Essay On DonT Judge A Book By Its Cover - 1195 Words

I have been called many names without people getting to know me - all have been negative. Bully, shady, mean, and seems to think she’s too good is a few words that my friends have described me before we meet. But when they got to know the type of person I am, they tend to say I m kind and shy. I describe myself the same way, but it s hard to think that some time ago my friends thought of me as a person who isn’t worth getting to know. If my friends didn’t go against their initial judgment of me, we wouldn’t have met. If we believe our initial thoughts of others, we won t get to form relationships: family, friends, couples. Judging others is what s stopping us as a society from coming together. I believe in the phrase â€Å"don’t judge a†¦show more content†¦What if they want to wear certain clothes and do a certain style because it builds their confidence or that they just like it. When and where we can wear fancy clothes also seems to be a problem. Some individual wears fancy clothes on casual nights, and others wear casual clothes on select nights. When we don’t wear â€Å"appropriate† clothes for an event, it comes off as disrespectful. Based on appearance only, we also determine how attractive someone is, and this is taken into consideration when we approach a potential spouse. We tend to focus on how they look and not who they are, which could lead to problems later on in a marriage. A few relationships tend to be based solely on their partner’s level of attractiveness. We determine how attractive someone is, â€Å" the prejudice of deciding what to do based solely on outward appearance could cost the pursuer the chance of a meaningful relationship† (Modern Day Adages). Although someone is â€Å"better† looking doesn’t mean anything when it comes to their character and personality. An â€Å"average† person can be more beautiful on the inside than a â€Å"better† looking person. As a society, we need to give others the opportunity to show themselves even if they’re â€Å"average.† Society has been stereotyping people based on their culture, race, and religion. If we end these stereotypes, then we can be closer on coexist in peace. Stereotyping tends to labelShow MoreRelated Dont Judge a Book by the Cover Essay615 Words   |  3 Pagessimply cannot know a person by looking at them and observing what they eat. Such a thought is ridiculous. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Instead of looking at clothing and what one is eating, character should be the basis for opinion. Judging a book by the cover only leads to surprises, and in this case, judging a human by dress can lead to surprises as well. Just because a man or woman may not dress as nicely, they’re not necessarily bad or even poor. The particular individual may not care what anyoneRead MoreFrankenstein Study Guide14107 Words   |  57 Pagesthrough a tiny hole in the wall, he was moved by their love for each other. As they taught a foreign friend how to speak their language, the creature also learned along with her. The creature also learned about what it means to be human by reading three books he found. He gathered his courage to approach the blind man alone. He was received sympathetically, but when the others returned they drove him away in fear. From that moment, the creature vowed revenge against humankind and especially his creatorRead MoreTop 1 Cause for Pr oject Failure65023 Words   |  261 PagesNicollet ; PMP I think the number 1 reason for a project failure has to be option #8 - Lack of Monitoring of Plan.... I think if the plan is correct and is monitored closely, it would cover risk, HR, communication, sponsor s involvement and all other aspects listed above. A good project management plan would cover all aspects of possible failure and monitoring it closely will make sure the project stays on track. In other words, a good PM plan is key to a successfull project. †¢ [pic] Bill

Essay on Race, Racism and My Community - 1715 Words

Racial issues are an important part of any city in America today. America is a racially diverse country but still seems to have many problems as far as racial equality, race relations, and encouraging diversity. My community is in, what I think, is a fairly unique situation in terms of race. According to the census and other sources I found on the internet, the population of Cedar Hill, Texas is approximately 32,093. The city is growing and very much like the other upscale surburbs in Dallas. Cedar Hill offers satisying opportunities for both indoor and outdoor activities and a very family orientate city, the chity has an amusement park, a skating rink, a 14- screen Cinemark Movie Theather and a studio for arts†¦show more content†¦There is an Asian family that live on the coner and I just love the way the grandmother walks every morning and plant flowers in her yard, keep it water and cared for. I have a white family that lives directly across the street from me, that’s mad a America and he has his flag hung upside down, I ask why did he do that and he says because the United States is upside down because of our president. I could not understand that because I feel that we should love our country no matter what. I still speak and he still gives my family a cake every Christmas. And I send fruit and a card. But the real problem with him is that he is very predioucs and don’t like any other race, other than white. â€Å"This is what his 34 year son says†. But despite his feelings about other races he still shows that he care at Christmas time. In my community, I feel that it is a rainbow of people. I have contact with everyone, if it’s just a wave as I pass by, but not much communication. I don’t consider myself a minority. I would say I interact with a white and Hispanic person maybe 6 days a week. There are of course differences in appearance even when people are of the same race. It’s really hard to say how different people in my community are from one another because they are all generally the same in terms of appearance. We have many people of White descent or Polish descent who are just as different as someone who is of Japanese descent. Because of the color of theirShow MoreRelatedRace, Racism and My Community Essay1461 Words   |  6 PagesToday’s concepts of race are usually done by categorizing different people into different populations, religions or groups. Most of the time, they are broken down by their physical traits like the color of their skin, texture of their hair, or facial features. In This autobiographical research paper the subjects to analyze is the influences of race as it relates to my present community. The paper is a first-person account of the interpretation of human interactions in my community. I will be takingRead MoreMartin Luther King, Jr.949 Words   |  4 PagesAs a child, my first memories with race were when my mother was trying to integrate more Native American representation in my early media. However, the lack of Native American representation in children’s books and movies made her search to find fitting and accurate role mod els for me difficult. In the end, I only had Disney’s Pocahontas and a series of books about Kaya, an American Girl doll. Although she wanted me to learn more about my Native American heritage, these two examples were the onlyRead MoreEssay on Exploring Race and Challenging Privilege1610 Words   |  7 PagesExploring Race and Challenging Privilege I thought I understood racism well enough. Since early childhood I’ve learned from parents and teachers that racism is a sense of racial superiority, a way of making judgments about people based on their skin color before you get to know them, and a cause of hate crimes and foul language. I think I’m not racist, and as a white woman I’m not likely to be the victim of racism, so I usually think racism has nothing to do with my life. But I’m uncomfortableRead MoreIn any community, as in everyday life, many challenging issues can arise. In intercultural900 Words   |  4 PagesIn any community, as in everyday life, many challenging issues can arise. In intercultural communities a large portion of these challenging issues are in some way, related to two-forms of racism. Our book notes that racism could be self-imposed due to low feelings of self-worth or a feeling of helplessness. This is called internalized racism(Oetzel, p.293). The second type, instituti onalized racism, stems from the in-group. When a majority feels superior or uses acts rejection towards the minorityRead MoreEssay on Racism1251 Words   |  6 PagesRacism Racism has often played a central role in conflicts between groups of people. Racism is the intentional or unintentional use of power to isolate, separate and exploit others as defined in the Webster dictionary. People generally respond to others differently based on what they know, which may include superficial characteristics often associated with race. This paper will express my opinion of how racism will effect America. I will base information from Webster’s definition of Racism, readingRead MoreGrowing Up As A Latino Child1678 Words   |  7 Pageswithin my community in the city of Baldwin Park. I attended public schools with students that came from the same background and struggles as my own. It made sense living in an area with similar Latino families because I thought that was the way things were supposed to be. Even today in America. communities are segregated and made up of people with similar backgrounds. I never questioned why we were not surrounded by people that were African American, Asian, or any other race differing from my own.Read MoreRacial Reconciliation, By Dr. Mitzi Smith760 Words   |  4 Pagesbit of conversation. My initial point said, â€Å"Racial reconciliation is an existential lie that pushes the oppressed to enter back into the hell they have been trying to escape.† Throughout the rest of the day I had conversations with many brothers and sisters about my comment. As I pondered upon the conversations, I started to wrestle with some thoughts about racial reconciliation. It is my sincerest hope that my thoughts will be conveyed with clarity as I attempt to unpack my thoughts. These areRead MoreWhat Causes Racism Persists?1568 Words   |  7 PagesCauses Racism Persists? Could a tree be racist? Could a tree decide, based on race, how much oxygen it’d provide to the people around it? Could a tree emulate the evil of man? Regardless of how you’d answer those questions, trees and racism hold one important parallel: without their roots, they can’t exist. Roots allow racism, like trees, to live, build, and continue. Today racism persists due to the benefit racism offers the white collective, the confusion that inundates race and racism, the failuresRead MoreSocial Justice Issues Take Place At Various Levels : Global, National, Regional, And Local1397 Words   |  6 PagesSocial justice issues take place at various levels: global, national, regional, and local. The article, â€Å"The racist NYPD captain who ruined my career for not targeting enough blacks and Hispanics got promoted,† surfaces a prevalent social justice issue of racism. Racism is holding prejudices on the basis of the race. The issue of racism is complex one bec ause of its far-reaching effects and implications. It makes people feel inferior, creates a gap between the people of the society. The members ofRead MoreEssay on Racism and the Police Force1346 Words   |  6 PagesRacism and the Police Force There were two cops. One said You niggers have to learn to respect police officers. The other one said, If you yell or make any noise, I will kill you. Then one held me and the other shoved the plunger up my behind. He pulled it out, shoved it in my mouth, broke my teeth and said, Thats your *censored*, nigger.(Abner Louima) The police officers that allegedly performed this act of racial violence on August 9, 1997 had no reason to brutally beat and sodomize

Evaluation of Global Hospitality Sector Trends

Question: Discuss about the Evaluation of Global Hospitality Sector Trends. Answer: Introduction With the service sector contributing over 70 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the global economy as of 2010, questions arise as to how the sector appeared unnoticed over the manufacturing industry with regard to economic growth. Despite the realization of the importance of the services sector as an important driver to global economic growth, it is important to understand why the services sector appears to be underutilized by companies in statistical measures thereby being noted as a decline in comparison to the virtual contribution of services sector to the global GDP. The hospitality industry, particularly, has played a crucial role in facilitating global trade growth. The industry can be said to be one of the largest industry globally in terms of driving the global economy and job creation. Despite the realization of the importance of the services sector as an important driver to global economic growth, in practice some businesses within the hospitality sector still c ontinue to struggle even in the advent of global growth. The essay seeks to evaluate and explain the challenges affecting the hospitality industry and how strategies taken to facilitate growth. Hospitality and tourism industry In 2014, the hospitality and tourism sector generated 9.5 percent of the global GDP and creating over 250 million jobs, estimated to be 11 percent of the total employment across the world. The industry continues to grow at a rate significantly higher than the wider economy as well as other major sectors such as financial, automotive and health care sectors. However, the volatility of the hospitality industry is high, as it is heavily dependent on a variety of political, economic and environmental factors. Following the financial crisis experienced in 2009, that saw the industry register a negative growth of 6 percent, the hospitality and tourism industry has shown tremendous turnaround registering growth in 2010 (WTO, 2012). Over the preceding years there have been challenges affecting the hotel industry despite the turnaround. Some of the issues are linked to the reduced activities within the hotel industry. Global Financial Crisis The advent the global economic recession has affected many industries causing a decline in almost all the service sectors. Notably the recession has created a negative impact on job opportunities among many countries globally. There have been cases of job insecurity within the hospitality sector, low working conditions as well as inadequate pay. Additionally, the recession also caused a declined demand in travel and tours in tourist generating countries as well as destinations. The fact that almost 80 percent of the travelers originate from at least 20 countries globally, mainly developed countries, it is important to note that there was bound to be a decline in tourism as well as travels since the developed countries were most affected by the financial crisis(Chu, 2014). It is often realized that people would tend to reduce spending especially in the wake of future uncertainty. On finds that as a result, households are increasingly cutting down on luxuries such as holidays. Conseque ntly, many hotel operators especially recently opened and those dedicated have been experiencing hard times due to lower number of guests leading to inability to maintain sustainable businesses. However, while some of the hotels have been pushed to a point of closing down some remain resilient but are also forced to reduce the price on hotels significantly to attract guests, thus affecting their bottom line. The industry has therefore been affected by the shrinking capital market and decreased spending by corporates and individuals (Global Financial Crisis Bulletin, 2009). High competitiveness with Hotel Industry Previously, before the global financial crisis the hotel and tourism industry remained as one f the fastest growing services industries. With widespread effect on other industries such as the transport industry, the industry has become a great opportunity for investment. As a result, the hotel industry experienced a boom construction of new hotels. In fact, according to Forbes Travel Guide (2014), in the previous year, Total Number of five star and for star hotels rose by 33 percent and 28 percent respectively with the number expected to grow. However, in the event of the global financial crisis, many hotel services providers have found themselves struggling to compete for the declining market through offers and promotional activities that live the some of the small hotels unable to compete. High-end luxury has a great advantage over small and medium hotels. The former enjoys Strong financial bases as well as a wide network of chain hotels thereby finding it cost effective to market their hotels and also offer a wider variety of services globally (Chu, 2014). The small and medium Hotel continue to find it hard to remain competitive since they may not be in a position to offer wide variety of services and still remain sustainable. This situation has led to the closure as well as struggling hotels across the globe. Product offering Due to the increasing competition, hotels are increasingly using offering a wide range of services, facilities as well as amenities to maintain a competitive edge over their competitors. For instance, luxurious hotels around the global offer unique service products that are very diverse to the extent that the hotels become a destination themselves. Inclusion of health reactional center, Shopping complex, sporting grounds, unique hotels suites as well as technological improvements. Hotels going beyond their primary services such as food and accommodation have had a significant increase in walk-ins and bookings. According to the Smith Travel Research (2010), There was an unprecedented turnaround in 2010 followed by a significant growth worldwide. Studies show that this rebound of the luxury hotels is as a result of changing consumer trends who are increasingly preferring spending on experiences. However, this works at the detriment of lesser hotels which are unable to offer such a wide variety. Digitization of hotel rooms to accommodate the new generation of technologically savvy clientele. Hotels lacking such modification are unable to appeal to this new emerging client market. While the number of clientele continues to go up, the bottom-line decreases as a result of higher cost service delivery cost. Prevalence of technology and Social media As Technological advancement continue to improve integration of business activities to positively affect the Hotel Industry, there is a downside with the advent of social media. Technology has allowed the hotel industrys ability to cut costs on promotional services as well as administration services. Hotels generally applying technology in their operation have been able to cut cost on a variety of areas including renewable energy adoption over oil and gas, as well as communication tools such as digital over paper communication. Such effectiveness has been a common trend in Hotel industry that helps improving their bottom-line(Chu, 2014). Even when a there is a lowered number of customer walk-ins, a Hotel has the ability to remain profitable again While social media is used as a personalized marketing tool, it can also create a negative effect in cases of bad service experiences. In the current world, many people share their experience with friends in social media and a negative comme ntary regarding a particular hotel has the potential to spread really fast thereby decreasing the attraction towards the hotel. Additionally, negative information regarding the regions where the hotel is located reduce the hotels appeal, especially when such alerts pose a threat to customers such as political unrest, and violence. Therefore, although technology remains an added advantage to the hotel industry in terms of promotional cost effectiveness, there are concerns where negative publicity creates loss of customers. Political Unrest, and Regulation policies In countries faced with political unrest, the Hotel industry is adversely affected. Some tourism and travel exporting countries often provide travel advisories that may advise their citizens to avoid some tour destinations, which are highly regarded by the tourists. For example, Greece experienced a downturn of its hotel and tourism industry partly as a result of demonstrations as well as civil unrest within the countries. The Hotel industry in the current did not recover until 2013 and is slowly showing growth (OATEN, LE QUESNE, SEGAL, Deloitte LLP, 2012). However, it is expected that some with the slow recovery, some hotels may be unable to sustain themselves. Turnaround strategy in the Hospitality industry In the hospitality industry, the management of the financial crisis management has proved to be an unpredictable event requiring continuous analysis and improvement of organizational performance according to Paraskevas (2013). Notably, in crisis management, awareness of potential crisis, prevention and mitigation of the crisis are essential for organizations within a particular industry to apply corrective measures as well as adapt to change. Such strategies have allowed the hospitality industry to successfully recover from the recession and emerge stronger. Adaptation of sustainable business practices that added value to the hospitality industry have enable the sector to become resilient to economic pressures. Several trends within the hospitality and tourism industry have enabled its survival. Factors that have led to the rapid Recovery of the Hospitality industry Despite this decline, the tourism industry has proven resilient where it registered a significantly rapid recovery in the 2010 registering 5.3 percent tourist exports. The figure has remained consistent over the years. It is fortunate that the hospitality sector has been able to take advantage of the crisis in a bid to mitigate the impact the recession as well as preventing redundancy (World Economic Forum, September 2011). Hospitality companies are consistently innovating new ways and strategies in order to remain competitive that have allowed growth within the industry. Favorable economic conditions such as the fall of oil prices has in turn caused a reduction in travel cost prompting more people to afford travel fare. Additionally, the financial crisis has awakened the hospitality companies in working more efficiently which includes cutting cost while providing more quality services to customers (OECD, 2007). Some companies have had to streamline their management structure to reta in only the essential department. Additionally, the current crisis has served as an opportunity for the service industry to implement proactive ways increase communication with consumers and also attract skills development within the industry. In the job creation areas, for example, tourism industry in Italy made efforts to improve working condition by subcontracting companies in charge of providing seasonal employees on a contractual basis during peak seasons for a moderately higher pay. Development and emergence of other markets have helped widen the variety of services products offered by the hospitality and tourism industry. For instance, it is notable that developing countries registered growth even during the recession. This was facilitated by proactive strategies to develop tourism and ultimately the hospitality industry. Repackaging and rebranding of sustainable tourism such as promotion of culture, arts and heritage within developing countries was a significant factor that allowed rapid recovery of the sector (Levy Hawkins, 2010). Additionally, the hospitality industry has also seen shift in the trends among consumers towards more experiential products services over material products including health, environment and business tourism. strategically, the hospitality industry has continued to seek new ways of adding value to the sector as investment within the sector continues to be affected by the slow recovery of the financial sector. Notably the rise in per capita income of the middle class has seen a high affinity for luxurious activities. For this reason, Luxury hotels are increasingly formulating product service packages that are affordable to the middle class. Investment in fully serviced hotels has increased allowing tourist to gain greater satisfaction from their experience. Increase in Demand for such high-end services as well as development of a culture embodying the strategic goals of the hotels have allowed the hospitality and tourism industry to continue showing consistent. Global integration and networking among the hotel industry has created an eco-system that allows hospitality companies to market and offer a wider variety of product through mutually beneficial partnerships. Although large multi-national hotels are in a better position to quickly adapt to changing industry condition such as shifting trends, small and medium hospitality businesses do not share the same luxury, lacking the resources competitively targeting new customer. However, the advent of the internet and new technology has opened new innovative ways where small hospitality businesses can effectively market their business as well as network and cooperate with other small business to provide a wide variety of products services, collectively (Wirtz, 2000; Wirtz and Ehret, 2013). Marketing platform for Bed and breakfast businesses are now visible as a result of online platforms that promote them according to location and mutually beneficial payment arrangement creating more employment opportunities. Advent of Smartphones and application allow personalized communication to potential customers. Communication between client and small business hotels is possible as well as immediate feedback (Miroudot, 2016). Information collection about taste and preference of target clients is possible and easily available and reliable in making strategic decisions within the hospitality industry which help to match customers expectation. Similarly, mergers and acquisition have also allowed the integration of the hospitality at a global level which in the past was fragmented. Mutually beneficial partnerships ensure that customers gain access to a personalized service among partnering hotels (Pforr Hosie, 2009). The strategy not only creates opportunity but only create added value to customer increasing satisfaction. Therefore, the business structure of the Hotel industry has changed to a more flexible and cost effective model that can easily adapt to change. Conclusion In an era troubled by serious economic pressures, there has been proactive and conscious improvement effort, nationally and internationally to overcome the effects of the financial crisis experienced in 2009. In 2010, the hospitality and tourism industry showed tremendous recovery indicated by the positive growth of tourism exports that rose by 5 percent and has continued to growth at relatively the same rate over the years. While there has been a decrease in accommodation prices, there trend has seen more guest being able to afford luxury hotels thus increasing the numbers of tourists in high end hotels. Globalization has encouraged the integration the once fragmented hospitality industry with mergers and acquisition enabling mutually beneficial partnerships. The reorganization of the hotel industry has also seen an increase in job opportunities along the value chain as well as streamlining employment conditions among employees directly related to the hospitality industry. Demand fo r skilled labor as well as cost efficient model of operation have allowed the hospitality industry to gain rapid growth with technology innovation and prevalence of the digital platforms facilitating integration and cost effective promotional strategies. Although the hospitality industry is highly competitive, companies in the sector strive to provide more diverse services as well as developing new markets that will see the sectors continued success in the future. we find that in accordance to the WTO 2015 findings, the global service sector continues to contribute a significant percentage of the global GDP. This is because services having incorporated in almost every aspect of business including manufacturing. However, in a bid to capitalize on the global opportunities companies are continually adopting different business models that seek to increase efficiency References Bain and Company (2012), AWorld Awash inMoney. Capitol Trends Through 2020, Bain Company,New York, NY. Bell., D., 1973, The coming of the Post-Industrial Society. London: Heinnmen Chu, Y. (2014). A review of studies on luxury hotels over the past two decades. Ehret, M., Kashyap, V. and Wirtz, J. (2013), Business models: impact on business markets and opportunities for marketing research, Industrial Marketing Management, Vol. 42 No. 5,pp. 649-655. Eichengreen, B. and Gupta, P. (2012), The two waves of service sector growth, Working Paper Series No. 14968, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), Cambridge, MA, May. Fersht, P., Filippone, T., Aird, C. and Sappenfield, D. (2011), The Evolution of Global Business Services: Enhancing the Benefits of Shared Services and Outsourcing, HfS Research, July, Cambridge, MA. Forbes Travel Guide: Star Award Winners. (2014). Retrieved 2/15 2014, from https://www.forbestravelguide.com/about/awardwinners Gonzales, F., Bradford Jensen, J., Kim, Y. and Kyvik Nords, H. (2012), Globalisation of services and jobs, in Lippoldt, D. (Ed.), Policy Priorities for International Trade and Jobs, OECD Publishing, e-publication, Paris, pp. 175-192, available at :www.oecd.org/site/tadicite/50258009.pdf (accessed on July 17, 2015). Gonzlez Mieres, C., ngel Lpez Snchez, J. and Leticia Santos, V.M. (2012), Internal marketing, innovation and performance in business services firms: the role of organizational unlearning, International Journal of Management, Vol. 29 No. 4, pp. 403-429. Miroudot, S. (forthcoming), Global Value Chains and Trade in Value-Added: An Initial Assessment of the Impact on Jobs and Productivity,OECD Trade Policy Papers, no. 190, OECD Publishing. NSF (2012), Science and Engineering Indicators 2012, Chapter 6: Industry, Technology, and the Global Marketplace, National Science Foundation, Arlington, VA. OATEN,S., LE QUESNE,K., SEGAL,H., Deloitte LLP. (2012). Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 - Reports - World Economic Forum. Retrieved from https://reports.weforum.org/travel-and-tourism-competitiveness-report-2015/chapter-1-2-adapting-to-uncertainty-the-global-hotel-industry/ OECD (2007), Globalisation and structural adjustment, Summary Report of the Study on Globalisation and Innovation in the Business Services Sector, Paris. Parakevas, A., et al (2013): Crisis Knowledge in Tourism. Annals of Tourism Research 04/2013; 41:130152 Pforr, C. Hosie, P. (2009). Crisis Management in the Tourism Industry (Eds.). Ashgate, UK World Travel Tourism Council, March 2011, https://www.wttc.org/ (accessed 29 October 2011). WTO (2010), Measuring Trade in Services, A Training Module Produced by WTO/OMC, World Trade Organization, Geneva. WTO (2012), International Trade Statistics 2012, World Trade Organization, Geneva. WTO (2015), Trade in goods and services has fluctuated significantly over the last 20 years World Trade Organization, Geneva.

Space Flight Essays - Apollo Program, United States,

Space Flight On May 25, 1961, John F. Kennedy delivered one of the most memorable State of the Union addresses in the history of the United States. ?I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the earth? (http://www.cs.umb.edu/jfklibrary, President John F. Kennedy's Special Message to the Congress on Urgent National Needs). With those words, Kennedy launched a new era of space exploration in the United States. Although the National Aeronautics And Space Administration was created in 1958 by the National Aeronautics and Space Act (http://www.hq.nasa.gov, Key Documents), and the Russians already launched the first satellite into space in 1957, the US was still at a stand still on the subject. What the country needed was a wake-up call, and that is exactly what it got from one of the most celebrated speakers in its history. The new era promised much, but expected little. From USA's struggle to be the dominant world power in the Cold War Era, to the careless depletion of natural resources in the Information Age, space exploration and astronauts were and will be the real keys to the new millennium and beyond. Before looking into the future, or even evaluating the present, one must look in detail at the history of the space project. The missions that gave scientists and engineers the necessary data and experience to make new, safer, more reliable and intricate equipment were launched long before there was realistic talk of sending probes to Mars. The astronauts that helped shape the training programs, took the beatings of primitive flight tests, and died in order to serve their country were born before World War II. And even the Russian Space Program was crucial to what the space program is today. It fueled competition, and provided more resources for American engineers. Until Apollo 11, they were ahead of the Americans in almost everyway, with their launch of Sputnik, a unmanned satellite in 1957, and their countless firsts in orbiting and space walks. Yuri Gagarin was the first man in space. Although most of the missions that have been launched have been important in their own ways, some missions just stand out, whether it was the first step on the Moon, or the first mission to Mars. NASA's first high profile program was Project Mercury, an effort to learn if humans could survive in space. It was the prelude to the later missions, and it gave NASA the necessary data to build better, and more comfortable ships for humans to stay in space for extended periods of time. The first launch of the Mercury program was the LJ-1 on August 21, 1959. At thirty-five minutes before launch, evacuation of the area had been proceeding on schedule. Suddenly, half an hour before launch-time, an explosive flash occurred. When the smoke cleared it was evident that only the capsule-and-tower combination had been launched, on a trajectory similar to an off-the-pad abort (http://www.ksc.nasa.gov, Mercury: LJ-1). The first mildly successful spacecraft launch occurred September 9, 1959. Although t he BJ-1 ship experienced some problems, and the timing on some of the separation procedures was off, the capsule made it back to earth some seven hours after lift-off. The capsule orbited the earth for approximately thirteen minutes (Mercury: BJ-1). Mercury mission MA-5 was the first to carry live organisms into sub-orbit. Although Enos - a chimpanzee, was not a perfect substitute for a human, he served as a good test for the environmental controls of the capsule. He orbited the earth in total weightlessness for over three hours and upon landing was in perfect physical condition (Mercury: MA-5). On May 5, 1961, Freedom 7 was the first launch to carry humans into space. Alan B. Shepard, Jr. was the only crewmember, and the successful mission lasted for over 15 minutes (Mercury: MR-3). More manned flights from the Mercury series followed, highlighted by the Friendship 7, where on February 20, 1962, John Glenn was the first American in actual orbit, and he orbited the earth three times for a little under five hours (Mercury: MA-6). The last mission from the Mercury project came on May 15,

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers Free Online Research Papers â€Å"We’re all dead and just hoping that we come back to life when we get into the World again.† In the book Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers you follow a young man named Richard Perry through his time in Vietnam. In this book all of the characters face the same emotions and fears. They all have to face the possibility of death at any moment, the intense love of comrades, and the sorrow of losing a close friend in combat. All of the men deal with facing death and destruction every single day. They have to live with the idea that at any moment they could be killed. During one of the times they went into a village, Perry is almost killed by a VC but the VC’s gun didn’t fire and instead Perry kills him. This is only one incident when the men come face to face with death. The men also develop a strong bond of friendship. After seeing all the terrible things they see every single day they come to understand each other and care about each other strongly. After being together for so long it is not uncommon for them to show strong feelings towards each other that in the World would be thought of as weird. The men understand each others fears and hopes and don’t make fun of each other for crying. This is a bond that will stay with them forever. Each and every man also deals with the loss of a close friend in combat at one point or another. In the beginning a man who came to Nam with Perry, Jenkins, steps on a mine and is blown up right in front of Perry and the other men. This is something that they will grow accustomed to and learn to deal with. All of the men deal with the sadness that follows losing a close friend and that makes them understand each others sadness. It is not uncommon for a man to cry and no one else will make fun of him. In the book Fallen Angles by Walter Dean Myers, the characters all share some of the same experiences and feelings, such as death, comradeship, and losing a close friend. When they are in Nam the men feel as though they are dead and just waiting to get back to the World in order to feel alive again. Research Papers on Fallen Angels by Walter Dean MyersHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayCapital PunishmentThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsThe Fifth HorsemanTwilight of the UAW19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraThree Concepts of PsychodynamicHip-Hop is ArtThe Spring and AutumnPersonal Experience with Teen Pregnancy

Strait of Hormuz - History and Importance

Strait of Hormuz - History and Importance The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important strait or narrow strip of water that links the Persian Gulf with the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman (map). The strait is only 21 to 60 miles (33 to 95 km) wide throughout its length. The Strait of Hormuz is important because it is a geographic chokepoint and a main artery for the transport of oil from the Middle East. Iran and Oman are the countries nearest to the Strait of Hormuz and share territorial rights over the waters. Due to its importance, Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz several times in recent history. Â   Geographic Importance and History of the Strait of Hormuz In 2011, nearly 17 million barrels of oil, or almost 20% of the world’s traded oil flowed on ships through the Strait of Hormuz daily, for an annual total of more than six billion barrels of oil. An average of 14 crude oil ships passed through the strait per day in that year taking oil to destinations such as Japan, India, China and South Korea (U.S. Energy Information Administration). As a chokepoint the Strait of Hormuz is very narrow – just 21 miles (33 km) wide at its narrowest point and 60 miles (95 km) at its widest. The widths of the shipping lanes however are much narrower (about two miles (three km) wide in each direction) because the waters are not deep enough for oil tankers throughout the strait’s width. The Strait of Hormuz has been a strategic geographic chokepoint for many years and as such it has often been the site of conflict and there have been many threats by neighboring countries to close it. For example in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq War Iran threatened to close the strait after Iraq disrupted shipping in the strait. In addition, the strait was also home to a battle between the United States Navy and Iran in April 1988 after the U.S. attacked Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. In the 1990s, disputes between Iran and the United Arab Emirates over control of several small islands within the Strait of Hormuz resulted in further treats to close the strait. By 1992 however, Iran took control of the islands but tensions remained in the region throughout the 1990s. In December 2007 and into 2008, a series of naval events between the United States and Iran took place in the Strait of Hormuz. In June of 2008 Iran asserted that if it were attacked by the U.S. the strait would be sealed off in an effort to damage the world’s oil markets. The U.S. responded by claiming that any closure of the strait would be treated as an act of war. This further increased tensions and showed the importance of the Strait of Hormuz on a worldwide scale. Â   Closure of the Strait of Hormuz Despite these current and past threats, the Strait of Hormuz has never actually been closed off and many experts claim that it will not be. This is mainly due to the fact that Iran’s economy depends on the shipment of oil through the strait. In addition any closure of the strait would likely cause a war between Iran and the U.S. and generate new tensions between Iran and countries like India and China. Instead of closing the Strait of Hormuz, experts say it is more likely that Iran will make shipment through the region difficult or slow with such activities as seizing ships and raiding facilities. To learn more about the Strait of Hormuz, read the Los Angeles Times’ article, What is the Strait of Hormuz? Can Iran Shut Off Access to Oil? and The Strait of Hormuz and Other Foreign Policy Chokepoints from US Foreign Policy at About.com.

Brand equity for Sandro Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Brand equity for Sandro - Speech or Presentation Example In which case, the brand should make use of effortless style with both ranges of men and women across all the ages (Burger, 2012, 35). For brand meaning, it is wholly inspired by French design and usually sought by women in their 30’s. In order to maintain and improve its customer base, the brand has ensured strong customer relationships through conducting client data collection about how their response to the product. Through the help of brand equity, the company compliments its brand’s imagery by improving its commitment to social causes such as introducingâ€Å"reduce, reuse, recycle†. This triggers customers to feel good while purchasing the product. Further, brand performance demonstrates its reliability and durability; people know that their products are well designed and stylish, and that they wont let them down. In terms of brand response, Sandro makes use of high quality materials, to satisfy their clients, obtained from France thereby reflecting modern fashion (Kapferer, 2012, 5). This has helped in evoking feelings directly in the customers because of the expertise associated with the contemporary fashion. According to the nature of the brand, trendy people known to be fast fashion follower are strongly attracted to the fashion created by the brand. Consequently, this has evoked loyalty given that the customers can identify the brand according to their unique needs. Apart from the trendy people, fun loving people who have a sense of achievement and self-respect visualize credibility and superiority of the brand (Kapferer, 2000, 45). This is because, the modernity evident in the brand allows the customers to express themselves in a fashionable way. The superiority arises given that the competitors have not been able to evoke the same feeling on the customers. One of Sandro assets, towards ensuring brand resonance, is strong online presence that ensures that there is 24-hour connection with the clients. This has helped the brand in

Pointing Fingers in Refugee Responsibilities Assignment

Pointing Fingers in Refugee Responsibilities - Assignment Example ghts convention acts as the foundation of asylum and states that according of the basic rights to persons considered refugees in a foreign territory is important as it would aim at their well being. Such rights include prohibition from all manner of discrimination, procedural safeguards on situations of expulsion, protection of their private and family life and protection against any ill-treatment. In the case of Germany, denying the woman asylum was a violation of the refugee convention as her home country was in a state of turmoil engulfed in an ethnic civil war. The Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki Moon had described the situation as a serious crisis that had led to the displacement of thousands of people. The lower administrative court’s decision to deny the woman asylum implied that she had to leave Germany and make a return to her home country, Libya. Germany, in that light, had out rightly violated the refugee human rights convention which granted the woman asylum. The doctrine of the Universal human rights declaration protects the right of refugees by allowing for individuals to seek asylum in areas they consider safe as opposed to staying in their home countries (Forsythe & David, 2009. 89). Furthermore, most of the asylum seekers in Germany arrive through the use of dangerous paths which involve sailing through the Mediterranean sea by use of packed boats, a situation that leads to many of them getting lost and even drowning. The adopted criterion is, however, not legitimate because before arriving in Germany, they go through various countries considered safe states. It is equally important to note that the appellant was right in challenging the Federal Administrative court’s decision as denying her asylum amounted to a violation of her right as well as the obligation of non-refoulement. Meanwhile, Germany on her part acted to counter the escalating influx of refugees in its territory and was vocal in stating that the clause of non- refoulement

Good Fellas Essay Example for Free

Good Fellas Essay During the years of adolescence, children tend to conjure up ideas of what life will be like as an adult. Some dream of becoming a firefighter, some a teacher, but young Henry Hill is not like most children. He dreams of becoming a mob member and spends his time fantasizing about the cars and women that will come with the title. In the film Good Fellas, Martin Scorsese uses repetitive violence and poor decisions to show Henry Hill that material possessions and status are not of importance when you are reprimanded by the law, and further, how people in society tend to become blind by fortune and do not think about the consequences they could face by their actions. Scorsese creates a strong sense of what life is like for an Italian American, who is involved in the Mafia. Between the mass amount of mob movies and the reality shows available on cable, the stereotypes of Italians are not too keen. Before meeting an Italian American, a person who is over interested in food, tan, loud, hot tempered and obnoxious comes to mind. In some cases even a visual of a mob member. In this movie, Scorsese focuses on the way the mob members dress and eat, which helps create a strong image for the viewer of what is important to these characters. Once Henry started to become involved in the mob’s activities, he started to dress like them, â€Å"You look like a gangster,† his mother was appalled by his appearance. This is the first time the stereotype of how a member of a mob dressed is acknowledged. Henry shows up on the door step of his parent’s house at a young age, wearing a pressed suit and sparkling black dress shoes. He had used his earnings from the restaurant to make what he thought was an everlasting impression and to show his growing status. Shortly after Henry marries Karen, she is invited to a mob wife’s hostess party. She shows up in a designer dress and notices that â€Å"these women appear to be wearing thrown together pants suits and wearing worn makeup,† to her disgust. Later as the movie progresses Karen herself begins to adapt to this look as well. This is scene when appearances become less important and survival according to the demands of the mob is more of a focus. The aspect that never changes is how important a good meal is no matter what is going on around them and focus on the present tense. Even when Henry and Tommy have a man in the trunk, they think nothing of parking the car in a residential driveway to have a hearty meal with Tommy’s mom. Whenever life takes a turn for the worse, all is lost and the men are in prison, they still manage to prepare a five coarse meal. It is the only thing that gives them a sense of home. The members of the mob lived on the code of respect; if this was forgotten then they were forfeiting the safety that comes with being part of the crew. They were to respect the Boss and listen to whatever advice that was given. If a member were to go against him, there were consequences, â€Å"murder was the only way to keep everyone in line, if you got out of line, you got wacked,† there was no room for mistakes. It was seldom that a second chance would be granted. Once a member of the mob worked their way to the top and proved that they were loyal, they were treated extremely well. Not only did people within the mob know their status but onlookers knew as well. Henry enjoyes the amount of respect he received, he was not at the top but still had the power. He â€Å"didn’t have to wait for [his] fresh bread at the bakery, neighbors didn’t park in their driveway anymore, and the kids in the neighborhood would carry [his] mother’s groceries home for her. † This was just the beginning because as Henry grew older, he received this kind of treatment everywhere he went. Life was good. The luxuries Henry had did not come from volunteering within the community or going to college to earn a degree. These men were well known but not for their good doings. Henry explains it as being as an easy job, â€Å"if we wanted something we just took it, if someone complained they got hit so bad they didn’t again,† violence and crime was the only way to go for them. The people within the community feared them and if the police came after them, they would just pay them off or murder them and dispose of the body so it could not be pinned back on any of them. In order to become completely untouchable from the outsiders as well as the members within the mob, although, they needed Pauly. These members would go to Pauly for help, when they could not go to the police. The only problems with this is Pauly is not cheap and they needed to play by his rules. If his help was needed, he was to be paid weekly and no excuse was good enough for not having his cut when it was due. Scorsese uses violence and crime to show there was more to life than the money and fun that came along with it. It takes a bit of dirty work to get high end items if the hard work isn’t done to allow for the high end job. The members of the mob and their wives see life a bit differently than the typical working American. Henry’s wife Karen addresses this by saying â€Å"Our husbands are not Brain Surgeons; they were blue collar guys who go out and cut a few corners. † She did not see anything wrong in what Henry does as long as he comes home and treats her with all the luxuries she has become accustomed to, nothing else mattered. Henry and his accomplices did not think anything was wrong with how they lived. They enjoyed themselves and were aware of the consequences, but did not fret about them, â€Å"no one goes to jail unless they want to,† Pauly offered protection and as long as the rules were followed there was nothing to worry about. In order to get by, Henry would do everything from boot leg cigarettes, steal cargo, deal drugs and would kill anyone who gets in the way. The two that must be followed were, do not kill a Made man, which is a boss, unless you have permission and make sure you pay Pauly. Henry was living a fabulous life until he started making some bad decisions, got careless and broke the rules. Now the consequences that have been threatened have caught up with him and are starting to give him a rude awakening of what life really can be like for the average person, who does not belong to a powerful family, such as his. Henry was living life day by day and getting by doing whatever he pleases. He had the respect, the power and the wealth that he dreamt of as a young boy. But in the end it didn’t add up, he was left with nothing. All due to a few bad decisions, the materialistic rubbish and money caused Henry to be blinded from what truly should be important in life, he had cut off relationships with all of his real family and now had no one to turn to. Pauly had warned him not to get involved in the scandal that his two close accomplices Tommy and Johnny were getting involved in, but after Henry gets put into prison, he runs out of resources and needs money fast. â€Å"When you go away you are on your own,† because Pauly did not help Karen, while Henry was in jail he decides that instead of asking Pauly for help when he gets out he would take care of this misfortune of his own. He doesn’t feel as if he owes Pauly anything because Pauly did not offer help when he needed him the most. Henry locates Tommy and Johnny and creates a multimillion dollar plan. The problem that surfaces is that it will be hard to keep everyone involved quiet and some of the help decided to spend their cut of the money right away which started to draw some unwanted attention. Tommy and Johnny cannot have this become an issue, so â€Å"months after the robbery, they were finding bodies left and right, â€Å"it was obvious that there was something going on and it was starting to catch up with Henry. Pauly eventually caught up with them and had his men kill Tommy. Henry began to notice he was being followed and he thought he had everything under control but he was wrong. The Federal Government caught up with him â€Å"and now it’s all over, I am and average nobody. † In order for Henry to stay out of prison he had to become a victim of the Witness Protection Program and confessed everything, from the beginning, involving everyone and every detail. He no longer had the power or money he once had. None of it mattered anymore and he now regrets the poor decisions he had made that lead him in this direction. If he would have just listened to Pauly, he may still be living the life he once had. The director uses this end result of regret as the main theme of the movie. It holds as a message, a man may be blessed with good fortune but one bad decision can turn it all around. This film was based on a true story. The main character relives the life of the real Henry Hill to show the general public that it is okay to live life day by day and enjoy what comes with it but make sure that the consequences are acknowledged and be prepared for the outcome of the actions taken. All can be lost by a few bad decisions and there is no going back.

Chaucers The Canterbury Tales Essay -- Chaucer Canterbury Tales Essay

Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer comments on moral corruption within the Roman Catholic Church. He criticizes many high-ranking members of the Church and describes a lack of morality in medieval society; yet in the â€Å"Retraction,† Chaucer recants much of his work and pledges to be true to Christianity. Seemingly opposite views exist within the â€Å"Retraction† and The Canterbury Tales. However, this contradiction does not weaken Chaucer’s social commentary. Rather, the â€Å"Retraction† emphasizes Chaucer’s criticism of the Church and society in The Canterbury Tales by reinforcing the risk inherent in doing so. In The Canterbury Tales Chaucer portrays the Roman Catholic Church as an institution in which corruption runs rampant. Chaucer attacks almost all of the pilgrims who are officials of the Church. For example, in â€Å"The General Prologue,† the Prioress is â€Å"so charitable and so pitous† that she feeds her lapdogs â€Å"With rosted flessh, or milk and wastelbreed† (143, 147). However, considering the impoverished condition of many people during the Middle Ages, would it not be more charitable for the Prioress to give meat, milk and bread to the poor, instead of to her dogs? Furthermore, the Friar breaks the Franciscan vows of poverty, chastity and service. Instead of helping lepers and beggars, the Friar â€Å"knew [knows] the tavernes wel in every town, / And every hostiler and tappestere† (GP 241-2). The Friar is also wealthy from the profits of bribed confessions; he dresses not like a poor Franciscan should, but â€Å"lik a maister or a pope† (GP 263). The Pardoner also admits and even boasts about his own hypocritical morals. He explains that the relics he sells are fake, along with the absolutions he gi... ... the presence of corruption within the Church; the personal interests of the Wife of Bath, the Franklin, and even the Sergeant at Law reflect the effects of the Church in society. The stark contrast between the devout tone of the â€Å"Retraction† and the critical tone of The Canterbury Tales highlight Chaucer’s commentary on the corruption of the Church. The â€Å"Retraction† reminds the reader of the severe consequences of opposing the Church during the Middle Ages. Chaucer’s profession of faith, which appears so out of context in comparison to many aspects of The Canterbury Tales, actually reinforces the theme of corruption within the Roman Catholic Church and within society. Separately, the â€Å"Retraction† and The Canterbury Tales give contrasting views of medieval life; together, they create a unified account of individual immorality caused by corruption of the Church. Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales Essay -- Chaucer Canterbury Tales Essay Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales In The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer comments on moral corruption within the Roman Catholic Church. He criticizes many high-ranking members of the Church and describes a lack of morality in medieval society; yet in the â€Å"Retraction,† Chaucer recants much of his work and pledges to be true to Christianity. Seemingly opposite views exist within the â€Å"Retraction† and The Canterbury Tales. However, this contradiction does not weaken Chaucer’s social commentary. Rather, the â€Å"Retraction† emphasizes Chaucer’s criticism of the Church and society in The Canterbury Tales by reinforcing the risk inherent in doing so. In The Canterbury Tales Chaucer portrays the Roman Catholic Church as an institution in which corruption runs rampant. Chaucer attacks almost all of the pilgrims who are officials of the Church. For example, in â€Å"The General Prologue,† the Prioress is â€Å"so charitable and so pitous† that she feeds her lapdogs â€Å"With rosted flessh, or milk and wastelbreed† (143, 147). However, considering the impoverished condition of many people during the Middle Ages, would it not be more charitable for the Prioress to give meat, milk and bread to the poor, instead of to her dogs? Furthermore, the Friar breaks the Franciscan vows of poverty, chastity and service. Instead of helping lepers and beggars, the Friar â€Å"knew [knows] the tavernes wel in every town, / And every hostiler and tappestere† (GP 241-2). The Friar is also wealthy from the profits of bribed confessions; he dresses not like a poor Franciscan should, but â€Å"lik a maister or a pope† (GP 263). The Pardoner also admits and even boasts about his own hypocritical morals. He explains that the relics he sells are fake, along with the absolutions he gi... ... the presence of corruption within the Church; the personal interests of the Wife of Bath, the Franklin, and even the Sergeant at Law reflect the effects of the Church in society. The stark contrast between the devout tone of the â€Å"Retraction† and the critical tone of The Canterbury Tales highlight Chaucer’s commentary on the corruption of the Church. The â€Å"Retraction† reminds the reader of the severe consequences of opposing the Church during the Middle Ages. Chaucer’s profession of faith, which appears so out of context in comparison to many aspects of The Canterbury Tales, actually reinforces the theme of corruption within the Roman Catholic Church and within society. Separately, the â€Å"Retraction† and The Canterbury Tales give contrasting views of medieval life; together, they create a unified account of individual immorality caused by corruption of the Church.

Fences Research

The Impact of Physical and Psychological Boundaries in August Wilson’s Fences The early 1950’s was a time of enormous importance because of the Civil Rights Movement which emphasized equal rights for blacks and whites. According to the book Approaching Literature, this time period became very familiar to August Wilson, the author of the play Fences. Wilson, an African American man, was raised by his mother and his ex-convict father. For a short period of time, before moving back to his old neighborhood, Wilson lived in a primarily white neighborhood where he experienced the feeling of being on the â€Å"outside. When he was in the ninth grade he had a teacher that believed there was no way he could have written an intelligent, twenty page research paper on Napoleon Bonaparte, so she accused him of plagiarism. This incident pushed Wilson to drop out of high school and teach himself. From that point on, he began educating himself by reading through the section of black a uthors in the local library. Wilson had strong views and opinions about the rights of African Americans.So much so, that he wrote quite a few plays concerning this major part of history. (1024) In Wilson’s play, Fences, how does he use psychological and physical boundaries to show the emotional separations between his characters? Baseball becomes the most prominent image in Wilson’s play. Troy Maxson, the protagonist of the play, spent many years learning and playing this game. Sheri Metzger, the author of An Essay on Fences, believes that â€Å"Baseball defines Troy Maxson’s life and provides the measure of his success. (1) As we already know, in his prime, Troy was a great baseball player and he strongly believed that he was not given the opportunity to play in the major leagues because of the color of his skin. He constantly compared himself to the ball players that made it to the major leagues, such as Hank Aaron, saying â€Å"I can hit forty-three home ru ns right now† (1048) This not only represents the fence that restricts the achievements of blacks and their constant struggle in a white society, but also Troy’s psychological boundaries between himself and mainstream America.On a first analysis of the physical boundary that exists between father and son, Troy and Cory, we must look at their relationship. Their bond was typical of any teenage boy and his father; they generally got along. The boundary comes up in the play when Cory asks Troy to sign the papers that would allow him to go to college on a football scholarship. But when Troy refuses, claiming that â€Å"the colored guy got to be twice as good [as the white player] before he get on the team,† (1047) the boundary becomes very real.He also notes that even if they do let black players on the team, â€Å"They sit on the bench and don’t get used. † (1047) Troy is still so angry over what he sees as his own lost opportunities with baseball and the injustice of it all that he can’t take any pleasure in the fact that his own son is getting a once in a lifetime opportunity to play football in college, for free! He is still stuck in the past where he was refused a chance to play professional baseball. He is bitter because deep down he is afraid that his son will go on to be more successful than he ever was.The scene where Cory comes at his father with a baseball bat illustrates quite a different image of the traditional father-and-son backyard baseball game we see in movies or books. This shows the huge gap in their relationship and Troy’s need for control. According to Gerald Weales, the author of Review of Fences in the Commonweal, â€Å"Troy not signing the papers for Cory was a destructive act that lead to this final confrontation between the two. † (1) Troy feels the need to confine Cory within his authority, but Cory hates being stuck behind the fences his father has put up; so he escapes, leaving h is family behind.Yet, when Cory returns, we find that in his attempt to free himself he has become bound within the confines of a far more strict institution; the Marine Corps. Metzger argues that â€Å"Cory finally escaped his father’s authority, just to be placed under the authority of people far more strict and controlling. † (3) Another physical boundary exists between husband and wife, Troy and Rose. At the beginning of the play, Troy is building a fence for Rose although he sees absolutely no use for it.Because she’s so focused on keeping all the people she loves safe and inside its walls, Rose is completely unaware that the fence is actually pushing her loved ones away. Since spending time in prison, Troy views fences as restrictions or limitations, so he is in no hurry to build Rose’s fence. But as the play goes on we see that after eighteen years of marriage, Troy feels confined by the responsibility and loyalty that come with it and needs to bre ak out of those constraints. He wants so badly to be free from the ties of marriage that he has an affair with another woman, Alberta.Although, in his mind he broke free of those marital boundaries, realistically, he just put up yet another fence. Rose later finds out about this affair and then Troy tells her that Alberta died while giving birth to their daughter, Raynell. Troy, being the thoughtless man he is, begs Rose to take care of his illegitimate daughter. And Rose, being the kind woman she is, agrees to raise the child because she knows that Raynell is an innocent child who was simply born into a bad situation. Rose tells Troy, â€Å"Raynell will have a mother, but he will be a womanless man for the rest of his life. (1071) Later, after Alberta’s death, Troy finally completes the fence. But rather than finishing it for Rose, as originally intended, he does it for his own reasons of keeping out danger and death. Meanwhile, Rose is still trapped with the responsibiliti es and pressures that life brings. But towards the end of the play we see that she escapes Troy’s fence, only to exchange it for one established by the church. According to Metzger, â€Å"Religion provides its own fences and restraints, and for Rose, who decided to stay with Troy, the church offers a haven within its institutionalized walls. (1040) Rose willingly puts herself behind a fence that is a little more bearable, saying, â€Å"Jesus builds a fence around me every day. † (1040) There are also some psychological fences in this play that Troy has absolutely no control over. The mental hospital where Troy confines Gabriel offers one example of that kind of fence. Gabe, who suffered permanent brain damage as a result of injuries he received while serving in World War II, now thinks of himself as an angel. Although Troy views this fence as something that’s irritating and in his way, Gabe, unaware of all of this, continues on in his childlike innocence.Troy h as a guilty conscience because he institutionalized Gabe and then used his disability money to pay for the house that he now lives in. This incident further breaks down the relationship between Troy and Cory because when he finds out what his father has done, Cory treats him with open disrespect and tells him that he no longer counts. Once again, we see that Gabe simply isn’t aware of these things, therefore he’s unaffected by these events that dramatically change the others’ lives. Gabe’s persistence shows hope for the future. According to Joseph H.Wressling, the author of Wilson’s Fences, â€Å"Gabe, just like Rose, illustrates unconditional love. † (3) Now that Cory and Troy’s relationship has no chance of any reconciliation, Cory leaves and Troy loses any hope of ever seeing his son again before he dies. Cory doesn’t return again until the day of his father’s funeral when he finally meets his sister, Raynell. Cory, s till remembering the broken relationship with his father, did not want to attend the funeral. But Rose convinced him to go and pay his respects to his father because he never meant any harm. Troy had always said that he had given his children everything he could.Cory didn’t always agree with his father, but he overcame that and broke down a barrier and finally forgave his father. Before the funeral Troy’s simpleminded brother Gabe, with his trumpet, came to blow open the gates of Heaven for Troy’s arrival. His attempts at blowing his trumpet failed because there was no mouthpiece on it. But Gabe, in his childlike innocence improvises. He begins to dance about and sing to the Heavens for his brother. Finished with his dance and satisfied that the gates of Heaven are open and ready for Troy, Gabe says, â€Å"That’s the way that go! † (1083).Wilson uses many of his characters and their relationships to show their physical and psychological separations between each other and the world. By the end of Fences, all of Wilson’s characters are bound by a fence of some sort. Although Raynell stands behind the fence that her father finally finished, she is expected to go far beyond that boundary and strive for a better future than her father and everyone else. She shows that there is hope for the future. Works Cited 1. Metzger, Sheri. â€Å"An essay on Fences. † Drama for Students. Detroit: Gale. From Literature Resource Center. Web. 9 Nov. 2010. 2. Schakel, Peter J. and Jack Ridl. â€Å"August Wilson's Fences – A Form in Depth. †Ã‚  Approaching Literature: Writing Reading Thinking. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2008. 1024-083. Print. 3. Weales, Gerald. â€Å"Review of Fences in the Commonweal, Volume CXIV, no. 10, May 22, 1987, pp. 320-21. † Drama for Students. Ed. David M. Galens. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale, 1998. From Literature Resource Center. Web. 9 Nov. 2010. 4. Wessling, Joseph H. â€Å"Wilsonâ€⠄¢s Fences. † Explicator 57. 2 (Winter 1999): 123-127. Rpt. In Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 222. Detroit: Gale, 2006. From Literature Resource Center. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.

EOQ, Economic Order Quantity

An Economic Order Quantity is the optimal number of order that minimizes total variable costs required to order and hold inventory, that is to say, that EOQ helps us to determine the appropriate amount and frequency when ordering and holding inventory. EOQ is used as part of a continuous review inventory system, in which the level of inventory is monitored at all times, and a fixed quantity is ordered each time the inventory level reaches a specific reorder point, as it shown in the left-hand graphic, where R is the minimum inventory. Moreover, EOQ is essentially an accounting formula that determines the point at which the combination of order costs and inventory carrying costs are the least. The result is the most cost effective quantity to order. Also, EOQ is generally recommended in operations where demand is relatively steady, items with demand variability such as seasonality can still use the model by going to shorter time periods for the EOQ calculation. This Model have som assumptions that are important to take into account: 1. Demand is known and is deterministic, ie. constant. 2. The lead time, ie. he time between the placement of the order and the receipt of the order is known and constant. 3. The receipt of inventory is instantaneous. In other words the inventory from an order arrives in one batch at one point in time. 4. Quantity discounts are not possible, in other words it does not make any difference how much we order, the price of the product will still be the same. (for the Basic EOQ-Model) 5. Tha t the only costs pertinent to the inventory model are the cost of placing an order and the cost of holding or storing inventory over time. The basic Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) formula is: WhereA = Demand for the year Cp = Cost to place a single order Ch = Cost to hold one unit inventory for a year Then, the before formula try to Minimize the Total cost per period, that consist in: Total cost per period = inventory holding costs per period + order costs per period Where: Order Cost = The Number of Orders Placed in the period x Order Costs Carrying Cost = Average Inventory Level x the Carrying Costs of 1 unit of Stock for one period Then as a Result of this minimizing we get the Total Relevant Cost (TRC) which is TRC = Yearly Holding Cost + Yearly Ordering Cost = So we can see that the Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) is derived from this formula as the graphic shows. Economic Order Quantities can also have many variations on its basic model. The most useful ones are: * Quantity discount logic can be programmed to work in conjunction with the EOQ formula to determine optimum order quantities. Most systems will require this additional programming. * Additional logic can be programmed to determine max quantities for items subject to spoilage or to prevent obsolescence on items reaching the end of their product life cycle. When used in manufacturing to determine lot sizes where production runs are very long (weeks or months) and finished product is being released to stock and consumed/sold throughout the production run you may need to take into account the ratio of production to consumption to more accurately represent the average inventory level. * Your safety stock calculation may take into account the order cycle time that is driven by the EOQ. If so, you may need to tie the cost of the change in safety stock levels into the formula.

Free Essays on Roots

In many cultures, there is a phase in a young man’s life, which can be interpreted as a rite of passage. In this sense, it is a bridge from childhood to manhood that must be done in order to become a â€Å"man.† This can be related to our membership intake process, in the sense of the process also being a rite of passage- transforming from an individual with no knowledge of the history or importance of a Sorority , into an individual who can express, and acknowledge the true essence of sisterhood. This section of the novel depicts the story of a young man kunta kinte who has reached the point in his life when he must go mandatory â€Å"manhood training.† In his village, all the young men were gathered up and sent toâ€Å"manhood training† boot camp like scenario when they reached a certain age. They were not aware of when their time was near, but they just knew it was bound to happen. This can be related to our process as being â€Å"interests†. We had an idea that we were going to start our process, however, we did not know when, where, how, or even why. We just had to bear with it, and deal with the anxiety and anticipation, just like kunta kinte and his fellow friends. One night, kunta kinte was told to sit on this tiny stool, and before he knew it, â€Å"a hood had been thrust in the same way over his fathers head.† This blindfolding represented to him that he was about to start his â€Å"manhood training.† Unsure of what to expect, kunta kinte still stayed strong, despite the fact that he was drowning in fear. This can be related to our process, in which we became archonians, blinded, unsure of what was to come, and fearing the unknown. Nevertheless, just like kunta kinte, who felt that since he was with others who were going through the same process as he was, felt that a weight was lifted off his shoulders because he was not alone. This similar feeling is shared between us. The young men were also lined up, according to the... Free Essays on Roots Free Essays on Roots In many cultures, there is a phase in a young man’s life, which can be interpreted as a rite of passage. In this sense, it is a bridge from childhood to manhood that must be done in order to become a â€Å"man.† This can be related to our membership intake process, in the sense of the process also being a rite of passage- transforming from an individual with no knowledge of the history or importance of a Sorority , into an individual who can express, and acknowledge the true essence of sisterhood. This section of the novel depicts the story of a young man kunta kinte who has reached the point in his life when he must go mandatory â€Å"manhood training.† In his village, all the young men were gathered up and sent toâ€Å"manhood training† boot camp like scenario when they reached a certain age. They were not aware of when their time was near, but they just knew it was bound to happen. This can be related to our process as being â€Å"interests†. We had an idea that we were going to start our process, however, we did not know when, where, how, or even why. We just had to bear with it, and deal with the anxiety and anticipation, just like kunta kinte and his fellow friends. One night, kunta kinte was told to sit on this tiny stool, and before he knew it, â€Å"a hood had been thrust in the same way over his fathers head.† This blindfolding represented to him that he was about to start his â€Å"manhood training.† Unsure of what to expect, kunta kinte still stayed strong, despite the fact that he was drowning in fear. This can be related to our process, in which we became archonians, blinded, unsure of what was to come, and fearing the unknown. Nevertheless, just like kunta kinte, who felt that since he was with others who were going through the same process as he was, felt that a weight was lifted off his shoulders because he was not alone. This similar feeling is shared between us. The young men were also lined up, according to the...

University of Denver Admissions and Acceptance Rate

University of Denver Admissions and Acceptance Rate The University of Denver (DU) accepts the majority of applicants each year. Students with good grades and test scores have a good chance of being admitted to the school. Those interested in applying can use the Common Application, saving time and energy when applying to multiple schools. Calculate your chances of getting in with this free tool from Cappex. Admissions Data (2016) University of Denver Acceptance Rate: 53 percentGPA, SAT and ACT graph for DUTest Scores: 25th / 75th PercentileSAT Critical Reading: 550 / 660SAT Math: 560 / 650SAT Writing: - / -What these SAT numbers meanColorado colleges SAT comparisonSun Belt SAT comparison chartACT Composite: 26  / 31ACT English: 25  / 32ACT Math: 25  / 29ACT Writing: - / -What these ACT numbers meanColorado colleges ACT comparisonSun Belt ACT comparison chart University of Denver Description The University of Denver main campus is located about seven miles from downtown Denver, and students have easy access to both outdoor activities and an urban center. For its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, DU was awarded a chapter of  Phi Beta Kappa. The majority of undergraduate students, however, are in pre-professional programs, and about half of graduating students major in some area of business. At the graduate level, the University offers programs in law, social work, engineering, education, and many other subjects; students can earn degrees at the Master and Doctorate level. In athletics, the University of Denver Pioneers compete primarily in the NCAA Division I  Summit League. Winter sports such as skiing and hockey are particularly strong. Enrollment (2016) Total Enrollment: 11,614  (5,754 undergraduates)Gender Breakdown: 46 percent male / 54 percent female95% Full-time Costs (2016 - 17) Tuition and Fees: $46,422Books: $1,200 (why so much?)Room and Board: $12,021Other Expenses: $2,634Total Cost: $62,277 University of Denver Financial Aid (2015 -16) Percentage of New Students Receiving Aid: 86  percentPercentage of New Students Receiving Types of AidGrants: 85 percentLoans: 41 percentAverage Amount of AidGrants: $26,800Loans: $7,421 Academic Programs Most Popular Majors:  Business, Communication Studies, Finance, International Business, International Relations, Management, Marketing, Psychology What major is right for you?  Sign up to take the free My Careers and Majors Quiz at Cappex. Graduation, Retention and Transfer Rates First Year Student Retention (full-time students): 87  percent4-Year Graduation Rate: 66  percent6-Year Graduation Rate: 79  percent Intercollegiate Athletic Programs Mens Sports:  Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Skiing, Basketball, Golf, Swimming, TennisWomens Sports:  Lacrosse, Skiing, Soccer, Basketball, Gymnastics, Volleyball, Tennis If You Like University of Denver, You May Also Like These Schools: Boston University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphNew York University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Oregon: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Southern California: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphUniversity of Washington - Seattle: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphHarvard University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphPepperdine University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT GraphNorthwestern University: Profile | GPA-SAT-ACT Graph Profiles of Other Colorado Colleges Adams State  | Air Force Academy  | Colorado Christian  | Colorado College  | Colorado Mesa  | Colorado School of Mines  | Colorado State  | CSU Pueblo  | Fort Lewis  | Johnson Wales  | Metro State  | Naropa  | Regis  | University of Colorado  | UC Colorado Springs   | UC Denver  | University of Northern Colorado  | Western State Data Source: National Center for Educational Statistics

B300 TMA06 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

B300 TMA06 - Essay Example Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which compose the bulk of the population of the Persian Gulf states, have a rapidly growing export base, as evidenced by a 12 percent increase in exports between 1990 and 1994. The region's international airports--Tehran International, Dubai, Jeddah, and Riyadh International--experienced more than a 50 percent increase in international air passengers between 1988 and 1994. The number of weekly international flights at Tehran International, Dubai International Airport, and Riyadh International increased by 6.3 percent from 1983 to 1993 (Withiam, 1994). In addition, the number of international markets served by Tehran, Dubai, and Riyadh has increased from twenty-two to 102 destinations in more than fifty-seven countries around the world (Journal of Commerce, 1994). Between 1983 and 1993, the region accounted for a 2.1 percent global market share in air passengers, and for 2.3 percent of the world's revenue passenger-kilometers in 1991, In 1992 the port of Sharja in the UAE handled 37,400 ton-equivalent units (TEU), a 146 percent increase over 1991, and about fifty-five thousand TEU in 1993. There is an increased inflow of international investment in this region. The region's major international strengths include oil and natural gas, major international airports, ports along the Persian Gulf, high disposable income per household, an educated labor force, a growing high technology industrial base, and world-class financial centers. In addition, the region is home to many international and regional organizations. In the aftermath of the Arab-Israeli peace accord, people feel more confident about the stability of the region.The region has many weaknesses. These weaknesses include a lack of positive image, a serious need for surface transportation improvements, a lack of efficient and speedy bureaucracies, a perceived high cost of doing business, inadequacies in the workforce, and the absence of a single entity to promote the region internationally. The Persian Gulf region has neither the competitive international reputation nor the economic-development focus of other compe ting regions. As such, it is not a priority location choice for American and Western European investors. The region possesses the basic assets and intellectual talents to compete with any region on the globe. However, it must operate, harmonize, and engage its combined resources to move forward in a deliberate effort to improve its international competitiveness ( Porter, 1986). The Middle East must have a regional business policy which will be crafted by a regional international business council. This business council will be made up of public and private sector representatives. The business council needs to make a long-term commitment to increase the Middle East region's international competitiveness and to develop an integrated strategy for marketing it more effectively. In order to reduce uncertainty and provide greater economic stability, the Gulf countries must unite and develop a business policy that will diversify their economies. For this business policy to work, they need to focus on foreign investment and technology, subsequently enhancing the countries' ability to attract, absorb, and become globally competitive. There are three pending urgent actions that the Gulf countries need to undertake. One, develop a spirit of public and private partnership. Two, improve the region's internat

Business and Informtion Systems Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Business and Informtion Systems - Case Study Example Thus new sources of competitive dvntge--coordinting nd integrtion skills--become strtegic wepon tht is not rooted in trditionl fctors. The requirements of globl sourcing, rel-time informtion shring, mss customiztion nd virtul clustering of ctivities redefine ntionl competitiveness--nd the links between firms nd their home territories--in wys significntly different from those envisioned erlier. Current pper presents n overview of orgniztionl business strtegy in terms of ITC inititive to support business nd build competitive dvntge. Prticulrly, the cse of Tesco grocery is provided to cover the issues of corporte informtion nd communiction strtegy. s well s operting in the UK, it hs stores in the rest of Europe nd si. It lso provides online services through its subsidiry, Tesco.com. The UK is the compny's lrgest mrket operting under four bnners: Extr, Superstore, Metro nd Express. Tesco sells pproximtely 40,000 food products in its superstores, s well s clothing nd other non-food lines. The compny's own-lbel products re t three levels, vlue, norml nd finest. Own brnd ccounts for pproximtely 50% of sles. s well s convenience produce, mny stores hve gs sttions. The compny hs become one of Britin's lrgest petrol independent retilers. Other retiling services offered in the UK include Tesco Personl Finnce nd Tesco.com. Tesco Personl Finnce is joint venture with the Royl Bnk of Scotlnd. It hs over 3.4 million customers, nd provides vrious finncil products nd services. The compny hs opertions in the rest of Europe, including the Republic of Irelnd, Hungry, Polnd, Czech Republic nd Slovki. (Finch 2005) Tesco's Republic of Irelnd business opertes in the region of 82 stores, nd round 60 stores in the Hungrin mrket. Tesco's Polish opertions include former HIT operted stores. It opertes round 66 hypermrkets nd supermrkets in this country. In the Czech Republic nd Slovkin mrkets, Tesco opertes 22 nd 23 hypermrkets respectively. (Flvin, 2005) Tesco lso opertes stores in si, including Thilnd, South Kore, Mlysi nd Tiwn. The compny opertes 64 stores in Thilnd nd 28 stores in the South Koren Mrket, while in the Tiwnese nd Mlysin mrkets it hs three stores in ech ntion. Business Strtegies of Tesco Tesco core competencies When speking of compny's core competencies it is mter of discussing compny's competitive dvntge tht differentite it from the list of competitors. The most importnt trget for Tesco is to set the competent position between businesses on the mrket nd sustin its mrket power through long period of opertions nd ctivities. There theory sttement s for the mtter of sustinble development nd core cmpetences of the business where Tesco opertes is the on tht dvises the compny to dpt in ccordnce to chnges in compny's enverinment; it should be flexible nd evolve over time. Therefore, Tesco needs to dpt to new rpidly chnging circumstnces nd opportunities, so its core competencies will hve to dpt nd chnge. The exmple of this ws when the compny hs lunched its loylty crd nd went into bnking. Core competences cn be shped within the frmework of following three fctors: Provision of potentil ccess to wide vriety of

Ecological Ethics, Anissa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Ecological Ethics, Anissa - Essay Example The essay points out that Taylor would have said species and matter are vital due to the fact that we need to have respect for nature. I also agree with the idea that man is part of nature and ethics as extending to the whole biotic community. This is regarded as the only view that actually incorporates the biotic community and the land and atmosphere are indispensable to the continuation processes of natural selection and evolution. It has been found that a collective approach intuitively unveils the underworking conditions and webs that actually keep us interdependent and connected. Besides it is very beneficial to be able to economically quantify the values of environmental surrounding. However, the opinion provided by Meadows is a little bit redundant. He claims that in the anthropocentric value system, humans are the fundamental focus of value. On the other hand, Russow brings back the discussion of one individual versus whole. Russow’s standpoint is that we value and protect animals just because of their aesthetic value. I also agree with the author that species matter more than just for the aesthetic value of their individual members. I may add that aesthetics is regarded as a philosophical category, and therefore, every human being across the globe has his own opinion what to consider as aesthetic. Besides, every culture has different perceptions on aesthetic values. What Western civilization regards as beautiful African or Asian cultures would consider as ugly (Carter, 2010). In my opinion, the intrinsic values of species are actually dependent on biodiversity. There are numerous reasons that justify the existence of species. For instance, reductions in biodiversity result to the ecosystem functioning negatively. We should not treat animals differently just because they are not humans. This is because the fact that whether to consider a being a member or not of a species is not morally right. This

A Review Of Groundhog Day

A Review Of Groundhog Day Groundhog Day is one of those rare films that has been entirely embraced as a cultural artifact by Western society. Roger Ebert says; there are a few films, and this is one of them, that burrow into our memories and become reference points. When you find yourself needing the phrase this is like Groundhog Day to explain how you feel, a movie has accomplished something. As a term it has been absorbed into popular speech, as observed by Ryan Gilbey; Its everywhere in travel writing, rock journalism, advice columns, horoscopes. Tony Blair refers to it in a speech about the Northern Ireland peace process, and it crops up in the Archbishop of Canterburys Richard Dimbleby Lecture in 2002. It makes its way into the headline of a restaurant review (a culinary groundhog day), a cricket report (Groundhog Day for the West Indies), and an editorial on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq (No smoking guns, no huge breakthroughs, just a hint that Groundhog Day may be over) while a kidnap victim uses the phrase to describe his captivity in the Colombian jungle. It was even unofficially adopted into the American military jingo with reference to their conflict in Somalia at around the time that the film came out on VHS, and officially adopted into the United States Film Directory as being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant in 2006. It was screened in the New York Museum of Modern Art in a season entitled The Hidden God: Film and Faith along with works by Bergman and Rossellini, and the occasion was seen as an opportunity for religious groups to vocalise their suppositions as to its pertinence to their individual faiths. The most vocal were the Buddhists, with a popular urban legend regarding the film stating that in an early draft Phil was stuck in Punxatawny for 10,000 years, a significant number in Buddhist teachings. Danny Rubin, the films screenwiter, denounces this as untrue: Harold [Ramis, the director of the film] likes that allusion, and its good for the legend of the film because of the Buddhist connection. However, that wasnt on my mind. Some interpretations were that the film was intrinsically Jewish, (the movie tells us, as Judaism does, that the work doesnt end until the world has been perfected) or Christian (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦clearly the resurrected Christ). The film has also apparently been used in teachings by the Chinese spiritual movement Falun Dafa. If Nietzsche had been at that screening, however, I think that he would have revelled in it as intrinsically Nihilistic (in the positive sense), or (if the term existed when he were alive) Nietzschean. I have always been intimidated by Nietzsche, and indeed by Philosophy in general. I have always found the subject bewildering. Id hear outlandish quotes like God is dead, or about philosophical leanings like utilitarianism, empiricism or relativism, and be frustrated by their opacity, or at least by my inability to decipher what they are. But I also found it fascinating, at least from a distance. My aim for this thesis is to examine Groundhog Day a film I personally have a great love for using the parlance of the philosopher which most intrigued me, so as to better understand the work in the context of something which I have an afinity for. Nietzsches writings and musings had a huge effect on Populist opinion in the twentieth century, and it is my contention that this can be observed clearly in Groundhog Day. Chapter One examines Nietzsches notion of Eternal Recurrence, and how it appears in the film. Eternal recurrence is the idea that we have lived the exact life we are leading now an infinite number of times in the past and will do so an infinite number of times in the future. If weve enjoyed a particularly righteous or pleasurable life, this might sound like the greatest of outcomes. If not, eternal recurrence may strike us as a curse. Our misery, far from being over when we die, is destined to be repeated on us, eternal retribution for our mistakes. This is very obviously manifested in Groundhog Day. Chapter Two then will examine Phil seeking and achieving what Nietzsche refers to as the Ubermensch, or Overman. Nietzsche coined the term Ubermensch in his book Thus Spake Zarathustra; I teach you the overman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great flood, and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome man? What is ape to man? A laughing stock or painful embarrassment. And man shall be that to overman: a laughing stock or painful embarrassment. The idea of the overman was misappropriated by National Socialism in the early part of the twentieth century. After Nietzsches death, his estate was run by his sister Elizabeth, a staunch nationalist and rampant anti-semite, two things which Nietzsche himself found unpalatable. She re-edited and reinterpreted Nietzsches work so that he became the representative philosopher for the Nazis, going so far as to print a book called The Will to Power posthumously, which was made up of notes and musings which he had no intention of publishing. This became something of a bible for National Socialism leading to Nietzsche being worshipped by the Nazis, an image which Nietzsche only overcame in the latter part of the Twentieth century. As you can imagine, the idea of the Ubermensch became a standard for the Nazis and their theories on eugenics and ethnic cleansing. But this was not Nietzsches intention. According to documentarian Simon Chu, Nietzsche proposes an ideal of self overcoming, an ideal he calls the overman, not by having recourse to a metaphysical realm outside of the human, but within the possibilities of the humanà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ how can we as humans transcend ourselves? The idea of the overman came from Nietzsches own battle for self mastery. Human beings in general, he argued, had a duty to rise above their own condition. Nietzsche himself was quite limited physically due to perpetual illness, and socially due to self-imposed isolation, and Phil Connor is similarly limited by his own nature: he creates a bitter faà §ade which, through the course of the film, is broken down through his own endeavours at self-improvement. Ubermensch actually means overcoming, looking for a new path devoid of God. Chapter Three will deal with that notion: the association between Phil Connors self-betterment and the Nihilistic idea which must be embraced by the Ubermensch. Nihilism, as Nietzsche saw it, was not just a viewpoint that nothing in life has any meaning: Nietzsche proposed that we must look within ourselves to find a strong moral compass, rather than be corralled by the external ideals purported by religion. This type of moral opinion is negative; only from looking within ourselves can we find a true moral standpoint. When left to his own devices for an eternity of recurrence, Phil makes the choices which make him a better man for himself, not for anyone or anything else, Maybe the real God uses tricks. Maybe hes not omnipotent, hes just been around so long he knows everything. Eternal Recurrence Phil: What would you do if you were stuck in one place and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered? Ralph: That about sums it up for me. Phil: I have been stabbed, shot, poisoned, frozen, hung, electrocuted, and burned. Rita: Oh, really? Phil: and every morning I wake up without a scratch on me, not a dent in the fender I am an immortal. Groundhog Day concerns itself heavily with the notion of Eternal Recurrence, or Eternal Return, to the extent of illuminating some conflicting interpretations of this key Nietzschean thought. In Nietzsches book The Gay Science, he first hits upon the idea of Eternal Return: What if some day or night a demon were to steal after you into your loneliest loneliness and say to you, `This life as you now live it and have lived it, you will have to live once more and innumerable times more; and there will be nothing new in it, but every pain and every joy and every thought and sigh and everything unutterably small or great in your life will have to return to you, all in the same succession and sequence even this spider and this moon-light between the trees, and even this moment and I myself. The eternal hourglass of existence is turned upside down again and again, and you with it, speck of dust! Would you not throw yourself down and gnash your teeth and curse the demon who spoke thus? Or have you once experienced a tremendous moment when you would have answered him, `You are a god and never have I heard anything more divine!' This statement makes the point that Eternal Return, though at first glance a hellish endeavour, is in fact a positive occurrence, if the person that he is referring to in the quotation is in fact happy to repeat their lives. The notion rears its head in earnest in Thus Spake Zarathustra. The semi-autobiographical text sees a fictional interpretation of the prophet of the Zoroaster people make his way down from his mountain retreat to spread the word of Nihilism to the people down below. He arrives during his journey to a straight road leading far off in distant directions under a gateway titled Moment. His dwarf travel companion makes this point: All that is straight lies, All truth is crooked; time itself is a circle. Zarathustra cannot reconcile with the thought of eternal recurrence quite as easily as his companion, largely because he would have to recognize that the mundanity of humanity that he so deplores will never be fully overcome, but rather will be repeated over and over again. This seems contradictory of what happens in Groundhog Day: Phil experiences February 2nd every day in the same small town, but every day he does something different, thus negating Eternal Recurrence as Nietzsche sees it. According to Deleuzes interpretation, Nietzsche was not in fact promoting the idea of the return of the identical but rather the return of the different. Each return selects the life-enhancing while rejecting the life-degrading, leading to each iteration being better than the last. As Deleuze says, We can thus see how the eternal return is linked, not to a repetition of the same, but on the contrary, to a transmutation. It is the moment or the eternity of becoming which eliminates all that resists it. It releases, indeed it creates, the purely active and pure affirmation. Groundhog Day contradicts both the outlined hypotheses. In Phil Connors world, there is no Nietzschean return of the identical he is able to act differently each time and cause different events to happen. And no repetition is more affirmative than the last Groundhog Day presents a far more human version of eternal recurrence. Phil mostly muddles his way through the situation, sometimes winding up less affirmative, sometimes more. Motivated by his love for Rita, he does finally reach a state of metamorphosis and at that point he is extricated from eternal recurrence. Luce Irigaray is perhaps the right philosopher for guiding us to unlocking the Nietzschean essence of Groundhog Day. Irigaray agrees with the conventional view that eternal recurrence concerns the return of the same. She objects to it on the grounds that it is a sterile thought that excludes any notion of the other, of outer influence. She writes of eternal recurrence as nothing but the will to recapitulate all projects within yourself. In other words, it is self-perpetuating and self-referential. We might think of it as a type of parthenogenesis it provides men with the ability to give birth to themselves over and over again, thus denying the role of the female. Irigaray wishes to promote the value of the other, which she largely conceives in female terms, in opposition to the traditional philosophical subject that she considers steadfastly male and masculine. She says For, in the other, you are changed. Become other, and without recurrence. In Groundhog Day, its Phil Connors love for his female colleague Rita that proves decisive. By immersing himself in otherness, by learning everything that makes Rita tick, he performs a type of metamorphosis, a rebirth in a sense rather than a return. He sheds his old, sexist form and emerges as a far more rounded human being, in touch with his feminine side (his inner other). As soon as he has fully achieved this, hes released from eternal recurrence. As argued by Irigaray, in any case. In Nietzsches conception of eternal recurrence, the individual has no memory of his previous lives. In Groundhog Day, Phil Connors certainly does. But hes the only one. All the others with whom he shares his eternal recurrence are perhaps in the classic Nietzschean position of having no recollection of their past existences. However, if they specifically interact (or even not specifically or personally) with Phil then their fate each time is no longer fixed, although they have no memory of the different paths Phil engineers for them. Phils circumstance is in this sense much more horrific than theirs. He is not dealing with eternal recurrence as an interesting hypothesis; he is a conscious participator and victim of it, entirely out of his control. Nietzsches eternal recurrence is, of course, logically problematic because if an individuals life is a repeat of previous lives then he would appear to have no free choice, yet Nietzsche seems to want us to alter our attitude to life in the face of the realisation of the harsh truth of eternal recurrence. If we accept his scenario in its strictest sense then our response to the concept of eternal recurrence is nothing over which we can have any control and our reaction, whatever it may be, is entirely futile, one we have exhibited an infinite number of times before and will do so an infinite number of times in the future. For Phil, this objection is removed. He can change; he has complete free choice. Its up to him to choose his attitude towards his metaphysical and existential predicament. At first, understandably, he experiences complete shock, before enjoying a brief sensation of omnipotence and omniscience. Then suicidal depression kicks in at the utter futility of everything he does. Of course, he is incapable of dying, so there is no way out. He then has few choices within the confines of Punxatawney. After much duress, Phil chooses to make the most of the world he now inhabits. He educates himself in many new fields and becomes accomplished as a scholar, artist, linguist and musician. He also develops as a person and achieves self-awareness, rather than the self destruction that he pursued previously. Through this enlightenment, he at last secures the love of the woman he has pursued from the beginning. In Jungian terms, Rita represents the Self that we all strive to find during our lifes journey. By winning her, Phil has completed Jungs arduous process of individuation, and become Nietzsches monument of self-improvement. This is so momentous that Phil actually escapes from eternal recurrence and re-enters causality, but now he is a transformed human being, completely reborn out of the hardships that he has experienced, given that chance to view the world through entirely new eyes. This then is the key to Eternal Recurrence: its not meant to be interpreted literally, but as an aphorism to guide people to whom Nihilism was becoming an increasingly attractive prospect when Nietzsche wrote about it in 19th Century Germany  [1]  . In a meta-physical sense, its like an Aesops Fable, with an easily discernible moral. Its not to be analyzed and dissected scientifically to ascertain its veracity: as said in The Simpson; Lisa: When a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? Bart: Sure it does. Neeeeer-crash. To argue (as Nietzsche himself did), that there is a scientific grounding in the theory is missing the point, I feel  [2]  . The point is that the individual must strive for self-improvement, to aim to achieve the Ubermensch, as I feel Phil did in Groundhog Day. The Ubermensch I teach you the overman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ All beings so far have created something beyond themselves; and do you want to be the ebb of this great flood, and even go back to the beasts rather than overcome man? What is ape to man? A laughing stock or painful embarrassment. And man shall be that to overman: a laughing stock or painful embarrassment. Larry: Prima Donnas. As said in Simon Chus documentary Human, All too Human, Nietzsche proposes an ideal of self overcoming, an ideal he calls the overman, not by having recourse to a metaphysical realm outside of the human, but within the possibilities of the human how can we as humans transcend ourselves? The idea of the overman came from Nietzsches own battle for self mastery.  [3]  Human beings in general, he argued, had a duty to rise above their own condition. Nietzsche (early on) was what was referred to as a Schopenhauerian, as in he became a disciple of the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer after reading The World as Will and Idea. Schoppenhauer was a huge influence on Nietzsche, and talks about the will. Schoppenhauers will is akin to Freuds id, an unconscious, striving, persistent force, it may seem that the intellect drives the will, but it is in fact the other way around. In a Darwinian sense, every individual is striving against the will of others in a self interested way. Schoppenhauer saw the will as essentially evil, and the only way out of this suffering and evil is the denial of the will, a refusal to take part in the egotistical contest for domination of others. Its interesting to take a look at Phil Connors with Schoppenhauers will in mind, seeing as he was such a huge influence on Nietzsche. Early in the film, even before the time loop comes into effect, Phil strives persistently to impose his higher status onto the people around him, mostly by belittling them. In the first three minutes, almost every line out of his mouth is vitriolic, from calling his fellow anchor hairdo, to diminishing Ritas authority through impersonating her, to fussing over the fact he wont stay in the hotel that Rita is staying in, to insulting how Larry eats, the list goes on.  [4]   After the loop sets in and the realization of we can do whatever we [want], he sets about dominating the whole town, to becoming the King of Punxatawney. The loop and the actions that Phil took eventually led to what Schoppenhauer referred to as the extinction of the self. This can all be interpreted as similar or influential on Nietzsches idea of the Ubermensch. Nihilism God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.  [5]   Phil: Im a god. Rita: Youre God? Phil: Im a god. Im not *the* God I dont think.  [6]   Nietzsche does not deny the existence of values, but the denial of value is in some sense what he means by nihilism. Michael Tanner says, What he portrays, in book after book, is the gradual but accelerating decline of Western man into a state where no values any longer impress him, or where he mouthes them but they mean nothing to him any longer. Tanner, p 32. If forced to label Nietzsche as a particular sort of philosopher, one would label him as a moral philosopher. But unlike moral philosophers that had come previously, Nietzsche does not provide the reader with a set moral code. His aim is to motivate the reader to come up with their own moral code, one that comes from within. Morality is usually studied philosophically from two different perspectives: normative ethics and meta ethics. Normative ethics is concerned with what is good and what is bad, and providing a perspective for moral decision making. Meta-ethics is concerned with what we mean when we use the word good or bad, and where our definition of those words come from, ie where our morals come from. When we think of the word good, we are probably not tapping into some universal reservoir of goodness, rather our definition more than likely comes from the society we inhabit.  [7]   Nietzsche is mostly concerned with meta-ethical issues. Nietzsche is not so much concerned with the fact that our beliefs are false, but rather the belief about those beliefs. Why should we hold the beliefs that we do? When Nietzsche first declared that God is dead in The Gay Science, he means that society no longer has a use for God, that the belief does not help the survival of the species, rather it hinders it. The ethical implications of this are important, for with the death of God comes the death of religious morality, a morality that has underpinned Western culture for hundreds of years. Morality as it is still practiced derives from the Hebraic-Christian tradition, its origins to be found in the dictates of the god of a small middle Eastern tribe, and that its contents remain very much what they were. This brings us back to Phil Connors in his Punxatawney time-warp. Observing Phil superficially, we can surmise that he was probably raised in a Christian moral system, and would have been raised with the ubiquitous Western moral code. But as soon as he trusts in the fact that there will be no repercussions for his actions in the form of punishment from an external authority figure (a staple of the Christan moral code), he was able to cast aside his morals easily, Phil: Its the same thing your whole life: Clean up your room. Stand up straight. Pick up your feet. Take it like a man. Be nice to your sister. Dont mix beer and wine, ever. Oh yeah: Dont drive on the railroad track. Gus: Well, Phil, thats one I happen to agree with. This signifies that they were not his, merely the morals society applied to him. He then embarks on a spree of ethical naturalism. Ethical naturalism is the view that our morality can be based on our nature. For example, in a utilitarian sense, Our moral beliefs did not fall from heaven and neither are they credentials we can flash like a badge to establish our moral probity p30, Tanner And morality, meaning the variety of attitudes that we find officially espoused in our society? It ministers to our welfare, in its basic form, so that at least we feel safe when our backs are turned on other people Tanner, p31 If he sometimes thinks of himself as the prophet of nihilism, it is not in the sense that he is proclaiming arrival as something to be celebrated, but in the sense that Jeremiah was the prophet of the destruction of Jerusalem. Tanner, p32. What he portrays, in book after book, is the gradual but accelerating decline of Western man into a state where no values any longer impress him, or where he mouthes them but they mean nothing to him any longer. Tanner, p 32. Christianity has always been in a state of moral identity crisis. That, though a large factor in the moral bewilderment of the West, is a marginal issue for Nietzsche, whose main interest is in the nature of moralitys sanctions in general. Tanner, p 33. Its interesting to note the moral compass of the film itself. As (despite the philosophical ramification of the premise) a light-hearted entry into the romantic comedy genre, it was unlikely to go to a particularly dark place with the premise. What this means for the character is that Phil represents the morals of the progenitors of the piece: they were unwilling, morally, to allow Phil to become involved in any particularly unsavoury acts or crimes. The repeated suicides were a strong turn in the film (unusual in its genre), but Phil never acts upon his presumed darkest impulses to commit forceful sex acts or to murder. Im glad we dont have to watch a scene where a deranged Phil takes a meat cleaver to Ned, or brutally sexually assaults Rita, but I find it worthwhile to note the morally controlling influence of creator and audience. Imagine Gaper Noes Groundhog Day. Could it be said that this was, in fact, Phils punishment?