Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Global Warming Myth

Man made global warming does not exist. Evidence suggests that carbon levels are not abnormally high and that the ice caps are not melting away. There are many reputable scientists who question this theory we call global warming. Others would say it is a way for the government to control more and more of our daily lives and to move along an agenda that benefits certain groups and individuals. Man made global warming is a theory being preached to us as gospel and being taught as fact already proven.However there are a large number of people in the scientific community who would disagree. One of the most prominent opponents of man made global warming was Dr. Frederick Seitz. â€Å"Dr. Seitz is a physicist who served as the president of the National Academy of Science during the 1960’s and of Rockefeller University from 1968 to 1978. In 1973 he received the National Medal of Science. †(Oriana Zill de Granados, PBS. org, April 24, 2007, p1. ) Dr. Seitz known as the â€Å"G randaddy of global warming skeptics† (Buisness week, June 24. was an apponent of climate change saying that â€Å"the science behind global warming was likewise inconclusive and certainly didn’t warrant imposing mandatory limits on the greenhouse-gas emissions† (Mark Hertsgaard, Vanity Fair. com, While Washington Slept, May 2006, p3. ). Dr. Seitz believed science was being misrepresented and wrote an â€Å"op-ed page to The Wall Street Journal thrashing the integrity of a 1995 I. P. C. C. and that global warming and ozone depletion were exaggerated threats devised by environmentalists and unscrupulous scientists pushing a political agenda†. Mark Hertsgaard, Vanity Fair. com, While Washington Slept, May 2006, p3) He also wrote that â€Å" This IPCC report, like all others, is held in such high regard largely because it has been peer-reviewed. That is, it has been read, discussed, modified and approved by an international body of experts. These scientists h ave laid their reputations on the line. But this report is not what it appears to be–it is not the version that was approved by the contributing scientists listed on the title page.In my more than 60 years as a member of the American scientific community, including service as president of both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Physical Society, I have never witnessed a more disturbing corruption of the peer-review process than the events that led to this IPCC report. † (Dr. Frederick Seitz, Wall Street Journal, June 12, 1996) Dr. Seitz was also a main component to and wrote the forward for the Oregon Petition. The Oregon Petition states â€Å"We urge the United States government to reject the global warming agreement that was written in Kyoto, Japan in December, 1997, and any other similar proposals.The proposed limits on greenhouse gases would harm the environment, hinder the advance of science and technology, and damage the health and welfare of manki nd. There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gasses is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth's atmosphere and disruption of the Earth's climate. Moreover, there is substantial scientific evidence that increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide produce many beneficial effects upon the natural plant and animal environments of the Earth. (Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine. org) This petition has garnered over 31,000 signatures of scientists who feel that man made climate change is not definitive. Almost 10,000 of those who signed the petition have PhD’s. This petition shows that there are a large number of scientists who question man made global warming exists, unlike the Washington Post writer who wrote about scientists who are skeptical about global warming â€Å"but these few- about 2% of climate researchers- could hold their annual meeting in a phone booth, if there are any left. (Larry Bell, Forbes, That Global Warming Consensus, July 17, 2012 p. 1) These scientists are not just forming an opinion on the subject there is mounting evidence to back up their claims against climate change. We hear about the ice caps melting and watch on television polar bears stranded on floating pieces of ice that have broken off and drifting away. National Public Radio published a story on its website claiming â€Å"Ten years ago, a piece of ice the size of Rhode Island disintegrated and melted in the waters off Antarctica.Two other massive ice shelves along the Antarctic Peninsula had suffered similar fates a few years before. † (Richard Harris, NPR. org, Humans Role In Antarctic Ice Melt is Unclear, August 22, 2012) This leads to a conclusion that Antarctica is melting away when just the opposite is happening. According to (James Taylor, Antarctic Ice Sets Another Record, Forbes, September 19, 2012) † Antarctic sea ice has been growing s ince satellites first began measuring the ice 33 years ago and the ice has been above the 33 year average throughout 2012†.Snow and ice are steadily increasing and growing faster than it is melting. Meteorologist Anthony Watts shows us new information from ICESAT(Ice, Cloud, and Land SATellite) which is NASA’s top satellite for observing and measuring the earths ice and masses. â€Å"During 2003 to 2008, the mass gain of the Antarctic ice sheet from snow accumulation exceeded the mass loss from ice discharge by 49 Gt/yr (2. 5% of input), as derived from ICESat laser measurements of elevation change.The net gain (86 Gt/yr) over the West Antarctic (WA) and East Antarctic ice sheets (WA and EA) is essentially unchanged from revised results for 1992 to 2001 from ERS radar altimetry. † (Wattsupwiththat. com, Anthony Watts, ICESAT Data Shows Mass Gains of the Antarctic Ice Sheet Exceed Losses, September 10, 2012) So ice and snow are growing in Antarctica and a new stud y by NASA suggests that the continent once was green and full of vegitation. The frozen continent of Antarctica which some believe is melting away due to global warming once was green and suitable for vegitation. The peak of Antarcticas green perioid was between 16. 4 and 15. 7 million years ago during the Micene Epoch†. (NASA. gov, June 17, 2012, p. 2) During this time carbon levels, which is the main contributor to greenhouse gasses and global warming were â€Å"400 to 600 parts per million(ppm)† (NASA. gov, June 17, 2012,p. 2) Carbon levels today are at â€Å"393ppm, the highest they have been in the past several million years. † (NASA. gov, June 17, 2012, p. ) This shows our carbon levels today are almost the level they were millions of years ago when Antarctica was green and yet today snow and ice are building in the region. If carbon levels are almost the same as they were millions of years ago than who was creating them? We are told over and over again we cause global warming from our cars to refriderators to hairspray. The question needs to be answered who was driving in Antarctica 16 million years ago? The answer is nobody. Global warming is being used as a tool generate fortunes for the government and take our liberty away.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Frostbite Chapter 13

Thirteen PEOPLE STOOD UP AND SHOUTED, everyone wanting their opinion to be heard. As it was, most of them held the same view: Tasha was wrong. They told her she was crazy. They told her that in sending out Moroi and dhampirs to fight the Strigoi, she'd be expediting the extinction of both races. They even had the nerve to suggest that that was Tasha's plan all along- that she was somehow collaborating with the Strigoi in all of this. Dimitri stood up, disgust all over his features as he surveyed the chaos. â€Å"You might as well leave. Nothing useful's going to happen now.† Mason and I rose, but he shook his head when I started to follow Dimitri out. â€Å"You go on,† said Mason. â€Å"I want to check something out.† I glanced at the standing, arguing people. I shrugged. â€Å"Good luck.† I couldn't believe it had only been a few days since I'd spoken to Dimitri. Stepping out into the hall with him, I felt like it'd been years. Being with Mason these last couple of days had been fantastic, but seeing Dimitri again, all of my old feelings for him came rushing back. Suddenly, Mason seemed like a child. My distress over the Tasha situation also came back, and stupid words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them. â€Å"Shouldn't you be in there protecting Tasha?† I asked. â€Å"Before the mob gets her? She's going to get in big trouble for using magic like that.† He raised an eyebrow. â€Å"She can take care of herself.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah, because she's a badass karate magic user. I get all that. I just figured since you're going to be her guardian and all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Where did you hear that?† â€Å"I have my sources.† Somehow, saying I'd heard it from my mom sounded less cool. â€Å"You've decided to, right? I mean, it sounds like a good deal, seeing as she's going to give you fringe benefits†¦.† He gave me a level look. â€Å"What happens between her and me is none of your business,† he replied crisply. The words between her and me stung. It sounded like he and Tasha were a done deal. And, as often happened when I was hurt, my temper and attitude took over. â€Å"Well, I'm sure you guys'll be happy together. She's just your type, too- I know how much you like women who aren't your own age. I mean, she's what, six years older than you? Seven? And I'm seven years younger than you.† â€Å"Yes,† he said after several moments of silence. â€Å"You are. And every second this conversation goes on, you only prove how young you really are.† Whoa. My jaw almost hit the floor. Not even my mother punching me had hurt as badly as that. For a heartbeat, I thought I saw regret in his eyes, like he too realized just how harsh his words had been. But the moment passed, and his expression was hard once more. â€Å"Little dhampir,† a voice suddenly said nearby. Slowly, still stunned, I turned toward Adrian Ivashkov. He grinned at me and gave a brief nod of acknowledgment to Dimitri. I suspected my face was bright red. How much had Adrian heard? He held up his hands in a casual gesture. â€Å"I don't want to interrupt or anything. Just wanted to talk to you when you have time.† I wanted to tell Adrian I didn't have time to play whatever game he was into now, but Dimitri's words still smarted. He was looking at Adrian now in a very disapproving way. I suspected he, like everyone else, had heard about Adrian's bad reputation. Good, I thought. I suddenly wanted him to be jealous. I wanted to hurt him as much as he'd hurt me lately. Swallowing my pain, I unearthed my man-eating smile, one I hadn't used to full effect in sometime. I walked over to Adrian and put a hand on his arm. â€Å"I've got time now.† I gave a nod of my own to Dimitri and steered Adrian away, walking close to him. â€Å"See you later, Guardian Belikov.† Dimitri's dark eyes followed us stonily. Then I turned away and didn't look back. â€Å"Not into older guys, huh?† asked Adrian once we were alone. â€Å"You're imagining things,† I said. â€Å"Clearly, my stunning beauty has clouded your mind.† He laughed that nice laugh of his. â€Å"That's entirely possible.† I started to step back, but he tossed an arm around me. â€Å"No, no, you wanted to play chummy with me- now you've got to see it through.† I rolled my eyes at him and let the arm stay. I could smell alcohol on him as well as the perpetual smell of cloves. I wondered if he was drunk now. I had the feeling that there was probably little difference between his attitudes drunk or sober. â€Å"What do you want?† I asked. He studied me for a moment. â€Å"I want you to grab Vasilisa and come with me. We're going to have some fun. You'll probably want a swimsuit too.† He seemed disappointed by the admission of this. â€Å"Unless you want to go naked.† â€Å"What? A bunch of Moroi and dhampirs just got slaughtered, and you want to go swimming and ‘have fun'?† â€Å"It's not just swimming,† he said patiently. â€Å"Besides, that slaughter is exactly why you should go do this.† Before I could argue that, I saw my friends round the corner: Lissa, Mason, and Christian. Eddie Castile was with the group, which shouldn't have surprised me, but Mia was as well- which certainly did surprise me. They were deep in conversation, though they all stopped talking when they saw me. â€Å"There you are,† said Lissa, a puzzled look on her face. I remembered Adrian's arm was still around me. I stepped out of it. â€Å"Hey, guys,† I said. A moment of awkwardness hung around us, and I was pretty sure I heard a low chuckle from Adrian. I beamed at him and then my friends. â€Å"Adrian invited us to go swimming.† They stared at me in surprise, and I could almost see the wheels of speculation turning in their heads. Mason's face darkened a little, but like the others, he said nothing. I stifled a groan. Adrian took me inviting the others to his secret interlude pretty well. With his easygoing attitude, I hadn't really expected anything else. Once we had swimsuits, we followed his directions to a doorway in one of the far wings of the lodge. It held a staircase that led down- and down and down. I nearly got dizzy as we wound around and around. Electric lights hung in the walls, but as we went farther, the painted walls changed to carved stone. When we reached our destination, we discovered Adrian had been right- it wasn't just swimming. We were in a special spa area of the resort, one used only for the most elite Moroi. In this case, it was reserved for a bunch of royals I assumed were Adrian's friends. There were about thirty others, all his age or older, who bore the marks of wealth and elitism. The spa consisted of a series of hot mineral pools. Maybe once they'd been in a cave or something, but the lodge builders had long since gotten rid of any sort of rustic surroundings. The black stone walls and ceiling were as polished and beautiful as anything else in the resort. It was like being in a cave- a really nice, designer cave. Racks of towels lined the walls, as did tables full of exotic food. The baths matched the rest of the room's hewn-out d? ¦cor: stone-lined pools containing hot water that was heated from some underground source. Steam filled the room, and a faint, metallic smell hung in the air. Sounds of partygoers laughing and splashing echoed around us. â€Å"Why is Mia with you?† I asked Lissa softly. We were winding our way through the room, looking for a pool that wasn't occupied. â€Å"She was talking to Mason when we were getting ready to leave,† she returned. She kept her voice just as quiet. â€Å"It seemed mean to just†¦ I don't know †¦ leave her †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Even I agreed with that. Obvious signs of grief were written all over her face, but Mia seemed at least momentarily distracted by whatever Mason was telling her. â€Å"I thought you didn't know Adrian,† Lissa added. Disapproval hung in her voice and in the bond. We finally found a large pool, a little out of the way. A guy and a girl were on the opposite side, all over each other, but there was plenty of room for the rest of us. They were easy to ignore. I put a foot into the water and pulled it back immediately. â€Å"I don't,† I told her. Cautiously, I inched the foot back in, slowly followed by the rest of my body. When I got to my stomach, I grimaced. I had on a maroon bikini, and the scalding water caught my stomach by surprise. â€Å"You must know him a little. He invited you to a party.† â€Å"Yeah, but do you see him with us now?† She followed my gaze. Adrian stood on the far side of the room with a group of girls in bikinis much smaller than mine. One was a Betsey Johnson suit I'd seen in a magazine and coveted. I sighed and looked away. We'd all slipped into the water by then. It was so hot I felt like I was in a soup kettle. Now that Lissa seemed convinced of my innocence with Adrian, I tuned into the others' discussion. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I interrupted. It was easier than listening and figuring it out myself. â€Å"The meeting,† said Mason excitedly. Apparently, he'd gotten over seeing me and Adrian together. Christian had settled onto a small shelf in the pool. Lissa curled up beside him. Putting a proprietary arm around her, he tipped his back so it rested on the edge. â€Å"Your boyfriend wants to lead an army against the Strigoi,† he told me. I could tell he was saying it to provoke me. I looked at Mason questioningly. It wasn't worth the effort to challenge the â€Å"boyfriend† comment. â€Å"Hey, it was your aunt who suggested it,† Mason reminded Christian. â€Å"She only said we should find the Strigoi before they find us again,† countered Christian. â€Å"She wasn't pushing for novices fighting. That was Monica Szelsky.† A waitress came by then with a tray of pink drinks. These were in elegant, long-stemmed crystal glasses with sugared rims. I had a strong suspicion the drinks were alcoholic, but I doubted anyone who made it into this party was going to get carded. I had no idea what they were. Most of my experiences with alcohol had involved cheap beer. I took a glass and turned back to Mason. â€Å"You think that's a good idea?† I asked him. I sipped the drink, cautiously. As a guardian in training, I felt like I should always be on alert, but tonight I once again felt like being rebellious. The drink tasted like punch. Grapefruit juice. Something sweet, like strawberries. I was still pretty sure there was alcohol in it, but it didn't appear strong enough for me to lose sleep over. Another waitress soon appeared with a tray of food. I eyed it and recognized almost nothing. There was something that looked vaguely like mushrooms stuffed with cheese, as well as something else that looked little round patties of meat or sausage. As a good carnivore, I reached for one, thinking it couldn't be that bad. â€Å"It's foie gras,† said Christian. There was a smile on his face I didn't like. I eyed him warily. â€Å"What's that?† â€Å"You don't know?† His tone was cocky, and for once in his life, he sounded like a true royal touting his elite knowledge over us underlings. He shrugged. â€Å"Take a chance. Find out.† Lissa sighed in exasperation. â€Å"It's goose liver.† I jerked my hand back. The waitress moved on, and Christian laughed. I glared at him. Meanwhile, Mason was still hung up on my question about whether novices going to battle before graduation was a good idea. â€Å"What else are we doing?† he asked indignantly. â€Å"What are you doing? You run laps with Belikov every morning. What's that doing for you? For the Moroi?† What was that doing for me? Making my heart race and my mind have indecent thoughts. â€Å"We aren't ready,† I said instead. â€Å"We've only got six more months,† piped in Eddie. Mason nodded his agreement. â€Å"Yeah. How much more can we learn?† â€Å"Plenty,† I said, thinking of how much I'd picked up from my tutoring sessions with Dimitri. I finished my drink. â€Å"Besides, where does it stop? Let's say they end school six months early, then send us off. What next? They decide to push back further and cut our senior year? Our junior year?† He shrugged. â€Å"I'm not afraid to fight. I could have taken on Strigoi when I was a sophomore.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said dryly. â€Å"Just like you did skiing on that slope.† Mason's face, already flushed from the heat, turned redder still. I immediately regretted my words, particularly when Christian started laughing. â€Å"Never thought I'd live to see the day when I agreed with you, Rose. But sadly, I do.† The cocktail waitress came by again, and both Christian and I took new drinks. â€Å"The Moroi have got to start helping us defend themselves.† â€Å"With magic?† asked Mia suddenly. It was the first time she'd spoken since we'd got here. Silence met her. I think Mason and Eddie didn't respond because they knew nothing about fighting with magic. Lissa, Christian, and I did- and were trying very hard to act like we didn't. There was a funny sort of hope in Mia's eyes, though, and I could only imagine what she'd gone through today. She'd woken up to learn her mother was dead and then been subjected to hours and hours of political bantering and battle strategies. The fact that she was sitting here at all seeming semi-composed was a miracle. I assumed people who actually liked their mothers would barely be able to function in that situation. When no one else looked like they were going to answer her, I finally said, â€Å"I suppose. But†¦ I don't know much about that.† I finished the rest of my drink and averted my eyes, hoping someone else would take up the conversation. They didn't. Mia looked disappointed but said no more when Mason switched back to the Strigoi debate. I took a third drink and sank into the water as far as I reasonably could and still hold the glass. This drink was different. It looked chocolatey and had whipped cream on top. I took a taste and definitely detected the bite of alcohol. Still, I figured the chocolate probably diluted it. When I was ready for a fourth drink, the waitress was nowhere in sight. Mason seemed really, really cute to me all of a sudden. I would have liked a little romantic attention from him, but he was still going on about Strigoi and the logistics of leading a strike in the middle of the day. Mia and Eddie were nodding along with him eagerly, and I got the feeling that if he decided to hunt Strigoi right now, they'd follow. Christian was actually joining the talk, but it was more to play devil's advocate. Typical. He thought a sort of preemptive strike would require guardians and Moroi, much as Tasha had said. Mason, Mia, and Eddie argued that if the Moroi weren't up to it, the guardians should take matters into their own hands. I confess, their enthusiasm was kind of contagious. I rather liked the idea of getting the drop on Strigoi. But in the Badica and Drozdov attacks, all of the guardians had been killed. Admittedly the Strigoi had organized into huge groups and had help, but all that told me was that our side needed to be extra careful. His cuteness aside, I didn't want to listen to Mason talk about his battle skills anymore. I wanted another drink. I stood up and climbed over the edge of the pool. To my astonishment, the world started spinning. I'd had that happen before when I got out of baths or hot tubs too quickly, but when things didn't right themselves, I realized those drinks might have been stronger than I thought. I also decided a fourth wasn't such a good idea, but I didn't want to get back in and let everyone know I was drunk. I headed off toward a side room I'd seen the waitress disappear into. I hoped maybe there was a secret stash of desserts somewhere, chocolate mousse instead of goose liver. As I walked, I paid special attention to the slippery floor, thinking that falling into one of the pools and cracking my skull would definitely cost me coolness points. I was paying so much attention to my feet and trying not to stagger that I walked into someone. To my credit, it'd been his fault; he'd backed into me. â€Å"Hey, watch it,† I said, steadying myself. But he wasn't paying attention to me. His eyes were on another guy, a guy with a bloody nose. I'd walked right into the middle of a fight.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Changes in Prisons in Twentieth Century in Britain Essay Example for Free

Changes in Prisons in Twentieth Century in Britain Essay In 20th century a lot of important changes was made in Britain prison system. A lot of crucial moves in this matter were made, which made changes to the system, and create the current system in prisons. A lot of reports and changes plans were made in this crucial for the matter period. The beginning for this period was made in 1895 with Gladstone report, which was highly critical of the current penal policy. It criticised existing regimes for ‘crushing self respect’ and ‘starving all moral instinct’. The report argued that reformation should coexist with deterrence and that rehabilitation should be given priority. Victorians focused upon repression and punishment. They used inflexible and punitive methods of control. Gladstone felt these should be replaced with more scientific methods of ‘treatment’. In addition, prison commissioners for the first time in 1898, defined the purpose of prison as the ‘humanisation of the individual’1. Sir Evelyn Ruggles-Brise insisted that ‘each man convicted of crime is to be regarded as an individual, as a separate entity of morality, who by the application of influences, of discipline, labour, education, moral and religious, backed up on discharge by a well organised system of patronage is capable of reinstatement in civic life’2. Weiner (1990) stated, â€Å"It is now recognised that primitive measures alone are not corrective, and effective reformation of criminals can only be attained by making our prisons true schools and moral hospitals†. Forsythe (1991) argues that new projects often fell short of the claims made for them. He says that in particular, the local and convict prisons ‘clung tenaciously to the concepts of measured punishment, moral culpability, limited deterrence and uniformly administered discipline’. It is a fact that the process of reform was often slow and not al all easy to perceive. From 1900 onwards a number of radical changes were made to the standard prison regime: 1) Unproductive labour was officially abandoned and replaced by prison industries and work considered ‘useful’, 2) The separate system was gradually eroded, allowing prisoners to work in association, 3) Education was increased and improved, 4) Internal discipline was maintained through a reward/punishment system related to the introduction of remission, 5) Specialists such as psychologists were appointed, 6) Prisoner categorisation was extended, 7) The Borstal system was introduced for juveniles, 8) A commitment to reformation became enshrined in the Prison Rule that stipulated that the purpose of imprisonment was to encourage prisoners to ‘lead a good and useful life’3, 9) During the 1930s the treadmill and arrows on convict uniforms were abolished. According to Garland (1985) the most radical reforms of this era took place outside of the prison system: 1) The introduction of the probation service, 2) Alternatives to custody emerged, 3) Construction of specialist institutions4. Garland views these major transformations as the beginnings of our current practice. Garland prefers to talk of developments in a whole realm of penality rather than prison reform5. Additionally, in 1908 Borstals6 were put on a statutory footing – implemented by Herbert Gladstone. The name Borstal comes from the village in Kent where the first Borstal scheme got its first full-scale trial. Borstals took English public schools as their model and their sentences were indeterminate. Criminals aged between 16 – 21 could be sent to Borstal for between one and three years. The prison Commission could release on licence at any time after six months (or three months for girls) and could also recall for misbehaviour. Borstal faltered after 1945 really because success rates were measured by reconviction rates. 1982 the administration of Margaret Thatcher formally abolished the Borstal and replaced it with the ‘Youth Custody Centre’ – with determinate sentences of imprisonment. Paterson7 replaced military type training with delegated authority and encouragement of personal responsibility. Staffs wore civilian clothing and were encouraged to get to know the ‘lads’ personally – considered revolutionary in the 1920s. The Borstal notion of training prisoners through personal relations, trust and responsibility gradually had an impact on the prison system as a whole. Two borstal elements were transplanted into the adult system with long lasting effects: 1. 1936 the first minimum-security (open) prison was established at New Hall, near Wakefield. 2. The housemaster was renamed ‘assistant governor’. The post war developments where about the Easier bail, Probation, Time to pay fines, a reduction in time to be served for a partial payment of fines, Reformatories for juveniles, Curtailment of imprisonment for debt and, More facilities for the insane and for habitual drunkards. In 1928 the then Home Secretary had described Dartmoor convict prison as ‘the cesspool of English humanity’ â€Å"I suppose there must be some residuum which no training or help will ever improve†8. Furthermore in 1948 Paterson and his colleagues framed Criminal justice Act. This was a highly influential piece of legislation. Borstal had represented the opposite view and resurrected the possibility of reformatory prison. Borstals and Detention Centres began to lose favour: neither for deterrence or reform was the short sentence acceptable. This is one of the elements in the English prison-crowding crisis – which became acute in the 1970s and 1980s and with which the country is still wrestling. Deterrence – Youth prisons known as Detention Centres were intended to subject boys (and half-heartedly, girls) who were thought to be on the verge of a custodial career to a last chance ‘short, sharp, shock’. Separate institutions for pre trial prisoners were planned but never created: these would be custodial but non-penal institutions. Due to the war, there were no funds and little sympathy for unconvinced detainees. McConville states that ‘thick skins and short purses ever since have ensured that English pre trial prisoners were treated worse than they were for virtually all of Victoria’s reign and much worse than their fellows who were convicted and sentenced’. The 1960s and early 1970s are seen as the beginning of the crisis years with British prisons. At last we can refer to System of Concentration. Mountbatten referred to the obvious advantages of an island prison holding all prisoners who posed a threat. A new prison was to be built on the Isle of Wight. This was rejected and the dispersal system became the preferred way of housing inmates. Since early 1966 new measurements of security have been implemented in selected prisons. Between 1969 and 1979 the prison service went through a number of riots. 70s and 80s dogged with accusations of brutality and violence directed at prisoners from the prison staff. Serious disturbances and riots had occurred in maximum-security prisons, which had led to reprisals against prisoners. British riots occurred within the new dispersal system: Parkhurst 1969, Albany 1971 & 1972, Gartree 1972, Hull 1976, and Gartree 1978. Hull riot will go down in history, as it was the prison staff who were ultimately tried and convicted. Special control units were introduced after the Gartree riot of 1972 for troublemakers over and above the existing segregation units. 1970s represent the years when reform and treatment had dwindled away and the whole prison system ran on the notion that ‘nothing works’. By 1978 both the courts and the prisons were in danger of serious collapse. Industrial relations were poor with prison staff. May Committee 1979 reported as a response to the previous troubled decade. They explored the issues of what the aim of imprisonment was; they agreed that the rhetoric of treatment and training had had its day. Finally, King and Morgan proposed the term ‘humane containment’: The current organisation of the prison system is heavily influenced by past practice. This has shaped the system that we now have today. So, it is difficult to assess progress of 20th Century. Harsh and punitive experience of prison overrides any idea of progressive treatment. Biggest rises can be seen from 1974 onwards. It is a fact that this matter is very important and serious for the society and has to be developed according to the needs of the society according to its progress at times. 1. Goffman, E. (1961) Asylums, Essays on the Social Situation of Mental Patients and Other Inmates. Harmondsworth 2. Jones, K. (1993) Asylums and After: A Revised History of the Mental Health Services from the Early Eighteenth Century to the 1990’s. 3. Morris, N and Rothman, D.J (eds). (1995) The Oxford History of the Prison. Oxford University Press. 4. Porter, R. (2002) Madness: A Brief History. Oxford University Press. 2 Ruggles-Brise quoted in Garland 1985. 3 Prison Rule 6 in 1949 but Prison Rule 1 since 1964. 4 such as Borstal where principles of rehabilitation were initiated. 5 â€Å"the prison was decentred, shifted from its position as the central and predominant sanction to become one institution among many in an extended grid of penal sanctions. Of course it continued to be of major importance, but it was now deployed in a different manner, for a narrower section of the criminal population and often as a back up sanction for other institutions, rather than a place of first resort†. Changes in Prisons in Twentieth Century in Britain. (2017, Nov 17).

Corporate finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Corporate finance - Essay Example 1. The argument of the purchasing manger that there would be savings of $96000 over a period of eight years holds no grounds. First of all it is not clear whether manager is arguing the saving in absolute terms (net cash flow) or in terms of profits. The manger has calculated the savings of $96000 as under: The calculations of purchasing manager are absolutely wrong, as he is taking total cost of manufacturing of the present in- house activity and comparing it with only cost of purchasing the component from Amalgament Components. Manufacturing costs and purchasing price are altogether incomparable costs. He has altogether ignored the many expenses required to be added to the cost of purchases to make it comparable to manufacturing cost, like depreciation on Scanner of $8000, freight inward, assembling cost of the product, salaries of administrative and selling staff and many other assembling, administrative, selling expenses, and even the taxation outflows. 2. The suggestion of selling the machinery is absolutely illogical. The machinery was purchased only one year back for $45000 and selling only for $5000 is no good suggestion, considering the fact that the firm would suffer a loss to the tune of $35000 after taking into account capital allowance for two years. If at all machinery is to sold, it should be done at a time when the proposal of buying the component actually start bringing profits, as the machinery has got few alternative uses as per production manager. 3. The argument about only 60% use for current 4 years of warehouse holds grounds when $50000 is planned to be spent on extension of warehousing facilities after the fourth year, particularly when a capital allowance can be claimed @ 4%. The matter needs serious consideration while evaluating the buying option. 1. The argument of production manager that present machinery holds 8 years of useful life, and also machinery could be used for alternative purposes as well are valuable arguments from

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Decision Analysis Business Project Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Decision Analysis Business Project - Case Study Example On the other hand, if James decides to start a new business, a new problem of how to start the new business presents itself. This brief report characterizes the two problems. For problem one, it weighs the benefits of starting a new business against the disadvantages and recommends accordingly. For problem two, it analyzes the different choices available for forming a new business. Given that James is 51 years, it is advisable that he starts this new business since he is about to retire. After retirement, he will not have any other significant source of income if the business will not be operational. Moreover, given the advantages of the patent, a ready market, and a method of production that costs less, the growth of the business will require his full attention. Another factor to consider is that many of his children have already finished school, hence his family operational expenses are not too high. Again, many of his family members are able and willing to start aid in the family business. Specifically, his wife can participate in the management of the business, his eldest son wants to come home and if possible follow the father’s footstep. So, for his family, and also given that the business is sure to grow due to the ready market, and for the patent that protects his young business from any potential completion he has enough reasons to start this n ew business. To do so, since he is the one who is conversant with the production process he has to be fully involved in the business. Based on the above considerations, I recommend that James starts a new business and the wife, Mary, participates in part-time and continues with her homemaker business so as to cater for family expenses at least for the first one year before the business generates income. To avoid conflicts in the future, the other children can continue earning their income except for the eldest son who has an interest in the business. The second problem requires

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Things we can do from home to prevent global warming Research Paper

Things we can do from home to prevent global warming - Research Paper Example ost of the countries in the world are dependent on fossil fuels, the way we extract and use it is far greater than what the environment could produce and could cope up with. This imbalance is such a serious concern because it could cause a domino effect that does not only directly affect man, but everything in his ecology. I am talking about Global Warming. Global warming is the term used to refer to the rise in the earth’s atmospheric temperature. By nature, the earth is being warmed by the radiation from the sun. The earth’s atmosphere acts as a barrier so that only the right amount of heat passes through for the planet to maintain the right temperature for the survival of man and his ecosystem. The atmosphere constitutes of layers of gasses also known as the greenhouse gasses. Greenhouse gasses on its right amount are the earth’s thermal blanket (Maslin 4). But too much greenhouse gasses will increase the earth’s temperature; if these happen negative repercussions will affect not just the ecosystem but every living organism on earth (Union of Concerned Scientists). The main cause of global warming is carbon dioxide production. Largely of which is attributed to power plant emitting carbon that is a byproduct of burning coal to produce energy; about 95 percent manmade carbon dioxide is from the use of fossil fuel. Compared to burning natural gas, coal emits 80 percent more carbon. Another major source of carbon dioxide emission is burning gasoline from vehicles that attributes to the twenty percent of carbon that goes up in the atmosphere (Low Impact Living; Time for Change). Another major cause of global warming is deforestation. Deforestation is denuding of the Earth’s forest in a massive scale. Twenty five percent of the carbon emission is attributed to deforestation. Since plants uses carbon for photosynthesis to produce oxygen, less fauna would mean more concentration of carbon dioxide in the air. Moreover, the process of deforestation itself

Friday, July 26, 2019

Multicultural Awareness Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Multicultural Awareness - Assignment Example One must analyze himself in order to lead the life in a more peaceful manner. Lack of self awareness leads to various problems and self awareness will certainly help a person to improve himself. This in turn will improve his life and the development will be at a faster pace. Cultural and communal awareness and beliefs play a vital role in the development of one’s life. Since it is considered to be an important part, each and every person must have the basic knowledge about his/ her own cultural practices. (Cox & Richlin, 2004). As a counselor, I must also take note of the client’s socio-cultural background. To accomplish this, I must go through a process of self assessment that would help me in dealing with the clients in a better way. The self assessment helped in a great way since it made me a better person as I had an opportunity to know about myself. The self assessment helped me to realize the biases and beliefs of my culture and molded me into a better person. In a multi cultural environment, I had an opportunity to get along with people from different culture and community. (Erford, 2009) This made me gain more knowledge about their socio-cultural practices and the way in which they deal with people from other culture. The first time when I was realized as other, the situation was completely different.

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Key Dimensions of National Culture in Saudi Arabia using Hofstede Research Paper

Key Dimensions of National Culture in Saudi Arabia using Hofstede Model - Research Paper Example Uncertainty Avoidance The day to day business of Saudi Arabia is also greatly influenced by Islamic principles; which we will analyze in the light of Hofstede model. Geert Hofstede used 5 dimensions to analyze the culture of various countries; these dimensions being power distance individualism, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance and long term orientation. Hofstede analysis for Saudi Arabia validates that their Muslim faith plays a significant role in people’s lives. (Hofstede, 1980) Their business culture puts a great emphasise on personal relationships between business associates. The Saudis prefer to do business with their family members, friends or those they are quiet familiar with. This shows that they like to be in their comfort zones, and do not trust people easily while doing business. Saudis like to have rigid codes of belief and behaviors and are intolerant of unorthodox behavior and ideas. For example, they do not approve of any unislamic habits or behav iors like drinking alcohol, eating pork, womenizing, gambling etc. This also gives an insight on the uncertainty avoidance of Saudis, which is 80 and it indicates that they prefer to avoid uncertainty in life. While doing business with familiar people, they can avoid the risk of working with someone entirely new. They have strict islamic punishments for theft, rape, murder and other crimes to put an iron hand on criminals. They have conservative dress codes in business and do not approve of modern attires. They are very risk averse in nature and avoid changes. By having rigid codes of conducts, laws, regulations, and rules they ensure that there is least amount of uncertainty and the unexpected do not happen. Power distance Saudi Arabia works in a high power distance community. Power is distributed ineuqally and there are vertical organizational structure. (Doing business in Saudi Arabia, online) Saudia is one of the few countries in the world, where the greatest power lies in the r oyal palace. Their king has the most authority in the country. Their score of 95 (Hofstede, 1980) on power distance indicates that the people accept their strict hierarichal model and do not object the unequal distribution of power. The power is usually central and most decisions are made at the top level, which are then filtered down with clear and exact directions to subordinates. The subordinates are much less empowered as compared to other cultures, and they do not have authority to make decisions. This shows their tendency to stick to tradional values and unacceptibility for modern menthods of business and governance. Collectivistic Society Saudis muslim faith compels them to stick to their families. A great emphasize on the family values is given in islam. Saudis value their families and friends, and deem them to be the most important aspects of their lives. Their decisions are largely influenced by the social setting they live in, and the responsibilities they have as family members. With a score of 25, they are very collectivistic society. They are driven by long term commitments in the form of groups. These groups consists of family, extended family and friends. Because of their muslim faith, loyalty and strong relationships with their family and friends is very important. As Islam considers all muslims as brothers and sisters, Saudis are very committed towards their fellow muslims. Maculinity Goverened by their faith, women are given great respect

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Literary Analysis of The Girls in Their Summer Dresses Essay

Literary Analysis of The Girls in Their Summer Dresses - Essay Example The argument that ensues shows that this is not the first time they argued over the same thing. This story depicts how communication, respect, and compromise is necessary in order to save a relationship. Character Analysis Michael Loomis, the husband, is a static character. He is a superficial man who has a roving eye and a blatant lack of respect for his wife. He is insensitive, yet he seems to enjoy the humorous exchanges he has with his wife. Unfortunately, he is a static character because despite the several emotional argument and emotional appeals made by his wife, he remains unmoved and unchanged. He seems to be concerned about what his wife feels, but until the end, he fails to really realize what his wife needs from him. Similar to Michael, Frances is also a static character. She is attractive but insecure. She obviously loves her husband and tries hard to make him laugh and have good times with him. However, she lacks courage to tell her husband to stop what he is doing. She fails to realize that she is actually allowing her feelings to be ignored because she always tries to give way. In the end, readers would realize that this same scene will repeat over and over in the couple's lives since there is no character change in either of them. Conflict The external conflict is simple: Michael and Frances do not see eye to eye regarding their marriage and their role to each other. Frances wants to get her husband's attention, while Michael seems to be bent on giving it to other women. Their internal conflict is more complex than the external one. Frances tries to understand how it is with men in order to iron out her relationship with her husband: â€Å"Some men're like that, I tell myself, they have to see what they're missing† (Shaw). On the other hand, Michael does not feel too happy with how this is affecting his wife: â€Å"...that Michael felt terribly sorry for her† (Shaw). They both try to fight their with themselves in order to please the other yet the external or more superficial desires win. Furthermore, what adds to this conflict is the refusal of the two involved individuals to resolve the issues between them by deep communication. Instead, they choose to ignore it, which causes the same issue to come up over and over again. Setting The story is set with vivid descriptions of New York and the women that stroll along its streets. This is an important detail in the story since it greatly provides the readers with a clear picture of what Michael and Frances see. Setting the story in a fast-paced city makes the scene a comfortable backdrop for an arguing couple. Furthermore, 5th Avenue Manhattan is a famous place filled with museums, fine dining restaurants, and boutiques, which makes the description of the beautiful, crisp, chic women so believable. It contributes to the conflict in the story because being in a big city as New York exposes the husband and wife to the major concern they have in their marriage --- Michael's roving eyes as he meets the types of women he has always wanted to have. Story Point of View The story is told in a limited third person point of view. The narrative is seen mainly through Michael's eyes, because his thoughts are more profoundly discussed compared to Frances'. Readers get to understand Frances' thoughts merely through her reactions to Michael. This is effective in keeping the story in a limited perspective, where it gives more

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Transformational Learning Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Transformational Learning - Research Paper Example In this paper, transformational learning is explored from these perspectives. Transformational Learning The concept of transformational learning has played a significant role in adult education. One of its major contributions is establishment of a basis for distinguishing between childhood and adult education. Unlike other learning perspectives such as SDL, transformational learning focuses on the cognitive process, which results in learning. Core to its constructs are the learner’s experience that is diverse as compared to the experience among young learners and an advanced level of maturity that adult learners have relative to their potentials at younger ages. These distinctions, as Rubenson explains, identify the learning approach as an adult learning theory and, therefore, supports previously developed theoretical concepts by Mezirow. Rubenson further explains that the basis of transformational learning is the change in people that arises from abrupt changes in their envir onment, their experience, and the visibility of such changes among the subjects or among people around them (Reubenson, 2011). Transformational Learning Theory Westby offers a theoretical approach to transformational learning through the Mezirow’s transformational learning theory. ... The change aspects identify experiences such as â€Å"poverty, illiteracy, and oppression† that play a significant role in adults’ cognitive constructs for transformational learning (Westby, 2007, p. 15). Another foundation for transformational learning theory is the rational nature of human beings that drives them to reflect on their experiences and develop assumptions and opinions from the experiences. Westby offers four constructs of transformational learning. These are â€Å"constructivists’ foundation, critical reflection, a shift in the world view, and a change to meaning schemes† (Westby, 2007, p. 15). Constructivism recognizes adults’ perspectives that learning is developed from life experiences and is, therefore, an intrinsic phenomenon as opposed to a development from external sources such as books and educators. Constructivism further undermines the role of educators in transferring knowledge to learners because adult learners develop kno wledge from their experiences. Reflection is another fundamental construct in transformational learning and defines knowledge development through a series of reflection into actions and reflective evaluation of actions for solutions to problems that learners may encounter. This means that transformational learning is not entirely dependent on experience, but also on the learner’s rationale, which evaluates experiences for intellectual developments. A significant change in the worldview is another definitive characteristic of transformational learning and goes beyond knowledge and skills. The change in general perception involves transformation of personal values and approaches to developing meaning from a person’s

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Essay Example for Free

The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company Essay Company’s briefly introduction Once one of the biggest baggers of groceries in the US, The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company (AP) has been reduced to a shrinking portfolio of regional grocery chains. It now runs about 300 supermarkets in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and three other eastern states. In addition to its mainstay 80-store AP chain, the company operates five banners: Pathmark, Waldbaums, Superfresh, Food Emporium, and Food Basics. AP acquired its longtime rival in the Northeast, Pathmark Stores, for about . 4 billion, but the purchase failed to reverse APs lagging fortunes. Indeed, AP in 2012 emerged from 15 months bankruptcy after a financial restructuring and closing 75 stores. More from Wikipedia: The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, better known as AP, is a supermarket and liquor store chain in the United States. Its supermarkets, which are under six different banners, are found in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. APs liquor stores, known as Best Cellars, are found in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Virginia.[2] APs corporate headquarters are in Montvale, New Jersey.[3] Supermarket News ranked AP #19 in the 2010 Top 75 Food Retailers and Wholesalers based on 2009 fiscal year estimated sales of $9.1 billion.[4] Based on 2009 revenue, AP was the 34th largest retailer in the US.[5] From 1915 through 1975, it was the largest food retailer in the nation (until 1965, the largest US retailer of any kind).[6] AP is considered an American icon.[7] The Wall Street Journal, in an editorial on December 10, 2010, said that AP was as well known as McDonalds or Google is today and that AP was Wal-Mart before Wal-Mart.[8] What is now AP began in 18 59; it established a small chain of retail tea and coffee stores in New York City and a national mail order business. It grew to 70 stores by 1878. In the late 19th century, AP, still a tea and coffee company, became the countrys first grocery chain. At the turn of the century, it operated almost 200 stores. The company grew dramatically after introducing the economy store concept in 1912, growing to 1,600 stores in 1915. After World War I, the company opened stores offering meat and produce. In 1930 the company, now the worlds largest retailer, reached $1  billion in sales with 16,000 stores.[9] In 1936, AP adopted the self-serve supermarket concept and opened 4,000 larger stores by 1950.[10] APs decline began in the 1950s when it failed to keep pace with chains which opened larger, modern supermarkets with features demanded by customers. By the 1970s, AP stores were out of date; its efforts to combat high operating costs resulted in poor customer service. In 1975, the company hired outside management, closing older stores and building modern ones. When these efforts failed to turn the company ar ound, the heirs of the original owners, and foundations that owned a majority of the stock, sold to the German Tengelmann Group. AP then launched a store-closing program financed by the surplus assets of its pension plan.[11] Starting in 1982, AP acquired several chains; these stores operated through their names rather than AP. While AP regained profitability in the 1980s, in 2002 it operated at a record loss because of new competition, especially Wal-Mart. AP closed more stores, which included the sale of its large Canadian division. In 2007, AP purchased Pathmark, one of its toughest competitors; AP again became the largest supermarket chain in the New York City area. Highly leveraged after this acquisition, the company experienced financial difficulties because of the recession and filed for Chapter 11 protection in 2010. In late 2011, AP implemented a restructuring plan to emerge from bankruptcy.[12][13] On March 13, 2012, it was announced that AP had emerged from bankruptcy and was now a private company. History: More than 150 years ago, The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (AP) began operations as The Great American Tea Company. Its first store – on Vesey Street in New York City – sold tea, coffee and spices at value prices. Soon after, stores sprung up all around the New York metropolitan area, and salesmen took their wares to the road in horse-drawn carriages bound for New England, the Midwest and the South. In 1869, the Company was renamed The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, commemorating the first transcontinental railroad. In 1936, AP became the first national supermarket chain in the United States, one of many innovative concepts that radically changed the way consumers shopped. Its  vast advertising and promotional activities reached so many consumers that AP became an American icon. Below are select milestones from the Companys rich history: 1859-1899 Becoming a Grocery Pioneer * 1859 The Great American Tea Company is founded as a mail order business by tea and spice merchants George Huntington Hartford and George Gilman. The same year, the first store-warehouse operation opens in New York City at 31 Vesey Street. * 1869 The Company is renamed the Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, or AP. * 1880 AP begins marketing its own brand of baking powder, its first private label product. It also pioneers the use of refrigerated railroad cars to transport fruit, and becomes the first to bring fresh seafood to the Midwest. * 1881 AP becomes the first grocery chain to operate 100 stores and expands to 5,000 delivery routes. * 1880s With the publics taste for coffee growing rapidly, AP establishes its own brand, Eight O Clock Breakfast Coffee, packaged in a red bag. George Huntington Hartford names the product after the time of the day that he believed the most coffee was consumed. * 1887 Sales hit $1 million. * 1890s AP introduces premium â€Å"checks† to be redeemed for cups, saucers and other goods, marking the first original customer-loyalty program with premiums and savings coupons. 1900-1959 Becoming an Innovator and American Icon * 1912 John Hartford convinces his father and brother to launch the first no frills† grocery format in America with the opening of the AP Economy Store in Jersey City, N.J. The cash and carry store, with plain furnishings and fixtures, offered no credit, no deliveries and no premiums just quality groceries at very low prices. * 1920 The AP Economy Store concept flourishes and catalyzes an extraordinary period of growth, resulting in 4,638 stores, from about 350 stores in 10 years prior. * 1924 The AP Radio Hour launches as Americas first national radio program. Soaring in popularity through the 1930s, it featured popular artists such as Kate Smith, Harry Horlick and the AP Gypsies. * 1929 AP more than triples its store count to 15,418 stores and increases  sales five-fold to reach the $1 billion mark. * 1930s AP expands to California, Washington and Canada. * 1933 AP participates in the Worlds Fair in Chicago. Housed in a 2,000-seat amphitheater, the AP Carnival draws thousands of visitors with the AP Marionette Revue, Harry Horlick and other entertainment. * 1936 AP opens the nations first supermarket, a 28,125-square-foot store in Braddock, Pa., that enables customers to select their own groceries without the assistance of a clerk. * 1937 AP launches Womans Day magazine through a wholly-owned subsidiary, The Stores Publishing Company. The magazine features articles on food preparation, home decoration, needlework and childcare, selling for two cents a copy exclusively in AP stores. * 1941 Eight O Clock coffee becomes the best-selling brand of coffee in the world. * 1958 Sales grow to $5 billion and 4,252 stores. AP tops the industry, with volume exceeding that of its closest competitor by more than $1 billion. * 1959 AP celebrates its 100th anniversary. 1960-1999 Becoming a Supermarket Family * 1963 With its new Plaid Stamps redemption program, AP brings back the premium concept. With every purchase, shoppers receive plaid-colored stamps, which can be later redeemed for popular household items, such as snack trays and Lazy Susans. * 1971 AP opens its first Warehouse Economy Outlet (WEO). This low-price warehouse concept, featuring displays of fast-selling grocery items in the original cases, is rolled out to 1,500 stores. * 1979 The Hartford Foundation and family members sell the majority of AP shares to The Tengelmann Group of West Germany in the face of declining sales and profitability, as competitors follow consumers to the suburbs. * 1980 James Wood is elected Chairman, President CEO. Under his leadership, the company closes operations in several markets, including hundreds of older stores and the majority of its manufacturing operations. * 1981 Beginning a new growth via acquisition strategy, the Company purchases 17 Stop Shop supermarkets in New Jersey. * 1982 The Company launches the Superfresh banner in the Philadelphia area, emphasizing product freshness and strong customer service. * 1986 AP acquires the Bronx, N.Y.-based Shopwell Inc., which includes 26 upscale stores named The Food Emporium. It expands further in New York with  the acquisition of Waldbaums, Inc. that fall. * 1994 AP in the U.S. launches a new private label program, introducing four new brands across all of its banners: Americas Choice, Master Choice, Health Pride and Savings Plus. 2000-Present Innovating and Restructuring for the Future * 2000 The Food Emporium opens its unique Bridge Market store, located at 59th Street and First Avenue beneath New York Citys landmark Queensborough Bridge. * 2001 AP opens its first U.S. Food Basics store in Passaic, N.J. * 2003 To reduce debt and lower operating costs, AP exits Northern New England, sells Kohls stores in Wisconsin (which it acquired in 1983), closes all remaining Kohls operations, and sells the Eight OClock Coffee division. * 2005 The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, Inc. sells AP Canada to METRO INC., a supermarket and pharmaceutical operator in the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario Canada. * 2009 The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company celebrates its 150th Anniversary as the oldest grocery retailer in the United States. * 2010 The Board elects Sam Martin as President CEO. Under his leadership, the Company embarks on a turnaround plan and files for Chapter 11 to enable it to restructure its operations and financial obligations. * 2011 AP launches Woodson James, a new line of premium-quality Angus beef featuring steakhouse-quality meat at affordable supermarket prices, exclusive to all AP, Pathmark, Superfresh, Waldbaums and The Food Emporium stores. * 2012 AP exits Chapter 11 as a private company with 320 stores. SWOT ANALYSIS The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company (AP or the company) is engaged in the retail food business. The company offers a strong portfolio of private label brands. Green Way, a new private label launched in 2009, features over 200 healthy, organic and eco-friendly products. In the current economic environment, consumers are tending to choose private label brands due to their quality and competitive pricing. Given the growing demand for private label products, the companys portfolio of private brands offers a competitive advantage. However, the sluggish US economy could depress purchasing power of consumers affecting the sales of the company. Strengths  Weaknesses Robust private label portfolio Declining market share Operational and financial issues led to bankruptcy filing Multiple store formats Coupons portfolio Opportunities Threats Economic downturn in US affects consumer spending Online retail channel offers opportunities for revenue growth Increasing demand for organic products Intense competition Rising labor wages in the US likely to increase the operating cost Remodeling of stores will lead to incremental sales Strengths Robust private label portfolio AP offers a strong portfolio of private label brands including Americas Choice, Hartford Reserve, Live Better Wellness, Americas Choice Gold, Smart Price and Via Roma. APs Americas Choice brand presently stands among the best selling private brands in the industry. In addition, in 2009, the company launched Green Way, a new private label line featuring over 200 healthy, organic and eco-friendly products. The company launched The Food Emporium Trading Company private label brand of international specialty items, in November 2010. In the face of macroeconomic pressures, consumers are increasingly opting for private label products. According to industry watchers, private label sales have increased in the US in the recent years. In the current economic environment, value-oriented consumers are choosing private label brands due to their competitive pricing. Also, strong push from retailers and improvements in both quality and selection has been influencing the shopping trends. This trend is expected to continue even after the economy recovers as consumers consider the quality of private label brands to be as high as name brand products. In addition to providing savings to consumers, private labels provide higher operating margins than national brands to AP thereby improving profitability. Increased  penetration of these private labels will improve the margins of the company. Additionally, they offer a competitive advantage and will enable the company to develop a niche customer base. Multiple store formats AP operates multiple store formats. The companys store formats vary from full-service supermarkets featuring fresh produce, seafood, meat, deli, groceries, floral, and pharmacies, to upscale gourmet stores (The Food Emporium), to limited variety stores featuring everyday low prices (Food Basics). Through its broad base of supermarkets, AP has expanded and diversified within the retail food business. The company operates stores with merchandise, pricing and identities tailored to appeal to different customer segments, including buyers seeking gourmet and ethnic foods, a wide variety of premium quality private label goods and health and beauty aids along with the range of traditional grocery products. The wide variety of products offered to meet the needs of a diverse customer base will drive footfall and also provide immense opportunities for cross selling. This in turn will contribute to higher revenues by increasing the average ticket. Coupons portfolio Consumers drastically cut back on spending during the recession as unemployment rose and lending slowed. They are looking at generating more value for the money spent. AP, keeping this in view, launched a comprehensive coupon portfolio of innovations in 2009, to provide shoppers with more savings and convenience. The company partnered with Zavers, a pioneer in digital couponing, to launch the first paperless, clipless and completely digital coupon service available by a supermarket chain in the Metropolitan New York area. This service allows club card members at AP, Pathmark, Waldbaums and SuperFresh to go online and save the coupons directly onto their club card. The savings are automatically deducted off the customers shopping order once the club card is scanned at the checkout. Subsequently, AP introduced the Rewards Online Mall, allowing club card members to earn rewards by making purchases at over 1,000 online retailers including eBay.com, Best Buy, Home Depot, Macys, Barnes and Noble, Travelocity, Staples, 1-800-FLOWERS and many more. For every purchase made, customers can receive an average of 3% back. Once the total reaches $10, customers will receive a Rewards Certificate in the mail to be used towards their next in-store purchase at any AP, Waldbaums, SuperFresh, The Food Emporium or Pathmark store. To complement its couponing  programs portfolio, AP also premiered an innovative new online coupon gallery available via its banner websites. This service which helps customers save more money while shopping for groceries, was made available through AP’s partnership with Coupons.com. Each of the company’s banner websites features a special coupon gallery with hundreds of dollars of savings on all departments. Besides offering savings this service is convenient and saves time. Such additional benefits offered by the company will help attract customer visits. Weaknesses Declining market share AP has been losing its market share to the bigger discount retailers and wholesale clubs including Wal-Mart, Costco, Target, and BJs. These companies have expanded into the grocery business and yielded to the economic downturn by lowering prices, thereby attracting the value-driven consumers. The big-ticket consumers, on the other hand, preferred higher-end retailers such as Whole Foods and Trader Joes. AP by sticking to its consistent pricing, lost its customers to these companies in the difficult retail climate, while the other grocery retail chains lowered prices considerably, endorsed value proposition, and attracted sales. The company recorded a decline in revenues of 8.3% and 7.4% in FY2011 and FY2010 respectively. The sales declined primarily due to a decrease in comparable stores sales and store closures, partially offset by sales from new stores. The overall decline in sales was primarily caused by a decrease in customer count. The loss of market share to competitors has aff ected the company financial results significantly. Operational and financial issues led to bankruptcy filing AP, in December 2010 filed a voluntary petition under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code with the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to facilitate its financial and operational restructuring. The company experienced severe financial and operational issues which led to this move. At the end of the third quarter of FY2011, the company had cash reserves of $92.4 million compared with $281.8 million during the same period, the previous year.The company had long-term debt of $816.8 million at the end of the third quarter of FY2011. The current portion of long-term debt increased to $171.5 million at the end of the third quarter of FY2011 compared with $191,000 at the end of the third  quarter of FY2010. The company has also experienced several other issues that contributed to its bankruptcy filing, including large pension funding requirements and union agreements. Approximately 92% of the companys employees are represented by unions and covered by collective bargaining agreements. Furthermore, the company had about 70% of inventory tied to one supplier in an unfavorable contract. The company also had obligations, including the payment of rent on stores that were not subleased or leases terminated. The rent expenses for the mostly empty stores were estimated to be substantial next year. All the above factors put the company at a competitive disadvantage and rendered its business unsustainable in the current scenario. The bankruptcy filing and the subsequent financing will significantly affect the investors confidence in the company. Online retail channel offers opportunities for revenue growth The online retail market in the US is growing at a fast pace and the trend is expected to continue. Online sales contributed to 6% of the retail sales in 2009 and are estimated to contribute 8% of the total retail sales by 2014. Online sales grew by 11% in 2009 compared to a total retail growth of 2.5%. Online sales while offering convenience to customers, also improve a companys margins by cutting down operating costs. AP is well poised to benefit from the expected increase in online sales. Increasing demand for organic products Natural and organic food products segment is one of the fastest growing categories in food retailing. Increasing consumer awareness about health and environmental issues, along with an increasing resistance towards genetically modified (GM) food products and GM farming, has led to a rapid increase in the demand for organic food. According to industry estimates, the organic product sales in the US reached $26.6 billion in 2009, an increase of 5.3% over 2008. Of the total, organic food accounted for $24.8 billion and organic non-foods, the remaining $1.8 billion. In comparison, the total food sales in the US increased by 1.6% in FY2009.The growth trend of organic foods is expected to continue. The company offers over 200 healthy, organic and eco-friendly products under its Green Way brand. The company could leverage its presence to exploit the increasing demand for  organic products. Remodeling of stores will lead to incremental sales AP has been investing in re-modeling its stores to offer a unique shopping experience to its customers. These remodeled stores offer an expanded selection of deli, bakery, floral, meat, seafood and organics departments and many specialty sections. The Pompton Plains AP store, located in Pompton Plains, New Jersey, besides offering traditional food categories, also introduced new departments including the kids and toddler aisle featuring all the products needed by mothers in one area; an enhanced pet selection; expanded mens offerings featuring an extensive array of specialty products for men; and a special section dedicated to gluten-free packaged products. Apart from offering a wide selection of quality groceries, fresh produce, breads, seafood, and meats, APs new Port Jefferson Pathmark store features a full-service pharmacy department which provides numerous benefits to customers including, all major prescription drug plans including Medicare Part D accepted; health screening serv ices; complete diabetic supply center; patient counseling and information service; mail order and online prescription refill; and Live Better! Wellness club. The new Pathmark is designed with a bright, open layout with modern decor and colorful artwork and signage, further enhancing the overall experience for shoppers. AP’s Woodcliff Lake AP store offers expansive departments that feature a wide selection of fresh and gourmet foods. This is complemented by a full-service bakery, Starbucks Cafe, floral department and pharmacy, along with a center store department that presents a complete line of specialty items for men, children and pets. The company also re-opened the New Providence AP store with expansive departments offering a wide selection of fresh and gourmet foods, a full-service bakery and floral department and an expansive center store department with a complete line of specialty items for children and pets. The remodels with additional departments attract more consumers and offer cross selling opportunities, therefore contributing incrementally to the sales increase. These additional services will also help the company differentiate itself from its competitors. Threats Economic downturn in US affects consumer spending The US, the worlds largest economy, shrank 4.1% from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the second quarter of 2009. Household spending fell 1.2% in 2009, twice as much as previously projected and the biggest decline since 1942. The US economy slowed in the second quarter of 2010 as scarcity of jobs eroded consumer spending. GDP in the second quarter of 2010 grew at a 2.4% annual rate less than forecast. Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70% of the economy, rose at a 1.6% pace in the second quarter, compared with a 1.9% rate in the first quarter of 2010. Job gains have been slow to take hold, curbing household purchases. US retail sales rose a meager 0.1% in July 2010 from June 2010, according to industry watchers. In addition, the US economy grew 2.6% in the third quarter of 2010. The World Bank forecasts the US economy to grow at a sluggish rate of 2.8% in 2011. High unemployment rate which is estimated to reach 10%, sluggish wage gains and credit crunch are all expected to keep consumers relatively cautious. The unemployment rate remained significantly high at 9.4% towards the end of 2010. Rising unemployment further reduces the consumer spending as customers feel unsecured. Thus, slowdown in US economy would depress purchasing power of consumers which could result in a decline in sales of the company. Intense competition AP conducts its retail merchandise business under highly competitive conditions. Although AP is a large regional department store chain company, it has numerous competitors at the national and local level that competes with its individual stores, including specialty, off-price, discount, and internet and mail-order retailers. Competition is characterized by many factors including location, reputation, fashion, merchandise assortment, advertising, price, quality, service and credit availability. AP anticipates intense competition to continue with focus on pricing. Some of the companys competitors have substantially larger marketing budgets, which may provide them with a competitive advantage. If AP is unable to maintain its competitive position, it could experience downward pressure on prices, lower demand for products, reduced margins, the inability to take advantage of new business opportunities and the loss of  market share. Rising labor wages in the US likely to increase the operating cost In recent times, tight labor markets, increased overtime and government mandated increases in minimum wages resulted in an increase in labor costs, which could materially impact the companys results of operation. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) has increased the federal minimum wage rate in the US from $6.55 an hour in July 2008 to $7.25 an hour in July 2009. This was further increased to $8.25 an hour in July 2010, revising the labor rates for the fourth year in a row. Many states also have minimum wage laws. If an employee is subject to both state and federal minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to the higher minimum wage. Increased labor costs could increase the operating costs for the company.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Dualism and idealistic monism Essay Example for Free

Dualism and idealistic monism Essay In philosophy and more specifically metaphysics, dualism has been defined as the belief that two fundamental and incompatible types of things that make up the universe; idealistic monism argues instead that the universe is made up of just one thing, and that is the realm of ideas or the mind. Hence, if one were to very simplistically state the difference between dualism and idealistic monism, one may argue that dualism stands for the concept of body versus mind whereas idealistic monism stands for just the mind as being the sole component of everything. Monism in general implies the belief that the Universe is not made up of diametrically opposite concepts or entities, but just one thing that can have many manifestations but in its essential nature, remains the same. While idealistic monism argues that all is made up the mind or ideas, materialistic monism states that only the physical realm makes up everything, and the mental can be ultimately reduced to the physical as well. Plato argued that there exists a realm of ideas where there are forms of ideas that the Universe commonly reflects, and that these immutable ideas are superior and immortal as opposed to the transient objects themselves. Thus, he argued the idea of something is more real than the thing itself. He also said that the mind is identical with the soul, but that the soul pre-exists and survives the body. Later, Berkeley and Kant added to the discourse of idealism by agreeing that all the manifestations of all that happens in the physical world have its root in the mind and in the realm of ideas. The dualists’ argument of all reality being divided between matter and mind seems perhaps the most natural, at least at first glance, because in the physical world the distinctions between the mind and matter are so clearly distinguishable. Human beings tend to see the two as separate entities and see how one might function even as the other is unable to, in case of illness or injuries. Also, through the ages, folklore and religion have always made a clear distinction between two forces that govern the workings of the universe: good and evil, benevolent and malevolent, mortal and eternal. Thus, it is easy to understand why these arguments may be considered legitimate. However, dualism talks about a very extreme universe where there don’t seem to be any grey areas that merge these extreme concepts of benevolence and malevolence or body and mind. Monism attributes oneness in the entire Universe. The proponents of monism have included Parmenides, Melissus, and Spinoza and more recently, Horgan and Potrc. They hold that there really is just one thing that makes everything up, and that it is extremely complex in the number of variations it can take. Idealistic monism stands for the concept that this â€Å"one thing† is the consciousness or the realm of the mind, from where everything else is conceived and thus given physical shape. If the mind had not thought up something, it would not exist in either the mental or the physical plane. Thus, whatever is physical can be brought fundamentally to the mental realm and said to have originated from there. At the most basic level, therefore, all reality for the idealist monist originates in the mind in the form of an idea, and this idea is more real than any physical structures that it might give birth to, because it is eternal and cannot ever die or cease to be. In this way, ideas form the entire universe and will continue to do so as generations of humans live and die. I think that idealism is more plausible than dualism. Firstly, I do not agree with the dualist extremes that are always incompatible and as a sum of opposites that make up the universe. I do not think the universe can be explained as simply as that, because at many points these two extremes do seem to converge and coexist in a way so as not to seem wholly incompatible. It does seem more plausible to me that the realm of the mind is more â€Å"real† than anything else because ideas are eternal and make up the world. Thus, I tend to agree with the monist viewpoint – about a world that is complex but is made up of the realm of ideas that are immutable. Monistic philosophy seems to embrace the existence of seemingly contradictory things in a way that is much more accepting and broader than the dualistic view.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

The Hypocrisy Of The Civilized Society English Literature Essay

The Hypocrisy Of The Civilized Society English Literature Essay In the relatively short time of the existence of the United States, society has allowed the written word to seep into our everyday existence. What has been written forms our everyday lives; our country, democracy, freedom, laws, religions, news, stories, and our history that is passed on through generations. Much of the written word has found its way to be presented in rather elegant form, but not always so in subject matter. Throughout the history of America, the views of civility and civilized society have changed through times of progress, conflict and peace. Perception of ideals has shifted, political correctness has emerged, and cultural rules have changed. The literature of America reflects the hypocrisy of civilized society and uncovers truths that need to be told and that want to be heard. Annotated Bibliography of The Selling of Joseph, by Samuel Sewall Amacher, Richard E. Samuel Sewall. American Colonial Writers, 1606-1734. Ed. Emory Elliott. Detroit: Gale Research, 1984. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 24. Literature Resource Center. Web. 6 Mar. 2011. When delving into the some of the early American Literature, one does not expect to find much available in defense of the African American race, and the common mistreatment endured by the people of a certain birthright or skin color. The Selling of Joseph, written in 1700, by Samuel Sewell, is one such surprising piece. Richard E. Amacher, in his Biographical Essay on Samuel Sewall, contrasts The Selling of Joseph, with work that focused on taming African Americans and rationalized their slavery, sale and mistreatment. In as much as the Puritans used the bible and the Word of their God to rationalize societys treatment of African Americans as slaves, Sewall uses the bible and quotes it directly to show that their God certainly does not agree with the mistreatment of any human. Sewell argues that in the common mans belief of Adam and Eve, that all men were heirs of the couple who fell from grace with temptation and gained their liberty, for better or worse. All heirs were entitled as equals to Adam and Eve. The gift of liberty was violated by the sale of Joseph by his brothers. (Amacher 13) Gods word in Exodus 21:16 supported this argument; This Law being of Everlasting Equity, wherein Man Stealing is ranked amongst the most atrocious of Capital Crimes. (Amacher 13) (Sewell 2) Richard E. Amachers comparison of Samuel Sewells The Selling of Joseph with other work of the same time period confirms that not all people of society agreed with the ownership of people or their employ or indenture as servants or slaves. A cultural rule of the 1700s was wide acceptance of slavery. Sewall looked at the Humanitarian aspect, and how society should treat all people. His attempt to influence society to change this pattern would not be realized for a great many years, yet his literary contributions show that not all bought into this ideal. Amacher emphasizes that: Sewalls [work] concentrated on human liberty as such, although he, too, good Calvinist that he was, buttressed his mainly humanitarian interests with many scriptural quotations. (Amacher 13) Theologically, the people of a society owe liberty to all descendants of Adam and Eve, as equals. Each side of the argument of slave ownership is supported by the same book, and end in different interpretations; each claiming to be correct based on their texts. Annotated Bibliography of The Gettysburg Address, by Abraham Lincoln Lodge, Henry Cabot. The Democracy of Abraham Lincoln The Democracy of the Constitution and Other Addresses and Essays. Charles Scribners Sons, 1915. 122-159. Rpt. In Nineteenth- Century Literature Criticism. Ed. Janet Mullane. Vol. 18. Detroit: Gale Research, 1988. Literature Resource Center. Web. 7, Mar. 2011. Henry Lodge Cabot speaks of the true meaning behind the words of Lincolns Gettysburg Address, in his essay titled the Democracy of Abraham Lincoln. Cabot explains his opinion about Lincolns idea concerning the government of the people. It is a government made up the citizens (the people) and its purpose is for governing of the people. The constitution is shown to be a continual pillar in our country. The document has basically been the same since the foundation of our nation. There have been some changes to the Constitution, such as three war time amendments, and the establishment of the income tax. The paper continues to state that Lincoln stated his opinion so clearly that there was no escape from its meaning. The Democracy of Abraham Lincoln is a good source about Lincolns Gettysburg Address as Cabot seems to fully grasp Lincolns meaning behind this famous speech. The information stated seems to show Lincolns belief that he could just deliver a basic message and with his words were fully understood. It is an example of a man who took his beliefs that the government should be for all the people. On review of this authors work I can definitely agree with his statement as follows; In his usual fashion he stated his proposition so clearly and with such finality that there is no escape from his meaning. This actually shows the fact that Lincoln simply told it how it was, with no fluff or exaggeration. The true meaning behind The Democracy of Abraham Lincoln supports the statement that as time change, the literature of that time changes to reflect the views of society. This address was a major turning point in civilized society. For the United States, the address was to be a benefit to the entire nation. The point of the address was to show that it is for all people but our society did and continues to show hypocrisy. It was not the original intent of our government but has shown to be a real issue in the world. Cabot explained Lincolns reasoning behind this speech but the overall result is not truly carried out in our country. Annotated Bibliography of Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson Grimm, Reverend David E. Introducing Unitarian Universalism. Interfaith Conference. Washburn University. Yager Stadium, Topeka, Kansas. October, 11, 2003. Web. 3 March 2011. Reverend David E. Grimm is a Unitarian Universalist minister, as was Emerson. The Unitarian Universalists have held Ralph Waldo Emerson in high regard for a great many years. Some of their principals come directly from the work of Emerson, and others were influenced by it. One of their principals is the free and responsible search for truth and meaning. Reverend Grimm gave a speech on Unitarian Universalism, where he introduced the Religion at an interfaith conference. In this speech, he gave a brief overview of Emerson, and stated that the desirable state of affairs where one could actually read the moral law directly for oneself was called self-reliance by a young Unitarian minister named Ralph Waldo Emerson. Grimm interprets the Essay by Emerson to mean that one should learn to trust the power within yourself to discern the higher law, to know whats right. This idea that a person could discern right from wrong without the guidance of the bible was not necessarily a new idea, but was not put out in the open so eloquently until Emerson wrote Self Reliance. Emerson was a Unitarian minister, but he left the church to pursue a career of writing. His writing still reflected his Unitarian beliefs, and in todays time, they are not only Unitarian, but more Unitarian Universalist, which only came to be after a merging of the two religions. The implications from the insight of Emerson brought an understanding of moral norms to Unitarianism. Grim States: After all, in the light of self-reliance, the Bible was seen for what it was: second-hand religion, a religion handed down from the past to us, from somebody elses original reading of the moral law long ago. (Grimm 15) Grim concludes that Self reliance unseated the hold of not only the Bible, but the sacred texts of other religions as well. All were someone elses interpretation of the moral law. It was the act of the interpretation that Emerson explained that a person could do for themselves. Grimm claims that Self Reliance put a truth out for people to consider: And so, over time, not just the Bible, but sacred texts from all of the worlds religions, came to be honored among us [Unitarian Universalists] as expressions of this universal human attempt to know what is right, and to do it. (Grimm 15) Emerson said Whoso would be a man, must be a non-conformist. (Emerson 7) meaning not to revolt against the system of man, but to question it, and gain knowledge that it holds. To accept answers on the basis of anothers opinion was trust not placed well. The major religions relied on their bible to relay right and wrong. Emerson attempts to tell the people that they already know right from wrong, and they only need to pull these morals from within. The work of Self Reliance coincides with the literary periods of Romanticism and of the Transcendentalists. This was a time of discovery and appreciation for nature. It was an enlightenment of the people, yet a grim realization by Emerson that dependence on societys demands and behaving correctly was becoming a major part of the human existence. Emerson says that men are overly concerned with reputations and the opinion of others so much so that they can no longer be genuine, and instead become hypocritical and cynical. Emerson further states that Society Never Advances. (Emerson 45) For every advancement, something is taken away. Emerson details this in a large selection: The civilized man has built a coach, but has lost the use of his feet. He is supported on crutches, but lacks so much support of the muscle. He has got a fine Geneva watch, but he has lost the skill to tell the hour by the sun. A Greenwich nautical almanac he has, and so being sure of the information when he wants it, the man in the street does not know a star in the sky. The solstice he does not observe; the equinox he knows as little; and the whole bright calendar of the year is without a dial in his mind. His notebooks impair his memory; his libraries overload his wit; the insurance-office increases the number of accidents; and it may be a question whether machinery does not encumber; whether we have not lost by refinement some energy, by a Christianity entrenched in establishments and forms some vigor of wild virtue. For every stoic was a stoic; but in Christendom where is the Christian? (Emerson 46) These statements prove that throughout history, the views of civility have changed, and that the perception of such has changed with political correctness thus changing cultural rules. Emersons Self Reliance shows that civilized society is indeed flawed, and is inherently tainted with hypocrisy. Annotated Bibliography of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Grant, William E. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Masterplots, Fourth Edition (2010): 1-4. Literary Reference Center. EBSCO. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. Mark Twain gave the world The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1876. It was a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Twain opens this novel by explaining to the reader that he is being true to the characters of the book by keeping their regional dialects. According to William E. Grant, in his criticism titled Adventures of Huckleberry Finn published in Masterplots, states: The skill with which Twain elevates the dialect of an illiterate village boy to the highest levels of poetry established the spoken American idiom as a literary language and earned for Twain the reputation, proclaimed for him by Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, and many others, as the father of the modern American novel. (Grant 13) Aside from the dialect of the characters, Twain manages to bring forth an uncanny goodness in most of the characters. Twain successfully depicts the world the characters live in as volatile and ever changing. Every character is in some sort of conflict. Themes of the novel are: Society in itself is hypocritical, Freedom, Slavery, Search for a Father Figure, the common man versus the world (or society) and the brotherhood of man. According to Grant, Twain believed human beings to be innately good though increasingly corrupted by social influences that replace their intuitive sense of right and wrong. (Grant 14) The character of Huck battles with his conscience many times in trying to decide what would be the right thing to do. He fakes his death in order to save himself, yet, feels it could be the reason his father died. Huck struggles with Jims status as a slave and if he should turn him in or not. Huck eventually decides to go to Hell and maintain his decision to break what is considered morally and legally wrong, and not turn Jim in; in fact, he protects Jim at every turn. Edwards feels that Twain compellingly establishes the irony that Hucks sin against the social establishment affirms the best that is possible in the individual. Within the novel, references are made to code of Honor with the Shepherdson boys, who live under the law of vendetta against the Grangerfords. There are also numerous references to civilize. The Widow Douglass attempts to Civilize Huck, making him wear fancies on Sundays and act proper and sit up straight. She wanted to teach him religion, yet she ironically holds slaves. She seemingly does not hold herself to what even she feels is not wholly right; she will not have her slaves sold to anyone else because she cares for them very well and she would not have them sent to someone who would treat them as good as she. Grant is of the opinion that slavery provides Twain his largest metaphor for both social bondage and institutionalized injustice and inhumanity. He further feels that the novel is not an anti-slavery novel per say, but rather than attacking an institution already legally dead, Twain uses the idea of slavery as a metaphor for all social bondage and injustice. (Grant 15) The novel was published nearly thirteen years after the end of the civil war, yet opinions and perceptions on race were not yet settled. Both Huck and Jim were literally and in perceptual slavery to the Widow Douglass. They both flee to begin a new life in a slave free state, yet cast off headed south on the Mississippi. Grant offered insight to the direction of the raft as It is almost irrelevant that Twain has Huck and Jim running deeper into the South rather than north toward free soil. Freedom exists neither in the North nor in the South but in the ideal and idyllic world of the raft and river. (Grant 15) The raft and the River both play catalyst to the heart of the relationship of Huck and Jim. The two see themselves fleeing the same situations, in their minds. Both take risks for one another, and there are consequences of being caught for both Huck and Jim. Huck is perceived as an abolitionist, punishable by death. Jim is seen as the murderer of Huck, punishable by death. While each has their life on the line for the other, they sincerely protect each another, almost as father and son. They make stops along the river for supplies and rest, each stop bringing an adventure that sends them fleeing once again for the sanctuary of their raft. Grant considers It is onshore that Huck encounters the worst excesses of which the damned human race is capable, but with each return to the raft comes a renewal of spiritual hope and idealism. Grant 16) William E. Grants essay enforces the idea of Hypocrisy in Civilized Society. The novel brings situations of Slavery, Civility, rules and wrongs that many people of the 19th century simply did not want to hear about, speak of, or deal with. They would have to turn the mirror inward and have a good look at themselves, because most people simply followed the cultural rules, and did not speak out even if they thought something was wrong. Grant ends his essay of criticism of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with a most well written statement: Through the adventures of an escaped slave and a runaway boy, both representatives of the ignorant and lowly of the earth, Twain affirms that true humanity is found in humans rather than institutions. (Grant 14) While this novel continually takes a beating for its content, the underlying moral truths that are exposed can still be applied to current times, with only a slight twist. It is literature such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn that should remain as originally written, unedited, in order to maintain the integrity with which it was intended. Annotated Bibliography of The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Grimes, Linda Sue. Robert Frosts Tricky Poem. Analysis of The Road Not Taken. Suite101.com Media Inc., 14 Apr. 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. . The Road Not Taken was written by Robert Frost. This poem characterizes an assertion of individualism. In Robert Frosts Tricky Poem, an analysis by Linda Sue Grimes, she states that Frost claims this poem was about his friend Edward Thomas. They [Frost and Thomas] would periodically go on walks in the woods near London. While they would be enjoying their walk they would come across two different roads to take. After choosing one road, rumor has it; Thomas would always wonder what was down the other road. According to Grimes in Robert Frosts Tricky Poem, the first stanza is describing the situation, which was the dilemma of choosing one road over the other. The second stanza describes the road he decides to take. Because it was grassy and wanted wear he takes the road that is less traveled on, even though he stated that they were and were not exactly the same. The third stanza continuities to describe the roads, he notices the difference between the two. Such as the leaves were freshly fallen and both had not been walked on. Â  The forth stanza has tricky words, I shall be telling this with a sigh, the word this can be interpreted as a relief or regret in the decision of the road he takes. (Frost 16) Different interpretations can be identified after reading The Road Not Taken, such as views upon friendship or his future behind the road he has taken and his experiences because of his choice. In the beginning of the 20th century there was a strong focus on individuality and nature, as it offered an escape from focus of World War I. Various processes in industrialism were taking shape in the country and changing views of society. Frosts poetry served as a system check back to reality from the chaos of the times. As Grimes says: In this poem, it is important to be careful with the time frame. When the speaker says he will be reporting sometime in the future how his road choice turned out, he clearly states that he cannot assign meaning to sigh and difference yet, because he cannot know how his choice will affect his future, until after he has lived it. (Grimes 11) Annotated Bibliography of Resistance to Civil Government by Henry David Thoreau Yarborough, Wynn. Readings of Thoreaus Resistance to Civil Government. American Transcendentalism Web. Virginia Commonwealth University. 1995. Web. March 11, 2011. Wynn Yarboroughs paper, titled Readings of Thoreaus Resistance to Civil Government, is an overview of Thoreaus Resistance to Civil Government, which is sometimes simply called Civil Disobedience, is based on a variety of sources from the 1920s through the 1970s. In the early paragraphs, Mr. Yarborough goes through the stages of Thoreaus life and different ways in which his work was perceived through the years. The remainder of the paper consists primarily of variety of different opinions and how each of them plays a part in certain time periods. The overall view of the references used by Mr. Yarborough is that Thoreau was a man with a great ability to justify his beliefs. Each of the views expressed by him seems to be validated by others in the years to come. It is my belief that Mr. Yarborough was very informative with this paper. It was an overview complied from many sources over an extended period of time. Each of the critics shows a side of Thoreau and they use his beliefs to back up their choices. The government is reflected in different ways during each of the reviews that Mr. Yarborough states. I feel that each of the critics of Thoreau may believe that his ways were not justified and that perhaps he was not rational. Critics such as Vivas, Parrington and MacKayne all show a variety of beliefs which may be justified by critiquing Thoreau. One example in Mr. Yarboroughs research that speaks to the significance of Thoreaus writings is In the 1960s, Thoreau became not only relevant but almost a popular icon. The statement that as time changes the literature of that time changes to reflect the views of society is shown correct with this review and how Thoreaus work is used to further many causes. Each time period from the 1920s through the 1970s has shown that the government had ever changing values. While time continues to change literature, time changes to reflect the views of society. Hypocrisy will always be a part of the government as it was so many years ago and it continues today. It is not the intention of the people involved but it is how society seems to function as a whole. Annotated Bibliography of Smoke and Steel by Carl Sandburg Niven, Penelope. Carl (August) Sandburg. American Poets, 1880-1945: Third Series. Ed. Peter Quartermain. Detroit: Gale Research, 1987. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 54. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. Penelope Nivens Critical essay, titled Carl (August) Sandburg, offers a look at the life and work of Carl Sandberg, an American Poet. Niven opens with a brief biographical essay, highlighting that Sandburg came from humble beginnings as the child of immigrants from Sweden. His parents met after they arrived in the United States, in Illinois. They were in search of a share of American democracy and prosperity. (Niven 4) His father was a hard worker, being employed by the railroad yard as a blacksmith. Sandburg was born in 1878, and was raised speaking both English and Swedish. According to Niven, Carl Sandberg was eager to assimilate into American Culture and Society at a very early age. When he was in grade school, he changed his name from a Swedish sounding Carl to a more American Sounding Charles. (Niven 4) There were many children in the Sandburg household, and after the deaths of two of the children, in 1892, Charles was forced to leave school to help with the familys needed income. In 1897, Sandburg left his family, at the age of eighteen, and toured the United States on the rails as a hobo. He gained knowledge of different areas, and worked odd jobs with the local working class people to get a small bit of money that helped him from one place to another. His desire to travel was immense, and he eventually volunteered for service in the Spanish American War in 1898. (Niven 6) His status as a veteran allowed him to attend college at no cost. He did attend, but did not excel, and eventually left. Sandburg was more interested with people and the landscape than he was with proper schooling. Sandberg began to write about the American people being candid and rugged, speaking in individual free-verse style which spoke clearly, directly, and often crudely to the audience which was also his subject. (Niven 10) He became an investigative reporter for the Chicago Daily News; he further developed passionate social concerns. Nivens states: He covered war, racial strife, lynchings, mob violence, and the inequities of the industrial society, such as child labor, and disease and injury induced in the workplace. These concerns were transmuted into poetry. Sandberg published several books of poetry, the first being Chicago Poems, that gave realistic views from the working class, children, and the inexplicable fate of the vulnerable and struggling human victims of war, progress, business. The following volume of poetry was titled Smoke and Steel (1920), which focused on the harsh reality of the times. The volume vividly depicts the daily toil of the working man and woman, the people who must sing or die.' Within the volume, a poem also titled Smoke and Steel, Sandburg uses Smoke from steel mills, spring fields, and autumn leaves as metaphors for the blood of a man. He considers them a life force, but also that which gives the people commonality. The poem details the struggle of the common man. Nivens finds that the Volume as a collection is uneven and concludes with contradictory critical views. She further states that other critics have labeled Sandburg as having no sense of the past or vision of the future. Some critics, however, did find that this son of Swedish immigrants was particularly suited to write about the incomplete, but urgent and hopeful American democracy and that Sandberg allows others to see our national life in the largeits beauty and glory, its baseness and shame. This article by Penelope Nivens offers a great look at the life and times of Carl Sandberg, and does relate his work, as a whole, to spotlighting the hypocrisy of American Society, within the time period that it is written, the 1920s, in the height of the Industrial Revolution. Within the poem, Smoke and Steel, the focus is on the lifeblood of all the people and what the people must do and conform to in order to make society work, and work for each of them. Even those who wish to escape the hypocrisy of civilized society and do something else will eventually return because of the jobs provided by industry. The anthem learned by the steel is: Do this or go hungry. (Sandburg 104, 105) Nivens concludes Yet as the spokesman for the great human family, Carl Sandburg, biographer, historian, troubadour, and poet, speaks to any period, any place. Annotated Bibliography of Smoke and Steel by Carl Sandburg Yannella, Philip. The Other Carl Sandburg. Univ. Press of Mississippi, 1996. Google Books. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. http://books.google.com/books?id=9T9h_xAdxGwCprintsec=frontcover#v=onepage qf=false Phillip Yannella has written immense material analyzing the poetry and works of Carl Sandburg, a poet of the early 20th century. In his book titled, The Other Carl Sandburg, Yanella looks at several of the books that Sandburg wrote, and attempts to shed light onto each volume, and give a bit of a representation to some of the more important individual poems contained within the volumes. The volume, Smoke and Steel, comprised many poems, and was the second book for Carl Sandburg. The first book reflected positively on the working class, and its eventual happiness to be active and productive. The second book, Smoke and Steel, has no heroic working class about to rise up to take its just due, no models of proper working class behavior, no noble immigrant workers, no happy autonomous humanistic workers, workers who danced and sang in spite of their lowness. (Yannella 144) Instead, with Smoke and Steel, Sandburg portrayed the worker as an angry and violent soul, and who harbored hostility against society. The worker was invisible. The time when the work was written, the 1920s, is important because the Race Riots had just happened, and there was a steel dispute that caused workers to decline in numbers, the union to strike, and allowed technology to take many a workers job. The poem titled Smoke and Steel is the longest in the volume of the same name. It contains some of the most intense, suggestive language he ever wrote. (Yanella 145) Sandburg metaphorically compares the smoke to the blood of man. He says that there is smoke in the mills, in the fields, in the burning leaves, and this smoke is from the work done by the common man. This man puts so much of himself into the task that the smoke becomes his blood and without it he cannot sustain, as the work cannot sustain without the worker. Smoke into blood, and blood into steel. They make the steel with men. The work of Sandburg and the Analysis by Phillip Yannella prove the thesis that society is hypocritical in itself, by requiring things to be made through industry to support it, yet it is the man who works in industry, and in doing so, suffers. The poem, Smoke and Steel, has powerful language that exposes the fact that steel is part of our everyday life, and it creeps into the everyday existence of every person. What is of the person and family who worked so hard and sometimes gave their life to give these often meaningless things to society? Sandburg states Smoke and blood is the mix of steel connecting the product with what has gone into making it. (Sandburg 45) He continues, as if every other person in the country is named Steve. Steve and the rest of us end on the same stars; we all wear a hat in hell together, in hell or heaven. (Sandburg 71) Sandburg touches on the environmental aspect as the byproduct of the steel that is made, slag, is washed out by fire and wind, and states Forever the slag gets washed in fire and wind because slag will contaminate wherever it lies forever. Sandberg shows that in our time or progress, we find need for steel and other industry, for our planes, our warships, and our rails. Sandburg humanizes the workers as brothers, and extends their reach as smoke from all industry to reach every American. Annotated Bibliography of I have a Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dlugan, Andrew. Speech Analysis: I Have a Dream Martin Luther King Jr. Six Minutes. Six Minutes, Jan. 2009. Web. 14 Mar. 2011. . On August 28, 1963 the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech, is called Dream Day. Andrew Dlugan, in his speech analysis, states I Have A Dream is one of the most memorable speeches of all time. (Dlugan). That title represents an uplifting illusion to all who had the honor of listening to the speech, at least once in their lifetime. According to Dlugan, There are many uses of literally terms in the topics of Kings speech, such as rhetorical methods, including repetition, metaphors, inspiration, identification and persuasion. Dlugan points out that I Have A Dream is repeated eight times. This is an example of anaphora in modern rhetoric. The repetition of words is common within the speech. Freedom is repeated 20 times, mainly because freedom is the primary theme. The words, we, 30 times, our, seventeen times and dream, eleven times. In paragraph two of Kings speech, Five score years ago refers to Lincolns famous Gettysburg Address speech which began Four score and seven years ago This allusion is particularly poignant given that King was speaking in front of the Lincoln Memorial (Dlugan). Geographic reference was mention throughout the speech, Mississippi and New York (paragraph 13), Georgia (paragraph 19) and Alabama (paragraph 22). Lastly, metaphors are highlighting the contrast between two abstract concepts. Joyous daybreak to end the long night captivity (Paragraph 2). The Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity (Paragraph 3). This speech and analysis of it prove the thesis by showing that the people do not stand on the moral ground that they think that they do. Society has been living without seeing that other people, who share the same lands as they, are not affo