes, who had just published his General Theory of Employment, Money, and Interest (Dunn, 2002, pp. 350-355).   Galbraith returned from England to his tutor position at Harvard a confirmed Keynesian. He spent a few more years tutoring at Harvard (where he met John F. Kennedy) and then took a  job as resident economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation in Washington. Galbraith’s  observation of the farm industry solidified his belief in the power of government to move  industries forward. In 1930, farm households accounted for a quarter of the population, whereas  today they account for only 1% of the population and yet on the whole, they now produce more  than they did in 1930. This is due to strong government support of the farming industry. That  national planning could â€Å"transform a weak, disorganized, and poverty prone sector of the  economy into America’s most spectacular productive success†¦preserved his political concerns†Ã‚  (Arthur Schlesinger, 1984, p. 8). Galbraith became head of the Office of Price Administration in  1941 during World War II, and at the same time began his long career as a ghostwriter, penning  spe eches for Samuel Rosenman and Robert Sherwood (Arthur Schlesinger, 1984, p. 8). Galbraith then became editor of Fortune magazine, where he worked directly for Harry  Luce, founder of Time Inc., whom he called â€Å"one of the most ruthless editors I have ever known,  or anyone has ever known† (Kreisler, 1986). Galbraith has credited Luce with dramatically  improving his writing via ruthless editing. Galbraith credited Fortune with giving him a  Ã¢â‚¬Å"marvelous introduction to the corporate mind,† because the focus of the magazine at the time  was â€Å"the anatomy of the big corporations† (Dunn, 2002, p. 353). The decision making processes  of major corporations would be a recurring phenomenon that he would write about in many of  his publications. Galbraith returned to Academia in 1948, having spent five years as editor of Fortune. He  was nominated to a position teaching economics at Harvard. However, members of Harvard’s  board of overseers regarded him as a â€Å"dangerous Keynesian,† and as a result, â€Å"took the step,  almost unprecedented in modern times, of blocking the appointment† (Dunn, 2002, p. 353). However, Galbraith had many political allies, and among them was Harvard’s president, James  B. Conant. Conant was such a fan of Galbraith that he threatened to resign unless the board of  overseers backed down. Eventually they did, and Galbraith became a tenured professor at  Harvard. It was then that he began work on his first major bestseller, American Capitalism: The  Concept of Countervailing Power. Galbraith begins his discussion of capitalism in America by pointing out the following  conundrum: Mainstream economic theory asserts that in the case of monopoly, prices will rise,  business will screw consumers, fail to innovate, and as a result, the economy will be in bad  shape. He then notes the work of Joan Robinson in developing the idea of monopolistic and  oligopolistic competition, noting that oligopolistic industries behave in the same way as  monopolies would, and through informal agreements can have the exact same effect. Then, using  the actual data collected by the American government, he shows that the majority of industries  are in fact oligopolistic. But he goes even further than that, saying that almost all industries will  eventually become oligopolistic for the following reasons: At the birth of an industry,  competetion is necessary and possible, as no firms have clear and significant advantages yet. But  over time, it will become increasingl y difficult to enter the industry because of the barriers to  entry created by high capital requirements and increasing returns to scale. At the same time that  increasing returns to scale start to set in (as they inevitably do), existing firms will also gain the  advantage of experience and prior organization. The convergence of these factors leads, in most  cases, to an industry with a few power players and a larger but still relatively small number of  hangers-on, who exist by filling niches that aren’t worth the time of the large firms. Galbraith poses a question in American Capitalism, and before getting to that question, it  is important to get a sense of the context in which he asks it. After World War II, America was  experiencing incredible prosperity. But underlying this prosperity was the fear of depression. The  Great Depression was still fresh in the collective consciousness, and the average man’s faith that  capitalism would bring about efficiency and full employment was shaken. And yet, as the years  after the war progressed, things were stable and employment was plentiful. It is also important to  note that the era of non-depression Keynesianism was beginning, and much to the chagrin of the  business community, government was becoming a much more participatory force in markets. The business community was reacting violently against this expansion of government, claiming  that it was a complete disaster, wasteful to the very extreme and bound to cripple growth. The  state of the American economy in the 1950’s then was that of big government, near-ubiquitous  monopoly or oligopoly, and an underlying fear of depression. Yet, by almost any measure, the  economy was a success. The problem, according to Galbraith, was that, â€Å"in principle, the economy pleased no  one; in practice it satisfied most. Social inefficiency [government spending], unrationalized  power [monopoly and oligopoly], intrusive government [regulation], and depression were all  matters for deep concern. But neither liberal nor conservatives, neither the rich nor all but the  very poor, found the consequences intolerable† (Galbraith, 1954, p. 85). What fascinated  Galbraith was how an economy which was so flawed in theory could work so well in practice. The question he asked was: Why are things so†¦well†¦good? Thus, he states that his aim in  American Capitalism is to â€Å"examine in turn the circumstances that have kept social inefficiency,  private power, government intervention, and unemployment from ruining us in the recent  present† (Galbraith, 1954, p. 85). The first answer that he gives is that oligopoly is much more conducive to techonological  innovation than classical competetion. â€Å"There is no more pleasant fiction than that technical  change is the product of the matchless ingenuity of the small man forced by competition to  employ his wits to better his neighbor. Unhappily, it is a fiction,† he says. â€Å"Technical  development has long since become the preserve of the scientist and engineer† (Galbraith, 1954,  p.86). His argument is that due to the costliness of development, it can only be undertaken by a  firm with considerable resources. In highly competitive industries, no one firm has considerable  resources. Moreover, because innovations can easily be imitated, it is not economical for a small  competitive firm to bear the research and development costs for an entire industry. Galbraith then turns his keen eye to the idea of inefficiency. He deals with this issue by  asserting that America’s relative opulence shields us and is moreover a cause of such  inefficiency. At the time that the classical economists were writing, an opulent economy had yet  to be observed. For Malthus and Ricardo, â€Å"inefficiency was, indeed, an evil thing. It denied  bread to the hungry and clothing to the naked† (Galbraith, 1954, p.102). The true power of  Galbraith’s insight is his ability to point out the obvious. He criticizes his fellow economists for  bringing the mentality of the nineteenth century, with all its poverty and degradation, to the  opulent twentieth century. Galbraith finds this error both amusing and absurd, saying, â€Å"He [the  mainstream economist] worries far too much about partially monopolized prices†¦for tobacco, liquor, automobiles, and soap, in a land which is already suffering from nicotine poisoning and   alcoholism, which is nutritionally gorged with sugar, which is filling its hospitals and cemeteries  with those who have been maimed or murdered on its highways, and which is dangerously  neurotic about body odors† (Galbraith, 1954, p.102). His point is that these inefficiencies are in  fact a sign of the wealth of America. They are the symptom of a wealthy economy, and thus we  ought not to worry so much about them. He also discredits the idea of intrusive government,  noting that, â€Å"alarm over pending action by government on economic matters, which frequently  reaches almost pathological proportions when the decision is pending, almost invariably  evaporates completely once the action is taken. One of the profound sources of American  strength has been the margin of error provided by our well-being† (Galbraith, 1954, p.106). But the most significant reason that monopoly has failed to capsize the American  economy, according to Galbraith is the exercise of what he calls countervailing power. The  assumption always made by economists, when they would consider the case of markets, was that  the check on an individual firm’s power wold come from the supply side of the industry. Galbraith disagrees. He admits that the existence of monopoly power in a competitive market  does in fact encourage the entry of more producers to appropriate some of that power for  themselves. â€Å"In other words,† he says. â€Å"Competition was regarded [and is] a self-generating  regulatory force† (Galbraith, 1954, p. 112). But in a market that is not competitive, the incentive for some economic agent to  approptiate that power still exists. But it need not come from the supply side. That power is, in  practice, usually appropriated by strong buyers or coalitions of buyers, who can sometimes take  even more than their share. Because of the tendency of power to be organized in response to  existing power, â€Å"countervailing power is also a self-generating force† (Galbraith, 1954, p. 113). According to Galbraith, it is the large retailers who, by way of their absolute power over  manufacturers, bargain for the consumer and protect the consumer from the high monopoly  prices that would otherwise result. Likewise, the considerable market power of large firms is  checked by trade unions for a simple reason, there is something to be bargained for Galbraith  notes that trade unions are most powerful in the least competitive industries. This is because the  surplus that a company derives from monopoly power acts as an incentive to unions. In the very  competitive industries, producers and workers are operating at bare minimum profit and the  incentives to organization insignificant. These are the basic ideas laid out in American Capitalism. The book in many ways lays  the framework and tone for the books he would publish in the sixties and seventies. But while  American Capitalism was Galbraith’s first major bestseller, it was The Affluent Society that  skyrocketed him to fame. The Affluent Society builds on many of the concepts introduced in his  first book, but with several key differences. Though Galbraith could not suppress his urge to  social commentary, The Affluent Society is a much more prescriptive book, growing out of his  chapter on technical development in American Capitalism. To his original analysis he adds a  significantly moral component. The Affluent Society concerns itself with the policies that ought  to be undertaken once the basic needs of the people have been met. Galbraith’s main argument is  that our ratio of private good (cars, televisions, automobiles) to public goods (schools, roads) is  inequitable an d ridiculous. The premise of his argument is that once our basic desires such as  food, clothing, and shelter have been satisfied, large corporations employ advertising to concoct  new demand for products. The traditional economic and utilitarian argument for goods qua  goods falls on its face if consumer demand is not sovereign. What is really necessary is the use  of society’s productive resources in the public realm in juxtaposition with growth in the private  realm. He calls this idea â€Å"social balance,† saying, â€Å"the problem of social balance is ubiquitous,  and frequently it is obtrusive. As noted, an increase in the consumption of automobiles requires a  facilitating supply of streets, highways, traffic control, and parking spaces† (Galbraith, 1958, p.  193). He also confronts the existence of poverty in an affluent society as being the result of  outdated nineteenth century attitudes. â€Å"A poor society,† he says,  "had to enforce the rule that  someone who did not work could not eat. An affluent society has no similar excuse for such  rigor† (Galbraith, 1958, p. 251). But he admits that, â€Å"nothing requires such a society to be  compassionate. But it no longer has a high philosophical justification for its callousness†Ã‚  (Galbraith, 1958, p. 251). In the 50’s, America was in the midst of the cold war and attempts at engineering a better  society were very suspect. Galbraith throughout The Affluent Society understands the inherent  and ideological opposition to big government and social policy, but he is adamant in stating,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"that cities’ residents should have a nontoxic supply of air suggests no revolutionary dalliance with socialism† (Galbraith, 1958, p. 191). In fact, Galbraith eventually finds socialism and central planning to be in many ways  similar to the kind of capitalism that developed in America in the latter half of the 20th century. 9 In The New Industral State, Galbraith focuses his effort on understanding what he calls the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"technostructure.† In an era when the division of intellectual labor is so overwhelming, the  management or even management team of a powerful corporation doesn’t actually make most of  the decisions. The decisions are instead made collectively by teams of experts. Galbraith coins  the term technostructure as, â€Å"embracing all who bring specialized knowledge, talent or  experience to group decision-making. This,† he says, â€Å"not the management, is the guiding  intelligence, the brain, of the enterprise† (Galbraith, 1967, p.71). Many of Galbraith’s ideas resonate to this day. Unfortunately, most do not. It would be  tempting to end this essay optimistically, expounding poetically on the way Galbraith’s ideas  continue to influence national policy. In reality, although he was a well-respected and powerful  man, many of his ideas continue to be ignored by mainstream economists and politicians. Rarely  does one hear a contemporary economist talk about countervailing power, or reference the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"technostructure.† While as a society we owe much to Galbraith and his ideas, the discipline of  economics has for all intents and purposes laid his practical ideas by the wayside. But whether or  not his continued influence on economics is felt by the mainstream, his contribution to the  discipline remains poignant and accessible for those who choose to seek it out on their own. Galbraith’s main contribution to economic thought was his tackling of the problem of  power. He was convinced that the most glaring, most significant, and most ignored problem in  the field of economics was the effect of power on economic activity. Understanding why  Galbraith was so affixed by this idea of power is actually quite simple; he was surrounded by it. Through his political work, Galbraith knew not only Kennedy, but several other presidents and  all the most powerful officials in the democratic party. Through his work at Fortune he became  acquainted with the heads of the largest and most powerful corporations in the world. He saw,  10 clearly, the extent to which the decisions of these men (and the technostructures supporting  them) affected the direction and performance of the economy of the whole. Given that he was an  astute man, for him to ignore the influence of power on economies, in order to advance a series  of aesthetically pleasing models and equations, would have been not only unthinkable but  dishonest. Galbraith wanted badly to be useful, to â€Å"change votes,† as his father would have said. To him, sitting in a room concocting theories did not qualify as usefulness. He longed to be in  the thick of policy-making. Later in life, he wanted badly to avoid what he called â€Å"Belmont Syndrome†1 Thus, his struggle to be relevant was not only ideological but moral. John Kenneth Galbraith died peacefully at home in 2006. He left behind not only an  extensive body of economic work, but two novels. His first novel, The Triumph, written in 1969,  was about U.S. foreign policy disasters in Latin America. His second novel, A Tenured  Professor, written in 1990, was about an eccentric Harvard professor, and lampooned the elite  institution. He lived ninety-seven years, almost all of them (excepting the first few) were  preoccupied with upending the â€Å"conventional wisdom.† He remains one of the most famous and  controversial economists of the twentieth century, and a fine novelist.