One’s Self Essay

â€Å"Self† expresses an individual person as the object as his or her own reflective consciousness. It expresses one’s own interest of struggle and gain, as well as having their own consciousness of one’s being or identity. In the story â€Å"Yes Ma’am† by Deirdre McCloskey, and the Ted Talk â€Å"embracing otherness, embracing myself† by Thandie Newton both share a conception of one’s self through being mindful of the impact of society and the role that is expected to be played, but is confident and accustomed in what makes them content with themselves mentally. They differ for the reason that Deirdre explains the gesture differences amongst men and women despite the fact that she uses the women gestures to display her feminine qualities. Thandie speaks about going through hardships while she was growing up as well as obtaining her dancing and acting career. The attempt of trying to be accepted, but was repeatedly rejected by society and not being able to fit. However, she explains that â€Å"self† shapes out interactions with others and the world around us. Also how the connections of self and being judged shape the way people feel about themselves. Thandie expresses the fact of not being born with self but developing one as we are taught about ourselves the details, opinions and ideas from parents, family and friends that influence a person’s character. On the other hand those details opinions and ideas become fact to navigate the construction of ourselves (identity). She states that our self-projection is based on others projections and complicates who one is and who one wants to be. Newton Implies that the things individuals do and are successful at is mocked by others because it is perceived to be the â€Å"right way† to do things: also entitled an organized or controlled society. Thandie Newton articulates that â€Å"self is not a living thing†¦things that are affected by society like jobs, money, cars we drive and jewelry devalue life. † Newton evaluates her quote by stating self remains inside, not being defined of what someone has or what someone have earned but being content with knowing who one is intellectually and emotionally. People must use uniqueness and creativity of the mind to be one’s own person. Thandie talks about throughout her life she has been distanced in character and in the color of her skin. She explains that being a black atheist attending a white catholic school every one look at her as different. Thandie’s mother being black from Zimbabwe, and her father being from Cornwall was a problem growing up in the time period she grew up in. Trying to escape the reality of being different she finds a passion for dancing and acting. Newton expressed that she felt at peace in another world with herself. â€Å"Dysfunctional self could plug into another self, not my own and it felt so good†. She states that the nagging selfhood did not exist when she danced. Thandie says that she would put all of her expression into dancing. She would forget about where she was or even who she was and the problems of being an outcast. Deirdre was once a husband for three decades with two children, and after internal struggle she began the process of gender change. Years after her scholarly work in the field of gender studies Deirdre articulates the gestures of men and women and how they carry themselves. She explains how she watched other women in her culture for characteristic gestures and would do them on the spot. She would perceive the women to check their hair frequently, play idly with their jewelry, rest with hands together, and years after her transition she would use these gestures to be noticed as feminine women. While Deirdre was at a conference someone told her, â€Å"last year your motions were a little abrupt; now they are convincingly feminine†. (175) Deirdre and Thandie both explain the concept of being’s one’s self in different ways. Thandie expresses the point of being judged and looked down upon. In addition, she tries to understand the meaning of one’s self by recognizing who she is, and what she wants throughout her life and career. On the other hand, Deirdre has overcome who she once was and is at ease with being a women, and showing off her feminine characteristics. She has found a self that she is able to be comfortable enough to write a book on her highly personal gender crossing experience. In the book Crossing: A Memoir Deirdre states â€Å"My gender crossing was motivated by identity, not by a balance sheet of utility†. Deirdre expresses that she became a women by her choice of how comfortable she felt not because of what society looked at her as. Self† comes from the identity you give yourself or what others see you as not what you do as a career or what car you drive or how successful you are. As Deirdre talks about attempts to take a physical identity that strangers would accept her as a women and Thandie specks on the struggles of growing up as an outcast who never fit it, both authors share a conception of one’s self through being mindful of the impact of society and the role that is expected to be played, but is confident and accustomed in what makes them content with themselves mentally.

Holy War

Holy War Essay Holy war. How can the word holy be put together with the word war? In the Old Testament though, holy war is presented in such a good light. You were going to war for Yahweh’s command. Holy war was only engaged when Yahweh summons Israel to war. Holy war was initiated when something became a threat to Israel’s loyalty to Yahweh or something became dangerous to Israelites faith. War and killing was what seemed necessary to protect Israelites from swaying towards the Canaanite religion. Holy war was only used for conquests or for the defense of the holy land. In Deuteronomy and the books of the period known as the Deuteronomistic History which includes Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1st and 2nd Samuel, and 1st and 2nd Kings, we read about a conflict between the Israelites and Canaanites which leads to the Conquest of Canaan. Being a conquest, its justified to call it a holy war. It is described as â€Å"Yahweh’s battle’s† in 1st Samuel chapter 25, verse 28. Never in the Old Testament is it referred to as a â€Å"holy war. Because the Canaanites were occupying the land known as the â€Å"promised land,† the land meant for gods chosen people, the Israelites, to live on, Yahweh promised to Abraham’s descendents that they must be exterminated without mercy. He wanted all the Canaanites killed including the women and children. The Canaanites were placed â€Å"under ban† which meant they were sacrificed to Yahweh. It was though that if th ey allowed any Canaanite to live, they might cause religious corruption (Harris). One example is documented in the book of Joshua, when Israelite soldiers captured the city of Jericho and killed all men, women, children, and even livestock, all because they wanted to enforce the ban and gods orders. There were many provisions established to govern the execution of a holy war. First it is to be understood a holy war is a religious undertaking. In theory, there should be no casualties because Yahweh is doing the fighting. Also some basic provisions included have no standing army but only an army of volunteers when needed, no pay for the soldiers along with no spoils of war, no sex during a holy war, and you must fast going into battle. In the book of Deuteronomy chapters 20 and 21, God spells out these provisions and rules that go along with going to war. For cities distant from the Promised Land, provisions differed from those nations closest. When the army marched up to attack a city, they were to make its people an offer of peace. If they accepted, they would be forced nto labor. If they refused, then both sides engaged in battle (Deut. 20:10-12). They were ordered by God to kill all men in the city they were attacking. The women, children, and livestock were considered plunders and spoilers of war. As for nations closest like the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, there are different provisions. God orders them to leave nothing behind in these nations. Completely destroy them because they are the nations that might corrupt the Israelites into worshipping other gods and sin against Yahweh. Along with leaving nothing alive and the basic provisions, another provision deals with marrying prisoners. During the war, God allows you to marry any of the captives of the conquered nation. But you must shave her head, trim her nails, and remove the clothes she was wearing when captured. You may marry her one-month after the capture to allow her to mourn her parents. If you become unpleased with he, you may let her go wherever she wishes, but you cant sell her or treat her as a slave since you have dishonored her. In Samuel chapter 15, Samuel orders King Saul to attack the Amalekites and destroy everything that belonged to them. Put to death the men, women, children, infants, and all livestock as ordered by God. Saul obeyed and organized an army of two hundred thousand men. He attacked the Amalekites and took their king, Agag, captive but destroyed everything else. Saul spared Agag’s life along with, what he deemed, the best livestock. The Lord spoke to Samuel and showed frustration in making Saul king because Saul had not followed out his instructions to kill everyone and everything. Samuel met with Saul at a city known as Gilgal and asked why Saul let some livestock live? Saul’s answer was that they would be used as sacrifices to the Lord because they were the best livestock. Samuel reminded Saul that the Lord had made hi king and that he sent Saul on a mission to completely destroy the Amalkites and asked why he didn’t obey the order and do evil in the eyes of the Lord. Samuel didn’t accept Saul’s reasoning of keeping the livestock for sacrifices and keeping Agag alive. Samuel then said that God wasn’t interested in sacrifices but in obedience of his voice and commands. Samuel tells Saul that the Lord has rejected him as king. â€Å"Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king† (Deut. 15:23). Saul admitted he sinned because he was afraid of the people and gave into them. Saul then asked for forgiveness but Samuel did not accept. He turned to leave but Saul latched onto him. Samuel said again that Saul was not king anymore. Saul pleaded with Samuel for him to return with him so he could worship the Lord. Samuel finally agreed and followed. After they worshipped, Samuel called for Agag to be brought to him. Agag arrived and Samuel proceeded to kill Agag before the Lord. Samuel left for Remaha and never returned to see Saul. From that day on, the Lord regretted that he made Saul king of Israel. We see in this passage the provisions of holy war, including Saul forming a volunteer army ad Saul obliterating everything of a nation. But the difference is King Saul didn’t fulfill the order of God for this holy war against the Amalekites. Saul was looked down upon for not following God’s orders and Samuel had to fulfill the command. There seems to be no exceptions to God’s orders and provisions in holy war. The impact this episode had on me is Saul chose to disobey Gods orders of killing everything by letting some things survive. After coming to understand what holy war was, it found it to be very bloodthirsty. Innocent women and children were killed. I understand the reasoning back then though for God to feel the need to destroy nations around Israel’s â€Å"promised land† because he feared his people would start worshiping other gods. The relevance of the age-old question of â€Å"If God is good, why is there so much evil in the world,† stems from people questioning why wars, genocides, and even murder happen. The reason many people ask this question is because, as a Catholic, I really hadn’t been exposed to the Old Testament God as much as the New Testament God. There is a big difference in the New Testament God and how compassionate and forgive full he his, and the Old Testament God who would eradicate his enemy’s and never forgive some sinners such as Saul. There’s no way we can answer this question of why god allows so much evil to exist. We can try to like today’s wars and conflicts with the ideas and aspects of holy war, but out minds still cant grasp why god allows some things to happen. Could it be he’s punishing sinners who are disobeying him? If this is so how could you reason why God allowed the Holocaust to happen. The Jews were considered Gods chosen people, so why would he allow this to happen to them. Or why is there genocide occurring in Africa to innocent people. If God is good, why does he allow these things to happen? We will ask this question forever. Work Cited Harris, Stephen L. Understanding the Bible. 7th ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2007.

The criminal justice system in England and Wales Essay

The criminal justice system in England and Wales - Essay Example A comparative learn of two media forms such as newspapers is conducted by means of a simple systematic move toward.This approach occupied taking sections of the articles inside the newspaper and analysing them on a variety of factors such as images, context, lexis, syntax and linguistics. We appreciate images to be any form of graphical in order, context as the major story and the standard ideas it represents, lexis as the actual language used, grammar as the agreement of the lexis and linguistics as verbal communication devices such as influential or informative approaches. Looking at these variables within an piece of writing will enable a contrast to be drawn as it is the resemblances and dissimilarities which help to identify the form which expresses the correct communication and that which expresses the conflicting (Davies, 1998). It is not, debatably, until this procedure has been accepted that it can be said an organisation has urbanized a strategic move toward to commerce with their troubles. We will now go on to effort to show how this procedure has, or has not, been done inside the background of anti-fraud movement inside the Public Sector.To finally arrive at a phase anywhere an organisation can say, "This is our policy" takes a lot of hard labor, soul penetrating and not to talk about analysis. On top of this is the readiness of an organisation to believe the results of this procedure and have the strength to apply this enchantment policy. As mentioned above there is a immense deal of mistake over the idea of a policy and once it has been shaped it then becomes a holy grail, a universal remedy for all troubles. This is not the container. This magic policy is ghostly in nature, ever altering in line with mounting trends and if it is not extravagances so it can be oppose prolific. It is in this light that we will seem at first the Subdivision for Work and Pensions (DWP) and it's policy for contradicts fraud. There have been two chief reports/studies in fresh years, which have wrought the D.W.P.'s anti fraud policy. These are the Scampion Report, collected by John Scampion functioning in combination with Professor Michael Levi, Lecturer of Criminology at Cardiff University. (Scampion 2000) This account mostly deals with organised deception and how it is attempts, but he also looks at the association flanked by the two arms of the analytical process inside DWP, these life form Counter-Fraud Investigation Division, now recognized as Programme Protection Partition and Counter-Fraud Investigation Service and anywhere they sit in family member to one another and counter- fraud activities. The other report was that produced by Lord Grabiner Q.C. that dealt in the major with the relaxed financial system (Grabiner 2000). originally both these papers had a profound result on the approaches and practices of together the deception practioners on the earth and those tasked with created a fraud policy inside DWP. Here was an chance to build on the labor being done to get improved the professionalism of the investigators from side to side the P.I.N.S. programme. Grabiner's account extolled the qualities of "connected up Government", no longer would administration agencies work in separation of every other. He recognised that though it is tremendously hard, if not possible, to

The Empire Of Good Intentions Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Empire Of Good Intentions - Movie Review Example Schama succeeds in showing that the anti-colonial insurgency was rampant in India, and the Indians resisted the British reforms, which portrayed a lack of religious sensitivity. Through the illustrative presentation of the readings by the actors, the viewers of the documentary realize that Britain was about to lose control of India as indicated in the mutiny unless it devised a new method of governance. Hence, the British quest to realign its structures of governing the colonies portrays that the colonizer’s self-interest to control every aspect of the colony’s life. Although famine is a natural calamity, the documentary helps the viewers and historians to recognize that the 1845 potato drought, which led to migration from Ireland to the United States, reflected the inability of the natives to survive the calamity due to the weakened economy attributed to the British domination and incompatible policies. The central subject of the British imperialism through the promise of civilization in Ireland and India is well covered and presented in the documentary. Notably, the British used the principles of liberalism and economic to impose the imperial policies that were not compatible with those of the colonies. The efforts to restore the preserve the Britain imperial system in India after the 1857-8 Mutiny is enough evidence that the British had a selfish interest as opposed to economic liberalism in the host nations. Fundamentally, the British imperialism disrupted the lifestyles of the colonies.

EMBA 550 inital post week 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

EMBA 550 inital post week 4 - Essay Example Products are trauma (implants and instruments for surgical treatment of fracture), spine (treatment of degenerative instabilities, fractures, tumors and deformities for cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine), and CMF (craniomaxillofacial systems with complete array of implants and instruments for treatment of facial trauma, tumor resection and reconstruction, mandibular and maxillofacial skeleton) (Synthes, 2013). My company is St. Jude Medical, a medical device company. In choosing a second company to provide comparison, I selected another medical device supplier which, like St. Jude Medical, is among the 100 largest (based on revenues) firms in the industry, and which has approximately the same level of assets (SJM - $8.1 million, Synthes - $7.9 million) (Pharma.Live.com, 2012). The comparison is more relevant if it is between two firms engaged in the same scale of business. The customer experience is promised in their value propositions (Barnes, et al., 2009). Yes, the value proposition lies primarily with the types of products. The equipment and services of SJM address cardiac, neurological and chronic pain disorders, while that of Synthes addressed trauma, spine and CMF disorders. Secondarily, the value proposition also lies with the strategic vision. While both profess being guided by customers’ pain alleviation, SJM specifies its ‘focus’ is on ‘putting greater control in the hands of health professionals’ while Synthes specifies it is ‘Patient-driven, surgeon-focused, innovative, with attention to quality and integrity.’ The products Synthes innovates are concentrated on surgical wares, while that of SJM is more general, creating products for the health professionals to use in the course of treatments. The qualitative elements are correctly evaluated, because they pertain to the specific functions of precision instruments (products). Both value propositions

Astronomy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Astronomy - Essay Example After the development of quantum theory, many scientists have a devolved mind on accepting the atomic nature of the electromagnetic spectrum. The subject of quantum theory is still speculated upon and studies have been adopted to indicate a strong view. The book Six East Pieces by Richard Feynman provides a deep analysis on the context of quantum mechanics and begins by expounding the context of atoms. Various illustrations such as those regarding conservation of energy and gravity are provided. The electromagnetic spectrum consists of radio waves such as those that radio stations emit into the air to capture tunes, microwaves such as those for cooking popcorn and those used by astronomers to stud galaxies, infrared waves emitted by our skins so as to enable one to be seen in the dark sing night vision kits, visible region that our eyes can see, ultraviolet radiation from the sun, x-rays used by doctors to picture bones and gamma rays from radioactive material, nuclear plants and the universe.. These waves are classified on the basis of their wavelength, frequency and

Parenting Today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Parenting Today - Essay Example Planning for a divorce is not that easy because it does not only involve the couples, but it also involves their children; that is why it is best for the couple to find time to relax and plan on how they would manage their divorce. After they have planned everything out, they have to take it easy and have it step-by-step. In confronting their kids, the parents need to be honest and direct to the reason why they are planning to have a divorce. It is best to clarify to the children that it is not their fault, and they have nothing to do with the divorce. Explain to them what to expect and assure to them that they will be fine. In addition, give the children the full assurance that no matter what happens, their parents will always love them. Even though, they are not living in the same roof, but still both parents will take care of them. It is an important manner for both parents to have encouraged their children to express their thoughts and emotions. In this way, both parents can list en and will know how the children are struggling with the divorce, so that they can help them cope with the situation. Lastly, have an open communication with the other partner with regard to the children’s future and plans (â€Å"Children and divorce,† n.d.). Cases of teenage sexual intercourse are relatively increasing, and one initiative done by the government is to encourage teenagers to use proper contraceptives. However, some teenagers are still engaging unsafe sex and consequently result to teenage pregnancy. As a citizen, it is good to encourage teenagers to make use contraceptives in engaging sexual intercourse or rather yet not to engage in such dangerous actions. If so, enhancing the information to the teenagers will intensify their knowledge on the said issue, and making them aware all the possible negative consequences of doing such

Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce - Essay Example I hope to advance to a more responsible role within a larger organization. I would also be interested in working in a library or educational environment. Any information, advice and literature would be much appreciated. I am enclosing a large, stamped addressed envelope for this purpose and look forward to your response. Thank you for your time and attention. My strength lies in the ability to motivate people to be the best at what they do and to enjoy their work. My education and previous work experience support me in carrying out the leadership role to the highest standards. I am committed to excellence in all aspects and consider people to be any organization's greatest asset. I see this as a major factor in influencing the success of the business and improving outcomes for all concerned. This has been my strategy in all past employment, and as can be seen from my resume, it has worked well. I also believe that a sound product knowledge is a positive attribute for any store manager. Your company has a great reputation for quality goods, customer service, and staff development, and I would be glad to be a part of this, believing that I would be an asset to the business and make a positive contribution in all the areas demanded by the role. To obtain the job of assistant Store Man... Your company has a great reputation for quality goods, customer service, and staff development, and I would be glad to be a part of this, believing that I would be an asset to the business and make a positive contribution in all the areas demanded by the role. I look forward to your response and would be happy to discuss any issues by telephone or email, should you need to clarify anything. Thank you for your consideration of my application. Yours faithfully, SIGNAture TYPE NAME Name Address Telephone Email Objective To obtain the job of assistant Store Manager, Home Improvement, responsible for overall running of the department and development of associates in order to deliver quality customer service and contribute to the reputation and profit of the organization. Qualifications Team leadership in varied retail environments; involving and including staff training and development, improving customer service, accounting, ordering and replenishing of stock. Management role in Home Improvement department, with increased diverse product knowledge and management skills. Committed to promoting team work, achieving targets and setting standards of excellence in all areas, roles and tasks within the department. Well proven customer handling and interpersonal skills. Strong innovative approach to people and charismatic leadership style. Business and financial management strengths. Ability to think under pressure, to diffuse difficult situations and to develop and build positive behaviors. Professional Accomplishments Achievement of 20% rise in profits in six months and increasing positive customer feedback to 98% (from 75%) within one year. Introduction of staff participation and suggestion

What are the main arguments for and against the horizontal Essay

What are the main arguments for and against the horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons - Essay Example It led to the loss of nearly a million civilian lives and total destruction of the city. Even those who survived this event, continued to suffer under effects of radioactive radiation for many subsequent years. A generation of Japanese children were born with congenital defects as a result of mothers’ exposure to radiation. Political leaders of today will have to consider their nuclear weapons program in the backdrop of this ghastly human disaster. The rest of the essay will point out the pros and cons of horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons. It is very difficult to talk of the merits and demerits of horizontal proliferation of nuclear weapons without considering the effects of vertical proliferation. Horizontal proliferation is the acquisition of know-how, technology and material by a nation-state or a political/militant group so as to manufacture nuclear weapons of their own. The term ‘horizontal proliferation’ is used to refer to nation-states or similar entities that do not already have nuclear weapons but aspire and endeavour toward this goal. Vertical proliferation is the process of consolidation and improvisation of nuclear weapons by nation-states already well-established in making nuclear weapons. It is fair to say that vertical proliferation induces horizontal proliferation, as the latter group feel more and more insecure with their militarily well-endowed neighbouring states. In the years after the Second World War, Cold War was the political theatre upon which various nations placed their rationa le for developing nuclear weapons. Yet, even as recently as a decade ago, only a handful of nations were classified under the nuclear-enabled category of states. (Krepon, 2012, p.44) Recent geo-political developments, especially in the wake of September 11, 2001 terror strikes on the United States have significantly altered the internal political dynamics of many nations in the Middle-East and Asia. It

How does hitchcock create Essay Example for Free

How does hitchcock create Essay Hitchcock produced Psycho in 1960. It was a groundbreaking film as it was the first American motion picture to feature a toilet being flushed. Also, Janet Leigh was shown in her underwear on more than one occasion, and, during the famous shower scene, its possible to see hints of flesh. Hitchcock used the media to sell his film to a younger, fresher audience. The poster for this movie, at that time was sexually explicit. Hitchcock started a policy whereby viewers would not be permitted into the theatre once the film had begun, a measure, which had never before taken. Hitchcock wanted to manipulate his audience into fear and loathing so he reverted the film to black and white instead of colour. The story concerns a psychopathic murderer; its technique reveals the dark side of all mankind; the inner secrets, deceits and guilts of all human beings. And as this is so true of even the most ordinary situations in life, nothing is as it really seems and that is how the play opens. Showing the ordinary life of her going to work and getting jobs to do. Marion had been given $40,000in cash to deposit in a local bank. When Marion decides to run away with the money the viewers feel quite tense and want to know what will happen next. The psycho is not yet introduced so the viewers focus is on the money. We see Marion with the money, packing a suitcase. It is obvious that she plans to flee with the money but the sympathy of the audience remains with this apparently harassed woman. Throughout the scenes, we have seen reflections of her in mirrors and through windows, all suggest the split personality aspect of the plot. As she makes her escape to leave with the money, she is stopped at a traffic light, her boss pass by in the crosswalk in front of her; the camera angle changes from showing his face to Marions. He at first smiles and nods when recognising her, and leaves the frame of the windshield. Likewise, she smiles nervously. But then he stops, turns and furrows his brow at her. Mr. Lowery is puzzled and concerned to see her in her car when she was supposed to be home sick. Likewise, her face turns frozen after realising that she has been caught. The audience becomes more terrified and nervous to whats going to happen next. Marion is pulled over by a mysterious policeman; the appearance of him with his sunglasses made him look inhuman. He follows her many miles to a car dealer, where Marion cleverly trades her current car in for a used junkie to camouflage herself from peering enemy. Marion then continues to drive along the busy highway until a shielding rainstorm persuades her to stop to rest at The Bates Motel. When Marion arrives at the motel, it immediately tells the viewer that its unusual. The appearance of the motel makes you feel isolated because no one was around. The lights were off it was very disturbing. The gothic image of the house on hill is positioned above the motel, which is very effective and also menacing. The camera angle shows both the motel and the house in one shot. The fact that when she arrives its dark and theres silence the connotations with these factors make you feel unsure. The viewers feel petrified, as something is to happen out of the blue. She meets a shy-but-kind manager, Norman Bates, who offers her a room, a meal, and a sympathetic ear. During her conversation with Norman, when he speaks about the traps that life places everyone in, Marion resolves to return on the following morning and give back the money. Events of the night, which involve violence and the jealous rage of Normans twisted mother, put an end to Marions plans. Norman is dressed plainly and appears normal. The camera zooms into his face making the audience question whether Norman is all that he seems. This close up invites the audience take a closer look at him. Norman hesitates when choosing which cabin to put Marion in. He puts his hand by the key to cabin three; he stops and gives Marion a sneaky look out of the corner of his eye. He then decides to give Marion the key to cabin one. The way in which he hesitates about the key suggests that he has a hidden motive, which the audience later find out is the spy hole in the wall of cabin one. When showing Marion around her room, Norman hesitates when talking about the bathroom. He will not even say the word bathroom and when he has to turn the bathroom light on he quickly puts his hand in and then pulls it back out. This makes the audience think that something may have happened in the bathroom before or Marion may die in the bathroom. Norman seems quite forceful when asking Marion to have dinner with him; this creates tension. When he brings her tray of food, which he suggests she eat in his office because it is more comfortable, he comments, Motherwhat is the phrase? Isnt quite herself today. While shes eating he watches her eat extremely closely which is not typical behaviour this unnerves the viewer. Norman bates has a fascination with death you can see this by the images of the dead birds its like his hobby of taxidermy and also there are birds of prey on the walls which give an idea of killing. After seeing this, the audience becomes all tense and frightened thinking of murder. Their conversation includes references to death and entrapment. He says to Marion you eat like a bird (when there are dead birds on the wall) and he also says that were all in our private traps. This makes the audience know that something is to happen. He also mentions his mum well not directly but he refers to we which implies there is someone else at the house but the viewers dont no who so it leave it as an answered question which is very effective. His conversation show his conflicts with his mother the feeling of hate for her illness this implies hidden secrets. This brings a lot of tension to the audience. The shower scene is one of the most famous sequences ever captured on film for two reasons. As violent as it is you never see the knife go into Marions body and it was the first time the film in history that a major movie star was brutally killed of in the first thirty minutes of the movie. The famous shower sequence, which runs only a minute, took a week to film. Seventy cameras were set up for this scene and more than ten different scenes were used. The scene starts of very calm and peacefully. She opens up a bar of soap, and turns on the overhead shower water from a high up showerhead nozzle that sends arched needles of spray over her like rainwater. There in the exposed privacy of her bathroom, she begins to bath, visibly enjoying the luxurious and healing feel of the cleansing water on her skin. Marion is relieved as the water washes away her guilt and brings energising, reborn life back into her. Large close-ups of the showerhead, that look like a large eye, are shot from her point of view they reveal that the water bursts from its head and pours down on her and the audience. She soaps her neck and arms while smiling in her own private world unaware for the moment to the problems surrounding her life. With her back to the shower curtain, the bathroom door opens and a shadowy, grey tall figure enters the bathroom. Just as the shower curtain completely fills the screen with the camera positioned just inside the tub, the outline figure whips aside the barrier. The outline of the figures dark face, the whites of its eyes, and tight hair bun are all that is visible she uses a scary butcher knife high in the air at first, it appears to be a stab, a stab, stabbing us the victimised viewer! The piercing, shrieking, and screaming of the violin strings play a large part in creating sheer terror during the horrific scene they start screaming before Marions own shrieks. Marion turns, and screams (her wide-open mouth in gigantic close-up), and stands firm as she shields her breasts, while the knife repeatedly rises and falls. The music tenses up the audience and the audience are now very shocked. The murderer appears to stab and pierce into her, shattering her sense of security and escape. The savage killing is kinetically viewed from many angles and views. She is standing in water mixed with spurts of blood dripping down her legs from various gashes symbolic of a deadly and violent rape. She turns and falls against the bathtub tiles, her hand clawing and grasping the back shower wall for the last shred of her own life as the murderer (resembling a grey-haired woman wearing an old-fashioned dress) quickly turns and leaves. With an unblooded face and neck/shoulder area, she leans into the wall and slides, slides, and slides down the wet wall while looking outward with a fixed stare the camera follows her slow descent. The audience is left terrified; the main character has died. As Marion collapses on the floor the cameras slowly tracks the blood and water that flows and swirls together counter-clockwise down into the deep blackness of the bathtub drain Marions life has literally gone down the drain. The drain dissolves into a memorable close up of Marions right eye with one tear drop (or drop of water). The camera pulls back up from the lifeless, staring eye, which was the last shot of the scene. Through out the film music was used to reflect the viewers feeling and, where needed, to heighten them. This was the first time this technique was used. The pace of music changed quite a bit through out the movie. The pace builds up from a slow pace to a faster pace in both scenes when Marion plans to escape with the money and the stabbing in the shower scene. When Marion arrives at the motel there is minimal background noise other then the rain this is very effective because it makes you that shes alone in an isolated place where no one is around. The silence makes the natural/unnatural hesitations in the speech more disturbing and therefore builds tension. The camera angles in psycho were somewhat experimental. It used a wide range of camera shots varying from straightforward long shots to iris shots. Hitchcock was the first person to experiment with this wide range of camera angles. Seeing as this was the first film to use these new techniques, they were used relatively effectively. The use of long shots of the house and then the medium shots of Norman Bates kind of connect the viewers association with the gothic house to Norman making him just as intimidating as the building. One of the most effective shots in the film was the extreme close up of Bates eye when he was looking through the peep hole at Marion getting changed. The only thing in the shot was his eyes and the wall. A beam of light shone through the hole onto Bates eye and this was very effective. This was effective because the scene stood out as his eye appeared through the hole. Psycho was a terrifying film in its day, and still makes the viewers tense with anticipation of whats to come. Many different and subtle innovative techniques were adopted to manipulate its audience and these techniques are very effective. I think this film was very good even though its quite old and its in black and white.

The Green Concept In The Hotel Industry

The Green Concept In The Hotel Industry Tourism industry is one of the leading industries around the world. It has been proved that this industry generates billions of money and it also helps people around the world to travel and increase their knowledge about other cultures and languages. But unfortunately, after thousands of years we found out that the tourism industry have a negative impact on the environment. However, there has been awareness both for the research arena and people since decades in the protection of the environment, and the need to safeguard the natural resources for the future generation. This awareness has spread all over the world starting first in US and Europe. The green practices were put into action after the deal Mauritius made with France for the contract of Maurice Ile Durable. The population of Mauritius comprising both consumers and producers have recently shown an increase concern about the environmental impact of products Considerable attention has been directed toward green products such as organic foods, recyclable paper, phosphate-free detergents, energy-efficient lighting. Consumers make product choices based on which combination of product attributes that meet their needs based on dimensions of value, cost, and prior satisfaction (Kotler, 1997). Considering the tourism industry in Mauritius, we can say that it is the leading growth sector. Somehow the country depends a lot on this industry and same as foreign countries, Mauritius also has made a lot of evolution. Big hotels were built in every coastal area to accommodate tourists and the minister of tourism has also embellished our historical gardens and other visiting sites. It is also well known that tourists are attracted by the 3S of our country, that is, the sea, sun and the sand. Mauritius is a small Island and we must conserve and preserve the natural resources and also protect the environment surrounding us. As mentioned above, same as in Goa, Mauritius as well is facing serious problems concerning pollu tion and over use of resources. At present hotels, travelers and other tourism industries are aware of the measures that should be taken to preserve the nature together with the satisfaction of customers. This is why, nowadays it can be seen that there are hotels that are innovating into green hotels and more green hotels are built so as to be sustainable. 2.1 The Green Concept in the hotel industry The Green concept of the hotel industry is an increase in awareness since the late 1980s. The hotel sector is said to be one of the most energy and water intensive sectors in the tourism industry. (Bohdanowicz, 2005). When hotels are constructed there is a need to make use of the environments resources like the land. Hotels can operate in different parts of the environment. The facilities like comfortable services, supplies (heating, cooling, lighting, ventilation, etc) to customers are necessary for their operations. (Bohdanowicz, 2005; Han et al., 2009). All these are said to be contributions to negative impacts on the environment. However, the success of the tourism industry, as well as the hotel sector will depends on the availability of a clean environment. Hotels operation lead to pollution, waste, and other elements represent a threat for the environment. The Green concept in this context is to turn these elements into a recycling process that will cause less harm to the envir onment. It is believed that hotels have produced great harm to the environment by, for example, consuming vast quantities of non recyclable products that generate tremendous waste, consuming substantial amounts of water and energy and emitting carbon dioxide and air, water and soil pollutants (Bohdanowicz, 2005; Chan, 2005). According to Wolfe and Shanklin (2001), the term green, which can alternatively be called eco-friendly, environmentally responsible, environmentally friendly, sustainable and environmentally oriented (Han et al., 2009; Pizam, 2009), are referred to actions (for e.g. recycling) that diminish harmful impacts on the environment. Green hotels are therefore described as environmentally responsible hotels that actively follow environmentally friendly guidelines, practice environmental management, implement diverse eco-friendly practices, institute sound green programs and commit themselves to achieving environmental improvement by displaying eco-labels or a green globe logo (Department of Environmental Protection, 2001; Green Hotel Association, 2008; Han et al., 2009, 2010; International Hotels Environmental Initiative, 1993). There is a public concern over environmental damage and customers desire for environmentally oriented products have stimulated hotel operators to green their operations (Han et al., 2009; Manaktola Jauhari, 2007; Wolfe Shanklin, 2001). Researchers and practitioners agree that the greening of a hotel contributes to satisfying eco-friendly customers green needs, avoids criticism of existing tourism practices, fulfils the requirements of government regulations and substantially decreases costs through waste reduction, water or energy conservation and recycling (Chan, 2005; Han et al., 2009; Wolfe Shanklin,2001). 2.2 The Green Building Green building is a new term which refers to environmentally friendly practices from the building design to the landscaping choice. With the introduction of sustainable development, building also need to be sustainable because buildings generate large amount of wastes from its construction and during its lifetime. And these wastes impacts on the surroundings, the environment and the people. According to Scatterfield (2009) the less impact a building has on human health and the environment, the more green it is. A green building can cost a lot at the beginning, but is profitable in the long run. It brings more benefits such as less pollution, more comfort for the employees and guests, and increase in productivity. The U.S Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2010 organised a competition with the aim to identify the best and brightest vision in the designing of an environmentally friendly hotel suite. The title of the competition was the sustainable Suite Design Competition. The judges have to consider several elements such as the resources efficiency of the suite (water, energy and materials), the guest room overall attributes, innovation nad aesthetic and lastly the cost associated with the design of the suite. The winners name was Haptik. The techniques developed by Haptik concerns the saving of energy in the room by using the PIS which is the passive infrared sensors. Th e PIS switch off light automatically when nobody is in the room. Haptik utilized the Trombe wall in the bathroom which uses sunlight to heat the water. A model of the suite was shown to the public during the HD Expo 2010. 2.2.1 The Green Building Certificate There are several certifications given to hotel all over the world to encourage them to move towards eco friendly attitude. The certification includes specific norms from energy saving to waste water disposal. Having a certification is often considered as a marketing tool also. The certifications are often internationally known. 2.3 The Green Tourist Nowadays, tourists are showing preferences for destinations that protect and preserve the environment. In the literature there has been a tendency to use the terms green and sustainable interchangeably. However, there are very distinct differences between the two. Green is defined as a product or service that is both environmentally and socially responsible. It is accountable to and respectful of the places and people that provide and use them (Mc Laren, 2006). Sustainable is defined as the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. (Brundtland, 1987). Green Tourism is defined by the Green Association as travel and exploration within and around an area that offers visitors enjoyment and appreciation of the areas natural assets and cultural resources, while inspiring physically active, intellectually stimulating and socially interactive experiences (Blackstone Corporation, 1996). The United Nations designate d the year 2000 as the international year of Ecotourism. Eco tourists or green tourists attempt to travel in a manner not harmful to the environment. To travel green means to travel responsibly while conserving the environment and minimizing the social, cultural and ecological impacts, a green tourist enables other people to visit the same place later and still enjoy the same experience. Green tourism is informative because travelers learn their destination and local people learn what to appreciate what they have to offer. It supports the integrity of the place because conscientious travelers seek out things that are characteristic of the locality in terms of architecture, cuisine, heritage or environment. Quality not quantity should be the goal of Green Tourism, therefore permanence and richness of experience is what both parties are striving for. According to environmentalists, the Green Practice was put into action when the view of the Earth was broadcasted through satellites programs. From that moment itself an increase concern to protect the earths fragility, and there is a need to conserve and protect it. This is the result in an increase of awareness of the following terms like; the ozone layer, greenhouse effect and acid rain. (Walker, 2000). Despite the complexities surrounding green behavior the tourism industry is still keen to understand how the green concerns of consumers correlate to tourists and how the concerns convert to travel- or holiday-related behavior. Moreover, Peattie (2001) has claimed that although all consumers are green consumers at some point in their lives, most green purchases involve a trade-off. These compromises include paying a green premium or accepting a lower standard product or service for better eco performance. However, differences in concerns and behaviors among tourists highlight the l ack of homogeneity in this market. For example, concerns about the impact of transport and conservation of wildlife tend to be more mainstream issues, whereas erosion of recreational areas by walking or riding may only concern niche market segments, such as eco-tourists, environmentally responsible tourists or ethical tourists, which are the alternative terms given to green tourists ( Horner and Swarbrooke, 2006 ). These differences have been explained according to four factors awareness and knowledge of the issues; attitudes towards the environment in general; other priorities in life; information obtained from the media and pressure groups; and their health, family commitments and housing ( Horner and Swarbrooke, 2006, p. 181 ). Although many in the tourism industry question whether the environmental concerns of tourists influence decision making, there is evidence that some tourists may choose anairline based on their environmental management practices ( Horner and Swarbrooke, 2006 ). They may also boycott events involving animal cruelty (for example, bull-fights) or campaign against tourism development that destroys wildlife habitats. Furthermore, the extent of change varies from one type of tourist to another. The very dark green consumers may convert their beliefs into action by not taking holidays away from home so as to prevent harm to the environment and in doing so do not become tourists. On the other hand, the not all green tourist may show only a passing interest by reading about the environmental issues caused by tourism (Hornermand Swarbrooke, 2006). 2.4 Attitudes towards the Green Practice Over the last few decades, protecting the environment has been a major issue in our society (Easterling et al., 1996). Recognizing the seriousness of ecological problems, people have become increasingly environmentally conscious. This ecological awareness has led an increasing number of individuals to engage in environmentally friendly behaviors in their everyday lives. (Kalafatis et al., 1999; Laroche et al., 2001). In addition, Amyx et al. (1994) has focused on the perceived importance of the environment to the degree to which individuals express their consciousness of environmental issues. In conceptualizing the perceived importance of the environment as the primary indicator of attitudes toward environmentally compatible behaviors, Laroche et al. (2001) determined the levels of these attitudes by whether individuals considered eco-friendly behaviors to be essential to themselves or the entire society. This ATGB mainly involves the perceived importance or inconvenience of environm ental consciousness, the severity of environmental problems, and the level of responsibility of corporations (Laroche et al., 2001; McCarty and Shrum, 1994; Roberts, 1996). In other words, individuals ATGB can be established by the level of their awareness of these dimensions of ATGB for themselves and for society as a whole. Some researchers has also pointed out that only a small portion of environmentally conscious customers actually purchases eco-friendly products in the marketplace because of high monetary and non-monetary costs and inconvenience (Maibach, 1993; Roberts, 1996). However, numerous findings indicated that more environmental concern tends to result in more environmentally friendly buying behaviors (e.g., Kalafatis et al., 1999; Laroche et al., 2001; Manaktola and Jauhari, 2007). Consumers may be willing to purchase environmentally-friendly products but are faced with constraints or conflicts that create a resistance to adopting pro-environmental behavior. For example, consumers may want to be environmentally responsible but still want to maintain their existing life-style (Schwartz, 1990; McDaniel and Rylander, 1993). They may not be prepared to sacrifice convenience (Simon, 1992; Stern, 1999), accept lower performance levels, or pay a price premium (Peattie, 1999b). Based on Ajzens (1988) theory of planned behaviour consumers environmental purchasing intentions and behaviour may be influenced by a number of factors, such as the individuals knowledge and motivation, the ability to perform the behaviour and the opportunity to behave in an enviro nmentally-friendly way (Pieters, 1989; O  ¨ lander and Thà ¸gersen, 1995). 2.5 Tourists willingness to buy Green Products Products are defined as environmentally friendly if in some way they aim at reducing a products negative environmental impact. Some authors have suggested that the failure to reassure consumers on the products functional performance was partly attributable to the early failure of many environmentally-friendly products (e.g. Davis, 1993; Ottman, 1999). Although it has been found that some consumers may, for example, accept a lower functional performance in order to buy a product that delivers environmental benefits, the environmental benefit in itself is neither the primary benefit sought nor the primary motivation for purchase (Speer, 1997; Ottman, 2001). As Wong et al. (1996) observed: Green is seldom the over-riding determinant of product or brand choice but just another benefit or attribute that adds value, usually a feel good factor to the overall product. (Wong et al., 1996, p. 269). Some marketers appear to have overlooked this and assumed that an environmental positioning alone was sufficient to guarantee product success (Ottman, 1995). Product performance appears to play a key role in influencing consumer adoption and retention of environmental products. So, when there is consumer skepticism of the relative performance of environmental products or a performance gap exists (i.e.consumer expectations of the products performance have not matched up to the in-use experience), this may strongly influence the products acceptance (Wong et al., 1996).Within the hotel sector, increasing numbers of customers prefer to choose a green lodging facility that follows environmentally friendly practices, showing concern about the seriousness of ecological degradation (Han, Hsu, Sheu, 2010; Manaktola Jauhari, 2007). In recognition of this eco-friendly consumption need, nowadays many hotel firms seek to incorporate customers emerging concerns about the environment in their man agement or a marketing decision-making (Bohdanowicz, 2006; Lee, Hsu, Han, Kim, 2010; Mensah, 2006). Altering their hotel operations to be green (i.e. significantly reducing environmental impacts) is becoming a necessity to attain noticeable improvement in their competitiveness in the market (Han, Hsu, Lee, 2009; Manaktola Jauhari, 2007). One of the most credible pieces of evidence demonstrating the increase of environmentally friendly customer behaviors is the increased number of customers who have a strong intention to pay more for green products (Laroche, Bergeron, Barbaro-Forleo, 2001). In the hotel context, in reality, green hotel prices do not significantly differ from those of comparable conventional (or non-green) hotels (Han et al., 2009; Manaktola Jauhari, 2007). The green hotel operators interest is in whether travelers are willing to pay comparable regular-hotel prices for their hotel, perhaps sacrificing little conveniences while staying at their green hotel (reusin g towels, limited use of disposable products, use of recycled products/furniture, recycling bins, buffet-style foods without garnishes, meeting tables without tablecloths, minimized decor, non-smoking areas, dispensers for soap/shampoo, etc.). For consumers who are more receptive to environmental products and purchase them through choice, there may be a segment that are willing to pay more for the environmental benefit. But, whilst some authors suggest that consumers are willing-to-pay more for an environmentally-friendly products (Kassarjian, 1971; Freeman, 1989; Klein, 1990; McCloskey, 1990; Kapelianis et al., 1996; Laroche et al., 2001), others suggest otherwise (Wood, 1990; Simon, 1992; Sims, 1993). Marketplace examples also suggest that in reality consumers are not always prepared to pay the premium prices suggested by research (Fuller, 1999). Although our knowledge about consumers acceptance of paying a higher price for environmentally-friendly products appears to be inconsist ent and inconclusive, it has often been found that consumers will pay on average around 5 percent more (Schwartz, 1990; Kapelianis et al., 1996; Speer, 1997). 2.6 Cost of going green in the hotel industry With a broadly point of view, there are two approaches in the environmental cost analysis. One emphasizes the costs associated with environmental damage and its remediation, the other stresses on the price of control. In practice, this damage costing approach faces some essential problems in estimating the environmental impact as described by Bernow at al. (1991). Hotel developers still face specific barriers in developing and operating green properties, such as finding vendors, contractors, engineers, housekeepers, landscapers and managers that understand new systems, products and procedures. Complicating matters for hotels is to cover the typical hotel management and franchise agreements. The highly structures arrangements negotiated between hotels owners and hotel managers have not yet addressed a number of issues raised by green development, redevelopment or operation that affects the bottom line of both entities. Finally, there is the issue of meeting the expectations of paying guests. Although we believe guests expect hotels to operate in an environmentally conscious fashion, it may also be that those same guests may have unrealistic expectations of luxury and comfort in terms of green operation. To take simple example, do hotels still need to put out individual shampoo bottles and does the spa need to smell faintly like chlorine to satisfy guests expectations. The costs arising from the implementation of ISO 14001 include those associated with initial set up, maintenance and improvement (Chin et al., 1998). The price of initial set up refers to all costs associated with the provision of hardware and software facilities, plus tools for establishing the system in compliance with the ISO 14000 EMS standards.

Lennies Passion for Soft Objects in Of Mice and Men :: Papers

Lennie's Passion for Soft Objects in Of Mice and Men Works Cited Missing Definition of the word trace: follow, hint, and mark out. In this essay I will trace in detail soft things that Lennie pets in the novel, showing that the petting grows more serious as the novel goes on. In the novel Lennie pets mice, he dreams about petting rabbits, destroys someone's dress in Weed, hurts Curly's hand, kills a pup, and kills Curley's wife. Bad things come in threes, Lennie's two accidental killings of animals foreshadow the final killing of Curley's wife, an accident that seals his own fate and destroys not only his dreams but George's and Candy's as well. In the beginning Lennie used to pet mice that his Aunt Clara used to give him, he would always end up killing them because he didn't know his own strength. Lennie never killed any pet or person purposely; he pets too roughly and kills them accidentally. An example of his rough tendencies is in the first chapter (page7) when Lennie wants to keep a dead mouse and George wouldn't let him Lennie says" Uh-uh. Jus' a dead mouse, George. I didn't kill it. Honest I found it. I found it dead." The dead mouse is also an allusion to the novel's title, a reminder that dreams will go wrong, even petting a mouse.

girl interrupted review Essay -- essays research papers

One popular cultural myth about the mentally ill is the archetype of the "Sexy Crazy Girl", which we've seen in movies, comic books, and music. Losing your grip with reality is not a glamorous subject, but that's not what you get from Girl, Interrupted. It is apparent that all the girls in the movie had some type of dysfunctional personality, and bad things happen to some of them, but it just did not seem realistic. First off, most of the patients prtrayed were young, which made the care facility look like a youth home rather than a mental institution. but only the main (well known) stars, (Jolie and Ryder) were focal piont. I'll also note that about half the young girls in the movie, Ryder and Jolie included, simply don't look like girls in the 1960's. Maybe that's a difficult statement to explain, but it has to do with that certain look each time and generation seems to have; and Ryder and Jolie don't look like girls of the 1960's. Of course, one could easily say that th eir displacement is part of their condition... but I didn't buy it. To finish this paragraph about this film's inconsistent appearances, I'll mention how convenient it seems that with the exception of one extra, nearly the entire cast of patients in this ward are under the age of 25 or so. Mental illness strikes women of all ages, so it was a bit perplexing to see it portrayed as a thing of youth. This also feeds into my prior statement about making "going crazy" look cool... this movie ...

The Message of Quinns Ishmael :: Quinn Ishmael Essays

The Message of Ishmael Quinn gains a unique perspective on humanity through the main character of the novel, Ishmael. Ishmael is a gorilla. And Ishmael is a teacher who communicates with humans telepathically. On the surface, this hardly seems to be a character who would appear in a serious book; more likely a children's story, a fable, or perhaps a bad science fiction novel. Yet Ishmael is none of these, and Ishmael is a strong character, with a powerful intellect and a serious purpose. The character of Ishmael needs to be non-human in order to be effective. Looking in on civilization from the outside gives him a perspective from which to criticize humanity without hypocrisy. To hear the oppressor repent is not nearly so effective as to hear the voice of the oppressed demand freedom and restitution. As Ishmael opens, the author writes of a day in his life when he found what he thought a truly ludicrous advertisement in the personals section of a newspaper: TEACHER seeks pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person. Investigating with the purpose of exposing fraud, he came upon Ishmael in Room 105 of a nondescript office building. Ishmael was sitting calmly, nibbling on a slender branch. Momentarily shocked, Quinn stumbled towards a chair. He glanced into the gorilla's eyes, and much to his disconcertment the eyes calmly spoke to him. Nodding in answer to an unuttered question, Ishmael spoke silently "I am the teacher." In language of the sort one might expect from a well educated man speaking with a friend, Ishmael told Quinn the story of his life. A large portion of it was spent in captivity, before a wealthy elderly man befriended and educated him. At the end of Ishmael's tale, Quinn was still somewhat befuddled. I sat there for a minute, then I said, "I'm trying to figure out what this has to do with saving the world." Ishmael thought for a moment. "Among the people of your culture, which want to destroy the world?" "Which want to destroy it? As far as I know, no one specifically wants to destroy the world." "And yet you do destroy it, each of you. Each of you contributes daily to the destruction of the world." "Yes, that's so." "Why don't you stop?

Nintendo Case

1. What factors do you think enabled Sega to break Nintendo’s near monopoly of the U. S. video game console market in the late 1980s? There are a few different factors that allowed Sega to break Nintendo’s near monopoly of the U. S. video game console market. First, the introduction of a 16-bit system was huge. This was double the original 8-bit systems that were out and consumers were anxious to try it because of the enhanced graphics.Second, Sega made their new system backward compatible with its 8-big Master System games meaning that anyone who already owned these games could play them on the new system as well as any of the new games that were released. Sega also produced their games in-house which saved money. They focused their attention on increasing unit sales to drive game sales instead of focusing on making a large profit on consoles.The combination of in-house games and less focus on consoles allowed them to have over four times the amount of games as Nintend o by the end of 1991 and people ultimately flocked to where the games where. 2. Why did Nintendo choose to not make its video game consoles backward compatible? What were the advantages and disadvantages of this strategy? Nintendo chose to not make its video game consoles backward compatible because this meant that consumers would have to spend money on a new console as well as new games and thus create more revenue.The advantages to this were that they could possibly make a lot more money because of the necessity to sell new games with new systems. The disadvantages is that many people were not interested in having to spend extra money on new games if they were able to purchase a new Sega console that allowed them to use old games as well as new ones. This lead to Sega’s ability to surpass Nintendo in sales. 3. What strengths and weaknesses did Sony have when it entered the video game market in 1995?When Sony entered the video game market in 1995, it was one of the first 32- bit systems, and it had a decent amount of developer support. Although Sony did not have much of an image in the video game market, they did have a huge brand loyalty in other consumer electronics making it fairly easy to gain a following. Because of their previous success in the electronic market, many developers were excited to jump on the bandwagon to develop games for Sony which enabled them to have 800 game titles by the end of 2000. 4.What strengths and weaknesses did Microsoft have when it entered the video game market in 2001? When Microsoft entered the video game market in 2001, they had the advantage of already having some experience in the online gaming world because of the line of PC-based computer games they had already produced. One downfall they did face however was a lack of experience in the arcade environment that Sega and Nintendo both had by this point. A major strength that the Xbox focused on was having more power than the PlayStation2 by offering more memory a nd a faster processor.One other huge advantage that Microsoft had was the price point they offered the Xbox at originally. They marketed it at $299 which was significantly less than its actual production costs, and also less than competitor’s consoles. They also had the advantage of being able to spend $500 million on advertising which is more than they had ever spent on any advertising campaign, and more than other companies of its type could spend. Lastly, they planned to produce 30-40 percent of their games in-house to save on licensing and external costs.5. Comparing the deployment strategies used by the firms in each of the generations, can you identify any timing, licensing, pricing, marketing, or distribution strategies that appear to have influenced firms’ success and failure in the video game industry? Atari took numerous measures to make sure that only authorized games could be played on their consoles which were a main reason for their huge success. Nintendo and Sega spent $15 million in advertising and promoting the new systems.Nintendo made games for in-house systems as well as licensed third-party developers through strict licensing policies, and they also restricted the volume and pricing of the consoles which made the company very profitable. Sega mainly produced games in-house which allowed them to drive game sales and software developer royalties, pushing them ahead of Nintendo. Philips introduced the most expensive console to date starting at $799 which ultimately hurt their sales. They had to decrease the price to under $500, but it was too late. They would not disclose technical information about their system making software development difficult.Because of these strategies they did not last long on the market. When Sony entered the market, they entered relying on their brand image to support them and getting support from numerous game developers. Later, Sega launched the Dreamcast around the same time that Sony launched the PlayStation2. Sega got a head start on sales by launching around the holidays, but still did not hit high sales because of the price point. Even though they ended up dropping the price, Sony’s launch of the PlayStation2 only a few months later crushed any hope for the Dreamcast due to its 128-bit system as opposed to the traditional 32-bit.Nintendo decided to wait on the release of their 128-bit system because they did not offer a backward compatible system like Sony and did not want PlayStation2 sales to hurt the release of the GameCube. Although they targeted different demographics, they wanted to be sure the launch was successful. Microsoft was also launching the Xbox around the same time. They chose to launch it at an extremely low price point that was actually below the cost of production to make sure it hit the market hard. They also chose to launch around the holiday season to get as many initial sales as possible.

A Modified 2-D Logarithmic Search Technique for Video Coding

A Modified 2-D Logarithmic Search Technique for Video Coding With Reduced Search Points Tahmina Akhtar† , Rahima Akter† , Chhalma Sultana Chhaya † , Ashfaqur Rahman †¡ †  Military Institute of Science and Technology/Dept of CSE, Dhaka, Bangladesh, †¡ Central Queensland University/Centre for Intelligent and Networked Systems, QLD, Australia [email  protected] com, [email  protected] com, [email  protected] com, a. [email  protected] edu. au Abstract Video coding is a process for representing video sequences in a compact manner.A significant step in video coding is searching for similar segments in previous frames and use only the difference information for reconstruction thus reducing space requirement. Different search techniques including Full search and 2-D logarithmic search etc. are used in the current literature. Full search restricts its application because of its computational load. 2D logarithmic search is computationally less expensive a lthough there are some spaces for improvement. In this paper we propose a new search technique by modifying the 2-D logarithmic search that requires less search points with insignificant loss in visual quality.Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique. Keywords: video coding, 2-D logarithmic search. i. INTRODUCTION Video is a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion. A video is created by capturing a numbers of still images in a short time interval. When these still images are displayed very quickly, it represents the motion of the object in the images. Video represent the huge amount of data. In order to transfer video data from one place to another efficiently it is required to compress the size of video data.One way to compress the size of video data is video coding [ [1] ] [ [2] ]. The principal goal in the design of a video-coding system is to reduce the transmission rate subject to some picture quality constraint. In transmissio n side, the first frame (normally called the reference frame) is transmitted as it is and the remaining frames are sent as a function of the reference frame. The frame to be sent is divided into a number of blocks and the best match for the block is looked for in the search window of the reference frame. This processing is called the search technique in video coding literature.There exist a number of video coding techniques including MPEG-1/2/4 [ [2] ] [ [7] ], H. 26X [ [8] ] etc. uses search techniques like Full search [ [1] ], 2-D logarithmic search [ [3] ], Coarse-Fine-Three-Step search [ [4] ], Conjugate Direction search [ [5] ], and Pyramid search [ [6] ]. Each of these search techniques has merits and demerits in their favor. Full search finds the best match for a block as it searches all the candidate positions in the search window. Full search however is computationally expensive and renders difficulty for real time implementation.Some variants exist that applies some heuris tics to reduce the candidate search points and reduce the computational complexity although compromising the image quality a bit. 2-D logarithmic search is one such search technique that reduces the search points to a subset of the search window (to be detailed in literature review) and finds the near-optimal best match with reduced computational complexity. Although computationally inexpensive it contains some redundancy in the search space. We aim to reduce this redundancy and aim to find a modified 2-D logarithmic search technique with even reduced computational load.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed technique reduces the number of search points and thus reduces search time with insignificant sacrifice of image quality. The paper is organized as follows. In Section II we elaborate some related works. In Section III we present our proposed search approach. Some experimental results to demonstrate the effective of the proposed approach is presented in Section IV. F inally Section V concludes the paper. II. Related works In this section we present full search technique and the logarithmic search technique.In both cases the frame to be coded is divided into a number of non-overlapping equal size blocks of size p? q. The best match is looked for in a search window of size (2d+1)? (2d+1) in the reference frame . Fig 1: Block matching process in video coding that uses search techniques. * A. Full Search In Full search [ [1] ] finds the best match by inspecting all the (2d+1)? (2d+1) candidate positions within the search window. Full search procedure is brute force in nature. The advantage of Full Search is that it delivers good accuracy in searching for the best match.The disadvantage is that it involves a large amount of computation. * B. 2-D Logarithmic Search Jain and Jain [ [3] ] developed a 2-D logarithmic search technique that successively reduces the search area, thus reducing the computational burden. The first step computes the similarity for five points in the search window. These five points are as follows: the central point of the search window and the four points surrounding it, with each being a midpoint between the central point and one of the four boundaries of the window. Among these five points, the one corresponding to the minimum dissimilarity is picked as the winner.In the next step, surrounding this winner, another set of five points are selected in a similar fashion to that in the first step, with the distances between the five points remaining unchanged. The exception takes place when either a central point of a set of five points or a boundary point of the search window gives a minimum dissimilarity. In these circumstances, the distances between the five points need to be reduced. The procedure continues until the final step, in which a set of candidate points are located in a 3Ãâ€"3 2-D grid.The steps in a 2-D logarithmic search technique are presented in Fig 2. Fig 2: The 2-D logarithmic search tec hnique. The circle numbered n is searched at the n-th step. The arrows indicate the points selected as the center of the search for the next pass. The 2-D logarithmic search hits a maximum of 18 points and a minimum of 13 search points. The advantage of this technique is that it successively reduces the search area, thus reducing the computational burden. One of the disadvantages is that some points are searched more than once thus leave some space for improvement.Moreover, it follows a greedy approach by selecting the minimum dissimilar point at each step thus posing a threat to follow a local minimum trend. Considering these facts we propose to modify the 2-D logarithmic search to overcome the local minimum problem and also eliminate the redundant computing as described in the following section. iii. proposed search technique We mainly modified the 2-D logarithmic search technique to eliminate the redundancy and local minimum problem associated with it. The search technique is ela borated next under the light of 2-D logarithmic search technique.Our proposed search technique starts with the five points in the search window where the one is at the center and other four surrounds center point (Fig 3(a)). Unlike 2-D logarithmic search, our proposed technique selects two points min1 and min2 (Fig 3(b)) that has dissimilarity scores lower than the other three points. We then select a point as the center of search for the next pass that lies on the line in between min1 and min2. This selection reduces the local minimum effect as it simply does not follow the minimum point.Moreover, the five points selected in the next pass does not match with any of the previous points thus eliminates the redundancy that exists in 2-D logarithmic search. Centered at the point selected at the next pass the search continues (Fig 3(d)-Fig 3(f)). The steps of the search are portrayed in Fig 3. Following are some of the merits of our proposed technique: * Successively reduces the search area with no point searched twice * Maximum search points are 12 and minimum search points are 5 – an improvement over 2-D logarithmic search. iv. Results and DiscussionWe have conducted a comparative analysis of Full Search, 2-D logarithmic Search and our proposed search technique as presented next. All the experiments were conducted on MPEG sequences using MATLAB. We used sequences like garden, Akiyo, Table Tennis, Car, and coastguard. Full search, 2-D logarithmic search and our proposed technique applied in these standard MPEG file and we computed the ASNR (Average Signal to Noise Ratio) and Computational load (i. e. number of search points). The results on different sequences are presented next. Akiyo Sequence: Each frame of the Akiyo sequence is of 352? 88 pixels, recorded at 25 frames per second and there are a total of 398 video frames. Fig 4 shows the reconstructed 20th frame of Akiyo sequence coded using Full search, 2D-logarithmic search and proposed search techniqu e. In this video only face portion is moving. Search point comparison for these three search techniques is presented in Fig 5 and ASNR is reported in Fig 6. ASNR achieved using the proposed search technique is almost equal 2D logarithmic search but at reduced number of search points (Fig 5). Number of search points remains almost similar over the different frames.ASNR value shown in Table 1. (a)| (b)| (c)| (d)| (e)| (f)| Fig 3: The different steps of our proposed 2-D logarithmic search technique. (a) five points of search window, (b) the direction of the search in between the direction offered by the two points min1 and min2. (c) Search at step 2, (d) min1 and min2 at step 2, (e) Search points at step 3, and (f) Search ends at the blue point. (a)| (b)| (c)| Fig 4: Reconstructed 20th frame of the Akiyo sequence using (a) Full search, (b) 2-D logarithmic search, and (c) Our proposed search technique.Fig 5: Comparison of # of search points for Akiyo sequence. Fig 6: Comparison of ASNR for Akiyo sequence. Table 1: ASNR value of different search for Akiyo sequence Frame No| Full Search| 2D logarithmic Search| Proposed Search| 1st| 25. 86188| 25. 55678| 25. 46245375| 5th| 24. 84504| 23. 77938883| 23. 57562323| 10th| 24. 37532| 23. 01043038| 22. 67351877| 15th| 24. 38495| 22. 98908004| 22. 5831958| 20th| 24. 4424| 22. 90227928| 22. 56886825| 25th| 24. 44956| 23. 03416597| 22. 51615637| Car Sequence: Each frame of the Car sequence is of 320? 240 pixels and ecorded at 25 frames per second and there are a total of 398 video frames. The reconstructed 20th frame of Car sequence using the three search techniques is presented in Fig 7. In this video sequence the car moves but background is still. Here each repeated two times. Average no of search point is almost 10. 46 for repeated frames and 11. 50 for new frames. Here number of search points vary significantly compared to Akiyo sequence. Overall the proposed technique has reduced search points (Fig 8) although the ASNR is bit low (Fig 9). ASNR value of some frames shown in Table 2. a)| (b)| (c)| Fig 7: Reconstructed 20th frame of the Car sequence using (a) Full search, (b) 2-D logarithmic search, and (c) Our proposed search technique. Fig 8: Comparison of # of search points for Car sequence. Fig 9: Comparison of ASNR for Car sequence. Table 2: ASNR value of different search for Car sequence Frame No| Full Search| 2D logarithmic Search| Proposed Search| 1st| 27. 13312| 26. 5682| 26. 08265| 5th| 26. 68718| 25. 75123| 25. 16904| 10th| 26. 10589| 25. 12647| 24. 27394| 15th| 26. 31185| 25. 16266| 24. 54981| 20th| 26. 28613| 25. 1915| 24. 61234| 25th| 25. 86261| 25. 02255| 24. 12599| Garden Sequence: Each frame of the Garden sequence is of 352? 240 pixels and recorded at 30 frames per second and there are a total of 59 video frames. Fig 10 represents the reconstructed 20th frame of this sequence coded using the three search techniques. In this video the motion is due to camera movement. Fig 11 and Fig 12 reveals that the new search technique reduces the number of search points with minor loss in ASNR. ASNR value of some frames shown in Table 3. Here Average no of search point for each frames required almost same.In frame 20th average no of search point is 11. 6053 and ASNR is 18. 22931. (a)| (b)| (c)| Fig 10: Reconstructed 20th frame of the Garden sequence using (a) Full search, (b) 2-D logarithmic search, and (c) Our proposed search technique. Fig 11: Comparison of # of search points for Garden sequence. Fig 12: Comparison of ASNR for Garden sequence. Table 3: ASNR value of different search for Garden sequence Frame No| Full Search| 2Dlogarithmic Search| Proposed Search| 1st| 24. 27663| 24. 27663| 23. 5971| 5th| 21. 6078| 21. 6078| 20. 49847| 0th| 20. 71779| 20. 71779| 19. 34323| 15th| 19. 9641| 19. 9641| 18. 69269| 20th| 19. 6754| 19. 6754| 18. 22931| 25th| 19. 39791| 19. 39791| 18. 05226| Coastguard Sequence: Each frame of the Coastguard sequence is of 320? 240 pixels and recorde d at 25 frames per second and there are a total of 378 video frames. Here the boat and the camera are moving. Fig 13 represents a reconstructed frame of this sequence coded using the three search techniques. Fig 14 represents the search point required by the three techniques. Our proposed technique shows periodic nature in terms of search points.This is due to the repetitive nature of motion in the video. Fig 15 represents a comparison of ASNR obtained using different techniques. Table 4 shown ASNR of some frames. (a)| (b)| (c)| Fig 13: Reconstructed frame of the Coastguard sequence using (a) Full search, (b) 2-D logarithmic search, and (c) Our proposed search technique. Fig 14: Comparison of # of search points for Coastguard seq. Fig 15: Comparison of ASNR for Coastguard sequence. Table 4: ASNR value of different search for Coastguard seq. Frame No| Full Search| 2D logarithmic Search| Proposed Search| 1st| 24. 8771| 24. 33338| 23. 61801| 5th| 24. 31753| 23. 35416| 22. 54516| 10th| 23. 90367| 23. 03317| 22. 07546| 15th| 24. 36529| 23. 44171| 22. 66604| 20th| 24. 38658| 23. 26823| 22. 50994| 25th| 24. 54524| 23. 91583| 22. 91885| Table tennis Sequence: Each frame of the Table tennis sequence is of 352? 240 pixels and recorded at 30 frames per second and there are a total of 9 video frames. Here ball is moving fast. The reconstructed frames, number of search points, and ASNR of the three search techniques are presented in Fie 16, Fig 17, and Fig 18. Some ASNR of Table tennis sequence shown in table 5. a)| (b)| (c)| Fig 16: Reconstructed frame of the Table tennis sequence using (a) Full search, (b) 2-D logarithmic search, and (c) Our proposed search technique. Fig 17: Comparison of # of search points for Table tennis sequence. Overall the result of ASNR for Full Search is best in all cases but number of search point is so high. The result of ASNR for 2-D logarithmic and our proposed search is almost same but the number of search point of our proposed search is sm aller than the 2-D logarithmic search and thus an improvement over the existing technique.Fig 18: Comparison of ASNR for Table tennis sequence. Table 5: ASNR value of different search for Table tennis seq Frame No| Full Search| 2D logarithmicSearch| ProposedSearch| 1st| 25. 2698| 24. 56416| 23. 90544| 3rd| 23. 60795| 22. 69326| 21. 81273| 5th| 23. 43996| 22. 35007| 21. 29301| 7th| 23. 71878| 22. 71607| 21. 58383| v. Conclusion In this paper we have presented a new search technique for video coding that is a modification of the existing 2-D logarithmic search. The proposed technique reduces the search time of 2-D logarithmic search by reducing the redundant search points.Although ASNR is sacrificed to some extent it had insignificant visual impact as observed from the experimental results. References [1] Shi and H. Sun, â€Å"Image and Video Compression for Multimedia Engineering†, Fundamentals, Algorithms and Standards, 2nd Edition. [2] P. N. Tudor, â€Å"MPEG-2 Video Compre ssion†, IEEE J Langham Thomson Prize, Electronics and Communication Engineering journal, December 1995. [3] J. R. Jain and A. K. Jain, â€Å"Displacement Measurement and Its Application in Interframe Image Coding†, IEEE Transactions on Communications, vol. com-29, no. 12, December 1981. [4] T. Koga, K. Linuma, A. Hirano, Y. Iijima, and T.Ishiguro, â€Å"Motion-compensated interframe coding for video conferencing,† Proc. NTC’81, G5. 3. 1-G5. 3. 5, New Orleans, LA, Dec. 1981. [5] R. Srinivasan and K. R. Rao, â€Å"Predictive coding based on efficient motion estimation,† Proc. of ICC, 521-526, May 1984. [6] D. Tzovaras, M. G. Strintzis, and H. Sahinolou, â€Å"Evaluation of multiresolution block matching techniques for motion and disparity estimation,† Signal Process. Image Commun. , 6, 56-67, 1994. [7] MPEG-4, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/MPEG-4, last accessed in December 2008. [8] H. 264, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/H. 264, last accessed in December 2008. *

Florence Kelley

Florence Kelley (1859 – 1932) Florence Kelley, A Woman of Fierce Fidelity Florence Kelley is considered one of the great contributors to the social rights of workers, particularly women and children. She is best known as a prominent Progressive social reformer known for her role in helping to improve social conditions of the twentieth century. She has been described as a woman of fierce fidelity (Goldmark, 1953). Kelley was a leading voice in the labor, suffragette, children’s and civil rights movements. She was also a well-educated and successful woman, a rare combination during the turn of the twentieth century.Kelley was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 12, 1859 to Quaker parents, William Darrah Kelley and his second wife, Caroline Bartram. Her father was a self-educated man who left his business to become an abolitionist, a judge and an activist for a number of political and social reforms. Kelley had two brothers and five sisters; however, all five s isters died in childhood. The childhood memory of the deaths of her five sisters influenced Kelley’s lifelong fight for government funds for maternal and child health services.The political climate during the life of Kelley and the influences of her family, education, travels and friendships contributed to her commitment to social reform. It was these influences that led this determined woman to have a profound impact on the quality of life for many individuals during her life and thereafter. Let’s examine these influences in more detail for a better understanding of this remarkable woman and reformer. Kelley had the good fortune to grow up in a progressive, cultured and affluent family. It was a family actively devoted to social reform and this devotion influenced Kelley.She was educated at home for most of her childhood due to being sickly as a child. Her father taught her to read at age seven and made his extensive library available to her. Her father also influence d her social conscience by taking the young Florence with him as he toured factories where young boys worked to help manufacture steel and glass. Kelley begins her autobiography by describing her father as a â€Å"companionship which has enriched my whole life† and credited him with encouraging her interest in public life. (Kelley, 1926).It was on the factory tours with her father that Kelley first witnessed the horrendous conditions and danger that children were forced to work under. She often stated that through this experience, she developed her enthusiasm to advocate for child labor reform. While still a young woman, Kelley wrote, â€Å"We that are strong, let us bear the infirmities of the weak. † (Sklar, 2009). At the encouragement of her father, in September 1876, at the age of seventeen, Kelley entered Cornell University, College of Arts and Sciences.After completing her studies at Cornell, Kelley attended the University of Zurich the first European university open to women where she studied politics, economics and law. While in Europe, Kelley formed friendships with people that embraced the teachings of socialism. It was during this time that Kelley began translating the works of known socialists, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Her translation of Engels â€Å"The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844† was published by New York Socialists in 1887.In 1884, while attending the University of Zurich, Kelley met and married Lazare Wischnewetzky, a Russian medical student and member of the socialist party. Kelley and her husband moved to New York City in 1886. Her husband was abusive, and, in 1889 Kelley left her husband and moved to Chicago with her three young children. The marriage ended in divorce in 1891. It was in Chicago that Kelley turned to the study of social conditions taking a special interest in women and children. Florence boarded her three children while she became a resident of the Hull House with Jane Addams and other female social reformers.The Hull House was a settlement house established to ease the suffering of the urban poor, improve unfair and dangerous working conditions and reform government to protect workers. Settlement houses were created to help the urban poor and to assist college educated women to find meaningful employment and to professionalize the social sciences of Sociology and Social Work through collecting statistics, reports and photographs. At the turn of the century, many Americans hoped to improve society for the better. These reform-minded citizens were called Progressives.Kelley was among the Chicago women of her class that strongly believed that they belonged in the public arena calling attention to the working conditions of children and women, social injustice and democracy for all. These Progressives wanted to use the government as an agency of reform and they believed grassroots efforts at the local level would spread to the state and then national level. They embraced strong efforts to address the corruption of government and to make government more efficient. Kelley and the women of the Hull House actively campaigned for civil rights, children’s health and welfare and prohibition.During her years of work at the Hull House, Kelley participated in the documentation of urban poverty. Kelley pioneered the use of scientific data to influence the decision of the U. S. Supreme Court. (Goldmark, 1953). In 1892, Kelley was hired by the Illinois Bureau of Labor Statistics to investigate the sweat shop activity in the garment industry. In this position, Kelley was responsible for providing the numerical evidence that led to state legislation mandating an eight-hour work day for women and children. The law, enacted in 1894, was repealed the following year under pressure from the Illinois Association of Manufacturers.Kelley held the position with the Illinois Bureau of Labor and Statistics until 1897 when she was appointed the first wom an Chief Factory Inspector by Illinois Governor John P. Atlgeld. Kelley was very successful in recruiting people to socialism. She told Friedrich Engels: â€Å"We have a colony of efficient and intelligent women living in a working men’s quarter with the house used for all sorts of purposes by about a thousand persons a week. The last form of its activity is the formation of unions of which we have three, the clock-makers, the shift-makers,, and the book-binders.Next week we are to take the initiative in the systematic endeavor to clean out the sweating dens. The Trade assembly is paying the expenses of weekly mass meetings; and the sanitary authorities are emphasizing the impossibility of their coping, unaided, with the task allotted to them. † Kelley’s frustration with the repeal of the eight-hour work day law for women and children and the difficulty in prosecuting the sweat shop cases influenced her to enroll at Northwestern University where she earned a law degree in 1894.In 1899, Kelley returned to New York to assume the leadership of the National Consumers’ League, an organization created to use the purchasing power of the consumer to support firms with good labor practices. She remained with this organization for over thirty years. In this role, Kelley, pioneered the use of white labels on clothing to certify garments had been produced without child labor and within the parameters of the legislation regulating factory work. During her time with the Consumer’s League, Kelley traveled extensively, speaking to various rganizations and was responsible for organizing sixty different leagues in twenty different states, plus two international conferences. Kelley played a prominent role in federal legislation for child labor minimum wages. A strong supporter of women’s suffrage and African American civil rights, Kelley helped form the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Women†™s International League for Peace and Freedom. In September 1905, Kelley joined Upton Sinclair and Jack London to form the Intercollegiate Socialist Society.Its stated purpose was to â€Å"throw light on the world-wide movement of industrial democracy known as socialism. † Kelley spent the next several years as a frequent speaker on American campuses. She recruited Frances Perkins, a student to the cause and Perkins is the person responsible for bringing an end to child labor in America. Kelley wrote several books including Some Ethical Gains Through Legislation (1905), Modern Industry in Relation to the Family (1914), The Supreme Court and Minimum Wage Legislation (1925) and Autobiography (1927).Kelley also helped establish what became known as the â€Å"Brandeis brief† (named for Justice Louis D. Brandeis), a process of integrating facts and experiences in legal action to demonstrate the need for changing laws according to human realities. Florence Kelley died in G ermantown on February 17, 1932 after a long illness at the age of seventy-three. Kelley was a fascinating woman that dedicated herself to serving the victims of industrial capitalism. She is among the founders of the U. S. welfare system and is considered not only a powerful woman for social justice but also a representative of women’s empowerment.Kelley is quoted as saying, â€Å"In order to be rated as good as a good man in the field of her earnings, a woman must show herself better than he. She must be more steady, or more trustworthy, or more skilled, or more cheap in order to have the same chance of employment. † It is easy to conclude that Florence Kelley was ahead of her time in her ideas and approach to social reform. She laid the groundwork for many social programs that were not implemented until after her death. Her many accomplishments have contributed to an awareness of the rights of children and the working class in America.

Applying Risk Management Essay

Risk management is an important element in managing information systems. Applying risk management principals to business procedures is essential because it helps organizations design and maintain a safe systems environment to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of company data. Kudler Fine Foods has expressed an interest in developing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. The primary objective is to improve business administration by integrating stores and business systems. Kudler Fine Foods has three stores in California and integrating business functions across all stores would be extremely beneficial. This paper will outline the major factors and benefits by applying risk management principles to ensure a secure and effective system. Risk Management Principles According to Whitman and Mattord (2010), risk management is a collaborative effort involving Information security, information technology, management, and users. It is important to involve all of these areas to devise a comprehensive and effective risk management strategy. The major principles include identifying risks, quantifying risks, plan for risks, and monitor and manage risks. The first stage is risk identification. This is when the organization’s managers identifies all of its assets and classifies them into meaningful categories in addition to prioritizing them by importance. Assets include various components such as people, processes, data, and all elements of information technology. Gathering information on assets such as the people aspect processes, and data could be challenging because they are not always documented and readily available. The information gathered for people may include position titles, the title of his or her supervisor, security levels, and skills. Information collected  for processes may include procedure description, purpose, IT connections, document storage location for reference and updates. After listing out the assets, the next step is to classify them into categories such as people, data, software, and hardware and then classify each asset into sub-categories such as confidential, internal, and public. Applying value or impact to each asset is next by determining its criticality to the business. Questions that may help to assigning a value may include; â€Å"Which assets generates the highest profitability?†, or â€Å"Which asset would impede business functions if it were compromised?† Quantifying risks provides the framework for executives to make informed decisions in relation to cost and resources surrounding security. All of the steps outlined above is essential in the risk identification stage (Whitman and Mattord, 2010). After completing the risk identification process where all assets are identified and classified, the next phase is to determine the potential threat source and potential vulnerability. Some common threat sources include natural threats, human threats, and environmental threats. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (2002), a threat is an exploitation of a vulnerability caused by a threat source. The NIST publication suggests the following: identifying a threat source, indicating the motivation of source, and outlining the threat actions. This practice will help determine the likelihood of a threat taking advantage of a system vulnerability. Next in the process is identifying vulnerabilities. Vulnerability is a weakness or flaw in procedures or controls applied to a system. Identifying potential vulnerabilities will help an organization put controls in place to mitigate risks associated with vulnerabilities. Risk mitigation involves a systematic approach in reducing the exposure to a risk and the likelihood of it occurring. Mitigating defined risks is the gateway for the development of processes and controls to reduce the likelihood of a threat. Having prevention mechanisms that include policies and controls is best practice in regard to securing assets therefore it is critical that Kudler Fine Foods determines the best risk management process that fits their business requirements and needs. Because technology is consistently growing and changing, preventative measures must include flexibility to allow for change and growth. Without these considerations, a business could jeopardize themselves by restricting the ability to expand or even update the systems  with necessary security patches. Preventative measures should include future growth. As technology grows, risks increase. Protection mechanisms will change as new threats are introduced to business as well as new legislations. Many security standards are based on data protection regulations and as laws change or new laws are introduced, information technology is the most costly element in ensuring compliance. There could be costly ramifications with poor planning. Risk avoidance can be costly and inconvenient but it would be more costly and inconvenient when a security issue occurs. A risk assessment would be the first step to take when determining whether to chance a certain risk or not. Determining what the assets are and understanding the impact on the business if a security incident occurs is important. It is also important for businesses to understand regulations and what is necessary to comply with certain laws and requirements. Kudler Fine Foods must conduct risk analysis and ask themselves â€Å"What is the risk of not applying preventative measures?† and â€Å"What would it cost to recover from a certain attack?† Legal ramifications could result if a security breach occurs. This could include steep financial penalties as well as jeopardizing company reputation. The table below outlines examples of risk, vulnerability, and mitigation strategy. Risk Vulnerability Mitigation Strategy Hardware failure Hardware could fail and impede business. Systems could be unavailable for an undetermined amount of time. Create security policy to ensure all hardware is kept up to date with current patches and upgrades. User training Insufficient training of end-users leads to improper use of application which could compromise data or systems. Create detailed training documentation and implement a user training program. Ensure all users participate in training. Deliberate network attacks Potential Malware and Denial of Service attacks. Could lead to exposure of sensitive information. Implement policy to ensure adequate firewall  protection, anti-malware software, and install Intrusion Detection System. Conclusion It is important for businesses such as Kudler Fine Foods to employ a risk management strategy to protect its assets and reputation. Without an effective risk management process the company will be vulnerable to various threats. It is Kudler Fine Foods responsibility to determine what mechanisms should be applied and how it will maintain a secure environment for its own business objectives as well as meeting required regulations. The risk management process is the primary method in facilitating security objectives. References Whitman,M.E., & Mattord, H. J. (2010). Management of information security(3rded.). Boston, MA: Course Technology/Cengage Learning National Institute of Standards and Technology. (2002). Retrieved from http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/800-30/sp800-30.pd