Monday, November 25, 2019

Cats in Ancient Egypt

Cats in Ancient Egypt PAGE The Importance of Cats in Ancient EgyptWhen one imagines Ancient Egypt, the images of sand, mummies, and pyramids usually come to mind. Modern times portray cats as a lovable, furry household animal. Did the thought of the two intertwining ever occur? By examining the goddess Bast, tombs where cat mummies reside, and the process of mummifying cats, one can better understand the true significance of the gentle creature in the days of the Ancient Egyptian.Ancient Egyptians worshipped gods and goddesses frequently. They seemed to posses one for any concept or thing imaginable. People think of Bast as one of the most popular goddesses of her time and generally remember her as a cat goddess. She wore the head of a lion or wildcat in the beginning and possessed the predatory personality as of that of a lioness. Over time people began to generally associate her with a domesticated cat because of her characteristics.CATThey referred to her as Bast when in the form of a beautiful girl wi th the head of a cat, as opposed to Bastet when she came out in the full form of a cat. Bast incarnated feline traits such as grace, playfulness, cunning, and affection. She held many ties to other gods and goddesses both sexually and by blood, showing people liked her. People worshipped Bast as the goddess of pregnant women, fertility, home, the moon, and fire. Herodotus talked about a peculiarity occurring when a fire started around cats, mentioning the cats bounding over men headfirst into the roaring flames,which left the men in deep mourning. The goddess Bast represented a protective goddess because of a cat's ability to kill vermin that spread disease and watch out for their crops. Herodotus also recounted a story about a just...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

To what extent can improvements in productive flow and product quality Essay - 9

To what extent can improvements in productive flow and product quality lead to an increase in sales and profit - Essay Example Implementation of the new EHR systems requires the incorporation of older records into the patient’s electronic health record. One of the strategies involved in the incorporation of old records is scanning of older documents and including them in the system in the image format. However, studies by Ventres et al., (124–31) affirm that most physicians do not prefer inclusion of scanned images in the electronic systems. They prefer full electronic data-based systems because most scanned images are normally unclear; therefore difficult to read. The problem can be resolved through the development of EHR systems with image archival characteristics for converting the scanned documents into full electronic health records. The written records can also be converted into electronic formats through scanning the documents and then performing the Optical Data Recognition (OPR). Accurate recognition may not achieve the required clarity levels while illegible handwriting is poorly reco gnized by the optical character readers. This leads to the formation of the records that are difficult to read. The most successful strategy is making of the state’s database records available for transfer through downloading into individual health records. Privacy. Currently, health records are vulnerable for transmission and exchange over the internet. Rule for access, storage, auditing, authentications and transmission of medical records are contained in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) (Zaroukian 53-55). Although the restrictions are geared towards promoting the privacy of these records, concerns over the adequacy of the implementation of these standards exist. According to Zaroukian (56), implementation of the privacy regulations can only be achieved through enhancing cooperation between the public, health providers and service providers. The privacy concerns are the prominent challenge stalling the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Lab 10 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lab 10 - Essay Example Craven’s overall approach in regard to the global warming is most uncertain and not totally acceptable. The causes of the global climate change are different as some believers say it is caused by humans while skeptics believe it to be the natural changes considering the sun mostly. If the climate change is due to sun, it would result in major global depression as we cannot bring about the desired changes in nature (sun) thus incurring global depression. But if it is caused due to humans then it is liable to take desired actions to combat the issue. The reason for not accepting the overall argument provided by Craven is on the mere fact that the causes of global climate changes are still unclear. Once the cause of the climate change is determined, it would be easy to take the respective action that is when the Craven’s approach would make a lot more sense. The main action that probably can be taken to overcome the changes caused due to sun would be to adapt new ways of survival; it might not seem to be logical to take action against sun. But considering the climate change due to humans can be overcome by taking the desired action. The idea behind Craven’s view however lies mainly in spreading a word to every human being to take certain action to combat global climate changes only if it’s caused by humans. Science is uncertain by its nature; it is the responsibility of every human being to take certain preventive measures by bringing about minor changes in their living habits. It would take a very long time for the scientists to conclude about the cause and prevention of the climate changes by then the situation might turn out to be worst. Hence, it is better to allow the scientists perform their calculations and we humans work simultaneously without considering the scientific conclusions to certain extent. The debate whether the cause of global climate change is

Monday, November 18, 2019

Read the case and answer the questions ( but focus more in the first Assignment

Read the case and answer the questions ( but focus more in the first question) - Assignment Example The difference in treatment of financial institutions during and in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis was but well order; for with large risks is the chance to succeed and/or fail, all of which the very institution must bear the most burden. 2. Many experts argue that when the government bails out a private financial institution it creates a problem called â€Å"moral hazard,† meaning that if the institution knows it will be saved, it actually has an incentive to take on more risk, not less. What do you think? No one individual among those in search of growth wishes to fail, and so are the institutions with humans at the helm. Equally true is the very fact that entities only reap rewards commensurate to the seeds sowed; anything else only happens in the charity world. With risk, however, comes responsibility; a case where an institution has â€Å"masked† bad assets and excessive liabilities outside the proximity of determinable levels is but incurable, and a lesson of some sort must be read across the system. It is public knowledge that by the time Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy with Federal Reserve, the financial crisis was well underway, and that bailing out the institution wasn’t a priority; the entire system was. To hit right at the tip, getting the right buttons at that particular moment was but hard to call, and that no one knew for sure that lending the Lehman Brothers a hand was that very right button on behalf of the entire system. If indeed its consequential failure had the weight alluded by a section of scholars in quashing off the crisis, then, it was a mistake on behalf of the government. The foregoing notwithstanding, the downward spiral with exorbitant losses on its books of account wasn’t anything to overlook. Both ways, the decision taken was a double-edged sword with no specified guarantees

Saturday, November 16, 2019

History Essays Hitler Power German

History Essays Hitler Power German Hitler Power German Choose any one reason from the list and explain how it contributed to Hitler’s rise to power. The Enabling Act One of the key events that contributed Hitler’s rise in power was the passing of the enabling act. The Enabling Act was a direct result of the burning Reichstag building, shortly after Hitler became chancellor. By this time, Hitler was already a standing member of the German Workers Party (DAP) and had adapted the name and the aims of the party to blend with his own thoughts and beliefs. He also had managed a failed putsch in Munich, 1923, which is universally known as the beer hall putsch. A scandalous trail followed resulting in Hitler being sentenced to five years in prison (but was released after only one year of service) which was to be carried out at Landsberg Castle. Here Hitler composed he autobiography: Mein Kampf which detailed his aims and beliefs for Germany’s future under his reign. As a result (of many contributing factors), during the July 1932 elections, Hitler and the Nazis received the majority of 230 seats in the Reichstag. After the Wall Street Crash, the unemployment leaves rocketed and several Germans were now supporting extremist parties, such as the Nazis and the Communists (KPD), because they promised change as well as stability – explaining the Nazis rise in popularity in the July 1932 elections. Courses implemented by the government to cease the country’s suffering had not yet taken effect. Because this slight political obstruction, Hitler to agree to a coalition with President Paul Hindenburg and the Weimar government and during January 1933 he [Hitler] was appointed the chancellor of Germany. One of Hitler’s aspirations was to become the sole leader of Germany (or Der Fuhrer), but before he could reach his aspired goal, he had to conquer the obstacles in his way. First he had to gain total control of the Reichstag and the government, and absolve it (if possible); he had to eliminate the German Communists as well as gaining the loyalty and support of the German Army and the expulsion of Hindenburg. Once all of these were achieved, Hitler would then be Der Fuhrer. Hitler could accomplish one of these aims was to gain full control of the Reichstag, and managed this by instigating the Enabling Act. The Enabling Act was an article set up by a committee at Versailles in 1919 which said that if one of the members of the Reichstag wished to relinquish their rights and abilities as members of parliament they could vote upon the enabling act, and if two-thirds of the majority was reached in favour of those who wished to pass the act, the responsibilities of the Reichstag could be passed on to the Chancellor (a the time) giving them the power to pass laws, hold trials, make major decisions ect .by themselves. Passing this act was necessary for Hitler to gain power, not only over the Reichstag; but over Germany as well. If he didn’t control the Reichstag, he had no power to do anything: any laws he wished to employ had to be voted on by the parliament, even with Hitler’s 193 seats in November 1932, Hitler didn’t hold the majority of seats. Therefore to gain two-thirds of the majority needed, Hitler had to exonerate himself of the competition and gain [more] support. In February 1933, two days before the Enabling Act elections, the Reichstag building was burnt down. Near by the scene of the crime was a communist supporter, Van der Lubber, painted with evidence that suggest he caused it. After a guilty confession from Van der Lubber taking all the blame for starting the fire, Hitler went to President Hindenburg and convinced him to activate Article 48 (somewhat of a martial law which when stimulated allowed the president the facility to make and pass laws in addition to handing out punishment without going through the Reichstag or parliament). Using this, Hitler persuaded Hindenburg to outlaw the Communists, (who just happen to be one of the Nazis principal rivals in the Reichstag. Many men and women were imprisoned; members of the communist parties as well as people who were not communists, but were a political threat to Hitler and the Nazis. At the next Reichstag elections the Nazis received 44% of seats, but even without opposition of the communists the Nazis still didn’t have two-thirds of the majority of the votes that they needed. Then there was the concordat of March 1933. The Catholic Pope was worried about the state of the church and how it would be run if Hitler took power. Seeing that Hitler had a possibility of gaining power the power he sought after, the pope wanted to assure the Catholic stability inside Germany. The concordat secured the Catholic Centre Party’s support to Hitler in the next Enabling Act vote, at the same time, promising that when Hitler came to power he would leave the church to run itself and is exempt from any measures the Nazi Party might execute. With the support of the Catholic Centre Party, the Nazis held the two-thirds of the majority needed. On March the 23rd 1933, the Enabling Act was passed with 444 votes against 94. Hitler had achieved goal number one: absolving the Reichstag. After the Enabling Act was approved, Hitler was well on his was to power. He only had to gain the support of the German Army and eliminate Hindenburg. These were both achieved by the absolution of the SA, lead by Ernst Roehm, in June 1934 during the Night of the Long Knives or Kristalnacht. The army were highly trained but were small in number, whereas the SA were a large number (2 million) of men who were untrained. The German Army vowed their elegance provided that the SA was removed. Leaders, including Ernst Roehm were brought to Hitler’s chateau in the mountains and killed. The troops that once made up the German Army were all spread out between different units. In August 1934, Hindenburg died of old age, leaving Hitler (as chancellor) to take his place, and declared that Germany no longer needed a chancellor and expelled the position altogether making himself Der Fuhrer of Germany. Therefore, it is shown that the Enabling Act, completing two of his four objectives making him Der Fuhrer, was a major contributor to Hitler’s rise in power. Using some of the causes in the list explain how both long-term and short-term causes contributed to Hitler’s rise to power. [10 marks] There are multiple causes of Hitler’s rise to power, including both long term and short term causes. These causes are interconnected as often a long term cause (a cause which acts over a number of years) will act as a foundation which leads to a short term cause (a cause which acts over a number of days, weeks or months) which triggers an event. This relationship between causes means that without one, another may not occur and therefore all causes, both long and short term, are necessary for an event to happen the way it did. The Treaty of Versailles is a very important long tern cause of Hitler’s rise to power because it motivated Hitler to seek that power. Opposition to the Treaty was one of the central uniting policies of the Nazi party. The Treaty of Versailles were extreme on Germany and it people. This is what flamed a hatred for the Allies [the Big Three] in several Germans. The terms of the treaty happened to throw the delicate economic balance of Germany crumble. During the years following the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, the German civilians faced a series of strikes, putsches and invasions (mainly from France and Belgium). All of which contributed to Hitler’s rise to power. In the early 1920s, the German economy was in distress and the currency had collapsed by 1923. Hitler saw the public’s discontent as his opportunity to steal power. On November 8, he led his â€Å"army† to a beer hall in Bavaria where local government leaders were holding a meeting. The Nazis quickly captured the politicians and Hitler put himself in charge. The group then marched on the former Bavarian War Ministry building when the police opened fire. During the riot that followed, the man beside Hitler was killed as he pulled his leader to the ground. The failure of the â€Å"Beer Hall Putsch† brought the Nazi party and Hitler into national publicity. Hitler was arrested and, after a 24-day trial, sentenced to five years in Landsberg fortress. The name is misleading, because the â€Å"fortress† was more like one of those country-club type prisons where white-collar criminals are sometimes sent. Hitler received a steady stream of visitors and presents and was treated more like he was on a picnic outing than serving as an inmate. Hitler’s incarceration was that it allowed him to dictate his views to his friend and cell-mate, Rudolf Hess. Those views would later be published as the book Mein Kampf (My Struggle), a volume that to this day remains a bible for racists, anti-Semites, and sociopaths. The failure of the â€Å"Beer Hall Putsch† taught Hitler valuable lessons that he used to win and hold power later. One obvious lesson was not to get into any more battles with an enemy that was larger and better armed. Hitler also decided that his best chance to gain power would be through the use of legal methods rather than force. The Weimar Republic was devastated by Wall Street Crash of October 1929 and the Great Depression that followed. The Crash had a devastating impact on the American economy but because America had propped up the Weimar Republic with huge loans in 1924 (the Dawes Plan) and in 1929 (the Young Plan), what happened to the American economy had to impact the Weimar Republics economy. Both plans had loaned Weimar money to prop up the country’s economy especially after the experiences of hyperinflation in 1923. America demanded the loans be paid back, because their economy was being held by a thread. Unemployment sky-rocketed and the hyperinflation became worse. So many Germans needed money that wasn’t available. The money was required for food, heating a home, clothes etc. With no obvious end to their plight under the Weimar regime, it is not surprising that those who saw no end to their troubles turned to the more extreme political parties in Germany the Nazi and Communist Parties. In 1928, the Nazi Party had nearly gone bankrupt as a result of the spending on street parades etc. which had cost the party a great deal. Bankruptcy would have automatically excluded them from politics they were saved by a right wing businessman called Hugenburg who owned a media firm in Germany. He financially bailed them out. In the 1930 Reichstag election, the Nazis gained 143 seats this was a vast improvement on their previous showing. Hitler only expected about 50 to 60 seats. A senior Nazi official claimed that what was a disaster for Weimar was good, very good for us. In the July 1932 Reichstag election, the Nazis gained 230 seats making them the largest party in the Reichstag. In the same year, Hitler had challenged Field Marshall von Hindenburg for the presidency. Such a move in 1928 would have been laughable but in the presidential election Hitler gained 13,400,000 votes to Hindenburg’s 19,360,000. The leader of the Communists gained 3,700,000. By any showing, Hitler’s achievement in this presidential election was extremely good for a politician whose party was on the verge on bankruptcy just 4 years earlier but it also showed the mood of the German people in the early 1930’s. In the November 1932 Reichstag election, the Nazi Party dipped somewhat to 196 seats but this still put them way ahead of their nearest rivals, the Social Democrats on 121 seats. The Communist Party continued its steady climb from 77 seats the 1928 election, to 89 in the July 1932 election to 100 in the November one. It is clearly shown that without one of these causes; however small it may seem, another much larger event may not have occurred: a domino effect. Without the Treaty of Versailles, Hitler would have not had anything to base his revisionist ideals from, without theses ideals he would not have been able to rise to the top of the Nazi party to the level of superiority he held in 1923. Without the Great Depression of 192, Hitler would not have had the opportunity to hold the Munich Beer Hall Putsch. Without the putsch, Hitler would not have been sent to prison, he would not have received the attention he was given at his trial, he his ideals would not have been broadcast to all of Germany and around Europe, and Mien Kampf may not have been written, without Mien Kampf, Hitler would have to find other ways of spreading his beliefs and so wouldn’t have reached the level of popularity held by 1929. Without the level of popularity Hitler wouldn’t have been able to take advantage of the opportunity the Wall Street Crash represented, and wouldn’t have been Chancellor (without the unstable nature created by the financial depression, the people would not have needed to look to the extremist groups for stability and change, popularity would have risen at a slight rate, if not fallen). If Hitler had never become chancellor, there would have been no opportunity to enforce the Enabling Act and without said power Hitler may not have become Der Fuhrer at all. All of the causes are interconnected and therefore without one, another may lose its rank of importance or simply not occur. Was any one of these reasons more important than the others in Hitler’s rise to power? Explain. Some causes are more important than others. However many of the causes are reliant on other causes. For instance: the great depression made the German people lose faith in moderate parties like the Social democrats. This resulted in a polarization of German voting habits, meaning that extremist parties gained many votes from people who hoped that they would bring change. The Nazi party gained exceptionally from this phenomenon; they went from having 12 seats in the Reichstag (1928) to 230 (July 1932) to 288 (March 1933). In general, as unemployment rose rapidly and the economic and social situation in Germany deteriorated the Nazi vote share increased. This popularity of the Nazis with the public eventually lead to the decision by von Papen and Hindenburg to appoint Hitler Chancellor, which in turn gave Hitler the opportunity to pass the Enabling law. This shows a definite correlation between the effects of the great depression and Hitler gaining power in Germany. The Treaty of Versailles was an important event in Hitler’s rise to power. Perhaps not directly important, there was no quick outcome from the treaty that lead to Hitler becoming Der Fuhrer; instead the Treaty of Versailles provided and built up the base upon which Hitler expanded his revisionist ideas. It was mainly the specifics of the treaty which were important: the war guilt clause 231, the removal of all colonies and states (such as the Sudetenland), the Polish Corridor, the illegalisation of the Anschluss, the demilitarisation of the Rhineland, the limits placed upon the main German armed forces (no air force, no tanks, no more then 100,000 voluntary men ect.), as well as the demand for  £6.6 billion to be paid in reparations to the allied forces, and so on. These demands created for Hitler and the rest of Germany points to focus on which could be blamed for the down fall of their country. The war guilt clause fostered hatred within Germany where it was believed that the war could have been won. The removal of the Border States and colonies created a nationwide push for Lebensraum – the belief that Germany people deserved living space to the East in order to support the population. Demilitarisation pushed upon the country meant that it was a wish if many for the country to be strong once again. And the demand for reparations was ignored by Germany to start an attempt to prove that such a payment was impossible. This lead to the economic depression, this was not the only reason for the rise in Nazi votes. The Nazis made significant changes to their policies during the years 1924-1929, including the spread of the party across the nation, a focus on propaganda and the setting up of other organizations like the youth league. The Nazis also began to focus their message at the middle classes, which paid off when the middle classes were badly affected by the depression and began looking for new voting options. Had the Nazis not become more organized in the years preceding the depression, they would no have been able to benefit from it. Therefore the Nazi reorganization is an important cause of Hitler’s rise to power. There are also other causes of Hitler’s rise to power which had an impact on the depression. The terms of the Treaty of Versailles made the effects of the depression in Germany much worse, because Germany, forced to pay  £6.6 billion in monetary repayments and left with a weak economy, became reliant on US loans. Therefore when the Wall Street Crash threw the US into an economic slump, Germany was dragged with it. Then came the Munich Beer Hall Putsch of 1923. This was where Hitler and General Luddendof organised a march upon Berlin to take power from the Bavarian Weimar Republic Government. One factor facing them, however, was the lack of support from Ritter Von Kahr, the Bavarian Leader who wanted Bavaria to be separate form Germany. So on November 8th 1923, Hitler and the Nazis SA stormed a public beer hall in Munich where meeting of Von Kahr’s was taking place. Hitler demanded Von Karh’s support, which was given, only to be retracted the next day. Regardless, Hitler marched on Berlin with his storm troopers, but was stopped by the German Police Force. The Munich Putsch is an extremely important even because of its eventual effects. Hitler’s trail was broadcast on national radio, and what he had said in his own defence was printed and could be read by people all over Germany, this was the first time this had been possible for the Nazis, while Hitler was in prison, he wrote a manuscript: Mien Kampf, which documented the man’s beliefs and plans for the future of Germany under his own rule, again this book was printed and was a best seller inside Germany as well as throughout the rest of Europe and although was banned and forced to disperse; come the end of the trial, the Nazi party was allowed to regroup in February 1925,just more than a year after he [Hitler]tried to overthrow the government. Also another major outcome of the Munich Putsch was that Hitler decided that any attempted to take power had to be through being voted into power; he also knew form that point on that he would need to gain support of the German Army before he did anything else. Therefore it can be said that this is probably one of the more important events, as it shows what Hitler’s aims were in his future actions. The Munich Putsch and its effects (especially Mein Kampf) showed Germany and the rest of Europe, Hitler’s oratory skills, his personality and his aims for leadership. These turned out to be major factors in Hitler’s rise to power, because it was these mediums that Hitler conveyed his beliefs and politics to the people of Germany (as well as through propaganda, and so on) The Wall Street Crash of 1929 again created an opportunity for change. Money lent to Germany by the USA through the Dawes and Young Plan had rebuilt the German economy, however it still relied on the support of the USA to preserve the strength of the economy. So when the monetary support was withdrawn, the economies in both countries failed. This again caused the people to turn towards extremist parties such as the Nazis to answer their problems. The elections of July 1934 saw the largest results for the Nazis ever, 230 seats in the Reichstag parliament building. Therefore, this can be seen as and important event in aiding Hitler to his rise in power, as it was by this event that Hitler’s popularity was once again increased after the golden years of the Weimar government (1924 – 1933), however possibly not as important as some of the other events might seem, being more directly involved with Hitler’s rise to power. The final decision by Von Papen and Hindenburg to make Hitler the chancellor was obviously an important event, although Hitler had much support from the public following the Wall Street Crash and main failure of the Weimar Republic. Hindenburg looked down on the man who he labelled a â€Å"jumped up corporal†, and refused to instil Hitler as chancellor. However after being convinced by the public and (apparently) his son, Hindenburg came to see that appointing a popular man as chancellor might increase the popularity of the Weimar Government, and therefore Hitler was appointed. An important event to be sure, not as important as, perhaps as the Enabling Act election, however a major step in Hitler’s rise to power. The Enabling Act was a major factor in Hitler’s rise to power. The Enabling Act was where Hitler gained two-thirds of the votes in the Reichstag in order to assume the responsibilities of the Reichstag itself. In order for the majority of the votes to belong to the Nazis, they had to purge themselves of their opposition which included the communists and catholic influences. Communists were exonerated through the Reichstag fire, an event that was blamed on the communists and caused the party to become illegal. This removed the threat they posed to the Nazis, however the majority vote could remove this easily, and so this lead to the concordat with the Catholic Centre Party. The concordat ensured that if and when Hitler took power the church would remain as it was, in return for their support for the Enabling Act election and for the future. It was in the way that the Enabling Act election was achieved and as demonstrated the importance by the number of aspects included, this is one of the more important factors as the Enabling Act, Hitler gained the full power of the Reichstag parliament using only democratic means: he defeated the Weimar Republic with their own system. As seen, the importance of an event cannot easily be measured, some events seem to have almost no importance, however without them, another much more relevant event may not have occurred or held the same impact, and a good example of this is the Night of the Long Knives; where Hitler commanded all the generals and captains of the SA be assassinated. Alone the action seems to have no relevance, but it is known that Hitler had these men killed to gain the support of the German Army, without it Hitler could never have become Der Fuhrer of Germany Bibliography Germany 1919-45 – Brooman, Josh GCSE modern world history (second edition) Walsh – Murray, Hodder Modern world history to GCSE OXFORD – Leonard, Mason Encyclopaedia Britannica GCSE History www.britannica.com www.schoolhistory.co.uk www.spartucushistory.com www.bbcschools.co.uk/bitsizegcse/history/mwh/

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Feminist Issues in The Handmaids Tale Essay -- Feminism Feminist Wome

Feminist Issues in The Handmaid's Tale      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Handmaids Tale, by Margaret Atwood, can be classified as a distopic novel. The Republic of Gilead in The Handmaids Tale is characteristic of a distopia in that it is not intended as a prediction of the future of our society, but rather as a commentary on current social trends. Atwood has created this nation by isolating what she might consider the disturbing aspects of two diametrically opposed factions of our society (namely the religious right and radical feminism) as a theory as to what would happen if these ideals were taken to an extreme. Because she points out similarities in the thoughts and actions of the extreme religious right and certain parts of the feminist movement, some critics have labeled The Handmaid's Tale as anti-feminist. I would like to discuss the specific parts of the novel that lead to this opinion, and then discuss whether I believe this novel was intended as or can be seen as an attack on feminism.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The issue of pornography is one of the most significant in the Republic of Gilead. Pornography has become illegal and is used as a generalized illustration of the many perceived societal problems before the theocracy gained power. While receiving training at the hands of the Aunts the handmaids are repeatedly shown violent pornographic videos to demonstrate how much better off women are in this time as opposed to previously. Offred's experience of watching these videos is intertwined with her memories of her mother and her participation in anti-pornography riots and magazine burnings.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   By placing these instances side by side Atwood shows that pornography is a point at which two extremes of society (here feminist and religio... ...feminism. By taking this view we can see that Offred could be considered a feminist and that people involved in women's right's movements over changing times may come to represent completely different values than they did originally (which explains the occasional overlap of feminist and religious movements, assuming that religious ideals are static). Freedom from subjugation is at the heart of all feminist movements, regardless of what form they take.    References Leavitt, JW, Brought to Bed: Childbearing in America, 1750-1950. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1986. Moore, Pamela, Atwood, Margaret: The Handmaid's Tale. Boston, MS: Houghton Mifflin, 1986. Wertz RW, Wertz DC, Lying-In: A History of Childbirth in America. New York, NY: Free Press, 1977. www.wsu.edu:8000/~brains/science_fiction/handmaid.html www.med.upenn.edu   

Monday, November 11, 2019

American Apparel Case Analysis Essay

Key Facts of the Case (no analysis) -Who is the decision maker? (Remember: in analyzing a case you have to put yourself in the position of the decision maker and try to figure out what YOU would do in his/her position). -maximum 5 key facts that summarize the case. Key Decision Maker Board of Directors (AA is a publicly traded company) Key Facts American Apparel minimized their use of outsourced labour. They localized their manufacturing activities and were known for their anti-sweatshop practices The company was also praised for their environmentally friendly practices such as using organic and recycled materials in several of their products, and participating in charitable causes Their advertising campaigns stirred up a lot of controversy for the company, as some consumers believed them to be too sexual and borderline pornographic Charney (CEO) took the ad pictures himself using women he found on the streets or his own employees. As a hiring practice, employees were required to provide full length self-portraits to him Charney brought heat to the company via sexual harassment lawsuits and by creating a hostile working environment (using foul language, walking around in his underwear, flirting with employees, etc.) Problem(s) Statement -What is the main problem(s) or opportunity(s) that you (as decision maker) must deal with? -How urgent and how important is this issue and why? Main Problem The main problem presented for American Apparel is that there are discrepancies between their controversial advertisements and workplace practices and their positive business initiatives, which has resulted in a loss of sales for the company. They must determine how they are going to move forward and inspire a turnaround. Urgency Moderately urgent The company forecast a turnaround by 2015 (3 years to the future) Problem(s) Analysis -What is the background that has led to the problem(s)? -What are the key points that the decision maker must consider when figuring out a solution? (eg. constraints that limit the possible solutions or opportunities that could arise) -If a financial analysis is required, outline that in this section. -Perhaps a different format for analysis is more appropriate? (eg. SWOT, PEST, Porter’s Five Forces). Background American Apparel strived to promote raw natural beauty. To do this, they used real, non-photo-shopped, airbrush-free models in their advertising campaigns Their signature advertisements featured women in racy outfits and poses Charney took the pictures himself and either found women on the streets or used his own employees Charney said it was the company’s way of marketing to millennials, targeting contemporary adults who desired sexual freedom, and fighting against the pressures on women to achieve perfection Charney’s strange and inappropriate workplace behaviours made some employees feel uncomfortable SWOT Strengths Pro-labor practices Anti-sweatshop Made in USA label Pay their employees nearly double minimum wage Provide job security and good benefits for employees Environmentally friendly practices Use of organic and recycled materials Strong international presence – 253+ retail stores in 20 different countries Reasonably priced and good quality products Weaknesses Provocative advertisements Store environment makes some customers feel uncomfortable – â€Å"reeked of sexual sin† CEO Dov Charney’s workplace behaviour and practices which have led to complaints and lawsuits The company’s cost of production is likely higher than their competitors because of their â€Å"made in USA† policy High labour costs $120 million in debt Opportunities The company has the opportunity to tame their provocative advertising campaigns They can also steer the focus back onto their positive business initiatives Ethical buying habits are on the rise – consumers are becoming more conscious of the environment Expand online and catalog business sectors – Focus product lines – eliminate those that aren’t as successful and profitable – Reform advertising campaign – focus more on AA’s  positive political activism and â€Å"homegrown† products – Restructure corporate-executive-suite and construct a more positive public image Expand online and catalog business sectors – Focus product lines – eliminate those that aren’t as successful and profitable – Reform advertising campaign – focus more on AA’s  positive political activism and â€Å"homegrown† products – Restructure corporate-executive-suite and construct a more positive public image Threats Their competition who offer similar products at equal or lower price points, and have cheaper production costs Threats of lawsuits against Charney which create a negative public image Threats of consumers shopping elsewhere due to dissatisfaction with AA’s sexual advertisements SWOT Findings: The SWOT analysis shows that American Apparel needs to bring the focus back onto the strengths of the company. They need to remind consumers of the ethics the company was built on and their goodwill and valuable contributions. Their weaknesses primarily revolve around being too overtly provocative, whether this is towards consumers or within the workplace itself. The company clearly cannot continue with this controversy, as they risk overshadowing the positive aspects of their business. Decision Criteria for Solutions -What goals or objectives must be achieved by any potential solution to the problem? (eg. Must maximize market share) -What constraints limit the range of solutions (eg. Can’t cost more than $1 Million) Goals and Objectives The goal is to save the company’s reputation which will in turn stop their money-losing streak Constraints Must not incur further debt 10 Identification of Realistic & Practical Alternatives available to the Decision Maker – In most situations there will be at least 3 alternatives, one of which can be status quo. One or two short sentences to describe each. – Each alternative MUST be a stand alone solution to your problem(s). Alternative 1: American Apparel should fire their current CEO, Dov Charney,  and elect a replacement. Alternative 2: American Apparel should change their advertising strategy by toning down their sexual nature and focusing on their business strengths to create positive publicity. Alternative 3: American Apparel should continue with their current advertising strategies. Pros and Cons of each Alternative Alternative 1 Pros Charney’s provocative vision and proneness to scandal will leave the company with him It shows that AA will not stand for sexual harassment and inappropriate workplace behaviours The company can bring in a new vision and have a fresh start Cons The company may lose customers who supported Charney and his vision The replacement CEO may not be any better than Charney at running the business Alternative 2 Pros It helps AA to fix the disconnect between their ethical and unethical practices It reminds consumers of the company’s positive values Cons Charney may not go for the new vision; he may push back It doesn’t solve the issue of unethical workplace incidents The company may lose customers who support the provocative and â€Å"natural† ads Alternative 3 Pros No changes will need to be made, therefore employees will not need to be trained or guided through any change The controversy surrounding the company may actually bring in customers Cons Discrepancies of the company’s business practices will not be solved Consumers who do not like the provocativeness of the company may continue or  start to avoid it Recommendation & Implementation Plan – You must have a sentence that says, â€Å"I recommend alternative†¦Ã¢â‚¬  – Do not combine alternatives. Pick just one. – Defend your choice of alternative. Explain WHY it is better than the others. – If applicable, explain how the alternative will be implemented. (who, what, where, when, how) Recommendation I recommend alternative 1 – firing Dov Charney. I do not believe alternative 3 is an option because the unethical advertisements and workplace practices would likely catch up with the company and really affect their performance in the long run. The reputation of American Apparel would just continue to deteriorate if nothing is changed, which would deter consumers from shopping there. Alternative 1 is a better path to take than alternative 2 because it really gets at the root cause of all the issues – Dov Charney. The provocative and controversial advertisements were largely inspired by the CEO himself. Simply changing the company’s advertising campaigns is good and well, but there is no guarantee that Charney will even go for that. And what’s to say he wouldn’t go back to his old ways in the future? Also, alternative 2 doesn’t fix the issue of employee complaints and sexual harassment lawsuits that have given the company a bad image. Alternative 1 has the potential to resolve both the advertising strategies and the inappropriate workplace incidents. Implementation Who Board of Directors What Fire Dov Charney Where At a board meeting When As soon as possible How Gather all documentation of Charney’s inappropriate behaviours Review the termination agreement that was made at the time of hiring Charney Review the company’s succession plan for the CEO – determine who may be able to take Charney’s place in the interim Seek counsel from the company’s lawyers on the best method to fire Charney Overall Quality (logical consistency & readability)

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Caborn essays

Caborn essays The topographic map that is the study area is the Caborn quadrangle. This area is located in the southwest area of Indiana and on the south is bordering the Ohio River. The topography of this area is pocketed with gently rolling hills with the largest depression in the land just north of the Ohio River with Goose pond located in the center of it. This study area is located in the Wabash lowland of Indiana and its bedrock consists of mainly of shale and sandstone. There is also a thin layer of bedrock consisting of limestone, clay and coal. There are three major routes of transportation through this area which are the Ohio River, the railroad, and highway 62. The Ohio River in the southern area of the study region is one of the main transportation routes. The Southwind Maritime Center is a river port located on the Ohio River and is located on the west side of the map. This port is a state-of-the-art river port with advanced material handling technologies. The port is specifically designed to handle in or out bound container cargo. The port is also a designated Foreign Trade Zone providing advantages to companies in this area involved in international trade. This Port is more than 740 acres and is home to a wide variety of companies. The Southwind Maritime Center is also easily accessible by railroad and a four-lane freeway as shown on map where they are located just north of the port. The railroad as shown on the map runs from the northeastern corner to the mid-west side. Highway 62 runs from the east to wes t along the middle of the map. The highway and railroad provide transportation routes back and forth between Mount Vernon and Evansville. The Caborn quadrangle is located in Posey County, Indiana. There are 491 farms in Posey County. Eighty-five percent of the total land in this county is farmland according to Bureau of the Census in 1992. According to the Bureau of Labor statistics about forty pe ...

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Is the term subculture useful as means for analysing the young people in Australia Culture †Cultural Studies Essay

Is the term subculture useful as means for analysing the young people in Australia Culture – Cultural Studies Essay Free Online Research Papers Is the term subculture useful as means for analysing the young people in Australian Culture Cultural Studies Essay They dress like their going to the gym. They have undercuts and spiky hair. They have a few tattoos, hidden from their parents view. They listen to RB and rap. They hang out in garages, playing cards, swearing and smoking pot. Their ideology of masculinity is a man that wont take ‘no’ for an answer, has control over his ‘Mrs.’s’ and can stand up for himself. They speak with slang derived from the African American slang, with a few Arabic words here and there. They drive fast, done up cars with controversial personalized number plates. Females are not welcome in this gathering nor are adults. Who are they? They are the Lebanese youth. Their offshoot, ‘hanging out’, is the symbolic axis and working social hub. This subculture is heavily reliant on being ‘in the know’- on being cool, calm and dangerous. If one were to describe the social culture of this group, it would have to be ‘coolness’. But what is this cultural value? How is it embodied? How is it displayed? Why it is so important to the Lebanese youth? What are its social uses, its demographics, its biases and discriminations? They belong to a unitary culture. They maintain the same dress codes, dance styles, music genres and catalogue of authorized and illicit rituals. They are a subculture from an ethnic culture. They generally congregate on the basis of shared ethnicity and ideology, their consumption of the same media and, most importantly, their preference for youth of the same ethnicity to themselves. Taking part in this subculture builds affinities, socialising participants into knowledge of the likes and dislikes, meanings and values of the culture. This community will last for several years until these boys decide to settle down through primarily marriage. This subculture will then melt into the ‘mainstream’. The opposition of the ‘mainstream’ is undoubtedly how many constituents of youth subcultures charecterise their own behavior. However we can’t take youthful discourses literally; they are not a transparent window on the world. This is a constant mistake that has been made by cultural studies. They have been inadequately critical of subcultural ideologies, first, because they were preoccupied by the task of perforating and challenging prevailing ideologies and, second, because they were biased and tended to correspond with the subcultural discourses of the youth cultures they study. Academics have acclaimed subcultures, while youth have celebrated the ‘underground’. Where young people have condemned the ‘commercial’, scholars have criticised ‘hegemony’; where one has grieved over ‘selling out’, the other has conceived ‘incorporation’. Youth visualize their own and other social groups through subcultural ideologies, they declare their idiosyncratic nature and assert that they are not nameless affiliates of an undistinguished heap. The cultural theorists are not giving non-biased explanations of the way things really are, but incorporate ideologies that fulfill their specific cultural agenda. One should therefore not simply delve into the way of life of a cluster community, but consider the way they make ‘meaning the service of power’. The distinctions made by the Lebanese youth are not simply affirmations of equal difference; they entail a strong claim to authority and presume the inferiority of others. They are challenge the weight of, namely the police and laws established by the government and see other subcultural ethnic groups as inferior to them. Within this subculture, elevated levels of income and property do not associate with high levels of cultural capital, as the two often conflict. Comments about the ‘nouveau riche’ reveal the likely frictions between those affluent in cultural capital but fairly poor in economic capital (like those Lebanese youth that are academics) and those rich in economic capital but less affluent in cultural capital (like professional football players). Therefore, the third category-social capital-that stems not from what you know or what you have, but from who know, can be attributed foremostly to the subculture of the Lebanese youth. Connections in the form of friends, relations, associations and acquaintances can all bestow status. ‘Tell the boys that you know so and so and watch them worship you’. The ‘second nature’ of their knowledge is a quality that members of this subculture must possess. Nothing diminishes capital more than the spectacle of someone trying to hard. For example, a subdued and pale looking Anglo Saxon male attempting to act, dress and associate himself with the subculture of the Lebanese youth. K. Gelder and S. Thornton argue that ‘the difference between being in or out of fashion, high or low in subcultural capital, correlates in complex ways with degrees of media coverage, creation and exposure’. In regards to the aforementioned subculture, commercial news and the content of their broadcasting are discussed often amongst each other. They are in passionate resistance to the negative portrayal of their subculture. It can be argued therefore that due to the fact that their subculture is used as the ‘topic of the day’ so readily, that this actually encourages them to become increasingly rebellious against the ‘mainstream’ and forms of authority. The convertibility of cultural capital into economic capital is what ultimately defines cultural capital. Whilst subcultural capital may not convert into economic capital, in being a market niche, with the same ease or financial reward as cultural capital, a variety of occupations or increased capital for existing occupations can be gained as a result of ‘coolness’. American clothes designers, especially sportswear designers, such as Nike and Adidas, American artists of hip-hop, rap and RB and sad to say drug dealers all make a living from their subcultural capital. Subcultural capital is not as class-bond as cultural capital, even though it converts into economic capital. Class does not correlate in any uninterrupted way with levels of youthful subcultural capital. For instance, it would not be uncommon for a Lebanese boy that was raised in an area that was densely populated with Lebanese households, like Bankstown, to remain dressing, acting and speaking in the same way if he was to move to an area that was densely populated with Anglo-Saxons and of a class. Gender, after age, is the social difference along which subcultural capital is aligned most analytically to. Generally, the girls associated with this subculture invest more of their time and identity in doing well at school. The boys, in contrast, spend more time and money on going out, listening to music and ‘hanging out with the boys’. The ‘refusal of complicity’ might be said to categorise the majority of Lebanese youth. These youth are not as anchored in their social place as those younger and older than themselves as they are not settled with a partner nor have they integrated into ‘Australian culture’. By investing in this act of leisure, Lebanese youth further reject being fixed socially. They can postpone ‘social aging’ or that ‘slow renunciation or disinvestment’ which leads people to regulate their goals to their purposes, to support their state, become what they are and make do with what they have. Acting as a barrier against social aging may be one of the reasons as to why it is so attractive to people well beyond their youth. Lebanese youth can be seen as temporarily taking pleasure in the taste of independence. Freedom from necessity, therefore, does not mean that youth have wealth so much that they are exempt from adult commitments to the accumulation of economic capital. They simply reveal a methodical dedication, which allows practises that are discouraged by the mainstream. The term ‘subculture’ is therefore useful as a means for analysing the position and experiences of the Lebanese youth of Australia. Subcultural capital is the key player of a substitute chain of command in which the affiliation of age, gender, sexuality and race are operational in order to keep the resolves of class, income and occupation aside. Subcultural capital discloses itself most clearly by what it dislikes and by what it definitely isn’t. The vast majority of Lebanese youth distinguish themselves against the mainstream that, to some degree, can be seen to stand in for the masses- this distance is a measure of their cultural worth. Subcultural ideology unconditionally gives alternative interpretations and values to young peoples, particularly young men’s. It reinterprets the social world. The Lebanese youth jockey for social power through these popular distinctions; they are favouritisms by which members are both given social statuses and endeavour f or a meaning of self-worth. This perspective foresees popular culture as a multi-dimensional social space rather than as a flat culture or as simply the end of the social ladder. The Lebanese youth should therefore not be categorised through their cultural differences as being ‘resistances’ to hierarchy or to the isolated cultural supremacy of some ruling body. They should be looked at as the microstructures of power entailed in the cultural competition that goes on between more closely associated social groups. References K.Gelder and S.Thornton, Subcultures Reader, London; New York Rutledge, 1997. The Macquarie Dictionary New Budget Edition Macquarie University, NSW, Australia, 1996. www.acys.utas.edu.au/ncys/topics/culture.htm 21k www.research.deakin.edu.au/performance/pubs/ reports/cd/1997/pubs/1995/socinq.htm 34k www.usyd.edu.au/su/geography/sinfo/p-g/07.htm 10k www.mcgraw-hill.com.au/mhhe/marktng/hawkins/bkinfo.htm 12k Research Papers on Is the term "subculture" useful as means for analysing the young people in Australia Culture - Cultural Studies EssayHip-Hop is ArtAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseEffects of Television Violence on Children19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionWhere Wild and West Meet

Monday, November 4, 2019

How would you assess the nature of public history in the digital age Essay

How would you assess the nature of public history in the digital age - Essay Example It describes how digital age has influenced the discipline of history. Furthermore, the essay also narrates about how historical practices are conducted in present days’ digital age. Public history is anything, which includes the extensive public participation in the formation, recording and explanation of history. It comprises the tasks conducted by expert historians, but positively involves with many people, rather than single individuals. By itself, public history is subjected to the services of varieties of experts who perform in wider historical setups, such as individuals performing in documentations, galleries, museums, heritage sites, country houses and public libraries. Public history frequently entails demonstration of research findings in different formats in order to print for exhibitions, photographic, film displays and dramatic representations. Public history is a trimmer, adaptable to multiple contexts and audiences. Politicians advocate that public history is such work, which is involved with national community and inspire senses of individuality, unity and nationality (Willinsky, 2005). Public historians appeared around the beginning of the ‘age of commemoration’. Public historians accept various ways in which public is involved in the history. In various fields of education, politics and entertainment, it can be observed that historians involve in history practices, with or without academic directives. The discipline of public history is therefore based on the role of history and historians in the world. Public history is thus aimed to prepare individuals for better interpreter and overseer of history. The fundamental belief of public history is that historians as experts do not possess the exclusive authority to that past, but desire to involve in the discussion with the experiences and explanations of the public. Traditionally, the work of public historians was

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Entrepreneurial question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Entrepreneurial question - Essay Example One of the necessary resources for the establishment of an ethical and legal foundation include participating in training that provides the information necessary to ensure that the entrepreneur is completely cognizant of the regulations that affect the business venture. Information on the mode of incorporating the business can be outsourced from various sources such as the existing businesses and literary materials. The foundation principles for the business ethics include exercising the due care, maintenance of confidentiality, fidelity to special responsibilities, respecting the liberty and the constitutional rights of others. Others include respect for the human well-being, ensuring good-faith in the business negotiations, complying with the law, and evading the conflict of interest. The most eminent ethical resources for the suppliers include the code of conduct, ethics audits, ethics surveys, ethics training and ethics helpline (Ravi 540). Establishing an ethical and legal found ation for the customers requires transparency, undertaking the corporate social responsibility, ethical surveys, ethics helpline and access to ombuds. The strategies applied for motivating customers can also be applied to the investors. What challenges do entrepreneurs experience when establishing a solid legal and ethical