Monday, September 30, 2019
Data Protection Essay
Introduction In this report I am going to explain data protection, talk about the data protection acts, rights and principles. Iââ¬â¢m going to talk about a data controller and a data processor and what their responsibilities are. What personal and sensitive data are. What a data receiver is and what his rights are, what is involved in direct marketing and I will mention an example of abuse or corruption that occurred in Ireland. Data protection acts Data protection is legal control over and access to use of data stored in computers. The office of the data protection commissioner is responsible for upholding the privacy rights of individuals in relation to the processing of their personal data. The acts state the information must be accurate, only those who should have access to it do and it is only to be used for specified purposes. You have the right to access your own information and correct wrong data or even erase it. Moran (2014) states that ââ¬Å"you can have data without information, but you cannot have information without dataâ⬠. Rights and principles There are 8 principles of data protection 1. It must be collected and fairly used 2. It must only be held and used for the reasons given to the information commissioner 3. It can only be used for registered purposes and showed to those mentioned in the register entry 4. You must only have the details you need for the job you are doing 5. It must be accurate and kept up to date 6. Cannot be kept longer than necessary for the registered purpose 7. Information must be kept safe and secure, must be backed up and kept away from unauthorised access 8. Files must not be transferred outside of the EU. Unless the country it is being sent to has a suitable data protection law. Data controller Data controller is a person who controls the contents and use of personal data. ââ¬Å"Those who, either alone or with others control the contents and use of personal data. Data controllers can be either legal entities such asà companies, Government departments or voluntary organisations, or they can be individuals such as G.Pââ¬â¢s, pharmacists or sole tradersâ⬠(the office of the data protection commissioner (2014). The responsibilities of a data controller 1. Obtain and process the information fairly 2. Keep it only for one or more specified and lawful purposes 3. Process it only in ways compatible with the purposes for which it was given to you initially 4. Keep it safe and secure 5 .Keep it accurate and up-to-date 6. Ensure that it is adequate, relevant and not excessive 7. Retain it no longer than is necessary for the specified purpose or purposes 8. Give a copy of his/her personal data to any individual, on request Data processor Data processor is a person who processes personal data on behalf of a data controller but does not include an employee of a data controller who processes such data in the course of his employment. The office of the data protection commissioner (2014) states that ââ¬Å" the data processor is distinct from the data controller for whom they are processing the personal dataâ⬠¦someone who is contracted to provide a particular data processing service (e.g. a tax advisor) would be a data processorâ⬠. Personal data The office of the data protection commissioner (2014) states that ââ¬Å"â⬠personal dataâ⬠means data relating to a living individual who is or can be identified either from the data or from the data in conjunction with other information that is in, or is likely to come into, the possession of the data controllerâ⬠. Sensitive data Sensitive data is someone private information which may be related to their gender, age, race, marital status or sexual preference etc. The office of the data protection commissioner states that ââ¬Å"relates to specific categories of data which are defined as data relating to a personââ¬â¢s racial origin; political opinions or religious or other beliefs; physical or mental health; sexual life; criminal convictions or the alleged commission of an offence; trade union membership. You have additional rights in relation to theà processing of any such dataâ⬠. Data receiver (controller) The data receiver is the data controller he/she is the person who receives the data Direct Marketing Direct marketing is giving individuals information about products and services, is it completely legal providing it respects the individualââ¬â¢s right to privacy. The office of the data protection commissioner states that ââ¬Å"The basic rule that applies to direct marketing is that you need the consent of the individual to use their personal data for direct marketing purposes. As a minimum, an individual must be given a right to refuse such use of their personal data both at the time the data is collected (an ââ¬Å"opt-outâ⬠) and, in the case of direct marketing by electronic means, on every subsequent marketing message. The ââ¬Å"opt-outâ⬠right must be free of chargeâ⬠. Abuse and Corruption in Ireland May 2010: Captain Evan Cullen versus Michael Oââ¬â¢Leary: Ryanair CEO Michael Oââ¬â¢Leary apologised for wrongly describing a trade union official as a ââ¬Å"failed Aer Lingus pilotâ⬠during RTEââ¬â¢s Prime Time in September 2006. The apology formed part of a settlement of a High Court action against him by Irish Air Line Pilots Association (IALPA) president, Captain Evan Cullen. Mr Oââ¬â¢Leary also agreed to make a contribution to two charities by Mr Cullen as part of the settlement. In taking his defamation case Mr Cullen claimed the ââ¬Å"failed pilotâ⬠had caused damage to his reputation both in his community and among his work colleagues. Mr Cullen said the remarks had caused ââ¬Å"considerable upset to both himself and his familyâ⬠, but that he was pleased his ââ¬Å"good name and reputation as a pilotâ⬠has been fully vindicated. Conclusion In this report I have explained data protection, talked about the data protection acts, rights and principles. Iââ¬â¢ve talked about a data controller and a data processor and what their responsibilities are, What personal and sensitive data are. What a data receiver is and what his rights are, what is involved in direct marketing and I have mentioned an example of abuse or corruption that occurred in Ireland. Reference list Kosta, E. (2013) Consent in European Data Law, Leiden: Nijhoff. Moran, D. (2014) ââ¬Å"Brainy Quotesâ⬠[Online], available: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/data.html [accessed 28th November 2014] Office of the data protection commissioner (2014) ââ¬Å"A guide for data Controllersâ⬠[Online], available: http://www.dataprotection.ie/docs/A-Guide-for-Data-Contollers/696.htm [accessed 28th November 2014] Defamation Ireland (2014) ââ¬Å"Defamation cases in Irelandâ⬠[Online], available:http://www.defamationireland.com/defamation-cases-in-ireland/ [accessed 28th November 2014]
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Revenue and Production
BERGERAC CASE STUDY Summary The purpose of this report is to analyze the opportunity to produce plastic components for cartridge production and choose the best alternative. It is predicted that the annual demand growth is a triangular distribution with a minimum of 5%, most likely of 17% and a maximum of 25%. Due to the continuous growth in the demand, the alternatives cannot be compared using just the data for 2010. An analysis is carried out for the time period 2011 to 2015 and the present worth of the net income is considered as the criteria to select the alternative.The analysis basically can be divided into 5 steps: * Forecasting demand for next five years, * Estimating capacity required, * Developing production strategy, * Calculate the operating expenses for the alternatives, * Select the alternative based on the present worth of net income. From the estimated installed base of 7500 OmniVue instruments at the end of year 2010, the demand for the OmniVue instruments and cartrid ges are forecasted. There is a new product OmniVue mobile, ready to be launched in year 2013.It is assumed that the OmniVue mobile can be accounted for 30% of the demand for Instruments in year 2013, 50% in year 2014 and 60% in year 2015. The growth in demand for the OmniVue instrument is assumed to decrease after the release of OmniVue mobile. It is estimated that the production capacity of Bergerac to produce OmniVue instruments is approximately 2000 units per year with a production of 5 days per week. It is inferred that using level strategy, the probability that the demand is not met in the next five years is 5. 74%.There is no need to increase the capacity of the production line apart from changes required when the OmniVue mobile is released. There are various strategies which are compared in build option. For each production strategy, the optimum solution for the capacities in each year is found out. After finding the optimum solutions, the production strategies are compared w ith each other to find out the best solution for the build option. The production strategies that are analyzed are: * Level production strategy and Chase production strategy * Overtime is allowed / not allowedThe base values assumed to calculate the production costs for cartridges are included in Appendix F. Based on the production plan, the expenses incurred are calculated for both options. The expenses are calculated for the years 2011 to 2015. The expenses and revenue for cartridges and instruments are shown in Appendix H and Appendix I respectively. The income statement is prepared from the expenses calculated and the revenue (refer to Appendix J). The income tax rate for the company is estimated to be 39% from the income statements for years 2007 to 2009.The revenues and other expenses from operations other than OmniVue is estimated and added to the income statement. The net income is calculated. The cash flows for years 2011 to 2015 is also calculated. The net present worth is calculated for the net income and the cash flows. The objective used to optimize the solution is to maximize the mean of net present worth of the net income and cash flows. The four production strategies for the build option are optimized and the maximum net present worth for the options is forecasted. The best solution from the four strategies is chosen and compared to the net present worth of the buy option.Based on the analysis, build is a better option than buy option. The present worth of the net income is highest for level production, overtime allowed. But level production, overtime not allowed is very close to it and it does not affect the employee relationship. It is recommended to use level production strategy, no overtime (net present worth for net income is $59. 8 million). The current objective is to produce the plastic components for Bergerac with the lowest expenses, which can be achieved by building a unit for plastic component production in the plant itself.It is al so recommended to buy 5 machines instead of 4 machines in year 2010 based on the analysis. Dilemma for Ian Wyckoff Since 2008, Bergerac had been exploring the opportunity to begin its own production of cartridge components. Plastic suppliers like GenieTech and Elsinore faced difficulties in responding to demand spikes, leading to production delays. Such supplier unreliability made it challenging for Bergerac to optimize its cartridge production. Thus, the company had to carry more inventory of parts and finished goods than Wyckoff could have liked.The obvious appeal to fully control the supply of plastic lead to a strategy, the company has to decide whether to buy or build this capability. GenieTech owner was interested in retirement and was willing to sell the company for a purchase price of $5. 75 million. GenieTech has 8 molding presses each could produce 5 cartridges per cycle with a total capacity of 10,782,720 cartridges per year with 5 days production in a week. The other alt ernative is to build a unit with 4 molding presses which are more efficient than the presses at GenieTech.The total capacity of the unit will be 6,097,371cartridges per year with 5 days production in a week. It is required to predict the best long term decision among the buy and build options. Mr. McCarthyââ¬â¢s Analysis of Buy vs Build The analysis by Mr. McCarthy is a good basic analysis for comparing the alternatives, Buy vs Build. The main factor which Mr. McCarthy has not considered is the growing demand of the cartridges. The demand for cartridges is growing steadily and the Mr. McCarthyââ¬â¢s build option with 4 molding presses will not be able to satisfy the demand in the upcoming years (refer table 1). Additionally, Mr.McCarthy has not considered the possible revenue from the existing operations of GenieTech with other customers. The possible merger could also serve as a possibility for development in a new product line which would favor the growth of the company. So, Mr. McCarthy has not considered all the factors when comparing the two alternatives which means it is not ideal to accept this analysis. Financial analysis to choose between alternatives ââ¬â Buy Vs Build using a 2011 to 2015 study period The analysis can be basically divided into 5 steps: First, the demand for the years 2011 to 2015 has to be forecasted.Second step is to estimate the capacity required to meet the demand in both buy and build options. The next step is to plan the production accordingly to meet the demand forecasted previously. The employee strike which is predicted to happen in the start of year 2013 should be accounted for when planning the production. The costs of operation and the revenues are then calculated which is used in the income statement. Final step is to compare the cash flows to determine the optimal solution that can be executed in the years 2011 to 2015.Estimated demand for OmniVue cartridges and the testing instruments for years 2011 ââ¬â 2 015 The expected annual growth rate of demand is a triangular distribution with a minimum of 5%, a most likely of 17% and a maximum of 25%. From the estimated installed base of 7500 OmniVue instruments at the end of year 2010, the demand for the OmniVue instruments and cartridges are forecasted. There is a new product OmniVue mobile, ready to be launched in year 2013. It is assumed that the OmniVue mobile can be accounted for 30% of the demand for Instruments in year 2013, 50% in year 2014 and 60% in year 2015.The growth in demand for the OmniVue instrument is assumed to decrease after the release of OmniVue mobile. Table 1 ââ¬â Demand for OmniVue Instruments and Cartridges forecasted for years 2011 ââ¬â 2015 Capacity planning OmniVue instruments: It is predicted that the installed base at the end of year 2010 is 7500. Bergerac has manufactured 7500 units in the period mid-2006 to 2010. Hence, it is estimated that the production capacity of Bergerac to produce OmniVue instru ments is approximately 2000 units per year with a production of 5 days per week.Using the assumption for increase in demand for the instruments, the number of units to be produced using level production for years 2011 to 2015 is forecasted and it is seen that the probability that the demand is not met is 5. 74%. The maximum number of units to be produced is 2,588. It can be met if the production is increased to 7 days per week whenever required. Hence, it is assumed that there is no need to increase the capacity of the production line apart from changes required when the OmniVue mobile is released.Figure 1 ââ¬â Level production ââ¬â capacity required for years 2011 to 2015 OmniVue Cartridges: Build option: Figure X shows the demand for years 2011 to 2015 based on the estimated installed base of 7500 at the end of 2010 and the assumed growth rate. The minimum and maximum growth rates are 5% and 25% respectively. Figure 2 ââ¬â Demand for cartridge The demand for the assume d growth rates is plotted. The 4 molding presses proposed by Mr. McCarthy will be sufficient to meet the demand if the growth rate is 5% every year, but will not be able to meet requirements if the demand grows by 25%.The capacity of the proposed 4 machines with 5 days/week and 7 days/week are plotted. The number of units to be produced with level production is plotted; the proposed 4 machines will be able to meet the demand with overtime (excess of 5 days/week). It is assumed that the OmniVue mobile is given preference in case of shortage of capacity. Optquest is used to estimate the right number of machines to be purchased and the expansion strategy in the future years so that the company profit is maximum. Buy option: The cartridge components are the only difference between the buy and build options.There is no increase in the capacity required because the current capacity of 8 machines will be able to satisfy the demand for the next 5 years. Figure 3 ââ¬â Cartridge demand fo r year 2015 ââ¬â peak demand Other product lines: It is assumed that the new product OmniVue mobile can be manufactured in the same production line with some modifications in the equipment. Overtime: It is assumed that overtime can be used for manufacturing when the 5 days/week is not enough to meet the demands. The overtime wages for the labor are twice the normal.The overtime wages are calculated from the utilization factor of the machines which is 5 days/week normal production (100% utilization). The overtime cannot exceed 40% because there are only 2 more days left in a week. It should be noted that there is only 3% change in the operational expenses for overtime (refer to Appendix E). Employee strike in 2013: It is predicted to be 50% probability that the employees will do strike for a period of 0. 5 to 3 months. So, it is assumed that the annual capacity is reduced to 75% if the strike duration is 3 months (refer Appendix D).Strategies can be formulated to tackle the strik e situation by producing more units in the previous year so that the demand can be met in the first 3 months of 2013. The maximum demand during the strike period is estimated to be a maximum of 1. 6 million cartridges and 277 instruments. It is assumed that the OmniVue mobile will be released after the strike is over. Production planning Cartridges: Buy option (GenieTech): The same number of units is produced every year which will be equal to the production capacity.The plastic components requirement for Bergerac is first satisfied and the remaining capacity is used for the other contracts of GenieTech. After the launch of OmniVue mobile, the production for OmniVue mobile is given preference. Overtime is used for production if the demand exceeds capacity which is unlikely to happen in the next 5 years. Since the production capacity of GenieTech has been always above the demand, the other strategies are not analyzed. Build option: There are various strategies which are compared in bu ild option.For each production strategy, the optimum solution for the capacities in each year is found out. After finding the optimum solutions, the production strategies are compared with each other to find out the best solution for the build option. There criteria used to find the optimum solution is the present worth. The production strategies that are analyzed are: * Level production strategy and Chase production strategy * Overtime is allowed / not allowed For level production strategy, the inventory holding cost is assumed to be $0. 2/unit for OmniVue and $0. /unit for OmniVue mobile. The alternatives are compared using net present worth forecast graphs. The level production plan and chase production plan are included in Appendix B and Appendix C respectively (Note: production plan for both the cartridges and the instrument are available in the same table). Instruments: The instruments are produced using level production strategy. The production is scheduled based on the deman d forecast for the years 2011 to 2015. OmniVue mobile is given more preference like the production strategy for cartridges.It is assumed that 2 foremen and 6 other labors are required for the production line. It is also assumed that OmniVue mobile instrument also can be manufactured in the same production line with some modification in the equipment. The production of instruments does not impact the analysis because the same cost is incurred in both options. Other products: The operations for other products are directly included in the income statement and it is not analyzed. Operational expenses and Income statement The base values assumed to calculate the production costs for cartridges are included in Appendix F.Based on the production plan, the expenses incurred are calculated for both options. The expenses are calculated for the years 2011 to 2015. The expenses and revenue for cartridges and instruments are shown in Appendix H and Appendix I respectively. The income statement i s prepared from the expenses calculated and the revenue (refer to Appendix J). In level production strategy, the expenses are incurred during a period different from the period in which the product is sold. But, it is expended only when the product is sold.For that purpose, the cost per unit is calculated and is used to calculate the cost of goods sold. For example, if in a year, 3000 goods are sold and 1000 are from previous year inventory, then the cost is calculated using previous year cost per unit for 1000 units and current year cost per unit for the remaining units. The income tax rate for the company is estimated to be 39% from the income statements for years 2007 to 2009. The revenues and other expenses from operations other than OmniVue is estimated and added to the income statement.The net income is calculated. Cash flows (refer Appendix K) Similar to the Income statement, the revenues, expenses and capital investment for each year is calculated from the data and the cash flows for the alternatives are calculated. In cash flow statement, the expenses are expended in the same year when it was spent. The income statement which was prepared previously has used accrual accounting. Depreciation is included in income statement. In cash flow, the capital investments are included instead of depreciation. Present worth analysisThe net present worth is calculated for the net income and the cash flows. The objective used to optimize the solution is to maximize the mean of net present worth of the net income and cash flows. The four production strategies for the build option are optimized and the maximum net present worth for the options is forecasted. The best solution from the four strategies is chosen and compared to the net present worth of the buy option. The overtime not allowed scenario is performed in Optquest by adding a constraint that the utilization in all years is less than or equal to 100%.Build option (refer Appendix M): Present worth of Net incom e: For chase production strategy, overtime allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $58. 770 million. 31002 For chase production strategy, overtime not allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $58. 486 million. 40101 For level production strategy, overtime allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $60. 786 million. 40000 For level production strategy, overtime not allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $59. 789 million. 50100 Present worth of Cash flow:For chase production strategy, overtime allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $53. 474 million. 31000 For chase production strategy, overtime not allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $52. 220 million. 40101 For level production strategy, overtime allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $50. 086 million30010. For level production strategy, overtime not allowed, maximum of mean of net present worth is $47. 742 million. 50100 Buy option (refer Appendix N): Present worth of Net income: $54. 204 millionPresent worth of Cash flow: $47. 647 million Based on the analysis, build is a better option than buy option. The present worth of the net income is highest for level production, overtime allowed. But level production, overtime not allowed is very close to the highest and it does not affect the employee relationship. It is recommended to use level production strategy, no overtime. There is an issue with inventory building in level production strategy. Also, by not choosing the buy option, Bergerac loses a chance to enter a new product line.But, the current objective is to produce the plastic components for Bergerac with the lowest expenses, which can be achieved by building a unit for plastic component production in the plant itself. It is also recommended to buy 5 machines instead of 4 machines in year 2010 based on the analysis. Appendices List of assumptions * The growth of demand is a triangular distribution with 5%, 17% and 25%. * The OmniVue mobile demand accounts for 30%, 50% and 60% in 2013, 2014 and 2015 respectively. * It is predicted that there is a 50% chance of strike in 2013 for a time period of 0. to 3 months. * The OmniVue instruments and cartridges can be manufactured in the same production line with some changes in equipment. A $200,000 cost is added in year 2013 for these changes. * The base values considered for calculating production cost for cartridges and the instruments are available in the Appendix F and G respectively. The labor cost for instruments is assumed to be the same as that of cartridges. There will be no impact for assumptions related to instruments because the same cost is assumed in both options. * The labor growth of GenieTech is 2 to 5%.The material cost increases by 3 to 8%. * For overtime, the salary is 2 times the salary in normal production hours. The overtime salary is calculated from the utilization. * OmniVue mobile cartridge will be sold at $8 per unit. * Transportation cost of plastic components from GenieTech is $0. 1/unit. * The inventory holding cost for cartridges is $0. 2 for OmniVue and $0. 1 for OmniVue mobile. * The plastic components are sold to other customers from GenieTech at $1. 66/unit. * The labor and overhead for instrument production are assumed values. The revenue from other products is assumed to be $35 million. Gross margin for other products is 60%. * The R & D costs increase 7% every year. The R & D cost for GenieTech is 5% of Bergeracââ¬â¢s. * Sales and marketing cost is 25% of revenue. Profit sharing is 0. 1% of gross profit. * The General and administrative cost for HemaVue is $6 million and it increase 10% every year. * Interests are 5% of Income from operations. * In capital investments, installation and building cost has a $125,000 fixed cost and $75,000 variable cost per machine.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
International Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words
International Economic - Essay Example This century has specifically seen the Asian- Pacific regions that have been showing more interest in negotiating and implementing preferential trade agreements, with China, and now India, being main the ââ¬Ëhubââ¬â¢ in the Asia-Pacific liberal trade groupââ¬â¢s ââ¬Ëhub and spokeââ¬â¢ agreements with other members of the WTO. An increase in this preference for bilateral and regional trade agreements or free trade agreements (FTPs) had been observed right from the 1980s, and has often been described by the experts as the rise in a ââ¬Ënew regionalismââ¬â¢(Majluf, 2004). By the 15th September 2008, we find that there have been 222 regional trade agreements notified to the World Trade Organization (WTO) as been implemented, with many more in the pipeline. This regionalism has been of particular interest to many of the Pacific Rim countries (Lloyd, 2002). Even China has been diverted from its earlier engrossment with the assumption of WTO, and has started seeing gain s through these regional negotiations. However coming to a general consensus on the topic of bilateral relations and the issue of free international trade has never been easy, especially as certain industrial sectors and labour groups within the economy, have been said to be adversely affected through international competition. The debate between neoliberals and the leftists or the anti-neoliberal group form the core between these refusals to come to an easy consensus. On one hand we find that the leftists group claim ââ¬Å"Globalization has dramatically increased inequality between and within nationsâ⬠(Jay Mazur, US union leader, 2000); while on the other hand the neoliberals present statistical figures in their behalf and claim that ââ¬Å"globalized developing countries have increased their per capita growth rate from 1% in the1960ââ¬â¢s... to... 5% in 1990ââ¬â¢s...much of the rest of the developing world-with about-2 billion people...their aggregate growth rate was actually negative in the 90sâ⬠( Collier and Dollar, 2002, 5). So the road to globalisation, free international trade and bilateral relations had never been easy with constant frictions between the experts from both camps. The current trade negotiations is the Theà Doha Development Roundà orà Doha Development Agenda (DDA), and is an ongoing process that had started in November 2001, and continues to develop till date, owing to a lack of consensus amongst the members of the participating countries. The chief objective of this negotiation round is to cut down on the various trade barriers that exist worldwide, and subsequently to increase international free trade.à In the Doha round of talks in 2008 (held in Geneva), negotiations were stopped over the lack of consensus on a range of important issues such asà removal of the industrialà tariffà andà non-tariff barriers, services, agriculture, and various trade remedies (Fergusson, 2008).à These differences created a cleavage between the developed nationsà that were on side and led by United States (USA), European Union (EU), and Japan; while on the other side of the divide were the strongà developing countriesà like China, India, Brazil, South Africa and South Korea. The primary
Friday, September 27, 2019
Management coursework Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words
Management coursework - Essay Example Some of their aspirations: housing, public facilities, schools, hospitals, religious centres, cultural and recreational centres. People work hard for these aspirations, for these reflect one special characteristic of man ââ¬â survival. Survival also involves the psychological, spiritual, physical and mental needs. Political situation in the community or country where port is located has to be looked out and given much importance. Political aspects vary from port to port or from country to country. Local authorities may provide different procedures, and may not be very cooperative when it comes to the development of business. Diplomatic procedures have to be in place to gain cooperation from local authorities. Careful study has to be done on particular ports and terminals in other countries, particularly Asian countries. These areas have different laws and political situations which can not be treated the same with more advanced countries. They have situations that are sometimes unstable, and laws and procedures which seem, at first, hostile to a new organisation. However, with recent trends, more and more countries, like Asian countries, are encouraging investors to conduct business into their lands. In most instances, local authorities support development of business in their area. They entice businessman to venture in their lands for economic growth. They become cooperative and encourage businesses to invest more. They do this with some special tax reductions and incentives to foreign businesses. Countries have different laws and procedures for business, especially if that business is for big ports, so called the nodal points of commerce where ships and other forms of transportation are interconnected. Laws naturally affect the operations of these terminals. Management must be able to give a thorough study of these ports. Port law is a branch of law which makes use of the general
Thursday, September 26, 2019
The Race Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
The Race - Essay Example is a function of the wage they receive" (Romaguera 14) is true, wages in minority neighborhoods may be lower, because they do not need to be higher. If one worker is not productive and is fired, there are many others waiting to take his or her place, who will work for the same wage. Again, the ability to purchase resources is reduced, due to lower income. The same concept can be applied to housing and rent, only reversed. "In 2000, the proportion of African American households that had obtained home ownership was 65% lower than the proportion of white households that had obtained homeownership" (Ohio State University 3). Therefore, the rental owner will seek to charge as much as demand will allow, regardless of race. This means that those living in less affluent neighborhoods may ultimately get less for their money, in terms of rental unit quality, amenities, and space. Social segmentation also affects the distribution of resources. It may not always do so directly, but by altering marketing efforts, based on clustering or categorization of specific geographic locations or types of customers, allocation is indirectly affected. In Asian Social Science December, 2008, Yingchun Guo ( 3-4) explains how clustering works for electric power consumers. The types of customers are divided into four categories. The highest ranking are those that consume more power and have good credit, while the lowest ranking group has less than idea credit and consumes less power. Marketing strategies are likely to focus more heavily on the highest ranking users, where the company stands to make the most profit. Those is the highest ranking group may be offered special rate packages and pricing that is... Ohio State University. Social/Economic Indicators: Comparing Brown Era Racial Disparities to Today." (April 2004). 11 Dec. 2009
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Obvious Solution to a Problem in the Work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Obvious Solution to a Problem in the Work - Essay Example During my employment in Science lab a chemist, I was a member of a research that required collecting and evaluating a considerable total of information pertaining to the human mind as we were attempting to create a vaccine. We were so mixed up at that time because all my further experiments depend upon that result and then we began to guess about it. We reprised the whole experiment again just to attain certain that there is no human error in our stamping ground and we had to manage the analysis again which may forbid it. Ã And so it got very clear that a dissimilar case of analysis would have been more pertinent to the problem and would have given results that supported our theory. We changed the regression technique within the model and re-ran the data. I would have concentrated mainly on the robustness of the information we accumulated and then progress to a correct analysis on which our whole research depended.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Management Simulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Management Simulation - Essay Example A joint SWOT and PESTEL analysis identify various internal and external environmental factors to the enterprise. Competition, a threat under the SWOT model and a political factor under the PESTEL model, from firms such as Valentino, The Junction Shop and Pub Prince of Wales is a major factor that has led to poor market command, and is likely to dictate lower prices for the firmââ¬â¢s commodities. The competition into poor sales also limits the entityââ¬â¢s output volume. Weak management, a weakness under SWOT model, is another factor to the organization as poor insights into the competitive environment illustrates. This has led to poor forecast of the businessââ¬â¢ financial capacity and competitiveness, and may force the business into urgent borrowing or force a shut down. Lack of proper marketing initiatives for countering the existing competition is another significant weakness. This has maintained low level of market command and therefore limited the organizationââ¬â¢ s production level. The other SWOT and PESTEL elements are not identifiable (Webster 2010, p. 88). Health-in-Pizza Ltd.ââ¬â¢s competitive situation and potential action plan for improvements The competitive business environment puts Health-in-Pizza Ltd. at a disadvantage against its competitors. Major targets such as college students and the business class have not been visiting the enterprise and price is a major factor because Health-in-Pizza Ltd. is 20 percent more expensive than its competitors are. Two strategies are available for improving the businessââ¬â¢ position in the market, price reduction and a direct approach to promoting the entityââ¬â¢s products among the target population. Health-in-Pizza Ltd. should reduce its prices to values that are equivalent to, or bellow, prices offered by the competitors. This is because the trend in the past five months has shown that the market, regardless of its segmentsââ¬â¢ social classes is determined by pizzaââ¬â¢s price. Awareness campaigns to enlighten the market of the health benefits of Health-in-Pizza Ltd.ââ¬â¢s pizza and its reviewed prices should then follow this to change the developed attitude that the business is expensive. Section B Expected effects of environmental changes on the business Entry of a new supplier with cheaper products will reduce the entityââ¬â¢s operational costs and therefore increase its profit margin. This will further allow
Monday, September 23, 2019
Arabic Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Arabic Culture - Essay Example he gender division of roles, responsibilities and resources within the household play an important role in shaping what men and women are able to do beyond the household. Islamic texts and traditions lie at the heart of Arab cultural conventions. Critics have seized upon the way that the exact interpretation of religious doctrines varies from state to state, and stress that it is important to reflect on who is making the rules for gender roles and activities, namely men, and how little real choice women have. The definition of what is a matter of culture and religion, and what is a matter of human rights is contentious. Handrahan, for example, compares the human rights offences which occurred in apartheid South Africa with the treatment of women in Arabian culture and describes the Arabian situation as ââ¬Å"gender apartheidâ⬠(Handrahan 9) The absence of equal voting rights for women is quite obviously matter of serious discrimination and it attracts condemnation from critics both inside and outside Arabia. A womanââ¬â¢s identity in Arabian culture and society is constructed, in the very first place, on the basis of menââ¬â¢s superiority. Such discriminated gender growth is justified on both cultural and religious basis. In a rigidly religious society, menââ¬â¢s superiority and womenââ¬â¢s dependency on men are ratified by the following verse of the Holy Quran: ââ¬Å"Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husbands) absence what Allah would have them guardâ⬠(Quranà 4:34). Indeed this verse is one of many from the Holy Quran that the clerics of the society manipulate to enact rules, regulations and laws that slaughter womenââ¬â¢s equality to men. Some of these rules and regulations are male guardianships, Namus, Purdah, Dress codes, sexual segregation, etc. One of the common aftermaths
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Air Asia Essay Example for Free
Air Asia Essay A. Late Submission A 10% deduction per day of total coursework marks (excluding weekends and public holidays). Late submission between 5 to 10 days, results in a 50% deduction of total coursework marks. Late submission past 10 days results in an automatic 0% for coursework and the student will be barred from the final examination. B. Deliverables Students must submit all materials supporting their coursework listed in the deliverable section. The coursework must be done individually and must be entirely your own work. Please make sure that you are aware of the rules concerning plagiarism. If you are unclear about them, please consult your program coordinator/lecturer. The coursework should exhibit formal research skills i. e. with a table of content, proper citations, references, and appendices. The coursework write up must be able to demonstrate critical analysis and application of both theory and practical issues to the company that you have selected. Student may include additional relevant data/information apart from the proposed guidelines in conjunction to your research. Additional marks will be awarded for such attempt. A CD containing the softcopy version of your coursework should be submitted as well (if required). BACHELOR OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT (HONS) BACHELOR OF ACCOUNTING (HONS) COURSEWORK QUESTIONS Choose one of the strategic change and management framework highlighted below and critically analyze and evaluate with supporting examples. PEST Analysis Porterââ¬â¢s 5 Forces Porterââ¬â¢s Value Chain Your report should attempt the following tasks: a) Discussion of the principles underlying the framework. b) A critical evaluation on the application of the framework in actual business context. c) Relating the framework to an organization of your choice. Your report should include: Cover Page Grading Scheme Executive Summary Table of Content Questions (a) (c) List of References/Bibliography Appendices (if relevant) BACHELOR OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT (HONS) Guidelines (1) Your mark in this coursework will carry a 25% weight in the assessment of your overall performance in this module. (2) You will be working on this coursework individually. (3) The assignment will be in a report format of not more than 1,500 words. (4) Appropriate APA referencing system will be employed where applicable. (5) Your assignment should be type written, 1 ? line spaced, font 12 Times New Roman and justify aligned. Please staple and do not comb bind. (6) Please provide an executive summary, table of content, page number, proper heading title for each part answered and references. (7) Use an appropriate cover sheet. (8) Please attach a copy of the grading scheme at the front of your coursework (after the Cover Page) during submission. (9) The assignment will be submitted on 25th October 2012 (Thursday) in class. Assignment of Grades for Written Work Written assignments will be graded according to the following distribution: 70%: Content (thoroughness of preparation, information, and content) 20%: Style (grammar, writing quality, clarity of writing at the sentence level) 10%: Presentation (organization, clarity of writing at the paper level) What this means in practice is that if you do the work, but dont organize your thoughts or write clearly, you will end with at most a B. However, you will not be given full credit for content if the lecturer cannot understand what youre saying, so if you dont write clearly, you will probably end up losing points on content as well. BACHELOR OF BUSINESS MANAGEMENT (HONS) Academic Dishonesty As stated in the faculty Handbook, cheating, including plagiarism will not be tolerated. All written work, including paper summaries, must be your own work. If you wish to quote a source, you must do so explicitly, and with proper attribution. Any work that does not meet the requirements set out above will be treated as a violation of the academic honesty policy for the class, and dealt with accordingly.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Language Modes Essay Example for Free
Language Modes Essay Language arts is the term typically used by educators to describe the curriculum area that includes four modes of language: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Language arts teaching constitutes a particularly important area in teacher education, since listening, speaking, reading, and writing permeate the curriculum; they are essential to learning and to the demonstration of learning in every content area. Teachers are charged with guiding students toward proficiency in these four language modes, which can be compared and contrasted in several ways. Listening and speaking involve oral language and are often referred to as primary modes since they are acquired naturally in home and community environments before children come to school. Reading and writing, the written language modes, are acquired differently. Although children from literate environments often come to school with considerable knowledge about printed language, reading and writing are widely considered to be the schools responsibility and are formally taught. A different way of grouping the language modes is according to the processing involved in their use. Speaking and writing require constructing messages and conveying them to others through language. Thus they are expressive modes. Listening and reading, on the other hand, are more receptive modes; they involve constructing meaning from messages that come from others language. (For those who are deaf, visual and spatial language modesââ¬âwatching and signingââ¬âreplace oral language modes. When one considers how children learn and use language, however, all of these divisions become somewhat artificial. Whatever we label them, all modes involve communication and construction of meaning. In effective language arts teaching, several modes are usually used in each activity or set of related activities. For example, students in literature groups may read literature, discuss it, and write about it in response journals. In 1976 Walter Loban published a study of the language growth of 338 students who were observed from kindergarten through grade twelve. He found positive correlations among the four language modes both in terms of how students developed competency in each, and of how well students ultimately used them. His study demonstrated the inter-relationships among the four language modes and influenced educators to address and more fully integrate all four of them in classrooms. Models of Language Arts Instruction Many changes in language arts instruction have taken place in American schools since 1980. To understand these changes, one must be conversant with the three basic models that have given rise to variations in language arts curriculum over the years: the heritage model, the competencies model, and the process or student-centered model. Each model constitutes a belief system about the structure and content of instruction that leads to certain instructional approaches and methods. The heritage model, for example, reflects the belief that the purpose of language arts instruction is to transmit the values and traditions of the culture through the study of an agreed-upon body of literature. It also focuses on agreed-upon modes and genres of writing, to be mastered through guided writing experiences. The competencies model, on the other hand, emanates from the belief that the chief purpose of language arts instruction is to produce mastery of a hierarchy of language-related skills (particularly in reading and writing) in the learner. This model advocates the teaching of these skills in a predetermined sequence, generally through use of basal readers and graded language arts textbooks in which the instructional activities reflect this orientation. The majority of adults in this country probably experienced elementary level language arts instruction that was based in the competencies model, followed by high school English instruction that primarily reflected the heritage model. Instruction in both of these models depends heavily on the use of sequenced curricula, texts, and tests. The third model of language arts instruction, the process model, is quite different from the other two models. The curriculum is not determined by texts and tests; rather, this model stresses the encouragement of language processes that lead to growth in the language competencies (both written and oral) of students, as well as exposure to broad content. The interests and needs of the students, along with the knowledge and interests of the teacher, determine the specific curriculum. Thus reading materials, writing genres and topics, and discussion activities will vary from classroom to classroom and even from student to student within a classroom. Authentic assessment is the rule in these classrooms, that is, assessment that grows from the real language work of the students rather than from formal tests. Clearly the process model leads to more flexible and varied curriculum and instruction than the other two models. While the heritage and competencies models have come under criticism for being too rigid and unresponsive to student differences, the process model has been criticized as too unstructured and inconsistent to dependably give all students sufficient grounding in language content and skills. In actuality, teachers of language arts generally strive to help their students develop proficiency in language use, develop understanding of their own and other cultures, and experience and practice the processes of reading and writing. Thus it seems that the three models are not mutually exclusive. They do, however, reflect different priorities and emphases, and most teachers, schools, and/or school systems align beliefs and practices primarily with one or another model. Focus on Outcomes From a historical perspective, marked shifts in language arts instruction have taken place. In the early twentieth century, textbooks and assigned readings, writing assignments, and tests came to dominate the language arts curriculum. Instruction was characterized by a great deal of analysis of language and texts, on the theory that practice in analyzing language and drill in correct forms would lead students to improved use of language and proficiency in reading, writing, and discourse. Instruction was entirely teacher-driven; literature and writing topics were selected by the teacher; spelling, grammar, and penmanship were taught as distinct subjects; and writing was vigorously corrected but seldom really taught in the sense that composition is often taught today. In the 1980s a shift toward the process model emerged in the works of many language arts theorists and the published practices of some influential teachers including Donald Graves, Lucy M. Calkins, and Nancie Atwell. In 1987 the National Council of Teachers of English and the Modern Language Association sponsored a Coalition of English Associations Conference. Educational leaders from all levels came together at the conference to discuss past and present language arts teaching and to propose directions and goals to guide the teaching of language arts in the years leading up to and moving into the twenty-first century. The conference report specified the ideal outcomes of effective language arts instruction, in terms of the language knowledge, abilities, and attitudes of students. These outcomes were largely process oriented, as illustrated by the following examples of outcomes for students leaving the elementary grades, as reported by William Teale in Stories to Grow On (1989): * They will be readers and writers, individuals who find pleasure and satisfaction in reading and writing, and who make those activities an important part of their everyday lives. * They will use language to understand themselves and others and make sense of their world. As a means of reflecting on their lives, they will engage in such activities as telling and hearing stories, reading novels and poetry, and keeping journals. Principles to guide curriculum development evolved from the conference participants agreed upon student outcomes, and, like the outcomes, the principles were broad and process-focused. For example, two of the original principles are: Curriculum should evolve from a sound research knowledge base and The language arts curriculum should be learner-centered. Elaborations on these and other curriculum goals deviated from earlier recommendations in that they included classroom-based ethnographic research, or action research, as well as traditional basic research in the knowledge base that informs the teaching of language arts. There was also agreement that textbooks serve best as resources for activities, but that the most effective language arts curricula are not text driven; rather they are created by individual teachers for varying communities of students.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Reflective Writing for Learning Disability Nurse
Reflective Writing for Learning Disability Nurse Summary reflection ââ¬âModules 5 9 Working as a learning disability nurse, poses a career fraught with many interesting and often frustrating challenges. However, this is a population that cannot be ignored or slighted medically just because they present with special needs (DOH 2001). Emerson et al. (2001) state that 2.5 ââ¬â 3% of the population in the UK are among the learning disabled, with 30% of these individuals presenting with categorically severe or profound learning disabilities. Emerson et al. (2001) also tell us that frequently multiple learning disabilities present in the same individual, including physical and/or sensory impairments, physical or sensory disability and/or behavioural difficulties. The five modules presented an opportunity to explore various aspects of this specialty area and reflect on the experience on a module by module basis. The act of revisiting the individual reflection pieces to present the current summary essay allowed for not only intellectually experiencing what I wrote, but it also allowed me to re-experience each situation and gain a new appreciation for the patients I worked with, the teams I took part in, the pros and cons of each situation and what I have learned that will be immediately applicable to a real world work environment. Importance of reflection Driscoll and Teh (2001) tell us that practitioners can gain a stronger understanding about various interventions and protocols used, as well as reviewing the situation specifics of each incident, through the process of reflection. In particular, Foster (1985) stressed the importance of using a journal for purposes of written reflection on nursing practices and procedures in order to help clarify issues and make them more real and visual. Gardiner and Lawley (1995) believe that self awareness, one of the outcomes of nursing reflection, can enable staff to recognise the skills they employ and add meaning to their interactions with peers, team members and clients/patients. There were many positives and negatives I experienced on a module by module basis, but in summary, these will be presented thematically. Achievements Module Five offered the opportunity to gain insight into the lifestyle experienced by those with learning disabilities. Similarly, Module Seven provided much needed and interesting information on the role of special health needs observed in those with special needs. This enabled me to make a difference for a client with diabetes through the development of a health care action plan that included the clientââ¬â¢s smoking cessation; something the social worker assigned to the case was no knowledgeable of. It was quite exciting to improve my communication skills throughout the five modules. For example, I was able to improve my rapport with other colleagues and various multidisciplinary healthcare professionals as well as clients as I achieved Module Nine communication based learning objectives. Godsell and Scarbrough (2006) comment communication skills are essential for healthcare practitioners. I believe they are even more critical for those working with the learning disabled. Another example was the ability to communicate effectively myself and help others, such as residential home management, communicate with a specific autistic client experiencing difficulty in choosing daily activities based on his disability. I was able to include this client in the decisions made which is critical to empowering the client with a sense of self. Similarly, during Module Five, I worked with a cerebral palsy client who was screaming due to discomfort; that was her mode of communication, which at th e time I failed to recognise, but upon reflection now know actions as well as words are important modes of communication for those with learning disabilities. Shortcomings In general, a major negative I encountered was feeling I was used as ââ¬Å"the helpâ⬠rather than as a student nurse during my placement. This limited my ability to contribute and to grow personally and professionally. This was particularly evident during Module Five. Similarly, during Module Eight I was faced with a situation creating a significant amount of stress with no stress management advice or training opportunities from which to learn how to effectively cope. Contrary to Davidsonââ¬â¢s (2001) research, there were no in-house stress management training opportunities to take advantage of. There was a sharp discrepancy in Module Nine when reviewing the Valuing People (2001) discourse in relation to people with learning disabilities (PWLD) between what was written in the document and what I experienced at work; whereas the document stresses the rights inherent for all people be extended to PWLD, it was my experience that daily patients and clients were denied access to services due to budgetary measures rather than expressing interest in peopleââ¬â¢s rights to quality healthcare and a quality standard of life. Gates (2003) tells us those with learning disabilities have rights and should be encouraged to attain respect and reach their potential. Challenges/Learning opportunities One of the main challenges I experienced in the module series, particularly with Module Five, was relating theory to practice. However, through additional research and self motivated learning I was able to bridge the gap. I also experienced a number of personal and professional challenges that I believe helped me become a stronger person and future professional. For example, at the beginning of Module Six, my mentor informed me he would not be available to me. This was very frustrating and upsetting as I knew without the help of a mentor, it would be very difficult to achieve the specific learning objectives outlined. However, I was able to turn this situation into a positive by becoming an active contributor to my own educational process by learning, understanding and solving real life problems (Kaufman, Mann Jennet 2000). Similarly, in Module Nine, I found several of the teaching styles challenging, but that helped to develop my research skills and allow me to make contributions in the group and EBL sessions. This also helped to develop my learning and presentation skills. An additional challenge in Module Nine was situation I encountered when viewing a medication administration concern at work. While I informed my manager of the situation, the team had a negative reaction rather than positive which would have been consistent with concern over patient/client care. Thomas, Mason and Ford (2003) tell us it is difficult for workers to become whistleblowers, especially in situations related to patient/client care or maintaining standards of care. This was an even more difficult challenge for me as I was only a student with limited status in the work environment. This was similar to the situation I found myself in during Module Seven when the community care social worker appeared to be neglecting the clientââ¬â¢s diabetes, which is inconsistent with the General Social Care Council (2002) code of practices. I felt I was caught in the middle being a student making suggestions and pointing out care inconsistencies. Through the increased communication skills I developed, I was able to participate with the social worker in the role Gates (2003) identified as a learning disability nurse educator and facilitate changes. In conclusion, through the combined effects of achieving the modulesââ¬â¢ learning objectives, reflection on the positive and negative events as well as challenges I encountered throughout modules 5 ââ¬â 9 have enhanced my skill development of working with the learning disabled, improved my problem solving skills, allowed for improved communicative ability both on interdisciplinary teams as well as working with learning or developmentally challenged persons. The added use of written reflection as a tool will further my ability to transfer these skills into practice in my future placement and allow me to be effective in my nursing capacity on day one of my engagement. References Davidson, J. 2001. Stress management: Minute 10 guide. New York: Macmillan, USA. Department of Health. 2001. Valuing People: A new strategy for learning disability for the 21st century. White Paper CM5086. Great Britain. Driscoll, J Teh, B. 2001. The potential of reflective practice to develop individual orthopaedic nurse practitioner and their practice. Journal of Orthopedic Nursing, 5, 95 ââ¬â 103. Emerson, E, Hatton, C, Felce, D Murphy, A. 2001. Fundamental facts. London: The Foundation of People with a Learning Disability. Gates, B. 2004. Learning disabilities: Towards inclusion (4th ed). London: Churchill Livingstone. General Social Care Council. 2002. Code of Practice for Social Care Workers andà Code of Practice for Employers of Social Care Workers. [Online]. Retrieved from: http://www.gscc.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/8E693C62-9B17-48E1-A806-3F6F280354FD/0/CodesofPractice.doc [Accessed 20 September 2008]. Godsell, M Scarbrough, K. 2006. Improving communication for people with learning disabilities. Nursing Standards, 20(30), 58 ââ¬â 68. Kaufman, DM, Mann, KV Jennet, P. 2000. Teaching and learning in medical education: How theory can inform practice. London: Association for the Study of Medical Education Monograph. Gardiner, A Lawley, K. 1995. Health and social care: Longman advanced GNVQ test and assessment guide. London: Longman Publishing Group. Thomas, A, Mason, L Ford, S. 2003. Care management in practice for the registered manager award: Essential reading for all care managers (2nd ed). Oxford: Heinemann Educational Publishers
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Artist Pain Exposed in Kafkas A Hunger Artist Essay -- Hunger Artist
Artist Pain Exposed in Kafka's A Hunger Artist à à à à In "A Hunger Artist", Kafka comments on the life of the modern artist through the life of a hunger artist. Kafka comments that the modern artist is always dissatisfied with his or her art. The modern artist also is trapped in a harsh and capricious world, in which the artist struggles to maintain his or her audience by pushing the extreme, but are cheated because they do not receive his or her recognition. Finally, in "A Hunger Artist" Kafka refers to the modern artist's struggle between the need for fame and the need for isolation. As a modern artist, Kafka has experienced the qualities that characterize the modern artist and his experiences have greatly influenced his work, particularly "A Hunger Artist". à The modern artist, as seen with the hunger artist, will always have dissatisfaction with his or her art. The hunger artist was dissatisfied with his work because he was dissatisfied with himself. He was dissatisfied because fasting was easy for him. Although he reveled to the world his secret, the world did not understand him and some even had the "imprudence" to call him a cheat. The hunger artist was also dissatisfied because he wanted to fast for more than forty days, but the impresario refused. Critic Frederick Karl remarks that the hunger artist could only find satisfaction when he achieves purification the closer he comes to the fine line when life and death touch.i[i] Kafka, a modern artist, was dissatisfied with his works. He attempted to achieve purification and perfection through a strict diet and lifestyle, but he failed to make his writings perfect and demanded that his works be burned after he died.ii[ii] à à à à à à à à à à à à According to Kafka,... ...position in society. The modern artist is an outsider, or rather, a joke that "happened to be in fashion". The artist is doomed to rejection and isolation by a harsh and capricious world. à End Notes i Karl, Frederick. Franz Kafka: Representative Man. New York: Fromm International Publishing Corporation, 1991. ii Updike, John. Foreword to Franz Kafka: The Complete Stories. New York: Schoken Books, 1971. iii Winkler, R.O.C.. Twentieth Century Literary Criticism Vol. 2. New York: Gale Research, 1981 iv Karl, Frederick. Franz Kafka: Representative Man. New York: Fromm International Publishing Corporation, 1991. v Karl, Frederick. Franz Kafka: Representative Man. New York: Fromm Internationalà Publishing Corporation, 1991. vi Karl, Frederick. Franz Kafka: Representative Man. New York: Fromm International Publishing Corporation, 1991. Artist Pain Exposed in Kafka's A Hunger Artist Essay -- Hunger Artist Artist Pain Exposed in Kafka's A Hunger Artist à à à à In "A Hunger Artist", Kafka comments on the life of the modern artist through the life of a hunger artist. Kafka comments that the modern artist is always dissatisfied with his or her art. The modern artist also is trapped in a harsh and capricious world, in which the artist struggles to maintain his or her audience by pushing the extreme, but are cheated because they do not receive his or her recognition. Finally, in "A Hunger Artist" Kafka refers to the modern artist's struggle between the need for fame and the need for isolation. As a modern artist, Kafka has experienced the qualities that characterize the modern artist and his experiences have greatly influenced his work, particularly "A Hunger Artist". à The modern artist, as seen with the hunger artist, will always have dissatisfaction with his or her art. The hunger artist was dissatisfied with his work because he was dissatisfied with himself. He was dissatisfied because fasting was easy for him. Although he reveled to the world his secret, the world did not understand him and some even had the "imprudence" to call him a cheat. The hunger artist was also dissatisfied because he wanted to fast for more than forty days, but the impresario refused. Critic Frederick Karl remarks that the hunger artist could only find satisfaction when he achieves purification the closer he comes to the fine line when life and death touch.i[i] Kafka, a modern artist, was dissatisfied with his works. He attempted to achieve purification and perfection through a strict diet and lifestyle, but he failed to make his writings perfect and demanded that his works be burned after he died.ii[ii] à à à à à à à à à à à à According to Kafka,... ...position in society. The modern artist is an outsider, or rather, a joke that "happened to be in fashion". The artist is doomed to rejection and isolation by a harsh and capricious world. à End Notes i Karl, Frederick. Franz Kafka: Representative Man. New York: Fromm International Publishing Corporation, 1991. ii Updike, John. Foreword to Franz Kafka: The Complete Stories. New York: Schoken Books, 1971. iii Winkler, R.O.C.. Twentieth Century Literary Criticism Vol. 2. New York: Gale Research, 1981 iv Karl, Frederick. Franz Kafka: Representative Man. New York: Fromm International Publishing Corporation, 1991. v Karl, Frederick. Franz Kafka: Representative Man. New York: Fromm Internationalà Publishing Corporation, 1991. vi Karl, Frederick. Franz Kafka: Representative Man. New York: Fromm International Publishing Corporation, 1991.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Architecture of the New Capitalist Society Essay examples -- essays re
Architecture of the New Capitalist Society INTRODUCTORY THEME Daniel Libeskindââ¬â¢s winning design for the new World Trade Center takes a sentimental and metaphorical approach. He claims that the completed WTC would become the representation of Americaââ¬â¢s belief in humanity, its need for individual dignity, and its beliefs in the cooperation of human. Libeskindââ¬â¢s original design focused on restoring the spiritual peak to the New York City and creating an icon that speaks of Americaââ¬â¢s vitality in the face of danger and her optimism in the aftermath of tragedy. The design considered the cityââ¬â¢s neighborhood and residents, rather than simply the economic demands of the commissioners. However, Libeskindââ¬â¢s revised plan that revealed in September 2003 altered his original humanistic vision of creating buildings that respond to the neighborhood, and an environment that will have richness and openness. Pressured by the leaseholder of the WTC site Mr. Silverstein, Libeskindââ¬â¢s new plan added an emphasize on the commercial purpose of the site. The marketability of office and retail spaces has become the major concern of the project. The new World Trade Center project has stirred a significant amount of debates among authorities and the public since Daniel Liberskind first revealed his original mater plan in February 2003. Some have proposed to redesign and decentralize lower Manhattan; others have questioned that if New York really needs another worldââ¬â¢s tallest building, or maybe something more modest like affordable housing, linear parks, and true public spaces and institutes. However, beyond these issues, there is a far more intricate question cannot be easily answered: How the architecture profession has been influenced by the new capitalist society? And what is the role of the architects in the twenty-first century? Architecture has been known as the product of aesthetics, structure, and function that serves to address social needs, resolve environmental and humanitarian problems through built form. Architecture not only shelters, but also has the ability to consolidate boundaries within our society. It realizes the role by physically defining space and by imposing its symbolic, representative meaning onto our living environment. As Ludwig Wittgenstein once said, ââ¬Å"Architecture immortalizes and glorifies somethingâ⬠. Indeed, architecture must be documentary and didac... ...uld be one of the most significant lessons September 11th attack has taught us. BIBLIOGRAPHY Abby Bussel, ââ¬Å"As the World Trade Center Turnsâ⬠, Architecture, V. 92, N.9 (Sept 2003), 11. Andrew Mead, ââ¬Å"Close Inspection of a Capitalist World [book and exhibition review]â⬠, Architectsââ¬â¢ Journal V. 206, N. 17 (Nov 1997), 59. Anthony Burke, interview held during meeting, University of California, Berkeley, November, 2004. Colin St. John Wilson, ââ¬Å"Speer and the Fear of Freedom,â⬠Architectural Review V. 173 No. 1036 (June 1983):22. Christopher Hawthorne, ââ¬Å"Not the Object but the Emptinessâ⬠, Metropolis V. 23, N.9 (May 2004), 113. Joseph A. Demkin. The Architectââ¬â¢s Handbook of Professional Practice (John Wiley & Sons, Inc: 2002), 13. Karrie Jacobs, ââ¬Å"The Power of Inadvertent Designâ⬠, Metropolis, V. 23, N. 6 (Feb 2004), 50. Peter J. Larkham, ââ¬Å"Planning the twentieth-century city: the advanced capitalist world [book review]â⬠, Planning Perspectives. V. 18, N. 8 (Apr 2003), 245. Reg McLemore, ââ¬Å"City Planning in an Economy in Transitionâ⬠, Plan Canada, V. 39, N. 4 (Sept 1999), 22. Sam Lubell, ââ¬Å"Libeskindââ¬â¢s World Trade Center Guidelines Raise Doubtsâ⬠, Architectural Record, V. 192, No. 6 (June 2004), 47.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
English coursework â⬠Hamlet refers to Claudius Essay
Hamlet refers to Claudius as a ââ¬Å"Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindles villain! â⬠How far do you share his view? A villain is usually driven by something, usually power or money. Claudius has two of the greatest motives, power and lust. ââ¬Å"My crown, mine own ambition, and my queenâ⬠Claudius lists the things he committed the murder for. Crown signalising power comes before queen, Gertrude. Villainââ¬â¢s motives are sometimes unimportant. Iago has no real motive to completely ruin peopleââ¬â¢s lives but does it because he enjoys it, only an extremely evil villain would gain pleasure through the suffering of others. Claudius has far greater motives. Firstly he would gain great power, a thing desired by many. He would also then have Gertrude whom he does care for and wants. Claudius has a tremendous talent at controlling and influencing people, whether it is through their views or their actions. Claudius switches Laertesââ¬â¢ anger from himself to Hamlet with ease ââ¬Å"I am guiltless of your fatherââ¬â¢s deathâ⬠to do that you would have to be a very convincing liar and be good at deceiving. Claudius then invites in a mad Ophelia to deceive Laertes, and to make him believe Hamlet is the culprit. Claudiusââ¬â¢ manipulation of Hamletââ¬â¢s feelings is apparent early on in the play showing his true self to be a sly, cunning and extremely clever man. All these qualities are shown in his opening speech as he addresses the court; Claudius speaks about the issue of his brotherââ¬â¢s death, ââ¬Å"our dear brotherââ¬â¢s death, the memory be greenâ⬠then, in a few sentences, moves on t the subject of his marriage, ââ¬Å"Therefore our sometimes sister, now our queenâ⬠Claudius addresses his authority by referring to his wife as Queen letting all know that he is King. This is a very efficient and to the point statement showing Claudiusââ¬â¢ intelligence, a characteristic common in the best and most evil villains. Claudius changes the subject ââ¬Å"For all, our thanksâ⬠again it is simple and with minimum fuss. Claudius moves on to the next subject; a possible attack from a neighbouring country. He makes light of the situation by belittling the opposition; ââ¬Å"Young Fortinbras, Holding a weak supposal of our worthâ⬠he calls the King young, immediately bringing to mind the thought of a child, not a very intimidating opponent. He also says ââ¬Ëourââ¬â¢; gently letting the court he is the new King. ââ¬Å"So much for himâ⬠these are the final words on the subject. Claudius has covered the death of his brother, his marriage with his former sister and a possible invasion and left the court laughing, smiling and joking. He is extremely clever to have done all this without arousing any suspicion and win over the court days after the death of the former King. Claudius ability to manipulate is obvious. Claudiusââ¬â¢ talent for influencing and manipulating people continues throughout he play, showing a theme common in many villains. In Star Wars, The Emperor is a villain who desires power and is truly evil. Claudius desires power and kills his brother to have it. The Emperor shares the ability to manipulate others, instead of killing a foe he would try to influence them to join him. However the greatest evil quality that The Emperor and Claudius have in common is their emotionless reaction to the suffering they cause to others. When Claudius drives Ophelia mad through ignoring her and abusing her he is then comfortable to use her to manipulate Laertes. The Emperor shows no concern when he destroys a planet and itââ¬â¢s population. Claudius also puts people down, an already depressed Hamlet is one of his targets. ââ¬Å"ââ¬ËTis sweet and commendableâ⬠Claudius ignores how Hamlet is feeling about the death of his father. Saying someoneââ¬â¢s mourning is ââ¬Ëcommendableââ¬â¢ is insulting. He continues to put Hamlet down by again ignoring how Hamlet feels and telling him to cheer up, ââ¬Å"ââ¬ËTis fault to heaven, A fault against the dead, a fault to natureâ⬠Claudius continues to repeat the word fault making Hamlet feel his mourning is wrong. Claudius has good qualities in him that are unusual in villains. He makes an attempt to repent ââ¬Å"My stronger guilt defeats my strong intentâ⬠but he feels he cannot be forgiven because his sin is too great. Villains like Iago form Othello and Ming the Merciless both show no conscience at all. Claudius is also spiritual in the way that he understands God and knows what sin is. Spirituality isnââ¬â¢t something a truly evil villain has. Claudius shows caring and feels affection for Gertrude ââ¬Å"She is so conjunctive to my life and soulâ⬠an incredible thing to say about someone, he shows a love for Gertrude. ââ¬Å"O, my offence is rank, it smells to heavenâ⬠Claudius knows that the things he has done are absolutely awful. He uses a disgusting word to describe his actions, the word rank. A villain of real evil wouldnââ¬â¢t have such a conscience. This shows Claudius not to be evil at his core. Claudius does not fully repent. Because he knows that he doesnââ¬â¢t really mean his apology, ââ¬Å"Words without thoughts never to heaven goâ⬠Claudius is not an evil character. He does disgraceful things and harms people but he does not gain pleasure from hurting people, something truly evil. He does the evil acts because of the results, in his case power. Claudiusââ¬â¢ deliberate ignorance of emotion and ability to manipulate shows him to be disgusting and harmful. Claudius is a treacherous, lecherous, kindles villain but not remorseless. Although he did not repent because of his greed he tried to and it is because of this he is not an evil person. Claudius is however an awful person who deserves no sympathy. Hamletââ¬â¢s opinion of Claudius isnââ¬â¢t far from the truth.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Eating Home or Eating Out Essay
To human, eating now is not only an action to survive. But it has also become one kind of culture. People now are not only care of what or how they eat. But where they eat is also important. Nowadays, people are too busy with school and work. So, most of the people think that it is more comfortable to eating out than eating at home. But in my point of view, Iââ¬â¢d still prefer eating at home than eating out. First, your family know what you eat. I meant that if you have allergy with something or you canââ¬â¢t eat specific thing like spicy, your family know that and they can put that out in your dish. But if youââ¬â¢re in a restaurant even if you told the waiter to put out, most of them usually donââ¬â¢t listen to what you say. So when the dish come out and you canââ¬â¢t eat it, it will be a waste of money. Second, the food at home is much cheaper than the food at the restaurant. For example, if you eat a bowl of Pho at a restaurant, it will cost about 30000 dong at least. But if you buy the ingredients and make it your own it will be way more cheaper about 10000 dong. The reason of this is because the restaurant has to pay extra fees like the workerââ¬â¢s salary, restaurantââ¬â¢s renting, etc. And because they have to cut down the fee to make more profit so the food might no be as healthy as the food you make at home A survey in US show that a family can save up to 2000 dollars a year by reducing the times of eating at a restaurant. And helping your mom with the food is also fun thing to do. Third, that your family knows your taste. Somebody like to eat fried egg with onion, some like to eat with tomatoes. Because weââ¬â¢re family so our taste might be the same so your mom can easy know your taste. Furthermore, the one who cook a lot or a good cooker usually have a a secret cooking technique of their own that you can find no where else. Finally, eating at home can be a chance to enhance the family relationship. Life keeps getting busier so people donââ¬â¢t have time to share their feeling to each other. A family meal is a good chance to express your feeling. Family member can talk about their own work. This could cut your stress down. My family always eating dinner together, this make us feel warmer and happier.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Naturalization of Undocumented Immigrant
Prof. Alexandru November 18, 2013 Communications Immigration Laws Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to Central Idea: The immigration system needs to be reformed. Introduction l. ââ¬Å"Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. â⬠These words are engraved on the Statue of Liberty that was assembled in 1886. The statue was meant to be a beacon of hope for all immigrants that enter the U. S. Hope for opportunities, a better life, a better home. But can we really say that's what they are given?II. A big issue that has been focused on lately by the government is Immigration law reform. For this speech I have done research about immigration laws and how they affect undocumented immigrants. Ill. A recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center in Washington, D. C. has found that there has been an increase of unauthorized immigrants in the United States since the end of recession in 2009, which means there a lot more people that live in the United States that will be affected.This can also be said that everyone in California can be affected by these laws because we are a border state, which usually get a larger influx of immigrants. ââ¬ËV. Today I would like to tell you about the serious issues with present day mmigration laws and persuade you to help reform them. First I will explain what immigration laws are and their purposes. Then I will tell you about some of those laws, and how they affect undocumented immigrants and society. And I will end with why and how you can help to make a difference. Body (So what are immigration laws? ) l.Immigration laws were created to regulate who and what may come into the United States. According the National Association of Former Border Patrol Officers, this is to protect us in four different major ways: public safety, public health, Jobs, and national ecurity. A. Ever since 1960, creating laws based on public safety, is to ensure that immigrants that may be potential prostitute s, polygamists, sexual deviates, or criminals would not be allowed to cross our borders. B. For Public Health, there are laws that prevent contagious diseases epidemics or people with potentially dangerous mental diseases.C. To ensure our Jobs are secure, laws are created to keep immigration from depressing wages too much. D. And National Security ââ¬â Foreigners who would harm the country cannot come here, but the definition of who terrorists, for instance. Now let's talking about some actual immigration laws) V. Immigration laws vary on circumstances and we have to remember that every law always have exceptions. Every law also has flaws. Now I'm going to tell you about two laws that I found alarming. A. The Center for Immigration Studies estimates that close to 400,000 US citizens marry a non-U.S. citizen. When a United States' citizen gets married to a person from a different country, there is a long process that the couple has to go through to prove their marriage and plenty of petitions need to be filled out to gain citizenship. A. l . The process and analysis of the couples were not at all alarming me until I ran across an article that went into detail about transgender spouses, who not only had to deal with the naturalization process but also the process specifying their gender.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Boeing/Airbus Evaluation
MBA 654 Case 10. 1 Boeing & Airbus Robin Grouette 1. The overall strategy for Boeing seems to be focused more on customization and efficiency rather than size. With the focus of the 787 Dreamliner being that of long range with smaller passenger capacity, Boeing is anticipating that more direct routes to international cities will be developed rather than the typical hub and spoke routes which currently dominate the airline industry.Airbusââ¬â¢ overall strategy is focused more on the hub and spoke routes as well as improving efficiency. The A380 has utilized new materials in both airframe and wing compositions which have not been seen in Boeingââ¬â¢s products. The A380 also relies heavily on travel between concentrated hubs of passengers to ensure capacity is not underutilized. Airbus does seem to be playing a bit of catch-up in announcing the A350 for a 2012 release as it is positioned to compete directly with the 787 from Boeing.The ways in which both strategies are different w ould be the focus of Airbus on centralized hub and spoke routes for airlines (major city to major city) and creating larger aircraft to support their strategy, as compared to the decentralized connectivity to international destinations (smaller cities connected to smaller cities) which Boeing believes to be the coming evolution of air travel. The similarities in both strategies focus around efficiency and range.Almost the entirety of both new product developments for both companies have seen significant increases in flying distance in comparison to previous models. Also, with the rising cost of fuel, the efficiency of design and materials has been become more important. Airbus has developed its product line in response to the strengths and weaknesses shown by Boeing. An example would be the A320 family which was introduced 20 years following the 727/737 models from Boeing.All models involve smaller capacities and ranges which would suit regional and national travel. Airbus also deve loped a medium range/capacity A300/310 model to compete with the 757 and 787 from Boeing. In both the small range/capacity and medium range/capacity, Boeing had a long established dominance in model acceptance as well as an ability to provide upgrades in technology and efficiency at a smaller cost to replacing the entire plane, which left Airbus at a disadvantage.Where Airbusââ¬â¢ real advantage came in the long range/large capacity segment which had only been serviced by the 747 from Boeing. With the introduction of the A330/340 in the late ââ¬Ë80ââ¬â¢s as well as the A380 in 2008, Airbus is anticipating the need for long distance, major hub connections throughout the world rather than having smaller cities having the ability to have direct flights to international destinations . 2. The product lines for both companies fall into three categories: short range/small capacity, medium range/medium capacity, long range/large capacity.Both companies have four models in the short range/capacity segment, Airbus has 2 models in the medium range/capacity segment to Boeingââ¬â¢s 3, and Airbus has 2 models in the long range/large capacity to Boeingââ¬â¢s 1. The sales for each segment is dominated largely by Boeing with 9632 units sold between 1970 and 2005 in comparison to the 5797 that Airbus sold in the same time. While being dominated in the small and medium segments, Airbus has been exceeding Boeing in the long range segment since the 90ââ¬â¢s.In terms of technology, both firms are making advances towards efficiency as well as fly-by-wire controls. While Boeing models have been established for quite some time, Airbus has utilized their late entry into the industry by incorporating the latest technology into their products. Aircraft were originally designed with direct mechanical systems, meaning that when the pilot depressed a pedal in the cockpit, the corresponding surface on the airplane would react by how hard/fast the pedal was depressed.In mode rn aircraft, this mechanical system has been replaced by a fly-by-wire system which an electrical signal is sent to the surface from the cockpit, rather than a mechanical one. Airbus has been utilizing this technology exclusively in their products, whereas Boeing has had to create upgrade packages for their existing products to switch to the new technology. Airbus has made a leap in material component technology which Boeing has not, in the Lithium/Aluminum body composition as well as carbon fiber wing construction for the new A380.Overall I believe that the Boeing approach to a more decentralized, medium capacity aircraft with long range and high efficiency will prove to be the better product line. Airlines are creating more direct flights to international destinations and having the ability to have a larger percentage of capacity utilized on the medium capacity planes will make the 787 more desirable to airlines as they continue to evolve. 4.The overall economics of the industry i s one of stiff competition supporting an industry which has been struggling to make a profit for the last decade. Both companies are competing for the limited capital available to their customers to provide new products while at the same time, staying current with evolving regulations around noise and efficiency. Also, both companies are competing on a wide variety of factors for all three sales segments so creation of new products to meet customer needs are both costly as well as risky.The importance of government subsidies for both companies is paramount. This helps transfer the financial risk of new product development across more participants. While Airbus gets directly subsidized from a number of European governments, Boeing is indirectly subsidized through their military contract business. Boeingââ¬â¢s issue with the direct subsidies are that they can be directly traced to the commercial aircraft industry while their indirect military subsidies are harder to uncover.In the end, both companies are being subsidized by government funds. While the level of subsidization may not be exactly the same for both companies, making an issue about the only other competitor in the industry receiving a subsidy while you are as well comes across as a double standard. 5. New products are developed by creating very long range forecasts and anticipating the evolving needs of their customers before they may even realize them; all at a tremendous R&D cost to the developing company.While most of Boeingââ¬â¢s products were developed in the 60ââ¬â¢s and 70ââ¬â¢s, they really hadnââ¬â¢t come out with anything new until 2006 and then again in 2010; whereas Airbus has had a more consistent release of new products since the 80ââ¬â¢s. The major trade-off between fuel efficiency and cost are based on the ability to upgrade existing models over the improved technology and materials in the newer models. Since Boeing has had an established product line for a longer tim e than Airbus, they are able to compete by selling upgrade packages to improve technology and fuel efficiency rather than having to replace the entire plane.While this has worked for Boeing in the past, this approach may have stagnated the creative drive of designers in coming up with new models, which Airbus has been doing. The A380 may not be a serious threat to Boeing, depending on how the global airline industry adapts to more people flying. If the hub and spoke method which is currently employed persists well into the future, then Boeing could be at a disadvantage to Airbus as their large capacity 747 is almost 50 years old and there are no current plans to replace it.On the other hand, if airlines start offering more direct flights from a wider variety of cities, the 787 Dreamliner is excellently positioned to take advantage of both longer ranges as well as smaller passenger requirements for profitability. 6. There will be new competitors entering this industry either directly or indirectly. Direct competition could be developed in Asia as more and more people use air travel as well as an increase in skilled labour. Indirect competition could also evolve from privatized space travel.While currently only found in science fiction, the ability for aircraft to travel semi ballistic is not far off. Having the ability to travel tremendous distances at greatly reduced times would be a major draw to people who use airlines for international business. Boeing needs to be aware of the progress of the privatized space flight industry as well as any potential competition from Asia. This means more investment into technology around fuel efficiency as well as materials and systems. When Boeing offered upgrades on their 747, they reduced the total crew required from 3 to 2, saving $400,000 per year in operating costs.If they could further reduce crew requirements to a single pilot, it would provide significant operational savings to their customers. The future of the co mmercial aircraft industry is bright. Air travel is the safest and fastest way for people to travel long distances. With evolutions in engine and plane design, the models will only get faster and more efficient. The key for each company is to not wait to see what the other is doing, but to invest in both market research and technology to stay ahead of the other.
Deception Point Page 87
ââ¬Å"Anything?â⬠Rachel asked. The pilot let the arm make several complete rotations. He adjusted some controls and watched. It was all clear. ââ¬Å"Couple of small ships way out on the periphery, but they're heading away from us. We're clear. Miles and miles of open sea in all directions.â⬠Rachel Sexton sighed, although she did not feel particularly relieved. ââ¬Å"Do me a favor, if you see anything approaching-boats, aircraft, anything-will you let me know immediately?â⬠ââ¬Å"Sure thing. Is everything okay?â⬠ââ¬Å"Yeah. I'd just like to know if we're having company.â⬠The pilot shrugged. ââ¬Å"I'll watch the radar, ma'am. If anything blips, you'll be the first to know.â⬠Rachel's senses were tingling as she headed for the hydrolab. When she entered, Corky and Tolland were standing alone in front of a computer monitor and chewing sandwiches. Corky called out to her with his mouth full. ââ¬Å"What'll it be? Fishy chicken, fishy bologna, or fishy egg salad?â⬠Rachel barely heard the question. ââ¬Å"Mike, how fast can we get this information and get off this ship?â⬠104 Tolland paced the hydrolab, waiting with Rachel and Corky for Xavia's return. The news about the chondrules was almost as discomforting as Rachel's news about her attempted contact with Pickering. The director didn't answer. And someone tried to pulse-snitch the Goya's location. ââ¬Å"Relax,â⬠Tolland told everyone. ââ¬Å"We're safe. The Coast Guard pilot is watching the radar. He can give us plenty of warning if anyone is headed our way.â⬠Rachel nodded in agreement, although she still looked on edge. ââ¬Å"Mike, what the hell is this?â⬠Corky asked, pointing at a Sparc computer monitor, which displayed an ominous psychedelic image that was pulsating and churning as though alive. ââ¬Å"Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler,â⬠Tolland said. ââ¬Å"It's a cross section of the currents and temperature gradients of the ocean underneath the ship.â⬠Rachel stared. ââ¬Å"That's what we're anchored on top of?â⬠Tolland had to admit, the image looked frightening. At the surface, the water appeared as a swirling bluish green, but tracing downward, the colors slowly shifted to a menacing red-orange as the temperatures heated up. Near the bottom, over a mile down, hovering above the ocean floor, a blood-red, cyclone vortex raged. ââ¬Å"That's the megaplume,â⬠Tolland said. Corky grunted. ââ¬Å"Looks like an underwater tornado.â⬠ââ¬Å"Same principle. Oceans are usually colder and more dense near the bottom, but here the dynamics are reversed. The deepwater is heated and lighter, so it rises toward the surface. Meanwhile, the surface water is heavier, so it races downward in a huge spiral to fill the void. You get these drainlike currents in the ocean. Enormous whirlpools.â⬠ââ¬Å"What's that big bump on the seafloor?â⬠Corky pointed at the flat expanse of ocean floor, where a large dome-shaped mound rose up like a bubble. Directly above it swirled the vortex. ââ¬Å"That mound is a magma dome,â⬠Tolland said. ââ¬Å"It's where lava is pushing up beneath the ocean floor.â⬠Corky nodded. ââ¬Å"Like a huge zit.â⬠ââ¬Å"In a manner of speaking.â⬠ââ¬Å"And if it pops?â⬠Tolland frowned, recalling the famous 1986 megaplume event off the Juan de Fuca Ridge, where thousands of tons of twelve hundred degrees Celsius magma spewed up into the ocean all at once, magnifying the plume's intensity almost instantly. Surface currents amplified as the vortex expanded rapidly upward. What happened next was something Tolland had no intention of sharing with Corky and Rachel this evening. ââ¬Å"Atlantic magma domes don't pop,â⬠Tolland said. ââ¬Å"The cold water circulating over the mound continually cools and hardens the earth's crust, keeping the magma safely under a thick layer of rock. Eventually the lava underneath cools, and the spiral disappears. Megaplumes are generally not dangerous.â⬠Corky pointed toward a tattered magazine sitting near the computer. ââ¬Å"So you're saying Scientific American publishes fiction?â⬠Tolland saw the cover, and winced. Someone had apparently pulled it from the Goya's archive of old science magazines: Scientific American, February 1999. The cover showed an artist's rendering of a supertanker swirling out of control in an enormous funnel of ocean. The heading read: MEGAPLUMES-GIANT KILLERS FROM THE DEEP? Tolland laughed it off. ââ¬Å"Totally irrelevant. That article is talking about megaplumes in earthquake zones. It was a popular Bermuda Triangle hypothesis a few years back, explaining ship disappearances. Technically speaking, if there's some sort of cataclysmic geologic event on the ocean floor, which is unheard of around here, the dome could rupture, and the vortex could get big enough toâ⬠¦ well, you knowâ⬠¦ ââ¬Å" ââ¬Å"No, we don't know,â⬠Corky said. Tolland shrugged. ââ¬Å"Rise to the surface.â⬠ââ¬Å"Terrific. So glad you had us aboard.â⬠Xavia entered carrying some papers. ââ¬Å"Admiring the megaplume?â⬠ââ¬Å"Oh, yes,â⬠Corky said sarcastically. ââ¬Å"Mike was just telling us how if that little mound ruptures, we all go spiraling around in a big drain.â⬠ââ¬Å"Drain?â⬠Xavia gave a cold laugh. ââ¬Å"More like getting flushed down the world's largest toilet.â⬠Outside on the deck of the Goya, the Coast Guard helicopter pilot vigilantly watched the EMS radar screen. As a rescue pilot he had seen his share of fear in people's eyes; Rachel Sexton had definitely been afraid when she asked him to keep an eye out for unexpected visitors to the Goya. What kind of visitors is she expecting? he wondered. From all the pilot could see, the sea and air for ten miles in all directions contained nothing that looked out of the ordinary. A fishing boat eight miles off. An occasional aircraft slicing across an edge of their radar field and then disappearing again toward some unknown destination. The pilot sighed, gazing out now at the ocean rushing all around the ship. The sensation was a ghostly one-that of sailing full speed despite being anchored. He returned his eyes to the radar screen and watched. Vigilant. 105 Onboard the Goya, Tolland had now introduced Xavia and Rachel. The ship's geologist was looking increasingly baffled by the distinguished entourage standing before her in the hydrolab. In addition, Rachel's eagerness to run the tests and get off the ship as fast as possible was clearly making Xavia uneasy. Take your time, Xavia, Tolland willed her. We need to know everything. Xavia was talking now, her voice stiff. ââ¬Å"In your documentary, Mike, you said those little metallic inclusions in the rock could form only in space.â⬠Tolland already felt a tremor of apprehension. Chondrules form only in space. That's what NASA told me. ââ¬Å"But according to these notes,â⬠Xavia said, holding up the pages, ââ¬Å"that's not entirely true.â⬠Corky glared. ââ¬Å"Of course it's true!â⬠Xavia scowled at Corky and waved the notes. ââ¬Å"Last year a young geologist named Lee Pollock out of Drew University was using a new breed of marine robot to do Pacific deepwater crust sampling in the Mariana Trench and pulled up a loose rock that contained a geologic feature he had never seen before. The feature was quite similar in appearance to chondrules. He called them ââ¬Ëplagioclase stress inclusions'-tiny bubbles of metal that apparently had been rehomogenized during deep ocean pressurization events. Dr. Pollock was amazed to find metallic bubbles in an ocean rock, and he formulated a unique theory to explain their presence.â⬠Corky grumbled. ââ¬Å"I suppose he would have to.â⬠Xavia ignored him. ââ¬Å"Dr. Pollock asserted that the rock formed in an ultradeep oceanic environment where extreme pressure metamorphosed a pre-existing rock, permitting some of the disparate metals to fuse.ââ¬
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