Philippines Country Sales

According to Yahoo Philippines Country Sales Director, Arlene Amarante http://thenewmedia.com/state-of-online-advertising-in-the-philippines-yahoo-phs-arlene-amarante/ that:â€Å"The online advertising industry here in the Philippines is in a state of rapid growth. While there is still much evangelization to do, the market players – both advertisers and advertising agencies – are now asking the more relevant questions unlike 3 years ago. They now start to ask: How do we start? How do I integrate online with my existing campaign? Can it work for a brand or industry like mine? How do I measure my success? These questions tell us that it is no longer about why advertisers should be online; it is about maximizing their advertising dollars and using online the right way.And, while online is still at a 26% penetration level, we see that the landscape is further paving the way for increased and rapid exponential growth – new broadband products, increased broadband pene tration, rise of internet mobile, rise of smart phones and the proliferation of low-priced PCs. Consumer behavior support the phenomenon. They are no longer dictated by traditional media alone; they immediately search for brands prior to a purchase. They are no longer looking for yesterdays’ news; they want to know what’s happening now. They are no longer waiting for brands to come and communicate to them; they are starting the conversations. Online advertising is now a powerful force that no one can no longer deny.†According to Mark Chaves, director of media intelligence solutions at SAS, http://www.studymode.com/essays/Local-Studies-1071666.html that:â€Å"Consumers are online right now talking about your products and services, their experiences, and their likes and dislikes. Smart marketers aren't just listening to online chatter; they are analyzing it to better focus resources and build engagement and loyalty,† â€Å"SAS Social Media Analytics helps m arketers combine data from online conversations with other data, such as a company's customer relationship management software, to build a more complete picture of each customer and then use these analytically-driven insights to predict and act,†Chaves added.According to LiveJournal,http://www.aijc.com.ph/survey_internet_access.pdf that:â€Å"The Philippines ranks seventh among the top 15 countries where blog hosting is popularly used. There are presently 39,274 Filipino bloggers under this hosting site.†LOCAL LITERATUREAccording to Josefina Estolas in the book Fundamentals of Research (1995) http://www.studymode.com/essays/Review-Of-Related-Literature-And-Studies-177904.html that:â€Å"In exploration, we find new techniques, new knowledge, even develop new substances, gadgets, equipment, processes or procedures, imagination and skill is employed by the researcher. The commodities, new devices, services, in technology are needs of man for a better fuller life which is the concern of the research. These useful arts are the products of the technological environment and the end-user is society in general†.According to Jeffrey A. Hofer on Modern System Analysis and Design (1996), http://www.studymode.com/essays/Review-Of-Related-Literature-And-Studies-177904.html that:â€Å"Science and technology are essential for national development and progress. The State shall give priority to research and development, invention, and their utilization, and to science and technology education according to the 1987 Philippine Constitution (Article XIV, Section 10).Since computer power  was the critical resource, efficiency of processing became the main goal. Emphasis was placed on automating existing process such as purchasing or paying, often within single department.† According to Abraham Silberschatz, Database System Concepts (1999) http://www.studymode.com/essays/Review-Of-Related-Literature-And-Studies-177904.html that:â€Å"A major purpose of a database system is to provide users with an abstract view of data. That is the system hides certain details of how the data are stored and maintained.†Foreign Studies According to Ajzen and Fishbein (1980), http://www.ukessays.co.uk/essays/marketing/the-literature-review.php that:Attitude is defined as â€Å"a learned predisposition to respond in a consistently favourable or unfavourable manner with respect to a given object†. It is the mental and physical respond that involve beliefs, feelings, values and predisposition to act in certain ways.According to Davis (1989), http://www.ukessays.co.uk/essays/marketing/the-literature-review.php that:In the earlier studies, perceived usefulness is defined as â€Å"the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance†.According to Koufaris 2002, http://www.ukessays.co.uk/essays/marketing/the-literature-review.php that:Replaced the term â€Å"personal involvementà ¢â‚¬  into â€Å"product involvement†. In this research he used product involvement instead of personal involvement to point out the same concept and defined as â€Å"individual motivation regarding an object where that motivational state is activated by the relevance or importance of the object in question†.Foreign Literature According to Levy and Malaviya (1999) http://www.ukessays.co.uk/essays/marketing/the-literature-review.php that:Indicated that effectiveness of advertising is â€Å"persuasion does not rest within advertising messages per se and it depends on certain mental processes that as ad recipient invokes†. Generally, advertising effectiveness is described as being â€Å"a hierarchy of effects† (Vakratas and Amber, 1999). In the other word, changes of consumer perceptions by the information in the advertisement will lead to a change in their behaviors.According to Palanisamy and Wong (2003)http://www.ukessays.co.uk/essays/marketing/the-liter ature-review.phpthat:â€Å"When the consumer has a sense in what they believe is a quality price, quality of service, quality of interaction of the service and image of the business is explained as their expectation. When consumer expectations increase or decrease that effectiveness of advertising would change accordingly as this is a proportional relationship.†According to Tomsen and Faith (2003) http://www.ukessays.co.uk/essays/marketing/the-literature-review.php that:â€Å"Growing capabilities of interactive devices and fuel innovation set the consumer expectations. Consumer will develop new expectations about the new technology itself, services and network that support the technology. Acceleration of the development of the new technology and service providers is to fulfill the need of consumer shifting expectations. Likewise, evolution of technology is derived from the interactive consumer expectations. In this context, evolution of technology is seemed as evolution of i nternet advertising. Quality, reliability, convenience, attractive appearance and superior technology are the expectations of the consumers.†

Doctors’ Arguments

This paper seeks to examine several arguments presented by three doctors concerning the presence of mental states in a non-human brain and posit the writer’s own reasoning and conclusion.The three arguments will be presented along with the writer’s commentary on each. After careful examination of the arguments and reading various sources, the writer has come to a conclusion that non-human brains are capable of mental states albeit extremely limited ones.In the matter of mental states, it would be useful for the writer of this essay to first define the mental state. For purposes of this essay, a mental state will include conditions or processes that are performed exclusively by thinking and feeling organisms.Therefore, in examination of the arguments, the capacities of thinking and feeling are key to the presence of mental states. It is imperative that the brain in examination should be able to induce emotion and thought.It must be noted that the patient in question coul d be the writer herself.The first doctor posits that the patient in question is not capable of thinking and feeling, because of the absence of the soul. Thus it is established that the patient in question does not have a soul and is not perhaps human.Personally, the writer finds it even more difficult to explain the concept of the soul than that of mental states. Mental states may be recognized and even documented, however, in the field of evidence, souls have not been documented or recognized.Perhaps the doctor in this argument would equate the soul to the mind, an entity which is hidden and whose inner workings in the capacity of the human body are mysterious and unexplainable but are thought to function fundamentally for human existence.In Gilbert Ryle’s examination of Descartes’ position on the matter (1949), the separation of mind and body are presented to give way for the understanding of mental states in a separate fashion. However, Ryle mentions the difficulty in examining the mind because of the mystery of its powers and processes (Ryle, 1949).If we were to follow Ryle’s work, the mind presents a consciousness or entity separate from physical space and intangible to the senses. The processes which it undertakes are not witnessed at all and it is sometimes even perceived that these processes may not exist.The fact that these processes cannot be monitored give venue to its questionability. For the writer, explaining the presence of mental states through the soul which can be similar to the mind is insufficient because of the difficulty in verification.Also, Ryle explains the difficulty in seeking to explain the causality of the mind’s processes (Ryle, 1949). If such a mysterious and invisible entity exists, how can it directly cause so many actions? Also, the congruence of such actions is questionable, such as how a will can cause a perception to scratch his nose (Ryle, 1949)?The second doctor’s argument posits that on ly organic brains alike to those of humans are possible of having mental states. It is thus established that the patient in question (who is most probably the writer) does not have an organic brain and the brain itself is not akin to a human brain. This presumes that the doctor believes in the existence of brains that are inorganic and not human, and explains the difference as well. Inorganic brains are not capable of mental states and processes.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What then, are the capacities of an inorganic brain?Searle (1980) posits the ‘strong AI’ or strong artificial intelligence in this case, which is capable of outputting actions and responses similar to that of humans when presented with certain stimuli (Searle, 1980). This strong AI has its own structure or physical materials and to function, it is programmed with a set of rules to follow and guidelines in which the responses of humans are thought to be replicated.Perhaps the doctor th inks that artificial brains that are programmed are not entirely possible of replicating human thought. After all, the set of rules that the AI is governed by dictates its responses and in the end, it will only follow those rules. The doctor may be looking for responses that are unique to humans and that vary greatly.Indeed, even the strongest AI is still governed by only a larger and more intricate set of rules which the human programming it inputted. It would only go as far as the human who created it could consider.The last doctor then rejected the formers’ conclusions and reasoning by virtue of the outputs that the patient presented. The similarity to human actions made the doctor believe that though the patient has an artificial brain, the brain could produce mental states.Bertrand Russel posits the capacity of the mind to react to stimuli in unique ways depending perhaps on the mental state in which the person is in (Russel, 2001). The last doctor may see that the patie nt reacts in unique ways, and similarly to a human, due to the fact that the patient had lead a normal life up to the moment her brain was examined.After examining all the doctors’ arguments the writer would like to concentrate on the second argument. The most probable form of artificial brain would be that of an AI and its strength determines how much of a mental state it can produce.However, once the program is inputted, the AI can still only perform what the program tells it to, and most probably, be in whatever mental state the program also tells it to. A human brain, on the other hand, can change responses depending on the mental state, which no program induces.It is then that the writer posits that the patient does have mental states, but because of the lack of information from the prompt, the mental states cannot be examined. However, if an artificial brain is in place within the patient’s brain, then the mental states are dictated by the program as well.The wri ter also says that no matter how numerous the responses are that are programmed into the patient’s artificial brain, these responses can never be changed and can never differ from what they are programmed to do. The AI can perhaps learn but cannot exhibit the changing responses of a human.If the question would be solely based on mental states then the position of this writer would be that the patient is capable of producing and being in mental states, but these are all borne from programming. The validity of the programming is not in question in this essay but only that of the mental states.In going further, these mental states of the artificial brain can only produce set and programmed outputs. True, the patient may indeed feel pain and pleasure, but the responses are set. They may be numerous, but always set.The new factor that would come in when considering the mental states of human brains and that of artificial brains is that of the concept of choice. A human can feel a mental state and choose to respond to it. She may respond in different ways and it would be depending on her choice.An artificial brain on the other hand would need only look to the rules programmed into it and evaluate several factors and produce a response that would follow the said rules. Indeed, the mental states that the patient goes through may even be the programmed response as well, accompanying the outside response as well, to make the patient herself unaware of her own artificial brain.What then of the human brain, is it programmed as well? Could socialization and other life processes have acted as the programmers for our brains? This question would depend on how the human makes her choices. After all, a human can change on her own but an artificial brain can only do what it does again and again.BibliographyRussel, B. (2001). The Argument from Analogy of Other Minds. Retrieved July 10, 2008, from TCU Philosophy Department: http://www.phil.tcu.edu/readings/Russell.doc Ryle, G. (1949). Descartes' Myth. In G. Ryle, The Concept of Mind.Searle, J. (1980). Minds, Brains and Programs. Behvioral and Brain Sciences Vol. 3 , 417- 457.

BTK Strangler: Dennis Rader

Dennis Lynn Rader, born March 9, 1945, had been penalized to serve ten consecutive life sentences with no chance of parole for more than 40 years having been guilty of murdering ten (10) people in Sedgwick County, Kansas between 1974 and 1991. Rader became known to be the BTK Strangler, which stands for Bind, Torture and Kill, an apt description for his modus operandi. Soon after the killings, letters were written to the police and to local news outlets, boasting of the crimes and knowledge of the details. He was then arrested in 2005 and subsequently convicted after the letters have resumed in year 2004.Biography Rader was the eldest of the four sons of William Elvin and Dorothea Mae Rader. He grew up in Wichita, where he committed his murders, and graduated from Riverview School and later Wichita Heights High School. Rader also attended Kansas Wesleyan University and spent four years in the U. S. Air Force. Rader moved to Park City, a suburb seven miles north of Wichita. There he w orked at the meat department of Leekers IGA supermarket where his mother also worked as the bookkeeper. On May 22, 1971, he married Paula Dietz.In 1973, he earned an associate’s degree in Electronics at Butler County Community, El Dorado. That same time, he enrolled at Wichita State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Administration of Justice in 1979. He led a Cub Scout troop and was active in his Lutheran Church. Rader has two grown children with Dietz. From 1972 to 1973, he worked for the Coleman Company as an assembler, as had two of his early victims. From November 1974, until being fired in July 1988, Rader worked ay a Wichita-based office of ADT Security Services.It was believed that this is where he has learned how home security systems work, and how to defeat them, enabling him to break into the homes of his victims without being caught. In 1991, Rader was hired to be the supervisor of the Compliance Department at Park City. On March 2, 2005, the Park City council fired Rader for failure to report to work. By this time, he had been detained by the authorities for being charged of murder. On July 27, 2005, Sedgwick County District Judge Eric Yost waived the usual 60-day waiting period and granted an immediate divorce for Paula Rader, being in accord that her mental health was in danger.Paula Rader said in her divorce petition that her mental and physical condition has been adversely affected by their marriage and that her husband had failed to perform material marital dues, possibly because of him being in custody. The 34-year marriage was ended, after Rader having not contested to the divorce. Bind, Torture and Kill Rader casually described his victims as his ‘projects’ and at one point likened his murders to euthanizing animals. He had referred to a ‘hit kit,’ a briefcase or bowling bag where he would put the items he would use during the murders.This includes guns, tape, rope and handcuffs. He also had ‘hit clothes’ that he would wear for the crimes and dispose it thereafter. Naturally, the American serial killer developed a pattern for his murders. He would wander the city, find potential victims, stalk them until he knew the patter of their lives and strike at the best time to do so. If his victims were his co-workers, he would get acquainted with them making it easier for him to track him down. He would often stalk several victims at a time, so he could continue the hunt if one did not work out.At the time of the murder, Rader would cut the phone lines, defeat the home security system and break into the house, and hide until his victim came home. He would often calm his victims by pretending to be a rapist. He said many of his victims were more cooperative after he said this, and even helped him. Instead, Rader would kill them. Apparently, Rader bound, tortured and killed his victims. He would strangle them until they lose consciousness, let them revive, and then strangle them again. â€Å"He would repeat the process over and over, forcing them to experience near-death, becoming sexually aroused at the sight of their struggles.Finally, Rader would strangle them to death and masturbate to ejaculation into an article of their clothing, usually underwear† (Smith 2006). Apprehension and Conviction One thousand one hundred (1100) DNA samples were taken by the police testing hundreds of men trying to find the serial killer. Rader’s daughter had a DNA sample tested after law enforcement had linked her father’s name to the crimes. Rader had left a note to the police asking them to reply by a newspaper ad, if it was alright for him to give them more information about himself via floppy disk and not get caught.The police had then replied, via the newspaper ad, that it was alright and that there was no way ok knowing who sent it, when in fact there was. On January 2005, Rader came to his pastor with a floppy disk saying he had the agenda of a church council meeting and needed to run off copies on a printer. He had inserted the disk into a computer thinking it was ordinary but unfortunately, that move may have cracked the BTK serial killer case to the police. On the last day of February 2005, Pastor Michael Clark welcomed four law enforcement officers with a search warrant and he was asked who had access to the computer.An electronic imprint in a disk sent to a Wichita TV station by the BTK killer had been traced to the church. It appears that a computer disk becomes the key evidence to charging the then 59-year-old church council president with 10 murders that terrorized the city for over three decades. The authorities had him caught; they quickly got the BTK’s name and tracked him down. The police had been tightlipped about why they believe Rader is the BTK killer, but some details have emerged indeed pointing to him as the murderer.Among them are the disk, DNA samples, surveillance and mocki ng letters. Rader, who was held in lieu of $10 million bail, was arrested on February 25, 2005 in Park City. One June 27, 2005, he pleaded guilty to his crimes and gave a graphic account of his crimes in court (Serial). Rader was suspected of eight murders committed in the 1970s and 80s but authorities have linked two additional victims to the serial killer. He was sentenced to serve 10 consecutive life sentences (one for each life he took), without parole for 175 years, on August 18, 2005.The Victims Rader’s victims include: ? 1974: Four members of one family (Joseph Otero, his wife Julie Otero, and two of their five children: Joseph Otero II and Josephine Otero) and a separate victim, Kathryn Bright ? 1977: Shirley Vian and Nancy Fox ? 1985: Marine Hedge ? 1986: Vicki Wegerle ? 1991: Dolores Davis Rader said he did have other intended victims, notably Anna Williams, 63, who in 9179 escaped death by returning home much later than he expected. The Letters Rader was particular ly known for sending taunting letters to police and newspapers.There were several communications from BTK during 1974 to 1979. The first was a letter that had been stashed in an engineering book in the Wichita Public Library in October 1974 that described in detail the killing of the Otero family in January of that year. In early 1978 he sent another letter to television station KAKE in Wichita claiming responsibility for the murders of the Oteros, Shirley Vian, Nancy Fox and another unidentified victim assumed to be Kathryn Bright. He suggested a number of possible names for himself, including the one that stuck: BTK.He demanded media attention in this second letter, and it was finally announced that Wichita did indeed have a serial killer at large. In 1979 he sent two identical packages, one to an intended victim who was not at home when he broke into her house and the other to KAKE. These featured a poem, â€Å"Oh Anna Why Didn't You Appear,† a drawing of what he had inten ded to do to his victim, as well as some small items he had pilfered from Williams' home. Apparently, Rader had waited for several hours inside the home of Anna Williams.Not realizing that she had gone to her sister's house for the evening, he eventually got tired of the long wait and left. In 1988, after the murders of three members of the Fager family in Wichita, a letter was received from someone claiming to be the BTK killer in which he denied being the perpetrator of this crime. He did credit the killer with having done admirable work. It was not proven until 2005 that this letter was in fact written by the genuine BTK killer, Rader, although he is not considered by police to have committed this crime. ArrestSometime during February 2005, police obtained a warrant for the medical records of Rader’s daughter. A tissue sample seized at this time was tested for DNA and provided a familial match with semen at an earlier BTK crime scene. This, along with other evidence gather ed prior to and during the surveillance, gave police probable cause for an arrest. Rader was stopped while driving near his home and taken into custody shortly after noon on February 25, 2005. Immediately after, law enforcement officials converged on Rader’s residence near the intersection of I-135 and 61st Street North.Once in hand, Rader’s home and vehicle were searched, and evidence was collected. Rader talked to the police for several hours, although he confessed almost immediately. Twelve DVDs were filled recording his confessions. On February 26, 2005, the Wichita Police Department announced that they were holding Dennis Lynn Rader as the prime suspect in the BTK killings in a press conference. The Reason Behind the Killings After having taken into custody, Rader admits through local police department interview that he committed the crimes â€Å"to satisfy his sexual fantasies† (Douglas 2007).Works Cited Beattie, R. Nightmare In Wichita: The Hunt for the B TK Strangler. New American Library, 2005. Brunker, M. Neighbors Paint Mixed Picture of BTK Suspect. MSNBC News Services & The Associated Press. 27 February 2005. Douglas, J. E. Inside the Mind of BTK: The true Story Behind Thirty Years of Hunting for the Wichita Serial Killer. Jossey Bass Wiley, 2007. Serial Killer Next Door – Confessions of the BTK Killer. CNN. 27 June 2005. Smith, C. The BTK Murders: Inside the â€Å"Bind Torture Kill† Case that Terrified America's Heartland. St. Martin's True Crime, 2006.

Issues to consider when a neighborhood may be exposed to Hazardous Case Study - 1

Issues to consider when a neighborhood may be exposed to Hazardous Emissions - Case Study Example People are availing the best of its positive approaches like medical facilities, communications and traveling facilities that has improved the quality of life tremendously. But at the same time, several negative impacts have emerged which are affecting people and their surroundings to quite an extent. One of the main battles which are going on between people and nature is to restore mother earth from the destruction which is happening because of the rapid growth of population and energy shortage. To overcome the energy problem, several alternatives have been tried to fix the issue like Biomass which itself is not good for people and environment and it leads to the misbalancing of a natural equilibrium of earth. Testing and experiments is been done on daily basis and every day is a day of discovery. In regard to this assignment, I would like to discuss Phosphorus as a chemical used in different kinds of utilities like toothpaste, fireworks, pesticides, matches, explosives, detergent e tc. Elemental Phosphorus: One of the main elemental phosphorus which is made up of common allotrope of phosphorus is white phosphorus. It is highly reactive elements with air, water and with any other chemical and due to this reason this element is not freely found on earth. White Phosphorus is extremely flammable and is formed by four atoms which cause high ring strain and instability. It is self igniting and results in a luminous light when reacts with air and can produce thick smoke. It should be handled with high precautions as it can cause severe burns to the skin if contacted. It is a wax like substance with yellowish color or sometimes colorless and it smells like garlic and can produce thick smoke when ignites. Its flames are also hard to extinguish and can burn flesh to bone under its covering thick smoke. (Ref: Elemental Phosphorus by A.K Saxena , 1982) Human Exposure of White Phosphorus: Emission of white phosphorus is possible through a lot of conditions like while handl ing or transportation, accidental spillage, during production of arms and ammunition. It is estimated by EPA 1989 that during the production of white phosphorus, 0.58kg is emitted in air and while the military use for illuminating the air or for producing smoke, the density of smoke is 0.1mg/m3 and the concentration of white phosphorus in smoke was 21 ppb according to EPA 1991. The presence of white phosphorus in environment or air can be fatal as it is very poisonous. Any human exposure to White phosphorus can experience nausea, stomach ache and drowsiness. It is damaging for liver, kidneys or and it burns the flesh to bone if contacted with skin. (Reference: Potential for Human Exposure) Environmental Effects of Phosphorus: Industrial use of White Phosphorus in the production of ammunition, the excretion of wastewater containing a large amount of white phosphorus settles at the surface at the side. White phosphorus is not very reactive in water and but it accumulates in the organi sms which can be harmful for aquatic life. It stays in the soil for several days before it turns into less harmful substances but in deep soil it can stay for thousands of years and that is one of the main reason for desalination and

Robinson Crusoe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Robinson Crusoe - Essay Example Perhaps it is true to say that everything which occurred is interwoven into that Providence, and with the relationship between man and God. There is no doubt that a portrayal of that relationship is an integral part of the story. Symbolic of this relationship is that which Crusoe has with his father, whose loving advice and guidance he ignored. The warning signs of danger, or even of Providential intervention, such as storms and slavery, are also ignored, though Crusoe expressed some understanding of the issues when he said, he Hand of Heaven had overtaken me, and I was undone without Redemption.(p. 20 Vol 1), this during his enslavement. Though he was rescued and brought to a wealthy life by the help of the Portuguese Captain, never once did he think to see God's hand at work, nor to offer thanks. God is blamed for his misery, when he is shipwrecked on the island; it took him a long time to realize how fortunate he had been. When he rew up the state of my Affairs in writing(p. 74 Vol 1), it is only that the God's intervention is mentioned in his 'good' list; ..He that Mastering his environment took up so much time that it was not until illness struck, and the vision frightened him, that a turning point was reached, a true acknowledgment of God's goodness occurred and a relationship began to be

The Differences Between Islam And Christianity Essay

The Differences Between Islam And Christianity - Essay Example One of the reasons of the success of the Muslim conquest was that they were aided by the Christian and the Jews when Heraclius tried to attack the Muslims at a;-Yarmuk, due to the aid of the Christians and the Jews, the Muslim army outnumbered the army of Heraclius (FORDHAM, 2012). The Christians and the Jews decided to aid Muslims in their conquest when the Muslims threatened to return them to their former condition, at that time the Christians and the Jews decided to help the Muslims as they preferred living under Muslim Rule rather than Byzantine Rule. The second reason of the Muslim conquest during the war of al-Yarmuk was the unity among the Muslims, although the army led by al-Ghassani outnumbered the Muslim fighters by a great deal, still, the Muslims ended up being victorious. An instance that supports this reason is the participation of the Muslim females in the war. Ans 4.In accordance to the insulting stories produced by Christians during the 9th and the 10th century, the view they had about the Prophet Mohammed was a mass murderer and terrorist like (Constable 48). This can be seen through the views that he was provided with arms and swords to treat the Gog in a very cruel manner so the Cog would bow in front of him and perform activities which he wanted them to perform. Similarly, these stories state that he had ordered the followers of the religion of Islam to kill those who were not ready to accept Islam as their religion and to make sure that people accepted Islam with the aid of sword.

Pottery Statues of Ancient Chinese Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pottery Statues of Ancient Chinese Art - Essay Example There are various arts like painted potteries, folk arts, script, monuments, metal arts etc. Very expensive materials are used for the art works like granite, marble, lime stone, etc and even gold, silver and other precious materials are used. In early times they were not much aware about the materials used for arts and they used stone and rock for doing arts. These antique collections of ancient period are now placed in the museums. â€Å"The museum houses collections of various color-painted potteries of Neolithic Age and treasures of ancient grottoes. The design of these potteries is gorgeous and has the characteristic of the local culture.† (Gansu Provincial Museum). In museums there are varieties of wonderful art works which were done in the past. The Chinese culture hasn’t altered much from before and the people are still continuing with their traditional customs. The temples in China are considered as precious art wealth which signifies the prosperous culture of China. Chinese people have some beliefs with regard to their traditional arts. There are varieties of statues which symbolize different significances and faiths. Laughing Buddha is one among them which symbolizes health, prosperity, happiness, and so on and they believe that it brings all these goodness if it is placed somewhere and there are also other different kinds of laughing Buddha and each one has got some particular concept. The arts like Swastika, fengshui are some of the other Chinese artifacts which are used for good luck and to improve the life. Chinese people believe in such things; so most of them use these types of artifacts. The people from other countries prefer to use the Chinese arts mainly because of their quality and beauty. The ancient Chinese art is very gorgeous and superior which is totally different from other art works; so it has high demand. Not only the Chinese people buy this; people from every nation are now buying

My history as a reader and writer in Russian and in English Essay

My history as a reader and writer in Russian and in English - Essay Example Writing is an art that requires one to have passion and willingness to counter the challenges that relate to the rules of good writing. My experience in reading and Writing in college is quite different from that of high school. In high school, most of the writing involved simple compositions and summaries. In college reading and writing requires deep analysis of the contents and the interpretation of those contents. Learning a new language is quite challenging but I am determined to perfect my new skills within the shortest time possible. My strengths in this new language are the commitment I have in my studies through regular practice to enhance my speaking and writing skills. I am also good at recalling facts and materials learned which enhances my performance in English and Russian languages. My weakness is the poor mastery of new phrases, especially in the new language. To counter this weakness, I am working hard by reading many articles and noting everything that I read in my notebook. The main goals for this course are to improve my analytical skills, which will enable me to be an excellent creative writer in the future. I also want to improve my usage of verbs especially the correct use of verb tenses, which will enable me to write the high-quality grammar. I also want to organize my work very well and compete with some of the world’s renowned writers in creative and imaginative writing. Reading and writing in the two different languages will help me communicate with more people and make many friends who have similar interests.

Bank law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Bank law - Essay Example It has not derived any benefit from the sale of the said Nursing home for it was applied to payment of credit debts, and even the other creditors were not given any amount. Narni was dependent on this kind of arrangement because the Bank has been honoring the checques drawn over the limit and has not notify it for the dishonor. 2. The Court found that indeed the Bank committed breach of its arrangement with Narni. As deduced from the facts of the case, the acts of the bank in allowing and honoring the cheques drawn way beyond the ceiling despite the fact that there was no sufficient fund in the account of Narni constitutes an implied terms. As gleaned from the records of the case, Narni applied for overdraft facility with the Bank with ceiling of $65, 000 and when it has drawn cheques pending approval of the said application, the Bank honored the cheques even if the account was regularly in debit. When Narni asked for extension of the overdraft to $100, 000.00, the Bank continuously manifested its refusal to grant it, but continued to honor the cheques drawn beyond the limit. This kind of dealings between the Bank and Narni gave rise to implied terms, which the bank is bound. And Narni relied upon this dealing of the Bank that the latter will not refuse to honor the check without giving adequate notice. ... The following the terms are implied as a matter of fact: a). as a result of a course of past dealings between the parties; 2). as a result of custom or trade usage; and 3). to give business efficacy to the contract (Topic 6, n.d.). And for the Court to regard the implied terms as result of past dealing between the parties it must be shown that a). the terms of the collateral contract must not be inconsistent with the terms of the main the term claimed to have been used in past dealings is clearly identifiable. This is most easily done by reference to previous contractual documents; b). The previous dealings were sufficiently frequent and consistent, given the circumstances of the case, to constitute a regular course of dealing; c).the present dealing fits into that course of dealing to the extent that it can reasonably be said that the same terms should be included; d). and there is no conflict between the implied term and the express terms (Ibid.). As regards the situation between N arni and the Bank, the Court correctly held that there was an implied terms between them as a result of past dealing and course of action between them. It has ruled that "that by honouring cheques at a time when the account was well in excess of $100,000 the Bank impliedly extended the overdraft facility to â€Å"a limit of at least $100,000† and further agreed not to dishonour a cheque drawn â€Å"within the limit† without first giving adequate notice." The silence of the Bank regarding the status of the cheques drawn despite lack of funds and the previous dealings it had with Narni wherein it honors the cheques are factors relied by Narni in the conduct of

Demand Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Demand Analysis - Term Paper Example Hence, gasoline prices will be a potential determinant of Toyota SUV’s future demand. Reports indicate that gasoline price is likely to fall by the middle of 2013 and therefore demand of Toyota SUVs would be further increased after one year. BP gasoline The BP gasoline has a good market demand currently. Undoubtedly, price of the BP gasoline is the major factor affecting its market demand. When the BP gasoline price increases, the product’s demand will decline and vice versa. In addition, the level of demand for fuel vehicles greatly influences the BP gasoline demand because this product is majorly used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. While analyzing the BP gasoline demand a year from now, it seems that the demand is more likely to be declined because modern people are turning towards electric vehicles. However, gasoline price projections for 2013 indicate a downward trend and this situation would in turn promote gasoline demand to some extent. 3D movies Deman d for 3D movies is very high in modern entertainment industry. According to a survey commissioned by the International 3D Society, nearly 74% of the participants opined that â€Å"today’s 3D movies are better than 2D movies†; and in addition, 30% was of the view that â€Å"3D movies are incredible† (BusinessWire). Weaknesses in the 2D technology and customer expectations on 3D movies seem to be the important elements promoting the demand for 3D movies. In addition, recent technological developments in the 3D movie sector also contribute to the demand. However, 3D movie ticket prices can have a direct influence on its demand in line with the law of demand. The demand for 3D movies may further rise after one year because the International 3D society survey indicates that the majority of the people are yet to see a 3D movie (BusinessWire). Obesity cures Obesity cures have an immense demand across the globe, especially in the Western countries like the United States . The prevalence of overweight and obesity is soaring in the US mainly due to people’s adverse lifestyle practices and unhealthy food habits. Nowadays, people are more concerned about their health and hence they are willing to pay more for healthcare services. Hence, individuals’ consciousness is identified to be the major factor influencing the demand for obesity cures. Since the US healthcare sector is still struggling to control obesity related issues in the country, demand for obesity cures is most likely to mount throughout next few years. Tattoos While evaluating the current market position of tattoos, is clear that the conventional social stigma concerning tattoos is rapidly disappearing and which in turn promotes the demand for tattoos; and it is observed that the increased use of tattoos by celebrities has greatly added value to the tattoo demand (BBC News). Undoubtedly, tastes and preferences of customers would probably affect tattoo market demands. In additi on, many marketers offer good quality and attractive tattoos at fairly low costs and therefore the cost effectiveness also promotes the demand for tattoos. There would be a higher demand for tattoos in a year from now because the social image of tattoos is positively changing. Furthermore, marketers are vehemently trying to offer more improved and variety tattoos at cheaper costs.

Interdisciplinary approach in understanding suicide syndrome Essay Example for Free

Interdisciplinary approach in understanding suicide syndrome Essay The data and research on suicide provided us a lot of statistics which is intellectually inviting to package into a neat conceptual frame from different disciplines so we can see possible interrelationships and more important we can view the coincidental everyday events follow certain trends. Suicide which is a complex act could for example be viewed not in isolation with group behavioral patterns and is tied up with the social institutions. We can explore further and go case specific and explore suicide in the internal psychological and physiological turmoil involved in suicide or what makes life. The religious view underlines not the meaning of life but the value of life. Intellectual challenge of unifying different perspectives Going into particular view points and unifying them is not as easy as it seems. A fine statement taken from different point of views summing what suicide is all about may not hold water and not tenable. There possibilities opposing viewpoints at some level on questions such the dividing line between psychology and religion. Will a peek at the soul the same as peeking at the subconscious? The matter of approach and method are areas which needed reconciliation if it would be useful in understanding suicidal actions and ideation. Coming up with the criteria for selecting appropriate approach and method becomes critical. Could a balance be struck between the objective and subjective? Analytical or the introspective? We confront then each discipline with a specificity of purpose while exploring the nuances of each discipline. The exploration must yield an intellectual map of how suicide could be contextualized and understood, meaning the map or the conceptual frame must be able to account for the myriad of statistics and findings of the subject matter of suicide. CONVERGING DISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVES Interdisciplinary approach is a search for convergence both in substance and in methods and coming up with a unified perspective on the issue at hand. It is in such a convergence that the power of interdisciplinary research strategies could be best appreciated. Domain of psychology Human behavior or why we act the way we do reflects opposing viewpoints of objectivism and subjectivism. Apparently, it is difficult to separate the body and one of its products, the mind. The mind could be perhaps viewed as an indicator of prescience, an attribute of being capable of conscious act, of being aware. The working of the mind has been research and has been debated across time. And time and again, unifying objectivism and subjectivism remained a touchy issue. But nonetheless a unified interdisciplinary perspective must account for the dynamic relationship of objective and subjective factors in human behavior. Bruner’s theory of the evolution of the mind offered the insight that the representation systems used by children as they develop parallels the history of human inventions and the theory suggests that such evolution is manifested in three stages of inventions which serves as amplifiers of motor, sensory and ratiocinative human capacities. Broadly speaking, technology and science made people stronger, keener on their environment and with amplified intellectual capacities through symbol systems and theories.

How Taubman Technique Essay Example for Free

How Taubman Technique Essay How Taubman Technique can be applied to young beginners piano learning- using traditional materials Background information With hundreds of years of evolution in the study of elementary piano, nowadays materials of this sort have been widely available, perhaps even gone rampant. This article argues the effectiveness of solely relying on certain elementary piano methods to teach, without the incorporation of a more holistic approach to piano playing. The beneficiaries of the renowned Taubman approach to piano technique are mostly injured concert pianists, conservatory students, and piano teachers, people who lready have more or less a certain degree of piano proficiency. Since Taubman approach is so effective in helping intermediate and advance pianists, I would like to experiment the application of it to young beginning childrens piano lesson. Seeing that systematic materials for young beginner based on Taubmans approach are extremely limited, my goal is not only to incorporate part of Taubmans ideas to the standard beginning teaching, but to suggest a way to make it an essential part of teaching, using existing beginning materials. This article will discuss how the Taubman Technique can be systematically taught, learned in young beginners lessons with traditional materials, using the Alfreds Basic Piano Library lesson series as a model. The need to incorporate a more holistic approach to beginning piano teaching There is a huge array of beginning piano materials- Hal Leonard, the Music Tree, Alfreds Basic Piano Library, Piano Adventure and so on. The methodology each publishing company varies slightly. Hal Leonard Piano Student Piano Library starts with off- staff notation recognition, and the Music Tree starts with recognition of roups of two and three black notes. Most of the companies sell books introducing theory, lessons, and other activities at a sequence. For example, Hal Lenard has lesson books, technique books, theory books, ear training books, game books tc. , and in the first page of lesson book, a chart is used to explain the sequence. None of the piano methods is perfect or complete; each has its own unique combination of strengths and weaknesses. Contrary to popular belief, a child doesnt become great by going through the designated steps in a beginning lesson book. To know simple heory, history of mus ic, and enjoy some fun piano games may be important for a 6- year-old beginner, but its not the most important thing to make a good pianist. A young beginner becomes great when his coordination with the instrument is properly developed. We make motions to produce music, therefore, music and technique are inseparable, and technique is coordination. (Lister-Sink) The and young beginning students, its not so much as to pound the concepts on paper into their brains- the head knowledge, rather, its the connection between their body and the instrument they feel that sticks- the body knowledge. Without a deliberate emphasis on teaching in the physical aspect of playing, the teachers found the most popular piano method books insufficient to help the student reach his full potential. Thats why there are so many people who quit after learning the piano for couple years, and so many advanced students, even those in the conservatories, suffer piano related injury. That makes me wonder, what can supplement my teaching with the Alfreds Basic Piano Library materials, or more precisely, what makes the material stay with the students, how to ingrain the sense of playing to the students. I suppose its not about the methods, its about the truth in the mechanisms of piano playing. Since its the people, human beings, who invented piano and developed its technique, the piano technique must be something thats inherently natural, and there must be a set of principles that can solve any pianistic problems. Through couple lessons with Certified Taubman teachers and research, I found out there are governing principles thats beyond the scope of existing materials in piano teaching. These principles need to be included in the very first lessons, regardless of what material used. Why using the Taubman concept to teach Started in 1976 by Dorothy Taubman, a New York piano teacher, Taubman approach is a ground breaking analysis of the invisible motions that function underneath a virtuoso technique. Ms. Taubman and her analysis helped pianists overcome technical limitations as well as cure playing-related injuries. Before meeting Tauman, American pianist Leon Fleisher and professor of Peabody Institute of Music was forced to play with only one hand for many years due to playing related hand injuries.

Marketing Strategy For The Chevy Volt Marketing Essay

Marketing Strategy For The Chevy Volt Marketing Essay In November of 1911, Louis Chevrolet, William Little and Edwin Campbell integrated the Chevrolet Motor Company. Chevrolet offers an assortment of motorized vehicles to the general public such as subcompact cars, sports cars, luxury cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans. Chevrolet made the cut and will continue to serve its customers for years to come, stated Nick Kalapos the Times leader in a documentary about Chevrolet being the leader in their community (15). Chevrolet continues to be on top with performance, price, fuel economy, and value leader for General Motors North America (13). Many people are becoming more aware of global warming and they are trying to find various ways to become more environmentally friendly. Record oil prices have pushed consumers toward fuel efficient vehicles and have prompted many governments to consider electric transportations as a way of traveling (5). Research shows that consumers want eco friendly cars. About 68 percent people say that they are willing to buy an eco friendly car within the next couple of years (1). Will Buss said that in reference to Newtons Third Law of Motion, consumers have reacted to gas prices, which have soared to record levels, by buying fewer gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles and more of the fuel-efficient and hybrid-powered variety. As consumers become more aware of how harmful emissions are and how much oil prices continue to rise they will be more willing to buy and the need for electric cars and hybrids will take over the automotive marketplace (1). Chevrolet is searching for those who are willing go the extra mile to be early adopters for the new Volt that will hit the market in late 2010. The people who are going to be more interested in the Eco friendly cars are the Generation Y consumers, says James Schroer. As Generation Y grows up they are going to demand for their vehicles to become more environmental friendly. Gen Y consumers have grown-up up to be technology savvy and they are known to be more familiar with technology than any other generation (1). By developing high technology that could be appealing to the consumers it would entice drivers to plug in rather than filling up (5). Chevy Volt has soaring technology that will give buyers a smart phone application that will let the owners control key vehicle functions along with On star. I phones, blackberries and android phones will be available with the electric car. Remote access will also be possible from a cell phone web browser that will have applications for starting , locking and unlocking the doors, security system arming and disarming commands, and trunk popping. Also there are applications for honking the horn so people will be able to locate their cars easily. The Chevy volt has new technology innovations for the generation Y. As this generation matures and gains more power, their influence will spread across the country (4). There are also some cultural issues to deal with when it comes to electric cars. Some Issues about the electric car depends solely on the time the vehicle will come out, the cost of the Volt and most importantly the consumers (5). Americans want to do good things for the environment, as long as they do not have to compromise performance, convenience, or comfort which causes a major issue (1). Americans only want to do what is suitable and as long as it does not affect their everyday life. Many Americans have a large family which requires them to need a bigger vehicle like a SUV making a gas eating vehicle more suitable than a small electric car. Bigger issue that arises is the lack of batteries that are available. Many car manufactures have been slow to commit to their decisions about electric vehicles, because they are unsure about how many people will want to purchase the electric car. Without orders being placed battery manufactures cannot invest in the time and money that is necessary to produce the batteries at a timely fashion. Gassenheimer says that he has concern that the United States will trade their dependence on the Middle Eastern oil for a reliance on Asian batteries (5). Many experts say that Western companies have more experience in technology and Asians are the leaders in producing Lithium-iron batteries for electronics. A concern for the U.S is that they really dont know if they have the resources or capabilities to produce mass loads of Lithium-iron batteries and the same concern goes for Europe. So a major concern arises about where the Lithium-iron batteries are going to be made. This is a huge issue due to Asians being the only ones that are experienced in making loads of Lithium-iron batteries. An issue about shipments of the Lithium-iron batteries is that its on a strict International Regulation that would be placed on goods making these goods being labeled in the dangerous goods category. Tollefson stated, When the first generation of anything comes out, to a certain extent car manufactures are rolling the dice and this is the biggest roll of the dice anybody has ever made (5). With the rising gasoline prices and consumers growing preference for environmentally-friendly technologies, the hybrid car market has grown tremendously. Toyota, being a huge competitor to General Motors captured the largest percentage of the hybrid car market. Automobile companies such as DaimlerChrysler, Ford and General Motors (GM) have agreed to double their annual production of energy efficient vehicles by 2010. With all the environmental issues going on, nearly all automobile companies are scrambling to be the first and best new electric or hybrid on the market. Shane Donahue stated, Our competitors and others are pursuing similar technologies and other competing technologies, in some cases with more money available. There can be no assurance that they will not acquire similar or superior technologies sooner than we do. With that being said, it can be recognized that General Motors feels that their competitors are one step-ahead of them in the hybrid car market. The GM Chevy Volt will enter the market as a direct competitor to the Toyota Prius hybrid and the Honda Insight hybrid. The Toyota Prius is only a conventional hybrid, the Volt is essentially a plug-in car that has to affirm the companys ability to innovate and turn the company around. However, Nissan has announced that it will beat the Volt to market in fall 2010 with its Nissan Leaf, which boasts a 100 mile range on a charge. The Leafs target launch date will beat General Motors Volt plug-in hybrid, and while Japans Mitsubishi and Subaru both launched EVs for sale to fleets in Japan last month, the cars are smaller, lower-speed, city cars with far less range than the 100 miles-per-charge, claims Nissan for the Leaf. With the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf threatening to steal the green car market, Nissan is accelerating its plans for a plug-in version of the Prius (19) Ford has also announced that it will produce a battery-powered version of its Focus, called Focus EV, in late 2011. As well as many other companies are working on electric cars such as the BMW City, Dodge Circuit, Tesla Model S, and Chinas BYD E6. Although they are way more expensive, Tesla has actually sold a few of its cars, which gives it some advantage. Another eco friendly competitor of Chevrolet is Zenn. Their marketing slogan is Zero Emission and No Noise. The Zenn does not use gasoline but is all electrical The Zenn companys idea on eco friendly cars is about purity and original feeling. The Volt needs at least 8 hours for it to charge fully, but the Zenn can take as little as 4 hours to get a full charge. The price of owning a Zenn is half the cost of the 2010 Volt which has not even hit the market yet. The Zenn has been stated in Time magazine as small, inexpensive electric vehicles that can be charged to cover enough miles to handle the daily commute. (20) The Zenn is a Canada based company which has already launched the car in Canada and in the United States. Its sales are increasing with the concerns of a bad economy. A Zenn has significantly less parts than a regular vehicle that will have to be maintained on a regular basis. The owner will never have to worry about changing the oil, replace a filter or muffler and there i s absolutely no need for an emission test. Chevrolet has many routes to take its new innovations with its worldwide channels of production and distribution. GM has organized its brands into four channels: Chevrolet, Buick-Pontiac-GMC, Cadillac-Hummer-Saab and Saturn. Now it has changed the job responsibilities and titles of several of its channel leaders (3). A channels brand name depends on where the vehicles are being produced and sold in. Channels use different brand names to make their vehicles appear more localized. Many of the changes made to the cars are designed specifically to meet the customer needs of where their production is being made. GM took over bankrupt Daewoo Auto and technology to help regain Daewoo reputation at home. GM received a big achievement with Daewoo with their exports. Chevy Europe is a swiss-based firm that sells rebranded products of the GM Daewoo. Chevy Europe sold few United States domestic markets that were modified to suit the European regulations. Chevy Europe sold the Camaro, Beretta, Co rvette, Blazer and the Trailblazer. In 2005 Chevy Europe rebranded its ownership to the Ssangyong, however the Daewoo name retained its name in South Korea and Vietnam after 2005. The Suzuki badge is in the U.S and Canada, Pontiac Badge Canada, the Holden badge in Australia and New Zealand, and the Buick badge in China for some certain GM Daewoo models. Marketed in different distribution channels operated by the Netherlands-based Kroymans Corporation group are the Corvette and Cadillac. Kroymans Corporation going to sell German GM vehicles such as the Opel and they will also sell Netherlands and Belgium made brands. Kroymans is going to stay focused only on importing, distribution, marketing car and retail sales in the Netherlands. The reason for this is because the Chevy Brand represents value-driven cars in Europe. The Corvette name was made into different brand for Europe and Japan. With this World wide vast coverage GM will be capable of designing and marketing vehicles to diffe rent parts of the world. By having this wide coverage GM will be able to draw knowledge and cultural differences from engineers around the world (2). Market Approach The Chevrolet Volt is a hybrid electric automobile. The cars main source of power comes from lithium-ion batteries stored underneath its hood. The batteries can receive charge through one of two ways. They can store electrical energy from the small, gasoline powered engine, or can be charged by using 120-240V AC outlets. On a full battery charge, the Volt is capable of traveling over 40 miles (22). A study found that this distance satisfies nearly three quarters of Americans daily commutes. In addition, Chevrolet expects the batteries to last for up to ten years. The Chevrolet Volts main target market is middle class families that share similar opinions, interests, and hobbies. Segmenting the market and choosing this group is reflected within GMs marketing strategy. They will adapt a strategy that is tailored to attract consumers with related lifestyles and purchasing behaviors. With all the Green Marketing focus in todays world, many consumers are looking for vehicles that are environmentally friendly. Also, with the recent state of the economy, many consumers are seeking a car that provides good value and quality at a fair price. The Volt is a new kind of hybrid that runs primarily off of electricity which greatly reduces its fuel consumption. With increasing gas prices and a poor economic state, this makes the Volt attractive to these eco-friendly customers. As GM seeks to be a part of the Go Green initiative, many consumers who value this idea will begin to become loyal to General Motors. When GM set out to price the Volt, they had a good idea of where to position their product. Some other big automobile companies have already dipped into this market and give the Volts marketers a good idea of a fair price for this type of vehicle. Nissans Altima Hybrid is priced at $34,000, followed by Hondas Accord ranging from $35,000-$40,000 (23). The Toyota Camry Hybrid rounds off this vehicle class with a standard price tag of $37,000 (24). These prices made it apparent to Chevrolet that for the Volt to be competitive it should be priced somewhere in the range of $30,000 to $40,000 depending on available options. The anticipation of the introduction of the Volt is growing, according to Chevrolet. They have over 30,000 potential buyers that cannot wait to drive one of these fascinating cars. Chevrolet wants consumers to see the car as more than just an inexpensive way to travel. They want to the vehicle to reflect style, and be a car that people aspire to own (24). However, some automakers are skeptical of the Volt. Some of the more luxurious competitors feel that most consumers will not pay a higher premium for a car that really doesnt offer much more than a basic automobile. Chevrolet hopes to shock them as well as the consumers it captures with the Volts release. Chevy and GM have worked hard to make the Volt a user friendly and customizable car. One of the features they are offering will be a few different gauge interfaces from which the driver will be able to choose. One set contains a standard, traditional gauge set with all normal gauges placed directly over the steering wheel, while a second set displays the gauges from the center of the dash. This second set is impressive, in that it uses touch screen technology and backlit LED lighting for a bright, clear display. Both sets allow drivers to see how they are using the cars energy, which can let them adjust driving patterns to reduce lost energy (25). Still, the location of the interface is strictly up to the driver, and consumers like the idea of being able to customize a vehicle to their liking. Another advantage the Volt has over foreign electric vehicles is its federal rebate program. The government offers $7,500 off for buying the Chevrolet brand. This becomes quite a bargaining chip when talking about a sticker price of 30-40K. General Motors is planning to produce tens of thousands of these new vehicles to be sold around the world. An actual price has not been set but the pricing strategy and final MSRP will factor in gasoline prices (26). Chevrolet offers many services that other companys lack. An important service that Chevrolet has is a life saving service called On-Star. The Chevrolet Volt will be equipped with On-Star, but not just any On-Star, it will come with On-Star EV Lab. This version is offered to give the Volt a more high tech appeal (6). One of the features includes communicating with the Volt by telling it to charge during the night at off peak times to take advantage of lower rates; this technology is called smart charging (6). On-Star automatically runs hundreds of diagnostic and maintenance checks on your vehicles key operating systems and deliver a summary report right to your inbox every month (7). Chevrolet has been a loyal company that has always been superb when coming up with new ideas for vehicles. Chevrolet has been working hard to process this new advanced automobile. Volt is an electric vehicle with a range extender. Volt runs on electricity from its battery, and then it runs on electricity it creates from gas. Depending on the weather, the electrical features that are turned on and how you drive, you can drive up to 40 miles on the electricity stored in the battery totally gas and emissions free(8). After this takes place, the range-extending generator automatically kicks in to provide the electrical power. This allows the Volt to go for several hundred additional miles, until it is plugged in again. Chevrolets brand is becoming more solid after GM filed for chapter 11 bankruptcies and has just recently emerged. Chevrolet is one of the leading automobile brands in America. The automakers are continuing to launch fuel efficiency options, while also introducing safety and security packages for the new models. Trailing the American urban congestion, the Chevys hybrids are poised to surpass their mainstream competitors. Above all, the most visually arresting feature for the brand of Chevrolet vehicles is the Chevrolets corporate logo that creates a distinct look for the exterior(9). Financials: The Chevrolet Volt has an estimated price of around $40,000, in the U.S. market. Due to the capacity of the Volts battery pack it qualifies for the maximum US $7,500 federal tax credit. The former vice president Bob Lutz initially wanted the Volt to be sold at around $30,000. Electricity is an extremely affordable way to power a car the average American pays less than 12 cents per kilowatt hour. If the average American drives less than 40 miles, it will cost about a dollar a day for electricity (8). This is about the same cost as running a basic household appliance. To save even more, some utility companies recommend charging overnight for off-peak rates and may even offer incentives to customers who do so (8). The Volt is being endorsed by Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario government in Canada. The province will provide a $10,000 subsidy, and will purchase 500 Volts for the Ontario Public Service fleet. The subsidies are part of McGuintys target to have electric vehicles make up 5% o f all cars in Ontario by 2020. (10) At the Sydney Motor Show in October 2008, Holden stated that the Volt would be available in Australia by 2012 for more than $30,000. At the U.S. average cost of electricity (approximately 11 cents per kWh), a typical Volt driver would pay about $2.75 for electricity to travel 100 miles, or less than 3 cents per mile. GMs average annual sales growth over the past five years is a low 0.7 per cent. It has accumulated losses of $51 billion (U.S.) since 2005, and the shareholder value of GM, with 2007 sales of $297 billion, is a humbling $12 billion. (21) An analysis of the financial statements of the Chevrolet Volt show that the accounts receivable remain at about $500,000 throughout the year; not including a seasonal fluctuation in sales. The accounts receivable turns over once every 60 days. The inventory on the other hand remains about $800,000 and turns over every 90 days. The accounts payable remains at $400,000 and turns over about once every 45 days. With an accounts receivable collection period of 60 days and an average balance outstanding of $500,000, results show that $750,000, is the amount that should be collected on the receivables in 90 days. If the inventory of $800,000 valued at cost turns over once in 90 days and if the average markup is about $200,000, cash sales should amount to about $250,000. If there is no seasonal factor, the total amount divided by four should be an approximate test on the amount budgeted for the next 90 days. A Chevy Volt owner could theoretically drive 15,000 miles for less than $300.00 a year, assuming current rates for electricity stay the same. Volt uses about 2500 kWh annually, which is an extremely affordable way to power a car as the average American pays less than 12 cents per kilowatt hour. In other words, if you drive 40 miles or less that could work out to be about a dollar a day. And that can add up to big savings. (27). Depending on the weather, the electrical features that are turned on and how you drive, you can drive up to 40 miles on the electricity stored in the battery totally gas and emissions free. After that, its gas-powered, range-extending generator automatically kicks in to provide electrical power. Assuming the EPA estimates $2,000 a year in fuel cost for a compact car, like the Chevy Cobalt or Honda Civic cost savings in fuel would go a long way toward offsetting the cost of a $40,000 electric vehicle. Battery and size and vehicle cost should fall rapidly as pr oduction rises.   (27). In Flint Michigan, General Motors Company is investing more than $230 million in four different GM plants in the greater Flint area to support the production of the fuel-efficient 2011 Chevrolet Cruze and Volt, according to the automaker.   The four GM plants include Flint Engine South, Flint Metal Center, Flint Tool Die, and Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center.   At the Flint Engine South nearly $202 million dollars have been invested to renovate the former I5/I6 manufacturing operations for production of a 1.4L four-cylinder engine generator for the Chevrolet Volt.   In the Flint metal center, $1.7 million has been invested to refurbish press lines that will produce sheet metal stampings for the Volt.   All dies for the Chevy Volt were engineered at Flint Tool Die. Approximately 50 percent of dies for the Volt were designed at this facility. At the Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center, approximately $30 million invested in this facility to build the robotic weld tool cells that will ass emble the Volt body at the Volt assembly plant. Grand Blanc Weld Tool Center also built the robotic weld tool cells for the body shop to assemble the Chevrolet Cruze at Lordstown (Ohio) Assembly (28). When GM CEO Rick Wagoner testified that the Volt is being pushed into production for 2011, he added that, It will not be at that point fully cost competitive.   GM has actually spent about three quarters of a billion to develop the Volt, and much of that is in battery research. GM recognizes the importance of staying ahead of the competition in developing new technology. They are willing to take the risk of spending a large amount of money even in these desperate times of recession. Without doubt, some of that money will eventually be spread across the automobile industry when the Volts power train and battery advances get shared with other GM models. However, it is still unlikely that the Volts addition will bring down the bottom line until a second generation model is introduced, which may not be until 2014 to 2016   (29). Electricity is defiantly the way of the future when talking about the automobile. Electricity runs clean in a vehicle, therefore there will be no tailpipe emissions. And if the electricity is generated using alternate power sources such as wind, hydro, solar or bio-fuels, there is the potential to considerably reduce the emissions associated with personal transportation. Advancements in electricity production along with reduction in emissions from electric-powered driven cars can make our world a cleaner place.(30)   General Motors Corporation will open the first lithium-ion battery pack manufacturing plant in the United States in Michigan with production expected by 2010. The lithium-ion battery cells will be supplied by Compact Power Inc., a subsidiary of South Koreas LG Chem based in Troy, Michigan for Volt prototype vehicles until GMs battery facility is operational. GM has also signed a joint engineering contract with Compact Power and LG Chem to develop Volts lithium-ion batt ery technology. The advanced battery strategy is expected to strengthen GMs capabilities to develop hybrid and electric vehicles (30). By using the battery as a power source, we will in the long run help cut back our dependency from other countries. Since almost all of our electricity is produced domestically, its a great way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. The U.S. has a variety of electricity sources, all with the potential to help us become more energy-independent. (31) Because the market of electric cars is still forming, there is not any real information available about cash flows.   There are a few known factors, though.   First of all, GM has spent about $750 million to develop the Volt, and will probably still spend even more.   For another, there is no way to break even on this investment for at least another several years (and several models) have passed.   Only time and 2011 income statements will tell how well GMs bottom line fairs with its new Volt.

Parkinsons Disease and Tourettes Syndrome Essay -- Biology Essays Re

Parkinson's Disease and Tourette's Syndrome Parkinson's Disease is a literally crippling neurodegenerative disorder, manifested in about 1% of the aged population. People who have Parkinson's Disease gradually lose control of their movements; specific symptoms include, "tremor, slowness of movement, stiffness, difficulty in walking, and loss of balance." (1) Evidence strongly suggests that Parkinson's Disease is the result of severe cell loss in the substantia nigra. This brain structure is principally involved in the production of dopamine. (2) Dopamine, among other functions, is the neurotransmitter involved in initiation of movement. Hence, the link between dopaminergic cell loss and cessation of voluntary movement, as manifested in Parkinson's Disease, seems established. (3) However, the applicability of this link seems to not end with Parkinson's Disease. If a severe deficit in dopamine induces cessation of movement and baseline levels of dopamine make voluntary, normal movement possible, can an excess of dopamine, or inc reased effectiveness of dopamine, lead to involuntary manifestation of movement? Potentially, a marked excess, or increase in effectiveness, of dopamine will lead to a loss of control of movement, just as a shortage of dopamine will. However, in the former case, movement should be involuntarily manifested. If such manifestations indeed were observed, it would be interesting to see if, in fact, dopamine excess, or dopamine at all, plays a role. Indeed, involuntary movements, commonly referred to as tics, are the primary symptoms of a disease called Tourette's Syndrome. The syndrome, named after the person who first described it, Gilles de la Tourette, "is a complex neurobehavioral disorder characteri... ...8,9,10) It is noteworthy, that these drugs, when used at excessive dosages, may lead to side effects such as muscular rigidity, tremor, slow movement, and other symptoms, which are very similar to the symptoms accompanying Parkinson's. Also, these side effects can be counteracted by administration of l-Dopa, a drug commonly given to overcome severe 'freezing' in Parkinson's patients. This evidence completes the picture that was anticipated when beginning to look at Parkinson's and a possible functional opposite. Normal movement does not suffice to serve as an opposite of Parkinson's; the severe tics accompanying Tourette's Syndrome, however, do. The evidence form drug studies and binding research serves to elucidate the connection. Internet Sources: http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/17/9/3168 http://www.mentalhealth.com/drug/p30-o01.html#Head_1 Parkinson's Disease and Tourette's Syndrome Essay -- Biology Essays Re Parkinson's Disease and Tourette's Syndrome Parkinson's Disease is a literally crippling neurodegenerative disorder, manifested in about 1% of the aged population. People who have Parkinson's Disease gradually lose control of their movements; specific symptoms include, "tremor, slowness of movement, stiffness, difficulty in walking, and loss of balance." (1) Evidence strongly suggests that Parkinson's Disease is the result of severe cell loss in the substantia nigra. This brain structure is principally involved in the production of dopamine. (2) Dopamine, among other functions, is the neurotransmitter involved in initiation of movement. Hence, the link between dopaminergic cell loss and cessation of voluntary movement, as manifested in Parkinson's Disease, seems established. (3) However, the applicability of this link seems to not end with Parkinson's Disease. If a severe deficit in dopamine induces cessation of movement and baseline levels of dopamine make voluntary, normal movement possible, can an excess of dopamine, or inc reased effectiveness of dopamine, lead to involuntary manifestation of movement? Potentially, a marked excess, or increase in effectiveness, of dopamine will lead to a loss of control of movement, just as a shortage of dopamine will. However, in the former case, movement should be involuntarily manifested. If such manifestations indeed were observed, it would be interesting to see if, in fact, dopamine excess, or dopamine at all, plays a role. Indeed, involuntary movements, commonly referred to as tics, are the primary symptoms of a disease called Tourette's Syndrome. The syndrome, named after the person who first described it, Gilles de la Tourette, "is a complex neurobehavioral disorder characteri... ...8,9,10) It is noteworthy, that these drugs, when used at excessive dosages, may lead to side effects such as muscular rigidity, tremor, slow movement, and other symptoms, which are very similar to the symptoms accompanying Parkinson's. Also, these side effects can be counteracted by administration of l-Dopa, a drug commonly given to overcome severe 'freezing' in Parkinson's patients. This evidence completes the picture that was anticipated when beginning to look at Parkinson's and a possible functional opposite. Normal movement does not suffice to serve as an opposite of Parkinson's; the severe tics accompanying Tourette's Syndrome, however, do. The evidence form drug studies and binding research serves to elucidate the connection. Internet Sources: http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/17/9/3168 http://www.mentalhealth.com/drug/p30-o01.html#Head_1

Compare and Contrast A Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy and The Monkeys Pa

Compare and Contrast A Withered Arm by Thomas Hardy and The Monkey's Paw by W.W. Jacobs In this essay I am going to explain the similarities and differences between 'The withered arm' and 'The monkeys paw'. Both of these texts were written before 1914 by two different people. Thomas Hardy wrote 'The withered arm' and W.W. Jacobs wrote 'A monkeys paw'. The withered arm is a short story about a milkmaid who had an affair with a high class farmer. When the farmer gets a new wife, the milkmaid becomes jealous. In a nightmare, the milkmaid who is called Rhoda Brooks sees the new wife she had been obsessing over for the past few days in a horrific apparition gloats over her new husband. In this nightmare Rhoda grabs the apparition and feels her arm as if it were real as she throws the spectre to the floor. The ghost is gone when she looks down. The farmers' new wife, the next day, finds a new mark on her forearm in the shape of a hand in the same place that Rhoda had grabbed the apparition. Rhoda and Gertrude, the farmers' wife soon become good friends as her arm becomes increasingly more serious. Eventually Gertrude persuades Rhoda to get her to take her to a conjurer called conjurer Trendle who is a local magic man. Eventually Rhoda takes her and conjurer Trendle gives her advice but does not give a solution to her trouble. They return home to the village. A year later after Rhoda and her son had left the village Gertrud's arm is becoming steadily worse and she is using all types of potions and magick on it but nothing seems to make it any worse so she goes to see conjurer Trendle for one last time. This time he gives her a solution, she must touch the neck of a recently hanged man while the body is... ...ell in the rural setting of A withered arm. The time frame for each story is also different, the monkeys paw all takes place over a few weeks where as a withered arm has the story lasting for over a year. The time frame they are set in gives them a big difference as it distinguishes one from the other easily. I think that the story which is most striking out of these two has to be The monkeys paw. This story is a better length to not take a while to read and the plot seems better as a whole. Each character seems to have obviously different personalities that they use all the time and these are distinctly separate from the characters of a withered arm. I like the way that the ending of this story is a cliff hanging, we are not told what Herbert looks like after he was brought back to life we are just told about the sigh of dismay from Mr Whites wife.

Stereotypes and Stereotyping - I Was a Teenage Trouble-Maker :: Example Personal Narratives

Stereotyping - I Was a Teenage Trouble-Maker The time was the fall of 2000. It was my senior year, and we were in our fourth hour home economics class. My best friend and I were about to finish up our two-day presentation on how to bake and ice a cake. Now, with the class and the teacher watching intently, we proceeded to ice the two layer chocolate cake with our bare hands. The entire class broke out with uncontrollable laughter; needless to say our teacher was fuming. Well, to make matters worse, we cut her the biggest piece of cake. Unfortunately for her, she didn't eat it, because it was really good. Now you might think we were a couple of troublemakers, but the fact is we were unjustly failed on the first day of our perfect presentation. The teacher said we left out key parts of our speech, but her observation was wrong. Everyone in the class heard us except her. We weren't trying to cause trouble. We figured we already failed the project, so we might as well have some fun. Experiences such as this one, and man y others have contributed to my history of being stereotyped. Stereotyping is so common in our society that when you meet someone for the first time you are often stereotyped before you even reach "hello." Stereotyping is most often someone's perception of an individual or group based on social status, educational level, race or even looks. Everybody is guilty of it, and everybody has been subjected to it sometime in their life. It is easier to put a label on someone and place them in a category we feel they fit in, rather than to get to know them as a person. I, myself, have been labeled and placed in the stereotypical category of a troublemaker at one point or another in my life. As a result of being labeled as a troublemaker, my views on the characteristics of this stereotype have changed. According to the dictionary, the definition of a troublemaker is "someone who habitually stirs up trouble." I feel a troublemaker is someone who will make waves even if it isn't the popular thing to do. Stereotypes and Stereotyping - I Was a Teenage Trouble-Maker :: Example Personal Narratives Stereotyping - I Was a Teenage Trouble-Maker The time was the fall of 2000. It was my senior year, and we were in our fourth hour home economics class. My best friend and I were about to finish up our two-day presentation on how to bake and ice a cake. Now, with the class and the teacher watching intently, we proceeded to ice the two layer chocolate cake with our bare hands. The entire class broke out with uncontrollable laughter; needless to say our teacher was fuming. Well, to make matters worse, we cut her the biggest piece of cake. Unfortunately for her, she didn't eat it, because it was really good. Now you might think we were a couple of troublemakers, but the fact is we were unjustly failed on the first day of our perfect presentation. The teacher said we left out key parts of our speech, but her observation was wrong. Everyone in the class heard us except her. We weren't trying to cause trouble. We figured we already failed the project, so we might as well have some fun. Experiences such as this one, and man y others have contributed to my history of being stereotyped. Stereotyping is so common in our society that when you meet someone for the first time you are often stereotyped before you even reach "hello." Stereotyping is most often someone's perception of an individual or group based on social status, educational level, race or even looks. Everybody is guilty of it, and everybody has been subjected to it sometime in their life. It is easier to put a label on someone and place them in a category we feel they fit in, rather than to get to know them as a person. I, myself, have been labeled and placed in the stereotypical category of a troublemaker at one point or another in my life. As a result of being labeled as a troublemaker, my views on the characteristics of this stereotype have changed. According to the dictionary, the definition of a troublemaker is "someone who habitually stirs up trouble." I feel a troublemaker is someone who will make waves even if it isn't the popular thing to do.

Academic History

I am currently enrolled in the Business School at Villanova University. My academic standing is good and I have maintained a grade point average of 3.62. I believe I am stable and the change I wish to make in my choice of universities is based on logic and not a whim. I have not transferred before, so this will be a first.My university experience has not had any significant breaks; it flows in an unbroken line from my initial enrollment to the present time. I suffered a few hiccoughs alone the way, but I have persevered, and I managed to rise from the bottom of my seventh year class in Shanghai to the rank of number one in ESL.I was in an alien environment and it was no small matter to adapt to the different culture I found in Shanghai. Despite my lack of height I managed to excel in varsity basketball as well. I think it is worth noting that I am not a native English speaker, but I took my deficiency in the language as a challenge and managed to thrive. I am proud of the fact that I quickly moved from ESL to 1B Class in the British system, which is equivalent to AP.I am steadfast in my resolve and I have not changed career paths. I have found that there is a lack of cultural diversity at Villanova. I initially did not realize the lack was so profound. I had erroneously assumed that matters would balance themselves and I would find there was more diversity than I first saw.This proved not to be the case, however. I believe that the university experience is not one-dimensional. I think a university education is only complete when the student is rounded into a productive member of society instead of just being grounded in the basics of his or her major.I was once accepted at the University of Washington, and I have every hope that the university will look favorably on my application once more, permitting me to correct my mistake and allowing me to attend the University of Washington as I should have done in the first place.  Major and Career Goals:It is my inte ntion to major in Finance. I believe that the university is home to one of the best and most extensive business programs in the United States. I am Taiwanese by birth and spent most of my life in Shanghai, which has a reputation as being the future â€Å"Finance Center† for all of Asia.Early on I came to realize the importance of knowledge in financial dealings, with money management being particularly important.   I spent my high school years in pursuit of learning all I could on the subject of economics, calculus and other math related subjects. Business is the life-blood of my country’s economy.I am savvy enough to understand that capital is the engine that drives business. It is as the old Chinese proverb says, â€Å"Money is not everything, but without money nothing can be done.† But I also realize that money alone is not enough. Having funding is only the first step toward a successful business. The entrepreneur must have the knowledge and associated ski lls to handle turning a profit and ensuring that the business operations run smoothly.Money management is the second part of the equation in producing success. I believe that a degree from the University of Washington will go far toward ensuring that I will have this knowledge and the necessary skills. I have expectations that a degree from your university’s Finance program will benefit me greatly as I scale the corporate ladder.Further, I believe that a University of Washington education will help me fulfill my avowed goal of becoming a specialist in investment analysis. My intention is to become an investment or business analyst in the United States, with an eye toward the Wall Street Journal. I have a fervent believe that I can attain this dream if I am blessed and fortunate enough to be accepted at the University of Washington.Cultural Understanding:The University of Washington is culturally diverse, and being Taiwanese, I am acutely aware of how important that can be for a student, irrespective of his area of study. I look forward to the healthy interaction and social intercourse that will avail itself to me in the richer milieu of this university.I look forward to the exchange of ideas and the broadening effect that intercultural communication can bring. In essence I look forward to being able to share my culture and I look forward to the learning experience I will receive from the various cultures of my fellow students.I fully expect the school to pave the path which I will follow as I experience personal growth on the road to my ultimate goals. It is not a capricious decision, I have carefully studied my options and have chosen what I believe to be the most advantageous avenue for me.When considering the reputation which the university enjoys I feel confident that my acceptance into the business program will furnish me with the needed tools to accomplish my goal in this life. I expect to become a highly competent business analyst, but more, I ex pect to become a productive citizen, replete with the values that will enhance the fulfillment of my aspirations.I expect to become a valued alumnus, having been enriched by the university experience. This growth in personal values and mores is important to my sense of self worth, and will make me a more valuable member of society.It is my belief that the true excellence of any institution of higher learning lies in its ability to educate the whole person. A school becomes truly excellent by excelling in the programs that it offers as well as the values it inculcates in its students, which is how I see the University of Washington.

Michelangelo’s David

Introduction: I. Michelangelo’s David A. First supporting information for the sub-topic 1. Description of Michelangelo’s masterpiece 2. Detail of the statue of David B. Renaissance Period 1. European civilization 2. The story of David II. Political Implications A. First supporting information for the sub-topic 1. The artist 2. influence of the ‘contrapposto’ style B. The symbol of Renaissance sculptures 1. â€Å"Great and Heroic† 2.Michelangelo saw himself as a master III. Timeless Art A. Michelangelo's work of art 1. Florentine humanists 2. Medieval supernaturalism B. Predominant social philosophy 1. The practical measure of all things 2. The worship of beauty ? THESIS Michelangelo’s David, is the most timeless and famous work of art of the renaissance period. Not only was the outcome of the art work a masterpiece, but also the artist himself was one of the most influential people within that time period.The work of Michelangelo influenced hi story. An entire civilization was affected by the creation and the symbolism of Michelangelo’s David. Michelangelo’s David Annotated Bibliography Keliner F. S, Gardner H. , ; Mamiya C. J. (1995) Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: This book presents a detailed depiction of the art work and events that surrounded Michelangelo’s statue of David. It includes a historical timeline that parallels the influence that works of art had in the renaissance era.It describes the artistic events that changed history in such a way that you can get the essence of what went on at the time. Also, in the text itself, it gives definitive explanations to what is happening at the time so that you can understand fully what the artist is saying or where he is coming from. Gill A. (2004) Il Gigante: Michelangelo, Florence, and the David 1492-1504: This book is a well-researched work of history, from a political and artistic point of view.I find the author's technique of bringing the reader into Michelangelo's world very effective. The author demonstrates concretely how Renaissance politics and maneuvering affected Michelangelo on many levels. The history described in this story is very detailed and supports my thesis. Scigliano E. (2005) Michelangelo's Mountain: The Quest for Perfection in the Marble Quarries of Carrara: This book contains the story of Michelangelo's search for the stone he wanted, his continuing relationship with the city where he found it, and that city today.Only recently the seventeen foot tall statue of David was restored, and the world was reminded of all its beauty. The author reminds us of the risks taken by quarrymen and by Michelangelo himself as they worked together to find the perfect stone, one that would do justice to Michelangelo's vision. Wallace W. E. (1998) Michelangelo: The Complete Sculpture, Painting, Architecture: This book includes very detailed pictures accompanied comments and/or information about Michelangelo’s David.This five volume series reproduces about 100 articles and close to one hundred photographs in each volume. CONCLUSION Michelangelo’s David was not just a carved sculpture of a great man. Michelangelo's David embodied the very meaning of the word renaissance. The statue of David was the reason for the fame and fortune that followed this great artist. The influence of this particular piece of Michelangelo is so great that there have been many a replicas of the original installed all over the world.

Pacifist Philosophy in Response to the Idea of War Essay

There are a variety of different philosophical interpretations of the idea of war, even what it means to be at war. Engaging in war is generally described as being the resort to violence in order to attain political ends. War is described by some as being a tyrannical crime, in that power hungry individuals lose sight of their morals and resort to unethical violence committed against others (Walzer, 2006). From this perspective, one notes the assertion that there is never a good reason to engage in such brutal behavior as to harm another individual. However, there are supposed potential weaknesses in this theory, due to the fact that nonviolence at all costs can be viewed as a complete lack of self defense (White, 2008). In any regard, the pacifist philosophy holds that there is never a good reason to engage in combat with other people, that true solutions are found solely through peaceful means. In light of the pacifist ideology, the idea of war has no place, even in the face impending and actual violence, and the best route in the face of danger is to resist participating in the cruelty. It is not always easy to attempt to manage a violent situation in peaceful ways, non-harmful ways, yet there are a myriad of creative ways to address the problem of violent people, ways which do not support aggressive thoughts and actions. In order to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the pacifist position, it is essential to engage in comprehensive research and thought about the meaning of peace at all costs. Pacifism The principle ideas which serve as the conceptual framework of the pacifist movement center on the assertion that war is dictatorial cruelty derived from evil thoughts and actions and that peaceful behaviors are the only way in which to effectively diffuse this brutality. Practical pacifism affirms that resorting to violence is not the answer to the problem of violence in the world, that violence should be absolutely avoided and peaceful means of solution oriented action should be taken (Fiala, 2004). In other words, there is the example of the country who supports the death penalty as a means of supposed just punishment for people accused of the crime of murder. From a pacifist perspective, the idea of using violence as a means to eradicate violence is simply unreasonable and points to an illogical frame of thought and action. The pacifist would be likely to condone a means of arrest and rehabilitation rather than arrest and kill. The idea of peaceful interventions is paramount and supercedes all options deemed to be harmful to people. On a more personal level, one can take the interaction between and husband and wife or mother and child. When a person becomes angry enough to yell or hit, then the answer is not to yell or hit back in response, but rather to be calm and communicate with the other person in figuring out a solution. This kind of civilized action and communication can go a long way in ensuring that the violence does not continue, and this kind of civilized communication and action is able to be successfully translated to the public and political sphere as well. Strengths There are many strengths of the pacifist movement, in that the people who support peace at all costs are able to devise a great many solutions to violence which are centered on ensuring the absolute safety and wellbeing of all people. It is important to consider the ideas generated by pacifists, as they directly speak to the absolute moral concept of non-harm. Jesus Christ himself is quoted as saying, â€Å"You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,’ but I say to you, ‘Do not resist one who is evil; but if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also’†, described as one of the most revolutionary sermons he ever gave (Ellens, 2007). This powerful commentary demands that people utilize the supremacy of restraint when faced with violence, even at a time, like today, when major religions condone the use of brutality. There is not one major religion in the world which absolutely forbids the use of violence, to the detriment of all people in the world. There is not one country which expressly forbids the act of war and supports the command for love, the command to offer one’s cheek to one’s aggressor. With all of the available options for peace, including communication, protest, boycotting, arrest, and rehabilitation, there is a known and certain positive effect which can be produced through the use of more gentle modes of action than violence. The media today is full of popular artists who tout violence as a masculine or commanding way of settling a score. However, when a person resorts to violence in an attempt to eradicate violence, the end result is simply another person who is drawn into the problem itself. The only way to end the violence in the world is by commitment to faith in the inherent goodness of humanity, to staunchly support the idea that solutions can be found which do not cause harm to other people. Criminality is basically defined as causing harm, and it makes no sense to become a criminal in the desire to ensure justice. Weaknesses There are those people who claim that there are weaknesses in the pacifist philosophy, that absolute peace defies the need to defend oneself from harm. People who do not support absolute pacifism claim that one of the only ways to address the problem of rogue states is to resort to war (Jacobson, 2007). Engaging in the violence of war is supposedly justified as an unfortunate effect of having no other option but to defend oneself and one’s country from the violent actions of others. To some people, pacifism may seem to be weak. In response to an event such as the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, many people believed that the best solution was to violently enter into the home countries of the terrorists and to take over through the use of brutal force. To some people, there are terrorists, offenders, on one side of the war, and defenders on the other. From this perspective, there are two teams in the war game, certain people who are committing evil and need to be stopped at all costs, even through harm and loss of life, and people who are engaged in righteous self defense. This philosophical viewpoint stems from a bipolar system, where some people are engaging in violence for bad reasons and some people for good reasons. This simple yet convoluted way of thinking is highly selfish and negative, in that one person, or one team, is the victim, the oppressed, the suffering agent, the other person or team is the tyrant, the oppressor, the harmful agent. In this mode of judgment, there is only one guilty party, and the guilty are deserving of cruel punishment. However, the essential problem is always the same, in that there is supposedly never a good reason to cause harm to another person. Although the determination for war may be convenient, especially when people are actively engaged in the violent activity, there is still the basic problem of violence as a moral problem rather than a solution. Dividing couples, families, societies, countries, and political systems into warring teams of bad versus good does little to solve the core issues of the criminality of causing harm to others. Rebuttal Although some people believe that the pacifist ideology is weak and perhaps even a pathetic mode of political action, a powerful case can be made in support of peaceful decision making, decisions which are strong and influential while also being relatively calm and diplomatic. There is no government which has successfully demilitarized their country, no political system which has shifted to a purely diplomatic strategy for achieving peaceful end results (Djerejian, 2007). Due to the fact that all countries in the world are suffering from some form of violence, the case can certainly be made that policies which promote violence simply encourage the violent behaviors of citizens. What a different world this would be if the response to an attack was to demilitarize a region, to offer one’s cheek. What an interesting phenomena it would be to witness a region where guns were systematically removed from all persons, homes, and cars, even if it meant being shot in the process. Although an initial, primal, or habitual response to an attack is to harm one’s attacker, there is the ever present possibility of changing one’s response, to commit to the idea of peaceably reacting in the face of impending danger. When a child is hitting a parent, often the best reaction is to let a child hit until the child realizes that the parent is not going to hit back, to allow the child to realize that the parent is totally loving and totally dependable. Conclusion The political solution for all policy making is always going to be a peaceful solution, whether politicians realize it or not. The leaders of the world are going to be the ones who quietly offer their cheek, who are committed to helping their neighbors, even when these neighbors are seeking revenge. It takes a smart person to realize that one is participating in an immorally violent society, and it takes an even smarter person to realize that one is responsible for being an agent of change in support of pacifism. There are very few truly innocent people out there, if any, no countries which are politically perfect. From this perspective, people need to humble themselves in the face of their neighbors, to be aware of the shameful past and current atrocities being committed by governments across the globe, and to resolutely stand for the implementation of peaceful solutions. Policies can only be effectively changed by people who are committed activists in the name of peace, and these activists are the leaders of the world, pacifists in the name of the goodness of humanity. References Djerejian, E. (2007). Changing Minds, Winning Peace: A New Strategic Direction for U. S. Public Diplomacy in the Arab & Muslim World. Lulu. com. Ellens, H. (2007). The destructive power of religion: violence in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Greenwood Publishing Group. Fiala, A. (2004). Practical pacifism. Algora Publishing. Jacobson, A. (2007). Nonviolence as a Way of Knowing in the Public School Classroom. In Factis Pax 1(1), 38-54. Walzer, M. (2006). Just and unjust wars: a moral argument with historical illustrations. Basic Books. White, J. (2008). Contemporary Moral Problems. Cengage Learning.