Butterfly Life Cycle

A butterfly collector is studying a species of butterfly that has expanded its range into a new area over the last thirty years. The butterflies in the new area feed on a species of flower that has a deeper throat than the flowers exploited by the butterfly species in its original range. The average length of the proboscis that is used to suck nectar from flowers is also greater in butterflies that inhabit the new area. The butterfly collector makes a very valid hypothesis saying that the butterflies have adapted and evolved to their surroundings by having longer proboscis.Evolution plays a key role in how animals survive, change and evolve according to their surroundings. It is no surprise that if the flowers grew longer, the butterflies would have to adapt their own body in order to reach the nectar. Once the butterflies adapted this trait to live, it was soon passed on to their offspring until all butterflies had longer proboscises which they needed to have in order to survive and live. Also since it was a new area where these flowers were, it is no surprise that the butterflies had to adapt to a new flower.Animals and humans adapt to their surroundings to make life easier to live. Another reason for why the butterflies had a longer proboscis could be because over time the butterflies evolved to have different organs in their bodies to be able to fight off different kind of prey and over time more and more butterflies adapted this trait. Also, over time the butterflies with this trait could use it to collect nectar from these different types of flowers that other butterflies couldn’t which made them the stronger butterflies and the other type slowly died off, only leaving butterflies with bigger proboscises alive.

Microsoft excel and the Microsoft access

1. Which two training sessions did you select and why? I chose the Microsoft excel and the Microsoft access training session, the reason why I chose the excel training session was so that I could gain more knowledge on better data analysis and ways in which one can make it more easier to insert formulas on data, excel is known for the analysis of a large sample of data. Microsoft access session is also concerned with data and therefore I wanted to learn more about how one can make computing easier when dealing with data that fall in different categories. 2. What were the highlights of the first training session? The first training session I chose was the Microsoft excel session, the main highlights included the great excel features, printing options of excel, creating a chart, enter formulas and working with the keyboard. 3. What were the highlights of the second training session? The second training session was on Microsoft access, the main highlights in this session were differences between a list and a data base, primary keys, fields and tables and finally the four main objects that databases contain 4. Describe three benefits from each training session (six totals) that you will use in your personal or professional life. From both training sessions I have improved my office package use with ease in understanding the application of both excel and access. Microsoft Excel I learnt how to import data into a worksheet, this has helped me text to ease my work of transferring text like data into excel without having to write the whole data manually from other office packages such as word. I also learnt to use various formulas and short cuts to those formulas, in the case where one has a sample whose sample is over a hundred one can simply add up easily and also find the mean and also draw a histogram and other charts. I also have learnt to use more than one chart, in this case I have learnt also to auto fill formulas having only written the on the first row, this makes it easier to use on data that require to be multiplied by different columns on the worksheet. Microsoft Access In this course I learnt how to use queries and let access give an output, example in a case where one wants to know how many individuals in a company earn more than a certain level of income, all you need to do is enter a query and then you get your results. I also learnt how to make a database which aids in organization of work, the data base will be created with fields such as address, location, department and even the name, this will aid in organization of the data of employees to a manager or accountant. I also learnt how to use the data in access to mail merge, this entails the writing of a letter in word and leaving some fields linked to the data and then one only has to merge the letter with the data base and one can write to a hundred people within minutes. 5. What would you add to either training session in terms of improvement, if anything? In terms of improving the training session I would recommend that there be more advanced learning concerning the various Microsoft packages, this will involve animation of ways in which various applications are applied. REFERENCE: Microsoft office training (2007) Microsoft excel and Microsoft access training sessions, retrieved on 26th July, available at www.office.microsoft.com/en-us/training/default.aspx   

Among the hidden–Reader’s report

Bolometer The book I read is Among the hidden Which is wrote by Margaret Peterson Haddam. This book was published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing in 1998. It is a science-fiction book Which has about 150 pages. My first impression of this book is that it is a sad story because the cover page is made up by cool tone. The story happens in the future which starts with Lake's birthday in Lake's home.With a new housing development replacing the woods next to his family farm, he is no longer allowed to go outside. There is a law about each family can only have tow children. Luke has lived his entire life in hiding because he is a shadow child, a third child forbidden by the population police. Luke admires his brothers so much because they can go to school and play with friends out side. This setting makes me feeling mysterious and depressive. Until one day, he find out there is an other shadow child in his neighbor's family.She is Jean, the creator of a chat room for shadow child ren chatting with each other. They become friends soon after they meet. Jean organizes a rally Which hundreds of shadow children are going to protest the government's population law, but Luck does not participate in the rally that day because of fear. After the rally day, Luck can not contact with Jean for a week. He is so anxious that he breaks in Jean's house. He meets Jean's dad in the house who tells him a appealing news Jean and other shadow children were killed by population police.Then, Jean's dad helps Luck escaping from population police' chase. Finally, they achieve to make a fake I. D for Luck. On this story, the main conflict is person versus society. All the shadow children are illegal, but they never stop the struggle for freedom. The two main character for the story are Luck and Jean. Luck is a small-bone and soft looking boy. Firstly, I think he is an obedient boy. He never disobey his parents' order about hiding. He does not ask much about why he have to hid even he is very unwilling to do that.Secondly, he is a person of perseverance. He observe his neighbors every day. So he can know each of his neighbors. And that's why he can find out Jean when he saw the light in her home after all her relatives are going out. Jean is the most impressive person I have read in this story. She is slim and has a short hair. She is so courageous that she organizes the rally at the risk of her life. And she is really decent that she wants all the shadow children have the same right with the normal people. She is dead because of trying to protest the totalitarian government.In my opinion, the reason author write this book is to tell the children how blessedness they are now. Comparing with these shadow children who are not accepted by the society, we are really lucky. This book make me occurring to China. China is a country have that population law, but not as serious as the book describes. The family who have more children in China have to pay a fine. That tel ls us each thing has its limit. If the overspent is so strict at population law, it will be a tragedy for someone.If the government do this reasonable, it will be a good thing to everyone. The major strength for reader to read this book is that the poll is very suspenseful Which you will never know what are going to happen. The weakness is that it is a sad story. Jean is dead at the end, it does not make reader feeling happy. I will recommend this book to my friends because it can tell them to treasure their life. I think if a person feels lonely and reactive by society, he can resonate with the children in the book and he will like this book.

The Role of Women in the Late 19th Century Essay

The Role of Women in the Late 19th Century - Essay Example The progressive era and the oppressive ideas prevalent The late 19th century can be thought of as an era where rapid business and economic changes occurred, progression in terms of the legal rights and professional attitudes of women occurred. The image of San Francisco in the early twentieth century in the public areas is well portrayed by Jessica to be â€Å"one comprising of substantial stone clad buildings, visible down Market Street with a lively mixture of people which comprised of women in long dresses and hats and working women in business suits† (Jessica, 2011, pg 11). The women in the late 19th century faced much oppression in the work place especially in male dominated areas. Sexism or gender discrimination was at its peak in this era as female workers in highly proficient jobs faced opposition from both sexes. The major role of the women in the late 19th century was that of a housekeeper and caretaker of the children. The women from wealthy families hosted parties for business reasons and charity raising purposes. Working women faced a huge opposition from their family, society and at the work place. The women in the 19th century were involved in many reform movements like the women’s rights to suffrage, feminism to pacifism, temperance to abolitionism which changed the American history and gained many rights for the women (Kathleen, Therese, 1996, pg 25). There were many informal community groups involved to bring about a change in the neighborhood, the state, the society and ultimately in the nation. Women began to enter into all fields like journalism, photography, law, medicine and engineering. The publications like newspapers and magazines played a major role in the upliftment of the women (Kathleen, Therese, 1996, pg XVII). The right to vote was given to women in the 19th century by the joint effort of many women’s right movements active at that time. Discussion The book the Russian Hill murders by Shirley portrays the bac kground found in the late 19th century well in relation to how the women were treated, expected to behave and the general culture over the period of time. The book is a murder mystery set in the 19th century and the incident occurs at San Francisco. The female lead in the book is Sarah Woolson who is an attorney at law in the late 1880’s, inspired by her father who was a Judge (Shirley, 2005, pg 15). The firm in itself is a major obstruction for her as she is taken into the firm reluctantly and in every manner possible the firm tries to push her down from her professional practice. The women in the 19th century had demanding work, much more tough than practicing criminal law in terms of the physical effort they had to spend â€Å"I find it strange that practicing law in a comfortable well-heated office is considered too demanding an occupation for women†¦.† (Shirley, 2005, pg 6). Sarah overcomes the numerous oppositions she faces with a helpful few while following the female etiquette demanded from women during the late 19th century. Conclusion In the book Russian hill murders (Shirley, 2005) the social status of women in the late 19th century is well analyzed. The characters are all well portrayed and the background description fits in well with what existed in reality in the late 19th century. The lead character Sarah gives us an idea of how women in male dominated fields were treated in the 19th centur

What are the benefits to an advertiser of TV instead of print Essay

What are the benefits to an advertiser of TV instead of print - Essay Example The three traditional media platforms — radio, print and television — in addition to the emerging powerhouse, the Internet, are all effective marketing and advertising tools. This paper will examine some of the benefits in two-way comparisons. Their respective unique benefits for advertisers are primarily anchored on their own publics - their audience, listeners and viewers. These differentiated populations will explain why one is better than the others. Of course, this variable is in addition to other factors as well, including the manner in which contents are delivered. This paper will examine some of the benefits in two-way comparisons. TV vs. Print Advertisers will prefer television than newspapers and magazines fundamentally because television can broadcast moving pictures, hence, is more effective platform to market products. According to Hansen and Christensen, television has more emotional impact as evidenced by how most people remember TV advertisements than th ose placed in other media (279). In addition, television viewership can surpass print subscriptions. Statistics show, for instance, that 99 percent of the American household own at least one television (Herr). Print readership, on the other hand, is declining in the past years. For example, newspaper subscription has dropped 8.74 percent in 2010, placing the overall readership to less than 100 million (discounting readership of their online versions) (Lefkow 2010). Advertisers are increasingly becoming aware of this and, as a response, they are now purchasing advertising space in newspapers that are decentralized and specialized, meaning to reach their intended market more effectively (Cranberg, Bezanson and Soloski, 130). The decline in readership has led to the downtrend in newspaper advertising revenue as demonstrated in the following table: Table 1: Newspaper Ad Revenue (OECD, 60) Radio and TV Although radio appears to be ineffective in advertising in comparison to other traditi onal media the case is actually the opposite. Radio holds significant advantage over TV in the eyes of advertisers. Shimp outlined these as: 1) the ability to reach segmented audiences; 2) intimacy; 3) economy; 4) short lead times; 5) easy transfer of imagery from television; and, 5) the use of local personalities (372). To explain of these advantages in detail, let us consider the "intimacy" variable. Unlike television, radio is a platform that people feel closer to because they can identify with it. Radio advertising, wrote Shimp, is a personal and intimate form of friendly persuasion that has potential to increase consumers' engagement with advertisement placement in the medium (273). Then, there is also the ease by which television content could be transformed into radio broadcast. An ad can be both aired on TV and radio without any major tweaking. Even without the visuals, consumers can identify the ad and recall what is seen previously on TV. A case in point is how Pizza Hut r elies heavily on radio to leverage its TV ad spots. For instance, Garfield, the popular cartoon character, was easily transported from TV to radio ads with his personal, entertaining and informative message sandwiched between music beds that featured Pizza Hut’s one-number jingle† (Weinberger, Campbell and Brody 1994, 133). Internet over Traditional Media? Technology is actually the biggest advantage of the Internet over each platform of the traditional media. DSL, cable, broadband, satellite, etc. - these technologies have enabled millions upon millions of users to access information at the speed and convenience never before seen. For advertisers the Internet is important because of the number of users available. More important, however, is the kind of "intelligent" advertising allowed by high-technology. For instance, softwares, applications and databases can enable advertisers to find and communicate with specific target markets. The idea is

Business Law Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Law Report - Essay Example ..8 3.2 Scenario†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦9 1. Introduction Promissory estoppel is an equitable doctrine that applies to contract law to enforce a promise that is unsupported by consideration. It involves a promise given by one of the parties to a contract, during its performance, not to insist to the terms of the original contract (Feinman, 1984). This doctrine mitigates the harshness of the common law which insists that any promise which is unsupported by a consideration cannot be enforced. In the law of contract, parties must furnish consideration to make the contract binding. Therefore the words ‘estopped’ means ‘prevented’ or precluded. It prevents a party to a contract from denying the truth of a promissory representation (Feinman, 1984). Lord Denning in Combe v Combe[1951] 2 KB 215 at 220defined the doctrine by stating that â€Å" the principle, as I understand it, is that, where one party has, by his words or conduct, made to the other a promise or assurance which was intended to affect the legal relations between them and to be acted on accordingly, then, once the other party has taken him at his word and acted on it, the one who gave the promise or assurance cannot afterwards be allowed to revert to the previous legal relations as if no such promise or assurance had been made by him, but he must accept their legal relations subject to the qualification which he himself has introduced, even though it is not supported in points of law by any consideration but only by his words†¦Ã¢â‚¬  2. Requirements of Promissory Estoppel This English position was first adopted in Australia by the High Court’s decision in Legione v Hateley(1983) 152 CLR 406. It sets some key ingredients for the application of the doctrine. First, there must be a pre-existing cont ract between the parties, which they seek to modify. Secondly, there must be a clear and unambiguous promise, which one party relies on as result of which they change their position and lastly, it must be inequitable to allow the promisor to go back on their promise. 2.1. Pre-existing Relationship There must be a legal relationship that existed between the parties. The parties ought to be in a continuing legal relationship, in the course of which, one of the parties agrees to the variation, and/or termination of the current one. Promissory estoppel cannot exist in a vacuum, and that it would only arise where there is an existing relationship between the parties.In most instances the existence of a relationship suffices from the existence of a contract (Boyer, 1952). In essence, the underlying contract must have been enforceable, and consideration for the subsequent agreement that is not required (Boyer, 1952). The requirement for the existence of a contract for the application of th e doctrine of estoppel was held not necessary in the Australian case of Waltons Stores (Interstate) Ltd v Maher[1988] HCA 7. The brief facts of the case were that Walton and Maher entered into a negotiation with regards to a lease of a property that was owned by Maher. They agreed that Maher would demolish a building that was in existence and build a new one which Walton would then occupy. The parties entered principally into an

News Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

News - Research Paper Example While marketing to teenagers has been predominant, reporting of marketing practices via social media has substantially exacerbated in today’s world. Social media has provided business enterprises with a platform where they can directly interact with potential consumers, and subsequently lure them into buying. As a result, social media has redesigned the mode of doing business for many enterprises. Businesses identify their targets and implement strategies to influence these targets. In so doing, a relationship is established based on how convinced the targets are. For instance, marketing that targets teenagers has been reported to assess and evaluate the factors that influence teenage buying behaviors (Bax, 2012). Social media has emerged as a substantial influencing factor in determining teenage consumption trends for differentiated products and services, ranging from edibles to clothing or even luxury

Personal Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Personal Development - Essay Example essed, I have had the chance to increase the amount of time that I spend with the instructors in terms of learning after class and made sure that I went over all the material that was delivered in class. In the event that there was a concept or point that needed to be clarified, I made the resolve to talk to the instructors before the next class so that I may understand the concept and catch up with the rest of the group. Social development has also been a considerable part of my personal development as I made the discovery that I was lacking soft skills in comparison to other people. The significance of these skills in the school and work environment cannot be ignored, therefore, I had to develop them so that I could avoid cases of skill mismatching in school as well as the workplace. (Zenger and Folkman 137). Improving interactions with other individuals was among the main goals of my personal development and as the semester progressed, I had to make changes on the ways I related to people through allowing more time for interactions. I was able to achieve this goal through seeking an elective position as a representative of one of the clubs in school and the acquisition of the leadership position was critical for the developing my leadership skills. Being elected for this post has also assisted me to enhance my communication skills as am tasked with communicating the needs and issues of the members of the club to the leaders of the club. This has also assisted me to become a better listener while developing more focus in my activities since I have other responsibilities apart from my schoolwork. I had also intended to better my social interaction both within and outside the school and among the most effective ways, that I chose to achieve this was through more involvement in extra-curricular programs. Settling on a particular activity was not easy as there were numerous programs to choose from, nevertheless, I had an awareness of the significance of this and

Germany and US Stakeholders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Germany and US Stakeholders - Essay Example Through this collaboration, they would be able to achieve two-fold objectives. Firstly, the employees and board representatives would be able to safeguard own interests and pursue their objectives. Secondly, when their objectives are achieved, the larger organizational aims is fulfilled as well (Petrick, 2010). In the stakeholder capitalism model, an employee representative is given a seat on the board of directors. The major responsibility of the employee representative is to communicate to each and every stakeholder about concerns of the employees. The presence of employee representatives within the board also enables the top-level management to establish a robust corporate governance framework for facilitating smooth operation of the organization. By working in collaboration with each other, the employee representative and the management representative can make sure that workflow within the organization is smooth. In addition, they are able to secure achievement of operational efficiency (Fauver&Fuerst, 2006). Achieving operational excellence is one of the most important objectives that organizations aim to attain. Operational efficiency can be facilitated only if the top-level management possesses very good knowledge about the workforce available to the firm. Such knowledge would allow the managers to allocate resources effectively according to the skills and experience of the workforce as well as the operational objective. By allocating resources effectively, managers are able to achieve operational efficiency and therefore maximize value for the shareholders. However, only satisfying the needs of the shareholders do not guarantee a company’s success. The management also has to be concerned about employee needs. They need to identify and understand interests of the employees, as they are perhaps one of the most important stakeholders (Faccio, Lang,& Young, 2001). In order to meet the employee needs,

Methods to Conserve Energy Essay Example for Free

Methods to Conserve Energy Essay Using natural energy resources doesnt necessarily mean you will conserve any energy, yet we do advise every household to research the possibility of implementing natural energy resources to influence their home power supply. This will conserve the fossil fuels we are currently consuming at an alarming rate. Many little things can be done in an attempt to conserve energy in the home. It is knowing how to do these little energy conservation processes that many people do not know about, understand, or Just dont care. Another way relating to how we can conserve energy is to ensure whenever we have finished using appliances that may have a light on them (such as a standby light), we switch the appliance off, or unplug after use. Little things can make a big difference in conserving energy around the home, and this is especially true for dishwashers, washing machines and dryers. Modern dishwashers have energy saving wash cycles, we strongly advise the use of such features, washing machines can be set to lower temperature washes, when sed with the right washing powder, and a dryer, well if you own a dryer, get rid of it and dry your washing naturally on a washing line. Hybrid cars can make a difference to your carbon footprint, and can help you save energy. No, they will not eliminate carbon emissions from their exhausts, yet they will greatly reduce the amount of carbon you pump into the air each year. The only reason you should need a 44 vehicle is if you live in a rough terrain area, or constantly snowy area. When you choose your next car, be sure to check the miles per gallon to see how fficient your car will be, this not only helps the environment but it saves you money on fuel too. When conserving energy, we can also look to our heating methods, why not reduce your heating thermostat or radiators by only 1 degree for a lengthy time, and compare your heating bill? If you recycle more, you will be helping to conserve energy put into making new versions of what you have recycled, and this also reduces the burden on landfill sites and incinerators which are not good for the environment

Advantages Of Human Resource Planning Business Essay

Advantages Of Human Resource Planning Business Essay Human resource planning is really important that without this all planning will finally end up as a mere guess work. Even if the predictions or forecast is not always successful, it is still needed because the forecasts can be quite useful which will give a basis. Upon this basis it is able to avoid ad hoc problems to an extent. Therefore human resource planning should be articulated along with the organisational planning. A dearth of particular category of employee or particular kind skills will affect the organisation in achieving its goals. Rapid changes in technology, marketing, management etc., will result in need of particular category an skilled persons. Changes within an organization in its design and structure will affect manpower demand. Demographic changes like the altering profile of the manpower in terms of age, sex, education etc. The Government policies in regard to reservation, child labour, working conditions etc. Different labour laws affecting the demand and supply of labour. Pressure from trade unions, politicians etc. Advantages of Human Resource Planning: Human Resources Planning (HRP) expects not just the needed quality and quantity of employees instead decide the accomplish plan for all the occasions of human resource management .The major advantages of Human resource planning are: It assures the corporate plan of the firm. The HRP elucidates doubts and alters to the upper limit potential and enables the organization to have right kind of people at right time in right place. It allows background for progress and growth of employees through training, development etc. It aids in anticipating the cost of salary increasing, improved benefits etc. It also helps to predict the cost of pay offs, incentives and all other cost of human resources which facilitates the formulation of budgets in an organization. To forecast the changes in abilities, aptitude and attitude of personnel. It results in the advancement of different origins of human resources to encounter the organizational goals and objectives. It also aids in taking measures to amend human resource shares in the form of enhanced output ,business turnover etc It facilities the control of all the functions, operations, contribution and cost of human resources Planning as an organisational business strategy: Planning process in a strategic way is often accomplished by networking with in and outside the organisation. The focus is therefore on strengthening the networking with the internal human resource professionals and external human resource persons which will be rooted in sharing information, technology, tools necessary for planning and development of personnel. The outcome depends on effective implementation of the developed tools and resources needed. Out of these a sustainable and feasible strategy has to be formulated. The most important thing to be noted here is that the strategy formulated should be articulated with the overall business strategy of the organisation. For this they will consult different human resource managers and all the line managers in the organisation. In order to ensure highest possible utilization of the tools they will work in close conjunction with the managers. This will be aimed in creating a sound personnel data base and tools for the line managers. Long term planning for success in short term: Though long term planning is advised the daily operational pressures would cause the long term planning to give way to short term planning. This might cause the plans ultimately to be less successful. It can be very expensive too. Quite lot of lead time is needed for recruiting, developing talented personnel. This will require long term economic plans. For a successful planning, all the factors need to be interconnected. The impact of short term planning will be to rely on current work force for all the organisational activities. But so as to achieve long term goals of an organisation it must have some changes made in the current human resources. It should be able to foresee the future needs of the organisation even in worst external scenario. Now the focus has been shifted from long range planning to strategic planning. What long range means is to predict for a particular time in future the amount of demand of an organisations services and to analyse in what area that demand will occur in future. This is often used to determine the demand in certain situations like expansion, adding of more services to the existing situation, capital needs etc. But later when the industries became volatile and the external scenario became dynamic the long range planning was replaced by strategic planning. The idea behind long range planning is that the firm will continue its rendering of services so as to match with its demand. But the idea underlying behind the strategic planning is that there are lot of economic, social, political, technological and competitive changes happening. By understanding all these changes to analyse whether the organisation will be able to provide services that would meet these challenges or whether it should m ove to further new services and products. Though it will take considerable time to evolve a strategy, time span is not the important focus here. It might even take generations to evolve and implement a strategy. Therefore it is better to use long term and short term to describe the time that it will take for a strategy to implement. CHAPTER 2 Literature Review: Human beings are the most important assets in hospitals. Machines and other equipments which are integral parts of delivering health care require the human touch, expertise, and commitment for their full utilization and application in delivery of health care. Therefore planning of human resources is the key to any health care provision. The objective of human resource (HR) policy is to attract, recruit, retain and develop competent personnel and Create a continuously learning health care organisation. (B.Ray) Human resource planning is the projection of the number of people required and the type of people in terms of skill mix required for the organisation so as to achieve the desired goals and objectives of the organisation. This means that human resource planning is an important add on to the strategic plans. But evidence shows that the connecting bridge between human resource planning and strategic management is not stressed in practice (Baird et al.1983, De sancto-1983; Ohan Rynes-1983). Reason to this non utilisation is found in focus of human resource planning literature. Almost all the research focuses on human resource supply and demand forecasting (Zedeck Casci-1984). Extra care may be taken in developing a statistical model of manpower planning, but little care is given to gaining managerial acceptance of such plans. Thus there exist a huge gap between available techniques and their use because important organisational realities are not projected in to the models (Zedeck Casc io,1984) Rapid environmental change, globalization, innovations to provide competitive products and services, changing customer and investor demands have become the standard backdrop for organizations. To compete effectively, firms must constantly improve their performance by reducing costs, enhancing quality, and differentiating their products and services. To improve firm performance and create firm competitive advantage, HR should focus on better and new set of priorities. These newly set priorities should be more organisational, business and strategic oriented and less focussed towards old traditional HR functions like staffing, training, appraisal and compensation. Business strategic priorities include team-based job designs, flexible workforces, quality improvement practices, employee empowerment and incentive compensation (Jing and Huang 2005). SHRM was designed to diagnose firm strategic needs and planned talent development which is required to implement a competitive strategy and achieve operational goals (Huselid et al., 1997). Apart from report proof on the strategic importance of human resource planning, studies of organisation practices give an indication of its arousing grandness for strategic applications. A study interviewed human resource executives from 137 companies to describe the reasons why their companies were following human resource forecasting, which an important part of human resource is planning. The most important three reasons were for bringing up their human resources (77.6 percent), for avoiding personnel shortages (73.1 percent), and to collect information for decisions (73.1 percent). Another set of reasons for human resource forecasting included the following: optimistic action efforts (63.6 percent), budgeting (62.1 percent), and career planning (59.7 percent)

Smart Transport System Based Upon Autonomous Road Vehicles

Smart Transport System Based Upon Autonomous Road Vehicles INTRODUCTION People have a high reliance on car for their daily travel to work, shopping, tour and many other places [1]. More than 50% of worlds population lives in cities and more vehicles are on the road causing congestion problems and accidents. Therefore, there is a need for more safe and efficient means of transportation. The new technologies are replacing decade old transportation frameworks and operators with computerization and automation. Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) is an innovative method that utilizes sensors movements, artificial intelligence, and human management together which will help the autonomous vehicle to drive without human intervention [2]. Autonomous vehicles will be seen soon on our roads communicating with nearby vehicles and warn each other by understanding the conditions ahead. Many cars, for example, the Tesla Model S and the Volvo XC90 has already started including propelled self-driving capacities, and this is expected to increase in coming years [3]. In this paper two use case scenarios of autonomous vehicles are discussed. The first use case discusses about an autonomous vehicle valet parking. Parking a vehicle is considered as one of the difficult task in driving. This includes finding the parking slot and park without collision. The proposed system will allow the driver to leave the vehicle when he/she reaches the destination and the vehicle will park itself in a parking slot. The second use case discusses an autonomous vehicle that can drive without human intervention in an unknown environment. The use cases included are obstacle avoidance, backward moving and overtaking. 2.USE CASE SCENARIOS 2.1 AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE VALET PARKING The number of vehicles on road is increasing rapidly causing congestion problems and pollutions. One of the main reasons for this is lack of car parking and time consumed to find the parking slots. This paper discusses the driving and parking of an autonomous vehicle to a car parking slot without human intervention. An autonomous valet parking will allow the driver to leave the vehicle when he/she reaches the destination and will park the vehicle in a parking slot. The sensors will sense obstacles in its way and will steer around them to avoid collision. It will also notify the driver after parking and locking the door automatically through an app. The proposed system will help the driver who is in a hurry to attend a meeting or watch movie, who doesnt want his/her time to waste checking for parking area and to drive and park there. There are three systems in the vehicle for the autonomous vehicle valet parking [6]. (i) Server System The server system will generate the different driving path to the nearest parking slot and will provide it to the driver through the mobile application. The driver can select the preferred path and vehicle will drive through that path. (ii) Mobile System The driver will be able to monitor the vehicle and check whether it is finding any difficulty to reach the parking slot. The vehicle will also notify the driver once when it has reached the parking slot. (iii) Vehicle Control System The control system will generate the control signals such as steering control, gear change, brakes and speed control required for the movement of the vehicle through the provided path. It should also generate control signals to help the car park in the provided slot. Figure 1: Autonomous vehicle parking system 2.1.1 DESIGN ANALYSIS AND ALGORITHM 2.1.1.a. PARKING SLOT SELECTION Once the driver has reached the destination the driver should request for the nearest parking and reserve the parking slot. The algorithm for this is shown in figure 1.1 [6]. Step 1: Driver request for the parking guidance. The parking slot availability in the parking garage should be updated every time in the data base. The parking slot can detect whether it is occupied with vehicle or not by using an IR sensor in the parking slot. The IR sensors will be connected to micro-controllers. The microcontrollers will communicate to the central server system using ESP8266 which contains the data base of the parking slot availability. ESP8266 is a low-cost Wi-Fi chip which will give micro-controller access to communicate with the Wi-Fi network. Along with the number of free parking lots, parking cost in different parking garage will also be stored in the database. The parking guidance is requested by the driver using the navigation system which will be embedded with sim cards inside the vehicle. BMW already have sim card embedded cars [8]. There will be GPS module inside the navigation system which will give the current location of the car. This location of the vehicle, will help to find the nearest parking fa cilities near it. The distance and time to reach each parking garage are calculated by the already programmed navigation device. It will also provide the parking fare for each parking garage. The driver can then select the appropriate parking slot based on his convenience. Step 2: Reserve the parking slot Once the parking slot has been selected by the driver, it should be reserved otherwise there are chances for the parking slot to be occupied by some other car before the vehicle reaches the selected slot. The central server system should be updated once the driver has reserved parking slot. The reservation should be done using the number plate of the vehicle. Sometimes, there might be more than one reservation request for the same parking slot at the same. So, there are chances to get the reservation declined for other customers. In that case the driver can select another parking slot. The vehicle can also go to the parking slot without reservation as well. But there will be a risk of the parking slot to be occupied before the vehicle arrives the parking slot. Step 3: Start the navigation to the parking slot. Once the parking slot has been selected by the driver, he/she can leave the car and the car will navigate to the selected parking slot. Figure 1.1. Algorithm for parking slot selection 2.1.1.b. PARKING PATH FOLLOWING Once the parking slot has been selected the next step is to guide the vehicle to the parking slot. In this paper [6], a graph data structure is used, which will generate driving path using 4D kinematics (i, j, ÃŽÂ ¸, R). The i and j represents the centre co-ordinates of the vehicle and ÃŽÂ ¸ is the heading angle value of the vehicle. To avoid the obstacles while following the path to the parking slot laser scanner sensors (LMS15) are used. These sensors can see the obstacles within 40 m distance and an angular range of 0-1900. The sensors are fitted on both sides in the front and rear side of the vehicle. The obstacle avoidance path is generated by the server system. The figure 1.3. [6] shows the obstacle detecting and avoiding path. Figure 1.3. Obstacle detecting and avoiding path [6] The path generated by the server system consists of location of the vehicle and its heading angle value (ÃŽÂ ¸). The vehicle control system will generate signals to control the steering of the vehicle depending on the heading angle value and location of the vehicle. The steering angle should be calculated for this. The formula for steering angle is shown below [6]. ÃŽÂ ¸s = ÃŽÂ ¸3 ÃŽÂ ¸2  ­- ÃŽÂ ¸1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2 ÃŽÂ ¸s = Steering angleÃŽÂ ¸3 = lateral error angle of vehicle location  Ã‚  Ã‚   ÃŽÂ ¸2 = look-ahead way point heading angle  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   ÃŽÂ ¸1 = vehicle heading angle Figure 1.4. [6] shows the driving path followed by the vehicle and the location of the vehicle. Figure 1.4. Driving path followed by the vehicle [6] The speed will also be controlled by the control system. The speed will be reduced to 8 km/hr once the car has entered the parking garage. The car will be notified when it reaches the parking garage by the GPS module installed in the navigation system. The laser scanner sensors can detect the moving obstacles as well. When the vehicle has detected the moving object (e.g. pedestrian) it will stop and wait until it has crossed the road. 2.1.1.c. PARKING AT THE SELECTED PARKING SLOT The next step after reaching the parking slot is the parking at the selected slot. The vehicle control systems consist of two levels [7]. 1. Low level control Low level control is the control of motion which includes steering wheels control, speed control and moving in a proposed distance. 2. High level control High level control is computer vision based control. A trajectory path is formed showing the vehicle direction to park it in the selected slot. To describe the car parking, bi-cycle model is used [7]. This model is commonly used to describe four wheeled vehicles. Rear drive wheel of this model cannot be rotated. To control the vehicle movement the front wheel will be rotated about the vertical axis following the trajectory path. It is assumed that the vehicle is moving on a horizontal and flat surface. Figure 1.5. Bi-cycle model of four wheeled vehicles The figure 1.5. shows the bi-cycle model of four wheeled vehicles [7]. The co ordinate system is represented as V, where x and y represent the co-ordinate points in that system. L= distance between the front and rear wheels ÃŽÂ ³ = steering angle ÃŽÂ ¸ = angle between xv and x v = velocity of the vehicle ICR instantaneous centre of rotation of the vehicle Parking of the car can be done in two ways. [7] 1.Parallel parking method. 2.Perpendicular parking method. Parallel parking method A precise path should be generated to minimize the parking area. The vehicle should move along two arcs created by the high level control without straight-line section between them. A maximum rotational angle of the steering wheels is required to achieve this. The figure 1.6. shows the parallel parking method [7]. Figure 1.6. Parallel parking method [7] The circle radius is calculated using the steering angle (ÃŽÂ ³). Circle radius (R1) = L2tgÃŽÂ ³ Ls1 and Ls2 are the safety boundaries, so the vehicle will not hit the front and back corner of the vehicle while parking. L1, L2, L3 and L4 are the boundary dimensions. The trajectory parking length (S)can be calculated to park the vehicle in the parking slot without colliding on the obstacles. The formula to obtain the trajectory parking length is given below. S = Ls1 + L1 + L2 + L3 + L4 + Ls2 Perpendicular parking method Perpendicular parking method is almost like the parallel parking method. This method reduces the parking area required for parking. The figure 1.7. shows the perpendicular parking method. Figure 1.7. Perpendicular parking method [7] The centre axel wheel should steer along the arc with the radius (R2) value given below to park in a safe condition. R2 = When vehicle reaches point A,for successful completion of parking, the steering wheels should be controlled by the steering. The gear should be in reverse gear and continue until the safe region. There are safety zones LS as in the parallel parking method. The trajectory parking length (S)can be calculated to park the vehicle in the parking slot without colliding on the obstacles. The formula to obtain the trajectory parking length is given below. S = R1 + L2 + LS + 2.1.1.d. NOTIFYING THE DRIVER AFTER PARKING After the car, has been parked in the parking slot, the driver should be notified that the car is safely parked. The sim card embedded in the system will help to notify the driver through SMS or mobile app that it has arrived the parking slot safely. This will help the driver to track the vehicle and ensure that it has reached the parking slot safely. 2.1.2 CHALLENGES AND DESIGN ISSUES IN THE PROPOSED SYSTEM Challenges (i) One of the main challenges in the proposed system is that the driver can only access the parking garages which has been saved in the central server system. (ii) In the proposed system, the vehicle will not come to pick the driver. He/she should go to the parking slot to find the car. This can be included in the future development. Design Issues (i) Sometimes GPS might fail to work in that case the autonomous car might fail to find its direction. (ii) Infrared sensors are expensive and sometimes fail to work due to temperature change. 2.1.3. VEHICLES THAT HAS BEEN USING AUTOMATED VEHICLE VALET PARKING Using digital mapping technology, BMW i3 is about to launch their new car [9] that can park in multi-storey parking garages. This fully autonomous vehicle will drive until it detects a free parking space. Their new Remote Valet Parking Assistant will parks the i3 without any driver assistance. The new car can also detect the moving obstacles and falsely parked car using its LiDAR sensors and drive accordingly without colliding with the obstacles. The car will not notify the driver it has reached the parking slot is one of the drawback in their features. 2.2 AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE NAVIGATION IN UNKNOWN ENVIRONMENT. A fully automatic vehicle should be able to drive by itself and for that it should sense, control, observe and react to its environment. This paper describes an autonomous vehicle that can drive without human intervention in an unknown environment. The use cases included are obstacle avoidance, backward moving and overtaking. The car will reach its destination by avoiding obstacles and following the path lane. A fuzzy logic control technology is used in this paper which will receive the required information from the sensors which will sense the obstacles in its way and the environmental changes. A GPS module is also used to track the position of the vehicle. The system will also control the speed, brake and steering effectively. 2.2.1 DESIGN ANALYSIS AND ALGORITHM The proposed system is divided into two units [5] Fuzzy logic control unit Computer vision unit. The block diagram of the proposed unit is shown in the figure 2.1. [5]. Figure 2.1. Block diagram of the proposed system [5] 2.2.1.a. FUZZY LOGIC CONTROL UNIT Autonomous cars are very complex to design. In this system, fuzzy logic is used to generate logical control signals from the input analog signals. Fuzzy logic is widely used in artificial intelligence. There are many alternative approaches such as genetic algorithm and neural network, but fuzzy logic has the merit that, it can be easily understood by the human operators. The block diagram of the fuzzy logic control unit is shown in figure 2.2. Figure 2.2. Fuzzy Logic Control Unit [4] The proposed system consists of two ultrasonic sensors for recognising the obstacles and measuring the distance between the obstacle and vehicle. Ultrasonic sensors produce ultrasonic waves, which will not produce any sound pollution/environmental pollution. Its also inexpensive. A H-Bridge is used to control the steering motor and the back motor. Webcam is used to see and follow the road lane path. The steering angle is measured and controlled by a potentiometer. The GPS receiver senses the position of the vehicle and is given to the microcontroller. This will help the micro-controller to know whether the vehicle has reached its destination or not. The steering and speed commands are combined and based on this the vehicle will move through the lane. The speed of the vehicle is the most important part while driving. The speed of the vehicle depends on many external factors such as environmental condition, road condition and car condition. For a normal autonomous car, it should have an auto-braking system, auto-speed control system and auto-steering system. These systems depend on different factors like environmental condition, car condition, road condition and so on. The fuzzy logic control unit will control the speed, brake, and steering based on these factors. The figure 2.3. [4] below shows the fuzzy logic controller controlling the systems based on the environmental condition and car condition. Figure 2.3. Fuzzy Logic Controller [4] Auto-braking System The auto-braking system is provided in autonomous car to avoid collision. The ultrasonic sensors will sense the distance between the obstacle and the car and if it is not in a safe distance the car will either stop or reduce the speed. The normal speed limit is set as 0 60 km/hr and the minimum distance between the car and the obstacle is maintained at 5 10 m. This is selected as per the traffic safety authorities. Auto- speed System Speed of the car is controlled on various factors such as environmental condition and car condition. Environmental condition and car condition will be between the range shown below and the car should choose the speed accordingly. Environmental Conditions: Rains falling: (0 200) mm. Winds Speed: (0 150) km/h. Rain sensors are used to sense the rain. The sensors can tell when it is raining depending on the rain drops falling on the wind shield depending on the light reflected. If there are more rain drops on the wind shield less light will be reflected to the rain sensor. Car Condition: Weight (including passengers): (1600 1900) kg. Engine Heat: (-25 65) à ; c. A weight sensor can be used in the seats so that it will sense how many passengers are there in the seat and the vehicle can control the speed. All these factors are given a rating between 0 and 10 [4]. If the conditions are bad, the rating will be between 0-3 and if the conditions are good, then the rating will be between 7-10. The micro-controller will be pre-programmed in such a way that it will be indicated when its raining, or when the air content in the tire is less and the speed of the car will be controlled according to that. Auto-Steering control The steering control is the main part of the autonomous car. The steering is controlled in such a way that; it will follow the trajectory or path to the destination generated by the computer vision unit. Obstacle Avoidance The main feature that should be incorporated in an autonomous vehicle is obstacle avoidance to avoid collision. There are two type of obstacles static and moving obstacles. The obstacles are sensed by the ultrasonic sensors which are connected at the right and left side of the vehicle at an angle of +45o and -45o. The distance is measured using fuzzification. The fuzzy sets used are adjacent, medium and far. The range is set between 25 m and 85 m and is determined by the sensor and the dimension of vehicle [4]. Any measured value by the sensor that is below 25 m is set as minimum value and any measured value exceeding 85 m is set as maximum value. To determine in which fuzzy set (near, medium or far) the measured sensor value belong to is determined using triangular membership function. The equation for that is given below [4]. The speed control and steering control signals are got as an output from the controller which are then given to the steering motor and back motor. The steering is controlled by the steering motor. The steering will be turned according to the steering control signals. The steering angle is controlled by the potentiometer. The digitized value of steering angle decision is shown below. Large Left 120 Small Left 145 Straight 170 Small Right 195 Large Right 220 Figure 2.4. [4] shows the graphical representation of the steering angle decision. Figure 2.4. Graphical representation of the steering angle decision [4] Similarly, the speed is controlled by the back motor and three commands are used for this Slow, Medium and Fast. The values for this is shown below and is decided by the back motors duty cycle values for pulse width modulated signal. Slow 20 Medium 50 Fast 80 Figure 2.5. [4] shows the graphical representation of speed control decision Figure 2.5. Graphical representation of speed control decision[4] Destination Arrived A GPS receiver is attached to the controller to know whether the autonomous car has arrived its destination. The destination will be already decided and entered by the user to the micro controller by using a mobile app. The car and the user can communicate to each other using the 4G network. A SIM card will be already embedded inside the car. Once the car has arrived the destination the car will notify the user. 2.2.1.b COMPUTER VISION UNIT Computer vision unit does the decision-making process in the system. In this paper, overtaking and backward process are discussed. Computer vision unit extracts information from the images taken from multiple cameras and makes decision when to overtake other vehicles and when to reverse the car. Backward direction The figure 2.6. [5] shows the algorithm for backward process of the vehicle. Figure 2.6. Algorithm for backward process [5] Step 1: Decide whether the car should take backward direction or not. Step 2: If yes, the car should select the speed of the vehicle to move in backward direction. If not, then the car continues to move in forward direction. Step 3: After selecting the speed of the backward movement, the next step is to select the direction of the backward movement. If the car wants to move left, then steering should be turned to right and if the car wants to move right then the steering should be turned left. If the wants to move backward in a straight direction then the steering should be kept straight i.e., no change for the steering. Step 4: After the step 3 the car will check the backward process has been completed and the process comes to an end. Overtaking Overtaking is a difficult process normally done by human drivers. To overtake another car the vehicle should maintain a certain speed limit and distance between the two cars should be in a safe distance so that it will not collide. The algorithm for a safe overtaking is given in the figure 2.7. [5]. Figure 2.7. Algorithm for overtaking [5] Step 1: The autonomous car will decide whether to overtake the other car in front of it which will be moving slower than it. If yes, then it should select the overtaking speed. If not, then the car should continue the previous speed. Step 2: The autonomous car should change to the left lane after deciding the speed to overtake. It should check through the rear camera that no other vehicles are trying to overtake it in the left lane, otherwise the two cars will collide with each other. Step 3: After changing to the left lane the autonomous car should continue to move in straight direction. It should check whether it has overtaken the slow vehicle. If yes, then it should change to the right lane maintaining a safe distance. If not, it should continue to move in straight direction and keep on monitoring whether it has overtaken the slow vehicle. Step 4: After the change of lane the autonomous car should check whether it has completed the lane changing. If yes, then the process comes to an end. 2.2.2 CHALLENGES AND DESIGN ISSUES IN THE PROPOSED SYSTEM Challenges (i) In the proposed system, only the algorithm for overtaking and backward movement has discussed. Artificial intelligence algorithm has not been discussed. (ii) In the proposed system, there is detection of traffic signals which can be incorporated in the future development Design Issues (i) Sometimes GPS might fail to work in that case the autonomous car might fail to find its direction. (ii) Ultrasonic sensors can produce some errors when sensing objects which might result in collision. 2.2.3 AUTONOMOUS CARS ALREADY IN MARKET Fully autonomous car will be on our road by 2021. Many car companies like tesla, google, BMW has already started developing such cars. Googles self-driving car has completed 1,500,000 miles in full automated mode on mar 2016 [10]. This car has no steering and brake pedal. It has laser and radar sensors to sense the obstacles and also have a back-up steering, braking, and computing system if any of these fails. 3. CONCLUSION To conclude, we will be able to see self-driving cars on our roads soon, addressing all the road problems like congestions, parking problem, accidents and so on. In this paper two use cases have been discussed. In the first use case, a server system, mobile system and vehicle control system are used for autonomous vehicle valet parking. The proposed system will drop the diver/user at his/her destination and will park the vehicle in the parking slot selected by the user. The future development of the system can be made by making the car to go and pick the user from the parking slot, when he/she is ready to leave. The second use case describes an autonomous vehicle that can drive without human intervention in an unknown environment using fuzzy logic. The use cases included were obstacle avoidance, backward moving and overtaking. The block diagram and algorithm of the proposed system are described in the paper. REFFERENCES [1] C. F. Lin, J. C. Juang and K. R. Li, Active collision avoidance system for steering control of autonomous vehicles, in IET Intelligent Transport Systems, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 550-557, Sept. 2014. [2] Mohammad Abdul Qayum, Nafiul Alam Siddique, Mohammad Abtiqul Haque and A. S. M. Tayeen, Control of autonomous cars for intelligent transportation system, 2012 International Conference on Informatics, Electronics Vision (ICIEV), Dhaka, 2012, pp. 377-382. [3] B. Brown, The Social Life of Autonomous Cars, in Computer, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 92-96, Feb. 2017. [4] U. Farooq, K. M. Hasan, M. Amar and M. U. Asad, Design and implementation of fuzzy logic based autonomous car for navigation in unknown environments, 2013 International Conference on Informatics, Electronics and Vision (ICIEV), Dhaka, 2013, pp. 1-7. [5] A. H. A. Widaa and W. A. Talha, Design of Fuzzy-based autonomous car control system, 2017 International Conference on Communication, Control, Computing and Electronics Engineering (ICCCCEE), Khartoum, Sudan, 2017, pp. 1-7. [6] K. W. Min and J. D. Choi, Design and implementation of an intelligent vehicle system for autonomous valet parking service, 2015 10th Asian Control Conference (ASCC), Kota Kinabalu, 2015, pp. 1-6. [7] D. M. Filatov, E. V. Serykh, M. M. Kopichev and A. V. Weinmeister, Autonomous parking control system of four-wheeled vehicle, 2016 IEEE V Forum Strategic Partnership of Universities and Enterprises of Hi-Tech Branches (Science. Education. Innovations), St. Petersburg, 2016, pp. 102-107. [8] The Economist (2014). The connected car smartphones on wheels Available: http://www.economist.com/news/technology-quarterly/21615060-way-cars-are-made-bought-and-driven-changing-mobile-communications [Accessed 27/02/2017] [9] Autocar (2014). BMW reveals new self-parking autonomous technology. Available:http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/industry/bmw-reveals-new-self-parking-autonomous-technology. [Accessed 01/03/2017] [10] Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2017). Autonomous car Available:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autonomous_car [Accessed 04/03/2017]

Religion and Belief in Bless Me Ultima Essay -- Bless Me Ultima

Religion and Belief in Bless Me Ultima   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After reading the book, Bless Me Ultima, I realized the integral importance of religion and need for religion and answers to life’s questions. At first, while reading this book, I thought it was just about relationships and the meaning in them but as the plot progressed I realized the book, is more than that, it questions the structures that decide the rules, morals and values that society is composed of. There were three types of religion that I identified in the book that young Anthony chose to pursue. The first was the paganistic rituals of Ultima. Ultima came into the life of Tony at a very young age and had great influence n the child. Ultima saved the life of Lucas through Tony’s strength. Physical pain was brought unto Anthony because of Ultima's ritual, showing actual validity of the rituals themselves, that they were had tangibility. She brought torment on the Tenorio’s family (he was the antagonist in the book-the bad guy) saving Luc as though using ritualistic dolls and chants. This showed her magic was not only good but bad as well. Ultima guided Anthony through all of the mental and social torment during his early years of grade school. So in away Ultima was a guide for Tony through his early years to make sense of all of the storms in his early life, but also was an instrument of religion to base his life on. But in the end of the book Ultima ultimately dies and the strength he once found in her is destroyed. She is ...

Erythroxylum: The Coca Plant :: Botany

Erythroxylum: The Coca Plant The coca plant is a member of the order Geraniales and the family Erythroxylaceae. There are four genera with an estimated 200 species in Erythroxylaceae (De Witt, 1967). Coca was first described as Erythroxylum by A.L. Jussieu in 1783. It was given the binomial Erythroxylum coca by Lamarck in 1786. Early botanists believed that all coca plants were of the same species. Later researchers found that two species of domesticated coca existed. These are Erythroxylum coca Lam. and Erythroxylum novogranatense (Morris) Hieron (Rury and Plowman, 1983). The two species have two varieties, Erythroxylum coca Lam. var. coca, E. coca var. Ipuda Plowman, E. novogranatense (Morris) Hieron var. novogranatense, and E. novogranatense var. truxillense (Rusby) Plowman (Plowman, 1983). Distribution Coca is grown in South America, Africa, Ceylon, Taiwan, Indonesia and Formosa (De Witt, 1967). Coca is most commonly associated with its center of origin, the South American Montana zone of the eastern Andes below 2000m (Bray & Dollery, 198:3). According to Rury and Plowman (1983) E. coca var. Coca, Huanuco or Bolivian coca is the ancestral variety. Bolivian coca grows in the moist tropical forests of the eastern Andes of Peru and Bolivia. This variety is the only one of the four found growing wild. Bolivian coca is the major source of commercially produced coca leaves and cocaine. Amazon coca, E. coca var. ipuda is cultivated in the lowland Amazon. It has been suggested that this variety is a lowland cultigen of Bolivian coca. In contrast to Bolivian coca it is not found growing wild (Rury and Plowman, 1993). E. novogranatense var. truxillense or Trujillo coca is a hardy, drought resistant variety. It is found growing in river valleys of coastal Peru and other arid areas of this region. Bohm, Ganders & Plowman (1982) state that this variety displays many characteristics that are intermediate between E. coca var. coca and E. novogranatense var. novogranatense, and may represent an evolutionary stage between these species. E. novogranatense var. novogranatense or Colombian coca is cultivated in both moist and dry areas in the Colombian mountains. It is also drought tolerant and is not found growing outside Cultivation. Evidence shows that this variety maybe the most evolved species (Rury & Plowman, 1983). Cultivation Coca plants are small evergreen shrubs with reddish brown bark. They have many small branchlets with elliptical-obovate opposite leaves measuring 4-7 cm. in length and 3-4 cm.

Saaraketha – an Organic Agro Forestry Company

Saaraketha, meaning â€Å"bountiful field†; is an organization that intends to deliver the promise symbolized by its name. Saaraketha is a fully Sri Lankan owned 100% Organically certified Global Social Sustainable Enterprise; established in 2008 under the 300 Factories Programme of the Government of Sri Lanka, following registration with the Board of Investment (BOI) Sri Lanka. Saaraketha specializes in Agro Forestry, along with other downstream value additions such as Organic Agriculture, Alternate Sources of Energy, Bio Extracts, Agro Tourism and Carbon Sequestration and Trading. Saaraketha strives to increase the productivity and profitability of small holder farmers of Sri Lanka through a cohesive program that addresses the current constraints for adopting agro forestry in their farming systems. The company’s philosophy is to infuse dignity to the vocation of farming through knowledge infusion, professional skill development and facilitating access to appropriate technology. Saaraketha’s aims to provide the socially responsible global citizens of the world the means to live a healthy, simple and ethical life; that supports integrated clean development while leaving only a minimal footprint on the environment. The farm is located in the picturesque village of Gangeyaya, Perakanatte, Wilgamuwa in the Matale District overlooking the knuckles range, bordering the Mahaweli river and is a six hours drive from the city of Colombo where it supports many poor farmers to defy the odds of their circumstances. The scenic nature of the village hides the various hardships that compound an already difficult life for the community of Wilgamuwa where attacks from wild elephants pose a very real threat to both life and livelihoods, scarcity of clean drinking water, lack of access to basic health & education, and crippling cycle of poverty are part and parcel of everyday life. We are privileged to be working with the people of Wilgamuwa who are striving to improve their quality of life while embracing sustainable practices of agriculture amidst these unequal odds. The sustainable community forestry model we use merges a number of commercially viable crops with mixed life cycles, to ensure regular income generation and healthy cash flows. We work to promote endemic plant species that are usually not thought of as cash crops, in an attempt to ensure their survival for the generations to come, while proving to be an additional source of revenue to rural farmers, thereby creating a sustainable model for conservation. With the organic agriculture element of the venture, we hope to reach the modern consumer who is conscious of the effects of her consumption on the planet. At Saaraketha we believe in sustainable growth: that man and nature can exist in harmony. We harness the benefits of Organic Agro Forestry as our primary means of doing business. Through this we are assured a commercially viable platform that allows users to reap maximum benefits with no damage done to the environment. To this end, we strive to leave behind a minimal carbon footprint. As a Global Social Sustainable Enterprise, we hold fast to the principles of the Triple Bottom Line, â€Å"people, planet, profit†.

Of Mice and Men: How does the author show sympathy for Curley’s wife Essay

On the ranch there is a well known woman merely referred to as ‘Curley’s Wife’. As the characters develop we find that she is not in fact the unimportant, nameless character we first perceive her as, but rather she is a relatively complex one, with much more to her than we first gather, causing us to feel sympathy for her later in the novel. In this essay I will state how John Steinbeck influenced the reader to feel sympathy for Curley’s wife, especially after making the reader prejudice towards her. Steinbeck creates sympathy for Curley’s wife in numerous ways, one being her name. The fact that she never has a name outside of the reference to her husband clearly shows the reader that her identity is surrendered to a heartless husband. Evidence of this is when she admits that her husband ‘aint a nice man’ and that she never truly wanted to marry him. This leaves the reader with a impression of a unhappy, isolated woman to the extent that there is sympathy regardless of her outrageous behavior towards Crooks. Alternatively, the lack of a name for this woman could could suggest she is insignificant and not as important of a character as George, Lennie or any of the other men on the ranch. It could also be referring to how during the Great Depression, women were oppressed and treated less equally. Steinbeck may have portrayed Curley’s wife in this light to allow the reader to recognize the inferior role of women at that time. The lack of name relegates Cur ley’s wife to an insignificant status like a lot of women in a 1930s society. Steinbeck enables the reader to see Curley’s Wife through migrant worker Candy’s eyes on their first encounter her, as in his dialogue he refers to her as a ‘tart’. Through his words, we develop an initial perception of Curley’s Wife as as a bit of a ‘floozie’. Furthermore, Candy effectively accuses her of acting disloyal to her newly married husband Curley by saying, ‘she got the eye’ for other men. The word ‘tart’ suggests she presents herself in an ostentatious manner. Before even being introduced to the woman, the reader is convinced she’s to blame for anything that goes wrong in Solidad. Her physical appearance of ‘†¦full, rouged lips†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, as  well as ‘fingernail painted red’ and elaborate hair, emphasize our preconceptions of her. I believe her attire is very significant to how we perceive her. She is said to be ‘heavily made up’ in primary colours (making her almost impossible to ignore or dismiss). This could be interpreted as her silent cry out for attention due to her being so isolated and lonely, after all there are no other woman on the ranch. Her appearance is portrayed as one of an actress or someone who has means of great luxury, this is why she is so incongruous on the ranch as she is not your typical housewife.. Her mien could also be construed as though she believes she is above any other woman who lives on a ranch, indicating she wants escape from her current lifestyle as her attire is suited for anything but her own. The description of her face being, ‘heavily made up’ could also propose the idea that she is insecure with her natural complexion. In other words, her face is a mask – it’s fake and not the real her. This makes a big connection of her ambitions of being an actress, a person that is constantly pretending to be someone they’re not. All of this contributes to the reader sympathising with her as she is so hopelessly insecure. On the other hand, Curley’s Wife’s appearance could be seen as naivety, and simply desire to be appreciated/noticed. Steinbeck may have portrayed Curley’s Wife with’ wide eyes’ to illustrate her as gullible or even that she is searching for something – which I believe was to be appreciated. If the text is analysed thoroughly, Steinbeck leaves subtle traces of evidence to help the reader understand her behaviour and fashionistic choices. ‘He says he was gonna put me in the movies’ is evidence of the ‘dream life’ Curley’s wife believed she was destined to have as she details twice ‘ I coulda been in movies†¦ I coulda sat in big hotels’ had her chance not have been stolen. This theme of lost opportunity or shattered dreams is often repeated throughout the story. The delusional mindset that leads to her cruel nature is the theme that makes the reader sympathetic to her. Red is a primary colour therefore people are attracted to it hence why Curley’s Wife wearing a lot of red may symbolise she desperately wants the  spotlight (attention) – much like many film stars. The description of ‘full rouged lips’ could be evidence of her attempt to be appreciated by the ranch workers; by drawing their attention to her lips it forces them to listen to what she has to say. Furthermore, another connotation of the colour is danger. A reason for Steinbeck portraying her as an associate of this colour may have been the foreshadowing of the blood that was to be shed. Finally, it is also a reminder of the girl in Weed who had a ‘red velvet’ dress that Lennie grabbed which caused him and George to go on the run, which we also know happens at the end of this novel. I believe Steinbeck structures Curley’s Wife’s character very intelligently as this subtle foreshadow indirectly makes a connection of the beginning and ending of the novel, also relating to her ambitions of being a movie star by the emphasis of a red ‘velvet’ dress. This indistinct description is often unnoticed causing the ‘reality vs: fantasy’ connection to be dismissed between Curley’s wife wearing a ‘cotton’ dress which immediately makes her no more than a housewife, however much she tries. Also on Curley’s Wife’s first appearance, the reader is made apparent of her alleged promiscuity as, ‘she put her hands behind her back and leaned against the door frame so that her body was thrown forward’, This suggestive and provocative body language justifies Candy’s statement of her and is hard evidence to the reader that she in fact a tart. However, we know this is not true. Curley’s wife shows similar traits to Crooks by standing in the door frame as he is isolated from it too. This causes the reader to feel sympathetic for her as she is secluded for being conceived as something she actually isn’t. Through no fault of her own, the men do not want to associate with her due them believing she is ‘jailbate’ ‘and a ‘rattrap’. This infers that the men are scared of her, something that frustrates her because she can’t comprehend why the men’s attitudes to her are so negative. The ‘rattrap’ could also be a forewarning of her escape to freedom which was only achievable by death. This is because once the rat trap’ (ie her) had been set off, it could no longer be used again, so effectively she committed suicide. I think that Curley’s wife and a rat are arguably similar as they are both hated by their relative society for being who / what they are, which is completely unfair. Also, rats are relatively small animals, this  could link to Curley’s wife as she feels and is perceived as dramatically insignificant on the Boss’ ranch. Curleys’ wife both talks and acts playfully and flirtatiously in front of the other workers. In my opinion she behaves in this manner because her sex is her only weapon to gain attention. Steinbeck could have been trying to make a point of her actions being relative to the era she lived in. I believe he deliberately portrayed her in this light with the intentions of making the reader feel sympathetic towards her in later chapters, but also to make the reader feel apologetic and penitent for labeling and being prejudice towards her. On one of her ‘looking for Curley’ routines she says, ‘They left all the weak ones here’ alluding to the three men, all ‘weak’ in their respective ways. However there is irony in this comment because she is seen as unworthy of a name thus why the reader can conclude that she’s unimportant. It is also ironic because she was left behind by all the men too, ‘Even Curley’. This causes the reader to feel sympathy for her as she is aware that she is just as marginalized as the ‘weak’ men. Evidence of this is when she rhetorically questions them. Here, the author is not only trying to show that Curley is a major obstacle in her having a proper conversation but Steinbeck is also emphasizing the fragmented relationship the couple have.The lonely and hostile side of the woman is revealed when she admits to feeling a shameless dissatisfaction with her life which inevitably causes the reader to feel remorse for her. Curley’s wife is again shown to be dislikeable by expressing bitterness when reffering to the men as ‘bindle stiffs- a nigger an’ a dum dum† The author presents her intense anger by stating â€Å"breathless with indignation† which explains her frustration. Finally, Steineck creates sympathy for Curley’s wife in the way that he portrayed her death as her true vulnerability is unmasked. ‘Ever’one knowed you’d mess things up.’ were the words from Candy when left in the barn with her body. The fact that none of the ranch workers, or even her husband, seemed to be particularly saddened of her death causes the reader to feel sympathy for her because it cements just how unappreciated she was. We  finally see her for the young victim she is as ‘the meanness and the plannings and the discontent and the ache were all gone from her face’. This repetition of discontent symbolizes that death was her escape because she is now away from being negatively labelled and misinterpreted. Steinbeck uses imagery to present her at peace after her death as she is described as, ‘†¦very pretty†¦sweet and young†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This causes the reader to feel sympathetic as the character we first perceived her as is gone. Also, the description of ‘young’ furthered my sympathy towards her as it suggests to me she had a short and unfulfilled life. My sympathy for her is also heightened in this chapter because her vulnerability is now clearly identifiable, for example she failed to understand the danger of Lennie – despite the evidence of his violent power in her husband’s mutilated hand and the dead pup he is grasping. The basic idea in Steinbeck’s description of Curley’s wife’s corpse is that in death her beauty can finally be appreciated. Furthermore, who can’t feel sympathy for somebody that is dead from no fault of their own? Personally, I feel most sympathetic towards Curley’s wife more than any other character in the book because she was in a constant battle to be accepted. What makes me most sympathetic though is that in finally letting her guard down to confide in Lennie, she was murdered. Even in her death she is nothing more than a scapegoat as she is referred to as ‘no good’ by Candy. She was never considered as a person, only as Curley’s showcase trophy. Curley’s wife, as Steinbeck depicts her, does not share Lennie’s innocence. Steinbeck rests a measure of blame for the killing on the victim herself which causes the reader to yet again pity her unfortunate life. Moreover, I feel sympathetic towards her because her dreams were futile and it was only at death that she could be rid of all the male dominance that corrupted and controlled her life. After all, it was a man who gave her the ‘false hopes entity’ that followed her to her life on the ranch, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t leave the past behind. She ‘had the eye’ restlessly searching for true love and affection. Steinbeck gave Curley’s wife a circular structure that represents no matter how hard she tried to progress to her ambitions, her cycle always involved her finishing at her starting point, therefore no progress could ever made because her life was the  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœbeginning of the end’.

Ideal education Essay

Education for children is something that can change their life. There should be a desire to better the educational system and to always be ready to improve it. There are many ideas as to what constitutes an ideal education. A number of factors come together to make an ideal education. Students, parents and teachers are the three key elements in a model education. A good relationship among these three parts is essential to a good education. Students are the main members of this ideal system. They must have faith in their education. If they identify their goals they will become more active and motivated. The role of the teachers and parents is to help students finding their goals by showing the abilities and talents they have. The role of students is that in one side inform their parents about their studying, feelings and teachers and one the other side consult teachers about the lessons, exams, method of teaching or any other problem. Students should be appreciative of their teacher’s efforts and show thankfulness to their parents. They should do their best. They must be prepared for class. They cannot expect good grades in courses without studying several hours for each hour of class timetable. If they do not understand the material should ask the teacher questions. They should attend all classes or meetings of their courses. If they would be absent should not expect the teacher to teach the lesson again. Parents are an important element in the perfect education. Parents who are not involved in their children’s education only inhibit the efforts made by children and teachers in creating a good education. They are not informed about the student’s progress and don’t have any idea of the student’s weakness. To achieve the level of educational system, parents have to take an active part in it. Parents with active role assist the children with their nightly homework and studies. They may award students in order to encourage them. It is good if they have correspondence with teachers or attend the school occasionally but it is much better to discuss their children’s feeling about education. They can help them to make good decisions, to achieve high levels of education and support them to meet their goals. Devoted teachers are extremely important in a perfect education. The teacher is just about the most important of the three elements to create an ideal education. Teachers have the very important responsibility of shaping the lives of young, impressionable students. A positive or negative influence from a teacher can have a great effect on the life of a student. A good teacher can be defined as someone who always pushes students to do their best while at the same time trying to make learning interesting with creativity. Teachers also have the responsibility of forming good relationships with both students and parents. A good relationship between teacher and student come from mutual respect, trust, and honesty. The teacher should associate with the student to become aware of any special need that students may have and help them in any possible way. Beside that he can correspond or design some meeting with parents in order to inform them about the students’ problem, ensure them about their children’s education and answer their questions to avoid any misconception. It is very difficult to find out what is really an ideal education. Several factors are involved in this system. Students must have faith in their education and they should try hard to meet their goals. Parents have to be concerned with the education of their children in order to advise and support them. Teachers must be completely devoted to their students’ education. They should use interesting methods and try to have positive influence on the students. A perfect relation between these three groups is required. Every body should find his role and try to do his best to create this perfect system. Having an ideal educational system is the basic principle for improvement of every society.

“Death of Socrates” by Jacques-Louis David Essay

Behind every great piece of artwork lies a story. Each story told by art is defined by the era in which it was created. For one to truly comprehend what message an artwork conveys, one must be familiar with the historical context from which it was taken. One great example would be â€Å"Death of Socrates† by Jacques-Louis David. The meaning of the painting can only be derived from an understanding of the 18th century, an era where the Enlightenment occurred and Neoclassicism flourished. The painting â€Å"Death of Socrates† was created during the 18th century. Despite this, the artwork depicted personalities from ancient philosophy. One would be prompted to ask, â€Å"Why did the artist choose to paint figures from antiquity in an 18th century art piece? The answer lies in the historical period in which the artist was included. In 18th century, Europe was immersed in an era known as the Age of Reason or Enlightenment. During this time, reason prevailed in all aspects of human life. The dominance of reason altered the political and social landscape, as people began to challenge traditional institutions and beliefs. The Enlightenment was very influential in France, which is why it is no surprise that Jacques-Louis David had applied Enlightenment ideals in his paintings. It must be noted that the late 18th century was also known for the â€Å"renewed interest in classical antiquity† (Gardner, Kleiner and Mamiya 646). The revival of Greek and Roman culture was most apparent in Neoclassicism, a movement which borrowed the basic elements of classical art. Neoclassicism became evident in architecture, painting and sculpture; all these disciplines integrated the styles and themes of the ancient world. David was part of the Neoclassicist movement and became one of its most prominent painters. This was the reason he chose Socrates as his subject. Hence, David’s style and technique as an artist was shaped by the Enlightenment and Neoclassicism. The painting describes the last moments of Socrates (â€Å"Jacques-Louis David†). The philosopher is seated upright on a bed in the middle of the painting, surrounded by his companions. His left hand points in an upward direction, which is an indication of the ancient Greek belief in the transmigration of souls. According to this belief, the soul lives forever. This is the reason why Socrates is seemingly unconcerned with his impending demise and had freely accepted his fate. Meanwhile, his right hand reaches for the hemlock. The hemlock was placed in the middle because death is the central theme of the painting. One would wonder why David chose to depict Socrates with the physique of a young man when the philosopher was in his 70s. It must be noted that â€Å"Death of Socrates† is a Neoclassical piece, which means that David followed the style of ancient Greek art. Ancient Greek art is known for its ideal, perfect depiction of human beings. Compared to Socrates, the people who surrounded Socrates display a completely different attitude. The companions of Socrates are depicted as figures overwhelmed with anguish due to the philosopher’s impending death. The people on the right side of the painting are obviously distressed by death. They are depicted as excessively emotional, which rendered them remarkably distinct from Socrates. Only three figures in the painting seemed more in control of their emotions. The wife of Socrates, who is found in the left side of the painting, is leaving the prison with an indifferent facial expression. Crito is seated on a stool on the foot of Socrates’ bed, with his head down. Meanwhile, Plato has a firm grip on the leg of Socrates. Such action implies that Plato did not want his master to surrender to death. In this painting, the philosopher’s attitude and way of thinking becomes apparent due to the different reactions towards death as shown by the figures. While others mourn his last living moments, Socrates’ remain indifferent and unaffected. He accepts his death while keeping his beliefs intact. The philosopher has a more accepting perspective of death; instead of fearing death, he embraces it. David meant for the painting to be a reaction towards the political situation of France during that time. As a part of the French Enlightenment, he and his friends demanded change in the leadership of the monarchy. The painting was made prior to the French Revolution and the painter wanted his work to serve as an inspiration to those who would be involved. He sought to tell the French people about their duty to the nation. He wanted to convey the message that they must sacrifice for the good of the people and fight against unfair leadership. This was the reason why he chose Socrates as his subject. The Enlightenment called for freedom of thought. The era was about the transformation of society towards the truth. Socrates was a man who defended freedom of thought. However, he was killed by the Athenian government who wanted to diminish the doubt that his beliefs aroused. The death of Socrates was the death of truth. Through the painting, David criticized the French monarchy for suppressing the truth. Like Socrates who chose to defy the government and stay true to his beliefs, David wanted the French people to fight against unjust leadership and defend freedom of thought. The play of light and darkness in â€Å"Death of Socrates† helped showcase the message David wanted to express. For instance, the brightest part of the painting is in the middle, where Socrates was situated. Meanwhile, the darkest areas of the painting are on the sides. In the left side, there is the dark hallway as well as the staircase through which the wife of Socrates leaves the scene. The upper right hand side of the painting, the area which is found above the mourning people, is also rather dark. There is a reason behind such distribution in the painting. David envisioned Socrates to be a role model; the latter proved to be formidable figure that was not swayed by the coming of death. He was a man who willingly gave up his life and refuses to deny his ideals. This was the reason why the light was fixed upon him. Those who are situated the dark areas are the people David wanted to change. The darkness touches upon the weeping companions of Socrates, those people who surrender to grief when confronted with death. The wife of Socrates is depicted as fleeing from the scene, as if she cannot bear to deal with the philosopher’s demise. David wanted virtue and sacrifice from the people who are confronted with a revolution and those in the dark areas in the painting represent those who lack these notions. The movement of the figures is also instrumental in demonstrating the meaning of the painting. The viewer can clearly see the contrast between the stance of the philosopher and the stance of the people around him. On one hand, Socrates is in a straight sitting position; the painting makes him appear full of life and energy. It is also evident that he possesses self-control at that moment. On the other hand, the figures who surround him reveal lifeless body language. The philosopher’s companions are shown to be stooping, with their heads dropped. The posture of the figures alone highlights the difference between Socrates and his companions. The difference in posture contributes to the meaning of the painting because it asserts the position of Socrates as the one to emulate in the time of the French Revolution. David wanted the French people to be like Socrates, a man who stood by what he believed in and was not afraid of the consequences. All artworks have a story to share. The story behind an artwork can be best understood when one is familiar with the historical era from which it was made. In the case of â€Å"Death of Socrates† by Jacques-Louis David, one must know about the Enlightenment and Neoclassicism in the 18th century to know what the artist wanted to convey. David was an artist who was strongly influenced by the Enlightenment and Neoclassicism, so the only way to truly understand his work is to look through history. Works Cited Gardner, Helen, Fred S. Kleiner and Christin J. Mamiya. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: The Western Perspective. Florence, Kentucky: Cengage Learning, 2005. â€Å"Jacques-Louis David: The Death of Socrates. † Boston College Web Site. 27 Nov. 2006. 31 March 2009 .

Hollywoods Influence in the Middle East Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hollywoods Influence in the Middle East - Essay Example Hollywood films in particular continue to remain a popular form of entertainment worldwide. Hollywood relies on best standards of production and animation techniques while dishing out the films. The fan-following of Hollywood stars spans far beyond the American boundaries. Middle East is certainly no exception. Though the region of Middle East has long been in the mainline media for all the wrong reasons, and at times, the acrimony towards West has found its place in an opposition towards Hollywood movies as well. But the fact that the craze for Hollywood never diminished, indicates towards the quality and Hollywood movies. At times film critics also accuse some of the latest films of depicting excessive violence in the films, thus affecting the tender minds of the film watchers. Some part of the Middle East in particular has had the misfortune of remaining under violence for the last couple of decades. Therefore, depiction of such violence on the screen invites the accusation of glorifying the violent methods. But it is equally true that filmmakers too want to 'sell' thei r products, and they'll try all legal means to market their movies in the best possible manner. Being contemporary in their depiction of the society is one such tried and tested method. Hollywood filmmakers are known to be obsessive researchers as well. They study a set of circumstances, situations and analyze the situation to arrive at some conclusion. At times this kind of inquisitive research leads to interesting findings as well. For example, Hollywood film director James Cameron stumbled upon the idea of making a film on a tomb found near Jerusalem in 1980 uncovered by Israeli construction workers. During the research, James Cameron came to the conclusion1 that the tomb actually belonged to Jesus and his family. This has generated a healthy debate amongst the historians and archeologists, and the final word is yet to come. Leon Trotsky (1973), a key figure in the famous Bolshevik revolution in Russia once said that cinema is a weapon, which cries out to be used (pp 32). This observation underlines the importance that films in general and Hollywood in the society. Though the Middle Eastern culture and society has not traditionally been as open as some of the Western nations, but the influence of western culture brought in by the films is quite perceptible. Be it the use of modern equipment, fancy cars, rugged bikes or the relationship amongst young people, the western influence is quite clear. Hollywood movies have certainly helped in shaping the attitude of the masses in general towards such things. Today we are living in an era of consumerism and globalization. Companies and organizations try their best to influence the buying behavior of the consumers. Globalization has resulted in bringing the world community closer to each other. This has resulted in some sort of uniformity in the marketing communi cation efforts as well. One of the major areas in marketing is consumer behavior. Middle East has traditionally been known as a potential market with most of the oil rich countries having good amount of money to spend on essential consumer items and other luxuries. Teams of marketing people from Western nations try out all avenues to reach the potential customer. Hollywood movies are one such very potent element in this marketing strategy. When the screen displays all the features of a product, the movie watchers tend to think about it, and as soon as they find it in the

Oil and gas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Oil and gas - Essay Example Hence, equip with adequate expertise meant for managing and being a leaders in this globe’s dynamic as well as fastest growing sector.  I also have some knowledge on first aid. At the oil fields, with ease and heightened precision I can assist in handling minor casualties that entail immediate intervention before taken to specialized treatments. Generally, I can assist the medics in maintaining and checking stocks of emergency supplies, inspecting both cooked and raw foods, and testing the supplies of drinking water to determine whether they are clean. Enrolling in the Oil and Gas program will help equip me with the skills needed to support various professional or management careers in the worldwide petroleum industry. The program offers comprehensive as well as advanced information regarding both upstream and downstream operation of a petroleum firm. The program also stresses on the need of me focusing on exploring the emerging technologies and major challenges, which affect the future, exploration, and production of oil and gas. Additionally, the program focuses on pivotal issues for Petroleum industry professionals/managers such as health and safety management, petroleum economics and contracts, and project and quality management. Certainly, the program is ideal for me since I have interest in careers that deal with energy and hydrocarbon; more specifically oil production, processing, and transactions. The program, therefore, is likely to enhance my commercial, non-technical and technical skills. The program will help prepare me for the challenges in worldwide employment market as well as develop or strengthen my broader professional and personal skills that I will acquire as I advance in this field. Furthermore, the program offers practical career workshops and to its participants a prospect to experience various