Saturday, December 28, 2019

The Glass Menagerie And The American Dream - 2217 Words

The Glass Menagerie and the American Dream The idea of the American Dream is a common theme in many pieces of literature based in the early 20th century. Tennessee Williams’ play, The Glass Menagerie, takes on this idea in its own way. The American Dream can mean different things to every individual, but everyone is striving for one things: success. For some, that could mean financial stability, whereas others just want a family or to give their family a better life. The characters in the play, Tom, Laura, and Amanda, each have a different idea of what their American Dream is, but do not necessarily take the correct path to achieve it. By using stage lighting, illusions, flashbacks, and symbols, Tennessee Williams dives deep into the minds and dreams of these characters, while also depicting an accurate representation of the 20th century American Dream. The play takes place in the memory of Tom Wingfield, as he recalls the events in St. Louis in 1937. The Great Depression is in full effect and Tom must work in a show warehouse to support his mother, Amanda, and sister, Laura, since Mr. Wingfield left the family years before. This was not uncommon for this time. In the Encyclopedia of the Great Depression, Dennis Bryson explains, â€Å"Children of impoverished families, recalling memories of family life during the 1930s, often remembered their fathers as emotionally distant and indifferent. Some unemployed men took up drinking. Others went off on long trips, looking forShow MoreRelated Illusion of the American Dream in Death of a Salesman and The Glass Menagerie756 Words   |  4 Pages The American Dream is what all Americans strive to achieve. It is the illusion of prosperity and happiness. The American Dream consists of three different elements, money, sex, and power. The plays â€Å"Death of a Salesman† and â€Å"The Glass Menagerie† are about families who strive to achieve the American Dream. These plays are a lot alike and they have more similarities than differences. In America, money can get you many places in society. In both plays, money plays an essential element. In â€Å"TheRead MoreTennessee Williams – The Glass Menagerie – Jim as a Representative of the American Dream and the Ideology of Optimism and Progressivism2306 Words   |  10 PagesTennessee Williams – The Glass Menagerie Jim as a Representative of the American Dream and the Ideology of Optimism and Progressivism â€Å"He is the most realistic character in the play, being an emissary from a world of reality that we were somehow set apart from. . . . he is the long-delayed but always expected something that we live for.† (Williams 5) – Jims first introduction by Tom as a narrator is a crucial one, as it points to the ambiguity of Jims character. For theRead More Essay on the Symbolism of the Menagerie in The Glass Menagerie1002 Words   |  5 PagesThe Symbolism of the Menagerie in The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚   Tennessee Williams play, The Glass Menagerie, describes three separate characters, their dreams, and the harsh realities they face in a modern world.   The Glass Menagerie exposes the lost dreams of a southern family and their desperate struggle to escape reality. Williams use of symbols adds depth to the play. The glass menagerie itself is a symbol Williams uses to represent the broken lives of Amanda, Laura and Tom Wingfield andRead MoreA Comparison of Tennessee Williams ´ The Glass Menagerie and Arthur Miller ´s Death of a Salesman1158 Words   |  5 Pages The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams and Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller are two of the twentieth century’s best-known plays. The differences and similarities between both of the plays are hidden in their historical and social contexts. The characters of The Glass Menagerie and the Death of a Salesman are trapped by the constraints of their everyday lives, unable to communicate w ith their loved ones and being fearful for their future. There are a lot of comparisons thatRead More Essay on The Glass Menagerie and the Life of Tennessee Williams957 Words   |  4 PagesThe Glass Menagerie and the Life of Tennessee Williams The Glass Menagerie closely parallels the life of the author. From the very job Tennessee held early in his life to the apartment he and his family lived in. Each of the characters presented, their actions taken and even the setting have been based on the past of Thomas Lanier Williams, better known as Tennessee Williams. Donald Spoto described the new apartment building that Williams and his family relocated to in St. Louis, MissouriRead More Comparing the Life of Tennessee Williams and Glass Menagerie707 Words   |  3 PagesParallels in the Life of Tennessee Williams and The Glass Menagerie   Ã‚  Ã‚   Tennessee Williams is one the major writers of the mid-twentieth century. His work includes the plays, The Glass Menagerie and A Streetcar Named Desire. One theme of The Glass Menagerie is that hopeful aspirations are followed by inevitable disappointments. This theme is common throughout all of Williams work and throughout his own life as well. It is shown through the use of symbols and characters.    I haveRead More Essay on Stagnant Lives in Streetcar Named Desire and Glass Menagerie1196 Words   |  5 PagesStagnant Lives in Streetcar Named Desire and Glass Menagerie   Ã‚  Ã‚   The Stagnant Lives of Blanche DuBois and Amanda Wingfield  Ã‚  Ã‚   All of Williams significant characters are pathetic victims--of time, of their own passions, of immutable circumstance (Gantz 110). This assessment of Tennessee Williams plays proves true when one looks closely at the characters of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire and Amanda Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie. Their lives run closely parallel to one anotherRead MoreThe Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams1534 Words   |  7 PagesThe Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams Tennessee Williams, born Thomas Lanier Williams, wrote The Glass Menagerie, a play which premiered in Chicago in 1944. This award winning play, autobiographical in nature, represented a time in which Williams felt the obligation of his responsibilities in regards to the care of his family. Robert DiYanni, Adjunct Professor of Humanities at New York University, rated it as, â€Å"One of his best-loved plays...a portrayal of loneliness among characters who confuseRead More Essay on the Use of Symbols, Tensions, and Irony in The Glass Menagerie891 Words   |  4 PagesUse of Symbols, Tensions, and Irony in The Glass Menagerie      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams, is a perfect example of how Williams incorporates symbols, tensions, and irony to help express the central theme of the play.      Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the most dominant symbols in the play is the fire escape.   It represents something different for each of the characters.   Tom uses the fire escape to escape from his cramped apartment and nagging mother.   Therefore, the fire escape symbolizesRead MoreSymbolism In The Glass Menagerie By Tennessee Williams858 Words   |  4 Pagesaffected his work especially in The Glass Menagerie. Williams’s homosexuality made him be seen as an outcast in American society. Not to mention that homosexuality was not as widely accepted as it is today. The writing style of Williams creates a unique and great story. Tennessee Williams utilizes symbolism to express his themes throughout The Glass Menagerie. There are many events in Tennessee Williams’s early life that is similar to the details in The Glass Menagerie. Williams had a bad relationship

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Analysis Of James Joyce s Araby - 955 Words

In James Joyce’s â€Å"Araby† a nameless boy who is infatuated with the sister of his friend, Mangan reveals his vain wishes and expectations as he tries to impress her buy purchasing a romantic gift. The unbearable crush that he has, lures him on a journey to a Dublin bazaar called Araby, to purchase the gift, but encounters obstacles that later on gives him a change of heart. Instead of realizing that he does not need gifts to express his love for her, he gives up instead. As optimistic as he was about his future plans, in â€Å"Araby† the nameless boy continuously gives us feelings of light and darkness. The short story begins with a description of the neighborhood and its surroundings. He uses dark and cold references when referring to his surroundings and mood, but light and happy remarks when pertaining to Mangan’s sister. He tends to use the settings as a way to demonstrate that. Firstly, he describes the street as â€Å"being blind† (107) and from that he gives us the impression that he is not happy about where he lives, and the manner in which the neighborhood is. He refers to the street as a dead end. He is not the typical teenager who is excited about new things, rather he gives negative descriptions that show cases how he views things. He says â€Å"The other houses of the street, conscious of decent lives within them, gazed at one another with brown imperturbable faces† (107). We immediately get a picture setting of cold, scary darkness unexcited place. It is obvious that he is notShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of James Joyce s Araby846 Words   |  4 Pages up so high. In James Joyce’s short story â€Å"Araby† he uses the voice of a young boy as a narrator and describes his childhood growing up in Dublin. Joyce concentrates on description of character’s feeling rather than on plot to reveal the ironies inherent in self-deception. The story focuses on the disappointment, and enlightenment of the young boy and the gap between ideality and reality which I believe it is a retrospective of Joyce’s look back at life. On the simplest level, â€Å"Araby† is a story aboutRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s Araby 1336 Words   |  6 Pagesand derided by vanity; and my eyes burned with anguish and anger.† Araby is a short story centering on an Irish adolescence boy emerging from boyhood fanaticizing into the harsh realities of everyday life in his country. It undergoes through the phases of self-discovery through a coming of age. It takes place in Dublin in 1894 when it was under British rule. The boy in the story is strongly correlated with the author James Joyce. Young Goodman Brown was another story in which the ending results onRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s Araby 945 Words   |  4 PagesJames Joyce portrays fanciful mental images from a young boy’s perspective, through his story of Araby. A young boy has a friend name Mangan that lives across the street in which he began to watch Mangan’s sister through the windows and he starts to develop feelings for her that lead him to go to the Araby Bazaar. These feelings start to give the young boy assumptions about Mangan’s sister from the way she makes him feel leading to having these idealized characteristics about her. The emotions makeRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s Araby 1437 Words   |  6 Pagesthat is nowadays recognized as the modernism which argues that life’s existence is subjective, people are not rational in thinking reality is built through personal experience. One of these writers was James Joyce, who was from a lower middle class in Dublin, Ireland. In his little story â€Å"Araby† Joyce shows us that at the time period that reality is built through personal experiences because life is what we make of it. He goes along to argue that how life is perceived is viewed differently throughRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s Araby 1246 Words   |  5 Pages16 October 2014 Araby – James Joyce – Critical Analysis - Revision The visual and emblematic details established throughout the story are highly concentrated, with Araby culminating, largely, in the epiphany of the young unnamed narrator. To Joyce, an epiphany occurs at the instant when the spirit and essence of a character is revealed, when all the forces that endure and influence his life converge, and when we can, in that moment, comprehend and appreciate him. As follows, Araby is a story of anRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s Araby 994 Words   |  4 PagesIn the short story Araby, James Joyce provides the audience with a glimpse if 19th century Ireland seen through the eyes of an adolescent young man. It is this adolescence and the navies of the world that is under attack. Joyce masterfully reveals an innocence held by Araby by contrasting it with a setting filled with symbology that eludes to the hopeless reality in which he lives. Joyce injects a sense of unrealized bleakness for the protagonist by the imagery that he puts forth. â€Å"North RichmondRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s Araby Essay2018 Words   |  9 PagesJames Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet in the early 20th century. Joyce was the writer of â€Å"Araby†. A stoty published in 1914, in which the writer preserves an episode of his life, more specific when he a young twelve years old boy. But was does the word â€Å"Araby† means? According to diccionaty.com, â€Å"Araby† is an archaic or poetic name for Arabia. In addition, the story is about a boy who falls in love with a woman, she is the sister of one of the boy’s classmates. The name of the woman is neverRead MoreComparative Analysis Of Epiphany, From James Joyce s Araby And The Dead1758 Words   |  8 PagesComparative Analysis of Epiphany, from James Joyce’s â€Å"Araby† and â€Å"The Dead† James Joyce elaborately portrays the complexity of the human male psyche through his protagonists in â€Å"Araby† and â€Å"The Dead.† Through the use of first person perspective, each protagonists’ true motivations and perceptions of reality are betrayed by Joyce, therefore allowing the reader to fully understand the fallacies and complexities within each character. Through the depictions of such complexities, Joyce is able to leverageRead More The Decline of Chivalry Explored in Araby and AP Essay1211 Words   |  5 Pagesuseful motive to win hearts of women for centuries. However, as society constantly changes, the effectiveness of these chivalrous acts has diminished. In James Joyce’s â€Å"Araby† and John Updike’s â€Å"AP†, this theory is explored, both telling the story of a boy whose efforts to impress the girl of their desires fail. As said by Well’s in his critical analysis of these stories, â€Å"Both the protagon ists have come to realize that romantic gestures—in fact, that the whole chivalric view [sic] --- are, in modernRead MoreAnalysis Of James Joyce s Dubliners1668 Words   |  7 PagesDubliners, by James Joyce is an outstanding example of how the use of point of view influences how characters and events are interpreted. Joyce writes the first three stories of Dubliners in the first person point of view, the rest are told in there person. Taking a look at a few of the short stories , Araby, Eveline, and Clay, it is obvious that Joyce s choice of narration as well as the complexity of how he carries out those narrations plays a significant role in the analysis of his work.

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Environment in Australia †Marine Ecosystem

Question: Discuss about the Environment in Australia for Marine Ecosystem. Answer: Introduction The Ocean Territory of Australia is twice as big as its land and is quite diverse in nature. What makes the oceans of Australia so unique is that it has five climate zones, three major oceans and there is the complex system of currents in the many underwater seascapes. The continent has the largest seagrass meadow, Shark Bay and the biggest single reef that is the Great Barrier Reef. Half of the earths seagrass and mangrove species are found in Australia, and the area of mangroves is the third largest in the world. The ocean plays a significant role in regulating the climate. As oceans become more acidic and with the rise of sea temperature, there will be a profound impact on the global climate change. This essay on Marine Ecosystems in Australia highlights the different issues of the ecosystem and the various governmental initiatives that have been undertaken or are ongoing. Discussions include coral bleaching, extinction of mangrove forests, destruction of kelp forests, the disappe arance of mangrove forests, quality of water in the Great Barrier Reef, marine debris, conservation of sharks, and the mechanisms that are in place to prevent them. Marine Ecosystems of Australia Bleaching of Coral In the first few months of 2016, the Great Barrier Reef experienced the coral bleaching which is worst in the recorded history. Great Barrier Reef in the Northern Section of Australia which was considered the most pristine, the quarter of which is now dead. The first worst bleaching event happened in 1998, then in 2010, and in this year it is predicted to continue until the end of 2016, which will also be the longest as per record. Climate change directly affects coral bleaching, and the oceans are getting warmer each year as they are absorbing heat from the atmosphere, which is caused by the constant burning of non-renewable sources like coal, wood, and gas, among others (Climatenetwork.org 2016). The existence of Great Barrier Reef continues to be in the state of threatening existence, as long fossil fuel continues to burn. Corals become more and more vulnerable as they get polluted from the runoff from farms, which makes it harder to recover from. Scientists ma de a prediction that coral bleaching events will be more severe and frequent with the rise of sea tea temperatures (Depczynski et al. 2013). Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) has urged the Australian Government to stop subsidizing the fossil fuel industry which is to a tune of $7.7 billion per year and makes policies to move the entire industry and domestic energy usage towards the renewable and clean source of energy. With the rise of coral bleaching, the Australian government needs to provide a billion dollar package to improve fund catchment repair and farm practices while reducing sediment and chemical pollution (Mann and Lazier 2013). Extinction of Mangrove forests According to Alongi (2015), Commercial fishers, conservationists, and scientists are all concerned with the large-scale disappearance of mangrove forests along the northern coastline of Australia. In the Gulf of Carpentaria, mangrove forests of 10,000 hectares have died along 700km of coastline. Karumba in Queensland and Limin Bright on the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory are the locations which are worth hit. The dieback of mangrove forests is correlated with the extreme warming with sustained high sea temperatures and unseasonably low monsoon rainfall. Mangroves are more than a necessity for sustaining climate and marine ecosystems (Mangrovewatch.org.au 2016). For marine species, they act as crucial nurseries, which spend some of their time in the mangrove roots. According to Professor Norm Duke of James Cook University, a mangrove expert, stated that the mangrove forests absorb carbon 50 times more than tropical forests. The topic of d ieback of the mangrove forests came to the spotlight during an international wetland conference in Darwin, where the delegates urged to mangrove monitoring efforts as an urgent matter. To manage and isolate dieback events such as these, the scientists need to establish a baseline data (Reside 2014). The disappearance of Kelp forests As stated by Bennett et al. (2016), Marine scientists expressed concerns that in the southwest of Australia, large areas of kelp forests have disappeared and effects of it will be permanent. According to findings, kelp forests from Cape Leeuwin to Ningaloo, which stretched for around 1000 square kilometers, are lost. Kelp forests are considered as the life support for Great Southern Reefs, which lies around the southern half of Australia. With the disappearance of these forests, some of the most valuable fisheries in Australia, such as rock lobster fishing and abalone could face extinction in the coming years. Australia currently experiences revenue of more than $10 billion a year with the fisheries and reef-related tourism combined. Compared to global average, the oceans around Australia are experiencing warming twice as fast. These kind of dramatic changes are unavoidable if the current state of heatwaves and warmer waters are driven by climate co ntinue to happen (News | The University Of Western Australia 2016). Water Quality in the Great Barrier Reef As stated by Death (2012), the reason behind the attraction of Great Barrier Reef is its excellent water quality. The Great Barrier Reef is complex and diverse ecosystem but is also the most beautiful. Decline in the quality of water can affect marine animals, seagrass, corals and other necessary habitats while hurting fishing and tourism industry. Coastal ecosystems play a major role in the Great Barrier Reef as they not only control the quality of water which enters the Reef but also play a critical link between marine, land and freshwater environments. Vast areas of habitats that the Reef supports have been either cleared modified or infilled. Coastal habitat loss is concerning because it traps the sediment, acts as a nutrient filter for the water entering the Great Barrier Reef, and a breeding and feeding ground for marine species (Gbrmpa.gov.au 2016). The Great Barrier Reef Region will face an enormous pressure as the pressure on the ecos ystem increases with two percent per annum projected increase of human population habitation in Great Barrier Reef. Another major impact on Great Barrier Reef is catchment run-off and its associated quality of water, which will have a considerable impact on the change in climate. The Reef Plan or the Reef Water Quality Protection Plan has been taken up by GBRMPA or Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority by partnering with the government of Queensland and the Australia. The reason for the collaboration is to stop the declination and switch the quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef. To monitor the long-term health of vital marine ecosystems and quality of water in the inshore Reef lagoon, GBRMPA had made a Reef Rescue Monitoring Program. For the GBRM Park, the management has also created Water Quality Guidelines managers to take action when the trigger levels go above the permissible limit (Authority 2014). Marine Debris According to Lawson et al. (2015), Marine litter or marine debris can be defined as the processed and manufactured solid objects that are disposed or abandoned of in the coastal and marine environment. Marine debris commonly includes food packaging, plastic bags and plastic bottles, fishing nets, and packing materials among others. Marine litter is harmful to aquatic animals such as marine mammals, turtles, sharks, and birds. It can also cause starvation through ingestion, internal injuries and damage through entanglement, and injury or death through drowning. Seabirds, marine mammals, and turtles can die or be severely injured by getting entangled in marine litter, causing smothering, drowning, amputation, infection, starvation and restricted mobility. Ropes, nets, and fishing line debris cut the skin of turtles and marine mammals, which leads to amputation or infection of flukes, tails, and flippers (Reisser et al. 2013). Many marine mammals confused marine debris li ke balloons, rubber, and bags of food and swallowed them, which causes blockage in their digestive system. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) states that, fatality and injury to vertebrate marine life caused by entanglement or swallowing of, toxic marine litter has been identified as a key threatening process. Following consultation with stakeholders including local, territory and state governments, conservation and industry groups, the Australian Government made a Plan in June of 2009 under the EPBC Act, called the Threat Abatement Plan for the Impacts of Marine Debris on Vertebrate Marine Life. The National Approach to Addressing Marine Biodiversity Decline as developed by the National Resource Management Ministerial Council identifies aquatic pollution as a major threat to the healthy species residing in the oceans (Verlis, Campbell and Wilson 2013). It offers a coordinated national approach and a framework with actions and timeframes. Th is planning strategy will inspect the joint agreements' effectiveness with nations of other states to resolve the problem of marine litter, and its wildlife impact while evaluating new ones. Grey Nurse Recovery Plan and Marine Turtle Recovery Plan are two such plans identified for animal and marine recovery plans, in abatement strategies coordinated by the plan. The plan also reviews existing activities, conventions, codes of practice, and policies to evaluate their effectiveness. Other initiatives taken by the Australian government are National Waste Policy, International Engagement, and Regional Action (Environment.gov.au 2016). Conservation of Sharks In the study undertaken by The International Union for Conservation of Nature, it has been found that over one-third of the open ocean shark species are facing extinction. Sharks are often killed for their fins and meat, and the number stands around at 73 million each year. Despite being an old practice, the Queensland, and NSW government kills sharks in drum lines and nets (Environment.gov.au 2016). Due to the efforts put by the Australian Marine Conservation Society, the practice of cutting fins and dumping shark bodies have been made banned in all regions of Australia. The method was popularly referred to as Live shark finning." Sharks are the important species in maintaining the balance of the marine ecosystems, and removing a substantial number of them can cause a shift in the balance of the ecosystem which will affect the whole food chain in oceans (Muter et al. 2013). Mechanism and its effectiveness To address critical threats, the Queensland, and government drew up the Reef 2050 Long-Term Sustainability Plan, which delivers an extensive framework for Reef protection. It takes findings and notes from the Outlook Report, and 25-year management plan, which combined provides the most comprehensive and updated information on the administration and health of Reef. The Australian Government statutory agency, the GBRMPA is tasked with managing and protecting the environment, heritage values, and biodiversity of the Great Barrier Reef Region. Many Queensland and Australian agencies work in close collaboration with the Authority in the Region, to carry out its responsibilities (Hughes, Day and Brodie 2015). The Authority also strongly focuses on the stewardship programs and partnership arrangements with individuals, community groups, industry sectors, and Traditional Owners who participate directly in Great Barrier Reefs protection and management. The Ree f 2050 Integrated Reporting and Monitoring Program justifies the approach to Reef 2050 Plan's adaptive management while assessing whether targets can be achieved through actions (Gbrmpa.gov.au 2016). The program ensures the investments are emphasized on activities that will deliver results in a measurable way. It also enables advanced identification of changes and trends in the Reef's environment; notifies the evaluation of future risks and critical threats, and delivers management responses promptly. The program also drives reporting and modeling programs, integration and alignment of existing monitoring, coordination driving, to gain an advantage in avoiding duplication of effort, improving efficiency, providing value for money, and existing program investment (Normile and Dayton 2014). As opined by Dale (2016), the Reef 2050 Plan includes reporting on the effectiveness, and implementation of this plan will happen periodically. To improve governance arrangements for Reef management; objectives, targets, and outcomes are outlined in the scheme. The theme of economic benefits puts emphasis on maintaining and enhancing the economic, social and ecological sustainability of Reef-associated and Reef-dependent industries. The plan also outlines the objectives to develop a common understanding of the Reef derived community advantages. The development of a long-term economic and social monitoring program has been scheduled for the future. The plan also aims to make sure that the water entering the Great Barrier Reef is safe and clean. The themes and overarching vision take into account the heritage values of the Reef including spiritual, social, cultural, scientific, historical, aesthetic and natural values. Actions and targets to conserve and protect biodiversity over the y ears have been included in the Reef 2050 Plan. The program will assess track the development of the actions and objectives for biodiversity (Authority 2015). Coastlines and oceans are changing, and the world needs more leaders and best minds, those who will record the rapid changes, and make a smooth transition to renewable energy from current carbon intensive economy. It will pave the way for a more sustainable approach to this world. A clean and sustainable future can only happen if the blue planet starts recovering. AMCS is already working towards creating a brighter and better future. Conclusion The marine ecosystem of Australia is rich in biodiversity, which provides necessary ecosystem services and goods to people and marine industries. Climate change poses a significant risk to the ecosystems, and many ecological communities and species are observing the impacts. Though different government initiatives and research efforts have been undertaken to emphasize on the issues of the ecosystems in Australia, research gaps still exist in involving monitoring and review as knowledge changes with conditions and circumstances. Change of climate is currently impacting the marine ecosystems of Australia which are now manifesting in the northern, southwest, and southeast tropics, but predictions are that it will spread broad and significant, that will challenge the conservation management. Finally, conservation management needs to be based on ecosystem and based on the available information, no regrets adoption can be implemented for marine ecosystems of Australia to survive shortly. References Alongi, D.M., 2015. The impact of climate change on mangrove forests.Current Climate Change Reports,1(1), pp.30-39. Authority, G.B.M.P., 2015. Reef 2050 Long-term Sustainability Plan. Authority, G.B.R.M.P., 2014. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Science Strategy and Information Needs 2014-2019. Bennett, S., Wernberg, T., Connell, S.D., Hobday, A.J., Johnson, C.R. and Poloczanska, E.S., 2016. The'Great Southern Reef': social, ecological and economic value of Australia's neglected kelp forests.Marine and Freshwater Research,67(1), pp.47-56. Climatenetwork.org. (2016). Australian Marine Conservation Society | CAN International. [online] Available at: https://www.climatenetwork.org/profile/member/australian-marine-conservation-society [Accessed 7 Oct. 2016]. Dale, A.P., Vella, K., Pressey, R.L., Brodie, J., Gooch, M., Potts, R. and Eberhard, R., 2016. Risk analysis of the governance system affecting outcomes in the Great Barrier Reef.Journal of Environmental Management. Death, G., Fabricius, K.E., Sweatman, H. and Puotinen, M., 2012. The 27year decline of coral cover on the Great Barrier Reef and its causes.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,109(44), pp.17995-17999. Depczynski, M., Gilmour, J.P., Ridgway, T., Barnes, H., Heyward, A.J., Holmes, T.H., Moore, J.A.Y., Radford, B.T., Thomson, D.P., Tinkler, P. and Wilson, S.K., 2013. Bleaching, coral mortality and subsequent survivorship on a West Australian fringing reef.Coral Reefs,32(1), pp.233-238. Environment.gov.au. (2016). Marine Debris - What is Australia doing - Home Page. [online] Available at: https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/marine-pollution/marine-debris [Accessed 7 Oct. 2016]. Environment.gov.au. (2016). Sharks in Australian waters - Marine Species Conservation in Australia. [online] Available at: https://www.environment.gov.au/marine/marine-species/sharks [Accessed 7 Oct. 2016]. Gbrmpa.gov.au. (2016). Declining water quality - GBRMPA. [online] Available at: https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/managing-the-reef/threats-to-the-reef/declining-water-quality [Accessed 7 Oct. 2016]. Gbrmpa.gov.au. (2016). Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program - GBRMPA. [online] Available at: https://www.gbrmpa.gov.au/managing-the-reef/reef-2050/reef-integrated-monitoring-and-reporting-program [Accessed 7 Oct. 2016]. Hughes, T.P., Day, J.C. and Brodie, J., 2015. Securing the future of the Great Barrier Reef.Nature Climate Change,5(6), pp.508-511. Lawson, T.J., Wilcox, C., Johns, K., Dann, P. and Hardesty, B.D., 2015. Characteristics of marine debris that entangle Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus) in southern Australia.Marine pollution bulletin,98(1), pp.354-357. Mangrovewatch.org.au. (2016). Threats and Pressures on Mangrove Ecosystems. [online] Available at: https://www.mangrovewatch.org.au/index.php?option=com_contentview=categorylayout=blogid=26Itemid=300161 [Accessed 7 Oct. 2016]. Mann, K.H. and Lazier, J.R., 2013.Dynamics of marine ecosystems: biological-physical interactions in the oceans. John Wiley Sons. Muter, B.A., Gore, M.L., Gledhill, K.S., Lamont, C. and Huveneers, C., 2013. Australian and US news media portrayal of sharks and their conservation.Conservation Biology,27(1), pp.187-196. News | The University Of Western Australia. (2016). Kelp forests in the Great Southern Reef wiped out by marine heatwave. [online] Available at: https://www.news.uwa.edu.au/201607088828/kelp-forests-great-southern-reef-wiped-out-marine-heatwave [Accessed 7 Oct. 2016]. Normile, D. and Dayton, L., 2014. Plan to protect Great Barrier Reef under fire.Science,346(6210), pp.683-683. Reisser, J., Shaw, J., Wilcox, C., Hardesty, B.D., Proietti, M., Thums, M. and Pattiaratchi, C., 2013. Marine plastic pollution in waters around Australia: characteristics, concentrations, and pathways.PloS one,8(11), p.e80466. Reside, A.E., Welbergen, J.A., Phillips, B.L., Wardell?Johnson, G.W., Keppel, G., Ferrier, S., Williams, S.E. and VanDerWal, J., 2014. Characteristics of climate change refugia for Australian biodiversity.Austral Ecology,39(8), pp.887-897. Verlis, K.M., Campbell, M.L. and Wilson, S.P., 2013. Ingestion of marine debris plastic by the wedge-tailed shearwater Ardenna pacifica in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.Marine pollution bulletin,72(1), pp.244-249.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Why IQ Tests Dont Test Intelligence Essays (721 words) -

Why IQ tests don't test intelligence Psychology The task of trying to quantify a person's intelligence has been a goal of psychologists since before the beginning of this century. The Binet-Simon scales were first proposed in 1905 in Paris, France and various sorts of tests have been evolving ever since. One of the important questions that always comes up regarding these tools is what are the tests really measuring? Are they measuring a person's intelligence? Their ability to perform well on standardized tests? Or just some arbitrary quantity of the person's IQ? When examining the situations around which these tests are given and the content of the tests themselves, it becomes apparent that however useful the tests may be for standardizing a group's intellectual ability, they are not a good indicator of intelligence. To issue a truly standardized test, the testing environment should be the same for everyone involved. If anything has been learned from the psychology of perception, it is clear that a person's environment has a great deal to do with their cognitive abilities. Is the light flickering? Is the paint on the walls an unsettling shade? Is the temperature too hot or too cold? Is the chair uncomfortable? Or in the worst case, do they have an illness that day? To test a person's mind, it is necessary to utilize their body in the process. If everyone's body is placed in different conditions during the testing, how is it expected to get standardized results across all the subjects? Because of this assumption that everyone will perform equally independent of their environment, intelligence test scores are skewed and cannot be viewed as standardized, and definitely not as an example of a person's intelligence. It is obvious that a person's intelligence stems from a variety of traits. A few of these that are often tested are reading comprehension, vocabulary, and spatial relations. But this is not all that goes into it. What about physical intelligence, conversational intelligence, social intelligence, survival intelligence, and the slew of others that go into everyday life? Why are these important traits not figured into intelligence tests? Granted, normal standardized tests certainly get predictable results where academics are concerned, but they should not be considered good indicators of general intelligence because of the glaring omissions they make in the testing process. To really gauge a person's intelligence, it would be necessary to put them through a rigorous set of real-life trials and document their performance. Otherwise the standardized IQ tests of today are testing an extremely limited quality of a person's character that can hardly be referred to as intelligence. For the sake of brevity, I will quickly mention a few other common criticisms of modern IQ tests. They have no way to compensate for cultural differences. People use different methods to solve problems. People's reading strategies differ. Speed is not always the best way to tackle a problem. There is often too much emphasis placed on vocabulary. Each of these points warrants individual treatment, and for more information refer to The Triarchic Mind by RJ Sternberg (Penguin Books, 1988, p18-36). It is possible to classify all the reasons that IQ tests fail at their task into two main groups. The first grouping is where the tests assume too much. Examples of this flaw are the assumption that speed is always good, vocabulary is a good indicator of intelligence, and that different test taking environments won't affect the outcome. The second grouping comes because the tests gauge the wrong items. Examples of this are different culture groups being asked to take the same tests as everyone else, and the fact that the tests ignore so many types of intelligence (like physical, social, etc). These two groupings illustrate where the major failings of popular IQ tests occur and can be used as tools for judging others. IQ tests are not good indicators for a person's overall intelligence, but as their use has shown, they are extremely helpful in making predictions about how a person will perform in an academic setting. Perhaps the problem comes in the name intelligence tests when it is obvious this is not what they really are. The modern IQ test definitely has its applications in today's society but should be

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Papa Roach - Infest free essay sample

The new wave of rock music is upon us, and with it comesa slew of bands trying to make it big. Few have the talent to stand out, but PapaRoach does. I recently picked up their major label debut album,Infest, and I must say I am impressed. This foursome from northernCalifornia can really rock, and any fan of good music will not be let down. Thegroups first single, Last Resort, is already making a splash in themusic scene, and after listening to this album I can see why. Papa Roach combinesthoughtful, observant lyrics with rocking guitar riffs to form a unique brand ofrock. Lead singer Coby Dick uses his distinctive voice to rap and singthought-provoking lyrics about real-world situations and issues. With a talenteddrummer, bassist and guitar player backing him up, Papa Roach is ready to rockthe stage and the music scene. Their moody guitars and screaming lyrics will makeyou want to start a mosh pit on the spot. We will write a custom essay sample on Papa Roach Infest or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Amidst a sea of bands jumpingon the new rock bandwagon, Papa Roach stands out with an appealing sound that candeliver a rocking performance. As the chorus to one of their songs says,Were going to infest, were getting in your head. Papa Roach isready to rock the music world, and they will get in your head.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Lab 6 Essay Example

Lab 6 Essay Example Lab 6 Paper Lab 6 Paper ? Question 1 10 out of 10 points | | | Name the five types of ecosystems used in this laboratory, [1], [2], [3], [4], and [5]. | | | | | Specified Answer for: 1| Â  tundra| Specified Answer for: 2| Â  taiga| Specified Answer for: 3| Â  desert| Specified Answer for: 4| Â  freshwater lake| Specified Answer for: 5| Â  tropical rain forest| | | | | ? Question 2 3. 7 out of 3. 7 points | | | Fungi are examples of Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| Â  E. decomposers| | | | | ? Question 3 3. 7 out of 3. 7 points | | The efficiency of energy transfer from a lower trophic level to the next highest level is roughly:Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| Â  D. 10%| | | | | ? Question 4 10 out of 10 points | | | For the ecosystem organism or type match the organisms with their type or type with type. Answer | | | | | Question| Selected Match| Caribou| Â  B. First Order Heterotroph| Arctic Fox| Â  C. Second Order Heterotroph| Autotroph| Â  A. Producer| Herbivore| Â  B. First Order Heterotr oph| Coyote| Â  C. Second Order Heterotroph| | | | | | ? Question 5 3. 7 out of 3. 7 points | | You find yourself in an area where there are snakes, hawks and coyotes. Based upon these animal populations, you are most likely in a [__________] ecosystem. Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | Â   desert| | | | | ? Question 6 3. 7 out of 3. 7 points | | | In aquatic ecosystems, biomass is least at which trophic level? Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| Â  A. Autotrophs| | | | | ? Question 7 3. 7 out of 3. 7 points | | | Organisms that directly use energy from the sun to make their food are called:Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| Â  B. Autotrophs| | | | | ? Question 8 3. 7 out of 3. 7 points | | | Which of the following illustrates the correct ordering of trophic levels? Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| Â  B. Autotrophs>herbivores>carnivores>decomposers| | | | | ? Question 9 40 out of 40 points | | | Match the organisms present in the various ecosystems with their type. Answer | | | | | Question| Selected Match| Whirligig Beetle| Â  D. First Order Heterotroph| African Elephant| Â  D. First Order Heterotroph| Leopard| Â  B. Third Order Heterotroph| Chimpanzee| Â  C. Second Order Heterotroph| Dragonfly| Â  D. First Order Heterotroph| Mute Swan| Â  D. First Order Heterotroph| Large Mouth Bass| Â  C. Second Order Heterotroph| Bell Frog| Â  C. Second Order Heterotroph| Saguaro Cactus| Â  A. Producer| Velvet Ant| Â  D. First Order Heterotroph| Rattlesnake| Â  C. Second Order Heterotroph| Cactus Wren| Â  C. Second Order Heterotroph| Coyote| Â  C. Second Order Heterotroph| Douglas Fir| Â  A. Producer| Whitetail Deer| Â  D. First Order Heterotroph| Snowshoe Rabbit| Â  D. First Order Heterotroph| Eagle| Â  B. Third Order Heterotroph| Human| Â  B. Third Order Heterotroph| Snowy Owl| Â  D. First Order Heterotroph| Arctic Wolf| Â  B. Third Order Heterotroph| | | | | | ? Question 10 3. 7 out of 3. 7 points | | | You are in an area where there are snowy owl, wolves and caribou. You are most likely in a [___________] ecosystem. Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | Â   tundra| | | | | ? Question 11 3. 7 out of 3. 7 points | | | This zone has the greatest concentration of plankton in a freshwater lake ecosystem:Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| Â  A. Limnetic| | | | | ? Question 12 3. 7 out of 3. points | | | Within an ecosystem:Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| Â  C. Energy flows in one direction only and nutrients are recycled. | | | | | ? Question 13 0 out of 3. 7 points | | | You are in an area where the ground is littered with what appears to be dry, dead leaves. You are most likely in a [x] ecosystem. Answer | | | | | Selected Answer: | Â   coniferous forest| | | | | ? Question 14 3. 7 out of 3. 7 points | | | The ultima te source of energy for most ecosystems is:Answer | | | | | Selected Answer:| Â  B. Sunlight| | | | |

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Media - Essay Example This paper is about the menace posed by the inter-linkage of politics and media and the power of wealth in dictating the national agenda. As Al Gore succinctly puts it, â€Å"As long as individual citizens are not able to use logic and reason as the instruments with which they can dissect and meticulously examine ideas, opinions, policies and laws, corrupt forces will shape those policies and laws instead. It is the public’s lack of participation that empowers its abusers† (Gore 77). As Gore puts it, it is the thirty second commercial that goes a long way in shaping the attitudes of the electorate towards the presidential candidates. And these commercials are paid for by the elite that have a vested interest in propagating their point of view. As John Mcquaid puts it, â€Å"The media are constantly on the lookout for the odd moment that might capture some revealing truth about a candidate--and, ideally, create a feeding frenzy that consumes the campaign. In 2000, Al Go res exaggerated sighing during a debate, his TV makeup, and even the colour of his clothing became media obsessions. In 2004, it was John Kerrys supposed cultural elitism: the windsurfing, the request for Swiss on his Philly cheese steak. The problem is, such issues are almost always essentially trivial, having little to do with substantive issues or how a candidate might actually behave once in office†. Thus, what we have is a trivialization of public discourse by a media that is increasingly caught in â€Å"feeding frenzies† that have little to do with the larger issues that face the nation. I start off by describing the structure of media ownership and its relation to control in a globalised world. The iron grip of the global corporations over the media outlets operating as transnational entities has given rise to oligarchic tendencies and blatant misuse of the media apparatus. The subsequent sections detail the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Illogic of american Racial Categories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Illogic of american Racial Categories - Essay Example The illogical aspect of American racial categories raises questions on how a standard criterion can be reached at. Another question many people are concerned about is what led to overriding debate on racial categorization despite anatomical homogeneity of humanity. In the opinion of Paul, there is innate competitive trait in humanity that seeks to rank races in terms of superiority. For instance, in United States non-Hispanic race feels more superior to the Black immigrants. However, there are cases of individuals with same geographical background still being categorized on other minor basis. Interracial marriages have given rise to an intermediate group which is entangled in identity confusion (Spickard 41). It is therefore illogical to apply political gain strategies in defining what one’s race category is. Considering the untraceable racial mixture of some individuals, it not proper to claim any form of politically motivated criterion. Paul offers an insight into the divergent approaches of defining races and the existing controversy that characterize America in regard to its political inclinations. The bottom line is that racial categorization is relative and any attempt to apply politics amounts to the illogic

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Economic - Essay Example (Travel classes, 2009) It is important to understand the concepts of one-price policy and variable-price policy. One-price policy is when the same price is fixed for the product by the seller, irrespective of who the consumer is. Variable-price policy is one whereby, seller sells the same product at varying prices to different customers. Large-scale manufacturers and big retailer usually follow one-price policy. On the other hand, small-scale manufacturers and small retailers follow variable-price policy. Variable-price policy is said to be prejudicial about the credibility and prestige of the customers. (R. D. Agarwal, p. 410, 1983) The concept of contribution pricing is relevant here. Contribution pricing is the setting of prices based on the principle that as long as an item is sold for more than the variable cost, it is making a contribution towards the overheads of the business. This notion may lead a firm towards one of two approaches to pricing; price discrimination and loss leaders. In case of Eurostar, price discrimination is relevant. Price discrimination occurs when different prices are charged to different people for what is essentially the same product. This is done in order to maximize revenue by charging more to those that can afford, and are willing to pay more. Price discrimination is a response to the recognition that different types of people may have different price elasticities of demand for a product. For instance, people under 16 years of age get high-price entrance to cinemas and football grounds in many parts of the world. This is because the owners know that higher prices will cut their demand substantially. In this case, as in all considerations of price discrimination, it is essential that there should be the minimum of crossover between market segments. In other words, if many adults could get in for half-price, the point of the discrimination would be lost. It is important to remember that price discrimination is when a firm sells the 'same product or service' at varying process to different customers. This also applies to off-peak and on-peak telephone calls or train fares. Perfect price discrimination occurs when all the consumers are charged a different price, whereby the entire consumer surplus has been taken over by the business. For an understanding of the concept of consumer surplus, it is important to understand that a consumer good will be valued more highly by some consumers than by others. Yet they all pay the same price for it when uniform pricing policy is being applied. Some consumers would be willing to pay a price higher than the actual market price. The term consumer surplus refers to the value of the extra satisfaction which these customers get from the item, over and above what they have had to pay for it. The consumer surplus is shown on a supply and demand diagram by the triangle enclosed by the demand curve and the price line. The demand curve shows how consumers value the product and all those who are prepared to pay at a higher price get some extra satisfaction. Source: Tutor2u For price discriminatory pricing, it is important that there be barriers for prevention of

Friday, November 15, 2019

USSC Audit Income

USSC Audit Income Case 1.11 United States Surgical Corporation Q3. Prepare common-sized financial statements for USSC for the period 1979-1981. Also compute key liquidity, solvency, activity, and profitability ratios for 1980 and 1981. Given these data, identify what you believe were the high-risk financial statement items for the 1981 USSC audit. U.S. Surgical Corporation Common Size Income Statement 1979-1981 (000s omitted) 1981 % Sales 1980 %Sales 1979 %Sales Net Sales 111,800 100 86,214 100 60,876 100 Costs and Expenses COGS 47,983 43 32,300 37.5 25,659 42.1 Selling, General And Admin. 45,015 40.3 37,740 43.7 23,935 39.3 Interest 5,898 5.2 4,063 4.7 3,403 5.6 98,896 88.5 74,103 85.9 52,997 87.0 Income Before Taxes 12,904 11.5 12,111 14.0 7,879 12.9 Income Taxes 1,120 1.0 4,226 4.9 2,750 4.5 Net Income 11,784 10.5 7,885 9.1 5,129 8.4 U.S. Surgical Corporation Common Size Balance Sheet 1979-1981 (000s omitted) Current Assts 1981 %Assets 1980 %Assets 1979 %Assets Cash 426 .21 1,243 1.04 596 .85 Receivables (net) 36,670 17.7 30,475 25.6 22,557 31.9 Inventories Finished Goods 29,216 14.1 9,860 8.3 5,685 8.1 Work in Process 5,105 2.5 2,667 2.2 1,153 1.6 Raw Materials 20,948 10.1 18,806 15.8 7,365 10.4 55,269 26.7 31,333 26.3 14,203 20.1 Other Current Assets 7,914 3.8 1,567 2.4 1,820 2.6 Total Current Assets 100,279 48.4 64,618 54.3 39,176 55 Assets 1981 %Assets 1980 %Assets 1979 %Assets Property, Plant, Equip Land 2,502 1.2 2,371 2.0 1,027 1.5 Buildings 32,416 15.6 18,511 15.5 13,019 18.5 Molds and Dies 32,082 15.5 15,963 13.4 8,777 12.4 Mach. Equip. 40,227 19.4 23,762 20.0 12,362 17.5 Allowance for Depreciation (14,953) (9,964) (6,340) Other Assets 14,786 7.1 3,842 3.2 2,499 3.5 Total Assets 207,339 119,103 70,520 Liabilities 1981 %Liability/ 1980 %Liability 1979 %Liability Stock.Eq. Stock. Eq. Stock. Eq. Accounts Payable 12,278 5.9 6,951 5.8 6,271 8.9 Notes Payable 1,596 2.3 Income Taxes Payable 1,685 1.4 Current L-T Debt 724 .35 666 .56 401 .57 Accrued Expenses 5,673 2.7 5,130 4.3 5,145 7.3 Long-Term Debt 80,642 38.9 47,569 39.9 33,497 47.5 Deferred Income Tax 7,466 3.6 2,956 2.5 1,384 2.0 Liabilities 1981 %Liability/ 1980 %Liability 1979 %Liability Stock.Eq. Stock. Eq. Stock. Eq. Stockholders Equity Common Stock 1,081 .52 930 .78 379 .54 Add. Paid-in Capital 72,594 35.0 34,932 29.3 10,736 15.2 Retained Earnings 32,665 15.8 20,881 17.5 13,189 18.7 Translation Allowance (1,086) Deferred Compensation- Issue Restricted Stock (4,698) (2,597) (2,078) Total Stock. Equity 100,556 48.5 54,146 45.5 22,226 31.5 Total Liabilities/ Stockholders Equity 207,339 119,103 70,520 Financial Ratios for U.S. Surgical Corporation 1981 1980 Cash Ratio .0228 .0861 Current Ratio 5.37 4.48 Accounts Receivable Turnover 3.33 2.57 Inventory Turnover 1.11 .75 Gross Profit Percent 57% 62% Profit Margin 11.5 14.1 Return on Assets 7.9 7.4 The common sized income statement was prepared to display all items as a percentage of sales. On the income statement we can see that there was a decrease in cost of goods sold from 1979 to 1980. Cost of goods sold went from 42.1% of sales to 37.5% of sales even though net sales increased. This information along with the increase in the current asset inventory account on the balance sheet indicates a significant increase in inventory held by USSC. Another high risk income statement item was the selling, general and administrative expenses. Included in this category of expenses are research and development costs. The amounts of research and development costs reported dropped significantly. In 1980 they were reported at $3,020,000 and dropped to $1,337,000 in 1981. Also the entire category of selling, general and administrative expenses which included these RD costs decreased as a percent of sales from the previous year. The USSC openly admitted to undergoing a large research and devel opment program to create new products and technology in 1981. The major decrease in costs reported for research and development in 1981 should have caused further investigation by the auditing team. The common sized balance sheet was prepared to display each asset as a percentage of total assets. The percentages for the cash and accounts receivable accounts in 1981 decreased significantly from the previous years while the inventory account increased. This indicates a decrease in liquidity of assets which is also supported by the change in the cash ratio from 1980 to 1981. Another high-risk item would have been the other assets account. United States Surgical Corporation included their patents in this other assets account. They were capitalizing costs associated with the legal defense of a patent that should not have been capitalized. There was a significant increase in this account, $3,842,000 in 1980 to $14,786,000 in 1981. Another red flag would be the significant increase in total long term assets. In 1979 long term assets accounted for 45% of total assets, in 1980 it was 45.7% of total assets and in 1981 long term assets accounted for 51.6% of total assets. USSC was capitali zing costs associated with patents that should not have been capitalized, charging inventoriable production to a long-term assets account molds and dies, and extending the useful lives of some assets and therefore understating depreciation. All of these actions would have caused a significant increase in total long-term assets. A more specific high-risk item was the long-term asset molds and dies. This account doubled in 1981 from the previous year; from $15,963,000 to $32,082,000. The SEC investigation later revealed that USSC was in fact capitalizing production costs and charging them to the molds and dies asset account. Financial ratios were also calculated to determine high-risk items. The current ratio for USSC in 1981 is a little high and has increased from the previous year. In 1981 the current ratio indicated that USSC had $5.37 in current assets for every dollar of current liabilities. This high ratio may indicate that United States Surgical Corporation was overstating their assets. The inventory turnover is low at .75 in 1980 and 1.11 in 1981. The auditing team would have wanted to investigate to find out why inventory was accumulating and not turning over as these numbers indicated. By preparing the common size financial statements and ratios we can identify the high-risk items when performing an audit. The major items for United States Surgical Corporation were the reduced research and development costs recognized despite the increase in research for new products, the major increase in the long-term asset account molds and dies and the other assets account. Q5. Regarding the costs incurred for USSC by Barden, identify (a) the evidence Hope collected that supported USSCs claim that the costs involved tooling modifications and (b) the audit evidence that supported the position that the costs were generic production expenses. What do generally accepted auditing standards suggest are the key evaluative criteria that auditors should consider when assessing audit evidence? Given these criteria, do you believe Hope was justified in deciding that the costs in question were for tooling modifications? Why or why not? The evidence that hope collected that supports USSCs claim that the charges in question were in fact for tooling modifications was the General Manager of Lacey Corporation (A division of Barden Corporation) goes back on his previous statement and confirms that the purchase orders and invoices were in fact for tooling modifications. USSC explained their position and said that they had instructed Lacey to make certain tooling changes that would result in improved efficiency in production of USSC products. When the audit team asked to take a tour of the Lacey plant to examine the actual production process the Lacey General Manger informed the audit team that personnel often mistakenly charge tooling jobs to production. There was more evidence that supported the position that the costs in question were just generic production expenses. Initially the audit team did not notice that the assets were being overstated and there was an issue with the classification. It was the company who does work for USSC that admitted that there were issues with some of the purchase orders and invoices. The Lacey general manager informed the auditors that invoices and purchase orders were being reviewed and that they were for general production work and not tooling modifications as USSC had previously stated. The chairman of the board of directors for Barden Corp. reported that an independent investigation by an outside law firm has concluded that the purchase orders and invoices were in fact for general production work and not for tooling modifications. Finally the Senior Vice President and Treasurer for Barden Corporation refused to sign confirmation that $1 million in charges were for tooling modifications on two occ asions. The key criteria for evaluating audit evidence are relevance, reliability and sufficiency. The evidence must be relevant to audit objective. The auditors must use procedures and documents that are relative to the audit objective. The evidence must be reliable, or must be believable and trust worthy. The sufficiency of evidence has to deal with the quantity of evidence obtained. In my opinion Hope was not justified in deciding that the costs were for tooling modifications. There was not sufficient evidence to come to this conclusion, just some complicated explanations from USSC and inaccurate purchase orders and invoices. The evidence was not relevant to the audit objective. The specific products with modifications should have been traced back to their purchase orders. Instead the auditors just took the explanation of these orders from management. Finally the reliability of the evidence was not high, USSC had a lot to lose if it was concluded that they were indeed general production and the General Manger for Lacey had changed his position numerous times. The only reliable evidence was that of the independent law firm that concluded the purchase orders and invoices were not for tooling modifications. References Knapp, Michael C., United States Surgical Corporation Contemporary Auditing. Real Issues Cases. Sixth Edition (2006), 137-146. Arens, R. Randal, M. Beasley, Auditing and Assurance Services. An Integrated Approach. (2008) 175-176.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

15 Minutes :: essays research papers

Like many ambitious, provocative films, "15 Minutes" is a bit of a mess. Both audacious and unwieldy, exciting and excessive, this dark thriller is too long, too violent and not always convincing. But at the same time, there's no denying that it's onto something, that its savage indictment of the nexus involving media, crime and a voracious public is a cinematic statement difficult to ignore. For despite its traditional cops-and-killers format, "15 Minutes" (its title taken from Andy Warhol's prediction of how long everyone in the future can expect to be famous) is a polemical, apocalyptic film. Writer-director John Herzfeld is furious at the "if it bleeds, it leads" nature of our TV news culture, at the intertwined lusts for fame and gore that rule a society where publicity is more important than reality, everyone plays the victim, and everything is for sale. Though its anger is a force to be reckoned with, "15 Minutes" finds some space to be funny, albeit in a bleak way, and even provides unexpected moments of romance. Herzfeld, whose debut film was the equally impudent if less impressive "2 Days in the Valley," has utilized an appropriately off-center sensibility for his story, taking the strands of crime melodrama and twisting them to fit his particular purposes. A key factor in keeping "15 Minutes" involving is its look. Working with inventive French cinematographer Jean Yves Escoffier ("Les Amants du Pont-Neuf," "The Cradle Will Rock," "Nurse Betty") and editor Steven Cohen, Herzfeld is determined to keep things kinetic and visually interesting. He even makes vivid use of footage shot on a video camera by one of the actors while in character. In general outline a policier about two of the good guys chasing a pair of villains, "15 Minutes" utilizes marquee names Robert De Niro and Edward Burns for its investigators, but generates more interest with the two lesser-known actors who get to create all the havoc. Emil Slovak (Karel Roden) and Oleg Razgul (Oleg Taktarov) are exceptionally good as the Eastern European version of those criminal odd couples movies delight in spawning. While Emil is shrewd and ruthless, Oleg is childlike, dreamy and obsessed with being a filmmaker. "I am here for movies," he tells a baffled New York immigration official, adding by way of explanation, "I saw 'It's a Wonderful Life.' " Actually, Emil and Oleg are here to get the money owed them from an earlier criminal action.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

A Literary Analysis to Shitty First Drafts Essay

Writing does not always come out naturally for neither inexperience nor experience writers. In shitty first drafts, the talented author, Anne Lamott changes the misconception that writing comes out naturally for a professional writer. Lamontt also address the common problems that all writers encounter when writing while providing the reader with advice to get past their problems when writing. Lamott states â€Å"The right words and sentences just do not come pouring out like ticker tape most of the time for writers.† People have this unreasonable perspective that experienced writers do not have any problems when it comes to writing or that experienced writers can just sit down and write a perfect draft. However, experienced writers do go through the common motion, such as not knowing where to start or where to write more than one rough draft. Even though, experienced writers go through the common motion listed above, they do not allow those common motions to defeat them, besides that is what makes them professional writers. A child like draft is a rough draft which the writer can just write freely and write about anything that comes to mind. Lamott states â€Å" The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and let it romp all over the place, Knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later.† A child like draft consists of fragment sentences, run on, misspelling, and many other in corrections. A writer should never be ashamed of their child like draft because it helps create new ideas. If the writer does not have a clue on how to start their writing, it helps the writer see what fits the topic and what does not and prepares the writer for the final draft. Internal and external distractions are common problems that writer experience when writing; these distractions can come in many form such as a cell phone, T.V, useless thoughts, and even people. Distractions whether internal or external prevent someone from focusing on their preparation for writing their assignment. To avoid being overwhelmed by distractions whether internal or external someone must disregard the things that are not beneficial to their writing, even if it means finding a secluded place to write. Furthermore, writers must keep in mind that there are going to be temporary problems in their writing process and that these problems can be conquered. Writer should never allow these problems to put their writing on a halt, but if these problems do then writer should implement the advice that is found in shitty first drafts.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Is Going to College a Waste of Time

Is Going to College a Waste of Time Your whole life, you have been conditioned to believe that you will only get a good job and be successful if you say those four magic words: I’m going to college. More and more researches support the idea that it’s not necessarily true. In fact, although college graduates are more likely to have a higher wage and more stable life, non-college graduates can be just as happy and successful with the right attitude. A Self-Made Life: Can You Survive Without a Degree? Think about it. How many entrepreneurs, thought leaders, and successful businessmen have dropped out of college or never even attended? And, we’re not talking about no-name local success stories. Some of the richest men in the world (Facebook designer Mark Zuckerberg, Macintosh founder Steve Jobs, and Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates, just to name a few) dropped out of college to pursue their fame and fortune. In fact, as college costs rise and jobs become more competitive, college graduates are asking whether the 4-year investment of time and money is really worth it. In a recent Salon article, former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich eviscerates the higher education model as it currently stands. He says: â€Å"Too often in modern America, we equate â€Å"equal opportunity† with an opportunity to get a four-year liberal arts degree. It should mean an opportunity to learn what’s necessary to get a good job.† For many, that means getting a 2-year vocational degree, taking online courses, or starting their own passion-driven business. Since the unemployment rate for recent grads has increased dramatically since the 2007 recession, many savvy and driven students chose to create their own jobs and with amazing success. College-Bound: The Real Scoop Yet, dropping out of college or not attending is no guarantor of success. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that those who only receive a 2-year degree or less make almost half on average as those who get a 4-year degree. In addition, their unemployment rate is 30% higher on average. A recent report from the Economic Policy Institute shows that states with higher rates of college grads have corresponding wages and jobs, which means that more college grads actually bring up the wages for everyone else. Not only that, but having a college degree is one of the more basic requirements of getting and keeping a job. According to 2011 Pew Research study, 86% of post-graduate students say that their college degree was a good investment for them. Because so many students are getting college degrees, it is often necessary to have a 4-year degree just to stay competitive in many high-paying job markets. Graduating from college has more personally fulfilling benefits as well. According to Census Bureau statistics, people with college educations have almost half the divorce rate of their degree-free peers. Additionally, the recent Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey, five of the happiest states on earth (Colorado, Minnesota, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts) have the highest percentages of college graduates. So, What Really Does Makes a Success? Despite the clear benefits of a college education, most Americans agree that education is not as important as attitude. When asked what makes a person successful, the overwhelming response from the Pew Education survey was that hard work (61%) and getting along with people (57%) were more important than education alone (42%). Additionally, Richard St. John recently shared a TED Talk about his research into what makes people successful. In face-to-face interviews with over 500 successful people in every industry imaginable, he found eight key factors that determine success: Passion Hard Work Focus Pushing Boundaries Ideas Consistently Improving Service Persistence What does this mean for your life? It means that you can be happy and successful whether or not you get a college degree. It all depends on how you approach your life. Whether you choose to get a degree or not, you still need the same basic drive to succeed, people skills, and ability to adapt to change. Final Line You can be successful or unsuccessful regardless of whether you get a college degree. People who are dedicated to being successful in their education will get the benefits of the long-term stability and personal connections that degrees generally provide. Those who are dedicated to being successful outside of the walls of a college building can achieve amazing results as long as they work hard enough and have the vision to change the world. No matter what you choose: whether to pursue a degree or not, your true success comes from knowing what you want and making the sacrifices it takes to achieve your goals. And whatever path you choose, you’ll have satisfaction in your choice. Finally, you’ll be able to say those truly magical four words: I knew I could. Do you think it is worth going to college? What benefits and drawbacks of college do you see? Your opinion is always welcome here!

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Industrial Engineering

Industrial Engineering Introduction Industrial engineering (IE) determines how fundamental factors of production are identified, coordinated, and used to aid efficiency and productivity in diverse operational sectors. It provides innovative skills that aid planning, control, and quality in the engineering sector.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Industrial Engineering specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Evidently, it is important for individuals and countries with resources and strong performance orientations to adopt sustainable and conventional engineering practices. The practices should be developed under ideological, purposeful, and developmental virtues in order to facilitate construction of cost effective infrastructures. Industrial engineers should attain superior training on best engineering practices that embraces modern techniques of operation. This is to facilitate development of appropriate construction designs, allocation of resources, and crafting of superior strategic plan to enhance effectiveness (Price 2). Contextually, this paper discusses Industrial engineering as a major and as a job/career. Additionally, it discerns the importance of Industrial engineering in diverse aspects. Indeed, industrial engineering is a concept that seeks to revolutionize execution of activities in various economic sectors. This is achievable through adoption of noble practices that aim at improving productivity, creativity, and effectiveness. Proposal for the research paper This piece provides insightful information on the imperativeness of industrial engineering that remains a noble aspect in steering performance in the current society. The concept presents requisite incentives that drive planning, design, and control of resources in the engineering setting. This propels effectiveness and efficiency in execution of activities. Its main objective is to equip individuals with performance credentials to enhance produc tivity and development of cost effective construction strategies that are sustainable. Indeed, industrial engineering concept enables development of innovative and creative processes of construction while ensuring superior management of resources. It enables creation of relevant production lines, planning, and resource distribution essential for growth. Therefore, the information is to enhance development of individuals with superior engineering credentials capable of advancing quality in the sector.Advertising Looking for research paper on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Industrial engineering as a major discipline and a career development policy Industrial engineering forms an essential discipline in the current society. It equips individuals with conventional knowledge capacity on contemporary engineering practices that are suitable in advancing growth (Munir, 1). The practices are set to advance prod uctivity, efficiency, and value including maximization of cost-related factors that affect construction. It sets up clear guidelines that enable proper identification of relevant activities that are needed in the society and boosts formulation of strong policies that are geared towards constructing strong infrastructure. Noticeably, engineers perform significant tasks of designing, scheduling, and establishing superior control systems that enable sound execution of construction projects (Munir, 2). This explains the need of ensuring adoption of industrial engineering skills that instills innovative mindset in individuals. According to Dalhousie University article (2), industrial engineering is concerned with advancing productivity and development of stable structures that presents limited threats to users. It achieves this through effective management of people, business models, and technology. In regard to career development, individuals with strong aspirations of pursuing engineer ing should adopt industrial engineering training due to its relevance in the contemporary world. It provides superior incentives for personal and professional growth that enhances flexibility compared to other specialties of engineering. Indeed, IE equips individuals with comprehensive knowledge on diverse areas that includes construction, management, distribution of resources, and activity scheduling (SCCC 1). This is vital since other disciplines of engineering provide nonflexible knowledge where some major content are not provided for holistic practicing. Consequently, it boosts one’s ability to acquire job opportunities. Investors or prospective employers are currently in need of engineers with comprehensive knowledge in diverse fields apart from construction knowledge. These elements explain the imperativeness of industrial engineering as a career development aspect. Activities of Industrial Engineering The activities of industrial engineering revolve under set guideline s with an aim of advancing performance and improvement of quality. This ensures that value is obtained through effective administration of processes and resources that are involved in the development sequence. Evidently, IE aids architectural designing tools and equipments, which forms the foundation of any engineering project (Munir, 2).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Industrial Engineering specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Clearly, projects that are founded under inferior standards hold low capacity to successful execution. Therefore, institutions that seek to develop strong structures should ensure establishment of superior designs and procurement of relevant equipments to ensure effectiveness in service delivery. Industrial engineers also perform identification and improvement of processes. Development of critical processes in the construction sequence is essential in facilitating engineering projects. This is to guarantee effective management of resources through priority-based distribution to avert wastages. Additionally, industrial engineering equips engineers with time, cost, and performance standardization qualities relevant in steering construction projects (TPR Education 1). Time is a scarce resource that should be managed effectively through formulation of structural and operational plans. Other activities of industrial engineers include setting up of value engineering and evaluation systems, wage incentive schemes, and performance assessment incorporating inventory quality maintenance. These activities are fundamental in ensuring development of superior engineering projects in a holistic manner with coordination by proficient individuals who hold unquestionable credentials. Functions and Importance of Industrial Engineering Industrial engineering performs diverse functions that support manufacturing and service operations. This helps in advancing productivity, safety, and employees’ welfare. Precisely, the major function of IE is to revolutionize the engineering sector by providing conventional techniques in various sectors. It seeks to enhance novelty, productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency in service delivery through adoption of superior operating strategies, designs, and control of possessions (TPR Education 1). The concept is set to advance working conditions and create clear motivational avenues with strong focus to consumer satisfaction rather than being profit-oriented. Indeed, most institutions have been focusing on profit making rather than provision of quality services. It is advisable for engineers to adopt contemporary techniques of construction that recognize modern needs and constraints in terms of resources. SCCC (2) states that investors in the construction industry need engineers who hold holistic knowledge on modern construction and administration concepts to steer construction plans. Such individuals are in demand sinc e they foster development of viable construction designs and strategies that are technological oriented. Industrial engineering presents learners with conventional and innovative incentives that facilitate holistic integration of construction and project administration concepts (Price 2). These factors are vital in formulating quality policies and construction plans.Advertising Looking for research paper on engineering? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Presently, holistic engineering knowledge that enhances superior planning, development of construction blueprints, and enhancement of administration skills is paramount in recording success. This is vital since planning, designing, and control of resources define the successful provisions of IE. Conclusion Evidently, industrial engineering provides noble incentives for growth and development. It ensures increased productivity, novelty, and superior management of engineering procedures. Critically, individuals with strong engineering career aspirations should undertake this course due to its relevancy and applicability in providing viable solutions in diverse sectors. Dalhousie University. What do Industrial Engineers do?. 2012. Web. Munir, Abdul. About Industrial Engineering. 2008. Web. Price, John. Industrial engineering and engineering management in Australia. 2012, Web. SCCC (Sloan Career Cornerstone Center). Industrial Engineering Overview. 2012. Web. TPR Education. Career: Ind ustrial Engineer. 2012, Web.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Federal Express Canada Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Federal Express Canada Analysis - Case Study Example Hence, the company must immediately respond to these issues in order to ensure long terms sustainability. Logistics computerization is one of the most recommendable policies for the FedEx to improve its logistics and customer service operations. The company has to raise additional finance. It also has to recruit more skilled employees to implement the planned changes. Finally, the FedEx should develop potentials systems to monitor the performance efficacy of the implemented changes. Background Federal Express or FedEx is a North American shipping company notable for its ‘fast response to customer requests and constant tracking of every shipment’ (McDougall & Dorken, 1998). The company (as cited in McDougall & Dorken, 1998), employs nearly 137,000 people worldwide (including 3,500 in Canada) and offers shipping services to 212 countries; and every night, FedEx planes carry approximately 2.9 million packages weighing a total of nearly 2 million pounds. The FedEx maintains 60 shipping facilities in Canada to meet Canadian shipping needs from coast to coast. The organization gives primary focus on Quality Management and Assurance and attained ISO 9000 for its operations worldwide. FedEx is the first service based company that has won the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award in the US. The company has a good reputation in the shipping sector and maintains a huge potential customer base. Statement of Issues While analyzing the case scenario, it is clear that the FedEx has some potential issues with its logistics management and customer service practices. McDougall & Dorken (1998) clearly indicate that the company failed to meet shipping requirements of Desktop Innovators and the situation caused the DI to suffer from huge business loss. The DI placed a shipping order on FedEx to send two boxes from Kitchener, Ontario to Simpsonville, South Carolina. The DI wanted to get those two boxes at the destination by 12th October so that the firm’s deale r would get plenty of time to transfer them on to Charlotte, where the trade show had been arranged. However, only one of those boxes was delivered at Simpsonville on time and therefore the DI could not display its software packages at the trade show stalls. Similarly, the FedEx did not timely and properly respond to queries raised by the DI’s Office Manager Anita Kilgour. Hence, Kilgour could not get actual status of the DI’s goods in transit and this situation caused great confusion to both Kilgour and the dealer. While scrutinizing the FedEx’s service delivery policies, it is obvious that the company violated its delivery terms and conditions, which the client had been had been promised at the time of order placement. Situation Analysis The identified issues relating to the two management areas (logistics management and customer service management) raise many potential threats to the FedEx’s long term sustainability. Effective logistics management is c rucial to customer satisfaction since customers are the end users of a firm’s all logistics activities. It is obvious that every shipment is intended for a particular purpose and therefore it will be of no use if the shipped goods are delivered late. In other words, the FedEx’s weakness in logistics management would lead to huge troubles in future since the company handles millions of packages every day. If once a customer

Friday, November 1, 2019

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 16

Human Resource Management - Essay Example Given the significant changes in the demand of a company’s goods and services, the number of required employees also changes. Human resource management plays a crucial role over the success of implementing organizational downsizing. In the absence of human resource management, it would be difficult on the part of the human resource managers to effectively handle employees when organization change becomes inevitable. As part of the study of human resource management, human resource managers are encouraged to have competitive leadership and communication skills. Aside from providing the readers a list of recommended solutions on how to minimize and prevent the lost of business opportunities associated with the negative consequences of implementing organizational downsizing strategy, this study will discuss the importance of using transformational and authentic leadership style which are suitable when implementing organizational downsizing. As an end result of globalization, many businesses today are restructuring their organizational and business approach in order to keep the local firms competitive in the local and global market. (Business Week, 1997) One of the most common restructuring strategies that aim to increase the efficiency of a company is organizational downsizing. Although many firms have enjoyed the benefits from organizational downsizing in terms of increasing the profitability of the company by reducing its operational cost and making its operational process more efficient, it remains inevitable that most encounter internal problems related to its existing employees. Each organizational downsizing event could result to predictable outcomes in terms of having similar issues related to the feelings of betrayal, loss of trust in the management of the company, and experiencing internal conflicts between the corporate management and employees in line with retaining and losing their job. (Strom, 2008) As a result, the lack

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Welfare Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Welfare Law - Essay Example In order to manage radical reform we should have the understanding of how sickness and disability might affect our ability to work. In affect, a length of time causing delays in the work cycle as a result. This pause must be considered as a delay in fulfilling work obligations, not a cessation of it. Each of us in one way or another would have benefits for sickness and disability, but we first must understand the Pension Act of 2004 to understand what benefits we have. The Pension Act of 2004 assists employers and employees in protecting members' benefits, while the Financial Assistance Scheme provides help to those who might have lost out before the Pension Protection Fund was established. The Pension Protection Fund goes hand in hand with measures in the Act that primarily help employers to provide pensions. This change would, in effect, compliment the radical tax simplification in this year's Finance Act, which from April 2006 will replace today's eight separate tax regimes with one single regime. The third key dimension of the Act would include a set of measures that will empower people to plan, work and save for their retirement. Employers have a significant role to play in the pensions partnership. This role is one of providing access, information and contributions to pensions for their employees. The workplace would be an effective environment through which people have the ability to save. Administration is more efficient and there would in fact be tax advantages for the employer and the employee. The existence of a good pension provision helps staff recruitment, retention and motivation. Another contributor to the pensions partnership is the Pensions Commission. It in effect would set up the publication of the Green Paper to monitor and independently review the private pensions and long-term savings systems. As a result of ensuing consultation, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions published 'Working and Saving for Retirement: Action on Occupational Pensions' [Cm 5835]. This publication focused increasinly on needs such as member protection which rank alongside other similarly significant themes. It presaged primary legislation across the areas consulted. Areas consulted would have included a Pension Protection Fund to compensate members of defined benefit and hybrid schemes whose employers become insolvent leaving the pensions scheme unable to meet its liabilities. The European Directive on the Activities and Supervision of Institutions for Occupational Retirement Provision was adopted in September 2003 for implementation by September 2005. The Government wishes for people to make informed choices about how and when to save, and how long to work, so they receive the income they expect in retirement. The Government hopes to empower older people to improve their retirement prospects by keeping them active for longer periods of time. The current state pension age is 65. The age is set here so that no-one is forced to work beyond that unless they want too. But, by tackling age discrimination and freeing people to work part-time while drawing a pension, it hopes to make working longer more attractive. There are plans to: provide a better option for people who choose to draw their State Pension beyond their State Pension age - including a new option to take a lump sum and use it in any manner. ensure that compulsory retirement ages unlawful, unless employers can show that they are objectively justified. allow people to continue working for the same employers while drawing

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Literature During the Naturalistic Period :: Literature Essays Litarary Analysis

Literature During the Naturalistic Period What is the one struggle that all human beings have in common? It is life itself. As important as humans think they are, in the scheme of reality, the human race is not that significant. During the late eighteenth century and the earlier nineteenth century, authors such as Émile Zola, Jack London, and Stephen Crane and poets such as Robert Frost and Wallace Stevens were struggling with leaving behind traditional attitudes and finding a new philosophy of life. These writers, along with many others, are known for writing during the Naturalistic time period. Literature of Naturalism, just as all literature does, reflects the attitudes and events happening during this time. The world was changing in many more ways than ever before. Traditional unquestioned beliefs had fallen by the wayside because of many factors but especially with the introduction of Darwin's book, On the Origin of Species. Darwin's view that humans evolved and were not created by some Supreme Being startled societ y, especially the religious community. For the first time, society began to question the mainstay of their religious beliefs. In the economic realm, Karl Marx was expounding his view of socialism. Economic factors had a profound effect on the people of this time as well. The industrialization and the urbanization that were occurring were forcing changes on every front of life. Along with the scientific and social advancements of the world at this time, psychology was breaking ground to become an important science of its own. Freud with his view of why people act the way they do and Jung with his thoughts on the collective unconscious were offering new thought and insight about human behavior. However, with the removing of the old beliefs that gave humans a sense of direction and order in their lives, the search, which often included the loss of oneself, needed to be embarked upon so that people of this era could find some sort of direction in the new world of knowledge and confusion. Never before or since this time has there been such a wandering in the desert of uncertainty. Therefore, it is quite natural that the authors of this period reflect all of the turmoil created by the amount of knowledge that was being shared and that was trying to be comprehended. Authors of this time were at the forefront of this investigation. Naturalistic writers tend to write in a somewhat scientific method because their characters are placed in a situation where the forces of nature or the environment are imposed upon them.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Alienation & People

Realist. A word, which would greatly, depicts the ascendancy of Herman Melville’s work – Bartleby, the Scrivener. An oeuvre that depicts and denounces the harsh conditions of workers, particularly of the copyists of laws during his time. As such, the opus serves as an eye-opener for the whole humanity. It embarks upon the exploitation and dehumanization of an individual in a capitalist society wherein accumulation of capital is the primary if not the only goal of the bourgeoisie. As such, this results to the seemingly obliviousness of the bourgeoisie to the real conditions and needs of his employees.This can be evidently seen in the story as the narrator gives only about four cents a folio, that is four cents for one hundred words of every copied document. One may argue that such amount has a great value during that period. Indeed it may be the case. However, if one would analyze the value of the wage given compared to the laborious task of a scrivener, it can be deduce d that the given wage evidently does not equally compensate for the arduous job of a scrivener. The clear manifestation of such is the fact that employees in the story cannot provide for themselves an adequate supply of their basic necessities.In the epoch of industrialization and technological advancements, it is quite paradoxical to see the employees subsisting in an adverse condition. Such order is the contradiction in a capitalist society. The story illustrates how at first an individual would succumb to a system which pledges social and economic change from its success in overthrowing the old form of society, the feudal system. As such he takes a particular wok under a new economic system, the proletariat in his desire to make himself a living and essentially, to make his life better. However, as his work continuous, he realizes that he is being exploited and alienated.First, he is alienated to his products; in this particular case the copies of law that Bartleby produces. As h e continuously produces products for his employer, his labor is being continuously objectified. If such is the case, then the number of things, which he produces in the external world yet does not belong to him continuously increases as he produces more. Hence, he is alienated in his products in two ways: first, by continuously producing products which does not belong to him; secondly, by increasing number of products he produces which he cannot acquire for he does not have the purchasing power to do so.Second, he is estranged from his labor. It is because his labor does not belong to him but to his employer. He works accordingly not from his own willingness to work rather to what his employer wanted him to do. His employer imposes on him what kind of work he should do. And this phenomenon is what Marx called as forced labor. As a result, his labor becomes mechanical and void of progress. Third, he is estranged from his species being. Human beings have the right to self-determinatio n. This feature separates him from other species and can only be carried out thru his life activity.However, his activity under the capitalist economy, his being tied in his work forbids him to exercise his life activity – his self-determination. Fourth, he is alienated to his self. This is due to the alienation he experienced from his product and labor wherein he is not anymore treated as a rational being or even a human being in his Isness rather a commodity needed by the capitalists to procure monopoly of capital. These alienations were clearly depicted in Bartleby, the Scrivener and were eventually realized by Bartleby.He realized that he is a victim of such exploitations. He struggles to reject the prevailing economic system together with its authority structure and exploitative practices. Its manifestations though not much articulated is the refusal of Bartleby to first do trivial tasks and eventually, to stop the demeaning work. Essentially, he stop to become a scriven er. Bartleby represents an â€Å"enlightened man† of his time even if he does not have the ideological grounding Marx and Hegel possessed during the emergence of the socialist ideology.However, such realizations places him in history. Undeniably, in every society where there is a class, there is a class struggle. As such, a bourgeoisie would do anything to neutralize if not to totally obliterate the emergence of an ideology, which challenges the prevailing one. As such, the narrator is the epitome of the bourgeoisie. This was shown by the pseudo-kindness he is offering to Bartleby, seemingly oblivious of the exploitation and alienation his class is causing to the majority.It is because if he indeed wanted to help Bartleby, he would do measures to step by step end such exploitation. Bartleby realizes how oppressed he is in a capitalist society yet he has not yet ponder upon what would topple down this kind of oppressive economic system as well as the manner on how the society can be changed. This can be attributed to his lack of education and knowledge of the basic principles of socialism, which is emerging during his time.Unfortunately, he passed away before he can rationalize on how the existing society can be revolutionized Evidently, Melville is depicting the realities of his society during his time – the struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. As such, the struggle between the prevailing yet oppressive ideology during that epoche– capitalism and the ideology which challenges capitalism and aspires to eliminate the oppression within the society – communism. Source: Bartleby, the Scrivener. Herman Melville. http://www. yahoo. com.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Increasing the Age to 25 When Purchasing Alcohol

In today’s society, alcohol consumption has been taken on as a norm. It can be seen in every arena of life from been seen through the media or through our own personal eyes. When consumed in moderation, alcohol consumption can have some positive effects on individuals. One can get livelier, easier and relaxed. One can also talk more easily and feel less tired. According to some researchers, moderate alcohol use protects against cardiovascular diseases (Carlson, 2009). Socially, some people claim that it also has positive effects. It provides a lot of employment in the production, catering and retail of products and services in which alcohol plays a part. Also, people claim that alcoholic beverages help people socialize. However, if consumed when young, alcohol consumption can have a negative effect. Increasing the age limit on alcohol purchasing to 25 can decrease the consumption rate, misuse rate, and addiction rate among individuals. First, increasing the age limit on alcohol purchasing to 25 can decrease the overall consumption rate. By increasing the drinking age to 25, it can reduce consumption amongst young people because it will be harder to buy alcohol. According to U. S. Department of Health and Human Services for the Centers for Disease Control survey, approximately 52% of Americans over the age of 18 are regular drinkers (Sondik, 2010). The percentage of alcohol consumption can decrease with the increase of the age limit. Secondly, increasing the age limit on alcohol purchasing to 25 can decrease the overall misuse rate of alcohol among the younger crowd. By increasing the drinking age to 25, the group of impaired driver accidents and deaths may decrease. According to the U. S. Drunk Driving Car Accident Statistics, approximately 34% of individuals between the age of 21 and 24 did from vehicle accidents each year (NHTSA, 1997). The percentage of death from motor vehicle accidents and alcohol can decrease with the increase of the age limit. Thirdly, increasing the age limit on alcohol purchasing to 25 will decrease the percentage of individuals that become addicted to alcohol at a young age. The younger a person begins using alcohol, the greater the chance of developing alcohol dependence or abuse some time in their life. Of those who begin drinking at age-18, 16. 6% subsequently are classified with alcohol dependence and 7. 8% with alcohol abuse. If a person waits until age-25 before taking his or her first drink, these risks can decrease by over 60% (Grant, 1997). The percentage of individuals that become addicted to alcohol can decrease with the increase of the age limit. In conclusion, by increasing the age limit on alcohol purchasing to 25 can decrease the consumption rate, misuse rate, and addiction rate among individuals. The overall rates decreasing will benefit every individual in every age group. This can also allow individuals to experience the positive effects of alcohol consumption by being livelier, easier and more relaxed. Work Cited Carlson, Neil H. â€Å"Physiology of Behavior†. Allyn & Bacon, Incorporated: New York, New York. 1 Jan 2009. Grant, B. F. & Dawson, D. A. â€Å"Age of Onset of Alcohol Use and Its Association with DSM-IV Alcohol Abuse and Dependence: Results from the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Study,† Journal of Substance Abuse, 9:103-110, 1997. National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), â€Å"Traffic Safety Facts 1996: Alcohol,† 1997. http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/alcohol/SocialNorms_Strategy/images/SocialNorms .pdf Sondik, Edward J. â€Å"Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Adults: National Health Interview Survey†. Series 10: Data From the National Health Interview Survey No. 249. August 2010. http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_10/sr10_249.pdf