Living in love

A feeling of overwhelming gratitude to Swami and a sense of oneness with Him washed over me and warmed me to the core. Somehow those words brought home to me Just how much LOVE Swami has brought into my life, transforming my outlook and my interaction with others to such an extent that In some tiny way, people are starting to see Him In me. † Be about My Work, My Beloved Backchat. Your breath will carry the scent of the blossoms of Heaven.Your example will be that of Angels. Your joy will be My Joy. † (Buchanan Sir Asthma SAA Babe) What a breathtaking promise!! It is spectacular but true. As Swami's physical body seems to become smaller and more distant day by day, there is a corresponding exponential growth in His spiritual presence felt in the people around us, be they labeled or unlabelled Sal devotees. More and more we are glimpsing the Divine in the thoughts, words and deeds of those around us.People everywhere seem to be yearning for something more in their lives th an material success, it is as If they are Just walling for the opportunity to serve others and will respond to the call In hordes. Many are not even walling for the opportunity, they are creating their own service projects with a selflessness and zeal which just has SAA written all over it, even if they o not know His physical form.In the same South African newspapers which report unthinkable crime and corruption, we find creeping in regular stories of ‘ordinary people with hearts of gold, reaching out to the orphans, the sick, and the poor masses. The experience at work that I have related above is not unique. I am certain that each and every person on this earth has had or will have at some point, this humbling moment when you have done a small service to someone and yet feel as If you have received a million times more than you gave.That Is the LOVE principle – It has no measure! I am feeling the magic of Swami's Love working in my life more and more each day. Brothe rs and sisters whom I thank for giving me the challenges I need to refine my character. There are no more tragedies, only life experiences which are exactly what I need at that moment. There are no more wrong people, only fellow souls on a journey of discovery. I feel a kinship growing with everyone around me, they are becoming clones of me in different disguises but each with a core of LOVE.How can I ate or despise myself; how can I not give myself a second chance; how can I not accept myself for who they are; how can I not give myself the benefit of the doubt; how can I not appreciate the good in myself; how can I grudge myself the little bit of love they crave; how can I not spare myself a kind thought, word or deed; how can I not reach out to myself when they are in pain and suffering. The feeling that all are myself is guiding me so that more and more I find myself walking in love, talking with love, living in LOVE.

Animal Farm, Theme, Tone, Imagery Essay

The theme of â€Å"Animal Farm† by George Orwell is there are dangers of a naive working class if the abuse of language as instrumental to the abuse of power is applied. For example, on page 31 â€Å"Comrades! You do not imagine, I hope, that we pigs are doing this in selfishness and privilege? Milk and apples contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brain workers; the organization of the farm totally depends on us† Squealer cried. This is manipulation of language to make the Animals believe that the pigs should be given the best of the food production. According to Squealer mental work is more exhausting than physical work. This shows manipulation, because Orwell refers back to the Russian Revolution of 1917 when Stalin took over Russia and he didn’t follow Marx’s ideas, as Napoleon didn’t follow the idea of Animalism. Joseph Stalin killed anything in his path and modified the laws to his benefit, as Napoleon did throughout the book. Also, on page 100 the hens are requested to give six hundred eggs a week, and the other animals wore asked to build a windmill and a schoolroom while their food rations are being reduced. Everything in total is mostly for the pigs benefit, as in the schoolroom for the teachings of the young pigs, and the money for the sale of the eggs is making. There are dangers of having a naive working class because, people can be manipulated by the abuse of propaganda. Tone Orwell creates an indignant tone throughout the classic Animal Farm. The indignant tone is shown through out the book, because Orwell feels anger about how unfair the Russian Revolution was and, how naive society can be when people don’t work for rights. In Chapter V, â€Å"At this there was a terrible baying sound outside, and nine enormous dogs wearing brass-studded collars came bounding into the barn. They dashed straight for Snowball, who only sprang from his place just in time to escape their snapping jaws. † According to SparkNotes, Editors, â€Å"These words from Chapter V describe Napoleon’s violent expulsion of Snowball from Animal Farm, which parallels the falling-out between Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky. As Stalin did, Napoleon prefers to work behind the scenes to build his power by secrecy and deception, while Snowball, as Trotsky did, devote himself to winning popular support through his ideas and his eloquence. † The tone Orwell creates all refers back to the Russian Revolution, Napoleon decided to create his own power ignoring what the real idea of Animalism that Old Major created. Napoleon ignores Animalism, because creates a more of a totalitarian government. He makes himself President when in reality he is a dictator. Orwell shows that he is indignant about Joseph Stalin and how he used to kill people who got in a way of his power, as Napoleon who is really ambitious and kills opponents to his ideas. Imagery Through out the book Animal Farm, George Orwell uses examples of imagery to make a better vivid image to show the readers how unfair the Russian Revolution was. Old Major’s dream is an example of imagery. Old Major’s dream is about equality. Old Major tells the other animals that â€Å"Man is the only creature that consumes without producing,† and he encourages them to â€Å"work night and day, body and soul, for the over-throw of the human race. † In short, he explains that men have been taking advantage of them for years, and that it’s time for the tyranny of man to end but, what he is really talking about is rebellion. Major’s dream is a simplest version of Communist Manifesto; the basic idea of the Manifesto was capitalism was seriously unfair. The workers never saw the products of their labor because the capitalists, the people who owned the means of production claimed the profit for themselves. As in the book, Mr. Jones never showed the animals any affection or appreciation thus the animals for their work. The author used imagery in this occasion because he wanted to portray a negative view of how he attended his farm, and to give him an instant poor reputation because of his usage of alcoholism. Equally imagery was utilized by Orwell in pages 107-108 when a main working class character, Boxer, was being taken away by the Horse Slaughterer. Evidently, the usage of imagery helped to see how the animals responded towards the last seeing of one of their own, and how violent Boxer responded. In brief, all the vivid images Orwell cause was for the caused of the comprehension of how the ones being use by the ones with power are being affected. Imagery in Animal Farm helps the reader have a better idea and comprehension of what allegorically message Orwell is trying to transmit through the animals. Literary Devices Dramatic Irony is used throughout the book, dramatic irony was shown when Squealer and Napoleon persuasive the animals that Boxer died in peace. The death of Boxer shows Dramatic Irony because the reader knows that Boxer didn’t actually die in peace he actually was sent to a Slaughter house to get killed. Squealer tells the animals that the van that came to pick up Boxer was from hasn’t been repainted since the past owners. This is dramatic irony because the van clearly says, â€Å"‘Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler, Willingdon. Dealer in Hides and Bone-Meal. Kennels Supplied. In page 13 and 30 there was a bucket of milk left for the animals to use it in their mash, but once they left one animal stayed behind for some minutes, Napoleon, after the animals came back the milk had disappeared. Dramatic irony was seen and use here because the reader would comprehend how Napoleon actually took the milk for his food and some other pigs too, but wasn’t planning to share it with the rest of the animals in the farm, as it has been proven in page 30 when the animals found out that he actually took the milk. In a brief, page 13 the reader was actually the only one able to understand that Napoleon took the milk while the rest of the animals didn’t have a clue until page 30. Orwell wants the audience to know how the animals are been fooled and brain washed by Sealer and Napoleon and the animals are too naive to understand and see what really is happening. Genre Analysis Animal Far m is an example of an allegory classic; this novel teaches the reader how unfair was the Russian Revolution and what a big impact it had in the 1917-1921. Napoleon’s Initiative represents Stalin’s five year plans, In Animal Farm, Napoleon has the animals working harder than ever. Even the neighboring humans â€Å"had developed a certain respect for the efficiency with which the animals were managing their own affairs† But the animals are still starving. And just like Stalin, Napoleon uses tricks to â€Å"conceal this fact from the outside world† Napoleon sends the sheep out to talk about increased rations and has empty food bins filled with sand, lots of fiber, but unfortunately not too filling. Orwell is trying to teach the reader that society can be really dumb and easy to be manipulated, and people obey those who say they have power because society is too naive to take initiative of their own. The Hen’s rebellion represents Stalin’s Great Purge, The hens refuse to give up their eggs; Napoleon starves them; several of the hens die; the rest simply give up. Then, the pigs confess that they were working with Snowball and Mr. Frederick, and a moment later the dogs â€Å"tore their throats out† And then it happens again, with hens from the rebellion, a goose, and several sheep. Napoleon contradicts himself based on the first seven commandments, â€Å"No animal shall kill another animal†. Napoleon changes this commandment to â€Å"No animal shall be killed without cause. † Orwell wants the reader to understand that sometimes leaders change laws to their benefit and citizens don’t claim anything against them, because they are too scare to speak u. Animal Farm is a great allegoric novel because it teaches the reader how cruel the world can be when there is not actual equality and society gets intimated by people with power.

Advanced Auditing Case 2.3

Advanced Auditing Case Assignment 2. 3 1. (a) When confirming year-end accounts receivable, auditors hope to accomplish the objective of obtaining evidence from third parties to evaluate the client’s assertions of year-end accounts receivable amounts. The client’s assertions that accounts receivable confirmation can effectively address are existence, rights, and valuation. b) When performing year-end sales cutoff tests, auditors hope to accomplish the objective of obtaining evidence from third parties to evaluate the client’s assertions of sales recorded for the period under audit. The client’s assertions that sales cutoff tests can effectively address are completeness and presentation. 2. Coopers & Lybrand made several significant errors of judgment in its effort to confirm the Wow Wee receivable at the end of 1995.These errors of judgment include ignoring or overlooking red flags including: the 69% change in the percentage of factored accounts receivable from 1994 to 1995, the $2. 4 million in sales to Wow Wee booked in the final day of fiscal 1995, the fact that Wow Wee is a manufacturing company, the fact that Wow Wee was left out of the top 25 customers list when it was among the top 5 based on recorded sales, and the clearly falsified bill of lading.Coopers & Lybrand failed to make the appropriate modifications to their planned audit procedures to examine these irregularities. Coopers & Lybrand also failed to follow up on the confirmation of the Wow Wee receivable that they accepted from Goldberg. These errors of judgment involve extreme negligence on the part of the auditors. I would classify these errors as reckless as there is no evidence to support that Coopers & Lybrand were involved in the fraud.I think that the auditors did not suspect that fraud would occur at Happiness Express in 1995 as they had previously audited Happiness Express in 1994 and rightfully issued an unqualified opinion. I think that the auditors believe d that these were simple mistakes that did not need to be further examined. The company’s revenue grew so significantly from 1994 to 1995 and because of this, I think that is was easy for the auditors to believe that the employees were simply overwhelmed by the company’s alarming growth and made mistakes as a result. . Yes Coopers & Lybrand should have confirmed the receivable from West Coast Liquidators at the end of fiscal 1995 because it represented 13%, a clearly material amount, of the total accounts receivable. They also should have included one or more of the sales to West Coast Liquidators in their year-end sales cutoff tests for 1995 as many of these transactions were booked in the final month of the fiscal year.Sales transactions occurring close to the end of the fiscal year are much more likely to be suspicious in nature or fraudulent than transactions occurring earlier in the year. 4. The alternative procedures that can be applied to a large receivable of a n audit client when a confirmation cannot be obtained include examination of subsequent cash receipts, the matching of such receipts with the actual items paid for, and examination of shipping, or other client documentation.The evidence provided by these methods may differ from the evidence provided by confirmation of a receivable depending on the client’s documentation of the transaction. Typically, in a company with proper internal controls and documentation, alternative procedures should be able to effectively address the same assertions that the confirmation of a receivable address. At very least, alternative procedures provide evidence for the existence assertion. 5. According to AU Section 317. 7, auditors should be aware of the possibility that illegal acts, such as insider trading, may have occurred however, an audit made in accordance with GAAS provides no assurance that illegal acts will be detected or that any contingent liabilities that may result will be disclose d. In the event that an auditor discovers evidence concerning the existence of possible illegal acts that could have a material indirect effect on the financial statements, they should apply audit procedures directed to ascertain whether an illegal act has occurred.

Strategic Management Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Strategic Management Accounting - Essay Example This point of view is well supported with both early (Solomons, 1952) and contemporary researches (Boyns and Edwards, 1997a). Needless to say, standard costing has come a long way before it became generally accepted. Originally, cost accounting systems were mainly concerned with variable costs, such as labour and raw materials expenditures. This trend reflected the nature of businesses of that time, which had their variable costs dominating over fixed costs. It was found that before the First World War standard costing system largely interacted with organizational structure and strategic decision making (Boyns and Edwards, 1997b). Still, no evidences were found that costing system had been used in eliminating wastes and inefficiencies. Moreover, costing practices at that time were limited only to basic industries, such as coal and iron. Later, in 1900-1950 cost accounting at large, and standard costing in particular expanded further in the UK. Although still being under a strict control at engineering (state policy prohibited profiteering in that sector), it developed into government departments and business generally. Standard costing was promoted with accountants connecting theory with practice and a considerable variation was found in perception of standard costing between different times and places of that period in Britain (Boyns and Edwards, 1997c). Therefore standard costing system was not still implemented widely throughout the industries in Britain. It began to grow in popularity as a rather simple and accurate way of improving internal efficiency of a business. Nevertheless, issues of considering fixed assets, especially, depreciation created ambiguities for users of standard costing. These difficulties were strengthened with the trend of fixed costs (depreciation, maintenance, tooling, production control , purchasing, storage, etc.) increasing in value and variable costs decreasing. Accounting historians indicate that the

Organizational Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Organizational Problem - Essay Example To do so she must look beyond the surface issues -- resistant to her presence and management style, resentment because she does not have any experience or skills required to work in the department and her new staff is not ready and willing to assist her in understanding the workflow process, policies and procedures of the department. Any change in an organization means there is disruption in the workflow process, communication flow and resistance and shifts in the moral. Bolman & Deal defined said that â€Å"†¦ change disrupts existing roles and working relationships, producing confusion and uncertainty. Structural patterns need to be revised and realigned to support the new direction†¦causes loss of meaning for people on the receiving end of change.† (2003, p. 339) In a family owned and managed manufacturing organization such as the one in the case, we find that the culture and the organizational structure dictates how and when change will be acknowledged and accepted by all. Therefore the organizational structure is defined as a hybrid -- simple and divisionalized form, in which power and direction of leadership come from the bottom up and it is based on major divisions of labor between members/staff on the line. In this organization management observes at a distance and allows the staff to produce, interact and communicate among themselves. There are specific expectation and roles as well as policies and procedures among the staff and they govern as well as dictate the level(s) of success the organization achieves. According to Bolman & Deal (2003) in organizations â€Å"Structure provides clarity, predictability, and security. Formal roles prescribe duties and outline how work is to be performed. Policies and standard operating procedures synchronize diverse efforts into well-coordinated programs.† (p.324) The firm is more dependent on the knowledge and skill sets of its workers (staff) than on their ability to

Introduction to Radio Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Introduction to Radio - Essay Example Robert McLeash also asserts that the British radio is riven roughly 50/50 between radio stations owned and run by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and radio stations owned by commercial groups through license given by Ofcom. On the other hand, there are over two hundred stations owned and operated by the community, however, they are also licensed by Ofcom. MacLeash 2007 (14) also asserts that radio stations are characterized in the manner in which they are financed, and not by what they do. For instance, public service radio stations such as BBC operate under the terms of a Royal Charter and are funded by TV license fees. This fee is payable by people in the United Kingdom who watches live programming of television. The license fee is topped up by grants and revenues. On the other hand, commercial radio stations broadcasting in the United Kingdom are funded by payments made for advertisements. They broadcast on AM or FM via DTV, online and DAB (McLeish 2005, pp.13). The mod e of funding influences what is aired on these radio stations. This is explicated in the pressure faced by BBC to educate, be impartial, inform, as well as entertain since they rely on license fees. The first week also enabled us to learn the basics that an individual should know before embarking on recording of for radio or interviews. This is attributed to the fact that some background sounds such as wind, music or people talking in close range to the recording device can bring problems during editing. This is because they are difficult to edit out. In order to prove this point, we visited various locations within the university to ascertain that different reverberations have different effects on recording (Fleming 2002, pp.67). For instance, we visited two indoor and two outdoor locations in order to come up with the best neutral location and the best location with a background noise for recording an interview for radio. WEEK 2 Vox pop, an abbreviation of the Latin words vox popu li meaning ‘voice of the people’ is an extremely important source of news. In this type of news coverage, special researchers and news reporters go out into the streets with the intentions of seeking public views and opinions on matters of current public concern. They do this by asking thoughtful questions in order to: test public opinions and reactions, influence decision makers, stimulate public debate, forecast results of certain events, and promote a radio, newspaper or television station, among others (Crisell 1994, pp. 57). Vox pops have been used in the radio industry from the 1930s. It is also reported that in the initial decades of the 20th century, vox pops acted as a medium for the community to express their views. This is attributed to the fact that radio played an integral role in the community since it created a way for community members to provide, as well as receive opinion. In class we learnt how to make vox pop recordings. For instance, we were taught that questions should be asked with the recorder on pause; and that only responses given by the respondents’ should be recorded (Crisell 1994, pp. 69). Additionally, the responses should be put together in separate bands so that during compilation, the best answers should be at the beginning and at the end. In the middle of the vox pop, the responses should contain a mix up of opinions varying between female and male voices. WEEK 3 During this week we learnt how to edit the vox pops that we had made in the

History of a food item Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of a food item - Essay Example The name for the new beverage was proposed by John Pemberton's book keeper Frank Robinson. The pharmacist business met difficulties immediately: the same year was signed by a prohibition law that persuaded the chemist and unsuccessful businessman Pemberton to change his 'brand's' name and alter the formula for his commonly-used nerve tonic and headache remedy, 'Pemberton's French Wine Coca', offered by a number of drug stores. Thus, when the 'revived' coca-cola re-appeared in druggists', it possessed "the valuable tonic and nerve stimulant properties of the coca plant and cola nuts, yet sweetened with sugar instead of wine--Pemberton advertised it not only as a delicious, exhilarating, refreshing and invigorating" soda-fountain beverage but also as the ideal temperance drink" (Levenstein, 1993, p.152). Although the inventive pharmacist died just two years later, in March 1888 (Anderson, 1958), by that time he had created a corporation of the first coca-cola brand, concocted by his partners. On January, 1893, the formula was patented in order to protect intellectual property of the founders. And the coca-cola soft drink, whole unit sales totaled only 3,200 servings per day (ibid), is nowadays called the world's most widespread beverage, acknowledged and consumed in 195 countries. It is interesting to note that until the beginning of 1960s, countryside and big city inhabitants took their favorite beverages from the local soda fountains or ice cream saloons. These places served as meeting places for youngsters as well as seniors; but the rapid development of fast-food area and the area of bottled beverages was followed by the decline of popularity of soda fountain counters. Nevertheless, the status of coca-cola even benefited from this development, since small restaurants were so cozy and convenient that their customers took several servings of coca-cola for one person in order to stay there for a longer time. April 1985 was signed by a sensation: the 'New Coke' formula was released. This was called 'the trade secret release'. A trade secret is defined as information allowing an individual to make money, "because it is not generally known. A trade secret could be a formula, computer program, process, method, device, technique, pricing information, customer lists or other non-public information. If the economic value of a piece of information relies on it being kept private, it could be a trade secret" (Pendergast, 1993, p.208). As for coca-cola, its trade secret was a real miracle, and marketing and advertising techniques were concentrated (especially during the Great Depression, up to the 1970s) on the atmosphere of 'mystery' that covered the invention and the process of creation of the beverage (Belasco, 1988). This marketing campaign is ongoing, even though it has new shape nowadays. The research of the 1980s suggested that coca-cola is not exactly safe for human health, so the formula has been changed several times from 1987 up to these days. Being unable to create a 'healthy' image of the beverage, the marketers are now putting stress upon it's style and fashion, as the trade mark collaborates with several areas of sport and fashion industries. In addition, in order to meet the requirements of American youngsters, the company launched the production of 'Coca-Cola Vanilla', 'Coca-Cola Cherry' and 'Coca-Cola Light' (for those who follow low-caloric diets). The 1996 Summer

The Baroque and Rococo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Baroque and Rococo - Essay Example Rococo style of art emerged in France in the early 18th century as a continuation of the Baroque style. In contrast to the heavier themes and darker colors of the Baroque, the Rococo style was characterized by an opulence, grace, playfulness, and lightness. Rococo motifs focused on the carefree aristocratic life and on lighthearted romance rather than heroic battles or religious figures; they also revolve heavily around nature and exterior settings. Baroque derived from the Italian word barocco, which was a term used by philosophers during the middle Ages to describe an obstacle in schematic logic. Another possible source is the Portuguese word barroco (Spanish barrueco), used to describe an irregular or imperfectly shaped pearl, and this usage still survives in the jeweler's term baroque pearl. Rococo was an art style of 18th-century painting and decorations characterized by lightness, delicacy, and elaborate ornamentation. The Rococo period corresponded roughly to the reign (1715-1 774) of Louis XV of France. The term rococo comes from the French rocaille, "rock-work". Baroque in the 16th century up to the 18th century was considered to be loosely applied to European art. Based on Hauser, the painting of the Baroque period is so varied that no single set of stylistic criteria can be applied to it. The reason for this is that because currents of classicism and naturalism co existed with. According in the History of Art by Hauser, the catholic churches use this kind of art in order to invite the churchgoers. to enter their church. The churches that evolved from this program were both sensuous and spiritual, while the naturalistic rendered the religious image more comprehensible to the average churchgoer, dramatic and illusory effects were used to stimulate piety and devotion. According to Hauser the Baroque vision of the world is dynamic and dramatic. Hauser described the figures with utmost vividness and richness by using rich colours, dramatic effects of light and shade, and lavish use of highlights. Based on the Story of Art in 1950, Gombrich distinguished between representational art based on seeing and that on based on understanding. The story of the Art, is a story of a continuous weaving and changing of tradition in which each work refers to the past and points to the future. The baroque style according to Gombrich in the Story of the Art, should emphasized on unity among the arts. Gombrich description on baroque art is that the viewer tends to engage the viewer, both physically and emotionally. In painting and sculpture this was achieved by means of highly developed naturalistic illusionism, usually heightened by dramatic lighting effects, creating an unequaled sense of theatricality, energy, and movement of forms. Architecture, departing from the classical canon revived during the Renaissance, took on the fluid, plastic aspects of sculpture. Hauser and Gombrich on Rococo The Rococo style of art emerged in France in the early 18th century as a continuation of the Baroque style, but in

Interpretation of Spss Outcomes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Interpretation of Spss Outcomes - Essay Example tions are mainly normal distributed: Normal Skewness shows that the participants’ distribution on the social influence questions were evenly distributed indicating a values fairly resembling the mean. This shows that the participants were equally statistically significant in determining the outcome. Performance expectancy questions are mainly left skewed: Left Skewness shows that the participants’ distribution on the performance expectancy questions was negative indicating a value lower than the mean. This shows that the participants were not statistically significant in determining the outcome. Effort expectancy questions are mainly left skewed: Left Skewness shows that the participants’ distribution on the intention questions was negative indicating a value lower than the mean. This shows that the participants were not statistically significant in determining the outcome. However, while some responses showed right and normal skewness, left skewness appeared more frequently. Facilitating questions are mainly left skewed, with a slight tendency to normal distribution for the last facilitating chart. Left skewness indicates that the participants’ distribution on the intention questions was mainly negative indicating a value lower than the mean. However, a slight tendency to the normal distribution shows that participants were fairly statistically significant. Perceived security risk answers are mainly normal distributed: Normal Skewed questions show that the participants’ distribution on the intention questions normal with almost even distribution and indicates a value closely tied to the mean. This shows that the participants were not statistically significant in determining the outcome. Perceived trust answers are mainly normal distributed, with a slight tendency to left skewness for the first chart: Considering the first chart, it is observed that the perceived question distribution is left skewed indicating that participants with opposing opinions

Visual Thinking Strategies Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Visual Thinking Strategies - Research Paper Example As I scanned my badge in, I turned to their teacher and politely asked, â€Å"Is this your first educational trip to the MFA, are you here to see the new Linde wing?† â€Å"No,† she replied, â€Å"we’re here for a VTS tour.† â€Å"That is wonderful,† I exclaimed. After pausing, I politely stated, â€Å"I am just about to write a paper on VTS, would you mind telling me where you are from?† Kindly responding, the teacher stated, â€Å"We are a social studies class from the Boston public school system, and we have a partnership with the MFA. This is our last lesson of the curriculum and it ends with a VTS tour at the Museum.† In my opinion, teachers in all subject areas find themselves with the challenge of bringing that subject to life for their students, especially students who struggle to grasp the concepts of the course. Constantly trying new strategies and educational techniques, the best teachers try to reach those students in an unconventional way. In this case, I presume the social studies teacher turned to Suzi Fonda, Manager of Teacher Programs and School Partnerships at the MFA, to help her students draw connections between the content studied in the classroom and the collection of American Art currently displayed at the MFA. Since the culture and environment of the museums considerably differs from those prevalent in the classrooms, educators frequently wonder whether the productive techniques used by the museum educators are applicable in the environment of the classroom. In this paper, I will examine the productivity of Visual Thinking, and its connection to the classroom. Upon providing an in-depth look at VTS itself as a teaching tool, I will then examine further the applicability of the technique to the school classroom, more specifically within the social studies curricula, and evaluate its results and make recommendations if any as to how it may be improved. In particular, I will utilize class readings, discussions, case studies, and museum curricula, and I will transfer these experiences into my evaluation. Finally, I will conduct interviews with two Directors of Education, both of whom are involved in the VTS implementation at their art museums, and I will discuss their concerns, results and issues of the program. Curriculum In a typical VTS lesson, students look carefully at a work of art, and talk about what they observe. This method uses art to build the capacity to observe, think, listen and communicate. The guiding principle is that self-discovery is a powerful way to learn, and that such self-directed learning is stimulated by discussion amongst peers.1 Th e curriculum of VTS is fundamentally based on the discussion held among the students. The role of a teacher in it is that of a facilitator of discussion among the students. There are three basic questions that the facilitator uses in order to guide the students towards the path of conducting the discussion among themselves. These three questions include; â€Å"What is going on in this picture?† (Walker), â€Å"What do you see that makes you say that?† (Walker), and â€Å"What more can you find?† (Walker). The facilitator identifies the responses of individual students by their respective names, and points towards the relevant parts of the painting while paraphrasing the responses. In addition to that, it is equally important for the facilitator to keep track of the various threads of conversation so that they can be interlinked and the students can be provided with the opportunity to connect their thoughts with the thoughts of their class fellows. These question s have been designed in a very prudent manner. â€Å"The wording of the first question gives tacit approval of the story-finding, playing to the beginner’

Historical Interview on Nigerian Fashion Essay Example for Free

Historical Interview on Nigerian Fashion Essay In line with my background, I found it imperative to carry out this interview in Africa. This was made possible via Skype, as my granddad and mum had a 2 hours session with me on this topic, â€Å"How clothing was obtained in our family during their time and their sense of costume while they were still champions in the village. Other relative questions they attempted to answer in this interview are the nature of clothing production during their time, and how they had influenced their style of dressing. The interview was divided into two parts as clearly indicated above. The first questions were answered by granddad, while the later questions were answered by my grand mum. The era in focus is before colonization. It was an era commonly tagged the ‘pre-colonial’. Nigeria at this time had a very unique sense of costume, basically defined by the resources found within the African environment. They made do with what they had as there was no serious western or colonial influence. FIRST PART INTERVIEW WITH GRANDDAD This interview was conducted with my grandfather who joined me on Skype last night. My granddad is at his late 90, and had experienced different eras in Nigeria. With his wealth of experience as one of the few enlightened African man at his age, he comfortably took me on a ride to the past. In this interview, M represents the interviewer, and D represents the respondent M: What is your general view about African fashion? D: well, African Fashion is unique, decent and special. African fashion communicates in different ways. If you see a king in Africa, you wouldn’t want to ask questions before you you accept that he is a king. The royalty is often defined by their costumes. This is also applicable to native doctors, magicians and soothsayers. African fashion and costumes are original, only that lately, there has been an infiltration of western culture which seems to have adulterated the originality of our costumes, and the era of Obente, skin shoes, skin bags and cloths are beginning to go into extinction. M: Would you have preferred to go with the older costumes as against what’s trending now? D: I still wear traditionally made cloths even up till today. I’m a title holder of my community, and this position is often defined by one’s adherence to African values. I see Costumes as one of those values we must not discard. M: Can you succinctly tell me how clothing was obtained in those? D: Well, in those days, men would usually have little to cover their lower region while the women had a piece for their upper region and another for their lower region. Cloths were mainly gotten from animal skin and sometimes fibres made from trees. Usually, most of us made these cloths by ourselves, and sometimes we buy them. The means of obtaining them could as well differ, depending on who is involved. Then, we used to have trade by barter. Because I was enlightened and had government job, we would buy our cloths with some kind of money called Anderi; then, there was no naira and kobo. We were also engaged in trade by barter with some of the things we had. For instance if I needed a piece of skin to make my shoes or cloth, I would put up my yam or oil for sale. Most of the time, cloths were bought during festive period, like the New yam festival and the Akatakpa festival. Ordinarily, people find it difficult looking for what to buy as fashion was really not the priority as a then. The wealthy ones as of that time wore more beautiful deigns on their animal skin or bark cloth adorned with several accessories. It was always the influential families looked more adorned. M: Were you engaged in the actual buying and selling of cloths? Have you ever gone to the market looking for cloths? D: Like I said earlier, the African man in those days could wear just one piece of skin for days, so the issue of going to the market was really not there. These skins were locally made. The only time we started going to our local markets to buy cloths was when cloths were imported into Africa by the Portuguese and Britain. It was after then, that we began to wear what we have today as cloths, even though it had very low patronage as at then. M: Thank you dad: D: Thank you my daughter and face your studies squarely. SECOND PART INTERVIEW WITH GRAND MUM This interview was also conducted via the same medium (Skype) Here, ‘MM’ will represent the respondent while the interviewer’s remains M’ M: How was clothing made when you were growing up? MM: Clothing was usually made from animal’s skins and back of trees. This means that livestock and economic threes as well as other threes in the forest were sources of clothing. For the making of animal skin, the fur or hair would be shaved clean and compressed to soften, and then it would be tanned. This process unstiffens the hide, which becomes natural leather. After this leather is produced, it is either decorated with shapes and outlines, shells, beads or left plain, this could be as a result of choice of who it’s been made for. Leather clothing could be simple to make as it takes few days to be made. Bark cloth on the other hand was made by peeling off the inner bark of trees, after that is done; it is beaten until it becomes soft. Bark cloth was fashioned into skirts and robes long enough to float around. Then, we would use the fig tree for making bark cloth. Patterned bark cloth garments were made from the different colored bark of various trees, which were combined to create designs, in addition, the bark cloth was always painted for aesthetic purpose. At a point, we went into Batik cloth, which has been important to many African women. Here, pattern is applied to fabric to make it look beautiful. It is resist-dyeing method involving coating fabric with a dye-resistant substance and dipping the fabric into colored dye. I could recall how we used to make the dye-resistant substance from cassava root or rice flour and the chemicals called alum. The substance is boiled with water to make paste out of it for various designs. Once the paste is dry, the fabric is dipped into dye in large clay pots or pits. At the end of the day, a beautiful African fabric is made. M: How has this kind of cloth making influence your style of fashion in those days? MM: It depends on what you mean by style of fashion though. We have had very good sense of costume in those days. All our locally made shoes and bags must always have a touch of the design on our batik. The Batik design was usually seen as the type of clothing that must not be worn by men, because of the beautiful designs. Additionally, because the African woman, or better still, the Nigerian woman applies a lot of facial makeup, which she called ‘Uri’, she would always patronize Batiks that were beautifully designed. M: So when was considered the most appropriate time to wear Batik? MM: Anytime, but mostly during special events. In those days, if you wanted a man to respect you, then you must go with very well designed Batik.

Human Movement Essay Example for Free

Human Movement Essay Kinesiology, plainly put is the study of human movement and all aspects to it. It is the science of human movement. It is comprehensive in its outlook in that it looks at being part of the physical activity (the experience), class room study of the theories and concepts that make an activity qualify as physical (scholarly) and the professional practice connected with physical practice (Hoffman, 2009). It looks at the muscles-their make up and how they contribute to human movement, the skeleton-make up and contribution to human movement, and the brain in the same context as the previous two. It makes a practitioner of Kinesiology understand human movement from all angles – the why, what, when and which. Method: Since this study entails all aspects of the human movement, so to does its learning. The use of a high school football team was to allow sight of human movement in real time from a passive position. It brought in play the subjectivity of the human mind in the observational data collection aspect of the research. By its very nature football is a contact sport. It thus presented the research with the best tool to observe the different components that constitute human movement. The preconceived notions of the human mind would be make for interesting reading when tested against the scientific results. Since not all the three different components could be scientifically measured at the same time, the research was focused on the head. This is from the realization that head impacts result in concussions. This is an injury that has the very real possibility of ending ones career but also could end up in death. To best investigate the impact to head injuries, the research used the Head Impact Telemetry System (HITS). This is a wireless monitoring system capable to rapidly identify athletes who have sustained an impact to the helmet that has the potential of being injurious. It is made to produce real-time post impact data and transmit the results to a computer not more than 150 yd (137m) from the helmet via radio waves. When out of range, an onboard storage unit would record up to 100 hits and transmit when back on range. HITS allows for objectivity in the research. For Kinesiology, to qualify as a science, measurement must be precise and consistent. Head impact data was captured when a single accelerometer exceeded the preset 15g threshold. Data from 8 milliseconds pre to 32 milliseconds post impact was transmitted and stored. The dependent variables set were linear acceleration, rotational acceleration, jerk force, impulse and duration of impact. Results: From the data collected in the course of the season (68 sessions-55 practice days, 13 games), it became clear that, there were more impacts during games than during practice. The greatest number of knocks was experienced by defensive line players, offensive linemen, offensive skill players and defensive skill players in descending order. In ascending order, the location of helmet with most frequently hits was the top, side, back and front. Game situations resulted in higher linear acceleration than practice impacts. Top of the helmet hits had the greatest linear acceleration followed by front, back and side. Again, game time impacts caused more rotational acceleration than practice. The line players experienced harder hits than skill players in this category. It was also clear that most forceful hits were as a result of front then back then side and lowest top hit. Looking at head jerk, impact force, impact pulse and duration of the impact, the figures were higher during game times than practice. The offensive line and defensive skill players had an equal occurrence of head jerk but higher than the others. The line players had longer duration of impact, more impact impulse and force of impact than the skill players. Maximum head jerk and impact force was experienced as result of hits at the top followed by the front, back and side. For the duration of impact, the order was the same but in reverse role. Also noted, the harder a player was hit the higher the linear acceleration, maximum jerk, force and impulse. The same was true for a soft hit. Conclusion: From the research, this paper has been able to come to some conclusions as a result of the available data. Some of the conclusions justified the subjective view in the researcher at the beginning of the undertaking while some have resulted in the researchers’ change of perception. It was clear from the data that there were higher linear acceleration collisions in high schools than from statistics available about research done on colleges. This could be as a result of the kids wanting to impress. They clearly may not have and full knowledge of the consequences of their actions. In high schools the chance of a college scholarship, means one could have a greater chance of success in life as a result of the extra academic qualifications one acquired. The higher linear acceleration collisions have a higher concussive chance. This makes the high school football player more at risk as very few have compressive medical covers that would give them the kind of specialized treatment necessary should the worst happen. Schools by the nature of their medical cover can not to provide this. In high school, there were more top helmet impacts than in college. It meant a higher linear acceleration and also impact force magnitude. This was a very dangerous location. It exposed the boys to a higher risk of concussion and severe cervical injury. This could easily mean career ending injury, paralysis or even death. There was need for more effort to be put into coaching. They could help teach the boys proper tackling techniques and make them understand the advantage of keeping the head high and thus avoiding helmet contact. It could be that since the college players are more mature, they do not let blood to run into their heads. They are committed in their tackles and at the same time aware of what the consequences of their actions are if not watched properly. Since the boys in high school were still maturing, they were generally smaller in mass and height as compared to their college equivalent. The more reason why they needed to be taught well. In high school, the most dangerous positions were the Quarterback, running backs and wide receiver in decreasing severity. They had the highest linear acceleration impacts. These could be as a result of them been always in full flight (speed) and in open field. These is unlike their counterparts the offensive line and defensive skill players. These may have the highest number of hits on them but the impact is low. The reason could be because they were always near each other and they do not achieve full acceleration before getting hit. The guys who get hit all the time were line men. These guys were involved in every play in the field. Finally, in high school because of the small pool of players, some ended up playing more than one position. This increased the risk of injury. This research did raise some very pertinent issues. They need to have proper coaching in high schools should go along way in reducing the chances of serious injury in the field. Also, the better knowledge of head injury risks should make for better understanding of how to tackle and care for them should and when they occur. This research has given birth to invaluable knowledge for Kinesiologists.

Study On The Tangshan Earthquake

Study On The Tangshan Earthquake Throughout history there have been various natural disasters that have caused great destruction. One of these very disasters includes the Tangshan earthquake on July 29, 1976, below Tangshan City in the Hebei Province of northern China. The earthquake, measured at a magnitude of 7.5 lead to 242,400 deaths, with many severely injured. In addition, the city of Tangshan and surrounding regions faced infrastructure damages, including complete destruction of 97% of residential areas, 78% of industrial buildings and additional damage to railways, bridges, and roads. Statement of Aim This report will discuss the role of plate tectonics in the Tangshan earthquake. In addition, this report will cover the details of the earthquake pre-cursors, the main quake and aftershocks. Finally, this report will discuss the occurrence of destruction, casualties, relief response and response to similar events in the future. Plate Tectonics of North-East China It is important to develop some general knowledge what causes earthquakes, in order to gain a better understanding about the Tangshan event. Earths crust is broken into major tectonic plates that move towards and away from each other in different directions. Debated driving forces behind this movement includes Earths rotation, gravity related forces and mantle dynamics. Generally, it is accepted that tectonic plates are able to move because of the relative density of oceanic lithosphere and the relative weakness of the asthenosphere. While these plates are moving, they can collide or slide past each other creating high energy phenomena such as volcanoes and earthquakes. Specific to earthquakes, the edge of one plate is forced under another. This process is called subduction and results in intense vibrations in Earths crust. More specifically to Northeast China, the tectonic environment is driven by collisions between the Indian and Asian plates, and Pacific and Asian plates. An important component of the Tangshan earthquake is the role of an extensive strike-slip fault system, known as Tancheng-Lujiang, or Tan-Lu. This system extends in a north-northeast direction for more than 3,200 miles from the north bank of the Yangtze River in eastern China to the west across the Russian border. It is an intertwined zone of faults 5000km long and 1000km wide, neighbored by other sub-faults. These collectively played a significant part in what resulted in the Tangshan earthquake. In fact, the Tangshan earthquake sequence has been explained as the result of sequential ruptures of the Tangshan fault produced by NNE extensive faulting and associated NE-SW regional compression. The earthquake sequence then initiated at the bending region (near Tangshan City) due to continued tectonic stress that had been increasing for a long time. The relationship between the rupture geometries of the Tangshan earthquake sequence and the regional compression stresses. The Tangshan Event Pre-cursors Earthquakes have occurred in the surrounding area in the past, including 22 earthquakes of magnitude 4.75 or greater since 1485. Despite these previous activities, there were no foreshocks or clear precursory phenomenon prior to the Tangshan earthquake. However, there had been a series of abnormal signals observed in the regions of Beijing, Tianjin, Tangshan, Bohai and Zhangjiakou. Tangshan indicated that there was a consistent drop in the pumping rate (and hence groundwater levels) in the years before the event with a sharp increase in the days prior to the earthquake. Additionally, survivors interviewed following the earthquake noted that well water levels changed abruptly in the hours before the event e.g. with rises of over a meter in at least on village in the region. There was also strange animal behavior reported, including city dwellers from the downtown area who had fish discovered that the fish were restless, jumping out of the aquarium as if wanting to escape. Unfortunate ly the anomalous precursory phenomena were widely scattered and inconclusive. The main quake The main quake struck Tangshan at 3:42 am on July 28, 1976, and lasted approximately 23 seconds. This short lived quake was at an intensity of XI (out of XII), according to the State Seismological Bureau report, with a magnitude of 7.5 on the Richter magnitude scale. Although the epicenter was located in the city of Tangshan, the earthquake was felt in fourteen provinces of China, and as far as Xian, in Beijing and in Tientsin. The stress of the Tangshan quake was caused by the compression along the plate boundaries of the Indian and Asian plates, as well as the compression along the boundaries of the Pacific and Asian plates. The quake ruptured a five-mile (8 km) section of a 25-mile long fault that passes through the city Tangshan. In addition, along the west side the ground moved laterally for about five feet, in a north/northeast direction sub parallel to the major axis of the meizoseismic zone with some areas with horizontal ground displacements of up to 7 meters. On the eastern side of the rupture, the ground block tipped upward near the south end and downward at the northern end. Although the earthquake was a shallow focal depth of 15 kilometers, it created both horizontal and vertical movement, causing the ground to rent apart by several feet, cave in to form craters, previously flat agricultural land being undulated, and soil liquefaction. Aftershocks Following the main earthquake, the many aftershocks also had devastating effects. There were two major aftershocks which caused additional damage to the region. On July 28, 1976 at 6:45 pm local time an Mw 7.0 earthquake struck, centered in Shangjialin Luanxian to the northeast of Tangshan. This caused 50 km (31 mi) rupture along the Luanxian-Laoting fault. The second major aftershock of Mw 6.4 struck on November 15, 1976 at 9:53 pm local time, centered south of Lutai to the southwest of Tangshan. This aftershock ruptured 20 km (12 mi) of the Jing Canal fault. In all, over 850 aftershocks occurred through the end of 1978 and were distributed throughout an area approximately 140 km (87 mi) in length and 50 km (31 mi) in width along a northeast trend, indicating the Tangshan fault as the main fault rupture. Destruction and Casualties The destruction of the earthquake included 242,400 deaths; 164,600 people severely wounded; 3,800 people disabled; 360,000 people suffering minor injuries; and various damages to residential areas, industrial areas, roads, railways and sewage systems. Here, the report will examine what effects the earthquake had on infrastructure and casualties. Infrastructure Before the 1976 earthquake, scientists did not believe Tangshan was susceptible to a large earthquake. Thus, the seismic design code for the area was zoned an intensity level of VI and the buildings in Tangshan were not built to withstand such a large earthquake. Furthermore, the city of Tangshan is located in the center of an area surrounded with major faults, where many of its structures had been built on unstable, alluvial soils. The 7.8 earthquake that hit Tangshan was given an intensity level of XI and left hundreds of thousands of buildings destroyed. The infrastructure damage affected many different areas. Ninety-three percent of residential buildings and 78 percent of industrial buildings were completely destroyed. Eighty percent of the water pumping stations and fourteen percent of the sewage pipes were seriously damaged. In addition, the foundations of bridges gave way, bridges collapsed, railroad lines bent, closed roads were covered with debris, highway bridges and at least two dams collapsed, all telephone and radio communications systems stopped functioning and almost all of the irrigation wells became inoperative. The seismic waves of the earthquake spread the damage to various regions, such as Qinhuangdao and Tianjin, and a few buildings as far away as Beijing. As was the case in Tangshan city, earthquake resistance was not generally considered in the design of buildings in these other regions. Newer buildings with seismic capacity and any buildings strengthened after the 1975 Haicheng Earthquake performed much better during the Tangshan Earthquake than those designed without seismic design considerations. Casualty Along with infrastructure damage, there were devastating amounts of casualties. As mentioned earlier, the earthquake struck just before 4 am, when many people were asleep and unprepared. Before the earthquake, the total population of Tangshan city was approximately 1.2 million, with 2 million within 40 km (25 mi) of the epicenter. As mentioned earlier, the official death count from the earthquake was 242,400; however, other sources have cited the death toll to be as high as 655,000 to 779,000 people. Contributing to the high number of casualties was the structure of residential buildings. Most residential structures in Tangshan and surrounding rural regions consisted of older, single-story brick or stone wall homes with only few newer multi-story brick apartment buildings built in the 1960s. Due to this structure, many buildings collapsed because of the lack of proper connections between the walls and roof, as did many reinforced concrete and masonry industrial buildings with heavy roofs, weighing as much as 400 kg (890 lbs). Finally, another contributing factor to the high death toll was the density of buildings and population in Tangshan city being extremely high. This concentration contributed to the seriousness of the loss in particular because the source of the earthquake was directly beneath the city. Relief Response The earthquake disaster required both short-term and long-term response. To begin, the Chinese government refused to accept international aid from the United Nations, and insisted on self reliance. This required rescue workers accompanied by appropriate equipment in order to rescue people from the collapsed buildings, as well as a pre-established plan to coordinate the effort, which was made difficult since vehicular traffic brought the few clear streets to a standstill. Also, since most of the population lost their homes due to the infrastructure destruction, there was a great need for temporary shelters. Clearing of the debris did not begin in earnest until September 1981, leaving the vast majority of the population not being able to live in permanent housing until 1985. In addition, there was the need for long-term strategic planning. Much of this had to do with future design codes for the city. The Tangshan Earthquake led to a major update to the seismic design code, released in 1978. The study of the Tangshan Earthquake and its tectonic setting also resulted in the reclassification of hazard zonation of the Hebei province (particularly the Tangshan region). Updates to the code included performance criteria increases with the raising of expected ground shaking intensity, the introduction of a new understanding of how the liquefaction of underlying soils impacts building foundations, and the inclusion of increased vertical forces from seismic loads good building practice from the collapsed buildings in Tangshan. The earthquake also highlighted the requirement for redundancy in the provision of lifelines, accompanied by the assessment of the appropriate design standards to guarantee the minimum necessary function of roads, bridges, or utility supplie s which were greatly affected by the earthquake. The relief responses resulting from the Tangshan Earthquake created the opportunity to build and incorporate increased earthquake resistance for future seismic events. Moreover, the layout of the city was planned to reduce both the number of casualties and injured, in addition to increasing the efficacy of emergency relief and disaster rehabilitation. The 2008 Sichuan earthquake had the same measurement on the Richter scale at 8.0 in magnitude. It, however, occurred in a mountainous region where relief efforts were noticeably hampered by the geographical makeup of the land nearby. The Sichuan earthquake also had a much quicker and more organized response system than Tangshan, as the political, social and technological environment was different. Discussion Conclusion In summary, this report has presented many important concepts to gain an understanding about the Tangshan Earthquake. It has examined the underlying driving forces, such as the Tancheng-Lujiang fault system and Tangshan fault; the various effects from the precursors, main quake, aftershocks; the destruction and casualties from the disaster, including factors that lead to an increased death toll and infrastructure damage; the relief response to the disaster and how it affected future earthquake responses; and a discussion of how amateur seismologists and professionals made predictions about the Tangshan Earthquake. Discussing these topics brings awareness on the importance of understanding natural disasters, and how a population can learn and prepare itself for future natural disasters.

The Greek Song Culture with Reference to Odyssey :: Homeric Epic Greek Literature Odyssey Essays

The Greek Song Culture with Reference to Odyssey The Homeric epic, Odyssey, begins with the invocation of the muse. The muses are the goddesses of total recall. Their name is â€Å"a reminder† since in earlier times, poets had to recall then recite events since the tales were not written down. The importance of memory and recognition is a central feature in Greek song culture. The film Chunhyang gives an insight to ancient Greek song culture. Although each of these stories is from a different culture, the themes and symbolism are the same and central in both cultures. Both of these tales sà ªmainà ´ in order to show the connection between lovers. The importance of recalling events is an integral aspect of Greek song culture. By watching the film Chunhyang, one can gain a deeper understanding of the meaning of metonymy. Metonymy is an expression by means of a connection. In the film, Chunhyang and Mongryong exchange gifts – Chunhyang gives him a jade ring and he gives her a mirror. These gifts are little memories of each other. The connection between two individuals is shown through sà ªma. The jade ring is one of the clearest symbols in the movie. Jade represents love in Eastern cultures. It is fitting that the ring is made from jade since the exchange of gifts is a symbol of the love they share for each other. In addition, jade was thought to preserve the body after death and could be found in the tombs of emperors. The jade ring given to Mongryong by Chunhyang is a sà ªma for both definitions of the word; it is a physical symbol of their trust and a physical representation of the tomb of a hero. Mongryong achieves his kleos by becoming a high ranking official and saving Chunhyang’s life. The mirror is another sà ªma. A mirror shows reflection and this reflection is of the memories that were shared between Chunhyang and Mongryong. A person can reflect on past events and build connections between places, objects, and people. The signs that people give to each other are important for recognition and building relationships The importance of sà ªma can be seen in the Odyssey as well: So you see I know all about this sign [sà ªma], and I desire to learn whether it is still there, or whether any one has been removing it by cutting down the olive tree at its roots.

Henrik Ibsen :: essays papers

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Ibsen was born at Skien in Norway on March 20, 1828. When he was eight, his father went bankrupt. This event made a deep impression upon him. After they went bankrupt, his family moved to a small farm north of the town where they lived in poverty. Henrik was forced to attend a small local school. He received a substandard education. In 1843, the family returned to town. Unfortunately they were still poor. Ibsen came from a very dysfunctional family. His domineering father was an alcoholic who found solace in alcohol. His quiet mother found comfort in religion. He used them as a model for his plays. The blend of an overbearing husband and a submissive wife made appearances in his plays Brand, A Doll's House, and Ghosts. The bitter character of Hjalmar Ekdal in The Wild Duck was based on Ibsen's father. When he was sixteen, he moved to Grimstad to work for a druggist. He had wanted to become a doctor, but game up on the idea after he failed Greek and Math on his! University entrance exams. Medicine was not his only ambition. He also wanted to be a painter. In 1850, Ibsen entered the first of his three writing periods. His romantic period went from 1850 to 1873. The greatest works from this period are the Brandand Peer Gynt Most of the plays that he wrote during these years are romantic historical dramas. Lady Inger of Ostraat was a romantic drama with intrigue. The Vikings of Helgeland was a simple and sad tragedy. The last play of the Romantic period was Emperor and Galilean. It is similar to Ibsen's other play Catiline because it showed his impatience with traditional attitudes and values. In both plays he showed sympathy for historical characters who were famous for being rebellious. Ibsen became the stage manager and playwright of the National Stage in Bergen in 1851. He worked there for six years. In 1857, he moved to Christiania (Oslo), where he became director of the Norwegian Theatre. He neglected both writing and the theatre. He plunged into social life with his literary friends and drank heavily. In 1858, Ibsen married Suzannah Thoresen, with whom he had one child, Sigurd Ibsen. This was a marriage that was often as misunderstood as the marriages of Ibsen's dramas. At the age of thirty, Ibsen saw his first performances of Shakespeare in Copenhagen and Dresden. Shakespeare's work convinced Ibsen that serious drama must strive toward a psychological truth and form its basis on the characters and conflicts of mankind. Ibsen and

Compare And Contrast: dune By Herbert And star Wars By Lucas :: essays research papers

Compare and Contrast: "Dune" by Herbert and "Star Wars" by Lucas The novel Dune by Frank Herbert, and the novel Star Wars by George Lucas have many comparisons and contrasts. Even though they were written more than 10 years apart, they are both very entertaining. In Dune the story takes place on a dry desert planet called Arrakis, where water is very scarce, and only the rich own it. Similarly, in Star Wars the story starts out on a desert world called Tatooine, where water is very scarce and expensive. In Star Wars there is a mysterious power called the force that only a few people posses. It allows you to move objects, see in to the future, and communicate with people far away just by thinking it. Similarly, in Dune there is a power that very few people posses. It let the people that knew how to use it communicate with their people when they were far away, and let them see into the future. In Dune, there are people who live out in the desert called Freemen who are scavengers and somehow survive without water. Similarly, there is a small scavenger race called Jawas who live out in the desert in the story Star Wars. In Dune the main character is a teenage boy whose father was killed by the evil Vladmir, a powerful leader who he must confront and kill. The main character finds out that Vladmir is related to him, he is his uncle. He also starts to learn about a powerful force from someone close to him, his mother. Similarly, in Star Wars the main character is a teenage boy, whose father was killed by the evil Darth Vader, whom he must confront. Darth Vader also turns out to be related to the main character, his father. He also gets his first teachings in the force from someone close to him, the man that was like an uncle to him. In Dune, all the space flights and cargo transportation were done by the

Police in a Democratic Society Essay

Police operation in a democratic society is characterized by several features, such as the allowance of the exercise of discretion while in the performance of official duties (Fairchild). Indeed, the use of discretion is a common feature in the exercise of powers by different practitioners in the field of criminal justice (Fairchild). The role of discretion in the criminal justice system is more critical than in any other discipline because it is here that the power of the state is aligned against the individual (Fairchild). For example, individuals face the possibility of loss of life, liberty and property as a consequence of conviction or mere accusation of the commission of a crime (Fairchild). Among the practitioners who are given discretion in the criminal justice system are correctional staff, police officers, and court-related personnel (Jones & Kerbs, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In particular, police discretion as a concept and a policy has developed largely because of the realization that the administration of justice is far from perfect (Jones & Kerbs, 2007). The imperfection lies in the failure of the criminal justice system to meet four necessary elements in the dispensation of perfect justice (Jones & Kerbs, 2007). These elements concern the absolute ability to apprehend law violators, identify law violators, identify the intent of law violators, and punish law violators (Jones & Kerbs, 2007). The dispensation of justice depends primarily on the actions of those individuals to whom it was entrusted, such as police officers, prosecutors and judges (Jones & Kerbs, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Discretion in the criminal justice system is not being employed by police officers alone. Other officers, such as court-related personnel, probation and parole officers, and correctional staff are also allowed to exercise discretion in the performance of their duties (Jones & Kerbs, 2007). The exercise of discretion by officers from different departments and jurisdictions of the law enforcement community all interrelate to the effective administration of justice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Among court-related personnel, prosecutors and judges are the ones who use discretion the most (Jones & Kerbs, 2007). For example, prosecutorial discretion is exercised during plea negotiations or plea-bargaining (Jones & Kerbs, 2007). Prosecutors also exercise discretion in choosing the cases that should be presented before a grand jury (Jones & Kerbs, 2007). On the other hand, judges exercise discretion in handing down their decisions and rulings (Jones & Kerbs, 2007). Meanwhile, correctional personnel exercise discretion in coordinating programs in the supervision of offenders. In particular, discretion is exercised in the treatment of certain infractions and the decision to write disciplinary reports (Jones & Kerbs, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Police discretion, while it is very helpful in maintaining balance in the enforcement of laws, should be controlled in order to remove issues such as racism and discrimination that have been controversial in the past decades (Pepinsky, 1984). One example of a problem involving the exercise of police discretion is the perceived difference in police treatment of women vis-à  -vis men, and whites vis-à  -vis blacks (The New York Times Company, 2004). According to a Boston Globe study of police records, it is posited that women and whites are more likely to receive earnings rather than tickets, compared to their men and black counterparts, when they get stopped for identical traffic offenses (The New York Times Company, 2004). However, some police officers justify their decision to simply issue warnings on their belief that they are effective teaching tools to the public, compared to the issuance of tickets (The New York Times Company, 2004).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Discrepancies in the treatment of offenders, such as the one reported above, and consequently the negative perception on the abuse of discretion by police officers, can be accomplished by having clear rules that would identify good from bad discretion (Pepinsky, 1984). References Fairchild, E. S. Enforcement of Police and Law Enforcement Policy. Organiational   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Structure and Control of Discretion in Police Operations, 442-449. Jones, M. & Kerbs, J. J. (2007). Probation and Parole Officers and Discretionary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Decision-Making: Responses to Technical and Criminal Violations. [Electronic   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   version]. Federal Probation 71(1), 9-16. Pepinsky, H. E. (1984). Better Living through Police Discretion. Law and Contemporary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Problems 47(4), 249-267. The New York Times Company. (2004). Retrieved November 11, 2007, from     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.boston.com/globe/metro/packages/tickets/072103.shtml

Just war Essay

Wars are not new to the world, they were with the society and may remain until the end of this world, or even be a reason to this world, if there is no timely decisions among all living in this world. War is one end of any conflict. ?Just war is a specific concept of how warfare might be justified, typically in accordance with a particular situation, or scenario, and expanded or supported by reference to doctrine, tradition, or historical commentary. The war between two states may be result for several reasons. Territories, boundaries are the major reasons for the wars between nations. Seas, rivers, channels etc are also the source of source of wars. With the development of nations and development of intellectual thinking and ‘concept of just war’ slowly the intensity of wars has decreased. Now –a-days all the countries are trying to have ‘Balance of Power’ which can safe guard from other nations. Now the wars are mainly by the bigger countries on the smaller countries and the weaker ones are not in a position to defend themselves. This also brought the question whether the wars are just? To maintain peace in this world two Organizations were established, in that first of that kind was League of Nations. . The First World War occurred during 1914-18 due to greediness of Germany. This created huge loss in persons and economy thought-out the globe. To avoid wars in future, Britain, France, America thought to have a World Organization to check and stop the conflicts and wars. As a result of lengthy discussions, and the Treaty of Versailles 1919, was concluded between the member-states. League of Nations was established in 10-01-1920, as a result of a World War strictly speaking it was an â€Å"a child of war†. The main function of League of Nations was to avoid and maintain peace in the world, and it was require to do all that lay in its power to achieve that ideal. There was a check on the size of armaments. The members of the League were required not to go to war without exhausting all the pacific means for the settlement of disputes.

Happy Chips Essay

The supply and management of a company have various difficulties in trying to manipulate the logistics of supply and making analysis of the whole performance of the supplying team. These issues apparently result from low surge and have had great inconveniences to stock and management. The reasons for these intensive difficulties are a result of malfunctioning of one group or department and thus disrupting the paths of supply. Prior to lack of frequency in stock-outs, poor customer response and high prices on the products of the supplying enterprise have the greatest impact then due customers. This results in reduction in profits and furthers the customer – supplier relationship. The operations of the supplying company have bigger effects on the customers unlike any other department involved in stock supply. This is well described from the logistics created by Harold, the director of Logistics explaining what Buy 4 Less had to go through due to malfunctioning of the Happy Chips’ management. The increased complexity in the supply operations make the methodologies that Buy 4 Less suggested to Happy Chips to implement so that both parties could benefit and improve the understanding of the results of poor management. The factors that led to failure in the various sections mentioned above by Buy 4 Less were associated to activities in the product’s delay leading to low costs of income. The problems addressed by Buy 4 Less and other customers of Happy Chips require a complex analysis of set activities or else a high cost in resources production but a reduced cost in selling the supplies. This is unfavorably good for Happy Chips management as they count it as a bigger loss. The activity based costing gives meaningful information about the driven cost from Happy Chips that Carter could have used to track down and establish a well published outcome that Wendell could have used to have simple and possible solutions to his problems (Kaplan, R et al 47) At this juncture, Wendell had to use more detailed analysis because the complexity of the problems had gone higher. This would have a negative result in averages as the original information was fraud or distorted at the segment point. Process cost interacts interchangeably with profit segmentation and this is what Wendell did not pay attention to. The customers are torn between moving on with Happy Chips as their supplier while they still think of vacating from the firm to another supplier. On the other hand, Happy Chips is a firm that has not qualified to national levels and could only operate at the primary and local levels thus losing Buy 4 Less firm would be a great loss. As a result Wendell has to confine into explicit measures of the costs of activities and tend to pay attention to communicating with Buy 4 Less firm whereas he improves management fitness. It is fantastic that many managers have the final rule but it is profound that Wendell gets objections from his colleagues. With anything that would give the customers better alternatives like relatively low costs for the products the firm makes, direct store delivery and distribution to various customers’ shops would rather sound finer and good to the customer himself. Being inconsiderate of the additional costs the supplier has to suffer by himself. In regard to the case demonstrated in the case of Happy Chips, Wendell is left with no option rather than to comply with the customer’s wish in order to benefit from the outcome of his firm (Kaplan, R et al 108). As a manager, he finds himself in a tougher situation because he is even forced to make the direct deliveries lesser than before. The objections from the colleague made it more difficult for him to decide the best of all the collections he had done in the Midwestern University on the cost analysis. The management had to include cost of utilities as well as the basic costs. These would also lower the income. In consideration to the defaults the management had to appeal to their best customers. Happy Chips has no options to guarantee their safety from loss but have only one way to save it. Accepting the decisions made by Buy 4 Less firm as due to lack of their appropriateness, they got the customers angry to no despicable point. For the safety of their reformation, they would have to comply with the customers’ decision in accordance to the logistic analysis. The direct cost of labor is a basis for bigger losses in the Happy Chips as the work would be increased but wages decrease. The cost of production would rise while the demand of the products decreases due to broken customer relationship. Eventually the firm would experience bigger losses in general. The changes desired by Buy 4 Less should be adhered to by Happy Chips firm. The core reason as to why they should comply is because they might end up closing the firm taking into consideration that the head of logistics who had already submitted the analysis of the outcome. From time to time, the company receives many offers to make and sell products at a lower price unlike the significantly high prices that many customers would not be confronted with buy. Due to this offer, the companies make a special decision making meeting with the board so they can either accept or reject it. For instance, Buy 4 Less is confronted to hit a very much lower cost in the products and even distributing them to customers’ premises. That would undoubtedly make a greater loss in the firm. Given conditions, the customers might disappear if Happy Chips does not comply with the requests and be left to die alone. Apparently, Wendell has no desirable option left with him and failure to eliminate these segments will be seen as lacking to comply with the current demands of the customers (Hitchner,et al 34). On the other hand, the amount of revenue required to be given by the Happy Chips firm is relevantly high. The special order requested by Buy 4 Less is relatively comparable to incremental revenues in addition to the normal costs. Wendell is liable to determine the total costs he is about to recur from accepting the request. From the analysis point of view, the unit-level request is basically far from the special request by Buy 4 Less firm and the latter should not be considered. Segment report analysis created by Wendell should show that he had orders in potatoes that were more reliable than any other supplier. In a good arranged order of the potato segment, he would restore the path of profitable sale of the same potatoes by dividing the segments according to grocery segment, drug and mass merchandise. From the analysis Wendell created from the University study of logistic, then this would help hip organize a presentable segment report. This report should not dwell on his colleagues and should stand upon making the critical decision in accepting the new orders to save his company. Increase in the mass merchandise would not affect the results of the new terms as far as the new order is still to be implemented. The new order should be defaulted and as a result the additional profits are evenly shared to the affected areas in the supplying company (Hitchner,et al 67). Conclusion Segment profitability is a mutual concept by itself and far from the common understanding of the difficulties expressed by Happy Chips firm. The whole problem should be addresses in an agreement, so that Happy Chips should consider complying with the granted order to avoid higher losses. The segment of profitability is mutually critical if the parties do not agree and come up with a common solution.

Hamlet Eulogy Essay

Eulogy on behalf of Hamlet Good lords and ladies of Elsinore, I appreciate your attendance here today on this particularly significant occasion. We gather here, to offer our gratitude and sorrows respectively for the life and death of the greatest man I have ever known, Prince Hamlet. I understand that no assortment of words could possibly convey the degree of Hamlet’s stature, so I only hope that God will assist me in articulating an outline, a sample, of the masterpiece that was Prince Hamlet. Although fate has already accomplished its deed here on earth, I know Hamlet’s soul will proceed to the heavens, where perhaps he may live in a kingdom worthy of his gracious presence. Hamlet was the only remaining rose amongst a garden bed overrun by weeds, confronted with treasury, betrayal and distrust from every direction. He rose above the superficial faces of the corrupted Royal court, and exposed Claudius for who he really was. Loved by nobles, commoners and players alike, Hamlet was the most remarkable Prince we have ever known. Beloved son of the late King Hamlet and Queen Gertrude, royal courtier and loyal friend to many, he will not be forgotten. Forever in our hearts, Hamlet will remain in the highest regard as an individual of indisputable courage and nobility, steadfast loyalty and particular contemplation. Courage is best verified in a man’s darkest days, in moments of unrelenting pressure or despair. Good Hamlet was left stranded in centre of a court full of corruption, facing immediate grief regarding his father’s death and his mother’s almost immediate remarriage. It was through his unwavering courageousness and nobility that he was able to proceed with not only his task of avenging his father in ending the corrupted reign of King Claudius, but also in restoring natural order to our country. His courage proved unflinching when put to the ultimate test when he was presented with death and uncertainty in his final days. It was indeed Hamlet’s absolute nobility and true valour that lead him to accept his fate for the good of the nation. ————————————————- It was predominately through Hamlet’s heroic loyalty that his validity as a valuable friend and son was established and retained. Entrusted with an arduous task from the ghost of his father, he immediately felt obliged in  carrying out the murder of Claudius by the virtue of previous loyalties. I am so grateful for the unconditional loyalty Hamlet induced upon me ever since our days studying at Wittenberg. * I only hope that the heavens will graciously appreciate a man of Hamlet’s worth.

An Overview of the Non-Violent Direct Action, Liberty or Harm Principle, and Civil Disobedience

An Overview of the Non-Violent Direct Action, Liberty or Harm Principle, and Civil Disobedience Non-Violent Direct Action (King) Non- violent direct action according to Martin Luther King is to create a tension using the four steps listed below in the community so people cannot ignore the injustice that is happening. King lists four steps to non-violent direct action: 1. Collect facts determine if injustice exists and to what extent does it exist, 2. Negotiation: give the people who are doing evil to solve the injustice without any violence, 3. Self purification: don’t stoop low enough and do things like they are doing by justifying your action as being needed for change, 4: Direct action. The importance of non- violent direct action is to break or fix the unjust law that is placed on the minority by the majority. Also another importance of this is to create a civil disobedience without violence. King believes that people should break the unjust law in public to protest the injustice, which is to break the law openly and break the law lovingly, and to accept the consequence willingly. He says that show them that you are out there to fix the unjust law and not just breaking laws, and are out there to prove that your ideas are better without the use of violence. Liberty/Harm Principle (Mill) Mills definition of Liberty or harm principle is that people should be able to do whatever they want as long as their action is not harming others. Mill’s harm principle states â€Å"The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others† if the individual is not harming others then the government should not be able to stop him from doing what he wants (Dimock, P.376). The only time that a government or the majority has power an individual is if that individual is harming others, as long as that is not the case then the individuals knows what is good for him and should be able to do what he is beneficial to him. The importance of the harm principle or liberty is to limit the power of the government or majority over the individual. Mill believes that individuals should be autonomous and free of the governments opinion as long as their action is not harming others in the process. The purpose of the harm principle is to ensure that the government is not controlling the liberty of an individual by means of physical force by using legal penalties, or by moral coercion or the public’s opinion. Mill believes that people should be the one to decide what is good or bad for them even if the decision they are making is not the right one as long as it cause no harm to others. So the majority should not have a say on what is good for the individual because the individual knows what is best for him. Civil Disobedience (Rawls) According to Rawl civil disobedience is a public, nonviolent, conscientious yet political act contrary to law usually done with the aim of changing the law in a nearly just society. Civil disobedience is associated with conscientious refusal that is noncompliance with a more or less direct legal order. Rawl believes that civil disobedience is justified if the normal appeal to the majority have failed, and if it is believed to be that there has been made a serious violations of the first principle of justice of the second part of the second principle of justice and there can not be so many groups engaged in civil disobedience that society breaks down. Rawl address that civil disobedience is political act because it address the people who hold the power as well as by the principle of justice. The importance of civil obedience is that it is used to bring or strength just institutions and treat everyone equally and just. It is also important because it prevents just institutions from becoming unjust institutions as well as to let the majority know that the â€Å"condition of free cooperation are being violated. We are appealing to others to reconsider, to put themselves in our position, and recognize that they cannot expect us to acquiesce indefinitely in the terms they imposed upon us†. Just Punishment Punishment involves purposefully inflicting pain on a potential or actual offender for an offense like moral or legal wrongdoings. Punishment is morally and legally justified because of the pain that it inflicts on the perpetrator of a crime that is inflicted on his victim. Since punishment is justifiable, philosophers give different justification of punishment depending on what their philosophical belief is. Retributivists approach to punishment is justified by linking it to the moral wrongdoing, because retributivist believe that punishment is justified because it gives people who have committed an offense what they deserve. Retributivist’s focus on the moral duties on individual has. For a person to behave morally the individual must be following moral duties, and if not then the individual is behaving immorally. Utilitarian attempt to justify punishment by showing the good over evil that is produced. Utilitarian’s believe on the consequence of the action produced. S o if the action of doing something inflicts pain for the majority then punishment is justifiable. Both retributivist and utilitarian believe that punishment is evil so there must be a reasonable justification for it. These theories have different approach to justification. Utilitarian’s believe justification is punishment is acceptable if it maximizes the benefit for more people while decreasing pain inflicted. Retributivists believe justification of punishment is acceptable it is done out of duty and rule. Jeremy Bentham as the consequentialist utilitarian theorist believes that the moral appropriateness of an action depends on the consequence; on the other hand Kant as deontological theorist believes the moral appropriateness of an action depends on the obedience to the rule or duty no matter of the consequences. Utilitarianism is a consequentialist theory. An action is wrong because the consequence that is produced by that action harms others, â€Å"Utilitarian’s believe that the morally right thing to do is whatever will produce the best consequences for all those affected by your action† (Dimock, 529). Jeremy Bentham as a consequentialist utilitarian theorist believes an action to be just if it accomplishes to generate the most happiness and least pain for most people that are being affected by that action. Utilitarianism use consequences of an action to judge if the action is right or wrong and the pain and happiness it produces to the majority. An example of this is demonstrated on page 529 about lying and telling the truth. Utilitarian’s believe if lying is the right thing to do for the good of the others then the lying is justified, even though it is morally wrong to lie. Then utilitarian approach to punishment is based on the benefit it produces to the community. The main point of the theory of punishment is to deter people from committing a crime and produce maximum pleasure for the community. The aim of punishment for utilitarian is to stop crime from happening again, convince offenders to choose a less costly offense, convince offenders to do a little harm as possible, and prevent offenses as cheap as possible because these actions produce the most benefit to the public as a whole. In order to prevent crime from happening again the value of punishment must not be less than what is sufficient to outweigh the profit of the offense. Punishment outweighs the profit of the offense then people will be less likely to commit crimes. Unlike Bentham and his belief in utilitarianism, Kant believes that our actions are ruled only by duty and not by consequence since we are not able to control the consequence of an action. His theory is that an action is just or unjust regardless of the consequence and is only determined by the obligation to one’s duty. â€Å"Good will is good quite independently of any consequences it does or is expected to have† people do good will because that is their duty and as citizens we should do our duty (Dimock, 541). Since we are individuals with brains and we know what is right and wrong and if we violate the rule or fail to do our duty then we deserve the punishment that is given to us. While utilitarianism believe that punishment should be used to deter future crime and rehabilitate the individual, Retributions believe that punishment should be used because the offender deserves to be punished for his action. Retributions have the idea of an eye for an eye. They believe t hat the purpose of punishment is to ensure the equality of citizens, and to publicly disapprove an act. From the perspective of morality or justice Bentham’s system of utilitarianism would be acceptable in some situations while not others and the same goes for Kant’s theory as well. For example: There is a situation where two people are in a fight and one person is very angry and wants to harm the other individual and he asks you if you know where the person is. In this situations Kant’s theory would say that we should tell where the person is hiding regardless of the harm because lying is morally wrong. Bentham in the other hand would say we should not tell where the person is because we are lying for the greater good. Another example is a situation killing one person could save ten or more people. Bentham would say that we should kill that one person in order to save the majority that is the benefit of the majority is more important than of that one individual. Kant would say no we should not because morally we do not have that power. If looking at it from the pe rspective of justice then it would be for the killing of one individual even though it is morally wrong. Both Utilitarian and retributivist believe that punishment is evil and that there should be a justification for it. And each use different methods of justification for punishment. Utilitarian’s believe that punishment is justified because it prevents future crimes. Since utilitarian’s believe that the consequences of an action is important in determining or justifying punishment, then punishment should be used to produced maximum happiness to majority. Retributivist believes punishment should be justified based on the rightness or wrongness of the act.

Acquiring another organization in same Industry Essay

Acquiring another organization in same Industry - Essay Example Strengths/Opportunities: (1) Achieve geographic expansion by means of selling more of the same product; (2) Use joint resources to different product. Commonly referred to as â€Å"synergies†; (3) Increased market power (no competitor in the market); (4) Benefit by using the same brand name to promote multiple products. Weaknesses/Threats: (1) Risk of anticipated economic gains; (2) Management to make sure (before acquisition) that imagined benefits are real, For instance, Siemens Pakistan’s technical partnership with Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC) failed and finally Siemens had to discontinue with KESC. Recommendations: Now-a-days â€Å"Horizontal Integration† is the most common growth strategy taking place all over the world. We have tens of examples where horizontal integration has effectively & successfully taken place. In the recent past Unilever Pakistan bought-out the Polka ice cream and launched a new ice cream in the name of Walls. Although it was an unrelated business integration – i.e. Unilever was not in the ice cream business before, it has been very successful in this strategic move and doing well in Pakistan. Likewise, mergers/acquisitions of pharmaceutical firms and banks, etc. have also proved to be successful. The philosophy behind horizontal integration is: If you can’t beat, buy it. In my opinion â€Å"horizontal integration† should be beneficial for M/s. McBride Financial Services because the firm already has experience and relevant expertise to run the same kind of business. It would be simply like a business expansion. Moreover, this way intensity of rivalry (competitor) would get diminished and the firm could smoothly advance with the business acquired. However, two basic questions need to be addressed before acquisition: Lam, T. & Lao, T. (2010) under the introduction states that, â€Å"Horizontal integration should enable a firm to expand its products and existence