Strain Gauges Experiment Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Strain Gauges Experiment - Lab Report Example Wheatstone bridge and amplifier method It must be noted at first that the 3rd method is a recommended on and no actual experiments have been done on it. It has nevertheless been included here because a combination of the Wheatstone bridge and an amplifier is a very efficient method for measuring voltages as the amplifier maximizes it and makes measurement easier. Also occurrence of electrical noise and fluctuations in instrument resolutions can be better revealed by it.Theory & Apparatus In this section of the report the justifications for the three measurement methods as well as circuit diagrams of the three measurement apparatus are provided. Basic current and voltage measurement method: The experimental rig shown in Figure 1 has a cantilever beam with a pair of 120 strain gauges attached one on the upper and one on the lower beam surfaces. The strain-setting device is a bolt with a metric thread. The strain produced at the surface of a deflected cantilever beam varies along its length. Close to the gripping point (where the strain gauges are mounted) it has a maximum value of: (Eq.1) where: - deflection of the end of the beam (max of 45 mm), d - beam thickness (0.8mm in the rig) and L - beam length (250 mm in the rig). Figure 1: The experimental rig. Wheatstone bridge measurement method: The purpose of this experiment is to improve the results obtained in experiment 1 by the previous measurement method by using a Wheatstone bridge (Figure 2) that comprises of four nominally identical 120 strain gauges. Figure 2: Wheatstone bridge Ideally, if the bridge resistors are identical no voltage will be registered at the meter but this is not...It is envisaged that this would be the most efficient method of all. It must be noted at first that the 3rd method is a recommended on and no actual experiments have been done on it. It has nevertheless been included here because a combination of the Wheatstone bridge and an amplifier is a very efficient method for measuring voltages as the amplifier maximizes it and makes measurement easier. Also occurrence of electrical noise and fluctuations in instrument resolutions can be better revealed by it. The experimental rig shown in Figure 1 has a cantilever beam with a pair of 120 strain gauges attached one on the upper and one on the lower beam surfaces. The strain-setting device is a bolt with a metric thread. The purpose of this experiment is to improve the results obtained in experiment 1 by the previous measurement method by using a Wheatstone bridge (Figure 2) that comprises of four nominally identical 120 strain gauges. Ideally, if the bridge resistors are identical no voltage will be registered at the meter but this is not so practically and a small voltage of about 2 mV is detectable. This is because the resistors are not exactly identical. The amplifier needs to be able to amplify differential signals of up to about 3mV and produce an output in the range of about 1V to 5V.

People as a huge asset Essay Example for Free

People as a huge asset Essay 1.1INTRODUCTION Organisations are made up of people and people are a huge asset to any organization. To be more successful in achieving their goal and objectives; organisations needs to have an understanding about their human assets, their behavior, tendencies, best practice etc..† Leadership is the ability of one person to influence a group of persons toward the achievement of common goals† (Yukl, 1994). Influencing others means that leaders must have an understanding about their behavior, which can only happen when they themselves understand their values, assumptions, beliefs and expectations. Understanding oneself means one must carry out self-assessment/evaluation as this is very important for leaders today. I will be carrying out an assessment about the benefit of self -assessment/evaluation to leaders today and the importance of understanding human behavior in oraganisations. 1.2 DEFINITION OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR Human behavior is the way people behave and which can be influence by culture, emotions, attitudes, values, ethics, genetic etc.. Depending on the society and environment, human behavior can either be common, usual, acceptable or unacceptable. Human behavior can either be learnt as we relate to our environment; for example, tying your shoes is a learned behavior or it can be innate which can be inherited through genes. 1.3THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BEHAVIOR TO AN ORGANIZATION Organisations depend on the behavior of both individual and teams to achieve their goals and objectives; as such it is very critical for organisations to have thorough understanding of human behavior. Understanding human behavior is a  key to organisational success. Human behavior defines how people work together and relate with one another. Communication being the cornerstone of behavior can only be effective when people understand one another. Interpersonal conflict can be reduced in an organisation once there’s an understanding of human behavior. Behavior can influence negatively on the achievement of an organization’s goals and objectives if not manage well; will lead to poor output and failure. Organisations need to plan their training programme, understanding the behavior of its employees will inform the planning process, thereby ensuring that training needs are effectively met. An effective understanding of the diverse behavior of personnel is important. Evidence has shown that as people get to know one another, they became less concerned about differences if they see themselves as sharing more important characteristics, such as personality and values, that represent deep-level diversity† (Stephen P Robbins Timothy A Judge, Organizational Behavior -15th Editions) A co-operative team that knows how to work with one another can produce better result than those who have problems relating to one another. 1.4 THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING HUMAN BEHAVIOR BY LEADERS Organisations need strong leadership to achieve its goals and objectives. An organisation is only as successful as its leadership. Leadership is the ability to influence a group towards the achievement of a vision or set of goals. Individuals or group can only be influence when there’s an understanding of their behavior. Business necessity, enlightenment about differences and moral fortitude have combine to push organisations into hiring a diverse set of employees, as a result managing this diversity has proven to be a challenge to leaders†¦ Leaders can effectively manage this challenge through understanding this diversity. A leader who fails to understand his followers thereby focusing at a very superficial level by commanding others to do their will; is at the bottom of the leadership level. Deeper understanding provides more options, give one more potential tools, and frankly, makes one a powerful leader (Stephen P Robbins Timothy A Judge, Organizational Behavior -15t h Editions). This is a trait of level 5 leadership. â€Å"Understanding the behavior of followers will assist leaders in putting together teams to manage projects and it will also assist in  assigning task to employees in a way that will put to efficient use each member’s strength rather than their weakness â€Å" (www.employment-testing.com) Attempting to influencing individuals without understanding why they behave the way they do, might yield random or unpredictable effect and this will lead to leaders being unsuccessful as followers will be alienated; whereas understanding the personalities of subordinates and superiors informs leaders as to others expectations and provides insights into motivation, competitiveness and interpersonal relationships and communication. 1.5 LEADERSHIP SELF-EVALUATION/SELF-ASSESSMENT As leaders the ability to influence people has to be continuously improved; and the first step in achieving that will be by knowing yourself and gaining understanding of your leadership style, skills, traits, competencies, abilities, personality type and experience. According to Kevin Sharer of AMGEN CEO and president, â€Å"Leadership has many voices. You need to be who you are, not to emulate someone else.† An apt statement as leaders has the responsibility of influencing others in the achievement of goals and objectives; an achievement that will be almost impossible to attain when followers lacks faith in their leader. People normally have faith in authentic leaders as they are leaders who not only know what they believe in and value but also act on that values and beliefs candidly and openly. Most leaders are unaware of the effect their emotional intelligence has on their superiors and subordinates, many a time we blame negative outcome to those around us, all the time bei ng totally blind to the fact that our personality might have had effect on others action. â€Å"Those who use the emotional intelligence framework to guide their thoughts and actions may find it easier to create trust in relationship, harness energy under pressure, and sharpen their ability to make sound decisions-in other words, they increase their potential for success in the workplace†(Jones and Bartlett learning PTT) only by carrying out self-assessment/evaluation will you be able to understand your emotional intelligence and other traits. As leaders one should know what their strength and weaknesses as this will enable them build on their strength and march it to their leadership opportunities, it will also assist in the development of their weaknesses and allows for the  elimination of threats to leadership. 1.6 THE BENEFITS OF SELF- ASSESSMENT/SELF-EVALUATION TO LEADERS TODAY. Most of the benefits of self-assessment have already been discuss above, however some benefits are; A.Develop Emotional Intelligence When taking time to self-reflect you are looking inwards. Self-awareness gives you the ability the ability to understand your emotions, strengths, weaknesses, drives, values and goals, and recognize their impact on others you are leading. Being self-aware will aid you in controlling or redirecting your disruptive emotions and impulses and adapt to changing circumstances. Building these emotional intelligence components will improve your leadership. B. ASSISTS IN BECOMING EFFECTIVE LEADER Authentic leaders are clear on their core values, and this will help to strengthen leadership integrity and lead you to better decisions. Understanding your core values will build followers trust in you as a leader and this will make decision making easier as our integrity is often put to the test during stressful and difficult times. C. BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE Confidence is crucial for leaders. It helps in effective communications, decision making, and influence building. People will see you as you see yourself, being aware of your strength as leader will build self-confidence and this will increase team effectiveness.

Essay example --

Palmore v. Sidoti(1984),the court ruled that it was unconstitutional to transfer custody of white children to their father solely on the fact that the mother lived with a colored (black) man. The court did acknowledge the fact it may not be in the â€Å"best interest† for the child to actually live in a transracial family but held the equal protection doctrine preventing consideration that the race of a potential parent could hinder in the making of custody decisions. Around the 60’s and 70’s, other courts prohibited legal state bans on transracial, seeing them as inconsistent with equal protection doctrine. South Africa today has a related development lifting transracial adoption bans in order to move toward abolishment of racism. â€Å"The quickest cure for racism would be to have everyone in the country adopt a child of another race. No matter what your beliefs, when you hold a four-day-old infant, love him, and care for him, you don’t see skin color, you see a little person that is very much in need of your love.†(Robert Dale Morrison). In 1972 something strange happened within the U.S; a...

John Miltons Life and Writing Essay -- John Milton biographies Essays

John Milton's Life and Writing John Milton did not just write poetry. He put his life, his thoughts, into words. Milton began his life in Cheapside, England, because his father’s wealthy family was Roman Catholic and John Milton Sr., Milton’s father, decided to become Protestant, therefore he was disinherited (Muir). However, the Milton family did not remain poor, John Milton Sr. was able to establish a wealthy family once more. He became a scrivener, which is a law writer, and was also a music composer on the side (Liukkonen). After money was no longer a threat, Milton attended Christ’s College in Cambridge (Browning). Milton’s works seem to be split into four distinct phases; these phases are a direct result of events taking place in his life. The first phase that Milton’s life went through was virtually nothing. Literally meaning that Milton did nothing, â€Å"he adopted no profession but spent six years at leisure in his father's home†(Muir). Milton’s first works were done in ancient languages, such as Latin, Greek and Italian, but these were done before he graduated when he was not considering a profession in writing. The first phase of his writings were done during the time he had no job. The works best reflecting this period of his life are L’Allegro, Il Penseroso and Lycidas, which were written up to year 1637. These poems were not specifically focused on what was occurring in the world at that time, because at that time Milton was not very involved with the world. These poems had themes focused on thoughts that ran through Milton’s mind. Among Milton’s most famous first works are L’Allegro and Il Penseroso, which are companions to one another. He uses these poems to focus on two different lifestyles. L’Allegro is the... ... a completely majestic lifestyle, but he used his poetry to express himself, and expression can always help to lighten any morbid emotions. Not only was Milton able to express himself, writing granted him a goal, and having a goal to strive for makes life worth living no matter how bad it seems to get. As soon as Milton realized what he wanted to do with his life, write, his goal was to create such an exemplary piece of work that it would never be forgotten, and he succeeded. Works Cited Browning, Mark. â€Å"John Milton (1608-1674).† 1 Dec. 2003 . â€Å"The Dream of the Rood.† The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Seventh Edition. Volume 1. Ed. by M.H. Abrams, et al. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2000. 100-102. Liukkonen, Petri. â€Å"John Milton (1608-1674).† Books and Writers.1 Dec. 2003 . Muir, Kenneth. â€Å"John ‘The Lady’ Milton.† Incompetech. 1 Dec. 2003 .

Comparison of the Chinese and American Cultures Essay

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, culture is defined as â€Å"the integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief and behavior that depends upon the capacity for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations. † Culture is an aspect all groups of humans have and even though it is an aspect our species shares, the supposed differences make it seem like we are of different species! Culture is something that both connects and separates us. Culture is something distinct enough to create barriers among us, such as: linguistic barriers and behavioral barriers. And this is especially seen between the American and Chinese cultures. River Town, by Peter Hessler, is a non-fiction novel that depicts Peter’s experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fuling, China. He was sent to Fuling (a poor town on the banks of the Yangtze River) in 1996 and taught English and American literature for two years at a teachers college. This novel, in reading, seems more of a journal and thus, his writing of China puts the people and his experiences on a more personal level. He describes, with immense detail, his observations of the social, political and cultural issues of China and his experience as a waiguoren (foreigner). At his arrival, the people of the teachers college showered him and his fellow Peace Corps volunteer with many gifts and did everything they could to make them feel comfortable and welcome. However, alternately, whenever Peter would walk outside the campus of the school, the people would stare and gawk at him and yell, â€Å"outsider! † and â€Å"hello† out of curiosity and their own amusement. This made him dedicate a large part of his day solely to learning Chinese. As he becomes more proficient in Chinese, he develops friendships and connections and begins to feel more accepted. He talks about the troubled history of China: the struggles of land reform, decades of misguided economic policies and especially the damaging effects of the Cultural Revolution. Peter spends a good deal discussing the, then, upcoming project of the Three Gorges Dam, which has an immense, detrimental impact on the people. The project will require millions of villagers to be displaced and will destroy centuries worth of meaningful history. The author gives a very vivid illustration of the beautiful landscape, history and the people he meets. He also portrays the, especially political, perspectives of the Chinese quite well through learning from his students and teachers. According to Francis Hsu, the two sets of contrasts are: individual-centered versus situation-centered and the prominence of emotions versus the underplay of all matters regarding the heart. He believed Americans are concerned only of themselves and act according to what would be beneficial to them, and that the Chinese acted according to the situation at hand. The Chinese avoid direct confrontation, open criticism and controversial topics to maintain harmony. â€Å"In America, he saw the blind, often excessive pursuit of self-reliance and the inherent, permanent instability of human relationships as the root cause of many intractable social ills, including crime, racial discord, and the sale of influence in government. In China, he saw the traditional narrow focus on kinship based relationships had rendered their society unable to effectively counter Western colonialism, widespread poverty and famine, and even the practice of foot binding of women. † (Tong 2001) One aspect of the book that really interested me was the education system and different cultural differences of how education is looked upon. In the book, the students all had the same thoughts on almost every issue and those opinions would be unwavering. However, â€Å"Perhaps by my standards they were politically brainwashed, but compared to the past they were remarkably free. † (Hessler 2001:23) They would also communicate indirectly to Hessler; often times via their journals. Not only is the learning environment in China highly competitive and demanding, but expectations are high of students, forcing them to simply learn to achieve the highest grade possible. Also, Chinese students do not have electives they can choose from, they are assigned classes that best correspond to their scores on tests. Whereas in America, individualism and self-expression if looked high upon. Thus, in America, the individual student’s abilities and skills determine where they go in the future, and in China, what society or their parents want determines where they go. This is exactly what Francis Hsu talked about. I believe Peter Hessler was relatively objective in his journaling. Whenever he brought up thoughts or opinions of his students or any of the Fuling people, he briefly gave the history and background of them so we can understand where they are coming from. However, there were a few times where you could sense his extreme bias, but this was never fully evident in his writing. The difference between American and Chinese homes reflects the contrasting patterns of behavior in the family. In the US, children are highly regarded, cared for and have privilege, so far as to have laws and regulations protecting them. In China, children are taken for granted and have little to no reason to expect protection. Pediatrics was not a branch of medicine in China until just recently. In America, what is important is what parents should do for their parents; in China, what is important is what the children should do for their parents. This is a major reason why Chinese students are so focused on getting the best grades, so they can get a good job and take care of their elders. This is the basis for Filial Piety (virtue of respect for one’s parents and ancestors). American students focus on what is best for them and will usually move out the house at age 18 with no regard to taking care of their elders. Another difference between the two cultures is social relationships. The Chinese have formal, hierarchal relationships in which they feel most comfortable knowing their position. Americans have informal, egalitarian relationships in which they feel most comfortable among their equals and social ranking is not important. Ironically however, the Chinese tend to have a few, very close friends to whom they feel obligated to when it comes to helping them; Americans tend to have numerous â€Å"friends† and acquaintances that changes over time and to whom they feel no obligations. Works Cited 2001 River Town: Two years on the Yangtze. HarperCollins Publishers. Aguilar, Leslie, and Linda Stokes 1996. Multicultural Customer Service: Providing Outstanding. Service Across Cultures. Chicago: Times Mirror Higher Education Group, Inc â€Å"CultureAbout Our Definitions: All Forms of a Word (noun, Verb, Etc. ) Are Now Displayed on One Page. † Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n. d. Web. 18 Apr. 2013 Li Qing 1995. â€Å"Face, Guanxi, Houmen(r) & Elastic Rules: Insight into the Chinese Culture. † Presentation at conference of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Tong, William K. â€Å"Excerpts from Americans & Chinese by Francis Hsu. † Excerpts from Americans & Chinese by Francis Hsu. Oakton Community College, 2001. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.   

No silver bullet essays

No silver bullet essays The objectives of this essay are to examine whether or not Brooks original scepticism that no single new development in the next ten years would give software developers an order-of-magnitude improvement in productivity, reliability, or simplicity and ...future progress depends upon addressing the data are reversible. We will discuss Brooks original thoughts and we will try to give alternative solutions (if any). This essay, in general, accepts Brooks thoughts as he worked on OS/360 one of the most known, for their size, software projects. Before we discuss what Fred Brooks is arguing, we ought to refer to the differences between software engineering and programming. These two concepts are, in fact, totally different. On one hand, programming is primarily a personal activity while on the other hand software engineering is essentially a team activity. In other words, a software engineering team, which is working on a project, may consist of many programmers. On the contrary, a programmer writes a complete program while a software engineer writes a software component that will be combined with components written by other software engineers to build a system. Furthermore, the component one writes may be modified by others in the software engineering team and it may also be used by others to build different versions of the system long after one has left the project. Finally, we must say that programming is just one aspect of software development. Most of the projects, including software projects, are usually running out of time, the budget limit is much higher than it was prearranged and also the delivered product is not remarkable. For that reason, before a project is implemented its objectives, scope and deliverables should be addressed and defined. It is very important to have a clear understanding of what you are going to build and the most important thing is to build it on time. At this...

Free Essays on Rabbit Hill

The terms and criteria for receiving a Newbery Award are well defined. Each year the Medal is awarded to what is considered the author of â€Å"the most distinguished contribution to American Literature for Children published in the United States during the preceding year.† (ALSC, ) â€Å"A. Committee members are asked to consider the following: Interpretation of theme or concept, Presentation of information including accuracy, clarity, and organization, Development of plot, Delineation of characters, Delineation of setting, Appropriateness of style. B. Committee members must consider excellence of presentation for a child audience.† (ALSC) Rabbit Hill met these standards in 1945, and has since stood the test of time, remaining to this day a favorite of children. It’s steady readership has kept it in print along with six other of Robert Lawson’s books, and this combined with the fact that he is the only author to win both the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, assure his place as a significant contributor to twentieth century children’s literature. (Cech) The premise of the book surrounds a community of animals that live on Rabbit Hill. The farmhouse has been empty for a while and the previous tenants were slovenly and derelict. Times have been hard of late for the animals, and provisions scarce. Mr. Lawson introduces the reader to the animal characters one by one as news of â€Å" New Folk Coming†, to live in the farmhouse passes from one to another. The animal’s personalities are based somewhat on man’s conception of each species’ general characteristics and are further fleshed out by lively dialogue. Thus, the reader is able to see the regality and aloofness, in Red Buck’s stately nature and Phewie’s low-class, comic relief in the following exchange. â€Å"â€Å"You do have such low tastes, Phewie,† said the Buck. â€Å"er-by the way, the breeze seems to have shifted-would you mind? There, that’s fine, thanks, as I w... Free Essays on Rabbit Hill Free Essays on Rabbit Hill The terms and criteria for receiving a Newbery Award are well defined. Each year the Medal is awarded to what is considered the author of â€Å"the most distinguished contribution to American Literature for Children published in the United States during the preceding year.† (ALSC, ) â€Å"A. Committee members are asked to consider the following: Interpretation of theme or concept, Presentation of information including accuracy, clarity, and organization, Development of plot, Delineation of characters, Delineation of setting, Appropriateness of style. B. Committee members must consider excellence of presentation for a child audience.† (ALSC) Rabbit Hill met these standards in 1945, and has since stood the test of time, remaining to this day a favorite of children. It’s steady readership has kept it in print along with six other of Robert Lawson’s books, and this combined with the fact that he is the only author to win both the Newbery and Caldecott Medals, assure his place as a significant contributor to twentieth century children’s literature. (Cech) The premise of the book surrounds a community of animals that live on Rabbit Hill. The farmhouse has been empty for a while and the previous tenants were slovenly and derelict. Times have been hard of late for the animals, and provisions scarce. Mr. Lawson introduces the reader to the animal characters one by one as news of â€Å" New Folk Coming†, to live in the farmhouse passes from one to another. The animal’s personalities are based somewhat on man’s conception of each species’ general characteristics and are further fleshed out by lively dialogue. Thus, the reader is able to see the regality and aloofness, in Red Buck’s stately nature and Phewie’s low-class, comic relief in the following exchange. â€Å"â€Å"You do have such low tastes, Phewie,† said the Buck. â€Å"er-by the way, the breeze seems to have shifted-would you mind? There, that’s fine, thanks, as I w...

International Relations Personal Statement Essays

International Relations Personal Statement Essays International Relations Personal Statement Essay International Relations Personal Statement Essay Writing a compelling personal statement is a very important task. Sometimes this difficult yet important writing task can hurt you instead of helping you. It is because this task requires the writer to perform a little self-analysis session which can be difficult and not convenient sometimes. However, the main purpose of asking applicants to craft a statement is to let them demonstrate their potential and skills to the admission officers. Given that a poorly crafted or an erroneous international relations personal statement can be detrimental. Therefore, it is suggested that you should take a look and avoid these below listed critical mistakes and produce a winning statement of purpose. It is necessary that one must confirm that the personal statement doesn’t contain any mistake that could damage the chances of getting the admission. These critical mistakes include inappropriate word selection, spelling mistakes and inappropriate or excessive punctuation. Since you are going to give your all to writing a compelling statement then why not proofread it to ensure that it is error-free. If the admission officers notice any sorts of mistakes in the statement they will most probably assume that the applicant is either not serious or just sloppy. In the end, your application would end up inside a dustbin. In order to prevent such an event from happening, proofread the entire statement three to four times. If you have used any word processor to type the assignment, use a built-in dictionary to check the spellings of difficult words. Proofread the statement backward. Often students opt to use made-up stories in their personal statements. They assume that it will demonstrate the officers how you have triumphed over some hard times in your life to continue your studies. Well these officers have years of expertise in judging potential students and they can detect where you are lying. Be original and don’t just think that you can only impress them with such stories because you can impress them with your qualities, experiences or determination. You can discuss why you like international relations field or what you want to accomplish in it. The statement of purpose is certainly not easy to write if you don’t correct these critical mistakes. It is suggested that one must ask a professional to proofread the statement and correct any errors in it. Following is a basic structure of an international relations personal statement. Personal statement is a short essay mostly consists of four to five paragraphs. A typical statement starts with a story about how you came to like this field or how you develop an interest in this field. The subsequent paragraph contains a little work experience which is related to your field like a volunteering work, etc. In the next paragraph you relate your educational history with your passion and discuss how it will help you in advance studies. The following paragraph contains the brief description of some hobbies or interests of the candidate outside the field of IR. In the conclusion, the applicant discusses his/her future goals.

Art Up Close Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Art Up Close - Essay Example The painting that I chose to work on is Willem de Kooning’s â€Å"Woman†. The masterpiece is dominated by shades of purple and flesh. It is an abstract interpretation of a woman and the artist used lines to convey his thought regarding his chosen subject. What is most noticeable about the painting is that it is composed of diagonal lines and the woman’s figure is not obviously depicted. There are, however, certain figures that are implied to be one of the woman’s body parts. One particular example is the woman’s head. It is not clearly portrayed as a head, but the eye gives a hint that it is the face of a woman. It also shows that the woman’s head is tilting, which somehow, suggests loneliness. One of the obvious marks in the painting is the cluster of red brush strokes in the upper right hand corner. This may symbolize blood or imply that the woman is in pain. A stroke of line that surrounds the woman’s body looks like a veil which me ans that the woman is another version of the old woman figures such as Madonna and Venus. As mentioned before, the painting is composed, mainly, of lines. Most of the lines are also sharp and jagged which further denote emotional instability or turmoil. Since the artist did not use much curved lines for the painting, there is also not much softness with the emotion conveyed. Most of the lines are overlapping and there are certain spaces and figures that are covered by these lines. However, as noticed, there is a soft stroke of line just below the eyes which could symbolize tears.

The Matrix Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Matrix - Movie Review Example V. In conclusion, one may note that at the time of its production, The Matrix stood apart from other science fiction films in that the successful communication of the plot and story was inextricably dependant upon the formulation of such technologies as would do so. The Wachowski brothers' 1999 film, The Matrix, has been hailed by numerous critics as a revolution in cinematography. As the professor of film and cinematic arts, Adriana de Souza e Silva (2004) remarks, the use of revolutionary cinematographic techniques successfully allowed for the depiction of unreal' space as both real and material. Apart from the fact that the techniques used both communicated and served the plot, the fact is that they allowed the filmmakers to depict the worlds of cyberspace and the mind as if they were material realms of existence, even as they constantly reminded audiences of the hazy and ephemeral nature of that world (Silva, 2004). While the cinematographic effects and techniques in The Matrix have been dismissed as eye candy' by some critics, a discursive analysis of these techniques, with specific focus on bullet time, shall demonstrate the extent to which The Matrix, not only represents a revolution in special effects technology but has successfully emp loyed those effects to actualise and materialise an otherwise immaterial world and existence. The Matrix unfolds within the ephemeral landscape of a quasi-cyberspace, difficult to depict or define. As noted by the American and cultural studies scholar, Tim Blackmore (2004), the world of The Matrix is almost impossible to define, let alone depict in material fashion, insofar as it exists somewhere within the mind and is shaped by a cyberspacian high-tech existence which is simultaneously real and unreal. The storyline, inasmuch as it derives from the traditional evil versus good, light versus darkness theme, is familiar but the world in which it unfolds is highly unfamiliar and, as such, alien to the audience (Blackmore, 2004). Within the context of Blackmore's (2004) observations, one may define two challenges before the filmmakers. The first is to exploit cinematographic and lightening techniques to their limit for the explicated purpose of both visualising and rendering real, the unreal world of The Matri

Mean World Syndrome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Mean World Syndrome - Essay Example ..It used to be the parent, the school, the church, the community. Now it's a handful of global conglomerates that have nothing to tell, but a great deal to sell.† It is without doubt that back in the days when the media was not as full blown as it is now, meaningful stories used to be told by individuals such as: parents; guardians; teachers at school; church leaders; community members. However, that changed since the inception and the optimization of the media. As of now, the media can be in a position to tell stories in the manner that they would like to tell it regardless of the impact that the story will have on the viewers and/ or the audience. In addition to that, the media has the capability to manipulate stories and events in the manner which in most occurrences it will always be to their gain; that is to have a â€Å"great deal to sell† (â€Å"George Gerbner Leaves the Mean World Syndrome†) As cited from Murrey (2008), Warr, a professor of sociology, men tioned that the media has taken the centrefold to showcase that the world we live in is indeed very dangerous with regard to violence and crimes. Warr added that, "What makes fear of crime so important as a social problem is its consequences for our society. When people take precautions based on fear that restrict their life and their children’s lives, we restrict our freedom and we do so unnecessarily. Fear also undermines the civility and trust in our communities that make civic life possible, and that’s a terrible consequence for a democratic society†. When this scenario is applied in real life, a parent may think and conceptualize in their mind that the world is indeed very cruel for their child. As a result, they may end up being very over protective to their child such that they cannot engage in social activities such as shopping, going to the movies, going to visit friends and so on. As such, the parent unknowingly ends up withdrawing their child from the world in a bid to â€Å"protect† them while in actual sense they are causing harming to the child – that is, the child cannot engage in social activities and this may lead to depression and other forms of seclusion. However, this scenario is different for those individuals and/ or children who do not watch much of television. They tend to not be affected by the mean world syndrome. This is because instead of getting advice from the media, they get it through their elders by communicating to them what challenges they are facing. As such, they get a review and a reality of the world from a personal level. There are countless channels through which mass media content can be viewed from. Movies can now be viewed either at the cinemas, at home through kits such as Cable TV, Pay TV, Blue Ray, VCR and DVD. As such, this increases the audience reach that is going to gain access to such entertainment forums. For example, if an individual prefers to view media content through Bl ue Ray, then they will watch what they prefer through Blue Ray; the same goes for those who have VCR’s and DVD’s – they can be in a position to choose what media form suites them best. Through that, the media has managed to cultivate fear to their audiences through a variety of horrific films as well as films that project ethnic

Waste Elimination Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Waste Elimination - Coursework Example The system uses a two-way approach focusing and driving both customers, internal as well as external. The basic purpose of Lean Manufacturing is to eliminate waste at all levels of production including the product design, factory management, supplier networks and customer relations. Its basic aim is to reduce the overall human effort, reduce the inventory storage, taking less production time and less space to become responsive to customer demands while also producing high quality products in the most economic and efficient manner. In this context waste is defined as anything that customer is not willing to pay for (Ramnath, et al., 2010). In the current environment, no company in production or engineering can achieve success without the incorporating the lean production methods in their systems. The Lean production methods or the TPS system given by TaiichiOhno serves as a strong base for competitive, successful and modern flow of materials. (Berlec & Starbek, 2009) In the manufactur ing process any activity that doesn’t add value to the product is considered to be waste. Hence it is important for the company to identify the waste in the processes and to find out ways that can be used to eliminate these wastes in order to achieve success and to remain competitive. The seven types of wastes include(Hutchins, n.d.): 1. Overproduction - Producing more than the customer requires 2. Waiting - Excessive machine time/downtime, or waiting for upstream information/advice 3. Transport – transportation of goods over long distances 4. Over processing – producing more than what is required by the customer 5. Inventory – Parts or stock which are not currently being worked on and are stored 6. Motion – the search for tools and other accessories 7. Defects – working out the defects In addition to these other categories have also been added to this which includes: Raw material and energy Damage to the environment Background Honda motor c ompany was established in 1948 by Soichiro Honda with its core emphasis on competing in the Japanese motorcycle industry. However in the year 1962, Honda manufactured its first car and by the year 1995 the Honda group was manufacturing, selling, and repairing motorcycles and cars as well as other power products. Honda was the first Japanese company to establish its operations in US. Its first plant for producing motorcycles was in America, outside Marysville, Ohio in 1979. The company expanded its Marysville facility so as to gain localization which included: Production, products, profit and management. (Maxwell, et al., 1998) Environmental Policy and Management In the early 1990’s political pressure was built up concerning the environmental issue therefore to address these Honda strengthen its commitment to environment and its protection by adopting a Global Environmental Declaration and also by addressing the environmental issues on a global level. The Global Environmental Declaration dictated how each Honda company should strive to evaluate the impact of their activities to the environment, and to design the products in such a way that can reduce the impact of use and disposal, can help in recycling and conservation of energy and resources and to promote awareness in the employees and society. Honda adopted a policy that emphasized on the responsibility of

21st Century Women's Health Act of 2015 Research Paper

21st Century Women's Health Act of 2015 - Research Paper Example According to Senator Murray, women living in the US are at a precarious situation as far as their reproductive health is concerned. Regardless of the fact that Obamacare has significant increased access to affordable health services that are gender based, conservative politicians from the entire nation have been persistently campaigning at the state and federal level with the aim of overturning the law that safeguards the healthcare rights of women, and they have been successful in some occasions. She further states that there has been significant progress in regards to advancement of the health of women and expansion on access to reproductive care, but there is still a lot of work that has to be done since some of the elected officials are determined to reverse the laws already created. Therefore, it can be considered that the 21st Century Women’s Health Act proposes essential means of moving forward in regards to the health of women. This new law emphasis on a number of key aspects in terms of the health care of women including their maternity services, offering support for victims of rape and sexual assault, contraception, reproductive rights, abortion as well as preventive care. Eight months after she unsuccessfully attempted to override the decision of the US Supreme Court on contraceptive coverage, Senator Patty Murray came out with another proposal that sought to safeguard access to reproductive health services by women. This wide-ranging bill will obligate the state Medicaid programs to provide comprehensive coverage for all types of birth control, necessitate hospitals to avail free emergency contraception to sexually assaulted patients while at the same time ordering studies on the manner in which state enact laws to limit access to abortions as well as other family planning methods and services. This bill seeks to reverse the laws that are considered by Senator Murray to be taking the nation backwards and dealing with the officials who are

Waste Elimination Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Waste Elimination - Coursework Example The system uses a two-way approach focusing and driving both customers, internal as well as external. The basic purpose of Lean Manufacturing is to eliminate waste at all levels of production including the product design, factory management, supplier networks and customer relations. Its basic aim is to reduce the overall human effort, reduce the inventory storage, taking less production time and less space to become responsive to customer demands while also producing high quality products in the most economic and efficient manner. In this context waste is defined as anything that customer is not willing to pay for (Ramnath, et al., 2010). In the current environment, no company in production or engineering can achieve success without the incorporating the lean production methods in their systems. The Lean production methods or the TPS system given by TaiichiOhno serves as a strong base for competitive, successful and modern flow of materials. (Berlec & Starbek, 2009) In the manufactur ing process any activity that doesn’t add value to the product is considered to be waste. Hence it is important for the company to identify the waste in the processes and to find out ways that can be used to eliminate these wastes in order to achieve success and to remain competitive. The seven types of wastes include(Hutchins, n.d.): 1. Overproduction - Producing more than the customer requires 2. Waiting - Excessive machine time/downtime, or waiting for upstream information/advice 3. Transport – transportation of goods over long distances 4. Over processing – producing more than what is required by the customer 5. Inventory – Parts or stock which are not currently being worked on and are stored 6. Motion – the search for tools and other accessories 7. Defects – working out the defects In addition to these other categories have also been added to this which includes: Raw material and energy Damage to the environment Background Honda motor c ompany was established in 1948 by Soichiro Honda with its core emphasis on competing in the Japanese motorcycle industry. However in the year 1962, Honda manufactured its first car and by the year 1995 the Honda group was manufacturing, selling, and repairing motorcycles and cars as well as other power products. Honda was the first Japanese company to establish its operations in US. Its first plant for producing motorcycles was in America, outside Marysville, Ohio in 1979. The company expanded its Marysville facility so as to gain localization which included: Production, products, profit and management. (Maxwell, et al., 1998) Environmental Policy and Management In the early 1990’s political pressure was built up concerning the environmental issue therefore to address these Honda strengthen its commitment to environment and its protection by adopting a Global Environmental Declaration and also by addressing the environmental issues on a global level. The Global Environmental Declaration dictated how each Honda company should strive to evaluate the impact of their activities to the environment, and to design the products in such a way that can reduce the impact of use and disposal, can help in recycling and conservation of energy and resources and to promote awareness in the employees and society. Honda adopted a policy that emphasized on the responsibility of

Media Influence Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Media Influence Analysis - Essay Example Both males and females see many advertisements on a daily basis, and they try to copy the image that is portrayed to them and try their best to make themselves similar to those individuals whom they find attractive as it is a part of our nature. It is in human nature to look beautiful and presentable in the society; the media certainly set standards of beauty in terms of the latest trend but most importantly it is the person’s own view as to how he looks towards the ads and the advertisers should not be blamed for any falsehood they promote. The idea of beauty and to look beautiful is a perception of one’s mind, which is mainly derived from advertisements. The ads affect the human mind to think about their looks in the society. â€Å"There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection. To me, that is the true essence of beauty† (Maraboli 112). According to the above-mentioned quote, natural looks are more beautiful and people should feel comfortable about themselves and their looks. On the contrary, in order to look good, they try different things. People change their hairstyles, hair colors, color of eyes to meet their needs. Many of them are worried about their weight as looking slim is considered as part of beauty. People use different techniques to look slim and without proper consultation they start skipping meals to which they refer as dieting. Skipping meals lead to severe disorders such as Anorexia, an eating disorder in which a person refuses to eat because they think they are too fat. Looking slim is a human perception of beauty, which is forced in their minds by ads. There are other things as well which people find attractive, and consider it as part of beauty. These changes in their body are permanent like tattoos and piercing. People have tattoos on

Use of database Essay Example for Free

Use of database Essay Computer technology has given many precious gifts to mankind. One of them is the database technology. It has made administration, trade and commerce very easy, precise and fast. Operations which used to take long time, and were still full of errors, are now managed in few seconds, and are cent percent free of errors. At the heart of this remarkable success is the software program, which helps creation, segmentation , categorization and retrieval of databases. These programs are known as database management systems, DBMS programs have a long history. Starting from very simple programs in 1960s they have developed into large, complex software packages like Oracle. While the management functions remain the same, the utility value and the facilities offered in newer versions differ vastly from their predecessors. This essay briefly analyzes the DBMS program used in a particular department of an organization and proposes hoe improvements could be made over the existing use of DBMS program. The organization is a market research agency. One of the departments is pharmaceutical research. The function of this department is to gather prescriptions of doctors from various geographic locations across the country, analyze the symptoms, diagnosis and the drugs prescribed by the Doctor. These prescriptions are codified according to standardized international codes. Based on this coding, a generalized report is then prepared, which specifies which drug is used more in a given geographic location. This market research is very important to pharmaceutical companies for devising their marketing strategies. Here, the database program used for coding the symptoms, diagnosis and drugs is taken as an example for analysis. First, the function of coding is explained with an example. Visits a doctor with a complaint of soar throat and difficulty in swallowing, coupled with fever. According to the directory of codes of symptoms of the company, symptom ‘soar throat’ has a code 3323, ‘difficulty in swallowing’ has a code 1018 and ‘fever’ has a code 1286. If the doctor diagonizes ‘ throat infection’ as the cause for these symptoms, the code for it, as specified by WHO is J029. (ICD-10). Now, the doctor prescribes ‘ MOX-500’ capsules, a drug which has Amoxycillin as its main content. The code of this drug is 05377-73, as per the company specification. Those who do this coding job have to frequently refer to each code. The sum total of symptoms, diagnosis and drugs runs into a few thousand entries. Manual reference to these codes is very cumbersome. A database management program is designed to aids the coders. The package used is Foxpro. It is a two way system, wherein, the code could be traced if the name is given as an input and the name is given as an output if the number is given as an input. So, the coder can trace the code from any name and conversely, the name can also be traced with the help of a numeric code. Like all the DOS based programs, this program is a very robust program, and easy to use. Name to Number program : This program contains all the data related to the symptoms, diagnosis and the drugs. While the name and its respective code are the main parameters displayed, the drug table also reveals the type of drug e. g. syrup. Tablet, capsule, injection etc and its respective capacities e. g. 5 ml, 200mg etc. Being a DOS based program, the database is indexed by the computer, each time it is accessed. The key command for a new entry are ‘ ‘alt-s’ keys on the keyboard. Even if the full name is not types, the program takes to the alphabetically ordered names of the data. For example, if only ‘ ‘soar’ is typed as a new entry, the program gives and output of the first entry, out of all the entries starting from alphabets ‘soar’, or just typing ‘ pen’ will take the user to the first entry alphabetically listed with ‘pen’ as the first three letters. The cursor needs to be taken down to locate the drug ‘penicillin’. Instructions regarding the keyboard controls for retrieval of information, traverse of the cursor and exit from the program are permanently displayed at the bottom of the screen. These are the read only features. This means only three operations are possible on the program by the coder. Either he can type a name and get the code, or he can traverse the cursor or he can exit. It bears typical resemblance to the ‘ WordStar’ program, where the controls for operations were displayed whenever the program used to start. It is a completely textual program, simply because the basic software package, Foxpro/ Dos version, did not offer any GUI facilities. Like all other DOS based programs, colors are non existent in this program. It is a black and white screen throughout its use. Number name program : Many times the coder need a reverse retrieval to be performed. That is, given a number, the corresponding name of the symptom, diagnosis and the drug is to be traced. This program offers this facility also. When the number is entered, its validity is checked and if it is a correct number corresponding to the database, then the name of the drug, diagnosis or the symptom is given out as an output. In the case of drug display, the other parameters like the type e. g. syrup, tablet, capsule etc are also displayed. This part also has all the features and limitations typically associated with a DOS based program. This program, even in its present form, based on the technology of early 1990s is extremely useful to the coders. Especially when it comes to coding few hundred prescriptions every day, this program helps in a speedy and precise coding procedure. The codes are written manually by the coder on a printed form on paper. Improvements: Several improvements are not only possible on the current system but it is a necessary demand of time. First, Windows – 98 is soon expiring as the last GUI operating system which can support DOS based applications. The next most popular OS, Windows-XP does not support DOS based applications. Even the new and latest processors like the Dual Core by Pentium and motherboards, do not support Windows-98. Hence, technically, it will be impossible to run this program, the latest computers. It is the demand of time, that a Windows based DBMS used. This can be MS Access, Foxpro/ Win, or Oracle, but a switch over to GUI based application development is a must. Second, the codes, after being retrieved, are written manually. A new application needs to be developed, wherein the need to write the codes separately on a different sheet is eliminated. The coder inserts the name of the symptom, diagnosis or the drug and the corresponding number of the code should be automatically entered in the blank format of the form. The concept of relational database comes into picture over here. The database needs to be related to many blank forms, in such a way that a new form comes on the screen no sooner one is over. As soon as the name is typed in the form, the code must be retrieved by the software and entered in the form. The third factor is to add the utility value of the program. The same program can be extended to keep a record of the name of the coder who has accessed this program and the amount of work done by him/her. This feature facilitates speedy calculation of the monetary remuneration to be given to the coder. A record of signing in time and sign out time will also tell how much time the coder has put in. This record would be useful to gauge the efficiency of the coder. Seeing to the requirements of the improved version, a switch over to Oracle is more desirable, for the versatility and flexibility it offers. One more issue arises out of this discussion. Is the development in computers heading in the right direction? Despite all the progress in the software industry, no program has been able to replace the ‘ command. com’ file of DOS. All versions of Windows also rely upon DOS for their booting functions. Similarly, coders do not have any problem with the program they are working at present, which is over a decade old. The basic question is: Is all the development necessary? Or is it that needs are first created and then devices are made to suffice them? Or is it that under the umbrella of ‘user friendly’ Bill Gates has prevented people from getting to know the inner aspects of a computer? A calculator was a good invention, but has it always helped mankind? Has it not put limitations on the mental calculating capacities? Our ancestors had no problems in adding 40 numbers , fast and precise. For the present generation it is impossible. The developments in computers, have reduced the computer, a PC, to a mere entertainment tool, and the internet has become a tool for chat and social networking for a vast majority of users. Any development is real only if it helps in sharpening of minds, not rusting it !!!

Heavy Metal More Than Music Cultural Studies Essay

Heavy Metal More Than Music Cultural Studies Essay Subcultures are present in all societies around the world. Their members usually differentiate themselves by clothing style, music or even behavior. Studies and theories of subcultures have been conducted by various sociological schools. The Birmingham School came up with three levels of general analysis in their theories about subcultures: structure, culture and biography (Stanley Cohen, Symbols of trouble, 1980). He viewed subcultures as a political battleground between the classes (p.50). The first level on analysis, structure, refers to the problems of society that cannot be controlled by individuals, it refers to constraints put on people by the distribution of power, the labor market or wealth. The culture represents the solution to all the problems imposed by the structure. The culture includes the responses of the people to the structure, responses based on traditions, ideologies. The culture represents the more broad form of group present. A subculture, as defined by Cohen, is the specific, especially symbolic form through which the subordinate group negotiates its position. Two dominant themes were defined. The first one represents the style, which constitutes a type of resistance to subordination encountered in most subcultures, for instance Punks, Rockers or Hippies. The second theme refers to the fact that the resistance by style becomes symbolic or magical for the people that are part of the subculture. The process of resistance is seen as a symbolic one in three contexts. The first circumstance is when the subculture attacks a target which is not connected to the source of the problem. The second circumstance is when the solution to the problem is seen as magical without any real chances of being fixed. The final form of symbolic meaning is represented by what the style stands for. The style can symbol something that is beyond the surface appearance. Common objects are borrowed and used as symbols of opposition and insubordination, often in an ironical way. Biography represents the third general level of analysis that can be distinguished in the new theories of subculture. It is defined as the pattern and sequence of personal circumstances through which the culture and structure are experienced (p 151). This refers to the symbolic meaning of a subculture and the way its followers actually live given that they are part of the subculture. Heavy Metal Subculture Heavy metal has become more than just a subgenre of rock or metal music. It has become a subculture that not only listens to bands that play heavy metal and attends concerts. Fans of this music embrace its style, way of thinking, behavior, language and symbolism. Heavy metal music appeared first in Birmingham with groups like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. The unique sound of Black Sabbath was given by Tony Iommi, a factory worker that cut his fingers while handling a metal cutting machine thus being forced to wear plastic prosthetics on his fingers in order to be able to play the guitar. The background of the singers remained deeply integrated into their music and lyrics. However, defining songs as heavy metal remained a constant debate among metalheads. Defining the term strictly pushes fans to accept as heavy metal only songs that have a harsh, dark sound and include songs which have as a theme alienation and anger, traits which characterized the life of Black Sabbaths member, Toni Iommi. In contrast, defining the term heavy metal more loosely allows other bands to be included in this genre. These bands can have as their focus other themes, such as angry love, lost love, desired love and even partying. The lyrics of the songs are generall y focused on violence and angst, giving the songs a constant mood of anger and sorrow. Even if heavy metal has its roots in 1969, with the band Black Sabbath, it became a defined form, different from hard rock much later, in the early 1980s. The term heavy metal was popularized in the hit born to be wild by Steppenwolf with the phrase heavy metal thunder. With the popularity surrounding this distinct type of rock, several heavy metal bands rose from the dark. Groups like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden developed a darker and abrasive sound, Metallica and Megadeth energized their songs which were used to present several themes: religion, political hypocrisy, alienation and existential emptiness. Moreover, Slayer used violence and chaos to attract its audience. All these bands contributed to what came to become a subculture of alienation  [1]  . In her book Heavy metal: The Music And Its Culture, Deena Weinstein argues that heavy metal has persisted far longer than most genres of rock music due to the subculture which identified with the music. The fans of heavy metal formed an exclusionary youth community which became very distinctive and marginalized from the mainstream society. The heavy metal community developed their own norms, values and behaviors. The code of authenticity must be followed by bands which have to show a disinterest in commercial appeal and a refusal to sell out. Another factor present in the metal code is the opposition to established authority, and separateness from the rest of society. The metal performer becomes an ideal image of the music and subculture, being compelled to show total devotion to the music. A performer needs to be an idealized representative of the subculture. This idea that metal shapes what young people should think and their view of the world built up the ideology of pervasive ali enation, which is a reason of pride and defiance for the subcultures members.  [2]  However, Phil Collen, a guitarist for the band Def Leppard, says in one of his interviews They think they are alienated but they are not. There are two million people exactly like them. The members of the subculture are in majority white males that come from middle class backgrounds. They are tolerant of those outside its core demographic base who follow its codes of dress, appearance, and behaviour  [3]  . Their code involves attending concerts, buying albums of the groups they support and building friendships among the members of the subculture. Solidarity is built on the activities they do together, for instance going to concerts. This is a ritual in which the members can celebrate their common appreciation of music. They use magazines and, more recently, websites, to connect with others and express their solidarity. Moreover, a person who does not fully embrace the culture is considered a poseur by the rest of the members. A poser, as defined by the Webster dictionary, refers to person who pretends to be what he or she is not: an affected or insincere person. Authenticity and sincerity are necessary in order to not fall under the poseur label. James Hetfield , the lead singer of Metallica, stated in one of their 1980s concerts This will kill all the posers out there, all the fake people. The members of the heavy metal subculture do not have a well-defined name; instead, they are referd to as metalheads, headbangers or even trashers. The term metalhead is applied to a member of the subculture who, in addition to being extremely enthusiastic about the music, follows the fashion and behavioural rules imposed by the subculture. The amount of young people that identify with the heavy metal culture exceeds a couple of million individuals just in the Unites States of America. A performer states in the documentary Heavy-the story of Metal: Why do kids like heavy metal? They can be whatever they want, be dumb, be cool, be crazy. Metalheads find meaning in several aspects of their involvement with heavy metal; for instance, in their resonation with the meanings of the songs, their admiration of the performers, their participation in the collective ritual of the heavy metal concert, and also from being part of a subculture that shares their taste in music and view of the world. Being a metalhead means being a true believer. Metalheads have authority over each other in what concerns acceptance as a true believer. Confirming to the heavy metal style and ideology of alienated individualism grants acceptance by the other members. The absence of community is substituted by the heavy metal subculture. Connections between members are made based on their enthusiasm for the music. This also often becomes the basis for new friendships. A resemblance between the community of metalheads and a geographically distinct traditional community can be made. Listening to music pushes metalheads to think they are sharing the declaration of the songs message. This makes it easier for them to observe the imperfections of society and the hypocrisy that comes with adult life. By embracing heavy metal, young people think they are helping the world expose its falsity. Performers declare their authenticity through the music they make as well as their dressing style. Breaking all social conventions regarding dressing and behavioural codes shows their lack of interest and disrespect for the corrupt society. Solidarity to other metal fans is shown by following the same pattern of dressing. In addition to this, metalheads use their style to show that they agree with the messages put out by bands in their songs, they too agree with the fact that the societys corruption needs to be exposed. Sebastian Bach, a heavy metal performer, states in the documentary Heavy the story of Metal: Heavy metal does have a message for the rest of the society, and that is F*ck you! Reckless behaviour is often associated with metalheads. This behaviour ranges from driving under the influence of alcohol, to doing drugs or having sexual intercourse without protection. Vandalising and shop lifting are also more often associated with members of the heavy metal subculture than with other young people. One reason behind this is said to be the heavy metal music that influences their behaviour. The antisocial themes of the songs can awake the same feelings in those who listen to them. However, reckless behaviour is linked with heavy metal music by sensation seeking. Young people that are in the look for intense feelings or new experiences are attracted to the dark, rough sound of heavy metal music as well as to the danger and novelty that comes with risk-taking behaviour.  [4]   Heavy metal style In addition to the music, heavy metal style occupies a very important place within the subculture. It offers metalheads a degree of independence compared to the other factors that constitute this subculture. Elements of this fashion are derived from several other youth cultures of the 1960s, for instance motorcycle culture, hippie culture, but it also has influences from military clothing. There are several functions that the elements of the style have: social, psychological and symbolic. With the help of style, members of the subculture can distinguish between insiders and outsiders and at the same time allowing them to create their own identities by providing them with forms to express their attitudes, norms and values. Heavy metal fashion consists of clothing and other visual elements added to a members image. It is predominantly male because all metal styles are inscribed by the masculinist ideology. The uniform consists usually of a black T-shirt, leather jacket, blue jeans and boots. T-shirts and sometimes baseball caps can have imprinted the name or logo of a metal band, allowing others to see what is that persons favourite band, fact that often leads to mutual appreciation of each others musical tastes. What is more, jeans jackets, which are legacy of the hippie culture, can replace the leather jacket. However, both types of jackets are decorated with pins, buttons, spikes, metal bullets or other homemade decorations, like patches. Designs preferred range from skulls, skeletons to snakes or dragons. Heavy metal jewellery also consists of leather objects, like wrist bands, gauntlets or belts, decorated with metal spikes or chains. Necklaces often have a cross or a skull medallion. Moreover, colourful tattoos can be often found on the arms of metalheads. Long hair is also one of the best ways to show your dedication to the subculture because it is a feature that cannot be concealed. It became one of the aspects that best defined the boundaries of the metal subculture because only a dedicated member would accept to always be associated with heavy metal. Headbanging and the heavy metal hand sings, often referred to as metal fingers, metal horns or Satan fingers also play an important role in the subculture. Headbanging is the dance of choice of metalheads. It is an activity most metalheads engage in, refers to a violent rhythmic shaking of the head by fans of heavy metal music  [5]  . The audience members of a concert usually headbang in order to show that they get lost in the music. It is more often seen in the near proximity of the stage and it is not absent from any show. The metal horns were popularised in the subculture by Ronnie James Dio, a member of Black Sabbath, who claimed his grandmother used the sign to keep away the evil eye. Nowadays, this is a sign widely used by fans not only in concerts, but also in othe social gatherings. Members of the heavy metal culture also indulge in some recreational substances. Beer is the most popular drink among metalheads. It was taken from the bikers and is consumed in high amounts at festivals and concerts. Weed is another substance commonly used in the subculture, originally used by the hippies. In addition to these, other drugs such as cocaine or vodka are associated with heavy metal performers. In conclusion, metalheads use their music and style to rebel against the norms of society. They fight back by breaking the rules and adopting an ideology of alienation. As Rob Halford from Judas Priest said You kick back, you punch back, you fight back, you claw back, you scream back with Heavy Metal. Word count: 2391 Additional sources Documentaries Heavy: The Story of Metal The Decline of Western Civilisation Part II The Metal Years Heavy Metal Parking Lot Get Trashed

Free Essay - Rev. Arthur Dimmesdales Double-talk in The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

Dimmesdale's Double-talk in The Scarlet Letter Abstract: Critics of Nathaniel Hawthorne's 'The Scarlet Letter' are wrong to attribute to Hester the means of persuading Dimmesdale to elope with her and their child. It is Dimmesdale who uses his rhetorical mastery to talk Hester into talking him into eloping. An analysis of his conversation with Hester in the forest in comparison with his sermons shows that he is using the same discursive strategy he employs to convince his parishioners that he is a sinless man. The Reverend Mister Arthur Dimmesdale is usually understood to be guilty of two sins, one of commission (his adultery with Hester) and one of omission (his cowardly and hypocritical failure to confess). This is his state through most of The Scarlet Letter; but when Dimmesdale meets Hester in the forest (Chapters 16-19), he agrees to flee Boston with her, to seek out a new life in the Old World, and, presumably, to live with her in adultery. By the lights of his community and his profession, this resolution is a far more serious sin than any he had committed to date, but most critics have agreed that Dimmesdale is not primarily responsible for his actions in the forest. Both Michael Colacurcio and Terence Martin have written that Hester "seduced" Dimmesdale in the forest,(2) and Darrel Abel argues that "Dimmesdale could not resist Hester," for in entering the forest "Hester means to persuade Dimmesdale to elope with her and Pearl," and Dimmesdale agrees to the elopement "a fter only a feeble show of conscience."(3) The forest scene is crucial in the narrative of The Scarlet Letter, and a proper understanding of what happens in the forest is necessary for any interpretation of Dimmesdale's last days of life and his final "confession." I will argue in this paper that the reading of the forest scene sketched above is mistaken; that in fact it is Arthur Dimmesdale and not Hester Prynne who is the "activating agent"(4) in the forest, increasing Dimmesdale's culpability for his most serious fall. Previous critics seem to think that Dimmesdale's much-vaunted skill as a speaker abandons him when he enters the forest with Hester, but I will show that Dimmesdale talks Hester into talking him into fleeing, and so Dimmesdale's gravest sin cannot be laid at Hester's feet at all.

The Issue of Gun Control Legislation Essay -- Gun Control Weapons Laws

The Issue of Gun Control Legislation One of the most controversial issues in our society is gun control legislation. Violence associated with guns is increasing every year and something must be done to stop it. Gun legislation varies in every state. In some states gun policy is stricter than in other states. Gun legislation should be abolished in favor of federal gun legislation. To analyze the problem with gun violence today you must understand the gun laws that are in effect. The gun legislation in the United States are mostly based on a state level. One federal law for example, prohibits the manufacture of all plastic guns. The federal government tightly restricts fully automatic guns. Manufactures stamp serial numbers on guns for law purposes. The government also has regulation on importation on guns brought into the country. Also, most states restrict the purchasing of long guns under the age of 18, and 21 for the purchase of handguns Most states prohibit the purchase of guns if you are: a convicted felon, alcoholic, drug addict, mentally ill person, alien, or a fugitive from justice. Some laws required prospective gun buyers, to get a purchase permit, which comes with applicant passing all background checks. A few states even require that all persons possessing guns must have a license to do so, even in their homes. Some states don’t ban guns from addicts. This is a problem. Gun conciliation is not the same in each state. If it was same, it would have been easier to decrease the criminal acts. Guns are a form of power. Many individuals, ‘including criminals’ feel powerful when carrying a gun. Half of the households in the United States possess a gun. Criminals use guns for satisfaction. For example, to obtain sexual gratification in a rape or money in a robbery, or more frequently, to frighten and dominate victims in some other assault. All of these things can be gained without an attack, and indeed the possession of a gun can serve as a substitute for attack, rather than its vehicle (Kleck,1991). A sample was done by police in 50 major cities to see who is more common to use a gun (Kleck,1991). The data included that gun use in homicides is more common when (1) the victim is male rather than female, (2) the victim is male and the attacker is female, (3) ... ...le will have question like â€Å"how will I protect my self from criminals? Many people argue that guns in households scare away many criminals. Criminals take major risks when they attempt an armed attack. They also can achieve major benefits. The benefits consist of the potential economic or other gains, however conceived, from the contemplated crime; the costs include the possibility of being caught and imprisoned, of being shot at in the course of the crime, either by the police or by the victim. The likelihood of social disapproval could be a negative factor. It has been known that one half of every household has at least one gun. If you restrict a victim’s options by limiting household guns, crime could rise highly. This new policy on gun control should help lead our nation in the right direction. The massacre at the Empire State Building was an example of how our gun legislation must be changed. The new federal gun legislation will provide equality among all states. Criminals will not have the option of buying a gun in a state with weak gun legislation. This new policy on gun legislation will cut down on violence dramatically.

Ray Bradbury’s “There Will Come Soft Rains” Essay

What would the world be like if mankind disappeared? This is the theme of Ray Bradbury’s story â€Å"There Will Come Soft Rains†. All of the characters in the story are machines, which through personification take the place of human characters. The theme of man’s destruction reverberates throughout the story. Bradbury uses personification to describe the mechanical creations of man that eventually lead to the story’s theme of the destruction of mankind. There are no human characters at all in the story; instead, there are machines with human characteristics. Miller notes that personification is constantly used to describe the house’s actions (1). This is seen in the first line of the story,† In the living room the voice-clock sang, Tick-tock, seven o’clock, time to get up, seven o’ clock! as if it were afraid that nobody would† (Bradbury 76). The distress of the voice-clock gives it a humanoid impression, which allows it to take the place of human characters. Another interesting example of personification is seen in the way that Bradbury describes the robotic mice. â€Å"Behind it whirred angry mice, angry at having to pick up mud, angry at inconvenience† (Bradbury 77). However, machines are incapable of feelings. Hicks observes that readers are reminded that the rodent readers are mechanical, and that feelings-â€Å"those highly praised human emotions†-cannot exist in machines (234). In fact, there is only one living character in the whole story. As Jennifer Hicks points out, the only live being in the house is the dog, who enters mid-story (234). The dog is not very seemly. â€Å"The dog, once huge and fleshy, but now gone to bone and covered with sores, moved in and through the house, tracking mud† (Bradbury 77). It is pathetic and dying, much like the human race. Life after the destruction of man is the main theme of the story. It is hinted in the story that an atomic bomb was the cause of man’s demise. Bradbury does not blatantly tall the reader that an atomic catastrophe occurred, but reveals it by describing the house and its surroundings (Miller 6). The reader is told that, â€Å"The house stood alone in a city of rubble and ashes. This was the one house left standing. At night the ruined city gave off a radioactive glow which could be seen for miles† (Bradbury 77). The â€Å"ruined city† and â€Å"radioactive glow† give readers enough clues to  conclude that atomic warfare was the cause of man’s downfall. While it is known that the earth is now empty, Bradbury also indicates that it was empty before the bomb. Peltier suggests that this world was empty even before the destruction, with mechanical mice vacuuming and a sing-song clock telling time. The dull, mechanical world was empty long before people were taken from it (238). This can be seen in the nursery, where â€Å"Animals took shape: yellow giraffes, blue lions, pink antelopes, lilac panthers cavorting in crystal substance. The walls were glass. They looked out upon color and fantasy† (Bradbury 78). Children do not even go outside to enjoy nature, but watch it on their mechanical walls, their lives growing more and more hollow and empty. Another point that Bradbury makes is that if man disappeared, nothing would care, or even notice. Peltier explains that â€Å"The title of the story, taken from the poem quoted within it, suggests that if humankind were gone, nature would not only endure, but it would also not even notice our disappearance† (237). Sara Teasdale’s poem best illustrates this. â€Å"And not one will know of the war, not one/Will care at last when it is done./Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree,/If mankind perished utterly;/ And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn/ Would scarcely know that we were gone (Bradbury 79). Indeed, life would go on after mankind, and would go on peacefully. Therefore, Bradbury’s use of personification describe the machines that eventually lead to the story’s theme of mankind’s destruction. Personification allows the machines to show us what the people who owned the house were like: cold, impersonal, and oblivious to the outside- characteristics that led to both man and machine’s downfall. The author uses the story’s theme of the destruction of man to show readers the effects of becoming too dependent on machines and withdrawing from nature and the world. The chilling thing about Bradbury’s story is the acknowledgment of human dependency on machinery today, and the realization that in such a technologically advanced world, the story could easily become reality.

Mice & Men Essay

In chapter 3, the setting, the bunkhouse can be seen to symbolise that people only see what is obvious to them. Steinbeck shows this through symbolism in the bunkhouse. ‘Although there was evening brightness showing through the windows of the bunkhouse, inside it was dusk†¦ Instantly the table was brilliant with light, and the cone of the shade threw its brightness straight downward, leaving the corners of the bunkhouse still in dusk. The brightness down the centre of the bunkhouse shows our assumptions about something, as we judge things solely for what we see and know. This happens at least once during the text and can be seen through the immediate judgement of Curley’s wife as comes alone to the bunkhouse. George seems to know exactly where the trouble is going to originate, and this is shown when George cautions Lennie not to talk to Curley’s wife. George immediately judges Curley’s wife from previous gossip from Candy, her appearance and her behaviour before he has a chance to get to know her. His assumption led the audience to believe that she is simply just a tart, and nothing more. The dark and gloomy corners on the other hand are a representation of the secrets and not so obvious things in life. This can be seen at the end of the text when we find out the real reasoning as to why Curley’s wife behaves the way she does, which is due to her lack of attention from Curley, not just because she is a floozy. The contrast of dark and light builds anticipation in the audience as the feeling of doubt seems to lurk permanently in the background. Others may interpret the bunkhouse to symbolise cruel world of reality. The dark corners of the bunkhouse suggest dreams and ambitions as in the dark, as we cannot see the problems in which lie ahead. It is only in the light which can be seen down the centre of the bunkhouse that we can see reality and all of the barriers in which will prevent us from achieving these ambitions. Steinbeck shows this when all ambitions of the ranch workers never go to plan. In the light down the centre of the Bunkhouse It appears to be a world in which fate often plays a hand, and the characters are frequently defenceless and watch their dreams turn to dust. Lennie’s puppy symbolises dreams, joy and the relationship between George and Lennie. A puppy is so fun to play with. You can spend time with it; a puppy can listen to all of your problems, is a great friend and you could never stay mad when you see one; however they are reliant on its owner for its wellbeing. This is like the relationship between George and Lennie. Lennie is reliant on George to keep him well and healthy and out of trouble just like the puppy would be reliant on Lennie when it grows older. George and Lennie are also have a close relationship, where they share their problems and although they George may get frustrated with George at times he is always quick to forgive him. The puppy brings joy to Lennie and George because ‘George said if Lennie didn’t hurt the puppy then he could tend the rabbits, when they get their own farm. The dream farm symbolises the tie between them and keeps them working, even when times are hard it is, and is ultimately, their version of heaven. So when Lennie kills a kills the puppy later on in the Chapter 5, it is obvious to the audience that their chances of going there are forever ruined. In contrast to this it may lead some to believe that the puppy is therefore a symbolism of the fate of the weak in the strong and foreshadows doom, shown particularly when Lennie brings the puppy in to the house and away from the it’s nest. ‘’He reached down and picked the tiny puppy from where Lennie had been concealing it against him’’. Concealing means to prevent something from being seen or known about. Many things are concealed during the story such as the petting and death of the mice, the incident in weed, the death of the puppy and briefly the death of Curley’s wife. We learn about the incident in weed in chapter 3 so it automatically foreshadows a doomed future of the puppy, given our knowledge about the mice. Our suspicions are confirmed During Chapter 5 when Lennie kills the puppy accidentally due to the fact that he still does not recognize his own strength. Although no other character can match Lennie’s physical strength, Lennie finds himself in a similar situation as the innocent animal, as Lennie is unaware of the vicious, predatory powers that surround him. This doom was foreshadowed by the puppy. The sequence of events of the puppy gives a cast contrast of scenes full of hope (when the puppy is first given to Lennie), in comparison to scenes of disappointment (when the puppy dies) increases the reader’s apprehension as they are continuously on the edge wondering what he will do next.

Narritive Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Narritive - Essay Example Daisy wondered as to why the nurses were so nice to the patients when they were not even related to them and she used to think as to why they worked selflessly to take care of the people living in the nursing home. Daisy was highly inspired by these nurses and she made up her mind to follow a career in nursing. She kept on visiting the old age home and she started spending greater time there. As she spent more time at the nursing home, she realized that the picture of the nursing home that she had developed as a child was not totally a true reflection of the nursing home. The old people living in the nursing home still loved Daisy but she saw the sorrow and the sadness in the eyes of most of them. She did not understand the reason for their unhappiness as she felt that the nursing home was a very joyful place where all the needs of the people were fulfilled. She tried to think over and over again but she could not reach to any conclusion. One day while she was visiting the nursing ho me, she saw a man who had come to visit Jane who was a resident at the nursing home. The man was there with his wife and children and when Daisy questioned the other residents, she found out that he was Jane’s son. Daisy could see the happiness on Jane’s face. But the man and his family had a very stern expression. Daisy hid herself and started listening to them. â€Å"You are here to take me home this weekend with you, right?† The man maintained the same stern expression and said, â€Å"Mother we have guests coming over and we do not have enough space to accommodate you at the same time.† Jane felt helpless and started pleading to her son as she said that it had been months that she had not visited the family home where she had spent her entire life before being moved to the nursing home. Her son did not respond to her requests and finally he left without saying goodbye to Jane. This incident was an eye opener for me. Daisy was shocked and her image of t he nursing home as a beautiful house shattered at once. She understood that were greater depths behind these happy faces and there were many grief’s that they had no one to share with. Daisy became more observant and she started noticing several similar events at the nursing home. There were people, who were visited by their families and were brought gifts for, but there were many others who were not frequently visited and some did not have any guardians coming to see them at all. Daisy started noticing these occurrences and they worked towards maturing her thought process and making her understand the reality of life. Daisy was shocked to see the contrast that existed between the nurses who worked day and night for taking care of the people who were not related to them in any way. On the other hand, there were blood relatives who did not care about the people who brought them up and loved them the most when they were helpless little beings. The incidents at the nursing home taught Daisy the true meaning of good and bad. She understood that this world is a place where different kinds of people live. There are those who value and cherish their relationships whereas there are others who have their own selfish motives and care about themselves and no one else. Daisy remained committed to her career choice of nursing as she wanted to place herself amongst the good people of the society. She wanted to be a helper and a person who would

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS (GIS) - Essay Example This, through my lasting experience and interaction with various GIS software, I believe can be achieved at relatively low cost than expected. Using the GIS information in transportation, I believe can be of great help to city planning and organization. In respect to this, I can assure you the effective use of the following GIS applications in doing the following activities with the aim of restoring order and cost in the city. The GIS tool can be used in spatial analysis to locate areas of preference for various development activities at relatively lower costs compared to the other software. High costs are often incurred while constructing bridges, railway lines and roads within the city and beyond, especially when other tools are used in designing these channels. However, using GIS, we can analysis the spatial characteristics of the regions to be bypassed by these projects for reduced cost of construction. For instance, it is easier to design the routes for road, railways and water pipes construction by developing different elevation models on the GIS software. Assessing and accurately analyzing this data can then help us in coming up with the correct route for construction with minimum costs involved. In order to illustrate this using an example, it is often very difficult to construct roads and railway lines where the process has to involve cutting through a mountain or in a region with rugged terrain. in such Cases, many culverts and bridges, have to be constructed as these increases the costs of construction. By overlaying the elevation data on the GIS software, we can easily locate the various points to be avoided by the project, calculate the relative distance and costs involved and compare the results for better decision making before the actual process. This aids in proper planning and management of funds are hence very

Should all father's be given parental responsibility automatically by Essay

Should all father's be given parental responsibility automatically by the law - Essay Example This is quite unfair to the father. As it stands, the law can be said to be wanting for various reasons. The number of births outside marriage continues to grow as a fraction of the total number of births. In 1996, the Lord Chancellor's department figures showed that 35.8% of births on UK were outside marriage, of which 58% indicated both parents living together (Townsend and Baker 1998). This shows an active continued participation of the father in the life of both the mother and the child. As well it is a clear indication of a significant number of mothers holding no reservations to the fathers' participation in their lives, prescribing that of their children (Anne and Probert 2004). Two principal means by which fathers acquire parental responsibility are parental responsibility agreement with the mother,( and registering it with the principle registrar of the family division), and parental responsibility orders. Looking at both, the figures show that a very small percentage of the parents has pursued these means. In 1996, despite registering 232,663 births outside of marriage, only 5,587 parental responsibility orders were given by the courts and a meager 3,000 parental responsibility agreements were registered. ... This is not necessarily a show of lack of concern on the unmarried fathers part. Instead, it brings to light the common assumption that living together outside of marriage grants one common rights before the law. The long judicial processes are in any case, not ideal for anyone. Granting automatic parental rights would go along way in ensuring that these fathers do not have to worry about the long judicial processes but take up their roles as they ought as early as possible. Otherwise, they might continue to avoid the imagined or real humiliation and intimidation in the court or getting an attorney to help them in the signing of the agreement (Lewi Gatvitz and Clarke). Without a doubt, generally categorizing all unmarried fathers as irresponsible or as being of questionable character as the law currently does, as deceptive a heuristic as it is dangerous. It is deceptive because unmarried fathers are just a small representation of what the society is. If we pick married fathers or unmarried mothers or married mothers as other representations of the society, then we will find that there are also men or women who conduct themselves poorly within them. Marital status does not automatically mean a certain character, good or bad (Townsend and Baker 1998). The law should be the first to reflect this reality. If this was the attitude in law then automatic parental responsibility would smell closer for the unmarried fathers (Townsend and Baker 1998). The discrimination due to marital status would end too. Fathers have both a practical and a symbolic significance to the lives of children. To enable them be more effective fathers, the law should seem to acknowledge the importance of the father-child bond. By denying unmarried fathers parental responsibility, they are also

Introduction and Letter of Transmittal on Taco Bell Case Study Essay

Introduction and Letter of Transmittal on Taco Bell Case Study - Essay Example om their governmental agencies arguing that their grocery store might have been selling the brand containing a corn ingredient which is harmful to the public (Hall and Viola, 2003). The report targeted Taco shells, which the brand name of the Taco Bell and distrusted by the Kraft Food industry, the media as well as other consumer’s reactions proved the damage of the Taco Bell reputation. This made the Taco Corporation to face the crisis of destroying brand reputation due to selling of tinted food known as Cry9c, which is harmful to human consumption. The public hold the perception that the company was selling the same product in their restaurant. However, Taco Bell has nothing to do with the manufacturing of the genetically modified corn but it is licensed under the company’s brand name known s Taco shells. Although Kraft already recalls that the food was announced to be having side effects to the consumers, they still distribute and sell it using Taco’s brand na me. Therefore, Taco bell should take action through communicating effectively about the crisis management. They should communicate in order for the corporate to maintain food safety standards and regulations in the restaurants; thus maintaining brand reputation. In compliance with the Kraft Food Industry, the company should make effective communication in order to come up with the conclusion of payment owing that the Taco Bell is undergoing a severe threat of the brand reputation. This is because the company would be interfered especially on revenues that may decrease. This is due to brand reputation; thus, the agreement should be made on transfer of funds. The main purpose of the letter is to inform Taco Bell Company to communicate effectively with Kraft Food Industry and solve the problem the company is facing. Taco Bell Company should also formulate and make the follow-ups of a comprehensive and effective action plan in order to address the issue of food safety. This is essential because it will

Evaluate Bribery in the context of International Strategic Marketing Essay - 1

Evaluate Bribery in the context of International Strategic Marketing - Essay Example in -- in other words, to "do as the Romans do." When a corporate official is faced with real situations abroad, this advice can give rise to conflicts and ambiguity, when actual situations require responses which are incompatible with the ethical norms in the home country. Payment of a tip to a government official or employee in the home country intended to facilitate licensing can be considered bribery, and therefore subject to legal consequences, at home; however, in a foreign country it may be a standard operating procedure that can facilitate and expedite action. The cost of refusing to comform to local practice can be result in significant losses which are disproportionate in relation to the small amount of "bribe" money. The international marketer can face a difficult dilemma when he has to respond to situations where there is no local law, where local practices forgive a certain behavior, or the companywilling to â€Å" do what is necessary† is favored over the company that refuses to engage in practices that are not ethical. The issue of bribery and corruption is not extensively covered in international or global marketing textbooks. The subject is often located under the rubric of legal environment (subtopic: ethics and regulations); cultural environment, (as in Hill 2005; Verna and Sarathy 1993). Or it is discussed as part of international promotions (Verna and Sarathy). For the most part the subject presents the the relevant US statute (FCPA) and analyzes its features and implications for the business person and marketer. A more comprehensive treatment, including its history and philosophical basis is found in textbooks dealing with the business environment (such as Baron 1997) and legal environment (such as Jennings 1997). This study will deal with the issue of bribery from the Western viewpoint, particularly that of the United States, being the first country to enact a law prohibiting its practice by its companies abroad. The Foreign Corrupt