How significant was the production of goods in Roman London's economy Essay

How significant was the production of goods in Roman London's economy - Essay Example With the conquest, however, in AD 43, a series of developments occurred which helped to make London a central place for trade and the production of goods. Firstly, the building of roads was crucial to development as they gave access in and out of London, and secondly, the building of a bridge over the Thames ensured the effectiveness of the new roads. As ships were passing up and down the river, the bridge also became an important â€Å"terminus† for traffic.1 There has been much historical debate about the initial purpose of London for the Romans; some have argued that its origins were purely military, while others have argued that it was set up purely as a commercial centre of civilian origins. The available evidence does not make it entirely clear but a reference from Tacitus suggests that London was â€Å"teeming with merchants and a famous city of commerce.† Importantly, Merrifield highlights that Tactius use of the word negotiatores, instead of the commoner word mercatores, suggests that the merchants he referred to were engaged in financial and commercial transactions on a higher level.2 In these early years of the Roman occupation, Boudiccas revolt in AD 60 had important consequences for London. The rebels were brutal in the treatment of London and its inhabitants. According to Bedoyere, this was the first great fire of London, so fierce it even melted bronze coins. Archaeologists have uncovered a â€Å"thick burnt layer deep under the ground† as testament to its severity. After the revolt, the Romans heavily fortified London, building a huge wall, almost two miles long. It was in the two decades after Boudicca that the commercialisation began. Bedoyere states that the Romans turned London into a â€Å"full-scale miniature Rome†, perhaps to restore their pride after the revolt. They built a forum and a huge basilica in the heart of the

Black Man with a Nose Job Essay Example for Free

Black Man with a Nose Job Essay The article, Black man with a Nose job by Lawrence Otis Graham basically talks about how Mr. Graham got a nose job. The reading has plenty of controversies whether he is less black due to him narrowing his nose. This was a really interesting article because there were several critiques regarding his nose in which he described very well. This man was born into a generation were the concept of oxymoron included such things as a black man with a nose job. The reading starts on were Graham and his father are in the car driving to his doctor. During the way over there he faces with several people who are really concerned about him. Moving on from this, graham thinks about how his father would take it. As they arrived to the plastic surgeon he starts to see catalogs and magazines to what nose he would like to have. As he chooses the doctor gives his opinion to him whether it will look good or not. Once he was in the Manhattan’s upper west side to have his rhinoplasty done, Graham stopped and thought that having this done it was an assault to his identity and people. Growing up in a white neighborhood were all of them would get a cosmetic surgery Graham says, it was done to look better in his situation these alterations were made due to issues of ethnicity and heritage. As said in the book he never compared to a white man but surely he did with his own people. Overall, this article is really interesting because it has plenty of other topics such as on how other people of different races as well have done a surgery and have not seem to be different from their own people. As mentioned in the book one’s racial identity is not embodied in one’s nose. This means that it shouldn’t be a problem because you are the same person who grew up in that race. The article mentioned self hatred of being an accusation done for anyone who has done a surgery. This is really hard to explain but in my opinion self hatred in general can be a problem for people who have a low self-esteem about themselves. If you were born with several, in my opinion people shouldn’t change it. People should be happy and appreciate were they come from. These issues will never change because we are in a world where the media really portrays many things for looking better. Everyone will always want to have what other people have but just as the article says it will not make you less of which ever ethnicity you come from.

Head Count System Using Artificial Intelligence Method Information Technology Essay

Head Count System Using Artificial Intelligence Method Information Technology Essay Abstract This report is developing the project called Head Count System using Artificial Intelligence Method. This report compresses the introduction, literature review, methodology, project design, result and discussion, project management and conclusion of the project. For the starting of this report, there will shows more on the products (head count system) description, background, aims and objective. Next, this report will discuss more on the products component such as hardware and software. There will research or survey on the hardware and software those can be suit on designing the product. After the research or survey, this report will include details more into the specification of this project. Some discussion will also be done on the systems programming code, dimension of the hardware, and the linking tool and cable that are chosen to use. The key point of this project is on the artificial intelligence. Fuzzy logic, neural network, neurofuzzy, induction algorithms and genetic algorithms are the type of the artificial intelligence engine. This report will discuss on the structure, method and application behind the entire artificial intelligence engine in literature review. Furthermore, the detail discussion on neural network programming such as Hopfield network and support vector machine will carry out in the methodology. Some of the image processing programming will explained in that chapter too. After all the basic theory and methodology, the real work on designing this project will proceed in project design. There got three main programming those are image acquisition, network and counting system will elaborate in flow chart and figure. All the experiment result and discussion on this project will state in the following chapter too. Finally, the conclusion will conclude all the processes on research, design and building for this project in the end of the report. In the conclusion, the achievement, distribution and weakness of this project will stated out too. With the recommendation as the ending of this report, this project is hoping can be improved in future development. Introduction Head count system is using in everywhere and any time in the reality life. Counting the amount of head counts is a must since the world started no matter in which occasion such as lecture halls, parties, ballrooms and so on. Nowadays, there is still use a traditional ways to get the total amount of the head count. The ways are using such like count one by one manually by a person assigned; tick attendance using paper to record down and so on. Otherwise, some advance ways to get the head count such as using smart card to get the head count through a manually scanning device; manually check in through a control server and so on. Following the trend of the technology grown, a lot of automation products have been created or designed. These kinds of products are now available in the market to reduce the waste of time and energy on unnecessary purposes. If the head count system also can detect or check the amount of head count automatically, there will be increase the efficiency of work and prevent the resource is wasted. [1] Background of the project Head Count System using Artificial Intelligence Method is designed and developed head count system that is able to intelligently check the total number of head counts entering or exiting an enclosed location. This system can automatically determine the number of head count by using sensors and combination with artificial intelligence engine. So, this project will be built based on software and hardware too. Some more the interfacing device is needed for this project to link up the hardware direct to computer. This is because the artificial intelligence programming will write in software in computer and the input of sensor will direct get through the interfacing device. Methodology After the literature review on the project is done, the specification of the project is decided. This project will be use MATLAB as the programmer to write the code of Neural Network which is one of the AI engine, as the software part. Besides that, USB cable is chosen as the interfacing device to link the software and hardware. The hardware of this project is built by thermal imaging camera [13] Thermal Imaging Camera All materials, which are above 0 degrees Kelvin (-273 degrees C), emit infrared energy. The infrared energy emitted from the measured object is converted into an electrical signal by the imaging sensor (microbolometer) in the camera and displayed on a monitor as a color or monochrome thermal image. [23] Infrared is a form of electromagnetic radiation, radio waves, microwaves, ultraviolet, visible light, X-rays and gamma rays the same. All of these forms together constitute the electromagnetic spectrum, are similar, the speed of light they emit energy in the form of electromagnetic waves moving. Each other band in the spectrum of the main difference is their wavelength, and the related amount of wave energy to carry. For example, while gamma ray wavelengths than visible light millions of times smaller, the wavelength of radio waves over a billion times is visible. [23] With the technical explanations above, there show that thermal imaging camera is not affect by any light level and it is better than a normal camera by this point. Using thermal imaging camera in this project will reduce the faulty cause by light level to minimum. MATLAB MATLAB is a high-level language of technical computing. MATLAB can apply to wide application, including image processing, sound processing, financial analysis, control design, and data communications. In image processing, both 2-D and 3-D graphical image is able to function. Using MATLAB, technical computing problems can be solved faster than using traditional programming languages, such as C and C++. Besides that, inside MATLAB software contains a lot of useful toolbox. All the toolbox can be link up and function together. While programming in MATLAB, if any function command that not familiar can be get more information on that command by typing help followed with the command. With entire advantages shown above, MATLAB is chosen as the software platform for this project. [21] MATLAB is the platform using to test on all the sample method programming shown above. From the result on testing neural network sample programming, single-layer perceptron and multi-layer perceptron are good in use on data pattern classification. Hopfield network is suitable in image restore application. Then support vector machines and kernel function are used in pattern analysis especially in face detection system. For image processing sample programming, Kirsch edge detection and canny edge detection are good edge detecting solution. Shape recognition can be use Houdorff-based image comparison to implement. Gabor function can be applied with support vector machines for face detection. Lastly, one-dimensional Gaussion function is used in signal processing, but in image processing where two-dimensional Gaussian can be apply to it. After some preliminary work on so many programming, the Support Vector Machines has been chosen as the design programming on this project. The programming shown above is just the major of the programming linking with this project. The main reason chosen Support Vector Machines is this network combine both neural network and image processing method. Result and Discussion In this project result and discussion, the three main parts will be discussed in detail on the result. The three main parts are image acquisition able to get the input from sensor, train the network with support vector machines completely with no error and headcount system able count correctly. Figure 9: show the result on image acquisition For the image acquisition programming, it can test with PC camera. PC camera is set as the input in the programming. Right-hand side image on figure 9 at above shows the view point of the camera after the program is started. If there got any motion occurred in the view point of the camera, the image will be captured. Left-hand side image on figure 9 at above shows the result of captured image after motion occurred. The discussion above state all the basic function on this program and the result will show as figure in the real project. Figure 10: show the result on main program on creating network Figure 10 at above show the result after run the programming of support vector machines. The right-hand side of the figure 10 at above shows a prompt menu for the user chooses the step to perform on this program. If Generate Database is pressed, the program will load the image database to the workspace and there will shows Loading HeadCount and Loading non-HeadCount as shown at left-hand side, first two lines on figure 10. If the button Create SVM is pressed, the support vector machines network will be created. Some information of the network will be show out as shown at left-hand side, after first two lines on figure 10. To test the network is just press the Test on Photos button. After the button is pressed, another menu will prompt out is let the user to select the sample image for testing. After the sample is selected, the program will run automatically until the result come out. The program will circle all the headcount based on the network. If there got error, the program can l et the user to retrain it regarding to same sample. In the experiment on this project, one sample that contains some possibly of the combination and eight different orientation of headcount is created to use as the testing sample. Lastly, the menu will close if the Exit is pressed. Figure 11: show the result on GUI output for counting system For the counting system, GUI is created to show the result of the number of headcount as shown at right-hand side in figure 11 and the input image have been captured as shown at left-hand side in figure 11. The result is counted based on these theories: If the objects of first image touch the upper line then the objects of the following image touch the lower line, this mean the objects are moving in. If the objects of first image touch the lower line then the objects of the following image touch the upper line, this mean the objects are moving out. Conclusion This report shows the complete process on designing this project. After complete the literature review, this can help on choosing the hardware, software or interfacing device to use. Methodology of this project shows majority method or solution to do this project in both building hardware and the software programming. More testing and simulations are done to get better solution. The complete steps or procedures of this project are show in the project design with the flow chart. Practical testing is also done and the result has been show and discuss clearly. This project fully achieves the entire objective stated above. For the main objective on researching type of artificial intelligence engine has fully achieved. The definition, architecture, algorithm of all type of artificial intelligence such as fuzzy logic, neural network, neurofuzzy, induction algorithm and genetic algorithm have been explained and stated in the literature review. Summary in literature review support the point of achieve the main objective and prove the objective of determine the type of interfacing device to use for connecting hardware and software is achieved. By comparing the two types of the interfacing devices such as USB cable and RS232, USB cable has a better speed than RS232 cable. So USB cable is chosen. The investigating and testing the sample programming on both neural network and image processing in methodology is to achieve one of the objectives. That objective is investigated on the programming language for the artificial intelligence engine. There i s not only achieve the objective and some additional investigating on image processing is adding on. Design software and GUI which able to simulate the system model, and implement the prototype hardware to get the inputs are achieved objectives too. PC camera is used to get input with the worked programming and GUI indicate the number of headcount prove that these objective is achieved. The result is show and discussion clearly on above. The contributions and benefits of this project is save the life from emergency is happen, reduce the waste of time and energy on unnecessary purposes, increase the efficiency of work, and this project is ease to use head count system with fully automatically function. The weaknesses and disadvantages of this project is limit in light level on PC camera, time consuming and memory consuming on operate the system is high. 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Colonialism and Imperialism - Heart of Darkness and Post-Colonial Theory :: Heart Darkness essays

Post-Colonial Theory and Heart of Darkness "Heart of Darkness" begins and ends in London; on the Nellie on the Thames. The most part, however, takes place in the Congo (now known as the Republic of the Congo). The Kongo, as it was originally known, was inhabited first by pygmy tribes and migratory 'Bantus' and was 'discovered' by the Portuguese in the 14th Century. The Portuguese brought with them Catholocism; European missionaries. The Congo was ruled by King Alfonso I from 1506 - 1540 and Shamba Bolongongo from 1600 - 1620. The slave trade was rife in the Congo, from about 1500 until 1830. King Leopold of Belgium ruled, between 1878 and 1908, and would have been King at the time "Heart of Darkness" was set. Conrad himself actually arrived in the Congo on 12 June 1890, and it would be safe to say that he would have used his experience in the Congo when writing "Heart of Darkness". At its time of writing for Blackwood's Magazine (December 1898), Britain was in its last years of Victorian rule. Queen Victoria was actually the niece of King Leopold of Belgium. Britain was the most powerful and influential nation on Earth; its Empire spread throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. Joseph Conrad, born in the Ukraine in 1857, as Jozef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski, as the author, was an outsider looking out. Neither British nor African, he seemed to be the perfect candidate for writing about two countries he had knowledge of - England and the Congo. African exploration was quite popular; in Conrad's day, Livingstone died in 1873, in Ilala, Africa, and Stanley returned from his final African expedition in 1890. As exploration was popular, so was the adventure story - tales of African exploration were available in abundance. Imperialism was also a popular theme at this point in the late nineteenth Century. Conrad's novella, whilst to contemporary critics (Achebe, for example) may appear racist; at the time was accepted as another piece of work from a very much published genre. The novella is literally filled with literal and metaphoric opposites; the Congo and the Thames, black and white, Europe and Africa, good and evil, purity and corruption, civilisation and 'triumphant bestiality', light and the very 'heart of darkness'. Conrad portrays British imperialism in the perhaps naive character of Marlow, who is glad to see the "vast amount of red" on the Company's map; signifying the British territory.

North vs South Essay

The United States before the civil war was basically split into two regions, the North and the South. These two regions had very different cultures, economics, and climates which led to different life styles and perspectives. Problems caused by the differences between the North and the South eventually led the nation into a great civil war- the bloodiest war in American history. The North and South had diverse climates and natural features. The North had mainly rocky and infertile lands with humid summers and snowy winters, so farming was difficult. Fast moving rivers and waterfalls were common in the North because of the many mountains. As a result, Northerners started to use waterpower to run factories. Meanwhile, in the South, the weather was usually hot and sunny, with lots of rainfall, making the growing seasons longer. The South’s lands were flatter than the North’s, making it a more ideal place for farming. The Northern and Southern population was very different. The Northern population between the years 1800 and 1860 increased massively. Because of the large amounts of immigrates from Europe, the North’s population increased from five million to thirty-one million. The South’s population, on the other hand, was made up mostly of enslaved Africans. By 1860, one third, out of twelve million people in the South, was slaves. The surroundings in the North and South led its citizens to live in contrasting places. In the North, the crowded and dirty cities along the Atlantic coast served as centers of trade and drew laborers to work in towns. When streets were improved and police forces were created, cities became the center of art, culture, and education. In the South, however, their economy was based on agriculture. As a result, towns were developed slower and trading centers were rarer than in the North. Because of the climates and geography in these two regions, they developed different economies. Economy in the North was based on many different industries such as shipping, textile, and mining. Because of coal and waterpower, manufacturing in the North developed quickly. Unlike the North’s, the South’s economy was based on agriculture. Crops such as cotton and tobacco made huge profits. Southern farmers had to use large amounts of slave labor for their plantations, so slavery was necessary to the prosperity of the Southern economy. Northerners and Southerners developed individual cultures. Cities had an important role in determining the North’s culture. New businesses brought new ideas to the North. The Northern emphasis on public education led to many schools and churches. The life in the South was really different than the North’s. The South’s agricultural system was controlled by wealthy planters who lived like the country gentlemen of England. The South had few schools or churches. Rich planters would usually hire private tutors to teach their children until they were sent to private schools. One of the few similarities of the North and South are that they both have thousands of roads, steamships, and canals. In 1850, thirty thousand miles of tracks connected far-away parts of the United States. By 1860, there were over eighty-eight thousand miles of surface roads in the North and South combined. The biggest difference between the North and the South is that the South had slavery, while the North did not. Eventually, the issue of slavery and the other differences of these two regions led to the American Civil War, which lasted for four years. However, after the civil war, the North and South, like a family, unite together and became one of the most powerful nations in the world.

A Strange Meeting

The blistering cold atmosphere shrouded by its crystalline twilight embodied it's presence over the dark Tamoe Highlands; the field which divided the two kingdoms of Lucil. The gloomy surroundings pierced the night sky, causing people to wonder what sort of menace was at work here; what evil had corrupted the lands of their beloved domain. Gathering people crawled outside of the city walls, on both fronts; the kingdoms of Garthia, and Reynard. They stood in amazement, as sparks of light flickered over head, vaporising the darkness that should have been convenient, replacing it with the most beautiful pearl-like spheres; whose exterior was sheltered with tiny diamonds of exquisiteness. The people turned their gaze to a larger sphere, more dominant, as it were. This orb was unlike anything anyone had ever seen; it's splendour unmatched. The stone cold daze of every single soul; every human, had its eyes fixed on its occurrence, as it twirled in the sparkling sky, gleaming its magnificence for all to see. People began to pace themselves, gradually moving their feet, eyes always focused on their objective; the sphere. They were drawn to its presence, drawn there by some unseen force, or perhaps, they were a victim to greed; all wishing to obtain this obsidian of absolute perfection. Whatever the reason, they all wanted the same thing. Every last person there wanted to touch this orb in the sky, before them. As one of the kingdom members reached out for it, the others became slightly annoyed, agitated by what was happening. Before they knew it, their calm, peaceful, hands became weapons, as they fought each other for this object; this beauty. The greed in every single of them was reflecting the golden aura in each of their eyes, as they killed one another for the sake of this newly born object. One by one, the slaughter went on, humans dying, fighting for the possession of this item. Eventually, one remained; a man by the name of Tarik. He was a great man, a blacksmith, from the kingdom of Reynard. He was a very respectable man; always there when his service was needed, and even when it wasn't needed, he would be there to give a helping hand to anyone who needed it. Grasping the golden sphere in his hands, he peered into its surface; curious of where this came from — it's origin. Nothing like this had been seen before, so it was obvious to him that he was holding some sort of relic; an item that was clearly sought after. He held this item close to his chest, making sure his grip was tightly holding it; afraid someone would steal it from him. Years past, times changed, kingdoms crumbled, and legends were created, and people's theories blinded those who were imprudent enough to alter the truth. Stories were told, people were educated; wondering where this mysterious orb now lay. There were many different stories and films dedicated to exploiting the truth, but they were always altered in on way or another; never fully showing what happened. A young boy strutted up to the building, hands lying lazily in his coat pockets, playing with the loose change he gained upon purchasing some goods for his mother, half-hour past. He tilted his head as he approached the suede doors; seemingly pondering about it's interior. He let our a silent sigh, as he took the last few steps, before swinging the giant doors open with a keen thrust. â€Å"Anybody home?† he muttered, echoing through the dark halls of the building. There was no response. The boy gazed around, looking for someone he could possibly talk to. He walked towards the reception desk, peering over the counter, to find absolutely no one there. The boy then retreated back a few steps, before searching once more for someone, anyone, who could help him. â€Å"Peter?† ‘Peter' turned around, his gaze now fixed on the speaker of his name; searching needlessly to match their face to a name. â€Å"Back again, I see. Hm, you'll have to learn we won't help you with every single need† alleged the woman, powerfully, with her strong voice. Peter's head tilted forwards, staring at the ground, as if the words of this woman have shunned his feelings, making him sad in the event that he could not get his own way. Removing his hands from his pockets, he brushed stray hairs from his face, and gently tucked them behind his ear. â€Å"I understand†¦it's just that, I've heard so much about this sphere, I need someone to actually help me find it!† The young boy was keen, his will strong, on finding the legend of his homeland, Lucil. He wanted to experience, and understands, the beauty his people had witnessed over four thousand years before him. He was certain it lay dormant in this particular place, but had no one to help him excavate it. The woman shook her head, and walked forwards towards Peter. She patted him softly, on his cushioned hair, comforting him, before strolling off down one of the larger corridors; her feet creating constant echoes of footsteps in her wake. â€Å"I'll get it†¦with or without help, I'll get it† thought Peter, as he thudded the doors open, once more, with his hands; this time, more quickly and powerfully, to match his newly acquired mood. The streets of New Reynard were silent; the day was drawing to an end, as the bright sun sunk behind the surrounding mountains. Clouds were growing darker, as rain began to trickle from their interior; showering the city, making a melody of frequent drumming, as it landed onto the earth. Peter peered up, staring into the clouds, before sitting down, peacefully, in the rain. He loved the rain; loved to be in it because of its glorifying touch, its caring aura of water. He just sat there, embracing the cold, damp, atmosphere, as he pondered existence, just as he always did when he was sat in the rain. The young boy wondered†¦about the sphere, more than anything. What importance does it have to the world? Why is it here? There were a lot of questions that he wanted, but was afraid, to discover. Hours past, and the rain moved on, revealing the midnight sky, and the all of its stars, intertwined its beautiful crescent. Peter stood up, soaked with water, he waltzed off down a road leading to his home; water trickling down his spherical visage. As he unlocked his door, he walked inside, taking his shoes off at the door, and planting them beside his families, before taking off his coat and placing it on a hanger. His family were long asleep, and he feared to wake them, so he simply ran upstairs to bed; pulling his blankets over his head, and dreaming of this sphere-like relic he desired to obtain. Morning arose, and he jumped out of his tiny bed. As he did so, he fluffed his pillow, and placed the blankets back over his bed. Peter spoke to none of his family, still, and walked out of the door, slamming it behind him, as he hastily walked off into the bustle streets of New Reynard. He was engulfed in desire to find this sphere, he was determined, and today, he would find it. After 2 years of research, and revising the theories, and so called â€Å"truth† on this event that took place 4000 years ago, he was determined, and sure, he would find it today; alone, if he had to. Running towards the mountains, Peter swung his arms as he ran as fast as he could. Before coming to the edge of town, he crossed the bridge that separated the settlement from the grasslands of Lucil; but it wasn't very far to the mountain range, still. As he approached the mountains, there was a rather unexpected sound emerging from the depths of a cave; somewhere that had previously been explored many a time. The roaring noise became more frequent, and thunderous, as he stepped towards it. His necklace that was passed onto him from the generations of fathers seemingly began to fluctuate, as he got nearer, and nearer. Approaching even further still, the tiny bead on his necklace sprouted a neon-glow of blue, as it fired a tiny laser of accuracy into a small gap in the cave wall; causing an explosion of rock as it fell crumbled away, revealing a compartment within the caves. Peter approached it, his heart racing faster than it ever had, clutching at his chain to steady it. Slowly walking towards the inner area of the wall, he glared at a metallic shrine in front of him; he basked at its glory, for it was shunning a powerful aura of energy, sparking at the corners, where energy was leaping from its body. The boy walked towards the memorial; drips of sweat dripping down his face, as he approached it steadily, wondering what this was. He finally stood right next to it, reaching his right arm out slowly, as he tapped the surface with his index finger; wondering if anything would actually happen. There was a glare of blinding light, and Peter stood back, falling to the ground as he did so. His heart began to fluctuate even more, as the shrine hovered into the air, spiralling around in circles, like some sort of magic was in play here. There was a heart, tempered, voice coming from it, as it twirled in the air. â€Å"Hahaha†¦so you think you can take my sphere, do you? Hahaha!† All of a sudden, the top of the memorial blew off, revealing a travesty of golden beams piercing the cave walls, and ceiling. Peter closed his eyes, whilst throwing his hands in front of his face, to shield himself from the blinding light that was in play. He wished that he had never come here, that he had never revealed this sacred shrine that was before him now; scaring him into thinking about nothing but torment. A man jumped out of the casket that was on the shrine, and walked towards Peter slowly; a golden sphere of beauty gently cradled in his arms, as he walked forwards, grinning as he did so. He spoke one more, in a more taunting manner. â€Å"Peter, Peter, Peter†¦how dare you intrude my place of sleep. How dare you think you can steal my sphere! How dare you!† Throwing his arm forwards, the man pierced Peter's chest with his fist; revealing blood to drip from his lifeless body, as he fell backwards, lying completely on the floor; red liquid spurting from his mouth, as he choked in his own blood. The man grinned, before turning around, and heading back into the casket one more, to lay dormant again, with his precious sphere of beauty; protecting it from anyone who thinks they can take it from him. The mountains were once again silent†¦nothing could be heard, nothing was to be seen. The dark skies covered the twilight horizon, as day became a fragment of bliss. †¦that is the tale, of the striking orb. The tale that has been since passed on from man to man; but, who could have passed on, when there was no one there but the boy? Theories have emerged, legends have been written, but no one knows for sure how the story came about.

Pope Francis Quotes on Racism, Xenophobia, Immigration

Pope Francis Quotes on Racism, Xenophobia, Immigration Pope Francis has received praise for his forward-thinking views since 2013 when he became the first pontiff from Latin America. While the Catholic Church leader has not backed same-sex marriage or reproductive rights, he’s suggested that gay people and women who’ve had abortions deserve empathy and forgiveness, a departure from previous pontiffs. Given his views on these issues, progressives wondered what the pope might have to say about race relations when he made his first visit to the United States in September 2015. At that time, racial tensions continued to run high in the nation, with police killings and allegations of police brutality routinely making the news and trending on social media networks. Prior to his U.S. visit, Pope Francis had not specifically commented on the Black Lives Matter movement, but he had weighed in on racism, xenophobia, stereotypes, and diversity around the world. Familiarize yourself with the pope’s views on race relations with the following quotes. All Forms of Intolerance Should Be Fought Pope Francis  came down hard on intolerance while speaking to a group from the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Rome in October 2013. He highlighted the center’s goal â€Å"to combat every form of racism, intolerance, and anti-Semitism† and noted that he’d recently reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s condemnation of anti-Semitism. â€Å"Today I wish to emphasize that the problem of intolerance must be confronted in all its forms: wherever any minority is persecuted and marginalized because of its religious convictions or ethnic identity, the well-being of society as a whole is endangered and each one of us must feel affected,† he said. â€Å"With particular sadness I think of the sufferings, the marginalization and the very real persecutions which not a few Christians are undergoing in various countries. Let us combine our efforts in promoting a culture of encounter, respect, understanding, and mutual forgiveness.† Although the pope could have limited his discussion of religious intolerance, he included intolerance based on ethnic identity in his speech as well, an indication that he’s concerned about the treatment of all minority groups. The World Cup as an Instrument of Peace When the FIFA World Cup kicked off in June 2014, many sports fans focused exclusively on whether their favorite teams would advance in the soccer (football) tournament, but Pope Francis offered a different viewpoint on the games. Before the opening match between Brazil and Croatia, Francis said the World Cup could teach the public a great deal about solidarity, teamwork, and honoring opponents. â€Å"To win, we must overcome individualism, selfishness, all forms of racism, intolerance, and manipulation of people,† he said. One cannot be a self-centered player and experience success, he said. â€Å"Let nobody turn their back on society and feel excluded!† he said. â€Å"No to segregation! No to racism!† Francis is reportedly a lifelong fan of the Buenos Aires soccer team San Lorenzo and hoped the World Cup served as a â€Å"festival of solidarity between peoples.† â€Å"Sport is not only a form of entertainment but also - and above all I would say - a tool to communicate values that promote the good that is in humans and help build a more peaceful and fraternal society,† he said. End Racism Against U.S.-Bound Migrants A year before real estate mogul-turned-President Donald Trump branded some undocumented immigrants from Mexico as rapists and drug traffickers, Pope Francis called on the United States to adopt a humanitarian approach to the migrants crossing the border, especially children. â€Å"Many people forced to emigrate suffer, and often die tragically,† the pope stated on July 15, 2014, in a message addressing a global conference in Mexico. â€Å"Many of their rights are violated, they are obliged to separate from their families and, unfortunately, continue to be the subject of racist and xenophobic attitudes.† Francis could have framed the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border as a humanitarian crisis without invoking racism and xenophobia, but he made a point to recognize how attitudes about â€Å"the other† influence immigration policy. The pope has a history of advocating for refugees, remarking on an Italian island in 2013 that the public was indifferent to the dire circumstances in which North African and Middle Eastern migrants find themselves. Stereotypes and the Criminal Justice System On Oct. 23, 2014, Pope Francis addressed a delegation from the International Association of Penal Law. Speaking to the group, Francis discussed the widespread idea that public punishment is the solution to difficult social problems. He expressed his disagreement with this view and questioned the motives of public punishment. â€Å"Scapegoats are not only sought to pay, with their freedom and with their life, for all social ills such as was typical in primitive societies, but over and beyond this, there is at times a tendency to deliberately fabricate enemies: stereotyped figures who represent all the characteristics that society perceives or interprets as threatening,† he said. â€Å"The mechanisms that form these images are the same that allowed the spread of racist ideas in their time.† This is the closest Francis came to addressing the Black Lives Matter movement before his visit to the U.S. in September 2015. Like many activists in the movement, Francis suggests that racial scapegoating factors into why society favors taking freedom away from some groups and placing them behind bars for years rather than remedy the social ills that keep prisons overflowing. Embracing Differences While discussing tensions between Catholics and Muslims in January 2015, Pope Francis once again emphasized the need to accept differences. He told a delegation affiliated with the Pontifical Institute of Arab and Islamist Studies that â€Å"patience and humility† are musts in the Islamic-Christian dialogue to avoid fueling â€Å"stereotypes and preconceptions.† â€Å"The most effective antidote to every form of violence is education about discovering and accepting difference as richness and fertileness,† Francis said. As his other remarks on diversity indicate, accepting differences can apply to religious faith, ethnicity, race and much more. The lesson to be learned, according to the pope, is that people don’t divide themselves and lash out against others based on differences.

Biography of Eva Gouel, Lover of Pablo Picasso

Biography of Eva Gouel, Lover of Pablo Picasso Eva Goeul (1885–December 14, 1915) was Pablo Picassos lover during his Cubist collage period in the early 1910s, one of several influential and romantic partners in Picassos life. She inspired a few of his most famous pieces of art, including Woman with a Guitar, which is also known as Ma Jolie (1912). Fast Facts: Eva Gouel Known For: Muse and mistress of Pablo Picasso, 1911- 1915Born: 1885, Vincennes, FranceParents: Adrian Gouel and Marie-Louise Ghà ©rouzeDied: December 14, 1915, ParisEducation: unknownSpouse(s): noneChildren: none Early Life Eva Gouel was born Eve Gouel  sometime in 1885 to Adrian Gouel and Marie-Louise Ghà ©rouze of Vincennes, France. At some point, she adopted the name Marcelle Humbert and claimed to have been married to a fellow named Humbert, but that doesnt seem to have been the case. Like most of the women Picasso met at this time- indeed like many people in the late Belle Epoque (1871–1914) of Paris- Eva kept her background purposefully mysterious, going by different names which came from various sources. In the correspondence of Picassos friends at the time of their alliance, Eva was considered both sweet and calculating, described as a small spicy girl who looked like a Chinese doll by Italian painter Gino Severini (1893–1966). Meeting Picasso Picasso met Gouel in 1911 at the cafe Ermitage in Paris, when she was going by the name of Marcelle Humbert. She was living with the Jewish-Polish artist Lodwicz Casimir Ladislas Markus (1870–1941), a satirist and minor Cubist better known as Louis Marcoussis. At the time, Picasso had been living with his first muse, Fernande Olivier, since 1904. He was diligently absorbed in studies developing Cubism with painter Georges Braque, and Fernande was hotly jealous of that absorption. Fernande and Picasso often went to the Paris cafes with Marcelle and Louis. On a number of occasions, they were all invited to the writer Gertrude Steins home on the rue de Fleurus, which was a popular place for artists and writers in Paris at the time. Stein and Picasso were close friends, but she and her longtime partner Alice B. Toklas didnt spot the relationship between Picasso and Gouel until February 1912. Fernande and Marcelle became fast friends: Fernande confided her miseries to Marcelle, including her unhappiness with Picasso. In 1911, Fernande began an affair with the young Italian Futurist Ubaldo Oppi (1889–1942). She asked Marcelle to cover for her in order to deceive Picasso, but it was a mistake. Instead, Marcelle began a clandestine affair with Picasso herself. Picassos Eve Picasso began his affair with Marcelle- now going by Eva Gouel at Picassos request- in late 1911. He began adding coded messages into his works, using allegorical imagery like bowls of peaches (thats Eva) and jugs with large spouts (thats Pablo). He also added written phrases like Jaime Eva (I love Eva) and Ma Jolie (My pretty one) as elements of the paintings. The famous Woman with a Guitar, the artists first work in Analytical Cubism, painted between 1911 and 1912, contains Ma Jolie, a nickname he gave to Eva after a popular song at the time. Picasso asked Marcelle Humbert to return to a version of her birth name, in part because he wanted to distinguish this mistress from the wife of his friend and fellow Cubist George Braque, also named Marcelle. He transformed Eve into the more Spanish-sounding Eva, and, to Picassos mind, he was the Adam to her Eve. Fernande On May 18, 1912, Picasso told Fernande that he had discovered her affair with Oppi and was leaving her for Eva. He moved out of her apartment, fired the maid and pulled his financial support of her; Eva moved out of her flat with Louis Marcoussis; and the new pair left Paris for Cà ©ret in southern France. In June of 1912, Picasso wrote friend and art collector Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler that I love [Eva] very much and I will write this in my paintings. Horrified, Fernande left the penniless Oppi and decided to seek out Picasso to rekindle their relationship- or so Picasso feared. Tucked away from the frantic Paris lifestyle in Cà ©ret, close to the Spanish border, Picasso and Eva got wind of Fernandes impending visit. They quickly packed and left instructions not to let anyone know of their whereabouts. They headed for Avignon and then met Braque and his wife in Sorgues later that summer. Death and Legacy In 1913, Picasso and Gouel visited Picassos family in Barcelona, Spain, and talked about marriage. But Picassos father died May 3, 1913, and that same year, Eva either contracted tuberculosis or developed cancer. By 1915, she spent weeks in the hospital. Picasso wrote Gertrude Stein describing his life as hell. Eva died in Paris on December 14, 1915. Picasso would live until 1973 and have dozens of affairs, a handful of which were well-known relationships with women, all of whom affected his art and life. Known Examples of Eva in Picassos Art: Picassos period of  Cubist collages  and papier collà © flourished during his affair with Eva Gouel; he also took two photographs of her. A number of his works during this time are either known or thought to be of Eva, the best-known of which are: Woman with a Guitar (Ma Jolie), 1912.Woman in an Armchair, 1913, Collection Sally Ganz, New YorkSeated Woman (Eva) Wearing a Hat Trimmed with a White Bird, 1915-16, private collection.Eva on Her Deathbed, 1915, pencil drawing, private collection Sources McAuliffe, Mary. Twilight of the Belle Epoque: The Paris of Picasso, Stravinsky, Proust, Renault, Marie Curie, Gertrude Stein, and Their Friends through the Great War. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman Littlefield, 2014.Otterstein, Pola. Pablo Picasso And His Women. Daily Art Magazine, November 28, 2017.Richardson, John. A Life of Picasso: the Cubist Rebel, 1907–1916.  New York: Alfred A. Knopf, New York.  Tucker, Paul Hayes. Picasso, Photography, and the Development of Cubism. The Art Bulletin 64.2 (1982): 288-99. Williams, Ellen. Picassos Paris: Walking Tours of the Artists Life in the City. New York: The Little Bookroom, 1999.

Markeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Markeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee - Essay Example Another way to differentiate products is by offering different levels of a product. Because everyone does not have the same disposable income, it may be difficult for everyone to be able to afford a certain product of high quality. For this reason, a like product can be substituted for high quality good but at a lower price. For me, I do not necessarily need the latest product available, so if there is something that fills a need and I can get it cheaper then I would go with that. One brand that excels on differentiation is Apple, whose iPhones have different plans and prices depending on the package that is chosen and also the iPhone number. When a new iPhone comes out, I do not have to go for the latest one because I am satisfied with my current one. Work Cited Thompson, Althea. â€Å"Competitive Strategies for Wal-Mart.† 2012. eHow. 28 October 2012 . Marketing Debate p. 378 Product and service marketing are highly related because the same basic principles still apply in mos t cases. In both forms of marketing, the attention of the customer still has to be caught and some sort of value has to be on offer to convince a consumer to part with their money. If a customer does not understand how a product or service benefits or can be useful in some way, then any type of marketing will fail. It is up to marketers to identify target markets and then come up with strategies to reach those target groups; this is true for both product marketing and service marketing. Where it is perhaps different is that in service marketing the customer cannot view the service that they want to buy. This is why service marketing needs to involve some sort of demonstration of the product. Very often services that are to be offered are shown to the consumer so that they feel convinced to of the benefit of it. In television marketing services are usually shown with a random member of the public so that consumers can see the service in action. On the other hand, in product marketing the marketer only needs to explain the benefits of the product because the customer can witness the product for themselves. Additional information may need to be provided to assure the customer that they are receiving a high quality product, but generally they can make a decision for themselves based on their feelings.    Marketing Discussion p. 410 As a consumer, I would prefer perceived-value pricing because I would want to get the best bang for my buck. I only have limited funds so I want to try and stretch my finances as far as it will go. This means that I have to be picky when it comes to purchasing a product and only get what I need, not what I would like. Whenever I am making a purchasing decision, the value of a product is very important to me because I want to receive something in return for parting with some cash. Although I often don’t have a lot of disposable income, I would rather pay a little more and get a high-quality product than pay a cheaper price for a piece of crap. Durability is major factor in my purchasing decision making because I want a product to last and not have to replace it within a short time. I would prefer a firm to employ slightly higher prices for most of the year and then offer discounts on occasion. This is because I am the type of shopper who likes to go and check out all the specials when they are on and

Report of Toyota Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Of Toyota - Lab Report Example gement mechanism- in order to allow every signatory to translate the mission of the UNGC, it has set goals at both international and local levels to diffuse through all layers of businesses and society. Since inception, Toyota has zeroed in on sustainable development and eco-friendly technology by providing innovative and quality automobiles to the society that are more fuel efficient (Appendix 1) (Toyota n.d). To elaborate further, we have categorized the business practices at Toyota into sections that detail about how it strives to keep pace with international treaties and regulations. Corporate Social Responsibility- Economic development should be shared with environment protection, this is the core element of Toyota and as such, it has incorporated biodiversity guidelines in its Charter and Code of Conduct. TMC has drafted a Corporate Social Responsibility policy that fits well to the guiding principles of the Global Compact. The environment plan in the CSR policy includes manufacturing competencies and designing with recycling capabilities. Supply Chain Regulations- In order to abide by the environmental regulations, TMC checks the labor conditions, local and community situations and the environment on whole before establishing alliance with any of the suppliers. The suppliers are even monitored and trained to determine whether they abide by the guiding principles of Toyota. Raw Materials- Toyota abides by the REACH Regulation (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemical Substances) of the European Parliament that directs the suppliers to consider the safety of SVHC (Substances of Very High Concern) in their supply chains. As such, Toyota adheres to the current REACH regulations and has designed its supply chain with an environment perspective where most of its raw materials are recyclable. Recycling- As discussed above, Toyota maintains an Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) recycling plant with a recovery rate of 80% (Steinweg

Demand And Supply Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Demand And Supply - Case Study Example ld. (Harberger, AC) In an attempt to completely understand and describe the monopoly, causes, types and relevant issues, it becomes necessary to approach the subject from as a simplistic nature as possible, to stay aligned with the underlying microeconomic structure. Based on the fact that within the market place the root of everything comes down to supply and demand, this is altered by monopolistic practices and therefore society tends to disfavor monopolies as practicing on an unfair basis, and creating barriers of entry to firms wishing to enter the market for profit generation, as well as from the perspective of the consumer, being that the monopoly is unfairly regulating prices, by restricting output and therefore is extracting a price without allowing market forces to determine the correct supply and demand balance of the given commodity. Essentially when dealing with a monopoly consumers are at the mercy of the price determination of that monopoly, which they control via total output restriction and subsequent economic welfare reduction. The Existence of the Monopoly The monopoly comes about when there is little or no competition, normally the latter. The monopoly will always persist based on the barriers to entry for any rival company or concern attempting to enter the market place. Barriers to entry protect a monopoly and at times can even be state sponsored, via legal framework or even finance. The barriers to entry for rival firms include: Legal Barriers – these take the form of legal framework where a government will only allow a producer to supply a product, for example if one considers the first class mail deliver in the United States which USPS is the only allowed deliverer. Patents – similar to legal barriers due to the legal framework that will support a holder of a patent, although this issue is debatable around the cost of research and development in the patent creation process. A certain school of thought agreeing with the pate nt barrier, claims government encouraged innovation incentive, whilst others will claim consumer deprivation due to excessive price fixing. Examples would be the pharmaceutical companies that hold patents on medical drugs, Pfizer who manufactures Viagra – they are the patent holders and are therefore the only company entitled to produce and sell the drug. Control of strategic resources – this would entail a holder of mineral rights or mining rights of a commodity that must be present in order to produce the end product. An example is De Beers controlling 90% of the world’s diamond production (Wessels, W.J). Natural Barriers – also called economies of scale. This is related to the mere cost of establishment within a given industry. It is too expensive and capital intensive to enter the market on a profitable basis. An example of this would be the various utility companies in any given economy. One can safely deduce that monopolies will continue to exist, a s long as there are governments who sponsor such activity, as well as when companies are in the position to be able to create a barrier to entry, via

Individual Business Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Individual Business Report - Assignment Example The report expounds on the description of the product and services offered by the shop and its unique selling point. The marketing mix along with the customer segmentation also gets described to explain who the shop targets and how it builds its brand awareness. Finally, the report concludes with the financial area of the business, explaining the shop’s financial plan and its credit policies. For ages certain things have not changed, some people still have issues in buying gifts, especially flowers for their girlfriends, fiancà ©es, and wives (Reid & Bojanic, 2009). But, while other things do not change, fortunately, some change like technology that makes the gift-giving process much easier. The Red White and Bloom is certain that the opportunity to use technology in making it easier for people to buy custom flower arrangements along with delivery on the days they determine in advance. Red White and Bloom is a flower shop that I started, and I am the majority owner. The company targets the executive business people in the high street in London for each upscale, Frequent Lower Gift Program and long term. The Red White and Bloom differs from other traditional florists through cultivating personal relationships by using delivery services, technology and giving the Gift program that making the buying of flowers easy. Thus, this report explains further the aims of the busine ss, its environment, product description and the market mix along with its consumer segmentation and financial area. Red White and Bloom aims at using technology to enhance the delivery program and identify along with serving the ideal target audience within the high street in London. The company uses sophisticated marketing techniques in securing a core executive business people clientele and corporate accounts along with differentiating from other traditional and online florists. The company differentiates itself through the delivery program, Frequent Flower Gift Programs, and custom

The Value of a Vanilla Bond Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Value of a Vanilla Bond - Coursework Example Between the two companies it has been observed that Microsoft Corp. has the highest credit rating in the country. Due to the volatility of Aon’s operations and lower credit ratings, interest rates are higher, which makes the investment in Microsoft Corp. safer than that in Aon Corp, from an investor’s point of view. The Value of a Vanilla Bond A vanilla bond is a bond that has no underlying features, a fixed rate is implied and the bond is redeemable in full on maturity. In this paper, the vanilla bonds of two companies will be focused on to determine why the price of one company’s bonds differs from the price of the bond of the other company. The companies that are being focused for this paper are Microsoft Corp. and Aon Corp. According to the financial results reported by Microsoft Corp and Aon Corp. the companies had a total of $11.9 billion and $2.9 billion outstanding in debt. This debt component comprised of different loan notes, each with a varying range o f maturity dates, out of them only the loan notes that fulfill the criteria of vanilla bonds will be considered for this paper. To calculate the present value of these bonds, each lone note will have to be dealt with separately. The list of the amount of these loans, their coupon rates, price and their maturity dates is mentioned below, and on its basis the present value of each note will be calculated. ... October 2020 1,000 3.000% 105.7 941.85 2.27 February 2021 500 4.000% --- 459.79 --- June 2039 750 5.200% 122.0 612.653 3.88 October 2040 1,000 4.500% 113.6 835.607 3.73 February 2041 1,000 5.300% --- 805.150 --- TOTAL 10,750 10,043.51 AON CORP: Maturity Date Face Value ($ Millions) Standard Coupon Rate Price Present value ($ Million) yield to maturity September 2015 600 3.50% 105.0 589.609 2.07 September 2020 600 5.00% 112.1 570.808 3.37 September 2040 300 6.25% 124.8 248.854 4.67 TOTAL 1,500 1,409.271 As it can be seen, the bonds held by Aon Corp are generating higher yield to maturity than the bonds held by Microsoft Corp. Even though the time till maturity of the two companies is same for some bonds, still Aon Corp is charged with a higher rate of interest than Microsoft Corp. For the bonds that will mature till the years 2015, 2020 and 2040, the respective yields to maturity for Microsoft and Aon Corp. are 0.64, 2.27 & 3.73 and 2.07, 3.37 & 4.67 respectively. Thus it is obvious t hat the bonds issued to Aon Corp are receiving a better price than that of Microsoft Corp. According to Standard and Poor’s Rating Services and Moody’s Investor Service Inc. the Microsoft Corporate credit rating is AAA and Aaa respectively, whereas that of Aon Corp is BBB+ with a stable outlook and Baa2 with a negative outlook respectively. The increase in Microsoft’s credit ratings ensures lower borrowing costs and easy access to financial options for the company. Microsoft was assigned top rating right after the company made public a $ 2 billion commercial paper program and according to S&P only five U.S non-financial companies hold AAA rating according to their standards (Linnane, 2008). The commercial paper of Microsoft Corp is rated A-1+ by Standard & Poor and P-1 by moody’s.

Understanding the U.S. Constitution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Understanding the U.S. Constitution - Assignment Example As the paper outlines, there are mainly three groups of people where the constitution is involved. The first group subscribes to the theory that the constitution should be based on original intent, the others insist that it should be based on textualism and the rest insist that the constitution is a living document and hence subject to changes and other amendments (Isaacs 5). Textualists hold the belief that the constitution should not be based on intent where judges and others using the constitution make their own interpretations of it. Instead, they should use it according to the way the original drafters of the constitution wrote it. The same views are held by those subscribing to the originalism theory who insist that the original meaning of the constitution should be maintained and if any amendments are to be made whatsoever, they should be in line with the original ideas of those who drafted it and diverse further. These two groups of people go parallel with those arguing that the constitution is a living document which should be dynamic and hence flexible to have as many amendments as necessarily required. This last group, therefore, insists that the constitution should be interpreted according to the situation at hand and in accordance to other laws and also in order for the rest of the citizens who are not legal technocrats to understand it better. These differing ideologies about the constitution were also experienced initially when it was being drafted as not all those congressmen present voted in support of it in the constitutional convention of 1787. The differences were also experienced later on in the late 1700s and early 1800s hence the various amendments that were made among them being the 1st to the 12th amendment all which were made during this period. The founding fathers of the constitution therefore disagreed and finally made changes and hence were not supporters of textualism. Textualism is a good thing since it helps to ensure that the o riginal meaning of the constitution is maintained. However, the original intent of the constitution should be present because times are changing and since even the original drafters of the constitution made changes to the document, then there is no need of fully committing to textualism. Based on the above facts and even the evidence that has been seen through the twenty-seven (27) amendments made since it was drafted, my views are that the constitution is and remains to be a living document and hence will keep on allowing for amendments to be made but at the same time ensure that the original ideas and meaning is not lost during the changes and interpretation. We fought a revolution for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" because "all men are created equal." Yet the United States remained a slave nation for over 80 years after this revolution even though some founders disapproved and some states abolished the institution. So was this great country of ours founded on hypoc risy? The founders of this nation had the best interest of the rest of the US citizens at heart. It is this love and passion for their country that made them draft the constitution which was not only a declaration of law but also the way forward for the nation for the years to come. However, even though the constitution had articles and even amendments which were meant to ensure equality for all in this nation, some of these founders were still not fully committed to ending slavery or even fully do away with the issue of racism.

Individual Business Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Individual Business Report - Assignment Example The report expounds on the description of the product and services offered by the shop and its unique selling point. The marketing mix along with the customer segmentation also gets described to explain who the shop targets and how it builds its brand awareness. Finally, the report concludes with the financial area of the business, explaining the shop’s financial plan and its credit policies. For ages certain things have not changed, some people still have issues in buying gifts, especially flowers for their girlfriends, fiancà ©es, and wives (Reid & Bojanic, 2009). But, while other things do not change, fortunately, some change like technology that makes the gift-giving process much easier. The Red White and Bloom is certain that the opportunity to use technology in making it easier for people to buy custom flower arrangements along with delivery on the days they determine in advance. Red White and Bloom is a flower shop that I started, and I am the majority owner. The company targets the executive business people in the high street in London for each upscale, Frequent Lower Gift Program and long term. The Red White and Bloom differs from other traditional florists through cultivating personal relationships by using delivery services, technology and giving the Gift program that making the buying of flowers easy. Thus, this report explains further the aims of the busine ss, its environment, product description and the market mix along with its consumer segmentation and financial area. Red White and Bloom aims at using technology to enhance the delivery program and identify along with serving the ideal target audience within the high street in London. The company uses sophisticated marketing techniques in securing a core executive business people clientele and corporate accounts along with differentiating from other traditional and online florists. The company differentiates itself through the delivery program, Frequent Flower Gift Programs, and custom

Understanding the U.S. Constitution Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Understanding the U.S. Constitution - Assignment Example As the paper outlines, there are mainly three groups of people where the constitution is involved. The first group subscribes to the theory that the constitution should be based on original intent, the others insist that it should be based on textualism and the rest insist that the constitution is a living document and hence subject to changes and other amendments (Isaacs 5). Textualists hold the belief that the constitution should not be based on intent where judges and others using the constitution make their own interpretations of it. Instead, they should use it according to the way the original drafters of the constitution wrote it. The same views are held by those subscribing to the originalism theory who insist that the original meaning of the constitution should be maintained and if any amendments are to be made whatsoever, they should be in line with the original ideas of those who drafted it and diverse further. These two groups of people go parallel with those arguing that the constitution is a living document which should be dynamic and hence flexible to have as many amendments as necessarily required. This last group, therefore, insists that the constitution should be interpreted according to the situation at hand and in accordance to other laws and also in order for the rest of the citizens who are not legal technocrats to understand it better. These differing ideologies about the constitution were also experienced initially when it was being drafted as not all those congressmen present voted in support of it in the constitutional convention of 1787. The differences were also experienced later on in the late 1700s and early 1800s hence the various amendments that were made among them being the 1st to the 12th amendment all which were made during this period. The founding fathers of the constitution therefore disagreed and finally made changes and hence were not supporters of textualism. Textualism is a good thing since it helps to ensure that the o riginal meaning of the constitution is maintained. However, the original intent of the constitution should be present because times are changing and since even the original drafters of the constitution made changes to the document, then there is no need of fully committing to textualism. Based on the above facts and even the evidence that has been seen through the twenty-seven (27) amendments made since it was drafted, my views are that the constitution is and remains to be a living document and hence will keep on allowing for amendments to be made but at the same time ensure that the original ideas and meaning is not lost during the changes and interpretation. We fought a revolution for "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" because "all men are created equal." Yet the United States remained a slave nation for over 80 years after this revolution even though some founders disapproved and some states abolished the institution. So was this great country of ours founded on hypoc risy? The founders of this nation had the best interest of the rest of the US citizens at heart. It is this love and passion for their country that made them draft the constitution which was not only a declaration of law but also the way forward for the nation for the years to come. However, even though the constitution had articles and even amendments which were meant to ensure equality for all in this nation, some of these founders were still not fully committed to ending slavery or even fully do away with the issue of racism.

Syllabus Designing - Review of Literature Essay Example for Free

Syllabus Designing Review of Literature Essay English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is often underestimated because of teachers attitudes which are often characterized either by condescension or reluctance. This is manifested in the belief that often prevails among teachers that ESP is for those who cannot teach the real language. A good example of this situation is English in other departments or The Language Unit at university where teaching this component of the students program of studies is generally the responsibility of junior members of staff and where it is a slot-filling subject in the teachers time-tables. This underestimation may be due to the fact many language teachers are not aware of what it means to be an ESP teacher, and what it takes to be successful in this practice. The situation in the Tamil Nadu is even more complicated as there is not even a separation between ESP and English for General Purposes (EGP) when it comes to syllabuses and methodology, and who is better trained to teach what. Needs assessment, which is a major component of ESP, never exists, and, if does, it is never systematic, but rather based on teachers intuitions. Moreover, the methodology adopted in teaching never differs. That is, a teacher would enter a class with the same kind of methodology in mind regardless of the aims of each program. Unfortunately, programs are always put in the same basket and are always simply labelled as programs for Teaching English. As a matter of fact, English is not always just English for there are particularities that ought to be taken into consideration when designing syllabuses and practicing teaching depending on the objectives set for each situation. Definition of ESP (English for Specific Purposes) The term of ESP is generally represented as ‘English for Specific Purposes’, which emphasizes on the students’ purposes and refers to the whole range of language resources (Robinson, 1980). A definition of ESP given by Strevens (1988, p. 1 2) is that ESP needs to distinguish between four absolute and two variable characteristics namely: a. Absolute characteristics: ESP consists of English language teaching which is: designed to meet specified needs of the learners related in content (i. e. in its themes and topics) to particular disciplines, occupations and activities entered on the language appropriate to those activities, in syntax, lexis, discourse, semantics, etc. in contrast with ‘General English’. b. Variables characteristics: ESP may be, but is not necessarily: restricted as to the language skills to be learned (e. g. reading only, etc. ) taught according to any pre-ordained methodology (i. e. ESP is not restricted to any particular methodolog y – although communication methodology is very often felt to be most appropriate). Munby (1978, 1996) defined ESP in relation to ESP courses based on the analysis of the students’ language needs. His definition of ESP is still current as follows: â€Å"ESP courses are those where the syllabus and materials are determined in all essentials by the prior analysis of the communication needs of the learner† (p. 2). The interpretation of the expression ‘learner need’ deals with two different aspects of needs (Widdowson, 1984, p. 178), referring to (1) what the learner needs to do with the language once he or she has learned it. This is a goal-oriented definition of needs and relates to ‘terminal behavior’, the ends of learning. (2) [W]hat the learner needs o do to actually acquire the language. This is a process-oriented definition of needs, and relates to ‘transitional behavior’, the means of learning. In ESP, the ends of learning are as important as the means in spite of being normally goal-oriented (Hutchinson Waters, 1987; McDonough, 1984; Robinson, 1991), that is, ESP is meant â€Å"the teaching of English, not as an end in itsel f, but as an essential means to a clearly identifiable goal. † (Mackay, 1978, p. 92) The term of ‘ESP’ has thus been used by different people to mean different things (Blackie, 1979). Nonetheless, the claims for ESP normally have in common in a sense that ESP is not a new approach, but an emphasis on English teaching that should be matched to the students’ specific needs and purposes for their study of English (De Jesus, 1999; Hutchinson Waters, 1984, 1987; La Perla, 1984; Mackay, 1978; McDonough, 1984; Munby, 1978, 1996; Robinson, 1980, 1991; Strevens, 1977; Swales, 1985). Chambers and McDonough (1981) argue that the ‘specific’ in English for specific purposes should refer to both the purpose the language is being used for and the language itself. Three kinds of purposes suggested by Mackay and Mountford (1978) are: 1. â€Å"occupational requirements†, e. g. for international telephone operators, civil airline pilots, etc. ; 2. â€Å"vocational training program†, e. g. for hotel and catering staff, technical trades, etc. ; and 3. â€Å"academic or professional study†, e. g. engineering, medicine, law, etc. Accordingly, an ESP course is pertinently purposeful and is aimed at the successful performance of either occupational/vocational or educational roles (Robinson, 1980) or both. Moreover, Robinson (1991) argues that the language produced as a feature of ESP should be good enough for the job and not be necessarily native-speaker like, but be the communicative strategies and effectiveness of the non-native professional users of English. History of ESP According to Johns’ (1991) discussion, the ESP history in brief with respect to its development and expansion throughout the world has been influenced by the major theoretical and applied schools of linguistics and developed into four phases. The first phase (the 1960s and the early 1970s) was the structure-based phase of linguistic (i. . lexical and grammatical) features of academic and professional registers, for example, the language of electrical engineering and the language of law (e. g. Herbert, 1965). The second phase (the late 1970s and the early 1980s) was the discourse-based phase of register analysis where the function and purpose in discourse became more rhetorical (e. g. Trimble, 1985). The th ird phase (the integration of the discoveries in phase 1 and phase 2) was communication-based phase of systematic analyses of the target learning ituations which concentrate on Munbyian concepts of ‘notional-functional curriculum’ (Munby, 1996), namely: (a) the communicative purposes of speaker/writer; (b) the setting for language use; and (c) the mode of communication and language use. This leads to the language teaching in a communicative approach. The fourth phase (the late 1980s and the 1990s) has been focused on the strategies which learners employ to acquire the target language where the needs analysis (or needs assessment) centers on activities or procedures leading to effective teaching and learning (e. . Hutchinson Waters, 1987). Throughout the past four decades of the history of ESP, the areas of theoretical development and interest in teaching and learning of ESP, relating to the two main branches of ESP: EST and NON-EST, seem to include an interest in regis ter, discourse analysis, the specification of students’ needs (and wants), study skills, or in various methodological approaches to the development of communicative competence (Flowerder, 1990).

Health inequality and disparity in the US

Health inequality and disparity in the US Today, in our world one of the biggest issues that have risen amongst health care activist in the United States is how health disparity and inequality has affected rural areas and culture. However, it is important to keep in the back of our minds that this is not a problem that only exists in the U.S., it is a worldwide concern. Health disparity is taking an in depth look at the differences in health status between different social groups, gender, race, ethnicity, education, income, disability, and sexual orientation. While on the other hand, health inequalities is taking a look at the unjust and unfair treatment one gets because of their socioeconomic status and demographic area in which they are part of. Having such a wide array of difference in health inequality and disparity is what also contributes to the United States ranking in the bottom of industrialized western nations when it comes to life expectancy rate, and infant mortality rate. Finding ways to close the gap between li fe expectancy from one race to the other may greatly contribute in making the U.S rank as one of the top nations in the western part of the world. One of my main reasons for selecting this topic was because I wanted to take an in depth look through research and studies to find out why health inequality and disparity still exists in a great and rich country like the United States. In addition to that, my second point in selecting this research topic was to find out how there can be equality amongst people living in urban and rural areas in the U.S. when it comes to the area of health care. Even though over the years they have been great improvements and minor changes; there is still more work to be done in order to make health and equality for all. Health should be a right for all, and not a privilege based on whether one lives in a rural or urban area, or whatever socioeconomic status they may have. One should get the rights to have the same privileges. One of the huge differences when looking at health disparity is life expectancy age between white, black, and African males, and black, white, and African American females. For example, the life expectancy for an average white male is 76.7 years old while on the other hand for an African American male the average age of life expectancy is 67.8 years old. Comparing the two ages there is a difference of 8.9 years between a Caucasian, and an African American male. After looking at the difference one may ask themselves these questions: they are all American why can one race live longer than the other? This is a question I have asked myself before, however taking this class through the semester helped me to understand why. Baer mentions, African Americans experience about 67,000 mor e deaths than they would have had their mortality rates been similar to whites. This translates into 2.2 million more years of life lost. One of the main reasons for this is that most Caucasian males live in an urban area with good jobs, good incomes, good health insurance, and access to good doctors, while on the other hand, an African American male living in a rural area does not have access to health insurance, does not have a good job, or does not have access to a family doctor. This may lead to a lot of stress to an individual which may cause different diseases such as chronic heart disease, hypertension-which may lead to stroke, heart attack, and renal failure. This in turn may lead to premature death of an African American male. These results are the same for women also. As stated by, premature mortality (75 years of age) is greater rural residents than among urban residents, and rural-urban mortality differences vary by age. Premature death and mortality is one of the key issues when taking a look at health and inequality in the United States. Nevertheless, another subject to closely examine is how health and diseases are not distributed fairly. Individuals who live in rural areas are more likely to get a disease than one who lives in an urban area. This also contributes to the kind of health individuals may get. For example, diseases like tuberculosis would be common in a rural area because of the life style one may live, the kind of income they may earn, and the health care they may be receive could be totally different than the one they receive in the urban area. According to, (levy and Sidel) The cause of many diseases are complex interplay of multiple factors, many of which are due to social injustice. For instance, Caucasians receive more attention and care when they visit a doctor which may lead to a wide variety of issues. However, the one that stands out the most is because the color of the indi viduals skin, he/she may be looked at differently, or not given the same care a Caucasian would have received. The subject of disparity and inequality does not only stop with adults, it also reaches down to children. Unfortunately it is a subject that affects all ages from infants to adulthood. In some cases there have been findings that when it comes to certain diseases and long term hospitalization, infants whom their parents are of different social class or race are treated differently and are cared about differently than kids that are Caucasian, or not minorities. While doing my research for this project I was amused to find out the inequality and disparity comes down to this level that even infants are cared for differently because they belong to a certain minority group. As I have stressed out in my paper and continue to do so, I really believe that everyone should have equal access to health care regardless of their differences. In one of my articles it takes and in depth look at how childrens asthma hospitalization and urban areas in Texas are different. Grineski mentions, It talks ab out how poor children are dispropriately affected as they have higher asthma prevalence rates (and more servere asthma) than non poor children. I found this to be a very interesting finding that areas where poor children and non- poor children were living would affect their health. This could be because of several reasons, for one it could be because of the demographic area or the type of housing conditions in which these infants live in. All these factors could play a big part in contributing to the findings that kids in rural areas are more probable to get Asthma. However, there are also many other factors that also contribute to health disparities. There are socioeconomic factors that include the individuals race, ethnicity, the kind of education they may have, and the kind of income they earn annually that also contribute to the individuals health. As mentioned earlier, the individuals health may allow him/her to receive a different treatment from another individual whom is of a different race. For example, John, an African American male, goes to see his doctor because he has been coughing for a week and wants to get checked out. Instead of giving John all the different tests, the doctor would just give him medicine and tell him he just has a cold or flu, yet if it is a white male they would probably give him a thorough check up to see what was really wrong with the individual, and then give that person the necessary medication they need. Also, ethnicity brings an additional dimension to health disparity. As mentioned earlier, when it comes to health care for minorities they generally have a harder time getting the kind of care they need, especially ones that live in the rural areas. Baer mentions that, Health disparity research suggests that ethnic minority groups like African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans suffer a triple burden in seeking health care: 1. They are significantly less likely to have health insurance than whites, and so accessing care is a major challenge, and while adequate acute care is hard enough to come by, preventive care is all but impossible for those who are insured The kind of education one has also contributed to the gap between health inequalities between individuals. The more education one has the longer they live, and the healthier life style they have. This is mostly due to the fact that the higher education you have the higher income one may get, and the better education one may get the more likely the individual may have a good job with great security which helps to provide financially for their families. The less education they have the less they can earn, the more stressful the job can be, and the less job security they have in order to provide for their families. Also, the more education you have the more educated you become about living a healthier life style. For example, eating healthier by getting good nutrients and a having a good diet is smart, but in order to live this kind of life style one must be able to afford it which does not allowed everyone in the United States to have this opportunity. Kaplan states, On this view, we c an understand why controlling for the SES and education reduces the health disparities between blacks and white Americans but does not eliminate them. Because black Americans are also systematically disadvantaged with respect SES and education and because SES and education are associated with health outcomes in the United States. Another determent that also brings a problem to health inequality and disparity is the environment one lives in. The environment we live in plays a big role on the kind of diseases we get and develop. Plus, the area one lives plays a big part in the kind of health care one receives. For example, one living in a rural area may not have access to a hospital, or the right doctor they may need to help them give them the right attention they need to live a healthier life style. An additional thing that plays a role on the kind of health we get from the environment could be the kind of water one has access to. The kind of water people in rural areas may use may have things in it that are not healthy for one to drink and may cause different kinds of stomach viruses or stomach problems. The kind of food individuals get in the grocery store maybe not be as healthy as the ones individuals from urban areas may get. Some food may contain more fat and carbohydrates, than the ones they have in the grocery store in urban American cities nationwide. According to McElory and Townsend, That changes in components of their model (e.g. new subsistence patterns) can cause in balances in the other components ( e.g. new subsistence strategies can lead to exposure to new risk ), and a very severe imbalance to generate stress and disease. As the above quote points out, health inequality and disparity can be a big part of the kind of environment one lives in. After selecting this topic I wanted to personally drive through the urban and rural areas of Fort Wayne and compare the differences. Hartley mentions, Traditional concerns as to access to primary and hospital continue to dominate rural health policy. As I drove through town I observed a few things. One observation was that there were barely any hospitals in the rural area. I found a couple of clinics but all the major hospitals, and big health facilities were located in the urban areas. In my opinion, this is a huge disadvantage for someone living in a rural area in Fort Wayne. Another thing I observed during my drive was that there are far more liquor stores located down south. For example, you can drive down a block and you can see three or four liquor stores by the time I was done driving through the block. In contrast, up in the urban areas there are liquor stores but not as many as the ones I came across while in the rural areas. Another thing I also noticed while I was doing my observation was that the urban areas are well taken care of. The streets are clean, buildings were properly done, and roads were done properly with no dirt on the streets. Yet in the rural areas the opposite was true. There were several buildings that were left unfinished; roads were not as clean, housing areas were not as properly done as the ones done in urban areas in Fort Wayne. These are several inequalities I observed on my own. It was a firsthand experience, and I was very shocked to find out that such things are going on i n our on back yard here in Fort Wayne. I believe that in order for us to address this problem as a nation we must first focus in our own cities and towns and then work our way up. Individuals in rural areas have been accustomed to receive unfair health care attention that people that live urban areas in the United States are used to recieving. As mentioned earlier in my paper this not only a problem in the United States but a problem that is effecting millions of other continents around the world. Joyce and Bambra state that, Despite overall improvements in health outcomes since the second world war, health inequalities between the best and worst of society are persistent in developed nations and in some in some instances are continue to widen As a community how can we address health inequality and disparity in our communities to help this stigma get away? Studies have definitely shown that they are minor improvements that have taken place over the years, but never the less, as a community we have a lot of work to be done. Hartley mentions, Recent trends in rural health research and policy suggests that effective policy interventions must be based on differences among rural regions. When arguing for progressive rhetoric for rural American, rickets noted that Urban-Rural comparisons. One of the first things I think we need to do as a community is first try to improve our rural areas. The next step I believe we should do as a country is have a universal health care program in place where everyone will be able to have insurance for every citizen in the United States. In making health insurance accessible to every one in the United States any person will be able to receive the health care they need. An additional thing we as a community need to do in order to address health inequality and disparity is to have more hospitals in the rural areas and not just in the urban areas. We need to have hospitals and clinics more accessible to them. So if they need to see the doctor they do not need to make a fifteen to twenty minute drive they can have it right in their neighborhood. I firmly believe education is the key to removing health inequality and disparity from our communities. The better we educate individuals that are of a different race, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity, the more adequate a person knows about how to live a healthy life style and eat properly. We need to get them to exercise more in order to live healthier, and also educate them about the effects of smoking cigarettes and what it causes. For example, have health fair programs that will tell them how smoking can cause lung cancer, and many other chronic diseases, and also better educate them how drugs and sharing needles can affect ones life style and cause many diseases such as HIV-which is a very serious epidemic that is killing millions of people in our world today. Also having different organizations that are pro-health that would go into the different rural communities and talk and mentor individuals on what they can do to live a good and healthier life would be a great asset in educating individuals. Another way for us to draw the gap when it comes to health and inequality is to create more jobs for individuals, so that they will be able to work and support their families. In doing this it will give them something to stress less about, which in turn will help individuals to be stress free. As mentioned earlier in my paper, stress causes a lot of health issues which can lead to different cardiovascular heart problems, effect once growth, diabetes, and hypertension which are all various disease one can get from living a healthier life style. So hopefully creating more jobs in rural communities may be able to create a less stressful life for individuals. Improving the environment are also ways in which we can address health disparity in our communities and country. For us to take the next step in which we can overcome health disparity and inequality is to clean up the rural areas. They should be cleaned up, they should also have access to clean water to drink, and tap water should be sterilized to certain standards to meet the States regulations. Also fountains and lakes should be monitored and kept clean, having clean water is important in other for mosquitoes and other parasites to not take over rural communities. Not having all these necessary steps taken people in rural areas may have easy access to malaria and other diseases which may greatly affect their community. Doing away with majority of the liquor stores in rural areas will also help to bring inequality to our neighborhoods, because having alcohol in rural areas in my opinion just helps to destroy the individuals in these areas. Drinking may also contribute too many other diseases that may cause premature death in one area. Another substance that we can do away with is creating awareness about drinks and get them off the streets. In getting both drugs and alcohol out of the rural areas we can only hope that we can try to get the rural areas to be almost equivalent to urban areas although one that will not be easy to do. In doing the following we can hope that health inequality and disparity in rural areas can be improved to met the standards that urban areas have. The U. S is such a wealthy nation that they should not be anything such as health inequality and disparity amongst different areas in the . From my research I do however believe that there is hope for the future. Changes are been made however, we just have to put our differences apart in other for us to reach the point where health is equal and available to everyone no matter how much income they make, the amount of education they have, or the color of the skin they should have access to it . Overall, I learned a lot of from this project I gained a lot of knowledge from it. I became aware of things that I was not previously not aware of in the past. I never looked at health as inequality and disparity; I rather looked at it from a different prospective but in doing this project it made me understand what it means when one mentions the United States health care system has inequality and disparity in its system. From doing this project I also gained passion for this topic and down the road I would like to volunteer, or be health activists, because as repeated earlier in my paper I believe health services should be offered to everyone.