Analysis of “the Use of Force” by William Carlos Williams

Justin Thomas Mrs. J Clark English 1 honors 2nd block 10 April 2013 Analysis of â€Å"The Use of Force† by William Carlos Williams In the book there is a doctor who wants to do well for others. He understands what the family is going through because in the story it says, â€Å"But I’ve seen two children lying dead the week of diphtheria because of neglect, I was not about to let that happen so it was diagnosed now or never. † There is also a girl who is sick. She has a sore throat and she won’t talk or open her mouth to anyone.The girl is very stubborn but she is terrified of the doctor as it says, â€Å"don’t call me a nice man. I’m here to look at her throat on the chance that she might have diphtheria and possibly die of it, but that’s nothing, she terrified of me. † Another character would be the father. He acts as if any father should only wanting the best for his daughter in the passage, â€Å"she’s had a fever for a few days and we don’t know where it comes from. † The mother is very frantic in this situation when she says, â€Å"If you don’t do what the doctor says you will have to go to the hospital. The conflict in the story is that this girl has been sick for a few days. Her parents call in a doctor to their house to check her out. You can tell in the story what atmosphere when the father says,† my wife has given her the things you know they do but don’t do no good. † You can tell that this is taken place in an either uneducated place or where that lingo is part of the culture. The girl in the story is so frightened and struck with fear that the excessive use of force just escalates the situation more.The doctor only wants to help the little girl. He clearly states that by saying,† But I’ve seen two children lying dead the week of diphtheria because of neglect, I was not about to let that happen so it was diagnosed now or never. † The girl is just scared to death by all of the commotion and sure that is why she is so resentful to comply. The mother and father both have the same intentions for their daughter but I believe that the mother is more sympathetic and the father just wants to get things over with.The methods of persuasion and how they got the girl to comply are simply trying to coax with words but unfortunately led to physical aggression. In the story the mom gently says, â€Å"come on, please do what his tells you, he won’t hurt you. † Then later on into the story it leads to the father having to hold down the daughter while the doctor tried to pry open the girls mouth a spoon. The conflict that soon arises out of story is the daughter is that she is unwilling to comply with the doctor.She won’t open her mouth for anything and no matter the coaxing the doctor or her parents and she just won’t listen. Eventually it leads to the girl getting hurt in the story it says,â₠¬  the child’s mouth was already was already bleeding. Her tongue was cut and she was screaming hysterically. † In the end the doctor had to overpower the child and pry her mouth open with a metal spoon. It was rough but it might have been rough but it saved the girls life.

The Life and Works of Rudolfo A. Anaya

Rudolfo A. Anaya, a New Mexican writer, is considered one of the creators of Chicano Literature. He is most known for his novel Bless Me, Ultima. He has been recognized with many prestigious rewards for his work. As Anaya says, â€Å"As a Chicano writer I am part of a community which for the first time in our contemporary era has produced enough literary works to create a literary movement. Prior to the 1960s western literature was written about us, but seldom by us. Now the world has a truer insight into our world; the view is now from within as more and more Chicano and Chicana writers explore their reality† (Rudolfo A(lfonso) Anaya Biography 1). Anaya was born on October 30, 1927 in the small village of Pastura, New Mexico (Anaya 363, Contemporary Hispanic Biography 1). He was born to Martin and Rafaelita Anaya. Anaya was the fifth of seven children. His father came from a family of cattle workers and sheepherders, was a vaquero, a horseman who worked on ranches surrounding Pastura, and his mother came from a family of poor farmers (Contemporary Hispanic Biography 1). At a young age, his family moved to Santa Rosa, New Mexico. Their house was perched over the Pecos River, and young Anaya spent his childhood roaming around the planes with his friends, hunting, and fishing in the Pecos River. He was raised in a strong Catholic household, he stated, â€Å"In my child hood world the power of prayer was supreme† (Anaya 362). Also, Anaya grew up in a Spanish speaking only house hold. He stated that his parents only mostly spoke Spanish and that at the age of six or seven when he started school he knew very little to no English (Anaya 362-365). My parents spoke only Spanish. My dad worked for big ranchers and he could buy and sell cattle, which meant he could get along in English. But at home it was a complete Spanish-speaking household. By the time I went to school when I was six or seven, I didn't know English, I only knew Spanish† (Stone). At the age of fifteen Anaya moved to Albuquerque, and he attended Albuquerque High School. In Albuqu erque Anaya was exposed to prejudice against Latinos as well as some cultural and ethnic differences he had not previously faced. Anaya played football and baseball in Albuquerque. He managed to avoid the trouble of gangs, and he kept good grades. (Anaya 364-366, Contemporary Hispanic Biography). At the age of sixteen Anaya suffered a diving accident. Diving into an irrigation ditch, Anaya broke two vertebrae; he nearly killed himself. Anaya said in his short auto biography, â€Å"The doctors would later explain that I had fractured two vertebrae in my neck, and I had gone into instant paralysis. I could not move a muscle† (Anaya 369). His mother nursed him through his paralysis with daily massaging the stiff limbs, and his friends never wavered. He swam, exercised, and slowly began to reenter the rough and tumble life. He mentions that one of the first things that he did was return to the YMCA pool alone. As a way to conquer his fear he dove into the water alone (Anaya 369-372). In 1956, Anaya graduated from Albuquerque High School. Anaya then attended business school for two years before dropping out and enrolling in the university. University life sent Anaya into an identity crisis. He speaks of losing his faith in god. Anaya found that the culture at the university was not his own; also, Anaya found that his classes were devoid of relevance to his own culture. On top of all this a recently failed relationship with a girl pushed Anaya to begin writing to help his pain. However, much of these early writings were later destroyed. Anaya thanks his friends for helping him survive the university. On weekends he would get with his friends and go out drinking, playing pool, and meeting girls. Anaya received a degree and soon after accepted a teaching position in a small town in New Mexico. (Anaya 373-375). In this small town he still continued to practice his writing everyday (Contemporary Hispanic Biography ). He married a young woman named Patricia Lawless. Patricia, from Kansas, provided him with encouragement, and Patricia would read his work and respond to its weaknesses (Anaya 374, Contemporary Hispanic Biography). Marriage provided Anaya with a stable base for which to write; although, two miscarriages were the most difficult experiences of his married life. Through this stable base Bless me, Ultima was born. He would teach by the day, and he would come home at night to write. Anaya 376) Anaya says that his inspiration for Bless Me, Ultima came when he had a vision of an elderly woman dressed in black standing in his room, and it was this vision that inspired him to start writing the novel (Contemporary Hispanic Biography). In Anaya’s words, â€Å"One light was on, a desk light near the typewriter, I heard a noise and turned to see the old woman dressed in black enter th e room† (Anaya, 377). Bless me, Ultima tells the story of Antonio Juan Marez y Luna, a six-year old boy growing up in rural New Mexico during World War II. Antonio is befriended by Ultima, a kindly curandera, or healer, who has come to stay with Antonio’s family. Antonio discovers the mysteries of the plains surrounding him and learns how to use its plants for medicinal purposes. Ultima later cures curses placed on Antonio’s uncle by a family of witches. Much of the drama or conflict in the novel developed because of this. (Contemporary Hispanic Biography). This story relates in many ways to Anaya’s own history. Antonio, in the novel, is pulled between his father’s wandering life as a vaquero and his mother’s harmonic, grounded existence with the earth itself. He questions the validity of his Catholic faith that seems helpless against pain and suffering while Ultima’s magic heals. He discovers the golden carp in the river, which as told in local folklore, is a god. The idea that the carp may share divinity with God, to Antonio, feels like a betrayal of his mother’s faith. However, this is a question that he cannot help but to ask (Anaya; Bless Me, Ultima, Contemporary Hispanic Biography). â€Å"In my first novel, Bless Me, Ultima, I used the people and the environment of my childhood as elements of the story. Like my protagonist, Antonio, my first language was Spanish. I was shaped by the traditions and culture of the free-wheeling cow punchers and sheep herders of the llano, a lifestyle my father knew well, and was also initiated into the deeply religious, Catholic settled life of the farmers of Puerto de Luna, my mother's side of the family. â€Å"(Anaya 380) Anaya eventually was published by Berkeley. Although the path to getting published wasn’t easy, â€Å"I approached dozens of publishers, the result was always the same. I collected enough form letter rejections to wallpaper the proverbial room, but I was undaunted† (Anaya 379). Bless Me, Ultima was a huge success. Anaya won the prestigious Premio Quinto Sol Award for the novel. Anaya also received many other prestigious rewards for the novel. Such as, Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima appeared on the Big Read site. The Big read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed to revitalize the role of literary reading in American popular culture. There are 30 books selected every year for this site. Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima was also chosen as one of the literary works to appear in the 2009 American Academic decathlon. The New York Times stated that the novel was, â€Å"probably the best-known and most respected contemporary Latino Fiction†, and the San Francisco Chronicle said Bless Me, Ultima was a, â€Å"poignant†¦ an important book that deserves to be hailed as a classic† (Bless Me Ultima to be flimed in New Mexico reports Gov. Bill Richardson, 3) A Bless Me, Ultima sculpture was even made at the north entrance to Park Lake off Historic Route 66 in Santa Rosa (Santa Rosa Dedicates ‘Bless Me, Ultima’ Rudolfo Anaya Sculpture Park, 4). A play was also made after Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima, and has been shown all across New Mexico (Bless Me Ultima – The Play). Also, a movie was made after the novel. The film versions began Shooting in Santa Fe in October 2010 (Bless Me, Ultima' Film Based on Rudolfo Anaya's Novel Will Shoot in N. M. ). The director of the film is Carl Franklin, and the film is staring Bento Marinez, David Rees Snell, and Miriam Colon (Bless Me, Ultima article, 2). Overall, Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima has sold over 360,000 copies. (Rudolfo Anaya UNM Article, 3) Anaya’s father owned a land grant that stretched for miles along the Rio Grande in Albuquerque’s south valley, and then for miles west into the desert as far as the Rio Puerco. This grant had been passed down from generation to generations. Anaya’s father, as heir to the land grant, received and sold some lots that were part of the grant in the forties; on the other hand, Anaya’s mother, having that peasant Nuevo Mexicano instinct and love for the land, believed the grant was a source of our values (Anaya 382). As Anaya said, â€Å"she believed that someday we would all own a piece of that grant which had been handed down for generations† (Anaya 382). However, the real history of the Spanish and Mexican land grants of New Mexico would prove her wrong. Most of the big land grants were stolen away from the true inheritors. Anaya says that is was these themes that lead him to create his second novel. The main character is Clemete Chavez, a farmer who loses his land at the start of the narrative and is forced to move into barrio in Albuquerque. While in the city, Chavez, and his family, they watch helplessly as their teenage children lose themselves in drugs violence, and sex. Chavez undertakes a soul-searching quest for an identity and a role for himself. As an attempt to provide a fictive analogue to the Chicano consciousness-raising efforts of the 1970s, the book ends with a Chicano march against the oppressive Santa Fe Railroad (Portales 2). Heart of Aztlan, was published in 1976. (Anaya 383) Anaya was invited to serve on the board of the Coordinating council of Literary Magazines (CCLM) in 1974. Their office was in New York. The council held regional workshops around the country twice a year and Anaya used this as a great way to meet different people in the writing community. Many of these friends would remain close friends with Anaya for life. (Anaya 380-385) During these years Anaya was working on Tortuga. Tortuga was the third novel in his series, and it was designed to loosely complete his trilogy (Contemporary Hispanic Biography). Tortuga was his hospital story, and thus he considered it a very difficult novel for him to write; however, many see it as one of his best novels, and it won the Before Columbus American Book award from the Before Columbus foundation for Tortuga in 1980 (Contemporary Hispanic Biography). It was loosely based on his own experience in a hospital, but it quickly became more than that. â€Å"The theme of healing still occupied my thoughts. How do people get well? I looked around and saw that we had created a society that was crushing and mutilating us. People were sick physically and spiritually. How could those people be helped? The hospital I created became an existential hell, symbolizing our own contemporary hell†¦ In Tortuga I took my characters to the depths of despair and human suffering, and they find in their hellish existence the faith they need to survive in the world† (Anaya 385). Anaya began to spend more time writing plays and learning the techniques of drama. Anaya wrote his first play in 1979, the Season of La Llorona, first produced in Albuquerque. The Farolitios of Christmas was produced in Albuquerque in 1987, Matachines was published in 1992, Ay, Compadre! was published in 1994, and Billy the Kid and Who Killed Don Jose was published in 1995. (Rudolfo A(lfonso) Anaya Biography) Anaya began working with and translating some old oral materials which had been collected by folklorist. This renewed his connection to that exciting and magical stream of oral tradition. Cuentos: Tales from the Hispanic Southwest was published in 1980 (Anaya 389, Rudolfo A(lfonso) Anaya Biography). In his free time he was also working on making short stories. Somewhere between writing novels he would squeeze out short stories. In 1982, The Silence of Llano (short stories) was published by Berkeley. The Legend of La Llorona was published in 1984, and was soon followed by Lord of the Dawn: The Legend of Quetzalcoatl. Anaya also wrote poems in his free time, The Adventures of Juan Chicaspatas was published by the Arte Publico Press in 1985. In 1986, A Chicano in China was ublished as a nonfiction account of Anaya’s travels to China. Also, Anaya began to edit numerous publications (Anaya 389). When asked why he became a writer Anaya responds, â€Å"†¦I became a writer in my childhood. That is why that time has been so important to me. The character of my childhood, the family, friends, and neighbors that make up my world, they and their lives fed my imaginat ion† (Anaya 375). In 1995, Anaya published his first murder mystery, Zia Summer; also in 1995, Anaya released his book Albuquerque, a good he considered to be a celebration of the city. Zia Summer was followed by rio Grande Fall in 1996, a continuation of his murder mystery series. In 1999, Anaya introduced Shaman Winter. Finally in 2005, Jemez Spring was introduced. Aside from writing, Anaya was a teacher. Anaya began teaching at junior high schools first, then at High schools throughout Albuquerque (Anaya 370). His first teaching position was in a small New Mexican town. Anaya, then, began to work as a public school teacher in Albuquerque from 1963 to 1970. He was appointed the Director of counseling of the University of Albuquerque in 1971. (Rudolfo A. Anaya, article) Then, in 1974, Anaya was offered a position at UNM to teach creative writing (Anaya 380). Anaya worked at UNM from 1974-1993 when he retired. (Rudolfo A. Anaya, article) As Anaya says on the topic of his retirement from UNM, â€Å"I don’t view leaving the University of New Mexico and teaching as retirement. I view it more as the mid-career change, to do a lot of writing and other things, like reading. I want to do more essays. So I think it’s just a shift of energy into new areas† (Anaya, Dick, Sirias, 153). Anaya has received many awards and honors throughout his career. He was awarded the prestigious Premio Quinto Sol literary award for Bless Me, Ultima in 1970 (Anaya, 363). Anaya has been awarded the New Mexico Governor’s Public Service Award twice, in 1978 and in 1980. The Before Columbus Book award was rewarded to him for Tortuga in 1980. (Contemporary Hispanic Biography) In 1982, Anaya received the Corporation for Public Broadcasting script development award for Rosa Linda (Biography of Rudolfo Anaya (1937-). He received the Award for Achievement in Chicano Literature from the Hispanic Caucus of Teachers of English in 1983. In a Salute to American Poets and Writers, Anaya was invited by President Jimmy Carter to read at the White House (Gonzales, 1). The PEN-West Fiction Award was awarded to Anaya in 1992 for Albuquerque (Biography of Rudolfo Anaya (1937). In 2002, Anaya was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President George Bush. He was one of the eight Americans receiving the award at Constitution Hall. Anaya received the award for his contribution to American literature that has brought recognition to the traditions of the Chicano people. Gonzales, 2) In 2003, Anaya was awarded the Outstanding Latino/a Cultural Award in Literary Arts or Publications (Biography of Rudolfo Anaya (1937). Since Anaya’s retirement from the UNM English department in 1993, he has dedicated his life to traveling, writing, and reading. He currently lives in Albuquerque with his wife, the same state where he was born (Rudolfo Anaya Author of Bless Me, Ultima Article). He has said that he has no desire to leave. Anay a is overall, one of the most successful and one of the most significant figures in the landscape of Chicano literature. Anaya says, â€Å"†As a mestizo, a person born from these two broad streams (or more correctly, from many inheritances), I want to create a synthesis, a worldview† (Rudolfo A(lfonso) Anaya Biography, 2). Anaya lives and breathes the landscape of the Southwest. Anaya sees this as a powerful force, full of magic and myth, and this is apparent in all of his writings. Anaya has moved from one genre to the next, an acclaimed novelist, a poet, a dramatist, an essayist, and anthologist, a playwright, a children’s author, a travel writer, and finally, an editor. His works are standard texts in Chicano studies and literature courses around the world. He has done more than, perhaps, any other person to promote Chicano literature. As Anaya said, â€Å"I fished, scaled the mountains of Taos, hunted with Cruz from the pueblo, finished high school, entered the university, married, and began to travel. I climbed mountains and crossed oceans and deserts in foreign places my old friends back home didn’t know existed. So who is to judge whether an adversity comes to crush us or to reshape us† (Anaya 371).

Importance of Money in Sports

Man is constantly in search of new knowledge and discoveries, thus science is constantly being studied and updated with every new discoveries. The study of science has make a huge impact in our lives by helping to improve our quality of life and enabling us to make use of the knowledge of our surrounding to come up with inventions that are extremely useful in our daily lives. Despite the huge advantage of science which made lives easier for us, there are also negative repercussions which can arise out of science. Hence if there's no regulation in place, a world dominated by science may turn from a dream a nightmare for future generation. A world dominated by science may have dire consequences as that would mean that man would be able to manipulate Science according to how they want it to be. Currently, with experiments on stem cell research, cloning and all the bio-medical discoveries, it would not be long before man starts cloning humans in the near future. Therefore the future generations may have to live in a world where most of the things are unnatural and created by man. The situation may also end up just like the society that was being described in the novel † Braw New World†, whereby humans are dehumanized and created in the labs instead of being born by their mother naturally,. This will be a nightmare for the future generation since the idea of â€Å"family love†, which is present in today's society will be eroded due to the fact that the parents will no longer take care of their children since young and the meaning of being a parent may no longer be the same again. Hence, a world dominated by Science may become a nightmare for future generation with the eradication of natural emotions and relationships. The moral values that people believe in currently will be degraded gradually if we allow science to dominate the world. With the discovery of Science and the use of technology being part and parcel of our lives, people will no longer be unfamiliar with all the scientific discoveries and the benefits derived from them. Therefore even though some practices such as the cloning of human is still forbidden and considered illegal now, these rules may change over time as people may start to accept these ideas due to the change in lifestyles or surroundings, Therefore a world which is dominate by science may become a nightmare to the people as the moral and ethical values which people believe in currently may be completely diminished in future. Without such values, there would be chaos on earth since people may be free to do as they wish and there are no fixed set of guidelines for them to follow. On the other hand, science may be a dream for future generations since science will help human improve their standard of living and it will be a stepping stone for human to create a utopian world. Man has been doing a lot of things just for the sake of making the world a better place for people to live in. All the research, studies and explorations done by man have the purpose of letting us have a greater understanding of the world which we live in. By making use of all these knowledge, we would then be able to manipulate them so that we would have greater control of the world to make the world in which we live in a more comfortable place. Therefore the world will be considered a dream for the future generations. However, man will never ever be satisfied with his own lives. As the quality of living may improve gradually over time with the help of science and technology, people will keep yearning for a better life since man is greedy in nature and is never satisfied. This will become a never-ending cycle whereby people will keep asking for more, thus the future generation may not think that the world in which they would be living in is their ideal world. Hence in the point of view of the future generation, the world in which they would be living in may not be considered to be a dream to them. Therefore even though science may make our world a more idealistic place to live in, there has to be a limitation to the use of Science as an unregulated world will result in a society which may be too inhumane and where people may be dehumanized.

Can u pls make up a title for me anything to do with marktering Literature review

Can u pls make up a title for me anything to do with marktering - Literature review Example In the earlier times, shop keepers were able to acquire a fair understanding of consumer behaviour because they sold their products directly to the customers. However, with the increasing growth in the size of firms, opportunities of direct contact with consumers have lowered. Increasingly, managers are investing more to gain an insight on consumer behaviour. As a consequence, business and academic researchers invest more resources in studying consumer energy for the improvement of businesses. One of the oldest models in regards to consumer behaviour is ‘stimulus-behaviour model’. The following model propagates that marketing and other stimuli influence the buyer’s black box, producing certain responses (The Institute for Working Futures, n.d.). The stimuli can be of two kinds. The marketing stimuli or the marketing mix consist of 4 P’s including product, price, place and promotion. Others include economic, technological, political and cultural stimuli. All these stimuli move through the consumers’ black box and help them to make the product choice, brand choice, purchasing timing and purchasing amount. Apart from this simplified model, several other models have been developed by the marketing scholars in the field of ‘consumer behaviour’. The most prominent models have been developed by John A. Howard and Jagdish N Sheth, Francesco M. Nicosia, James F. Engel, Roger D. Blackwell and David T. Kollat. The five stage model of buying process includes steps like recognizing the problems, searching for information, evaluating the alternatives, purchasing decision and post purchase behaviour of the consumers. After purchasing the products, the buyer is expected to feel some level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction regarding the product or service acquired. The number of organisational buying processes can be quite

TMA T173 01 Many engineering projects are associated with construction Essay

TMA T173 01 Many engineering projects are associated with construction - Essay Example The project aimed at providing an arena for the summer Olympic Games of 2012. The project also aimed at offering an improved sporting experience to that of Beijing, 2008. The British government sought to prove its capabilities of hosting high-profile global sporting events. Following delayed completion of the Wembley renovation, the British engineering sector needed to undertake construction of a new, modern stadium effectively (Woodman, 2007). Funding of the construction was provided by the public sector through the British government. Various companies also contributed significantly towards the funding for the construction. Following economic recession, budgetary allocations for the project had to be distributed among numerous organisations (Dyckhoff, 2007). Though the main contractor was Sir Robert McAlpine, other companies were also awarded sub-contracts. Each element of the construction was undertaken by a different company. This could be attributed to the limited time available for the completion of construction. The main contractor played a supervisory role of the sub-contractors. The benefits for this project include the probability of British construction companies winning tenders for Olympic stadiums’ construction. Successful and timely completion redeemed the image of British companies following delays in completing the Wembley stadium. The finishing of the stadium utilised high-tech decorative wrap to cover the concrete as steel was used for construction. This followed criticisms of the stadium having a dull appearance. The wrap gives the entire stadium a glossy appearance illuminating the London skyline. The spectacular feature of the stadium remains the 25-metre high vertical panels fitted on the exterior side in the stadium. These panels turned the exterior into an enormous video screen (Booth, 2008). The stadium appears like a circular screen from outside. Numerous challenges faced the construction of the Olympic stadium.

Monitor and improve customer service Assignment

Monitor and improve customer service - Assignment Example The firm is expecting at least twice the number of waiting calls in relation to the calls that are active (Tugnoli ). The indicator will focus on the number of calls that will lead to the resolving of a particular problem as put forward by the customers. The institution will need at least ten calls from the consumers in order to look into a particular problem (Parmenter). The number will eliminate any doubts in the existence of the problem. The perspective will focus on registering the opinions by customers about the provision of the services by the agents of the business entity (Kerzner). The feedbacks will ensure the apprehension of consumer needs and the upgrade as per the consumer satisfaction. The aspect will register the time that elapses when an agent attends to the client. The information will evaluate the efficiency of the workforce. The time measure will also register the ability of the institution in handling complaints. Every employee objective has a link with at least one KPI. The fact will make sure that the evaluation of the performance is simple and efficient. To be more specific, the institution will employ the unit team key performance indicator. The indicator will illustrate the ratio of the difference between the complaints that an agent handles that result to customer satisfaction against the number of the customers that are not satisfied. The KPI illustrates the performance of the human resource. The following questionnaire will focus on acquiring customer feedback as well as registering the performance from the consumers’ perspective. Any information henceforth will be confidential and shall not be available to the public. The title of the essay illustrates the possible upgrades that the customers suggest about the prevailing customer service exercises. The propositions here in also concentrate on the possible weaknesses of the program. Consequently, goes a

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

Indian Art - Essay Example This artwork is in the form of a stone sculpture have dimensions of 26 x 34.9 cm (10.25 x 13.75 in.) done on schist material. The sculpture depicts a Hercules holding a lion’s skin and learning on a stick, while looking back at an approaching Nemean lion. The wresting scene is what connects this sculpture to the Greco-Roman period where man used to fight with animals such as lions in a big arena and, if they triumphed over the lion, would then be crowned as a hero.2 Also, Greco-Roman art has a theme of depicting people fighting and the only difference with this sculpture is that Greco-Roman art focused mainly on men fighting not men with animals. Some of the earliest schist or stone sculptures can be traced back to Indians. Others argue that they are the ones who started curving stones to produce art. Thus, this sculpture can be traced back to the Indians.3 Also, worshipping of idols was also widespread among Indians as it still today. Such a sculpture depicting a Hercules as a hero is a form of idol worship in the eyes of any critics can be considered as idol because people are praising him through an object. This sculpture, according to Behrendt, is part of a set of 21 panels, which inflated the stairway of a stupa, most probably on the western part of the Swat valley. 4 The treatment of the structure of these athletic men is fascinating in terms of both the schematization and naturalism of the musculature relating to the men of the Greco-Roman era. The oars that they have and the acanthus foliage that appear to nurture out of their bodies propose that they are marine deities like those of the Greco-Roman age. 5 The sculpture is done on Serpentinite and its dimensions are H. 16.8 cm (6 5/8 in.) and 43.2 cm (W. 17 in.). On an Indian art, holding a sword symbolized eradication of vices, like this men in the sculpture look as if they are from a fight and they have triumphed

Weekly Activity 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Weekly Activity 9 - Essay Example There are many unfortunate institutional barriers which impede the process of protection delivery to women on campus despite good policies enacted by the government like the Jeanne Clery Act. This act requires all colleges and universities to provide emotional support to victims of harassment and sexual assault. However, women still lack safety on campus because in addition to this fact that many attacks go unreported, college administrators themselves demonstrate great disbelief when complaints are delivered to them by victims. This attitude discourages students who need reassurance in times of distress (Zeisler, 2014). In order to turn around the situation of women’s safety for good at my campus, I intend to remove all those institutional barriers which impede delivery of protection to women on time. For this purpose, weekly instructional meetings will be organized after study hours on campus to make students feel more motivated and determined about reporting bad things when they happen to them. It is the silence of women which has made sexual assault a silent epidemic. These meetings will bring together women’s groups and campus safety agents in one place to put a stop to this growing epidemic. Zeisler, A. (2014, 30 Apr). College Campus Safety: What Parents and Students Should Know. HUFF POST. Retrieved from

Breakdown of IT during Hurricane Katrina Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Breakdown of IT during Hurricane Katrina - Essay Example They want to pool their knowledge and interpretations of the situation, understand what resources are available, assess options, plan responses, decide, commit, act, and coordinate. The heart of the network is the communication system they use and the ways they interact within it" (16). There are five elements that make up an HFN which includes "(1) a network of people established rapidly (2) from different communities, (3) working together in a shared conversation space (4) in which they plan, commit to, and execute actions, to (5) fulfil a large, urgent mission" (Denning, 16-17). The basis for forming an HFN for quick responses to emergencies or an urgent task, then disbanding the entire group upon completion of the desired outcome is not an entirely new concept as historically, an HFN has become a necessity in such devastating events such as: "(1) the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attack that took 2,749 lives which resulted in severe economic impact, especially to airlines, and a stock market loss of $1.2 trillion, (2) the December 26, 2004 tsunami from a 9.1 earthquake that took over 283,000 lives, (3) the August 29, 2005 category-5 hurricane Katrina, which knocked out electric and communication infrastructure, over 90,000 square miles of Louisiana and Mississippi and displacing 1.5 million people" (Denning, 15) No matterNo matter the severity of the disasters and the impact on economic and environmental containments, there is an important moot point to be made: the "quality of the response depends not on response planning or on new equipment, but on the quality of the network that came together to provide relief" (Denning, 15) This type of response is not simply limited to what and how quickly relief was provided but also in how quickly the infrastructure response was mobilized. This infrastructure response includes restoration of voice and data communications, medical needs, etc. which are indirectly tied to the victims or those who are affected by natural disaster events. There are three categories that have been awarded when an HFN will respond and are broken down in the following table (Table 1): Category Characteristics Examples K: Known Know what to do Use existing network structures May choose not to respond Fast response team for time-critical business problem or opportunity KU: Known/Unknown Know what to do Don't know time or place Responding network structure known Local fire, small earthquake, civil unrest, military campaigns UU: Unknown / Unknown Don't know what to do Don't know time or place Responding network structure unknown 9/11 attack, other terrorist attacks, large earthquake, major natural disasters (Note: KU events can become UU events when scaled up to large areas or populations) Table 1: Kinds of events requiring response from hastily formed networks1 To further explain the category challenges, "the first category is the easiest and the least likely to stress the HFN; the middle category is the type that emergency agencies such as police and fire departments prepare for; but, the third category challenges are more defined as: Genuine surprise: the precipitating event is in no known category. There has been no advanced planning, training, or positioning equipment Chaos: everyone is

The Traditional Tourism Impact on Kanbula National Forest Park Term Paper

The Traditional Tourism Impact on Kanbula National Forest Park - Term Paper Example Tourism makes one of the fastest growing sectors of the global economy. Developing countries are attempting to cash in on this expanding industry in an effort to increase foreign investment and financial reserves. Tourism is one of the pillar industries of Qinghai. On the same note, Kanbula National Forest Park ranks the province's main tourist attraction. Beautiful scenery has attracted many tourists to the park in recent years. According to Dong Lizhi, deputy manager general of the Kanbula National Forest Park Tourism Development Co., Ltd., more than 10,000 people visited the park in 2006. This number has been increasing. In the recent days, the park receives more than 70,000 tourists by the end of each year (cite). According to Mieczkowski (1995), tourism industry impacts on the natural environment. Tourism has both positive and negative influence on the environment. Developing tourism leads to the creation of revenues for environmental protection. Tourists who show an interest in the natural resource may enhance the pride of the Kanbula National Forest Park area. Local residents get involved in indirectly helping them to protect the natural resource and understand the value of nature conservation. Governments and private organizations need to be concerned about the negative impact of human activities. On the other hand, tourism is a pure â€Å"green industry† or â€Å"smokeless industry† which has negatively impacted on the environment. Uncontrolled growth of this industry can result in serious environmental and social problems.

Look at the Way Shakespeare Explores Relationships Between Men and Women in Measure for Measure Essay Example for Free

Look at the Way Shakespeare Explores Relationships Between Men and Women in Measure for Measure Essay When Shakespeare wrote Measure for Measure in approximately 1604, society was very sexist towards females and men were seen as the stronger sex, however Shakespeare included lots of strong female characters in his plays such as Portia in ‘Mercent of Venice’ and Lady Macbeth in ‘Macbeth’, he was aware that his plays wouldn’t change society and that unlimitedly, women are regarded as subservient to men. They were not allowed to vote, state their real opinions, go to university and they were never formally educated; their only expected roles in life were to run the household and provide children. Consequently, many men regarded their wives and daughters as possessions who were expected to abide by their husbands and fathers no matter what. When it came down to relationships with the opposite sex, virginity was regarded as a virtue and a prize. Men expected their wives to be pure in preparation for marriage and the women that had ‘succumbed to the pleasures of the flesh’ before they were married were considered ruined women. Men however were encouraged to learn the arts of seduction and some men of the higher class were sent to Italy to learn the art. In the society of Measure for Measure, men clearly use and abuse women. One of the main characters Angelo is placed in charge of the city in Vienna by Duke Vincentio. The Duke had been quite an easy going ruler who feels that it is time to clean up the Viennese society and administer a greater sense of honour. He chooses Angelo because of the strong characteristics and principles that he has make him stand out for being the perfect person to do so. Despite his name being a play on the word ‘angel’, he absurdly proves to be the villain of the play and along with several other male figures, he uses not only his gender but also his position of power, to exploit several members of the ‘weaker’ sex. When Angelo takes authority as ruler in the Duke’s absence he immediately wishes to make a mark. Unbeknown to him, the Duke has disguised himself as a Friar and has returned to Vienna to observe how Angelo administers ascendancy. Angelo initially comes forth as beyond criticism and determined to rule with an iron fist. When he discovers that a nobleman called Claudio has slept with his partner impregnated her, he orders Claudio be executed as an example to the citizens of Vienna, that such immorality will not be tolerated. The nobleman Claudio is introduced to us in Act 1 Scene 2. As he is being led away to prison, his friend Lucio asks the meaning of ‘this restraint’ and queries as to weather or not it is because of ‘lechery’. Claudio agrees that to a degree, his crime is one of being too lenient in terms of sexual activity and we recognize that this is a society where men and women are expected to show self-control before marriage. Claudio talks about his lover, Julietta with a certain degree of dominance; we learn he had ‘possession’ of her bed but in his justification it was ‘upon a true contract’ and it seemed the liaison was consensual. But also ‘upon a true contract’ could also mean that Julietta has donated herself to the dominant member of the relationship. Also this statement makes the ‘relationship’ appear to be almost a deal or an agreement in which has been made between the two characters. He also argues that they were as good as engaged but were waiting for the right moment to reveal the news to her family. Their sexual relationship is regarded by Claudio as ‘mutual entertainment’ and we realise that both can be held responsible for their crime however Julietta is now pregnant and they cannot hide their actions from others who can see the ‘shame’ of their union. In addition, the word mainly focused upon, is ‘possession’. This word once again reflects the sexism surrounding this era; in that the male is the dominant and most significant person. Therefore, it is clear that the women (being Julietta in this case) is almost an in-animate object, which is owned or ‘possessed’ by the man. Claudio’s sister, Isabella, is an aspiring nun and when she first heard about her brother’s arrest she snaps at Angelo with ‘make me not your story’. She honestly doesn’t believe that her brother has committed such sin and thinks it is all a story. When she comes to plead for her brother’s life, she is clearly virtuous and innocent; untainted by the ills of society and ready to offer up her life to God. Angelo is overtaken by his desires and attracted to her virtuous nature. He offers the proposition that Isabella ‘yield up’ her body to his ‘will’ and he in turn will grant a pardon for Claudio. The word ‘yield’ suggests Isabella should give in or cower before Angelo’s might as a man and as a ruler. It reflects how Elizabethan men thought of women as possessions, objects and caring about only their bodies and not their souls; that when it came to sex before marriage, women were meant to give up their bodies. Isabella is horrified and refuses, believing that by sacrificing her virginity, she sacrifices her soul. The word ‘will’ shows that Angelo dominates and expects to be obeyed in the ‘relationship’, despite her opinions or rights. As a man in a superior position, Angelo is used to being obeyed and his demands are to be met. This shows us that men treated women as objects to satisfy their needs. In light of how sexist this play has been, at the end of the play in scene 5 I become almost convinced of how vile the Duke is. He tries to portray himself as this great big hero when he helps Isabella save Claudio; but then injustices that by punishing Lucio so harshly. Prostitutes in those days were thought of as strumpets and marriage with such a person was a ‘sin’. So, Lucio is given an option to marry the whore he impregnated but he never has to repent for what he did. Actions like this in the Viennese society were highly frowned upon and this highlights even more how badly men thought about women in these situations because Lucio was devastated when the Duke told him his sentence. Isabella, originally on the verge of becoming a nun, finds herself about to marry the Duke. It is interesting that she is not given a chance to reply to the Dukes marriage proposal in the play. She is assumedly very content to become the spouse of the towns leader, mainly since he has saved her brothers life. But at the same time this situation reinforces her loss of sexual independence. The central conflict in the play revolves roughly around Isabellas rejection to follow the ways of the majority of the women in Vienna. Her marriage to the Duke confirms her virtue while denying her independence. There are no independent women in Measure for Measure. This is not strange, considering the setting and Shakespeares own era. But Measure for Measure gives its women characters even less freedom than other Shakespearean plays. Isabella is the one exception in that she refuses to respond to Angelos advances. However, she is still obedient toward the Duke, following all of his instructions. At the conclusion of the play, the Duke administers punishment to all of the people who have done wrong and rewards the good. Angelo is told to marry Mariana, and he escapes death at her request. The Duke probably does not want to execute Angelo, but wants it made clear that his crime deserves such a punishment. Marianas reward is Angelo, which she takes happily, although the Duke tells her that he is unworthy of her love. Claudio is allowed to marry Juliet, and Lucio is punished by being made to marry a prostitute. Marriage is not a specific punishment or reward; however in this situation it is definitely a punishment.

Marcus Aurelius Essay Example for Free

Marcus Aurelius Essay Long before the 20th century Marcus Aurelius wrote :-If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it, and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.. Whether or not Albert Ellis was familiar with these words, and he was certainly familiar with the works of many ancient writers and he made the concept his own. According to Ellis, described as a passionate skeptic by one biographer, Daniel Weiner in 1988, and as one of the most provocative figures in modern psychology by the writer of his Washington Post obituary, Marcus Franklin, we all experience everyday what he described as Activating Events and these prompt us to look at and interpret or at least think about what is happening around us. His principles can be described as ABC. A. The activating experience B. The resulting belief C. The consequence. Ellis felt that the language often used to describe our experiences can be unduly negative and pessimistic. In the introduction to his 2002 book ‘Overcoming Resistance: A Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy Integrated Approach’. He claims (page xi) that using words such as ‘ I am depressed’ gives the implication that depression is caused by circumstances we cannot control. He prefers the use of phrases such as ‘I depress myself’ or ‘I feel depressing’. In the same passage (page xii) he acknowledges that this narrow use of language makes it difficult to describe behavior and makes his writing difficult to follow. He came to the view that people were capable of controlling their feelings, as is obvious from several of his titles such as (1975)’ How to be happy though human’ ‘, ‘Sex without Guilt . ’(1958), A Guide to Personal Happiness (1982). Biography Albert Ellis was the eldest of three children born into a Pittsburgh, Jewish family. His father was a struggling business man, often away from home and his mother seems to have suffered from a bi-polar personality according to Ellis, which also resulted in her being rather a distant parent, often asleep when the children left for school and absent upon their return, leaving Albert to be responsible for his younger siblings. All three children worked to help family finances. He was a sickly child, having 8 periods in hospital in the two years from 5 to 7. His parents eventually divorced when Albert was aged 13. His difficult childhood made him, in his own words as quoted by C. G. Boeree in 2006 ‘a stubborn and pronounced problem-solver. ’ His early plan in junior high school was to become an accountant so that he could make enough money to retire while still young and then spend his time writing ‘the great American novel’. Most of his spare time was spent writing – plays, novels, poetry, essays. After some two dozen full length works had been rejected by publishers he realized that writing fiction was not for him. His biographers, Mike and Lidia Abrams tell how, after gaining a degree in business studies he later became a clinical psychologist having tried first in business and as a fiction writer. He found however that he was a very capable nonfiction writer. He began to produce work on Human Sexuality, slowing over time collecting material for a treatise ‘The Case for Sexual Liberty’ which was eventually published by the Seymour Press in 1965. This was a field of psychology relatively unexplored up until that point and upon which he soon became a noted expert and counselor. It was his success in this field that led him to look for a new career as a clinical psychologist. In 1942 he started to study for a doctorate of philosophy as a clinical psychologist. He chose Columbia University where psychologists were trained in the psychoanalytic method, a system he would later rebel against, choosing instead to encourage his clients to make active intervention. This was based upon his early experience when he cured his shyness by asking over 100 girls for cold dates in the Bronx Botanical Gardens and by making many appearances on public platforms as a peace campaigner. He didn’t get any dates, but, using this early example of cognitive behavior therapy, he claims he desensitized himself from his overwhelming fear of women. He completed his M. A. in 1943 and began a part time practice while still working towards his PhD degree. This was possible at the time because psychology was such a relatively new branch of medicine that there was then no system for the licensing of psychologists in New York State where he worked. Even before he obtained his doctorate Ellis began publishing psychological articles which were well received by his peers. One example of such an article was in 1946 when he wrote a critique of the many widely used personality tests, ‘A Critique of Personality Questionnaires’ that he felt were not sufficiently validated. His conclusion was that only one, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, truly met the standards of a research based instrument. Though out his life Ellis felt there was always more to be learnt about the human psyche. On the completion of his doctorate, Ellis sought further psychoanalytical training. As with most other psychologists of that era he was influenced by Freudian theories and is said to have believed that psychoanalysis was the best and deepest type of therapy available, something he would later refute. He was quoted by ‘Brainy Quotes’ as saying ‘ I thought foolishly that Freudian psychoanalysis was deeper and more intensive than other, more direct forms of therapy, so I was trained in it and practiced it. ’ Part of the reason for this change of mind was that Ellis found it didn’t matter how often he saw his patients –daily, bi-weekly, weekly or fortnightly – it all seemed to make little or no difference, they seemed to improve at the same rate. If, he thought, the frequency did not make any difference, what about the content. Gradually Ellis became less passive than was usual in Freudian style when listening to his patients and began to put forward his own ideas as to how they could make improvements in their lives. He was able to recommended principles that were derived from the works of ancient writers such as Epictetus who said ‘Control thy passions lest they take vengeance on thee. ’ and Marcus Aurelius who is quoted as having written ‘Be content to seem what you really are’ as well as Spinoza , quoted as having said ‘Do not weep; do not wax indignant. Understant and the more modern Bertrand Russell whose claim , as quoted on Brainy Quotes was that ‘Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. Ellis realized that these ideas helped his patients, and by 1955 he had totally abandoned Freudian psychoanalysis instead he would concentrate upon changing his client’s irrational behavior patterns by making them face up to the irrationality of the beliefs that were the basis for such behavior and then persuading them to adopt more realistic ones.

Microorganisms in Waste Water Treatment Process

Microorganisms in Waste Water Treatment Process When people think of microorganisms, they tend to think of unsafe pathogens. While this may be of concern there are beneficial microorganisms living ubiquitously around us as well. Microorganisms that live in air, soil, and groundwater live in a symbiotic cycle, consuming harmful chemicals and masses of organic materials. Therefore, it is only natural that scientists would harness the natural biodegradation of these in the field of Wastewater Management. Biotechnologists prefer to call this process bioremediation. They have been using bioremediation on wastewater for many years and have discovered a plethora of usable microorganisms. Due to the vast amounts of microorganisms capable of bioremediation, this paper is focusing on bacterium capable of breaking down organic material useful in treating wastewater. Wastewater treatment is performed on a variety of waste sources such as agricultural, residential, and industrial waste. Many bacteria such as Nitrsomonas, nitrobacter and paracoccus are important players in the treatment of industrial and sewage waste. The use of microbes in wastewater treatment plants is an integral piece of the wastewater treatment process due to the fact that microbial population in a facility can become depleted resulting in system back-ups, organic material build-up and overall reduction in system efficiency. It is at this point when supplementation of a microbial product becomes necessary. There are three stages of wastewater treatment: primary, secondary, and tertiary where microorganisms can be added or encouraged to grow in wastewater . The first two stages are concerned with large debris and organic matter removal by the use of a variety of filtration and sedimentation processes. Microbial organisms are stimulated in the second and third stages and the goa l is to degrade excessive amounts of contaminants such as nitrogen, phosphates, oils, chemicals and heavy metals by the third stage. One common practice used in residential wastewater in the second stage, is using activated sludge techniques, which aerates the waste to stimulate denitrifying and nitrifying microorganisms to biodegrade the waste. Most large sewage treatment plants use a two-phase digestion system in which organics are metabolized by  bacteria,  anaerobically. In the first stage, the sludge is heated and mixed in a closed tank for about 15 days, while digestion takes place. The sludge then flows into a second tank, which serves primarily for storage and settling. Sludge digestion is a biological process in which organic solids are decomposed into stable substances. Nitrifying and denitrifying organisms, both aerobic and anaerobic are added to convert about half of the organic sludge solids to liquids and gases (Siezen Galardini, 2008). Nitrosomonas europae was isolated in 1892 by Russian microbiologist Sergio Winogradsky. It has been a useful bacterium in wastewater treatment, usually added in the secondary treatment process due to its ability to breakdown organic material. If given an aerobic environment, ammonia is oxidized first to nitrite by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria, then nitrite is oxidized to nitrate by nitrite-oxidizing bacteria which makes N. europaea primarily important in the nitrification cycle (Arp and Bottomley, 2006). Nitrosomonas. europaea  is a bacillus shaped, gram-negative obligate chemolithoautotroph; which is an autotroph that gets its energy from oxidation of inorganic substances in the absence of light. It is a mobile bacteria with flagella located in its polar region. It commonly inhabits places rich in ammonia and inorganic salt, such as in soils, freshwaters, stone monuments, and sewage. It obtains most of its energy from its ammonia-oxidizing capabilites, an unusual process for most ba cteria.  Cell division may take several days due to its need for large amounts of ammonia consuming about 25 moles of ammonia per mole of carbon dioxide assimilated into cellular biomass (Arp and Bottomley, 2006).   Due to its long delay in cell division, scientists tend to avoid studying Nitrosomona. N. eurpoaea gains carbon from the atmosphere by converting carbon in a gaseous form into carbon bound up in organic molecules. Its genome consists of a single circular chromosome with 2,812,094 bases. Its gene structure denotes that it must take in Fe and suggests it can take in other metals such as Cu, Cd, Zn, and Co as well (Chain, Lamerdin, Larimer, Ragala, Lao, 2003). N. europea functions best at a basic ph but can tolerate a ph between 6.0-9.0 and it prefers temperatures between 20-30 degrees Celsius. Nitrobacter hamburgensis got its name because it was isolated in soil of the Old Botanic Garden in Hamburg. It is a gram-negative bacteria that lives mainly in soil, building sandstone, and sewage sludge. It is pear-shaped and has one sub-polar flagellum. There is one circular DNA chromosome and three circular DNA plasmids with 4,406,967 base pairs on the chromosome. (Kaipa, et al, 2010). N. hamburgensis  gains energy from oxidation of nitrite to nitrate and has the ability of metabolizing nitrogen in nitrite from its environment. It is found mainly in soil and freshwater. (Arp Bottomley, 2006). The bacteria has provided a solution to removing high levels of nitrogen from municipal effluents of wastewater treatment plants. Biofilms with different nitrifying bacteria including  N. hamburgensis  have been constructed. Before the invention of these biofilms very large and expensive reactors were used for this purpose. Paracoccus denitrificans, an organism that removes high levels of nitrogen in wastewater when paired with Nitrosomonas europaea, a nitrifying organism which reduces ammonia to nitrate. P. denitrifican  is a spherical coccus shaped gram-negative bacteria having a double membrane cell wall. It inhabit soils in either aerobic or anaerobic environments. First isolated in 1910 by Martinus Beijerinck, a Dutch microbiologist gave the organism the name  Micrococcus denitrificans, only later to be changed by Diana.H. Davis in 1969 to the current name Paracoccus denitrificans after the discovery that the bacteria contained many features known to be in mitochondria, possibly an ancestor to the eukaryotic mitochondria. (Davis, et al, 1969). The genome of  P. denitrificans  consists of two circular chromosomes and one plasmid. The first chromosome has 2,852,282 base pairs and the second chromosome has 1,730,097 base pairs. The plasmid has 653,815 base pairs (Swiss Inst., 2007). Many of th e proteins transcribed and translated from the plasmid is what gives  P. denitrificans  its unique features of the ability to metabolize ammonium to nitrogen gas. Due to P. denitrificans  ability to produce more than 5000 proteins it is useful in biotechnological applications (Uemoto Saiki, 2007). Another process commonly used in wastewater treatment is the use of biofilms, various trickling rock filters that encourage biofilms. (Sillankorva, Neubauer, Azeredo, 2008) These biofilms build microorganism communites enclosed in a matrix of extracellular polymeric substances separated by water channels. Within these colonies are a variety of bacteria, fungi and algae which biodegrade waste. Psuedomonas fluorescens, P. syringae and P. putida are a few of the bacterias found in biofilms. As well as fungus like Mycelium and algaes. The biofilm community is an optimal environment for cell-cell interactions, including the cellular exchange of genetic material, and nutrient exchange within the community. The matrix protects the microorganisms from UV exposure, metal toxicity, acid exposure, dehydration and salinity, phagocytosis, antibiotics, and antimicrobial agents (Hall-Stoodley, et al 2004). Pseudomonas fluorescens makes a great contribution to the turnover of organic matter and while present in soil, is abundant on the surfaces of plant roots and leaves. P. fluorescens grows at an optimum temperature of 25 ° Celsius but can also survive in temperatures as low as 0 ° degrees Celsius make it a rare pathogenic in humans. The bacterias degrading ability has been applied to pollutants such as styrene, TNT and, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Sillankorva, Neubauer, Azeredo, 2008). Notable is P. putida possessing a high biodegrading metabolism. It can breakdown styrene which is a highly polluting synthetic chemical, used to make plastics (Park, et al, 2005)). Pseudomonas putida is a gram-negative shaped bacteria, similar to  Pseudomonas aeruginosa, an known pathogen to humans, however it is missing key gene segments that P. aeruginosa possess making it nonpathogenic. The biochemistry of P. putida makes it an aerobic, gram negative, flourescent colored, rod-shaped bacteria. It a motile organism with one or more polar flagella. They are usually found in moist soil and water environments and grow optimally at room temperature. Certain strains have the ability to grow on and break down many dangerous pollutants and aromatic  hydrocarbons  such as toluene,  benzene, and ethylbenzene.  P. putida  can also be used in petroleum plants to purify fuel. P. putida  is also closely related to  Pseudomonas syringae, an abundant plant pathogen, but again it la cks the gene that causes such disease (DOE, 1998). The first isolation of Psuedomonas syringae occurred in 1902 by van Hall from a diseased lilac. Psuedomonas syringae are aerobic rod-shaped gram negative bacteria that are motile with the use of several polar flagella. Psuedomonas syringae secretes a plant toxin making it a known plant pathogen. Therefore, it is easy to see its use in the biodegradation of organic waste. Each strain of this bacteria has a specific plant it targets and is often found on plant leaves. Any interesting quality is its ability to form ice crystals, P. syringae  is responsible for causing frost injury to frost-sensitive plants. (Feil, et al, 2005) This discovery led to its production of artificial snow.

The Reality of Affirmative Action Essay -- affirmative action argument

In the United States justice is defined as equal treatment of all citizens under the law. When one citizen is treated unfairly, an injustice has been committed against all people. It is the duty of Americans to make sure such injustices are eliminated. Affirmative Action is one such program whose purpose is to make sure that equal citizens are treated equally under the law. In today’s society it is imperative that all people regardless of race or gender are given equal opportunity in the admissions and job applications processes. Affirmative Action was designed to create this equality. The history of Affirmative Action ultimately began two hundred years ago with the founding of our nation. The Constitution, which is the basis of all laws in society, was drawn up and signed by many men who themselves owned slaves. As time progressed, it became necessary to create a â€Å"Great Compromise,† which stated that blacks were now allowed to be counted as three-fifths of a person for voting purposes. Nearly, one hundred years later, slaves were freed. However, these newly freed slaves were now placed in a more perplexing situation than they were initially. They were now a large group of people who knew little of their newly founded rights, and for the most part uneducated. Sadly, the leaders of this country failed to realize that freeing this group of people was not enough. The result was a new class of people who were uneducated, by no fault of their own, and then were told that they were now on their own. These people navigated through a stranger’s culture a nd society. A similar effect occurred after World War II when the men who had been away at war returned to find their wives wearing their pants and doing their work in the yards an... .../~affirm.>. Bureau of the Census, Current Population Survey. Income, Poverty, and Valuation of Non-cash Benefits. 1993. 10 October 1998 . Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fact Sheet. 1994. 10 October 1998 . Federal Glass Ceiling Commission. Making Full Use of the nation’s Human Capital. March 1995. 10 October 1998 . Gergen, D. â€Å"Why Race-Sensitive College Admissions Policies Work.† U.S. News & World Report Vol. 125 (October 1998): 84-85. Lewis, M. Rethinking Affirmative Action. 1996. 5 October 1998 . Pasour, E. â€Å"Affirmative Action: A Counter-Productive Policy.† The Freeman (January 1989): 24-25.

Germany Essay -- essays research papers

None of the European power wanted World War I, but they feared Germany. Germany was newly unified, and was beating the European powers in population and Industry. France wanted to recover the Alsace-Lorraine. Britain was a country used to being on the ocean, so they felt threatened by Germany’s colonial expansion and William II’s insisting on a large navy. Russia and Austria feared pressure on their unstable empires. In 1894, russia made an alliance with France, and Great Britain settled it’s differences with France in the Entente Cordiale in 1904 forming the Triple Entente.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The assassination, with Serbian Knowledge, of the liberal Austrian archduke Francis Ferdinan in Sarajevo in June 1914 was the spark that set off the war. Germany assured Austria full support, which resulted in an Austrian ultimatum that serbia could not accept. Austria declared war with Serbia. Russia mobilized to defend Serbia, then Germany declared war on France. To avoid the French frontier, German forces moved through neutral Belgium thinking they would take Paris by surprise. The Germans encountered more resistance than expected in Belgium, giving France time to prepare. (Gray) These violations of international law destroyed all sympathy for the Central Powers. Although German forces nearly reached Paris, the British and French miraculously turned back the Germans at the Battle of Marne. The two sides dug trenches for a war that would last a four years. The Russians then attacked sending Germany into a two front war. The Germans defeated the Russians Many tim es on the east. But the allies blockaded the Germans on the east by cuttunf off food and raw materials, the Germans became desperate to break the blockade, so they declared unrestricted submarine warfare. (Hadley) After several American ships were sunk, the United States entered the war in 1917. The Russians were in the middle of several revolutions so they were not a threat to the Germans. In 1918 when the Germans did not have to worry about the east, they launched an all out offensive attack in the west, but the United Allies slowly turned the tide. Realizing the situation was hopeless the German High Command urged william to let a new civil government sue for peace. Woodrow Wilson, U.S. President from 1913 ro 1921, insisted on dealing with citizens. Williamgrudgingly appointed Prince Max of Ba... ...nized the monetary system and encourage industry. Stresemann introduced a new currency and paved the way for more reasonable reparation schedules. For five years Germany enjoyed relative peace and prosperity. In 1926 Germany joined the league of Nations. In 1929 when the worldwide depression hit it plunged the city into disaster. Millions of unemployed, disillusioned by capitalist democracy, turned to communism or to the party of National socialism led by Aldolf Hitler. (Griffith) In notable efforts called the Munich Putsch of 1923 Hitler and the Nazis made a farcical attempt to seize power in Bavaria. From 1930 on the government functioned by emergency decree. The communist profited briefly from radicalization, but the main beneficiary was the Nazi party. The Nazi party had twin attractions of appearing to offer radical solutions to economic problems while upholding patriotic values. (Hadley) By 1932 it was the largest party in the Reighstag. The next year President Paul von Hin deburg appointed Hitler Chancellor after allowing himself to be convicted by generals and right-wing politicians that only the Nazi leader could restore order in Germany and that he could be controlled.

Expansionist Tension :: American America History

Expansionist Tension From 1800 to 1850 territorial expansion tore the United States apart. Territorial expansion itself was not a debated issue. Spurred by the concept of Manifest Destiny, almost everyone believed that America should extend from sea to shining sea and maybe even farther. But it was the issue of the expansion of slavery into the new territories that pitted the North against the South and split our nation apart. The first real crisis over territorial expansion took place in 1819-1821 over the admission of the state of Missouri. The proposed state of Missouri was the first (beside Louisiana itself) to be carved out of the Louisiana Purchase. It lay out of the jurisdiction of the Northwest Ordinance, which prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territories, and had a long tradition of slavery. Therefore, in 1817 Missouri applied to the Union as a slave state. The extension of slavery so far north and the threat of further expansion of slavery into all new territories of the U.S. created havoc in Congress. In February 1819, Congressman James Tallmadge, from New York, proposed an amendment that would prohibit any new slaves to enter the state and provided that all slave children born after the date of admission would be set free at the age of twenty-five. Tallmadge's gradual emancipation proviso received almost unanimous opposition from Southern Congressmen. The amendment twice passed the North dom inated House of Representatives, only to be turned down by the balanced Senate. In December 1819, Maine applied for statehood as a free state. In the end a compromise was reached where Maine would enter the Union as a free state, Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state without restrictions, but in the remaining Louisiana territory slavery would be prohibited north of 36o30' (the Mason-Dixon Line). This is now known as the Missouri Compromise. The Missouri Compromise is commonly thought of the beginning of American Sectionalism, although signs were visible long before 1819. The Missouri controversy alerted the South to the need for political unity in order to maintain the "peculiar institution" of slavery and alerted the whole country to the political problems inherent to westward expansion. The next jolt to national unity was over the admission of Texas into the Union. Texas had petitioned for admission as early as 1836, and the ensuing arguments in Congress over upsetting the balance between free and slave states delayed its admission into the Union. Expansionist Tension :: American America History Expansionist Tension From 1800 to 1850 territorial expansion tore the United States apart. Territorial expansion itself was not a debated issue. Spurred by the concept of Manifest Destiny, almost everyone believed that America should extend from sea to shining sea and maybe even farther. But it was the issue of the expansion of slavery into the new territories that pitted the North against the South and split our nation apart. The first real crisis over territorial expansion took place in 1819-1821 over the admission of the state of Missouri. The proposed state of Missouri was the first (beside Louisiana itself) to be carved out of the Louisiana Purchase. It lay out of the jurisdiction of the Northwest Ordinance, which prohibited slavery in the Northwest Territories, and had a long tradition of slavery. Therefore, in 1817 Missouri applied to the Union as a slave state. The extension of slavery so far north and the threat of further expansion of slavery into all new territories of the U.S. created havoc in Congress. In February 1819, Congressman James Tallmadge, from New York, proposed an amendment that would prohibit any new slaves to enter the state and provided that all slave children born after the date of admission would be set free at the age of twenty-five. Tallmadge's gradual emancipation proviso received almost unanimous opposition from Southern Congressmen. The amendment twice passed the North dom inated House of Representatives, only to be turned down by the balanced Senate. In December 1819, Maine applied for statehood as a free state. In the end a compromise was reached where Maine would enter the Union as a free state, Missouri would enter the Union as a slave state without restrictions, but in the remaining Louisiana territory slavery would be prohibited north of 36o30' (the Mason-Dixon Line). This is now known as the Missouri Compromise. The Missouri Compromise is commonly thought of the beginning of American Sectionalism, although signs were visible long before 1819. The Missouri controversy alerted the South to the need for political unity in order to maintain the "peculiar institution" of slavery and alerted the whole country to the political problems inherent to westward expansion. The next jolt to national unity was over the admission of Texas into the Union. Texas had petitioned for admission as early as 1836, and the ensuing arguments in Congress over upsetting the balance between free and slave states delayed its admission into the Union.

Economics Aeropostale Essay

In March 2007, Aà ©ropostale was accused of infringing a patent owned by Card Activation Technologies, Inc. in a lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Illinois. However, in a separate lawsuit on the same patent, Card Activation received a ruling on claim construction which it interpreted as â€Å"extremely favorable† to its interpretation of the patent and its â€Å"pursuit of infringers† of the patent. In June 2007, Aà ©ropostale was accused of infringing a patent owned by Picture Patents, LLC in a lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York. In July 2009, Aà ©ropostale was accused of infringing a patent owned by Furnace Brook, LLC in a lawsuit filed in the Northern District of Illinois Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer Christopher Finazzo was terminated in November 2006 after an investigation by the Board of Directors revealed that he had concealed and failed to disclose personal and business interests with South Bay Apparel, a maj or vendor. The SEC issued an investigation on the Finazzo matter in January 2008. Aeropostale, also under the name Aero, is an American clothing retailer that was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in New York. There are a number of reasons Aeropostale started their own business. When you start a business it’s a good idea to have a business plan that outlines your goals and objectives for the short term and long term. A business plan serves as a blueprint designed to help you grow and develop your business, and ultimately helps shield it from failure. Kara, Postale started the company then Sara(aera) (Kara’s sister came along) that’s how the company got started. So they put there last name and first name together and it turned out to be Sarah postale but they didn’t like that name in 1985 then they changed it to aeropostale because it sounded better and that started in 1987.

Pricing Strategies Essay

Definition Pricing is a powerful element of a small business’s marketing strategy. The pricing structure of your products and services, and how it relates to your competitors’ pricing strategies and the expectations of consumers, play an important role in creating an image for your company and establishing a specific customer base. An analysis of pricing strategy reveals that companies have a range of options in their pricing toolkit they can use to augment their marketing initiatives. Pricing strategy refers to method companies use to price their products or services. Almost all companies, large or small, base the price of their products and services on production, labor and advertising expenses and then add on a certain percentage so they can make a profit. There are several different pricing strategies, such as penetration pricing, price skimming, discount pricing, product life cycle pricing and even competitive pricing. Different Types of Pricing Strategies Penetration Pricing A small company that uses penetration pricing typically sets a low price for its product or service in hopes of building market share, which is the percentage of sales a company has in the market versus total sales. The primary objective of penetration pricing is to garner lots of customers with low prices and then use various marketing strategies to retain them. For example, a small Internet software distributor may set a low price for its products and subsequently email customers with additional software product offers every month. A small company will work hard to serve these customers to build brand loyalty among them. Price Skimming Another type of pricing strategy is price skimming, in which a company sets its prices high to quickly recover expenditures for product production and advertising. The key objective of a price skimming strategy is to achieve a profit quickly. Companies often use price skimming when they lack financial resources to produce products in volume, according to the article â€Å"Pricing Strategy† at NetMBA.com. Instead, the company will use the quick spurts of cash to finance additional product production and advertising. Product Life Cycle Pricing All products have a life span, called product life cycle. A product gradually progresses through different stages in the cycle: introduction, growth, maturity and decline stages. During the growth stage, when sales are booming, a small company usually will keep prices higher. For example, if the company’s product is unique or of higher quality than competitive products, customers will likely pay the higher price. A company that prices its products high in the growth stage also may have a new technology that is in high demand. Competitive-Based Pricing There are times when a small company may have to lower its price to meet the prices of competitors. A competitive-based pricing strategy may be employed when there is little difference between products in an industry. For example, when people purchase paper plates or foam cups or a picnic, they often shop for the lowest price when there is minimal product differentiation. Consequently, a small paper company may need to price its products lower or lose potential sales. Temporary Discount Pricing Small companies also may use temporary discounts to increase sales. Temporary discount pricing strategies include coupons, cents-off sales, seasonal price reductions and even volume purchases. For example, a small clothing manufacturer may offer seasonal price reductions after the holidays to reduce product inventory. A volume discount may include a buy-two-get-one-free promotion. Cost-Plus pricing Cost-plus pricing is the simplest pricing method. The firm calculates the cost of producing the product and adds on a percentage (profit) to that price to give the selling price. This method although simple has two flaws; it takes no account of demand and there is no way of determining if potential customers will purchase the product at the calculated price. This appears in two forms, full cost pricing which takes into consideration both variable and fixed costs and adds a percentage as markup. The other is direct cost pricing which is variable costs plus a percentage as markup. The latter is only used in periods of high competition as this method usually leads to a loss in the long run. Limit pricing A limit price is the price set by a monopolist to discourage economic entry into a market, and is illegal in many countries. The limit price is the price that the entrant would face upon entering as long as the incumbent firm did not decrease output. The limit price is often lower than the average cost of production or just low enough to make entering not profitable. The quantity produced by the incumbent firm to act as a deterrent to entry is usually larger than would be optimal for a monopolist, but might still produce higher economic profits than would be earned under perfect competition. The problem with limit pricing as a strategy is that once the entrant has entered the market, the quantity used as a threat to deter entry is no longer the incumbent firm’s best response. This means that for limit pricing to be an effective deterrent to entry, the threat must in some way be made credible. A way to achieve this is for the incumbent firm to constrain itself to produce a certain quantity whether entry occurs or not. An example of this would be if the firm signed a union contract to employ a certain (high) level of labor for a long period of time. In this strategy price of the product becomes the limit according to budget. Loss leader A loss leader or leader is a product sold at a low price (i.e. at cost or below cost) to stimulate other profitable sales. This would help the companies to expand its market share as a whole. Market-oriented pricing Setting a price based upon analysis and research compiled from the target market. This means that marketers will set prices depending on the results from the research. For instance if the competitors are pricing their products at a lower price, then it’s up to them to either price their goods at an above price or below, depending on what the company wants to achieve. Price discrimination Price discrimination is the practice of setting a different price for the same product in different segments to the market. For example, this can be for different classes, such as ages, or for different opening times. Premium pricing Premium pricing is the practice of keeping the price of a product or service artificially high in order to encourage favorable perceptions among buyers, based solely on the price. The practice is intended to exploit the (not necessarily justifiable) tendency for buyers to assume that expensive items enjoy an exceptional reputation, are more reliable or desirable, or represent exceptional quality and distinction. Predatory pricing Predatory pricing, also known as aggressive pricing (also known as â€Å"undercutting†), intended to drive out competitors from a market. It is illegal in some countries. Contribution margin-based pricing Contribution margin-based pricing maximizes the profit derived from an individual product, based on the difference between the product’s price and variable costs (the product’s contribution margin per unit), and on one’s assumptions regarding the relationship between the product’s price and the number of units that can be sold at that price. The product’s contribution to total firm profit (i.e. to operating income) is maximized when a price is chosen that maximizes the following: (contribution margin per unit) X (number of units sold). Psychological pricing Pricing designed to have a positive psychological impact. For example, selling a product at $3.95 or $3.99, rather than $4.00. There are certain price points where people are willing to buy a product. If the price of a product is $100 and the company prices it as $99, then it is called psychological pricing. In most of the consumers mind $99 is psychologically ‘less’ than $100. A minor distinction in pricing can make a big difference is sales. The company that succeeds in finding psychological price points can improve sales and maximize revenue Dynamic pricing A flexible pricing mechanism made possible by advances in information technology, and employed mostly by Internet based companies. By responding to market fluctuations or large amounts of data gathered from customers – ranging from where they live to what they buy to how much they have spent on past purchases – dynamic pricing allows online companies to adjust the prices of identical goods to correspond to a customer’s willingness to pay. The airline industry is often cited as a dynamic pricing success story. In fact, it employs the technique so artfully that most of the passengers on any given airplane have paid different ticket prices for the same flight. Price leadership An observation made of oligopolistic business behavior in which one company, usually the dominant competitor among several, leads the way in determining prices, the others soon following. The context is a state of limited competition, in which a market is shared by a small number of producers or sellers. Target pricing Pricing method whereby the selling price of a product is calculated to produce a particular rate of return on investment for a specific volume of production. The target pricing method is used most often by public utilities, like electric and gas companies, and companies whose capital investment is high, like automobile manufacturers. Target pricing is not useful for companies whose capital investment is low because, according to this formula, the selling price will be understated. Also the target pricing method is not keyed to the demand for the product, and if the entire volume is not sold, a company might sustain an overall budgetary loss on the product. Absorption pricing Method of pricing in which all costs are recovered. The price of the product includes the variable cost of each item plus a proportionate amount of the fixed costs and is a form of cost-plus pricing High-low pricing Method of pricing for an organization where the goods or services offered by the organization are regularly priced higher than competitors, but through promotions, advertisements, and or coupons, lower prices are offered on key items. The lower promotional prices are designed to bring customers to the organization where the customer is offered the promotional product as well as the regular higher priced products. Premium decoy pricing Method of pricing where an organization artificially sets one product price high, in order to boost sales of a lower priced product. Marginal-cost pricing In business, the practice of setting the price of a product to equal the extra cost of producing an extra unit of output. By this policy, a producer charges, for each product unit sold, only the addition to total cost resulting from materials and direct labor. Businesses often set prices close to marginal cost during periods of poor sales. If, for example, an item has a marginal cost of $1.00 and a normal selling price is $2.00, the firm selling the item might wish to lower the price to $1.10 if demand has waned. The business would choose this approach because the incremental profit of 10 cents from the transaction is better than no sale at all. Value-based pricing Pricing a product based on the value the product has for the customer and not on its costs of production or any other factor. This pricing strategy is frequently used where the value to the customer is many times the cost of producing the item or service. For instance, the cost of producing a software CD is about the same independent of the software on it, but the prices vary with the perceived value the customers are expected to have. The perceived value will depend on the alternatives open to the customer. In business these alternatives are using competitors software, using a manual work around, or not doing an activity. In order to employ value-based pricing you have to know your customer’s business, his business costs, and his perceived alternatives. Pay what you want Pay what you want is a pricing system where buyers pay any desired amount for a given commodity, sometimes including zero. In some cases, a minimum (floor) price may be set, and/or a suggested price may be indicated as guidance for the buyer. The buyer can also select an amount higher than the standard price for the commodity. Giving buyers the freedom to pay what they want may seem to not make much sense for a seller, but in some situations it can be very successful. While most uses of pay what you want have been at the margins of the economy, or for special promotions, there are emerging efforts to expand its utility to broader and more regular use. Freemium Freemium is a business model that works by offering a product or service free of charge (typically digital offerings such as software, content, games, web services or other) while charging a premium for advanced features, functionality, or related products and services. The word â€Å"freemium† is a portmanteau combining the two aspects of the business model: â€Å"free† and â€Å"premium†. It has become a highly popular model, with notable success. Odd pricing In this type of pricing, the seller tends to fix a price whose last digits are odd numbers. This is done so as to give the buyers/consumers no gap for bargaining as the prices seem to be less and yet in an actual sense are too high, and takes advantage of human psychology. A good example of this can be noticed in most supermarkets where instead of pricing at $10, it would be written as $9.99. This pricing policy is common in economies using the free market policy. Decoy pricing Method of pricing where the seller offers at least three products, and where two of them have a similar or equal price. The two products with the similar prices should be the most expensive ones, and one of the two should be less attractive then the other. This strategy will make people compare the options with similar prices, and as a result sales of the most attractive choice will increase. Conclusion Pricing strategies for products or services encompass three main ways to improve profits. These are that the business owner can cut costs or sell more, or find more profit with a better pricing strategy. When costs are already at their lowest and sales are hard to find, adopting a better pricing strategy is a key option to stay viable. Merely raising prices is not always the answer, especially in a poor economy. Many businesses have been lost because they priced themselves out of the marketplace. On the other hand, many business and sales staff leave â€Å"money on the table†. One strategy does not fit all, so adopting a pricing strategy is a learning curve when studying the needs and behaviors of customers and clients. Bibliography 1. The Strategy and Tactics of Pricing: A Guide to Growing More Profitably by Thomas Nagle 2. Power Pricing: How Managing Price Transforms the Bottom Line by Robert J. Dolan 3. http://sixrevisions.com/project-management/pricing-strategies-research/ 4. http://entrepreneurs.about.com/od/salesmarketing/a/pricingstrategy_2.htm

10 Ways to Reduce Your Environmental Footprint Essay

10 ways to reduce your environmental footprint and improve profitability. Posted by Sam Kopytowski [->0]at 7:08 AM[->1] on July 7, 2010 Many companies talk about reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but too often there’s a large gap between words and action. Most companies seem to be holding off on taking any real steps to reduce their environmental footprint because they believe the investment cost is too high. See more: Examples of satire in adventures of huckfinn essay Leading companies, on the other hand, are way ahead of the curve. They know that being proactive on the environment provides risk mitigation benefits. Why? Because they see that government legislation may soon be brought in to regulate CO2 emissions. They understand that external shocks such as wars, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and pandemic outbreaks can have enormous impacts on supply chains and energy supply. They recognize that oil prices can only move upward. They believe that good corporate citizenship attracts investors and employees. And they see environment sensitivity as a way to differentiate themselves. GHG emission reductions must be tackled the same way you achieve safety in the workplace. You need to implement a strategic plan and stick to it. Greening a company requires commitment and support from the leadership team. Businesses need champions to lead their environmental initiatives†¦ and logisticians may be the best people for the job. Not only are they involved in sourcing, but they make the critical transportation decisions that will contribute to the greening of the company. Here are just some of the considerations they have to weigh: 1) Sourcing well – preferably as close as possible to the customer. We consistently examine the trade-off between cost of goods and transportation. However minimizing long-term costs may require us to consider other factors. What about flexibility – the ability to react quickly to market changes? What about consumer preferences? Ultimately if off-shore sourcing is the best option, the most energy-efficient transportation will be necessary. That might mean ocean freight rather than air freight – and this will require a thorough understanding of lead time. 2) Making domestic transportation decisions with a clear understanding of the benefits of rail versus truck, and what intermodal shipping makes most sense for the company. And, once again, this means understanding lead time and communicating time constraints to the customer. 3) Finding environmental programs like Fleet Smart/Smartway which certify leading edge trucking companies. Leading shippers are now incorporating this requirement into the Request for Proposals. 4) Sourcing energy-efficient equipment and a transportation management system that will optimize fleet routing and scheduling. Driver training will also have a huge impact in reducing GHG emissions. According to Claude Robert of Robert Transport, there’s a 35% reduction in the fuel consumption by the best drivers, compared to the worst. 5) Eliminating idling trucks at the shipping dock. Monitoring of idling engines can be done while checking that the wheels are chocked. 6) Using electric forklifts to load vehicles rather than propane or diesel. 7) Taking advantage of collaborative transportation. As discussed in this column last year, cooperation with other companies, even competing ones, needs to gain greater acceptance as a means to cut costs. It benefits everyone. 8) Converting large trucks to natural gas. Yes, capital costs are higher but, in the long run, there are tremendous fuel savings to be enjoyed while reducing harmful emissions. 9) Reducing packaging wherever possible. You’ll increase the density of your shipments, put more product on the vehicle, and reduce freight rates. 10) Reducing paper flow. Embrace the electronic transfer of information. It reduces costs both in supplies and labour. These are just a few ways that logisticians can green the supply chain. Most important is to take a baseline of where you are today and track your progress. I’m sure you’ll find that environmentally friendly business practices definitely improve profitability. Remember, as PricewaterhouseCoopers points out in its Transportation & Logistics, 2030 study, â€Å"He who focuses on carbon footprinting is stepping on the right foot.† Source: http://wwwxcdlogistics.blogspot.com/2010/07/10-ways-to-reduce-your-environmental.html [->0] – http://www.blogger.com/profile/08905558298613954753 [->1] – http://wwwxcdlogistics.blogspot.com/2010/07/10-ways-to-reduce-your-environmental.html

Communication and Presenting Information

What is active listening? Active listening is a person’s ability and willingness to listen and understand. Often we people talk to each other. We might not listen at a time because lack of attentiveness, which can distract the speaker. In way active listening can be called as responding to another person that develops mutual understanding. Active listening is process in which the listener paraphrases in its own words what the speaker had said to confirm or clarify of accuracy of the message. Active listening involves listening with your head and your heart; that is, you listen to the content of the message but also the feelings behind the message. The skill of active listening involves paying attention with empathy to the listener, as opposed to distracted denying, cynical or ostrich behavior. New session leaders of alcoholics anonymous meetings are advised to’†¦. Take cotton form your ears and put it in your mouth’. (Hogan, 2000) Listening can wrongly be vi ewed as a passive activity; the speaker talks and the listener listen’s. The listener is silent and passive and the speaker is active and verbal. When the speaker finishes its talking, the assumption is that the message has been accurately received by the listener, with no observation participation or effort active listening statement. â€Å"The most basic of all human needs is the need to be understood†. (Fujishin,1997) Listening does not mean just have sit with the mouth shut stirring at the person. A dead body can do that. It is an active process which requires participation to understand fully the meaning of a communication. Listening actively involves clarifying, paraphrasing, giving feedback. Paraphrasing: state in your own word what the speaker had said in the talk. It is sign of good listening. It keeps the listener busy trying to understand and know that other person means rather than blocking. Clarifying: it goes along with paraphrasing. It means asking questions until the listener get the correct picture. In order to understand fully what the speaker said. Clarifying assist the listeners to sharpen its listening focus so that the listener hears more than vague generalities. Giving Feedback: feedback is what active listening depends on. After paraphrasing and clarifying the listener gives an example what had been said and hopefully understands it. This is the point at which the listener can talk about reaction. In freely way the listener share its thought, felt or sensed. Active listening is really one of the mostly physical and mentally challenging aspects of facilitation. Listening sometime does not come easy for some people not because they are not willing to listen but because they are not able to do so. Actually their mind does not come up with the total picture because some people see the world in one dimension. This inability to listen using both side of the brain can cause misinterpretation, miscommunication and miscalculation. As a result the listener with in ability could not be able to deal with logic of a relationship and also with the emotional component. Therefore this unbalanced use of brain often results in the inability of the listener understand all the essential signs form the person speaking. Therefore active listening require usage both side of brain. Unfortunately there are few people who are able to understand this fact who instead see this skill in one reflecting use of the both side of brain. Taking holistic approach toward listening requires special discipline or rules on the part of the listener. The basis reason is that many listeners tend to fall into their own comfort zones by in taking what they want to hear and skipping rest of the important data and facts. As a result hearing selectively can lead to incorrect conclusion of data and information. Listening is like art were there are opportunities for huge errors. â€Å"This information is taken from the Source: Kliem (2007) â€Å"Effective Communications for Project Management† CRC Press Feature of active listening Active listening motivates the person to listen carefully which eventually motivates the speaker to talk effectively. Active listening helps the speakers to identify that whether the listener is taking afford to understand thing with any distraction and helps the listener to clear their doubt and revert back the message to the speaker in order to give idea that he as understood. The distraction is big treat while listening and speaking, were the listener forgets the point or get miss leaded about speaker’s talk or message, were as speaker also gets frustrated and won’t put his best effort. The active listener use both side of brain. They see the skill as one reflecting the use of the right or left side of the brain. The left side of the brain highlights facts, organizational, logical reasoning and thinking and discipline and accuracy in thought. It is extremely goal and analysis oriented. Active listening exclusively from this viewpoint can result in ignoring the important emotional message of the speaker: for example the importance on calculating metric is left brain activity. Focusing on scheduling and cost performances index as a measure of success is a prime example of left brain thinking. The right side of the brain highlights emotional and sensory view. Imaging and imagining are two quiet actions of this side of the brain. The importance is on nonverbal communication and impulsive behavior. Active listening from this view point can result in ignoring or skipping the important data and fact and being influenced by the speaker. Most common example of active listening is boards meeting of the company were each directors or shareholders as listener listen actively because every decision raised in the company is important and should be planned in order to achieve objective and goals. BARRIERS OF ACTIVE LISTENING â€Å"Man inability to communicate is a result of his failure to listen effectively, skillfully and with understanding to other human beings†. Carl roger,1850) The biggest barrier of the active listening is the unconscious nature of the process. When we listen to take in information from all of our sense continuously and for which automatic we give a meaning to what we take in. Responding without thinking for the first is easy, as there are some people who use very little of their full listen ing capacity because they do not intentionally put their full energy into it. However there are barriers to listening beside the environmental barriers. Some of the common see barriers are: Negative and positive trigger: there are certain words, sound, phrases; gesture that can draw out an emotional response from the person. A positive trigger is phrases or word that produces a good feeling for the listener and negative trigger is a phrase or word that produces feeling such as anger. The trigger causes when a person reacts before for thinking. The listener just by hearing few words has a preprogrammed understanding and response because the trigger cuts off the information gathering actions of the senses and can show the way to greatly mistaken estimation. This trigger interferes with the listeners listening because the listeners immediately change their attention to the emotions that they are experiencing. Any effective listener can identify their own trigger in order to gain their conscious control of their action and listen more effectively. ?Difference in word definition: No two people have same meaning for the words or phrase. These differences in meaning can lead to misinterpreting and misunderstanding. A responsible person first check with the speaker and helps groups builds up harmony on the definition of important words and phrases. Personal issues: every person has important personal issues beside the work life. Sometimes these issues want a huge attention and take a lot of energy which make the person tough to actively listen at some moment. A Responsible person first observes the effect of the personal issues and then takes time to deal with them. When it is time to listen, they intentionally remind themselves to use active listening process. For example a manager who is going through break up found it difficult to listen during board meeting. But his boss was supportive and understanding; however at that moment the manager should put his personal matters at a side and meet his obligations of the organization. ?Poor physical surroundings: poor physical surrounding involves Noisy, distracting or uncomfortable places and situation make it hard to listen and also make it difficult to focus on what the speaker is explaining. ?Tiredness: it becomes difficult to listen actively when a person is tried. Active listening requires active or alert mind and energetic body to considerate. A student in order to be active listener should get good night sleep before attending the early morning lecture so that the student considerate without any tiredness. ?Filter: Your beliefs, values, assumption, expectation, past experiences and interest all these things interfere with active listening. There are subtle and thus are hard to detect. For instant, think as if your enemy sitting beside you, eventually you will be thinking some else rather that listening to the speaker. Importance’s of active listening Active listening is an important skill that can bring changes in people. Changes as such in attitude toward themselves and others and also bring changes in your vital value and physical philosophy. People who contain active listening skill are more emotionally mature, less defensive, have more experiences, more independent and less demanding. The people who listen sensitively tend to listen themselves with more care so they are make clear about what they are thinking and feeling. Some of common Importance of active listening is: ? It helps you to focus on one task without any distraction and enable you to get clear picture of what speaker try to explain. It helps you to develop your interest in listening and keep you active and alert. ?It keeps you way from misinterpretation and misunderstanding of idea of other person because understanding other person is very difficult. ?It helps to develops trust between listener and speaker. It isn’t very often an individual is given the opportunity to share what’s really on his mind or deep in his heart without be attacked and rescued. This is one of the most important rewards of actively listening for understanding where the speaker trusts you. Conclusion Listening well is an essential component of every successful person. Active listening takes a lot of energy and very irritating to mirror every statement during conversation. At some extend, it can drive person crazy. A person should keep active listening for those occasions when the person require clarifying the speaker’s message, the speaker want to feel understanding of listeners. Active listening just encourages a person to set aside the trouble of self talk, in order to get mixed up with what the others are relating and to experience totally what they feeling. You will be shocked to discover that when you focus on your speaker rather than yourself, it become far easier for you to think of things to say. As said by Fritz Perls â€Å"the pictures of the world do not enter us automatically, but selectively. We don’t see, we look for, search, scan for something. We don’t hear all the sounds of the world, we listen†. References 1. Hoppe(2007) â€Å"Active Listening: Improve Your Ability to Listen and Lead† London Publisher: Center for Creative Leadership 2. Ivey , Bradford Ivey & Zalaquett (2009) â€Å"Intentional Interviewing and Counseling: Facilitating Client Development in a Multicultural Society† Publisher: Cengage Learning 3. Jones (2008) â€Å"Introduction to Counselling Skills: Text and Activities† Publisher: SAGE Publications Ltd. 4. Moyet(2005) â€Å"Understanding the nursing process: concept mapping and care planning for students† Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 5. Weaver & Farrell (1997) â€Å"Managers as facilitators: a practical guide to getting work done in a changing workplace† Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers 6. Fujishin(2007) â€Å"Creating effective groups: the art of small group communication† Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield 7. Kliem(2007) â€Å"Effective Communications for Project Management† Publisher: CRC Press 8. McKay, Davis & Fanning (2009) â€Å"Messages: The Communication Skills Book† Publisher: New Harbinger Publications 9. Spencer & Pruss (1997) â€Å"The professional secretary's handbook† Publisher: Barron's Educational Series 10. Farrell & Weaver (2000) â€Å"The Practical Guide to Facilitation: A Self-Study Resource† Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers 11. Garner(1997) â€Å"Conversationally speaking: tested new ways to increase your personal and social effectiveness† Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional 12. http://www. gordontraining. com/artman2/uploads/1/ActiveListening_RogersFarson. pdf (accessed 6 august 2009)