Monday, September 30, 2019

My Aquarium

The place I decided to do my paper on is located in the living room of my family's house. It is a one hundred gallon aquarium. The reason I chose this as the topic of my paper is that all kingdoms are present except for Plantae in it and it is its own ecosystem. Before I go in detail about the organisms in the aquarium, I would like to mention the accessories that make this aquarium a stable environment and allow the organisms to grow happily. The temperature needs to mimic natural reefs that are often found in tropical regions. The tank needs to be 78 degrees F. In the summer water is pumped through a chiller that lowers the temperture to exactly what it needs to be and there is also a conventional aquarium heater to raise tempature during colder times. Natural reefs also need lots of sunlight. This is mimicked by two large 250 watt metal halide and 4 (3 foot) vho lights. These high intensity lights produce tremendous increases in the temperture of the tank which is countered by the chiller. Natural seawater has constant currents which are mimicked by three submersible power heads that keep everything moving. Next, is the water. This needs to be ultra pure, free from dissolved solvents. Due to the high temperatures evaporation can cause as much as 2 gallons a day to be replaced. A reverse osmosis water purifier is used to create this ultra pure water. Now that I have explained how the water starts of pure the salinity needs to be constant. 33 parts per thousand is recommended for reef aquariums. Calcium, amino acids, phytoplankton, and iodine are also added to the aquarium on a daily basis. The water is tested on a monthly basis for ph, alkalinity, and about a dozen different chemicals to be sure the water chemistry is correct. Now we will discuss the first part of the reef aquarium, which is the sand and live rock. The sand needs to be live sand, meaning it contains all the necessary bacteria that will be needed in this artificial environment. The same is true for the live rock, which needs different bacteria and is the resting place for all of the corals. These organisms belong to the kingdom Monera Protista and are the first organism to be added to the tank. This aquarium also contains organisms of the kingdom Protista. These are present in the green algae that are seen on the glass of aquariums. Also red algae are seen when observing a marine aquarium. These algae bloom when there is excess nitrogen in the water. The red algae are a sign of a tank that is in bad shape. There are also specimens of brown algae in the tank. These free floating algae are a main source of food for certain fish and crustaceans. The majority of the visible organisms in the tank are in the phylum Cnidaria. These include the many types of mushrooms, polyps, anemones, soft and hard corals. These are what make the reef aquarium look like a reef. These organisms multiply in the tank and need to be fed by the sunlight and also phytoplankton. It is cool to touch these organisms with the net. They all shrivel up and get defensive when disturbed. There are also about 20 snails in the tank belonging to the class Gastropoda. These shells are taken over by hermit crabs which belong to the class Crustacea. Other members of this class include a banded reef shrimp and several emerald crabs. There is a huge clam belonging to the class Bivalvia which has pretty turquoise lips. There is even a feather duster worm that just showed up one day. The higher interverts in the tank include two starfish and also a brittle star. The starfish spend most of their time beneath the sand while the brittle star is very active and visible and will pounce on food shortly after it hits the bottom. Next to the corals the next visible class in the tank would include the class of Osteichthyes. These include tangs, gobies, dottybacks, a pair of clown fish, and several types of damsels. It is amazing to watch all these organisms grow and interact with one another while realizing how exact the conditions need to be to allow them to even survive.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Discrimination Essay Essay

Discuss this statement in relation to the human resource practices and the issues relating to personality, perceptions and values of managers. This essay argues that discrimination is a likely occurrence during the recruitment process. It will focus upon the various forms of discrimination faced and the issues relating to personality and perceptions resulting from the mainstream perspectives, stereotypes and ideologies held by Anglo-Saxon Australians. It will then examine the human resource practices and the selection process, highlighting the discrimination that occurs due to the unrealistic and unnecessarily high standards of recruitment criteria and specifications laid out by managers for candidates. Finally it will address the impact and influence that the managers values can have upon the recruitment criteria and the final selection made. Discrimination has long been a likely occurrence during the recruitment process, becoming a major problem throughout Australian society. Dating back through Australia’s history we have continually seen society empirically group people according to their country of origin and culture. The idea of ethnocentrism has surfaced as a result of the pre-existing culture of intolerance of cultural difference. As Ho and Alcorso demonstrate, ‘Australian employers and local workers in the post-war decades had a clear interest in utilizing a workforce that was not only ethnically distinguishable from the local workforce but also considered to be largely unskilled and little educated’ (2004, p. 254). The reluctance that many employers have in their willingness to recruit migrants and those of ethnic backgrounds, as a result of a pre-disposition held, is seen consistently in the workplace and is reflected in the long-term. As Wooden notes, ‘differences in pay, occupational status and probability of employment’ between migrants and people of ethnic background, in comparison to Anglo-Saxon Australians ‘reflects differences in the average productive capabilities of the two groups’ (1994, p. 220; cited in Ho and Alcorso, 2004, p. 239).

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Career Plan building Activity

My work culture results showed that I am well resourced, high powered, and teamwork centered. I noticed that these results were parallel with my interest profiler and competencies results. I was shocked by being considered as high powered. I have never really been a person who wants a lot of responsibility. I have been a lead person on a past Job experience. I had the opportunity to be the supervisor but I didn't apply for it due to fear of failure.I do on the other hand agree with the fact of high salaries, career advancement, and career development. It was revealed to me that some of my better strengths are adhering to values and coping with pressure. It was not hard for me to believe the part about adhering to my values. That is something I do believe in along with ethics. But I didn't think that coping with pressure would come out as a strength. I guess coping with pressure became a strength for me because I try my hardest to let something's go and not let people now that it may have bothered me.Within the teamwork centered portion of the work culture results, It showed that I work in a close knit team, have lots of Interdependence, and that I am friendly and supportive of colleagues. I agree with this whole heartedly. I try to be an overall helpful person. Anyone who knows me knows that I am all for the team, if there Is positivist involved. Within the well-resourced section it stated that I like safe places to work, well-designed and comfortable places to work.As for the career plan I was able to see different positions that may suite me according to the results. Some of the careers I never would imagine doing then on the other hand there are some that I would do. These things include being a lawyer, Judge, librarian, curator, archivists, material recording, and scheduling, dispatching and distributing workers. Now some of these careers I did all In one Job title when I was a Lead Phlebotomy's at a hospital I once worked at.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Economics 1- General Motors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Economics 1- General Motors - Essay Example he question directly, the cost structure of the combined entities, as General Motors, improved after the mergers, with the trimming of costs and improving profit margins even when the level of revenues remains constant. Economies of scale is possible only with a certain minimum critical size of firms in an industry such as the automobile industry. The company continued its acquisition binge in the ensuing years. Management decisions that improved operations included reduction of costly factory errors with the establishment of a testing laboratory, and setting up of facilities for research and development, which turned out to be the most complex in the industry at the time. These contributed to improved efficiency and productivity. During the 1920s the big car manufacturers were GM and Ford, followed by Chrysler in 1925 (American Motors was formed only in 1954). At that time only Ford posed a semblance of competition to GM. GM proceeded with some major innovations in management systems using policy coordination from the top, policy direction through top-level committees, and delegation of responsibilities - practices that were to become standard in business management theory and practice. In the late 1920s, GM introduced the synchromesh gears by Cadillac, the shatter-proof safety glass, and the V-16, the first car type with a 16-cylinder engine, setting standards in power and performance. Then it pioneered in innovations in styling and engineering, capped by the discovery of the automatic gear. GM also developed the independ4ent front wheel suspension and the automatic transmission under Sloans leadership before the WWII. In the 1950s GM introduced the V-8 engine with a higher compression ratio, power steering , air-conditioning systems, safety belts, among others. In short, the company outdistanced its competition through design and engineering as demonstrated in the functional quality of cars it produced. In the area of marketing strategy, GM boss Sloans

Thursday, September 26, 2019

O&PM Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

O&PM Assignment - Essay Example Below describes how the 4Vs are involved in the business process in the supermarket. Ordering and delivery of goods from suppliers depends on volume of goods that were sold. The amount of goods ordered (volume) usually depends the amount present and the sales records. There can be a situation where the ordered volume of products is high but with a low variety of the same products. An example is when a large volume but small variety of fruits are ordered from suppliers. The demand for each product in a supermarket varies and is very hard to predict, and with not enough inventory space, what the management does is stock less volume of the products with more variety. This is to make sure that there is each variety of a product available for customers as each customer has different preference. It is crucial for a competitive supermarket to make sure they do not run out of each of the variety of products available. Another ‘V’ which is crucial to a supermarket is variation of demand as supermarkets have to cope with changing customer needs during different seasons. Therefore it is ultimately important to have large variety of products. Merchandising or displaying of products in shelves is also important. This is known as visibility. Products should be displayed in a manner that they are highly visible to the customer in order to make it easier for them to find the products. The main idea is to attract customers have many variety of products which are easily visible. Therefore the shelves should be designed in a way that there is a large variety of a certain product in its category on the shelf. Also fast- moving goods should be placed in shelves next to the entrance for convenience of customers (Samson and draft, 2012,56). Retail store orders for goods from warehouse according to need and preference of local customers. Periodically, the store

Reality and Fantasy of Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms Research Paper

Reality and Fantasy of Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms - Research Paper Example While some have concluded her character as an embodiment of an adolescent male fantasy† (Hatten, 76; Lockridge, 170), others have used her recovery to make a case for her realistic character. Catherine had just opted to give her services in the war as a volunteer 8 years after her engagement with her fiance, who was also fighting in the war. However, amidst the World War II, her fiance dies and gradually Catherine gets involved in a romantic relationship with Fredric. Although Catherine presents a very submissive and self-abnegating character, I want to explore her character to argue for its realism. For decades, Catherine’s character has been a complex and problematic one, drawing diverse set of interpretations by various scholars. Catherine is looked upon as a character far from reality and a figure essentially inspired by male fantasy of an ideal lover. Both Catherine and Frederic present a commonality in their evaluation of the Italians as they both feel negative of them. Catherine and Frederic meet in Italy where Frederic is serving as a volunteer ambulance driver for the Red Cross in Italy while Catherine is a volunteer Red Cross nurse. At several instances, Frederic hints at his lack of motivation for entering the Italian army, saying that he was a â€Å"fool† (Hemingway, 109) thereby implying a false sense of drive for soldering (Mandel, 61). On another occasion, Catherine tells Frederic how she only joined the services and moved to Italy out of support for her late fiance but later, as the story progresses, her motivation to help the wounded men is evident out of her humanitarian motivations. Catherine presents a very strong character of a woman who working for the soldiers in a world order which is chaotic. A World War is going on and Catherine is serving in Italy although her initial motivations for coming are not present

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

New concept of Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

New concept of Marriage - Essay Example Marriages are different depending on the tradition and culture of the spouses and they are carried out differently. In most African and even Asian culture for example, the beginning of a marriage is the paying of the dowry to the bride’s parents as a token of appreciation essentially which is soon followed by a traditional wedding ceremony which can be solemnized later in church or not. The whites do not care so much about the issue of bride price or paying dowry and most do not even officially seek a formal hand in marriage from the bride’s side of the family. They simply move to the wedding part and the marriage soon begins. Research has verified this by indicating that in Africa, over 60% of marriages have dowry payment paid while in Europe and America, the figure is less than that and the majority are the African-Americans (Peterson and Bush 685). It is an open secret that the rate of divorce among the whites is way higher than it is among the Africans and Asians as indicated in the article in The Economist by its editor, (2011) which explains that divorce rate in Asia is only about 2per every 1000 while in America in 3.7 and in Britain 3.4 for every 1000. Others argue that this is because of the lack of a staunch tradition on the part of the spouses and especially in engaging the parents of the spouses in the affair. For the Africans for example, during the traditional marriage ceremony and preparations and before the bride or groom is handed over to their significant other, the family and especially the same sex parent has serious discussion with the bride or groom about what marriage entails and what will be expected of them in terms of fulfillment of roles and duties and how to engage in all these. These are called trading secrets of the ups and downs to expect and how to handle each and every one of them. By the time they are officially starting the marriage, each party is aware of the reality

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Women rights in Saudi Arabia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Women rights in Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example In this case it spells out that countries which have ratified the international conventions should take special measures and ensure that their governments take strict measures on the main actors who interfere with the rights of the women. Women bring a lot of contributions in the economy of the country in this case their participation in the development arena will only be enhanced if their rights are protected. Saudi Arabia is one country on focus when it comes to women rights. As an Arab country, women have been subjected to inhuman treatment. The government strictly abides by the strict Islamic laws which have continued to suppress women and placed them in subordinate positions. Despite the country ratification of the convention against torture, their still continues to be high cases of torture experienced by the minorities of which women fall under this category. In Saudi Arabia, women have been subjected to inhuman treatment in several ways. Women in Saudi Arabia are not given th e same preferential treatment as that of men. For instance, women in Saudi Arabia are not allowed to drive freely as men do. ... King Abdullah once quoted that by the year 2015 women would be allowed to participate in the elections process which is yet to be realized. With these attempts women in Saudi have continued to form organizations so as to address the issue of voting. In 2005 at a municipal elections women attempted to vote but it was established that majority of these women did not have identity cards. In this case the process of involving women to take part in elections has a long way to go for it to be realized (Macfarquhar, 2011). Submission is one important aspect of a Saudi woman, women seen as minors who are supposed to submit themselves to their husbands. According to their custom, a male figure has more authority as compared to the females. In this case the females tend to seek for permission from their husbands before engaging in any activity. In the field of education they have to seek permission first before making a decision to attend schooling. Women in Arabia are also not allowed to trav el outside the country without the consent of their husbands. Currently the country introduced a cellphone monitoring system to monitor the movements of women this was put in an attempt to alert men in case their wives attempt to leave the country without their permission. Justice that is administered to children and women in South Arabia is very severe, women and children are normally subjected to detention without trial and they are not informed of the crimes that they have committed. In detention, the women are tortured and majority of them have been killed as a consequence. The penal codes for criminal activities do not consider the biological make up of an individual before administering the punishment. Physical and sexual harassment has raised alerts among the South Arabia women

Monday, September 23, 2019

The Birthright and the Human Storm (example of a title) Essay - 1

The Birthright and the Human Storm (example of a title) - Essay Example According to which a true woman must hold four cardinal virtues that are: domesticity, submissiveness, piety and purity. Women were not allowed to have sex with any other men except their husband, however, this restriction does not imply on men. It was considered as a sin if a woman gets involved with any other men. The sexual rights of women were also negligible in the 19th century. They can only have sex when their husbands wanted to have and were not allowed to show up their temptation. Followed by the Victorian age the gilded age was the era of growth and prosperity. In this era the women were not content with the cult of domesticity. Most women went to colleges to earn higher education and started to serve the society. Bobinot and his son Bibi were present at Friedheimers store when they sensed the emergence of a violent storm. Bobinot decided to stay at the store till the storm is gone. Calixta the wife of Bobinot, did not even notice the arrival of storm and thunder. When it turned much darker, Calixta went to close the door, there she found her ex-boyfriend Alcee and invited him in her home due to worsening weather condition. While staying at Calixta’s house Alcee made her recall all the sweet memories of their love and the passion they used to share. Flowing into the memories Calixta and Alcee forget about everything and get sexually involved reviving the old love and passion they had. In the meantime the author asserts that the storm gets also over. Bobinot and Bibi returned from the store after the weather gets settled. After coming back from Calixta’s place Alcee writes a letter to his wife suggesting her to stay in Biloxi as long as she wants. Clarisse felt good and free afte r receiving the letter. The author ends the story with a punch line, "So the storm passed and everyone was happy (Chopin 110)." The

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Changes in the Marketing Environment Essay Example for Free

Changes in the Marketing Environment Essay In recent times, from an economic environment perspective, people are getting more affluent, even in third world countries like Vietnam, the younger generation are more interested in spending on the latest fashion and gadgets, like iPods. Phone marketers might want to include phone designs which allow for self-expression, hence catering to the younger people seeking to carve out their own identity. For example, young girls in Japan like to stick many shiny crystals on their phones as they see it as a form of beautiful art. Phone marketers can cash in on this growing trend by offering phones which have suitable surfaces for crystal gluing, and they might want to also consider having a tie-up with a suitable bead company in order to have a package selling the crystals together with the phones. An important marketing strategy in catering to the changing political environment would be cause-marketing. It is by cause-marketing that phone marketers can reassure the public that they are socially responsible, even in the midst of increasing unethical behaviour existing in society. Cause marketing might be the determining factor which might set a phone or a brand of phones apart, especially if customers have the same perception of 2 brands of phones and are undecided which to choose. Phone marketers can follow Motorola’s lead whereby they produced a red â€Å"razr† phone to promote awareness of aids, which was highly successful. Another important marketing strategy is for the marketer to observe the changing demographic forces and decide which target group they can focus on in order to make the most profits. Quite a few countries in the world are facing an aging population, like Japan, China and Singapore. This might be a good target market to go into, by manufacturing phones which are suited for older people like by having larger screens and more user-friendly buttons. Technological forces are constantly changing, and a good marketer would be able to foresee what kinds of functions people might want in their phones. Marketers might want to research about what form of entertainment is capturing people and cater to these needs. Sony Ericsson realised that music was slowly becoming an integral part of people’s lives, no matter what age and produced the walkman phone series which was highly popular. The path to success and its maintenance depends very much on a phone marketer’s resellers and suppliers, hence phone marketers should engage in tie-ups with them both. A phone marketer’s resellers normally consist of telecommunications companies.  Marketers can offer to sell their phones at a lower price to these companies, and in exchange, persuade them to offer more attractive or cheaper line subscription packages when customers purchase the phones of the marketers’. Marketers should constantly source for more efficient and cheaper suppliers and sign a long-term contract with them. Marketers might also want to consider suppliers based in China or India, as labour in such countries is known to be one of the cheapest, yet efficient, in the world. Lastly, marketers should always keep an eye out for competition and continually check on other phone marketers’ strategies and phone pricing. Marketers should also be aware that competition not only lies with other phone marketers, but in any company that has to do with providing entertainment or convenience to people. For example, Apple is not a phone manufacturer, but it is beginning to slowly capture the phone market due to its iPhone. Phone marketers might want to produce phones which have the capability to rival such phones, or if they are unable to do so run a major advertisement campaign to promote their phones against other rival phones, so as to hopefully mould the public’s thinking into their liking. Alternatively, phone marketers can also liaise with major entertainment companies like Apple or Creative to work together to produce quality phones or gadgets to capture a major share of the phone market.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Literature Review: the Indian Banking System

Literature Review: the Indian Banking System Literature reviews that Indian banking system consist of a larger structure on of financial institutions, Commercial banks, foreign financial institutions. These structural transformations of Indian finance system can be divided into three parts. First, the post independence period (1947-1968). The Reserve bank of India, performed role as a supervisor and controller of finance system. RBI, dominated over all the forms of finance controls in India. In this time RBI, worked on financial stability, credit control, and regulation of interest rates and formation banking structure. The second financial repression, period the movement commenced with the nationalization of banks. This nationalization of commercial banks derives the base for changes in finance and banking system. The result into interest rate regulation and credit programmers deposit and banking working methods etc. The third period known as financial reform and liberalization period. Started in early 90s. In that period gov ernment of India was more likely to more liberalized. The three committee in 1985, vagual in 1987 and the Narasimham committee 1991. The most influential recommendations made by the committee of Narasimham regarding liberalization, consolidation and privatization in banking system. And the government of India started a financial reform era with the financial sector liberalization program. The main aims of financial liberalization program is to regulate the rates of interest, cash reserves and performance financial system consist of financial institute stocks exchanges and banks. It makes liberalization program enhance the importance of banking sector and make it more efficient and competitive. The globalization, deregularisation and privatization system emphasized on Washington consensus. These leads country to simplistic way of transforming system by functioning of market and state owned institutions restructuring. The liberalization program made changes internal economy. It restated more competitive and productive in shorter period. The liberal interest rates and reserve limits of banks resulted into stable and sound borrowing and lending market and monetary policy of government. The bank requires to keep certain amount of reserves to avoid too uncertainty an future due to competitive market another element of banking reforms is stabilization, non performing loan, which burdensome for banks are recapitalized and require standard working environment one of the most effective part is alteration of state owned banks into private sector banks. Under the government controls state owned banks recommends to sell out its public portion to private sector and consume the public pr operty in other economic project which needs more funds and these funds are taken from the privatization of state owned banks. Under the Nationalization act 1969, the largest banks were nationalized with the aim of increase in public deposits. The reason behind the nationalization of banks to grow the economy and bank network expansion. The government of India requires enhancing the economy and serving to prior areas. In 1980, more six banks were nationalized added into public share in banks to keep landing to priories areas. It was material to control on banking system and resulted into increase in priority area landing and five year plans of Indian Government. Moreover, these turned into inefficiency in banking system instead of providing equal distribution of funds. Addition banking system faced problems in 1980s these are the period of unprofitability and inefficiency and in mid 80s creates more limitations on returns and capital and reserves. These leads banks to the unrealistic performance standards. As mention above the 1991 Narasimham committee caters a influencing idea on banking sector reforms whic h idealized on interest rate deregulation, credit services and entry of new banks on Indian market private as well as foreign banks. Before the committee, interest rates were medium of subsidiary between different sectors of economy. Deregulation of interest rates was major part of making reforms that gave growth to financial savings and improve organizational finance system. On the other hands committee recommended total liberalization on deposits rates. In 2004 RBI set only rates for the savings and NRI deposits rates rest of the other deposits banks are free to levy their rates. The last major recommendation of committee was on entry of new banks in Indian market. Before it was a limited authority to the banks to do with interest rates and deposits, there were totally restrictions for new banks entry. Due to liberal view of new banks entry in Indian market seven private and twenty foreign banks started their operations in India after 1990. As per RBI (2004), the liberal aspect of new banks entry improved the quality of operation, risk management, technological changes and competition. In addition, before 1990 public sector bank distorted market system by its non profitability and inefficient management. To recover the stability in market Government inject more funds in 1993 and 1999 to liquidate the government and depositors bear loses through public sector banks. In 1995 SBI act framed partial privatization of public sector banks and SBI was the first bank to get funds in form of equity and become private sector bank. Despite of partial privatization Government decide to increase the private holding up to 49 percentage and to control banking system appointment was made for a public agent to control administrative strategies after all the changes have been made the Indian banking sector covers several changes and explore the improvement effect. In case of privatization of Indian banks there are only interest rates, credit control and deposits rates to know the changes in economy are increase in savings. It predicts the removal of deposit policy in baking will lead to increase in capital availability these can make changes in private sector capital formation. The interest rates make vary forms the fixed deposit rates, lending rates are increased and steadily decline in 1990 which effect on todays market. The Repressioninst policy reduction improves the risk management of banks it is an indication of liquidity. The liberalization treated as an instrument of financial policy reformation of credit rates and statutory lending rates the division of two rates in minimum and maximum can gradually effect the repressive of monetary policy. As the liberalization program aimed to make banks more efficient and productive to compose the efficiency of banking sector based on technical efficiency, scale and scope efficiency called parametr ic and non parametric efficiency. The parametric methods considered banking returns and input like production and profit, cost, revenue to know how effective bank is performing. In Indian traditional economy needed to lift the banking sector through technological changes, global market, economic pressure and bank crisis forced to change in way of doing business in traditional way. It helps in increase in competition at local market by removal of interest rates on current account, deposit rates. More competition enhanced the service of banks in free services, capital formation and mergers. The Indian economy faces various challenges due to privatization. First, the government unable to consider the running of nationalized banks during 1997-1998 crises. In this period government cannot pressure the security holders to disclose their holding and these creates problems in negotiation of foreign bank partners and for debt forgiveness issues. Though state owned banks serves qualitative and respectable task in banking sector. In India, state owned banks only work on remote areas like rural and urban banking. Alternatively some credit unions and financial institutio n also seems, in remote areas state owned banks encourage small and medium enterprises by lending programmers, in crisis time state owned banks has quick time to deal. The cycle time is quicker than private banks some time lack of local infrastructure for finance, government organization only is the way to get hands. These are the way state owned serves public and make quality service against less return against service. Privatization Experience and Issues The privatization in recent years, the way to sell out some states to some financial institutions foreign organization. Other way government directly sell its parts to public in form of equity in stock market. These method might be useful to countries state owned banks because lack of supervision of bank management, another thing is to transparent operations before it privatized, because of they need to know the what they are buying. The bad factor during privatization was bank commercialization and collection of loans. Globalization suggest the more effective completion partially nationalize banks therefore moved to fully privatized in short period for operational efficiency later on the issue arise on reserving some share for state. The share of state in private banks derives the powers to influence the decision making and strategies of banks. The way accepting a state ownership becomes a better option. Mergers and consolidation and efficiency The banking system consists of various institutions in size, ownership, competitive profitability, structure and technology. The relationship between profitability and size of bank is relative, smaller number in having loss making institution and lager organization has very advantage over small organization like return on capital. But smaller banks have good efficiency in work while large organization. Above state bank consolidation is new phenomenon for competition due to entry of foreign banks, privatization and deregulisation. Crises deregulisation and globalization causes increase in the foreign banks in economy, there is no doubt that the region has become more open for foreign has become more open for foreign banks. The foreign bank entries enhance the quality of banking services foreign participation load to foreign international trade and membership of the European union and these will turn domestic banks into foreign banks and assist home country to provide service abroad. As foreign banks came in India, they serving large corporate customers and no service for ruler and small sized organization they are unattended. The risk of pricing is in foreign banking is more likely. If risk was proper than organization have advantage because the foreign banks entry is dangerous because of distribution and a market imperfection reasons. There is a plenty of literature on the bank efficiency but in the developing country it concerns to banking performance on maintenance acquisition and regulation and mergers. There are various hypothesis to measure the efficiency of banks but due to mix results if enable to derive the proper result. Deregulation in various country will goes very well in developing country. The mergers and acquisitions are improves the efficiency. The improvement efficiency is mainly generating higher output than input, revenue than costs. Micro economy theory provides the framework for effective banking, in the developing country due to lack of completion. They started reforming economy with deregulation. Deregulisation give more freedom to banks and thus if increase in bank cost and technical progress of liberalization. The state ownership banks aims to fulfill public aims and government plans. The non economic goals such as provide low rate leading, loans and interest rates stability. It called public owned bank but there is no access for common people to participate in management actions. The collective decision making process lead management to inefficient last the state bank is the support from government and gets benefit to inefficient management. Over the last two decades. Many countries are availing to go with private state owned banks. Privatization is the way of improvement in efficiency. Privatization brought drastic changes in ownership of Indian banking sector from government to private, private and local control to foreign control. Privatization deals in change in corporate field and looking for improvement. Ownership push the organization toward divestment mechanism to improved management structure. Berger argues that the examination of bank efficiency is varied in form of static, dynamic and selective on performance. Even though, bank efficiency is improves any in different structured banks. By Appling a vital concept of bank efficiency gives more detail literature for privatization liberalization affect and foreign institution participation with respect of developing economy and Indian finance system. The financial reforms provide so many improvements in Indian economy. First, improvement In financial structure of banking industry there is more sophisticated and define process carried between intermediate banks and financial institutions. The lowering the statutory-emption had lowered and that turn to provide more finance for commerce in India. The structure of intrest rates become more gradual and independe nt so many banks can provide better loans and landing system makes easy and vast so financial exchange become fast and reliable. To enhance the performance of public sector banks are recapitalized and put some restrictions on management and allow public agents in area of operation so that it become more trustworthy. The micro prudential measure improves the bank working conditions to cope up with international standard practice the result banks improves their working conditions in just 90 days and gave more competitive and safety. The liberalization process gives many good results but it has many drawbacks too. According to world development report , the liberalizations in order to count the risk as a market reforms whereas the financial conditions are differ from the expected. The crisis of 1992 many banks were affected and these resilience filled by the government in sense of pouring money in deficits. The reforms brought technological changes in banking sector many new foreign ba nks had fast network of working and technology, network payments, electronic transfers these turns into best banking practice developed.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Economic Impact of Pollution: Article Analysis

Economic Impact of Pollution: Article Analysis Luis Andre Talavera Nunez CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC ANALYSIS An analysis of Peter Cai’s article: â€Å"Iron ore the victim in Beijings smog crackdown in the Business† Published the 26th of February – 2015 in the website businessspectator.com.au EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Peter Cai’s article analyses the economic impact of the pollution produced by the steel factories in China and their repercussion in the steel market and the iron ore prices. The article takes as an example the city of Hebei, one of the most important steel producer centres of China, which suffers one of the most critical pollution levels of its history. The province’s strategic location close to Beijing, the Chinese capital is a contributor factor to the increment of smog in the metropolitan area. The social pressure that arises from this issue is forcing the government to take drastic decisions with potential socio-economic impacts. New environmental standards were created in order to regulate the emissions. The new policies have the power to shut down any factory that does not meet the minimum standards. This is creating a lot of pressure on the industry and forcing the steel makers to reduce output and, in some cases, to update their assets. This new policies come in line with the Chinese economy slow down and the reduction of demand for the steel and its main resource, the iron ore. This has generated a crisis in the steel manufacturing industry that has seen a reduction of revenue and an increase of the operational cost in the last year. There is a potential risk of massive plants shut downs due to an important number of the steel makers won’t be able to afford the high cost that an update represents. This is also a consequence of poor government regulations during the economic boom that did not stimulate the companies to reinvest the capital in new and cleaner technologies when the revenue was higher. The social pressure has forced the government to take strong policies orientated to reduce the steel production capacity with the aim to minimize and control the toxic emissions. This represents a massive economic impact for the government which will be affected by lower tax revenue and potential increase of unemployment. INTRODUCTION The Hebei province, well known as the biggest steel producer in China and the second worldwide, contributor of the 22.5 percent of the national steel output is facing a critical time. The reports demonstrate a fall of 0.6 percent from the total steel production in 2014 in comparison to the 2013 figures and China’s total production is expected to drop 1.07% to 814 million tonnes by 2015. (Stanway, 2015; the Australian, 2015). The main reason for this crisis is the reduction in demand for the Chinese market and the new environmental policies that restrict the operation of plants that exceed the new emission standards (Li 2013). This environmental issue has situated the province within the top 10 most contaminated cities in China and has been affected people’s health critically reducing life expectancy by five years (Cai P., 2015; Stanway, 2015). As a consequence, there is a strong social pressure that request fast solutions to a problem that seems not to have a sustainabl e solution in the short term. This article address the following issues: The economic impact of the reduction of steel production’s output in the province of Hebei and its repercussion on the steel and iron prices in the short and medium term. The impact of the new environmental policies that force the shutdown of steel’s factories that don’t meet the minimum emission standards. Reduction in the demand of steel, impact on the government revenue and increment in the unemployment rate. ECONOMIC THEORIES One of the most important parts of the article is the dynamic of the Chinese steel market and its influence in the iron global supply. In the last decade the Chinese demand and supply for steel have been growing consistently driven by the strong urbanization process (World Steel Association 2014). However, this figure is changing rapidly due to China’s growth slowdown and a shift towards an economic model orientated to consumption and less steel dependent. The performance indicators demonstrate that the Chinese steel markets not in shape (Serapio. 2014), face serious issues related to competitiveness, productivity, efficient logistics, infrastructure and technology. The chart below explains the relation between Supply and Demand during the last 7 years and the reduction in market growth as result of the deceleration. Figure 1 – Source: EYGM Limited. 2014. The effect of the reduction in steel demand has been reflected in lower steel prices as result of the existing excess of the capacity. The steel producers have no other option than become more competitive, orientating their efforts to improve productivity and reduce costs in order to maximize the profits. According Agrawal (EYGM Limited. 2014), this highly competitive scenario will lead to a flatter marginal cost curve along the productive sector, reducing the breach between the competitors. This means that any fluctuation in the market variables will affect most of the participants evenly. THE PARTICIPATION OF THE GOVERNMENT What is the position of the government? The Chinese government is facing two major issues. According Elliott (EYGM Limited. 2015), the two major contributor factors are the critical contamination levels in most of the major cities around the country as product of the poor regulation policy to the steel market and the socio economic pressure to maintain an industry that provides generous tax income and maintain low unemployment levels. As result of social pressure the government decided to apply new regulation policies with the aim to reduce the actual steel production capacity. The new industrial emission standards give the government the tools to shut down the plants that don’t meet the new environmental requirements (Jiabao, Li. 2013). The article mentions that the pollution reduction technologies are expensive and under the current steel prices and many of the current steel producers are not going to be able to afford the investment. This exemplifies a clear normative economic, where the government identify a problem and prescribe solutions based on facts. Un-employment is an additional impact that has to be managed by the government. According Cai’s article, â€Å"the new industrial policy could cost 200,000 direct jobs as well as another 400,000 indirect positions†. In the short term the chances of a rapid migration towards a cleaner and environmental friendly industry are almost impossible due to the economic situation that the China is facing at the moment.. Here is where the government must evaluate different tools like tax incentives in order to stimulate the migration to cleaner industries in the medium term. One fact that was not mentioned in the article is that the government possesses participation in some factories; these factories receive incentives that allow them to operate even in loss with the aim to maintain levels of employment. This creates a clear dead weight loss for the government (EYGM Limited. 2014). The government subsidies are illustrated in the graph below: Figure 2 – Deadweight loss of government subsidy in the steel market. P1 is the original market price for the steel and Q1 is the original demand. Pc is the price that the consumer pays after the subsidy whilst Ps is the real price including the subsidy. Qs is the quantity of steel produced as result of the subsidy, this represent inefficient production. The area highlighted in red represents the deadweight loss to that the society pays as product of the government subsidy. CONCLUSION Cai’s article highlights the complex situation that the Chinese steel market is facing these days, as well as, the economic, environmental and social repercussion of its reduction capacity and the roll of the government in the market regulation. The article makes reference to production figures that can be easily tracked and verified in diverse economic reports. There are two points that the article doesn’t cover in deep. The subsidies of the government to some steel makers and how this affects the supply and the effect of the Iron Ore price fluctuations in the Chinese steel market. It’s clear that the social pressure is changing the traditional political Chinese scenario, characterized by their authoritarian decision making at the moment to approve and put in practice government interest policies. The demand for a better air quality reflects a new scenario where the politicians are willing to listen and negotiate. The short term solution of shutting down factories that don’t meet the environmental standards is only a policy that can alleviate the current contamination but does not provide a sustainable solution to the underlying problems: Maintain the competitiveness of Chinese market under optimal environmental standards. Reduce unemployment and also guarantee the resources that the country required to continue growing sustainably. The priority in a long term is to promote the development of more environmental friendly industries that can produce the high end products that China will require in the future. However, this is a big risk considering the investment and time required to transform an industry that has been considered one of the most traditional and important in China. REFERENCES Cai, P. (2015). â€Å"Iron ore the victim in Beijing’s smog crackdown†. Business spectator. Retrieved from http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2015/2/26/china/iron-ore-victim-beijings-smog-crackdown. EY Limited (2014). â€Å"Global steel 2014, planning to profit from opportunity: preparing for future demand†. Retrieved from http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY_-_Global_steel_2014/$FILE/EY-Global-steel-2014.pdf The Australian (2015). â€Å"China’s steel production to fall†. Retrieved from: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/mining-energy/chinas-steel-production-to-fall/story-e6frg9df-1227208363291 Serapio, Manolo. 2014 â€Å"China steel demand shrinks for first time in 14 years as slowdown stings†Ã‚  http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/25/us-china-steel-idUSKCN0HK0Z320140925 Stanway, David. 2015. â€Å"Steel output dips 0.6 pct in Chinas Hebei in 2014†Ã‚  http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/26/china-steel-hebei-idUSL4N0V51DK20150126 World Steel Association. 2014. â€Å"World Steel in figures 2014†Ã‚  http://www.worldsteel.org/dms/internetDocumentList/bookshop/World-Steel-in-Figures-2014/document/World%20Steel%20in%20Figures%202014%20Final.pdf EYGM Limited. 2015. â€Å"Global steel 2014 Planning to profi t from opportunity: preparing for future demand†Ã‚  http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY_-_Global_steel_2014/$FILE/EY-Global-steel-2014.pdf Jiabao, Li. 2013 â€Å"Plant shutdowns likely as emission standards kick in†Ã‚  http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2013-03/15/content_16310734.htm American Economic Review. 1997  http://www.swlearning.com/ibc/hall/pdf/CH1a_hl.pdf

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Operant Conditioning in Psychology Essays -- science

Operant Conditioning in Psychology An Example of Operant Conditioning As a student at USC, one can assume that I’ve always taken schoolwork seriously and may even infer that I partake a considerable degree of enjoyment from it, which is by all means an accurate assumption. However, in my early childhood I was often characterized as unruly, uncooperative and impulsive in nature. At that age I had been more interested in social endeavors more so than anything relating to studying or doing schoolwork. It was always a negative issue when I brought it up in a conversation, and that assumption was reinforced through subsequent agreement amongst my peers. Coupled with negative criticism from my teachers of the purported â€Å"attitude† I had in regards to school and my elders, the environment in which I was situated made me all the more indifferent towards academics in general. Instead of studying after school, I would spend most of my time watching TV at home or playing with friends before walking home. At that point in my life my father and mo ther had been pursuing their careers in bio-medical engineering and audiology respectively, so I did not receive as much encouragement or parental monitoring as many of my friends did: In fact my dad would often leave home for weeks at a time to make presentations in other countries about the advancements in biomedical engineering concerning his specialized field and my mom would come back from work in the early evening. The only immediate source of encouragement came from my grandparents who were living with us at the time. Yet because they could only speak Spanish and knew so little about schools in general, they were unable to really help me out with any problems that I would have. One day my parents, after reviewing my report card with another assortment of â€Å"unsatisfactory† grades, decided to take two steps to try and encourage me to get better grades. The first was a transfer to a different school, and the second was a little system they set up: For every â€Å"A† I received on my next progress report I would receive $15 and for every â€Å"B† $5. While I was upset because I would not get to see any of my old friends at the new school, the second part surprised me a little. The fact that the prospective cash out for grabs was an enormous amount for a 7 year made me anticipate all the things I could do with that money. Even ... ...ivation declines which translates to harder work while the reward is in place and conversely to a lower frequency of work when the reward is withdrawn. I must also point that something interesting happened as soon as the material reward was withdrawn and replaced with praise: The act of studying and finalizing my homework then became an intrinsic motivation as my association of it with forced work changed to one of enjoyment, which was reinforced by my success academically. Final Word: Conclusion From then on I began to observe those who were likewise excelling in academics and began to imitate them. What probably drove me was a strong sense of self-efficacy or my perception that I could perform as successfully as they were. This self-efficacy persists to this day, where I now have a strong need for self-actualization, or the need to achieve my full potential. In recent years I have also learned of both self-reinforcement and self-punishment, and how to associate the motivation behind my academic progress not extrinsically as most people do, but intrinsically, something that I am doing just for the sake of doing it. This way I can derive the most from my college experience.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Smallpox Viruses Essay -- Smallpox Viruses

For approximately three-thousand years, smallpox has ravaged and plagued the four corners of the globe. In fact, in the 17 th and 18 th centuries, it was claimed to be the most infectious disease in the West, with an astounding 90% mortality rate in America. It wasn't until 1796, with English surgeon Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccination, that the world saw relief from this devastating virus. However, even with this inoculation in use, the world continued to witness death from both the virus and the vaccine. In the year 1966, it was estimated that 10-15 million infected citizens world wide had passed away from smallpox that year alone ( â€Å"History† 12). As a result of these devastating numbers, in the following year, 1967, the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) created a program to eradicate the smallpox virus. Ten years later, in 1977, the estimated 10-15 million cases had dwindled down to one; a man in Somalia. Three years later, W.H.O. officially announced that smallpox h ad been eradicated, leaving the only remaining virus cultures stored and guarded in laboratories in Russia and the United States. Inoculations ceased, smallpox epidemics were non-existent, and the virus was no longer a concern. In order to ensure complete eradication of this deadly virus, the W.H.O. insisted that the remaining smallpox cultures be destroyed by 1999 ( â€Å"Smallpox Eradication† 2). However, despite the W.H.O.'s recommendation, the remaining cultures continue to be contained and protected to this day, five years after the suggested date of elimination. As a direct result, a world-wide debate has raged on for nearly the past decade posing the question of smallpox eradication. If small pox were to be eradicated as originally suggested, the safe and only remaining known cultures would be wiped out. However, not knowing what countries may illegally hold this virus, the world as a whole would be vulnerable to bioterrorist attacks using smallpox. Lacking the virus to create inoculations, it will be virtually impossible to vaccinate the public or quarantine an outbreak. Likewise, if the virus cultures are kept, there is a possibility that enemies could obtain it to use against other countries at their leisure. However, because it is impossible to identify countries that are harboring the virus in order to take action to eradicate it, eliminating the only protection the world has again... ...6 Nov. 2014 Mahler, Halfdan. â€Å"Smallpox and its Eradication.† 2008. Communicable Disease Surveillance and Response. 4 Nov. 2014 McCrary, Van. â€Å"Smallpox and Bioterrorism: A Growing Threat.† 3 Aug. 1999. 6 Nov. 2014 Preston, Richard. â€Å"A Demon in the Freezer.† 17 July 2012. 8 Nov. 2014 â€Å"Smallpox and Bioterrorism† 6 June 2001. Center for Disease Control. 4 Nov. 2014. â€Å"Smallpox Eradication: Destrcution of the Variola Virus Stocks.† 15 April 2009. World Health Organization. 15 Nov. 2014 Updated Interim CDC Guidance for Use of Smallpox Vaccine, Cidofovir, and Vaccinia Immune Globulin (VIG) for Prevention and Treatment in the Setting of an Outbreak of Monkeypox Infections.† 25 June 2013. Center for Disease Control 20 Nov. 2014.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Psychoeducational Group Leadership: Mindfulness of Breathing Essay

In forming a psychoeducational group, it is vital to determine what kind of information may be needed by the participants. Psychoeducational groups are performed for people who are more mentally balanced and are simply seeking deeper knowledge on a certain theme related to psychological health. A good topic for discussion in many cases is the theory and technique of mindfulness of breathing. Being mindful of how one breathes is often a good indicator in the present moment of how stressed or how calm a person is (Yalom, 2006). When a person is able to self regulate one’s breathing, making sure that the breaths are slow and deep enough, then a person is aware of how situational occurrences affect one’s state of being. This paper takes a look at the case of a psychoeducational group which was formed with the intention of educating group members about the importance of mindfulness of breathing. Group Dynamics This psychoeducational group was formed by the participation of six voluntary group members who were invited to participate in a 30 minute session about the importance of mindfulness of breathing. The initial stage of the group consisted of a warm up activity where people greeted and introduced themselves to one another, followed by a short overview by the group leader regarding the importance of mindfulness of breathing and its connection to increased relaxation and decreased stress. The working phase of the group is where group members opened up to one another about certain stressful situations which occur in life and how their breathing correlated to these situations. Group members practiced being aware of their own breathing and being able to control the breath’s depth and speed. The final stage of the group is when group members affirmed their experience of working together, being thankful that they had the chance to learn something new, communicate with one another, and practice something useful for their personal health. Personal Reflection It is interesting to reflect on what it was like for me to lead this psychoeducational group about mindfulness of breathing, as this is an important element of my own personal ability to self regulate stress. I was excited to sit with the group members, to introduce myself and speak about the healthful benefits of good breathing patterns which produce happy alpha brain waves. The working stage of the group was especially interesting, in that people were relaxed enough to open up about their own personal lives and experiences and to practice slow and deep breathing with one another. The final stage of the group was also successful, in that people had a few minutes to be openly thankful for the group experience and their newfound knowledge. Although it seems like there should be something to say about how the group could have been run better, I am honestly proud to say that the group ran especially smoothly, with the right amount of time spent in each area and the right amount of educational information disseminated in interesting ways. The group members were able to bond with me and with each other, which makes me feel as if this group was led with great success. Conclusion In forming a psychoeducational group, it is important to consider the needs of the participants as well as the focus of topic and organizational structure of the group. The beginning initial stage and ending final stage of the group are usually more structured and planned, with the working stage of the group being more in the hands of the participants (Corey, Corey, & Corey, 2010). In any case, it is vital that the group is formed in a true spirit of goodwill, so that the group participants feel safe and comfortable and are able to open up to the group process. References Corey, M. S. , Corey, G. , & Corey, C. (2010). Groups: Process and practice (8th ed. ). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Yalom, I. (2006). The Schopenhauer cure. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Rights and Responsibilities

When I think of America, I think of freedom and citizenship. The right to vote, or the right to freely speak are things that we, as citizens, posses. We as citizens have rights, and then we have responsibilites. Citizens are expected to know and understand the rules that the government has presented to us, and abide by these rules for our freedom. In 1791, the Constitution of the United States was amended and we were given the ten amendments, which is also known as the Bill of Rights, to protect our freedoms. The Bill of Rights is a list of the rights citizens have and value. The purpose of the bill is to protext against any infringement from the government, so the citizens can live in a free nation and have control over their communities and lives. As citizens we should know what the government is doing and to voice your opinion when we feel strongly about something the government has done or has failed to do. Being informed also means knowing your rights and exercising them when you feel it is necessary. Voting is one of your most important responsibilities as a citizen. By doing so you exercise your right of self-government. When you vote you are choosing the people that are going to run our government. Taking the responsibility to vote ensures that leadership is changed in an orderly manner. Another responsibility we as Americans have is to participate in the community and govrnment, if we had no one to run our country it would be pretty caotic, and if no one would ever speak out, no problems in the community would get solved. If we have people involved in the community its more likely to be well run. To enjoy your rights to the fullest, you must be prepared to respect other people's rights as well. For example, as a hairdresser, you are taught to only ask certain questions so that way you don't offend anyone. Of if you live in an area with a lot of neighbors, be respectful and keep the volume on your television down, or on your stereo. You should expect they would do the same for you. Also you have the responsibility to show respect to the public, and the publics property. For example, a lot of kids write on the picnic tables at the beach, and that is vandalism, they have yet to be caught so they haven't learned but thats disrespectful to the other people that come to sit there and eat. Especially when they write or draw innapropriate things.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Nefertiti

The existence of the Egyptian queen Nefertiti could be dated back to fourteenth century BCE, 18th Dynasty. Nefertiti is the chief wife of the pharaoh, Amenhotep IV and she is most well-known for her emergence in Egyptian art, particularly the prominent bust which was located in 1912 at Amarna, aside from that she is also well-known for the role she most likely played in the religious rebellion focusing on monotheistic worship of Aten. Aten, on the other hand is also a well-known Egyptian sun disk. Amenhotep IV made use of the name Akhenaten when he took charge of the religious rebellion which situated Aten as the main focus of their worship. Art during that period illustrates a closely knitted family relationship with the royal family. These arts are illustrated in a naturalistic, individualistic, and informal manner, and it comprises of Nefertiti, her husband and their six children. Most representations of the Egyptian queen, Nefertiti also showed her as taking an active part in the Aten cult. Approximately, fourteen years later, Nefertiti suddenly vanished from the public’s eye and Amenhotep IV was succeeded to the throne by Smenkhkhare, often depicted as his son-in-law. One speculation regarding the sudden disappearance of queen Nefertiti is that she took on a male identity and governed under the name Smenkhkhare, another hypothesis is that she was killed as a piece of the come back to the customary Egyptian religious traditions, there are however, also some speculations that she died a natural death (Akhet Egyptology, 2007). Nefertiti’s origin is very debatable in that no one knows exactly where she came from, and up to now, it is still argued over by archaeologists and historians alike. There is a probability that she is a foreign princess or the child of a former pharaoh, Amenhotep III which all opened the possibility that Amenhotep IV may not actually be the son of the pharaoh, Amenhotep III, or even that they are married in spite of the fact that Nefertiti may have been Akhentaten’s half-sister (since it is only natural and customary in Egypt to marry half-brothers and sisters). However, there are also possibilities that she is not of a noble or royal blood and that she is the child of Ay (brother of Amenhotep III’s wife). Ay, in turn, is at times referred to as â€Å"the God’s father†, therefore implying the possibility that Ay is Akhenaten’s father-in-law, although there had not been, up to this point in time, no precise references which could be used to back up this particular declaration. Mutnojme, Nefertiti’s sister, on the other hand is presented outstandingly in the adornments in Ay’s tomb, yet, one could not just deduct that Mutnojme and Nefertiti is already Ay’s daughters, since Mutnojme’s presence on Ay’s tomb alone could not be sufficient evidence of their relationship to one another. There are also some speculations of Nefertiti being an heiress, and it opens the possibility that she may be a progeny of ahmose-Nefertari, although she was never really depicted as God’s wife Amun, on the other hand, Nefertiti never claimed to be the offspring of a pharaoh, and from that one could be certain that Nefertiti is not on the direct line of descent even if it so happened that she is indeed a child of the Pharaoh Amenhotep III. Also, there are speculations that even if Nefertiti is truly an offspring of ay, it is highly probable that she is not the daughter of Ay’s chief wife, and that her mother met an early death which left her to the care of Tey. On the other hand, there are still a great deal of claims in regard to her origin which only proves how debatable her exact origin really is (Lewis, 2007). Nefertiti is most celebrated in the ancient times because of her exceptional beauty, and she is ranked, up to this point in time, among the most famous Egyptian queens. The renowned sculpture of Queen Nefertiti, which had been found in a sculptor’s workshop in Akhenaten, is considered as one of the most instantly identifiable images from Nefertiti’s time. It has diverted the excesses which could be found on the Armana artistic style, and it also endured the extensive obliteration wrought by Akhenaten’s memorials after his demise (Drake, 2007). It appears that Queen Nefertiti have taken up till now unparalleled height of magnitude in the Amarna age art. As could be seen from one of her statues in Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, Nifertiti is usually depicted making some kinds of presents or offerings to the sun god, Aten, and it is even assumed that she equaled her husband’s fame. Fact is, there are even speculations that Queen Nefertiti’s fame far surpasses that of her husband. It is even speculated that even in the ancient time, her exceptional beauty was widely renowned, and her celebrated statue (the one mentioned earlier which was found in an artists’ workshop), is not simply a renowned and most identifiable icon in all Egypt, rather, it is also a subject of a great deal of debate. In response to those who think that the only thing which made Nefertiti famous is her exceptional beauty, they ought to know that there is more to this Egyptian queen than meets the eye especially since it appears that up to this point in time, she have an unmatched rank of importance in the Amarna era in the eighteenth dynasty. In numerous work of arts, Nefertiti’s rank is obvious and it denotes that her influence may have equaled, if not surpassed, that of Amenhotep IV. For an instance, Nefertiti is represented almost twice as often as Amenhotep IV, at any rate, during the 1st five years of her husband’s period in office. Definitely, Nefertiti is once even portrayed in the traditional stance of a pharaoh cutting his adversary. As was the case with her husband, there is also no suggestion or traces of her mummy, some jewels which bears her symbols were located at the royal tomb at Akhenaten. However, there is no real proof or confirmation that Nifertiti was even buried in Akhenaten. According to some existing accounts, it is probable that she fell from favor from her husband or she met her end during her husband’s time in power. In any case, it is probable that her burial had been held anywhere but Akhenaten’s. As was already mentioned earlier, Nefertiti is the chief royal wife of Amenhotep IV and they have had six offsprings (all of which are females). However, there are claims that it was in all probability, with Amnhotep’s another wife, Kiya, that he was able to father his would successors to his throne. His successors had been Smenkhkare and Tutankhamun. Aside from Kiya, Amenhotep IV have two other wives namely, Mekytaten and Ankhesenpaaten, there are even conjectures that Merytaten (possibly one of Nefertiti’s daughters) was also a wife of Amenhotep IV. Indisputably, Amenhotep IV really loved his chief wife, Nefertiti in that Nefertiti and Amenhotep IV had been always together on the first reliefs, most of which depicted the royal family in a affectionate, loving and about an almost perfect masterpieces. From time to time, the pharaoh could be seen riding with Nefertiti in a chariot or the pharaoh kissing his chief wife in public, or with Nefertiti sitting on his husband’s lap. One of the eulogies even declared Nefertiti as: â€Å"the Heiress, Great in the Palace, Fair of Face, Adorned with the Double Plumes, Mistress of Happiness, Endowed with Favors, at hearing whose voice the King rejoices, the Chief Wife of the King, his beloved, the Lady of the Two Lands, Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti, May she live for Ever and Always† (Dunn, 2005). Remarkably significant to Amenhotep IV was Femininity which was not simply essential in his personal life, but to his thoughts, philosophies, and convictions as well, as a matter of fact, it is definitely hard to find another founder of a religion on which females have had a similar functions as that of the male of the species. Amenhotep IV had a great number of women which surrounds him (this is evident by the sheer number of his wives), and they are all portrayed in nearly every appearances of a cult ritual performed by the pharaoh at his new capital as a tribute to Aten which proves that Amenhotep IV treated all of his wives in a respectful manner. Each and every one of Amenhotep IV’s wives was given their very own refuge, which were usually referred to as the sunshade temple. They were often positioned in parkland surroundings of plants as well as water pools, all of which gave emphasis to the significance of these women in the every day restitution of creation impinged on by Aten. Nevertheless it was the image of Queen Nefertiti that Amenhotep IV had fashioned on the four corners of his granite tomb and it was also Nefertiti who presented the fortification to Amenhotep IV’s mummy, a position customarily played by the Egyptian goddesses Isis, Selket, an Neith. One thing which may have greatly influenced the royal couple’s relationship was the presence of the pharaoh’s mother Tiye. It is surmised that Tiye holds an important and very exclusive role in Amenhotep IV’s court, and one could only deduce that this may have had affected the relationship of the royal couple. Tiye, as the â€Å"wise woman† of El Amarna was often portrayed in such a way which indicate her old age as well as her life experiences and wisdom which generates awe, reverence, great regard from every one (Yakutchik, 2007). One could then surmise that the wrinkles or the carvings which indicates old age in Tiye’s face also indicates her position as a â€Å"wise woman† whose wisdom she derived through her so many experiences in life. It was basically this reason why when Nefertiti’s face was also depicted in such a way which also signals old age, one could only conclude that by that time, the queen Nefertiti also attained the wisdom Tiye had through her many experiences on Earth. Most of this depictions occurred after Tiye’s death which made some conclude that Nefertiti is the successor of the â€Å"wise woman†. This in turn, brought Nefertiti’s position in court a higher status. Queen Nefertiti is probably best known for the painted limestone bust which portrays her, a large number of people regard it as one of the greatest masterpiece there is in the pre-contemporary world. This bust is at times called the Berlin bust and it had been recently subjected into a great deal of controversy. For so many years, this particular bust had been the most renowned display in Berlin’s Egyptian Museum, drawing an immense number of foreigners because of its sheer beauty and history and defying every endeavor at repatriation (Tyldesley, 1999). However, a conceptual work of art which involves the Berlin bust and the body of an inadequately dressed female incited a great deal of indignation and anger in Nefertiti’s motherland, along with the allegation that Nefertiti is no longer protected in Berlin, this particular depiction of Nefertiti in an insufficient outfit was made by Little Warsaw. This caused so much outrage, particularly in the part of the Egyptian officials for numerous reasons. One ought to take note of the fact that Egypt is a very conservative country and the putting of the queen’s head to a scantily clad figure is nothing short of an insult to the Egyptians not to mention the fact that such exhibit may cause considerable damage to the bust (Dunn, 2005). Another controversy and the more recent of the two was the probability that Nefertiti’s mummy had at last been located. Joanne Fletcher, a well-known mummification expert from the University of York, declared the likelihood that Nefertiti’s mummy may at last been discovered. Fletcher pointed out some clues in support of her claim such as the shaven head on which, according to her is needed in order for the crown to fit. However, in spite of this all there are still some debates on whether the mummy was indeed Queen Nefertiti’s or not. As could be seen, the life of the beautiful and interesting queen Nefertiti is indeed full of controversies and there is a huge probability that things would forever remain as such. One could only hope that there would come a time that a light would be shed to some interesting issues which surrounds the queen and that we would at last be able to ascertain the things which had been linked to her life as well as the issues which surrounds her decades later after her death. Works Cited Akhet Egyptology. â€Å"Nefertiti†. (2007). Drake, Nick. Nefertiti: The Book of the Dead. Harper Collins, 2007. Dunn, Jimmy. â€Å"Feature Story Queen Nefertiti.† (2005). . Lewis, Jone Johnson. â€Å"Nefertiti†. (2007). . Tyldesley, Joyce A. Nefertiti: Egypt’s Sun Queen. Penguin Books Ltd; New Ed edition, 1999. Yakutchik, Maryalice. â€Å"Who Was Nefertiti?† (2007).         

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Pelts computerized sales and inventory system Essay

Pelts Corporation is a company that sells clothes for men, women, and children. They also have a wide variety of fashion accessories; they also have shoes, bags and eyewear. The company has two branches here in Bacolod, one is located in Lacson St. Corner B.S. Aquino drive and the other is inside the Robinson’s Mall Bacolod. The Pelts Corporation is still using the old software that is similar to the FoxPro MS Dos with barcode feature. That is why we came to a point to propose a new system that can help make their work easier and efficient. We want to change their Physical Count Inventory System to a Computerized Sales & Inventory System for easier and fast workflow, and can help improve their work like their growth as a company. Purpose & Description Pelts Computerized Sales & Inventory System has the following features: The Sales System this where the main transactions like the sales through cash, credit cards, Pelts Cards & check payments are being recorded. This system also helps them know the real-time transactions and helps them monitor their income if there is growth in the business. The Inventory System is the one tracking the incoming and outgoing stocks and the recorded and real-time stocks of the Company. Our team decided to combine the two separate systems into one for them to track real-time deficiency on both the sales and the inventory of their stocks. General Objective The General Objective of this proposal is to improve the existing system of Pelts Corporation through a computerized Sales & Inventory System. Specifically this proposal is to address the following: To develop a database that focuses on recording all units & items delivered to the company which is part of the Inventory System. To improve their Fox  Pro MS Dos software to a Visual Basic Software. To improve their archival system since both sales and inventory system are combined and is computerized there will be less paper works and hard copy of the files can be minimized in the warehouse facility. Scope & Limitation The proposed system will allow access that only authorized personnel can use thus it will have a Login feature for security. The system can generate a report to the files and records on the specific data and categories they require. The Computerized Sales and Inventory system can access the current rates, the cash and debit cards sales, credit cards and check charge, gift check conditional, payments, returns and memo. It can also access the gross sales total of the old and new brands. The Pelts Computerized Sales and Inventory system will update every year. The update will separate the old and the new records to avoid the files to overlap with one another. Limitations The system will also have minor limitations one of them is the storehouse of records that the system can handle a maximum of 50,000 data that can be stored and accessed since we use the Microsoft Office Access to store the data. The second is the system can inventory the credit line transactions but we cannot store it in the records since there is a different system that handles the recording in the condition of the mode of payment.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Law essaies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

Law essaies - Essay Example Wales Ltd enters an appearance and raises the defence of â€Å"force majeure.† Does its appearance confer jurisdiction to the courts of Athens? (5) Black Horse Traders Ltd obtained a judgement against Wales Ltd in Portugal and enforced the judgment in England. The judgment was, however, rendered in default of appearance of Wales Ltd. Advise Wales Ltd. 1. In addition to determining the competent court hearing lawsuit, we have to know which, if any, international jurisdiction entitlements shall apply. Based on the facts of the case the Brussels I Regulation is certainly applicable. The reason being that The Brussels I Regulation concerns commercial matters 1(contract of sales of goods) and also contains an International element since the case concerns purchase and transport within different states of the United Kingdom, Greece, Italy and Portugal, and all states are member states in Brussels I Regulation2. The United Kingdom is where Wales, Ltd. is registered as well as Black Horse Traders, Ltd. Wales. Ltd lists Greece as their principal place of business and Italy is where their central administration office is located and finally Portugal is where the goods had been delivered3. Under Article 2.1 â€Å"Subject to this Regulation, persons domiciled in a Member State shall, whatever their nationality, be sued in the courts of that Member State.†4 This article relates to the particular the individual person and infers that any person can sue if the defendant may be domiciled in a member state in Brussels I Regulation. This was clear in Grupo Torras SA and Torras SA and Torras Hostench London Ltd5. However, in Article 60.1 â€Å"for the purposes of this Regulation, a company or other legal person or association of natural or legal persons is domiciled at the place where it has its: And further, 60.2 â€Å" for the purposes of the United Kingdom and Ireland ‘statutory seat’ means the registered office or, where there is no

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Ethics Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Ethics - Case Study Example It will also eradicate corruption and many other wrong doings. The pressure could be in the working conditions or the way the employees are treated by the management. The benefit of coming up with this system is that it will be able to protect the integrity of the organization no matter how small it is. These hotlines are good. As they are currently referred to as a whistleblower, because of how one can tell of their problem without fear. This is because of the fact that they are able to discuss anything without the fear of retaliating. For example if there is bad leadership in the firm the people will speak out without the fear of being sacked. The firm should change the leadership style and come up with exactly what people need. Through this, the employees will always be proud of what they do. The employees should always be updated on the progress of the company. This is to ensure that they can be able to have an open chance of contributing to what is going on in the organization. Having this system is ethical because we go by the culture of the firm and follow the ideas of the employees. It creates a feeling of patriotism in the firm. It also motivates the employees to work hard and boosts their self-morale because they are able to participate in the managerial ideas. It makes them become the best and give the best they have for the firm. On top of all these the employees should be taught on their code of conduct while dealing with the hotline. This is to avoid lack of respect to the system. This is not for discouraging the employees from expressing their ideas or complains (Boehme 2). It will help them conquer the fatigue caused when the employers start being unrealistic in their hotlines. It helps them remain in the context of what has really brought them to work. The organization should make sure that they implement the ideas which are raised by their employee. This will motivate them to use

The Definition of Racism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Definition of Racism - Essay Example Racism can be direct, indirect, individual or institutional. Racial discrimination does occur on relation to the differences in the racial differences, location of descent or colour. Sometimes a policy may be brought into effect with a notion of treating all the people equally, but in some way have a negative impact to a minor group. In institutions, racism may be evident in terms of marginalisation of minor groups in access of services such as education, health care and other resources. The racist behaviour may present in diverse ways such as physical assault such as rape. Verbal abuse may ensue, such as threats, intense propaganda, ridicules and gender stereotypes (Fredrickson, 2011). Racist verbal propaganda, which may arise, include symbols, graffiti and signs. A few people may fail to cooperate with the existence rule of law. While racism remains a critical issue and problem in the society, every individual has a role to play to counteract the effects of racism. Everyone ought to bear responsibility to reverse the racism trends. In essence, racism is a great hindrance to development. All and sundry should join hands in unison to curb it (Fluehr-Lobban,

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Identifying the political or social orientation of a viewpoint Research Paper

Identifying the political or social orientation of a viewpoint - Research Paper Example Griffin as well as Mr. Block. President Obama based his recess appointments on or pro United States Constitution. The same constitution’s article II provision states the United States President has the constitutional power to appoint individuals to fill vacancies during the Senate’s recess. In fact, the same article affirms former United States President G. W. Bush appointed 171 individuals when the Senate was in recess to fill up the prevailing vacancies. In the same manner, former United States President B. Clinton appointed 139 individuals during the Senate’s recess to fill up current vacancies. The same article shows former United States President A. Johnson had appointed 14 individuals under the classification of recess appointments during his term. Under the bandwagon logic, if the prior presidents were legally allowed to appoint individuals during the Senate Recess. The recess appointments avoided the confirmation or disapproval of our assigned United States Senators during the grueli ng and tension-filled appointment scrutiny meetings (Rainbolt, 2014). The pro argument has its own set of strengths. First, the first premise is true. Our United States Constitution allows the President to appoint his preferred individuals to work in government departments. Second, the second premise affirms that United States President, to the best of his knowledge, felt he did not violate any law. The president innocently felt that the appointments of the three individuals correctly done because the senators were in recess, Christmas recess (Hughes, 2004). The pro argument has its weaknesses. First, the first premise is grounded on the general rule. The general statement dictates that the United States president can appoint individuals during the Senate recess. However, there is an exception. The Federal Court affirmed that recess appointments are allowed only during the formal or official senate recesses. The Federal court

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Read the requirement carefully Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Read the requirement carefully - Essay Example The difference in the products and the way in which firms compete is also discussed. The assumptions that hold for the perfect market are also explained and highlighted. A perfectly competitive market is the one in which the market forces work without any hindrance. This means that the demand and supply interact to determine the price which is accepted by all the other firms. This market is only a theoretical one based on assumptions and it tells us that how a markets should respond to the changes in demand and supply. The perfect market is nonexistent in our real world like all the other perfect things but it is important to understand it. This is because the perfect market structure can be used to compare the other markets and their responses to changes in different situations. (Goshit & Mai-Lafia, 2009) Firstly, let us consider the case of equilibrium in a perfect market. The supply and demand will become equal at some point and that point will be considered as the equilibrium poi nt of the market. The following drawing shows a perfect market at equilibrium. The forces of supply and demand fix the price at $5. (Goshit & Mai-Lafia, 2009) Now, like all the other markets, the perfect markets also faces demand and supply shocks to which it reacts accordingly. Mostly the market responds to changes in demand as the consumer is considered sovereign. Let us now consider the case where the consumer demand increases. This may be due to any reason but let us suppose that it is due to an increase in the price of a substitute. The market will shift accordingly. The following drawing shows how. (Archambault, 2008) The increase in demand will result in extra demand at the same price. This will create a shortage of the product. The supply will react accordingly and there will be a movement along the supply curve. This will lead to a new equilibrium at a higher price and a higher quantity. This is because the consumers were willing to pay more for the good and thus the market forces reacted and short run equilibrium was attained. This increase in demand will also add to the consumer and producer surplus which is the area between the two graphs. These two refer to the difference between the amount that the consumer or the producer expects and the price. (Krugman and Wells, 2008, p.71-72) The long run response of the market will be different. The long run equilibrium of a market is when the marginal cost becomes equal to the lowest of average total cost (ATC). This equilibrium will be disturbed by the increase in demand. The firms will now charge a higher price than their marginal costs and thus their average revenue will exceed their average total costs. The firms will be earning an abnormal profit. (Peck, 2006) The following graphs show the disturbance. As a result of the abnormal profit, new firms will enter the industry to make profit for themselves. This will cause the supply to increase. This increased supply will push the prices downwards back to n ormal with a higher amount of goods traded than before. The long run equilibrium will be attained and the market will return back to normal. (Burnette, 2012) The following graph shows the effect of new firms entering the market. Perfect markets differ from the markets we see daily. There are assumptions that need to be considered. The first one is that there are many sellers in the market, which means that the competition is intense. Secondly,

Monday, September 9, 2019

The Oil Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Oil Industry - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the oil industry is not a modern development. It traces back its history to ancient ages. The only problem that has necessitated changes pertains to refinery and exploitation of oil. The modern oil industry emanated from an invention by Colonel Edwin Drake. It involved a steam-driven rig for drilling. This set up an expensive machine that most individuals could not be acquired. The only strategy was to harness resources for acquiring such machines. The machines became more expensive to acquire as time progressed since the demand for oil necessitated very quality product. The first companies progressed to attain revenues that offset their high costs. In this sense, they became monopolies. The main reason of monopoly pertained to the fact that it was becoming difficult to attain the minimum efficient scale.   The established companies were experiencing economies of scale. However, this trend stalled on the formation of unions such as o ligopoly.   The OPEC was composed of Middle East Asia countries and Venezuela. They emerged to form a substantial influence on the market. In spite of the fact, oil was a unique product, it could be refined to several products. These products helped create companies such as shell and BP who later influenced entry of other companies. In spite of the domineering presence of unions such as OPEC, prices usually shift in response to notable factors... There are notable factors that affect the demand of oil. To begin with, there is the concept of the cyclical demand of oil. This pertains to demand of oil that swings according to growth of economies. As economy grows, the demand of oil rises to the same. This is because oil is an essential input of many industries. It is vital to note that oil forms a core part of the production chain. The growth of economies is proportionate to growth of industries. In turn, the industries are triggered to increase production in order that the same meets the increasing demand out of surging income. A relevant example concerns with the case of China. Its demand of oil has substantially increased because of the growth in its economy. In addition, the price of substitutes is a core determination of oil’s demands. This pertains to produc5ts such as gas and coal. In the long-term strategies of many countries, they seek possible alternatives for oil. In this sense, the demand of oil would reduce. For instance, there was a demand of oil in 2004 to 2006 that led to substantial research into its possible alternatives. Additionally, change of climate serves to affect the demand of oil in the countries that experience the four seasons. This is eminent in European countries, USA and Russia. In this sense, there is high demand of oil during winter. This is because individuals require substantial energy in heating systems. For instance, there is increased demand of oil, for heating houses and work places, during fierce winters. In addition, speculative forces influences demand in distinct ways. Due to its imitable qualities, there are always speculations of rise in prices of oil. In one of the most recent instances, individuals rushed to attain

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Copyright Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Copyright Law - Essay Example This clearly has implications for online protection of copyright with the proliferation of the Internet and multifarious online uses involving copyrighted works. For example, if data is stored on a US computer is downloaded in the UK, UK law will apply and not US law under the Convention5, which creates issues of enforceability and policing in an internationally networked environment offering broader scope for anonymity. Furthermore, the protection of copyright online has become increasingly contentious due to the ease of copying materials in machine readable form and distribution on the Internet6. This is compounded by the low cost of copying and transmitting files on the Internet and the difficulty of policing a borderless jurisdiction further exacerbates the issue as to where liability should lie7. Section 17 of the CDPA addresses copyright infringement and provides that copyright protection prohibits copying the work, issuing copies of the work to the public, renting or lending the work to the public, perform the work, broadcast the work, adapt or amend the work. Additionally, these acts will constitute copyright infringement if there is copying of the â€Å"substantial part† of the copyright works8. Remedies for copyright are commonly damages (often for lost royalty payments), injunctions, accounts for profits or orders for delivery up9. The fair use doctrine is the most common copyright exception under section 29(1) of the CDPA10. Alternatively, section 31 of the CDPA provides a defence of incidental inclusion of copyrighted materials such as when filming or recording live events; which is particularly relevant to inclusion in artistic work, sound recordings, film or broadcasts. The sheer vast range of availability of information online has further rendered it difficult to enforce the principle that there is no implied licence to copy11. Theoretically, downloading someone’s web page is clearly copyright infringement and the

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Create topic, because you are writing the paper, not me Essay

Create topic, because you are writing the paper, not me - Essay Example What she discovered can best be explained using Malcolm Gladwell's discussion of strong-tie and weak-tie relationships. By understanding both strong-tie and weak-tie relationships as they are experienced by Nathan, it may be possible to develop some more successful strategies toward achieving community and diversity on college campuses. Nathan starts her essay off by describing the experience of the freshman student from the moment of registration, possibly before. "As a student, one is immediately enlisted to join the group, to get involved, to realize that one has become a part of the AnyU 'community" (Nathan, 41). The primary aim of the mandatory freshman class she describes is clearly intended to kick-start the kind of strong-tie connections Gladwell says are necessary to effect significant change. Although he's talking about motivating people to take physically dangerous action as part of the civil rights movement, the reasons people decide to keep participating in a difficult, long-term task or to withdraw from it remains consistent - those who have strong-tie connections to others engaged in the same pursuit were more likely to remain while those who had few strong-tie connections were more likely to leave. Citing another study, Gladwell says "high-risk activism ... is a strong-tie phenomenon." However, the attempt to foster a strong-tie connection among freshman students at Nathan's AnyU college failed because students strongly resisted the effort. Their resistance was largely based on their lack of choice - in taking the class and in the reading material - and on their perception that the course contributed nothing toward their educational pursuit. Students did show evidence of strong-tie connections, such as when they chose to get together for dinners, small group events, and other activities. "It seemed telling to me that so many dormitory residents were watching the same game in different places, the great majority preferring to pass the time with a carefully chosen group of personal friends in their own private space. It spoke in a more general way to how community really worked in the university" (Nathan, 54). These were self-selected communities within the university space that shared strong ties of friendship and inter-reliance, a characteristic that Gladwell identifies as essential to maintaining strong-tie relationships. However, as Nathan is suggesting as she discusses the desolation of the common rooms in favor of crowded dorm rooms full of small, isolated bands of students, a strong push toward individualism within our society coupled with the convenience of social media technology is weakening these ties. In the freshman orientation program, she notes that "what holds students together, really, is age, pop culture, a handful of (recent) historical events, and getting a degree" (Nathan, 42). Attempts to bring students together are often discouraging as only a handful will appear even when well publicized and a popular activity. "They [students] genuinely want to have a close community, while at the same time they resist the claims that community makes on their schedule and resources in the name of individualism, spontaneity, freedom, and choice." (Nathan, 47). Rather than the kind of strong-tie connections that used to once bind large groups of people together, filling those common rooms with