Microeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Microeconomics - Essay Example On the other hand, a rationale requires healthy debate in the process of evolution concerning the operating conditions of the sector. The Canadian government intervention in the agricultural sector, specifically in the livestock sector has brought forth numerous benefits and consequences as outlined below. The intervention occurs because of imperfect market, in order to provide public goods and services like the web extension reports and crop information. However, the private market can fail to offer sufficient public goods or services, thus result to excluding the some people from consumption of goods and services. The other reason relates to extremities such as high costs of public health due to poor nutrition. In this case, the occurrence of an externality happens in situations when the costs benefits are not related to decision makers. The other reason relates to the market power and monopolies in situations when the firm influences market prices. For example, the cooperative has offered the necessary privileges for offsetting the concentration of power to the buyers or service providers like railroads. Moreover, the imperfect and asymmetric information, whereby there is uncertainty relating to the products attribute, and in other situations processors might have more information concerning a required attribute compared to the supplier. The other reason relates to the labeling requirements, whereby the government intervention helps to solve private market imperfections. In this case, the intervention of based on offsetting economic distortion and it is created by the actions of the foreign party. Moreover, the subsidized exports in a  country are a determinant of the returns in the other, whereby the economic augments for the government intervention is harmonized in standards of the trading partners. There are justifications within the economic situations that government intervention into the agricultural sector is premised on a philosophy,

International Business Essay Example for Free

International Business Essay What is e-Bay’s core competency? How does it relate to its chosen strategy? e-Bay’s competencies lie in its software, which allows people to trade with little supervision. It also has competencies in dispute resolution, an automated item listing service, an online financial service and a communications platform. The integration of these allow e-Bay to have a more efficient and effective trading tool used and policed by the buyers and sellers in the site. What are the implications to the challenges identified in the case regarding e-Bay’s strategy today and the future? The challenge on translation software has the least amount of impact considering that even the users of the site are content with â€Å"pretty good. † An improvement in this area though, would make the service more reliable. Government regulation challenges are perhaps one of the most difficult. With new laws constantly passed in countries, some laws that touch on trade could prove a hindrance to e-Bay’s expansion and could restrict their operations. Unless the world becomes more open to the flow of goods, then e-Bay would constantly face problems. The digital divide is a less serious problem. With technology catching up to many countries and becoming more available and cheaper, it is only a matter of time before the internet becomes available to poor communities. Cultural attributes is one of the most problematic. Since beliefs take so much time to shape and that reactions are unpredictable, it is important for e-Bay to be able to make their strategies localized and adapt it to the current system. Finally, international expansion is an unpredictable challenge, but could prove successful if their users continue to support and trust the company for their trading needs. Which candidate should the committee nominate for the assignment? Why? The first choice would be Brett Harrison because of his experience in running line activities and supervisory staff and being rated as an excellent worker. More importantly, he has knowledge about the country which is one of the most important things in running the operations of the company there. If he doesn’t agree because of familial considerations, then, Ravi Desai should take his place, not only because of his knowledge of the country but also because he has experience in handling large operations. Should all the candidates receive the same compensation package? If not, which factors influence each package? The candidates should all receive the same principle in their compensation package: a common basic salary and a bonus dependent on their performance and contributions to the company.

napoleon Essay -- essays papers

napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio, Corsica. His parents, Letiza and Carlo were very strict. He was one of seven children of his prominent lawyer father and strong willed beautiful mother. His education was a very prominent one, he entered a school in the nearby town of Brienne-le chateau, and was known to excel in mathematics. He immediately showed his interest in the armed forces by enrolling in the prominent Paris military school Eode Military. Immediately after graduating in 1788 he joined the radical political group known as the Jacobians, he was thought to have joined them because of their interest in making France become a democracy. At 16 Napoleon received his military commission and became second lieutenant of artillery of France. His status position remained unchanged for 15 years. Napoleon was very dedicated to his military career and received a much deserved vacation. So he went on leave and moved his family to Corsica an island near France, But still dedicated himself to the Corsican national guard. (World Book pg.14) Although in another country Napoleon was still an active member of the Jacobions, (who had just overthrown and murdered the King of France Louis XVI) which angered the monarchist the King of Corsica, who declared the Bonapartes outlaws. Napoleon immediately fled with his family back to France, and rejoined the French military. Upon his return to France he met his future wife, Josephine Beauharnais. ...

The rise of the labour party :: essays research papers

The rise o the labour party was due to many factors.Factors such as the movement of people from the countryside to cities which changed the economic structure of britain and also changed the social structure and this led to the need for political change. The need for political change to help the working class people who were living in poverty which had been highlighted by booth and rownatree who surveyed LOndon an york two of englands major cities .Better education led to the realisation that the two existing political parties were not suitable for the working class' needs .All were factors which conrtibuted to the rise of the labour party . The british goverment was run mainly by rich aristocrats because working class people could not afford to become MPs but in 1911 they introdiced payment for MPs which let the working class represent themselves in their constituencies in parliament either the liberal or conservative parties .Although this had happened the rich aristocracy still believed that they knew best when dealing with the poor even though they did nothing to help the poor .This attitude was based partly on the principle of laissez fair which meant little help was given to the poor and the little help that was given was harsh like the poor houses .These factors needed to be changed and the only way was through political change this also lead to the rise of the labour party . Another reason for the rise of the labour party was the failure of the 1832 act which granted the vote to small buisiness men , financiers and entreprenuers of the industrial revolution but ignored the organised sections of working class.Although the 1832 act failed to grant working class people the vote the 1867 , 1872 and 1884 acts gave the vote to more working class people , although this had happened the new voters did not have a party to represent them .These problems also helped the rise of the labour party through the necessity of of a party to represent the working class . The skilled working class organised themselves into model unions which protected their members intrests this showed that through organisation the rich could be forced the relive some of the bad conditions .The growth of the new unions and also their sucess like the match girls and dockers showed that even the poorest working class people could win against the upper class and this ledd to the potential of the same being acheived on political terms .

Case Study Healthcare Provider Essay

Scenario A large, regional healthcare provider is developing a new, integrated wellness and prevention program (IWPP) for their patients. This involves developing an overarching strategy and aligning existing prevention capabilities. The client has employed Point B to facilitate the development of the plan’s strategy, conceptual design, and roadmap for initial implementation. Describe how you would approach this effort. Approach: Broadly, the approach has three steps starting with the leadership team and then engaging the entire organization: I. Leadership Strategy Development and Plan II. Organization Engagement and Strategy Refinement III. Initial Implementation I. Leadership Strategy Development and Plan Once the leadership participants are confirmed with the sponsor, facilitated workshops will be structured to shape the key deliverables: business strategy, conceptual design and roadmap. Workshops will focus on: Finding a common understanding of what is a successful IWPP. This includes: †¢ Identifying current challenges for the healthcare provider as a whole and specific to an IWPP †¢ Agreeing to the existing strengths overall but with a focus on existing prevention capabilities †¢ Understanding what has and has not worked in the past †¢ Defining a common IWPP vision and values Defining what capabilities are needed and how to measure a successful IWPP. Capabilities will shape the conceptual design and span such things as: †¢ Technology †¢ Business processes †¢ Applications †¢ People/organization structure †¢ Information †¢ Geographic location Identifying the activities (immediate and future) to create a new IWPP. For example: 1 Case Study – Healthcare Provider May 20, 2014 †¢ People – assessing the organization’s culture and behaviours for integrative wellness, prevention and medical care †¢ Process – redesign business processes to emphasis case management and cross organization collaboration per patient(s) or member(s) †¢ Technology – data conversion to a common rollout schedule for compliance standards across the network e.g. ICD 10 Activity timing will determine when capabilities are in place to chart a roadmap of changes to the organization. II. Organization Engagement and Strategy Refinement The second step is the most intensive and often the most overlooked when developing strategy. The leadership team will be required to engage the broader organization to test the strategy, conceptual design and roadmap. This requires cascading participation from management, team leaders and front-line staff. For a healthcare provider this is critical given the complexity and diversity of the network (complementary service providers, insurers, medical providers, members and patients). Input is also required regarding how best to monitor progress, to measure outcomes and to continuously collect feedback once implementation is  underway. Step II has the following benefits: †¢ Improve the leadership team’s work by adding operational detail †¢ Create strategy awareness so the organization’s day-to-day decision making better aligns with the strategic vision and intent. †¢ Start to foster ownership and champions for IWPP changes III. Initial Implementation The third step focuses on identifying the activities that can be implemented first. Activities will be assessed by not only business value to achieve a new IWPP but also by other planning constraints such as the availability of people with the right skills, funding and interdependencies with existing project work. Step III also requires the establishment of implementation processes to monitor progress, to measure outcomes and to continually improve implementation methods based on feedback.

3 Amazing Freelancing Opportunities for Introverts

3 Amazing Freelancing Opportunities for Introverts Marilyn Monroe once said, I restore myself when Im alone, which is classic introversion. However, with modern workplace trends of open-space offices and shared co-working spaces, finding the time and place to do your work alone is more difficult than it would seem.The good news is there are three great jobs for introverts- or for those inclined toward introversion- and with the right skills, you can find freelance opportunities in all three. But before we get into these freelance opportunities, lets look at freelancing in general and some recent statistics that support its upward trend.FreelancingIn a 2017 study conducted by independent research firm Edelman Intelligence, researchers found that 57.3 million Americans are freelancing (36 percent of the U.S. workforce), contributing approximately $1.4 trillion annually to the economy. This is an increase of nearly 30% since last year.That study also concluded that:54 percent of the U.S. workforce (freelancers and non-freelancers) said theyre not very confident that the work they do will exist in 20 years.By 2027, the majority of the U.S. workforce will freelance.63 percent of freelancers think that having a diversified portfolio of clients is more secure than one employer and have an average of 4.5 clients per month.This trend toward freelancing is great news for introverts, who prefer to work independently in their own chosen setting. Such personalities tend to find office chatter and activity to be distracting- and at times, even distressing.So, if you happen to be an introvert, or if you are interested in freelancing as an editor, content writer, or graphic designer, lets take a look at the skills youll need for each.EditorThe role of an editor will vary based on the editing services needed. An editor can offer developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, proofreading, or manuscript critiquing services, and each of these are different in their approach and the point at which they are needed for a manuscri pt.The most commonly needed editorial service is copyediting, which involves focusing on the technical issues of the copy and requires an excellent command of rules related to grammar, punctuation, spelling, syntax, citation formats and capitalization. A copyeditor will also need to make notes on any false or questionable information such as incorrect quotes, dates, or claims. This skill is especially useful in the publishing world, where false information could mean defamation lawsuits or a tarnished reputation.Skills youll needEditors, whether copyediting or proofreading, should demonstrate the following skills:Expert knowledge of English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, citation style, spelling and syntax rules.The ability to be meticulous and careful in your work, paying close attention to details.An ability to determine macro-level problems of the copy, including consistency.Research skills related to checking facts, dates, spelling of names, and quotes. This skill doesnt always apply to editing projects, but is particularly important if you are editing for a publication that could be sued for defamation, plagiarism, or reporting false information.A genuine desire to help writers polish their work and ensure it is error-free for publication.The ability to manage multiple projects at once, with different timelines and expectations.Content writer or copywriterThe role of a content writer will vary depending on the client and project. In most cases, a content writer (or copywriter) is responsible for creating content to be published- either online, in print, or both. This content could range from social media posts and blog articles, to press releases, email marketing campaigns and YouTube scripts.In addition to having great command of the English language, a freelance content writer needs to understand the basics of Internet marketing and writing for certain audiences. While there are copywriting jobs that dont pertain to Internet marketing and publish ing, a majority do, and having the skills required to write for online audiences is crucial to selling your services.Content is king, as Bill Gates once famously wrote. Its even more important now than it was in 1996 when Gates wrote that. Youll find that businesses ranging from laundromats and distribution companies to plastic surgery centers and wellness retreats (and everything in between) need great content writers to advertise their services and increase their brand reputation.Skills youll needTo succeed as a freelance content writer/copywriter, youll need the following:Impeccable grammar, syntax, and English language skills.Knowledge of how to conduct research on various topics, and how to find valid, trustworthy sources.The ability to read about new topics, and then synthesize and summarize those topics.An engaging voice that appeals to the reader and makes them want to read more.An accommodating, professional attitude when clients ask for rewrites or changes in the draft (wh ich is an inevitable part of the job).The ability to manage multiple projects at once, with different timelines and expectations.A basic understanding of how content helps businesses grow (here is a great article showing some of the recent statistics and trends related to content marketing).Graphic designerContent isnt just words. In fact, graphic design plays an equal part in building a solid online reputation for any company or individual- whether its designing images for social media posts or creating the overall look of a website.In the world of freelance graphic design, projects run the gamut from logo creation and web design to digital art and 3D illustrations. While a degree is not necessary, having the expertise and software necessary to compete with other freelancers (who might have degrees) is crucial. As is building a stunning design portfolio.Since graphic design is so visual, a design portfolio will be your most important asset to market your freelance services. Many de signers have both a print and digital design portfolio- which you choose will depend on how you go about finding clients and the focus of your design expertise. For more tips on how to build and freshen your portfolio, this is a great resource.Skills youll needTo succeed as a freelance graphic designer, youll need the following:Excellent communication skills to articulate ideas through text and image.Excellent listening skills to understand what a client is going for in their graphic design project and what they hope the final draft will look like.The ability to think creatively and convey messages in ways that are unique and engaging. This includes ways to solve problems creatively or think outside the box in terms of messaging and meaning.Expert knowledge of the technology and software needed to design. This might include (but is certainly not limited to) Quark, InDesign, PhotoShop, and Adobe.Fluency in programming languages like HTML and CSS, as well as working knowledge of conte nt management systems (CMS) like WordPress.The ability to manage multiple projects at once, with different timelines and expectations.An understanding of, and eye for, developing legible type through a familiarity with fonts and a knowledge of line-height and tracking.A thorough understanding of color theory, knowing how colors complement and contrast with each other.Skills every freelancer needsRegardless of the line of work you do as a freelancer, there are skills you will need to be successful. Since freelancing requires marketing your own services, much of your time will be put into finding clients who need a professional, skilled graphic designer. This ability to market yourself and bid on jobs is vital if you want to find steady work.Youll find that if you do great work, many clients will return to you for additional jobs after the initial one. In fact, repeat clients will be the staple of your business, so its important to make sure that every job you do- you do it well. This will ensure that clients return to you when they need more work done.Youll also need to research pricing structures to have an understanding of what each task should cost the client. Obviously, freelancers charge a range of prices, and setting your price will likely be one of the hardest parts of the job. Set it too low and it will be hard to make a sustainable living from your freelance work. Set it too high, and you run the risk of clients seeking out another freelancer. The thing to keep in mind here is you should charge your client what you believe your work is worth. Dont under-bid other freelancers in bidding wars, as this could backfire, and you could be stuck with a task that underpays for the amount of work thats involved.Above all, freelancing offers flexibility and the opportunity to work in a comfortable setting, on your own time, and on your own- just as introverts like it.

Alibrandi essays

Alibrandi essays Looking for Alibrandi is a novel which mostly deals with Josephine going through a journey of self discovery. Josie discovers who she is through both positive and negative circumstances; however, they all combine to help her find her true identity. Through a number of characters, Marchetta demonstrates clearly, the concept of change and changing perspective. The novel recounts Josephines last year of secondary school and in this last year, different characters and situations impact upon her life in different ways, each unique and important. Her father comes back into her life, she falls in love, a close friend commits suicide, she discovers secrets of her families past and she accepts her cultural background. These events impact upon her life, shape her identity and alter her perspective. This essay will endeavour to highlight the many components that come together to make Josie feel like she has found Alibrandi. Initially, Josephine believes that her appearance and ethnic background is the determining factor in her social acceptance. She also believes this because she is at a wealthy school on a scholarship and has no acting father therefore, is looked down upon. When Josephine is told by a teacher, Sister Louise, that she was actually voted school captain but was given the role of vice captain because they felt she lacked the leadership skills and that her and her friends are in fact trendsetters within the school looked upon with envy, she has a sudden change in perspective on herself. She has always lacked self esteem and was very conscious of what others thought of her, but now has realised she is actually one of the most popular girls in school which is a great confidence boost for her. At that moment, Josephine says, I knew deep down that I was wrong and I think that my emancipation began at that moment. Culture has a big influence on Josies life. This is a more gradual change than her perspective on...

law and gender essays

law and gender essays As in the rape cases previously studied, the victims that are involved sexual harassment and sexual discrimination are subjected to an array of defenses created by their employers. All to often these rationalexplanations are under the guise of traditional gender ideologies, which attempt to explain natural sexual behavior and/or natural gender differences. As in the rape cases, the use of ridged gender roles often play a silent through critical role in shaping the courts decisions on sexual discrimination and sexual harassment cases. As will be demonstrated in the cases of Lanigan vs. Bartlett, Smith v. Eastern Airlines Co., EEOC v. Sears and Chambers v. Omaha Girls Club, a traditional gender ideology denies equal opportunity by promoting an enviorment in which females are required to behave and dress under the guise of a stereotypical gender role. As a result of these certain expectations women are limitied in the upward mobility of their careers. For example, in the case of Pr ice Waterhouse v. Hopkins, Price was discriminated against because she was deemed as too aggressive, on the other hand, in the EEOC v. Sears case, women were seen as poor risks as a result of not being aggressive enough. Secondly, in the case of Corne v. Bausch traditional rape. In short, as in the cases of rape, the ideologies of a traditional gender role, not only promote these incendents of sexual harrasment and discriminat ...

Is God the Father a Model or an Idol Research Paper

Is God the Father a Model or an Idol - Research Paper Example Richard Niebuhr’s. Sally McFague’s major contribution is bridging literature and theology. Her works frequently touch on literary theory and theology, and her theories are known as Metaphorical Theology. Metaphorical Theology has four defining aspects and this has greatly influenced how McFague created her idea. It will be discussed in the subsequent paragraphs. First: theology is achieved by â€Å"hearing† out God’s word. Secondly, God being in Jesus Christ means that all the flaws in humanness, all the problems and ambiguousness, is significant. Thirdly, theology should be reviewed and renewed constantly to avoid â€Å"idolatry and irrelevance†. And lastly, the world, or the human world at least, is made of language. Theology is achieved by â€Å"hearing† out God’s word. If a person does not â€Å"hear† or understand the word of the God, then it is unsuccessful, it is a farce. This thought echoes throughout McFague’s wo rk, and it is has seen to be heavily influenced by Barthesian ideas. The mere fact that it constitutes communication as a part of major theory, is a sign that McFague’s thrust on the understanding of literature is evident in her study of theology. The second aspect, â€Å"God being in Jesus Christ means that all the flaws in humanness, all the problems and ambiguousness, is significant†, is an aspect that shows that McFague tries to bridge the gap between the relationship of theology and literature. It is quite evident that the tension.

There should never be a strict liability element in a criminal law Essay

There should never be a strict liability element in a criminal law offence. There should never be punishment without fault. C - Essay Example Criminal liability is a stringent provision since the defendants are likely to be convicted even if they were truly unaware of one or the multiple factors that labelled their acts as criminal offense. The defendants therefore, may not be  culpable  or guilty, in actual sense, i.e. absence of criminal negligence, the minimum blameworthy status within  mens rea. Thus, one may argue that strict liability in a true sense is an inappropriate use of the criminal law which, owing to the grave implications that it have on a ‘wrongly’ convicted defendant, should be made permissible only for the regulating or governing serious crimes committed by the culpable miscreants. This article will critically examine various cases and analyse whether there should not be a strict liability element within a criminal law offence, and there should never be punishment without fault. Discussion What are strict liability laws and their applications: Strict liability laws enacted in the 19th century aimed at elevating the working conditions and establishing standard safety norms within factories. The necessity to ascertain mens reas against the factory owners was not easy which culminated in very few prosecutions. The strict liability offences were created so as to tackle the factory owners more effectively and to ensure that the rate of convictions increased. In the modern context, common strict liability offences today include the driving over the prescribed speed limit and selling of alcohol to underage persons. Although the contentious issue here pertains to the fact that a person’s state of mind with which he/she acts should be made extraneous to his/her criminal liability (as opposed to the notions of how to deal with a defendant should he be proven guilty) it however, does not represent the law. This aspect is particularly relevant in the case of ‘real crimes’ where defendants are generally not held as criminally liable, for their conduct, if they are innocent (Ashworth and Blake, 1997). In a large number of offences, however, a prosecuted may face convictions even though his behaviour was unintentional, was not aware, not reckless or negligent, as regards to a necessary element of the offence charged. In such cases, an individual is liable to face punishment though there may be a total lack or absence of any wrongdoing on his part, as per the elements in question, which come under strict liability laws (Lemon, 1979). The debate: These laws are applicable either in  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœregulatory offences’  that administer social behaviour, where the stigma associated with the convicted person is minimal. The laws are also applicable in cases where the society is concerned with the harm prevention and reduction, and wants to obtain high deterrent values for a certain offense. However, a closer look at the various cases will reveal that are chances that some of the imposition of strict liability may function unjustly in cer tain isolated cases. As for example, if we study the case Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v Storkwain  we will find that a pharmacist sold drugs to a patient who had produced a medical prescription that was a forged (Pharmaceutical Soc

Dose makes the poison Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dose makes the poison - Research Paper Example Our body itself is a combination of chemical elements and compounds. It is vital to divide the chemicals present in our environment into the good ones and the harmful ones. Moreover, also focus on how the toxic and deadly effects of the chemicals can be avoided is also of importance. The story of Strong Poison by Dorothy S. Layers revolves around a mystery case of the murder of Philip Boyes by arsenic poisoning. Harriet Vane is accused of the murder of her fiancà ©, as she is a crime novelist and knows an awful lot about the novel and all the evidence points in her direction. However, Lord Peter Wimsey is convinced of her innocence and struggles to convince the jury as well. The book discusses a great deal about the arsenic poisoning and the symptoms the victim suffers from, bringing the horrifying adverse effects of a toxic chemical under highlight. It is vital to understand what is toxic in our environment and can lead to adverse effects. A toxic substance is a substance that can be poisonous or cause health effects. Toxicity of a substance is not measured on the basis of its severity of effects; it can strike a single cell, a group of cells, an organ or the whole body. It is basically measured to the degree to which it is poisonous to biological organisms including humans. Chemicals toxicity is also dependent on the dose of the chemical, route of exposure, the duration and the number of incidents of exposure, and individual’s susceptibility. In 1500s, Philippus Aureolus brought forward the argument that a chemical can be entirely harmless or even advantageous at low concentrations but the same chemical can turn into toxic at higher levels. He stated, â€Å"All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy† (Trautmann). Indeed many chemicals which are beneficial at low concentrations even essential for human health can lead

Visual analysis of a work of art from the point of view of form and Essay

Visual analysis of a work of art from the point of view of form and design - Essay Example Thus the title ‘attack’ fits in the place. The feeling carried by the viewer from the title well matches with what the picture tries to say. The person, who picks the stones and passes it on to his fellow protestors, represents the feeling of aggression and unity the weavers had during the protest. Though the contour lines are outlined, it blends into the background in many places adding much to the context. The lines vary in their density representing different features of the picture. When the sharp and uniform lines which formulates the borders of the closed gate in the picture symbolizes the strength against which the weavers fought, on the other side the calligraphic lines with which the weavers are drawn adds life and feelings to the etching. The support which the roughness of the medium provides to the context of the etching is quite evident. The impacts of the hardship faced by the weavers are well supported by this roughness and it reflects the mindset of the weavers as well. The curvatures of the etching too are quite expressive enough for the viewer to understand the relevance of the work. The darkness which reflects in the etching, leads the viewer towards the life and times of the period which is depicted. The hardships and the poverty of the weavers linger in this darkness. Kollwitz has ensured to bring that darkness in the faces of the weavers which well represent the dullness they had in their lives. The gradations in the art inspire the viewer to think on the weavers’ aspiration for prosperity and a better life. The composition of the features is quite oppressive as the balance and the symmetry of the work is understood by the viewer at the cost of few moments. The stretched hand and the hand offering a stone to it prove the harmonious relation in between the features and the historic reality which relates to the background of the artistic work. Thus the diagonals prove to thrust each other. The child in the

Solve general biology 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Solve general biology 1 - Essay Example   CAM plants  have temporal adaptations which allow the fixation of carbon dioxide through stomata only during the night, while C4 plants exhibit morphological adaptations and can keep stomata partially open during the day even under hot and dry temperatures, storing the fixed carbon in specialized cells. Links to Test Questions and Answers Read question 1 Read answers for question 1 Read question 2 Read answers for question 2 Read question 3 Read answers for question 3 Read question 4 Read answers for question 4 Read question 5 Read answers for question 5 Read question 6 Read answers for question 6 Read question 7 Read answers for question 7 Read question 8 Read answers for question 8 Read question 9 Read answers for question 9 Read question 10 Read answers for question 10 Read question 11 Read answers for question 11 Read question 12 Read answers for question 12 Read question 13 Read answers for question 13 Read question 14 Read answers for question 14 Read question 15 Read answers for question 15 Read question 16 Read answers for question 16 Read question 17 Read answers for question 17 Read question 18 Read answers for question 18 Read question 19 Read answers for question 19 Read question 20 Read answers for question

Visual analysis of a work of art from the point of view of form and Essay

Visual analysis of a work of art from the point of view of form and design - Essay Example Thus the title ‘attack’ fits in the place. The feeling carried by the viewer from the title well matches with what the picture tries to say. The person, who picks the stones and passes it on to his fellow protestors, represents the feeling of aggression and unity the weavers had during the protest. Though the contour lines are outlined, it blends into the background in many places adding much to the context. The lines vary in their density representing different features of the picture. When the sharp and uniform lines which formulates the borders of the closed gate in the picture symbolizes the strength against which the weavers fought, on the other side the calligraphic lines with which the weavers are drawn adds life and feelings to the etching. The support which the roughness of the medium provides to the context of the etching is quite evident. The impacts of the hardship faced by the weavers are well supported by this roughness and it reflects the mindset of the weavers as well. The curvatures of the etching too are quite expressive enough for the viewer to understand the relevance of the work. The darkness which reflects in the etching, leads the viewer towards the life and times of the period which is depicted. The hardships and the poverty of the weavers linger in this darkness. Kollwitz has ensured to bring that darkness in the faces of the weavers which well represent the dullness they had in their lives. The gradations in the art inspire the viewer to think on the weavers’ aspiration for prosperity and a better life. The composition of the features is quite oppressive as the balance and the symmetry of the work is understood by the viewer at the cost of few moments. The stretched hand and the hand offering a stone to it prove the harmonious relation in between the features and the historic reality which relates to the background of the artistic work. Thus the diagonals prove to thrust each other. The child in the

Structured System Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) Research Paper - 1

Structured System Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) - Research Paper Example SSADM is an implementation that particularly combines different school of thoughts postulated by different schools of development, authors and scholars (Hutchings, 2001). These schools of developments structure design projects into well defined and small activities and also give the sequence and interaction of these activities. SSADM also uses modeling techniques and diagrammatic techniques to specify structured definitions that can be easily comprehended by the developers as well as the system users (Chaffey, 1999). The SSADM is a method that is more structured and detailed and provides a better platform for the development of information systems. Due to its attributes the structured method has several advantages compared with other design and analysis methods (The Government of the Hong Kong special Region, 1998). Structured system analysis and design method always provides a requirements statement that is always clear and understandable. This provides a foundation for the analysis design and the implementation of the system. This is mainly achieved through the use of simple language and use of diagrammatic descriptions (E & E, 1988). This method also allows for more utilization of both experienced and inexperienced staff in an organization for the design process. All staff can be assigned various tasks and responsibilities with the inexperienced staff given the less demanding tasks and are guided by the experienced or expert staff (Hawryszkiewycz & Igor, 1995). Structured method also guarantees a more improved project planning and control. The breaking don of the project into phases enables division of labour and effective estimation of project duration and management. Errors and flows can also be easily identified and rectified before moving to the next stage (Hawryszkiewycz I. T., 1995). Better Quality systems. Comprehensive definition of system

Black Rage-Book Report Essay Example for Free

Black Rage-Book Report Essay The pages of human history daubed in bloodshed and thickly coated with ethnic, racial conflicts ask a crying question. How to make this Planet Earth heaven -like? The answer is simple and direct. Eyes full of understanding, heart full of love and the life that refuses conflicts—these alone are enough! When an individual or a people of a particular race are constantly nagged and abused, condemned and ostracized by the society, they become bitter and cynical individuals. Heartfelt care and concern, an understanding approach and tender regard for their feelings are necessary pre-requisites to heal their inner wounds. Adequate opportunities need to be created for their ‘reformation’ and ‘rehabilitation’ into the mainstream of the society. The authors feel that it is not an easy task. Each and every molecule of the Negro race is surcharged with the hidden grudge as for the inhuman treatment meted out to them in all walks of life, from the cradle to the grave and from the womb to the tomb and this process continued for centuries. They were branded from birth as ‘niggers. ’ This insult on their personality is difficult to condone. Brief summary of the book: This is a classic work on black identity. This is also criticized as one of the sexiest books. Slavery is no ordinary crime against humanity. The book explains the race relations and its dynamics in the day to day living of the blacks vs. whites. How at each step of the ladder the blacks were pulled down, how they were made to stumble at deliberately created hurdles by the whites, how slavery dynamics deeply impact the cross-racial sexual relationships etc. It is one thing to have freedom and protection for the essential human dignity of the individual legally. It is good to have uniform constitutional rights for whites and blacks. But what mattes is the interpretation of the laws and their applicability to the ground level situations, concerning the blacks. The book is an authentic source of inspiration to the educated younger generation of blacks, and for the African psychologists of the day. The book cites case studies and they are properly dealt with. The point by point analysis of the â€Å"intra-psychic† dynamics of Black life in every day America is extremely informative and an eye-opener. Blacks, in many parts of the world where the whites were the dominating community, suffered, and in USA they suffered intensely. The authors are psychiatrists by profession and they are eminently suited to treat this subject. The inner conflicts and the desperation of back life, how they carry on with their back to the wall existence—all these have been highlighted, with the zeal of pursuing the truth. As the black race is exposed to various social situations related to the individual growth through education, employment, achievement of status in life, the intra-racial problems have begun to crop up with great intensity. The authors cite the case of an educated school teacher, marrying a laborer. They explain: â€Å"†¦She was embarrassed by his poor education. He felt that she and her friends were phony and that she was preoccupied with maintaining senseless appearances. Their mutual hostility led to verbal and later physical assaults. Divorce was the result. This pattern is so common in Negro marriages that it deserves special study, which might shed light on the broader problems of how in America choice of mate and marriage in general is influenced by a persons blackness. †(p. 75) The authors put forth strong arguments that black people living in a racist, white dominated society have suffered and are suffering psychological pressure by the effects of racist oppression. This sometimes, has the telling effect in on the day to day disposition and black people act in unpredictable manner. The thesis of the book: Will the country ever awake in to that heaven of freedom, and when it will be free from the division of narrow domestic walls created by race prejudices? What you do to mitigate the mental barrier of racial discrimination on so many counts is not important. How you do, what you do is indeed important. More acts and legislations have helped to create a stir in the minds of whites and blacks. But the problem eludes permanent solution. This is so, because the feeling of superiority within the minds of the whites has to change. When the thought process will change, the action process will also change! When the thoughts are changed, the mind is changed; when the mind is changed, the man is changed; when the man is changed, the society is changed; when the society is changed, the Nation is changed. Then only we can way that plenty and prosperity engulfs USA, not otherwise! The contents and arguments in the book contain too much sex, much more than required by the literary standards. But some times, these issues are beyond the control of the authors. Firstly the book must sell. This is the prime objective of the publisher. Fortunately or unfortunately, sex sells. If it is handled well, it sells well. This could be one of the reasons for the extra dose of sex in the book—this may not be as well! This book has about 230 pages with 10 chapters, Who’s angry, the shadow of the past, achieving womanhood, acquiring manhood, marriage and love, character traits, the â€Å"Promise† of education, mental illness and treatment, and how come there’s so much hate and black rage. In a nutshell, the contents of the book discuss and analyze the bitter past of slavery in USA, the tension-ridden race relations in USA today, and the future of black and white race relations which have the possibilities to turn worst, on the slightest provocation, when the black race is making its presence felt strongly, in political, social, and economic spheres. In sports, blacks are dominating! The blacks accepted the domination of the white race-will the whites accept the domination of the black race in times to come? Will the law of divine retribution work in this context? Identify the evidence used by the author to support his/ her thesis That which is evident requires no introduction, elaboration, or appreciation. Light is bright and it is evident. Milk is white and it is evident. Simply say black race in America, and everything is evident. The saga of suffering of the Negro race, the era of slavery, violence and cruelty to subdue their legitimate aspirations rotates on the curtain of one’s mind. The authors of Black Rage do not mince words when it comes to condemning the atrocities committed on the black race. â€Å"The voice of black America has been heard in the explosions of Watts, Newark, and Detroit,† they warn. (p. 3) They assert their aspiration in strongest terms. â€Å"Black people continue to revolt against laws and customs that are deadly and humiliating†¦Aggression leaps from wounds inflicted and ambitions spiked. It grows out of oppression and capricious cruelty. †(p. 3). The younger generation of Negroes is not willing to wait and accept ‘the tactful handling of the situation’ by the whites when their interests matter. The white race is not willing to travel in the boat where the rudder is controlled by the black. The blacks are aware, by their bitter past experiences that the whites will go to any extent when their own interests matter. This causes more frustration and apprehension in the black community and adversely affects their psyche. The example cited in the text is that of Jimmy, a twelve year old boy. â€Å"His face was jet-black, and his expressions ranged from somber to sad. Whether relating stories of home, school, or the streets, he disguised his true feelings. At twelve he had learned one of his first lessonsalways play it cool. As much as possible, he worked to hide his inner life. One day he stared long and hard at his fist and said: I want to hit a white man. †(p. 59) State your own opinion and ideas about this book. The book contains tough opinions about the white race. To tell a black youngster to forget the past, say that he is constitutionally protected and enjoys equal rights as applicable to whites or any ethnic group is as good as telling him a story. The suffering of the Negro race is something very special and closely linked to the destiny of America. The black can condone the past; they can not ignore or forget it. The whites are not obliging the blacks by the present stance of understanding them. They have no other alternative. They must accept their newfound social position—equal in every respect as compared to the black people and it is their duty to say that the black-brother is first among the equal. They must attempt and secure the transformation within. The writers put it crisply and authoritatively. â€Å"After all, the thoughts begin, the Negro is also an American and if he is different it is only matter of degree. Cliches are brought forth and there is a lengthy recitation of the names of famous Negroes. Long association has bred feelings of familiarity which masquerade as knowledge. But there remain puzzles about black people; all is not understood; something is missing. †(p. 23) â€Å"It is better to have a world united than a world divided; but it is better to have a world divided, than a world destroyed,† said Sir Winston Churchill at the time of II World War. Presently, does this quote apply to the solution for the race problem in USA? USA will never be divided in geographical terms, the Constitution of USA is strong enough, the political leaders have enough foresight, but the example given in the book is shocking and is the definite pointer, how the division of the hearts is complete. How Come Theres So Much Hate? â€Å"When the man died, his wife of forty years was pitied by her friends. The widow was a stern New Englander; her dead husband was a black. In spite of strong social disapproval of their marriage, they had raised children and prospered. There had been some discord between them, but they handled it discreetly and the children had never heard them comment on racial matters. Even when a racial incident was prominent in the news, not a word was said about it. The children assumed that their mother had long since accepted the realities of marriage to a black man. They were completely unprepared for her words when her husband died: Thank God that nigger is gone! (p. 181) Spirituality, not religion, seems to be the only answer to this vexed problem of race relations. Once a human being crosses the mind barrier, all differences all tensions, cease! Mind is a bundle of negative and positive thoughts. The usual methods of suppressing the thoughts and emotions are not going to bring permanent peace. If the Negro race has to surrender at any point, it has got to be the dynamic surrender, of a supreme and brave human being. They should not accept the supremacy of the white race, nor demand the pound of flesh for the historical misdeeds of the whites. If the revengeful attitude persists, it will take them and the Nation nowhere. If the Nation does not survive how will the black and white races survive?

Fuzzy Logic Control of a Mobile Robot

Fuzzy Logic Control of a Mobile Robot Abstract In this report the development of mobile robot using fuzzy inference system is presented. The mobile robot has three inputs and two outputs. The three inputs are proximity measures of the wall and the two outputs are turning rate and speed of the mobile robot. The mobile robot is developed to follow the tracking path and avoid collision with the obstacle. Contents Overview and Introduction Input and Output ranges Appendix Construction and performance of the rules MATLAB code for control task Critical evaluation Overview In the beginning of the development of the mobile robot, the virtual robot must be used for the development hence kiks robot is considered. The fuzzy inference system is designed by using MATLAB and implemented on a robot which is kiks robot. The kiks robot is setup by installing the kiks software and the related files are extracted and executed on MATLAB. Then the FIS is designed by coding and deciding the inputs and outputs for the kiks. The turning rate and speed of the robot is defined as per the rules of the parameters for robot movement and to avoid collision with the obstacles. The steps involved are: Defining universe of discourse Deciding the fuzzy sets Define membership functions The fuzzy interference system used is mamdani FIS which involves Fuzzification of input variables Rule evaluation Aggregation of rule output DE fuzzification Introduction The fuzzy control systems are rule based or knowledge based system which contains collection of IF-THEN rules. The advantage of fuzzy system is it is wide usage in performing variety of computational and measurements. The advantages of using fuzzy system in navigation system are: Capabilities of handling uncertain and non-precise information. Real time operation Easy combinations and execution of various behaviours. Develop perception based strategies. Better and easy implementation. The construction of fuzzy system depends on two important parameters which are identifying the universe of discourse and defining correct membership function. The reason for using mamdani over sugeno is because it uses fuzzy terms defined by the shape of the membership function. The mamdani type fuzzy system is better to choose for more human like behaviour of the robot which entails a substantial computational burden. The building of the autonomous mobile robot involves few main considerations which are, path tracking, avoidance of the obstacle and behaviour co-ordination. The definition of universe of discourse and membership function and combination of rules are important for smooth movement and better outcome of the robot. Path tracking involves navigation of the desired path which is computed and defined by human operator tracking walls or obstacles. The difficulties of path tracking deals with incomplete perception of environment, inaccurate measurements and sensor fusion. Avoidance of obstacle using fuzzy logic involves avoiding the unforeseen or dynamic obstacles while it tracking a path or moving towards a target. Fuzzy logic for behaviour co-ordination is used to improve the total performance of the navigation system. The infrared sensor with 6 sensors for the forward direction and 2 sensors for the backward direction. In this phase of training robot, I have used 2 sensors for right, 2 for left and 2 for front sensing. The sensor input is noun used slow, fast, medium. The fuzzy variables are adjectives that modify the variable, left right medright slowright slowleft. In the mamdani type of fuzzy system, the fuzzifier performs measuring of the input variables, scale mapping and fuzzification. The number of membership function defines the shapes of the initial inputs defined by the user. It holds a value of 0 and 1 which indicates the degree of belonging of the quantity to a fuzzy set. Input and Output ranges. Input Membership function Input range Left Far, Intermediate, Close [0 21] Front Far, Intermediate, Close [0 21] Right Far, Intermediate, Close [0 21] Output Membership function Output range Turning rate Slowright, slowleft, medright, left, right, front. [0 200] Speed Veryslow, slow, medium, fast, veryfast. [0 200] Input range for a sensor is 10bits and the input value for sensor is 1024, the sensors are grouped into 2 and wherein each one variable defined by 1024(210) i.e. 2048 therefore that divided by 100 is 21, hence the input range is [0 21]. The input is taken left, right, front with 2 sensors each. The membership function for them is defined far, intermediate, close for the robot to sense the obstacle. The outputs are turn and speed, where in turn has membership functions slowright, slowleft, medright, right, left, front for the robot to turn to a direction when the robot is nearing the robot. The range of the speed is considered as [0 200] as the robot movement was meant to be faster compared to when the speed was in the range [0 100] because the robot must cover more distance in less time and better speed. The membership function for speed is taken as slow, veryslow, fast, veryfast, medium as the robot should move in different direction with different speed so that the robot follows th e path and is not disturbed by sudden obstacle. The combination of the membership functions are rules for the robot to follow to follow the path and along with that to avoid obstacles and give smoother movement. Appendix   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1a. Movement of robot in arena1   Ã‚   1b. Monitored simulation of arena1    2a. Movement of robot in arena2    2b. Monitored simulation of arena2. Construction and performance of fuzzy rules. If (left is far) and (front is far) and (right is far) then (turn is medright)(speed is fast) (1) If (left is far) and (front is far) and (right is intermediate) then (turn is front)(speed is medium) (1) If (left is far) and (front is far) and (right is close) then (turn is slowleft)(speed is medium) (1) If (left is far) and (front is intermediate) and (right is far) then (turn is medright)(speed is fast) (1) If (left is far) and (front is intermediate) and (right is intermediate) then (turn is front)(speed is medium) (1) If (left is far) and (front is intermediate) and (right is close) then (turn is slowleft)(speed is very_slow) (1) If (left is far) and (front is close) and (right is far) then (turn is medright)(speed is very_slow) (1) If (left is far) and (front is close) and (right is intermediate) then (turn is slowleft)(speed is very_slow) (1) If (left is far) and (front is close) and (right is close) then (turn is slowright)(speed is very_slow) (1) If (left is intermediate) and (front is far) and (right is far) then (turn is right)(speed is fast) (1) If (left is intermediate) and (front is far) and (right is intermediate) then (turn is front)(speed is fast) (1) If (left is intermediate) and (front is far) and (right is close) then (turn is slowleft)(speed is slow) (1) If (left is intermediate) and (front is intermediate) and (right is far) then (turn is medright)(speed is very_slow) (1) If (left is intermediate) and (front is intermediate) and (right is intermediate) then (turn is front)(speed is medium) (1) If (left is intermediate) and (front is intermediate) and (right is close) then (turn is slowleft)(speed is fast) (1) If (left is intermediate) and (front is intermediate) and (right is far) then (turn is slowleft)(speed is slow) (1) If (left is intermediate) and (front is close) and (right is intermediate) then (turn is slowright)(speed is very_slow) (1) If (left is intermediate) and (front is close) and (right is close) then (turn is slowright)(speed is very_slow) (1) If (left is close) and (front is far) and (right is far) then (turn is medright)(speed is slow) (1) If (left is close) and (front is far) and (right is intermediate) then (turn is front)(speed is medium) (1) If (left is close) and (front is far) and (right is close) then (turn is slowleft)(speed is veryfast) (1) If (left is close) and (front is intermediate) and (right is far) then (turn is right)(speed is fast) (1) If (left is close) and (front is intermediate) and (right is intermediate) then (turn is front)(speed is medium) (1) If (left is close) and (front is intermediate) and (right is close) then (turn is slowleft)(speed is medium) (1) If (left is close) and (front is close) and (right is far) then (turn is slowright)(speed is very_slow) (1) If (left is close) and (front is close) and (right is intermediate) then (turn is slowright)(speed is very_slow) (1) If (left is close) and (front is close) and (right is close) then (turn is slowleft)(speed is very_slow) (1) If (left is far) and (front is far) and (right is far) then (turn is slowright)(speed is fast) (1) If (left is far) and (front is intermediate) and (right is far) then (turn is slowright)(speed is fast) (1) If (left is far) and (front is close) and (right is far) then (turn is slowright)(speed is medium) (1) If (left is far) and (front is close) and (right is intermediate) then (turn is slowright)(speed is slow) (1) If (left is far) and (front is close) and (right is close) then (turn is slowright)(speed is fast) (1) If (left is intermediate) and (front is close) and (right is close) then (turn is slowright)(speed is very_slow) (1) If (left is intermediate) and (front is far) and (right is close) then (turn is slowright)(speed is very_slow) (1) If (left is intermediate) and (front is intermediate) and (right is close) then (turn is slowright)(speed is fast) (1) If (left is close) and (front is far) and (right is far) then (turn is slowright)(speed is far) (1) If (left is close) and (front is intermediate) and (right is intermediate) then (turn is slowright)(speed is far) (1) If (left is close) and (front is close) and (right is close) then (turn is slowright)(speed is slow) (1) If (left is close) and (front is close) and (right is close) then (turn is slowright)(speed is veryfast) (1) MATLAB Code to implement the control task % - %   (c) 2000-2004 Theodor Storm %   http://www.tstorm.se %   Modified by Lily Meng 16th September 2009 % - function FIS_navigate(port,baud,time) % FIS_navigate(port,baud,time) % port = serial port to communicate with (port simulated robot, port>=0 ==> real robot % baud = baud rate % time = time to run behaviour if nargin

The Gospel of Thomas Essay -- Informative, Manuscripts

Discovered in the twentieth century, The Gospel of Thomas was founded by peasants that were digging for fertilizer close to the village of Nag Hammadi, Egypt. The peasants revealed a container containing thirteen leather-bound manuscripts that were buried in the fourteenth century. The container contained fifty-two tractates that represented â€Å"heretical† writings of Gnostic Christians. Dated back to 200 A.D., there was not much known about the Gospel of Thomas besides that there were only three small fragments from Oxyrynchus. The Gospel of Thomas is a collection of literary works that contains 114 ‘opaque sayings’ of Jesus that were collected and written down by St. Didymus Jude Thomas, but nobody knows if St. Didymus Jude Thomas wrote the sayings down for sure, it is just said that he did. St. Didymus Jude Thomas was said to be Jesus’ twin brother, assumed by a few early Christians. Thomas is actually Hebrew for twin, and Didymus is Greek for twin as well. According to saying twelve, the disciples said to Jesus, â€Å"We know that you will depart from us. Who is to be our leader?† Jesus said to them, â€Å"Wherever you are, you are to go to James the righteous, for whose sake heaven and earth came into being†(Gospel of Thomas: saying 12). As I was reading the Gospel of Thomas and read over saying twelve, I believe that Jesus is stating that his brother James is the go to guy, the leader, when they are to be departed. I also believe that saying twelve is evidence that, in the second century, someone who admired James had help write the Gospel of Thomas. Furthermore, I think that the writer of the Gospel of Thomas most likely has had access to the Gospel of John. This is because the writer references Jesus as being a light. Only John's Gosp... ...ng how Christianity would be different if the Gospel of Thomas were in the New Testament is impossible to answer because no one could say in regards to the details. However, it would be safe to say that Christianity as we know it would not exist. The Bible would now contain opposing teachings on salvation. This kind of contradiction would certainly lead to confusion and distrust in the veracity of any of the Gospel accounts. The Canonical Gospels can be traced back to the earliest Church via the writings of the Ante-Nicene Church fathers. The Gnostic Gospels cannot be traced back to any writer who is connected to Jesus in any manner. Furthermore, all the texts within the Old Testament and the New Testament were never in question among believers at any point, while the Gnostic texts were seen as texts simply using the name â€Å"Jesus† to teach different â€Å"truths.†

Structural Engineering Mishaps and Disasters :: essays research papers

Structural Engineering Mishaps and Disasters Hindenburg: An Unnecessary Disaster   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the 1930s airships, better known today as â€Å"blimps†, were the main source of air travel. During this time, the airships were used for various different reasons such as: bombing enemy targets, patrolling coastal areas, escorting naval ships during the night or through unsafe bodies of water, or used to make luxury flights across the Atlantic. The Hindenburg was believed to be the biggest and most sophisticated aircraft ever built.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Hindenburg was built with metal framework and balloon like covering. It was as long as three football fields and weighed more than 240 tons. This airship looked ravishing, however, it possessed a significant flaw that eventually caused it to ruin. The outer skin of the Hindenburg was filled with hydrogen, which is extremely flammable. Passengers preparing to board the aircraft had to remove all lighters, matches, and/or any other objects that would cause it to catch fire.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traveling all the way from Europe, the Hindenburg was expected to arrive in the United States and land in New Jersey on May 6, 1937. Max Pruss was commander, there were thirteen passengers, and twenty-two crew members on board . Hundreds of people waited for the Hindenburg, including: relatives of the passengers, news reporters, photographers, New Jersey citizens, and ninety-two ground crew members.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The flight’s landing was slightly delayed due to thunderstorms and aggressive winds. Finally, the weather calmed and the Hindenburg airship began to land in Jersey. One of the spectators noticed a pale pink glow in the lower center of the ship. Everyone began to become intense because they had a feeling that the glow was not suppose to be there. A few seconds later that section of the airship exploded! All the onlookers, of course, backed away rapidly, but were still close as the entire Hindenburg airship, and mostly all of its passengers caught fire.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Some parts of the Hindenburg did, in fact, remain together, but they are only preserved today for research. One of the passengers aboard the flight, a fourteen year old, climbed through a window trying to escape the fires of the airship. To his advance, one of the water tanks burst and the flames on his clothes and his body were extinguished.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The U.S Bureau of Air Commerce gave the following statement as an explanation of the explosion. â€Å"A small amount of explosive mixture (hydrogen) in the upper part of the ship could have been ignited by†¦{an} electric phenomenon like a ball of lightning.

How effective is this scene as an opening to Shakespeare’s play? Essay

Othello begins on a street in Venice; Act 1 scene 1 of Othello is a good opening to the rest of the play as it starts in the middle of an argument. This argument is between Iago, an evil, manipulative and jealous man, and Roderigo a rich man who is susceptible to everything Iago tells him. I think this is a good opening because it begins by telling the main point of the story straight away – from the first few opening statements it is clear that Iago knows something that he is going to use against a man whom he hates, Othello, it is a simple conversation between two men, but they are plotting something, this could instantly grab the audiences attention as they would be intrigued to find out what it is about. Just from the opening scene the audience finds out that Roderigo has been paying Iago to help him win the love of Desdemona; the one he loves, but he has seen no progress, and he has just found out that Desdemona has married Othello, the general whom Iago serves and hates. One of the main reasons that Iago hates Othello is because Othello promoted Cassio over Iago; the job Iago wanted and believed he deserved was taken. In spite of Iago’s service in battle and the recommendation of three â€Å"great ones† of the city, Othello chose to give the position to a man with no experience leading men in battle. As he waits for an opportunity to get his own back, and plots to get the job he wanted, Iago only pretends to serve Othello. He believes he will get the job: â€Å"I know my price: I am worth no worse a place† â€Å"In following him I follow but myself; Heaven is my judge, not I for love and duty, But seeming so for my peculiar end.† This quote is spoken about the Moor Othello; Iago plans to get his own back in some way for the loss of the job offer, but he will not let out too much of his schemes in the first scene, all of the plotting fits together later on in the play, this is also a good way to get the audiences attention throughout the play as it all builds up gradually, the suspense and the different ideas, they are all put into place for an effect that has eventually gathered from beginning to end to reveal the many mysteries made in the play. This also causes a lot of confusion later on, and involves the audience through soliloquies, the audience may appreciate being included in the play as though the characters are speaking to them as it makes them part of the story. The opening scene also shows the deviousness of Iago, just by giving advice he automatically tells Roderigo to lie and manipulate Desdemona’s father, Brabantio. â€Å"Call up her father, Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight† All of Iago’s advice of telling Brabantio involves influencing his side of the story to make it unfair – he is telling Roderigo to explain to Brabantio that Othello is bad news, and to advertise the fact that Othello is black, where as Roderigo is white – making him a better choice for his poor daughter. In order to do this, the two men come to the street outside the house of Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, and cry out that he has been robbed by â€Å"thieves.† Brabantio, a Venetian senator, comes to the window. At first, he doesn’t believe what he hears, because he has told Roderigo to stay away from his daughter before and thinks Roderigo is merely scheming once again in order to see Desdemona, which ironically he is. Iago makes it seem worse than it is, by vulgarly telling the senator that his daughter and Othello are having sex by putting it as though they are â€Å"making the beast with two backs†, this makes it seem very vulgar. Brabantio begins to take what he hears seriously and decides to search for his daughter. Iago’s plan was successful and so he went to Othello. This scene has already made the play exciting by stirring things up in Othello’s relationship – we haven’t even met the character yet although we know that he is very high ranking in his work and that he has dis-owned the trust of a senator. Seeing as this is all the doing of Iago and his poisonous words we get the picture that Othello is a respectable man but for some reason he can easily loose trust in people. By not meeting the main character in the first scene it makes the audience keen and interested to find out more about this character, another good way to start off the story. Like Brabantio, Othello has no idea of Iago’s role in Roderigo’s accusations. Iago is with Roderigo whilst he tells him of the doings of his daughter, but as soon as they have informed Brabantio Iago departs on the note that he wasn’t to be involved any more, Brabantio comes out of his house, furious that his daughter has left him. Declaring that his daughter has been stolen from him by magic â€Å"charms,† Brabantio and his men follow Roderigo to Othello. The first scene of act 1 shows a small amount of what is to come in the rest of the play, such as, Iago always creates the tension in the atmosphere by messing around with peoples feelings and emotions – managing to get them to do reckless things (also happens a lot later on) yet he always manages to leave the scene before he gets involved in the situation. I think that this is also another good way of beginning the play as it shows signs of what is soon to come next. Overall I think that this is a very effective way to open a Shakespeare play as it is very dramatic instantly and gives enough of the story to know vaguely what the story will be about but it also leaves a lot out to make it very interesting – I think it would make the audience want to carry on watching to see what will happen is it is not entirely predictable of what may happen just from the opening scene – although it is very informative. It is almost like a cliffhanger as it keeps the audience in suspense about the main character, as they do not get to meet him to begin with, this is a dramatic way to begin the play.

Meaning of Free-Enterprise System Essay

Free-enterprise is defined as the freedom of individuals or groups of individuals to engage in business ventures with the minimum intervention of the state (or its political apparatus, the government) (Smith 1776/1904). There are three parts in this definition. First, free-enterprise is defined as freedom of individuals; in classical economic theory, freedom to engage in economic activities is an extension of individual freedom. Added to that, this freedom to participate in economic activities is corollary to making personal choices, which unrestricted, constitute individual freedom (like other freedoms). The second part of this definition is the statement that individuals can engage in business ventures. This can be achieved so long as the individual has the capital to establish his business. In economic theory, capital is defined as the assets, in the form of money, technology, physical infrastructure, human skills, etc. that can have a possible rate of returns. Individuals can use this capital to accumulate wealth, that is, to create more capital and profit. Nevertheless, in a free-enterprise, capital however is dictated by the laws of supply and demand. Capital will only have a fruitful rate of return if it is utilized to producing goods demanded by the consumers. Capital utilized for producing products not demanded by the public will either have a lower rate of returns or push the business into exiting from the market. Lastly, the requisite for free-enterprise is what economists call â€Å"minimum intervention of the state. † In simple terms, in order for the laws of supply and demand to take effect, the government must not intervene in the economic activities of the country. The laws of supply and demand cannot work in a system wherein economic activities are either restricted or controlled by the state or government. Whenever the government restricts business activities, the natural mechanism of adjusting production and demand becomes blurred (policies), and thus may create an artificial shortage in the market. Added to that, Adam Smith (1776/1904) argued that if markets are left on its own, it will naturally supply the public its demand. The capitalists or businessmen, eyeing public demand as an opportunity for acquiring profit, utilize their capital for producing products that the public demands. The self-interests of both the businessmen and the consumers will naturally lead to prosperity. Smith (1776) noted however that the government’s roles in the free-market system are limited to the following: 1) military protection of the state, 2) creation of an amiable economic climate, and 3) construction of public works. However, in real life, it is impossible for government not to intervene in the market. Environmental disasters may create a shortage in the market, raising prices to multiple folds. The government then can institute some price mechanisms in order to protect the consuming public from unregulated and irresponsible business activities. Good and Bad Kinds of Markets in a Free-Enterprise System Because free-enterprise is defined as the freedom of individuals or group of individuals to engage in economic activities with the minimum intervention of the government or state, it is noteworthy that a loose classification of such had been made by different economists. These economists either favor a virtually unrestricted form of free-enterprise or a combination of command and free-market system. The first set of economists argued that free-enterprise system necessitates the establishment of an economy under perfect competition. These classical economists argued that if government will let the market do its natural function, relative adjustment in prices for certain products will cause a relative change in demand, and also a corresponding change in supply. In the supply side, because every firm in a perfectly competitive market has an equal share of market, a change in the price of one firm will cause a change in the price of other firms. In the end, the consuming public will benefit from this relationship because prices are well adjusted by market mechanisms. On the wage side, whenever a change in the production inputs occurs, a corresponding change in the wage side also occurs. Firms will adjust their wage schedules and a level of equilibrium is achieved which would benefit the general public. On the production side, classical economists argued that in a perfectly competitive market changes in prices of goods will have a corresponding change in the wage level; the price level described as flexible and the wage rate inflexible. Whenever a change in prices of goods occurs, all will follow, and thus the market will be in a state of equilibrium. In this condition, the supply and demand for goods are situated in one price (for a particular good). When equilibrium is reached in the market, both the aggregate demand and aggregate supply in the market becomes relatively equal. This will prevent the creation of an artificial shortage in the market. These conditions of free-enterprise however work in an ideal situation. In reality, the government can intervene in the market in at least three ways: 1) control the activities of monopolies and cartels, 2) set price controls for certain basic goods, and 3) control the supply of money. These functions may be classified as effective or necessary. It can be necessary because these activities and conditions will naturally affect the general welfare of the public. Effective because government interventions may take the form of a general welfare policy far removed from the rumblings of the political arena. Monopolies and cartels are perverted forms of the free-enterprise system. Monopolies usually control the larger portion of the market supply of a particular good. The implication is that these monopolies can dictate the price in the market at the expense of the general public. It is expected that the deadweight loss in this condition will be much larger than economies with imperfect market competition (economies differentiating products), precisely because the welfare surplus is converted into a certain rate of profit by the monopolies. They can do this by controlling the supply of goods in the market. Since they control most of the supply of a particular good, prices will be adjusted based on the profit schedule of the firm. Cartels function the same way as monopolies but differ in two ways. Monopolies usually involve one firm who controls most of the supply of a particular good in the market. Cartels are composed of firms producing the same product and have relatively equal share of the market pie of a particular good. These firms may corrode to control the price of a good in the market to achieve the expected level of profit, and of course to avoid competition. Welfare surplus in this case will still be large due to the corresponding fall of expected returns to the consumers. What I have outlined are the good and bad kinds of markets in a free-enterprise system. The perfectly competitive market is the ideal free-enterprise system. For theoretical purposes, the perfectly competitive market is itself the free-enterprise system since it well transcribes the characteristics of a laissez-faire system. However, because this is only an ideal type, perverted forms are well imbibed in the free-market system, that is, they are assumed to be part and parcel of this economic system. In a sense, the definition of free-enterprise that I presented is the definition that captures the postulates of classical economics. Classical economics classified good and bad forms of the so-called free-enterprise system, although it is wrong to argue that there is such thing as â€Å"bad free-enterprise† because theoretically it is an ideal type that strives for the good of the general public. This approach to the definition of a free-enterprise system is classical in nature and does not take into account some of the contemporary economic arrangements that are shaping the economies of many nations, poor and rich nations alike. Capitalism, Neo-Classical Economics, and Free-Enterprise In his book, Carson (2001) argued that the so-called free-enterprise system that classical economists are boasting is in fact transformed into the so-called capitalist system. The capitalist system provides the businessmen when the capacity of limiting the wages of the laborer. The state now, protects corporations (which are embodiments of the capitalist ordeals) through limited liability, laws on protection of assets, high interest rates, and of course low taxes. It seems that the free-enterprise system which was meant to be at the service of the general public is now an apparatus of the capitalists to expand their share of the market. Capitalism is not free-enterprise. Free-enterprise system is the contradiction of the capitalist system in its economic goals and assumptions. Keynes (1936) noted that in the era of modern economics, prices of goods in the market are inflexible in the short-run. Short-run adjustments of production schedules and wages will not be smooth since the overall inventory of the firm depends on the expected rate of demand of the public, the actual expenditure, and the price itself. The implication of this is the fact that free-enterprise can only be achieved partially in the long-run. In the short run, distortions in the market will create monopolies and cartels,; in the long-run these will be eliminated, thus the achievement of the so-called â€Å"free-enterprise† system.

External influences affecting the firm and its activities Essay

External influences affecting the firm and its activities - Essay Example 5 The article, â€Å"Wal-Mart files legal complaint against growing protests ahead of Black Friday† written by FoxNews.com on November 20, 2012. 6 References 8 Introduction It is factual that no business exists in a vacuum but in an external environment that consist of various factors and other players outside the business. Indeed, there are factors that the business can control. Nevertheless, the presence of external factors which the business cannot control is a fundamental challenge that all businesses face. As such, business manager must consider these factors and establish their influence on the business. The magnitude of external factors’ effect on business progress depends on the type of business and type of influence. We can conveniently classify the external factors into social, legal, economic, political, and technological factors. This paper will draw a comprehensive report on the external influences affecting four different firms and their activities. In doi ng this, the paper will summarize the information in four relevant stories that address external influences on specified firms and their activities.  The companies in this context will include the Starbucks, Cheetham Hill Construction Company, Apple, and Wal-Mart. The article, â€Å"the reality of recession for small businesses? ‘We need help' authored by Julia Kollewe, Nadine Schimroszik and Dan Milmo on 25 October 2012. ... 1). The article notes that although the construction company had recorded fair progress, the company faces serious challenges in generating new business since the recession ended. Indeed, the article reckons that the company now operates under tight margins and the company encounters challenges in paying the employees and the suppliers. In fact, the article notes that the effects of recession on construction manifested the true picture of the economy at the time. Assuredly, most small firms including Cheetham Hill Construction Company now live on a knife edge and they constantly delay payments to suppliers except to the main suppliers (Kollewe, Schimroszik &Milmo 2012, p. 1). More so, the article establishes that the company called for tax breaks to enable the company train a new generation of construction workers. Prior to the recession, the company used to take apprentices every year but now the company cannot afford that subject to the recession. Indeed, since most of the workforc e in construction comes from SMEs, the construction companies are lacking labor supply as the SMEs suffer from the recession (Kollewe, Schimroszik &Milmo 2012, p. 1). Notably, recession has very significant adverse effects on any business. Ideally, the most adverse effect of recession on business is reduced job security as workers prefer recession-proof businesses which have capacity to thrive or survive a recession. Furthermore, small business suffers the greatest loss in a recession subject to their inadequate preparedness, budget constraints, and few resources. Other effects that derive from recession include reduced cash flow, loss of demand, and marketing constraints (Sandilands 2013, p. 1). The article,

Analysis of The Empirical Phase Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Analysis of The Empirical Phase - Essay Example Throughout this careful structure, Grob argues that Wordsworth’s purpose was to challenge the present social order that was focused on the â€Å"disorganized and directionless† (19) mode of existence found in â€Å"the fretful stir / Unprofitable, and the fever of the world† (Wordsworth, 52-53) and present a more favorable development. Grob’s argument rests not so much upon the actual words in the poem as it does upon the way in which Wordsworth presents his case, progressing from the simple ease with which mankind connects with nature to the stabilizing influence it has even when lost in the â€Å"fever of the world† and demonstrating how this natural development was not unique just to him, but can be universally applied to others as well. In presenting his case, Grob suggests that Wordsworth’s poem can be basically divided into three main concerns beginning with the natural connection that occurs between man and nature. â€Å"As a vehicle for symbolic discourse, the landscape of Tintern Abbey possesses a latent multiplicity of reference so that almost every ethical, epistemological, and metaphysical judgment rendered later in the poem seems latent in its initial image† (14). This is started within the very first stanza as the poet describes the scenery before him, imbuing it with â€Å"a deep and abiding calm and a coalescence of particulars into a single, interlocking and indivisible pattern of harmony† (14). This image includes not only the untouched natural wonder that surrounds him but also the human effects that have taken place within it, such as the hedgerows, cottage-grounds and orchard tufts. After having linked the efforts of mankind into the overall splendor of the natural environment, Wordsworth moves on to discuss the essential internal interconnectedness of man and nature.  Ã‚  

Human Rights and Anti-Terrorsm Legislation Essay

Human Rights and Anti-Terrorsm Legislation - Essay Example The primary Human Rights document in the United Kingdom is the Human Rights Act 1998. The Human Rights Act 1998 received royal assent on November 9, 1998 and came into force on October 2, 2000. The objective of said Act was to harmonize the domestic law of the United Kingdom with the European Convention on Human Rights and to provide for stricter human rights guarantees to be followed by all states. The provisions on free speech, freedom of assembly and due process all impact heavily on the criminal justice system in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2001 was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in November of 2001, a mere two months after the historic 9-11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City. Criticized by many for the undue haste in its passage, with concerns of political pressure being raised, the law in its original form contained passages that human rights groups deemed to be violative of established human rights principles. Amidst the outrage surrounding the 911 attacks, the Anti-Terror Law was heralded as a measure to combat the worldwide phenomenon of terrorism and to arrest its spread and development. Legal scholars and free speech advocates, however, unite in condemning the law for trampling constitutionally-protected liberties. There is also the possibility that the law might give rise to or at least encourage racial profiling, particularly the provisions on proscription of terrorist organizations. It might further alienate minority groups and exace rbate the political violence by radicalizing "moderate" groups. Human rights advocates scored a victory when the Law Lords ruled that a provision in the Law allowing the indefinite detention of foreign terrorist suspects was contrary to human rights principles. Lord Nicholls of Birkenhead, in his ruling, said: "Indefinite imprisonment without charge or trial is anathema in any country which observes the rule of law." This decision was reached when nine detainees lodged their appeal before the Court. Indeed, due process is a fundamental principle of human rights. Criminal justice in any mature society always involves a balance of two competing interests: the need to protect the rights of the accused, and the need to combat crime and instill peace and order in society. "Legally, a crime is any act or omission proscribed by the criminal law and thus punishable by the state through the criminal justice system" (Davies, Croall and Tyrer, 2005) Legal systems in the civilized world - whether in civil or common law jurisdictions -- have, at least in theory, given primacy to the rights of the accused, understanding that ambiguity should be resolved in his or her favor. The anti-terror legislation of the United Kingdom unfortunately appears to have forgotten this notion. This comes as little surprise, certainly, given its beginnings that would make many a human rights advocate flinch. Post-911 anti-terror legislation in the UK is heavily laden with the baggage of American anti-war rhetoric which in turn smacks of prejudice, bigotry and an abject refusal to honor human rights prin

Politics in Pan's Labyrinth and Watchmen Movie Review

Politics in Pan's Labyrinth and Watchmen - Movie Review Example Ofelia's mother ties the knot with another person who is a captain in Franco's army. Ofelia takes a great inspiration from fairy tales and while going to her step father she experiences many strange events which link her as being the lost princess of the underworld. Ofelia's step father is assigned to a remote village where he is designated to throw out all the rebels from the territory. Ofelia gets closely related to the servants working with the captain and she comes to know that the servant Mercedes is linked with the rebels but due to her love for Mercedes she does not tell his father about Mercedes. The rebels try to evacuate the captain from their land and in the end of the movie they even get successful in burning the outpost of the captain and finally killing him. Ofelia gets deeply involved in the fairytales and she is asked to pass some tests to enter the world of the underworld where she is supposedly the princess. In the end one of the test leads to her death in which she has to sacrifice her brother. The captain reaches the spot and kills her to get the posession of the child. Politics is greatly involved in Pan's Labyrinth in the form of war and the actions of people. ... This is because of her defiance to live in the captain's world of brutality. The fantasies of Ofelia from one point of view are also political as she is running away from the captain's world and she figures out that she can live in her own world where the captain does not rule. She tries to find her allies in the rebels and Mercedes and thus she sides up with the rebels. The whole movie portrays a political environment in which everyone is fighting for his own cause i.e. the captain tries to defeat the rebels while Mercedes and Ofelia try to end the tyranny of the captain and run away from his world. The film describes the situation of tyranny and dictatorship and emphasizes on the fact that dictatorship can only be ended through political tactics. In the climax of the movie the captain shoots Ofelia while she is giving a test to be called the lost princess of the underworld. The climax of the movie also portrays a way of how Ofelia fought to get herself released from the world of ca ptain. Pan's Labyrinth is a book which shows both the tactics used by the rebels and the fantasies which were seen by Ofelia in the form of politics as they are both done do get away from the shadow of the captain. There have been many famous comic samples. The chain of keeping comics aside for totally unrealistic matters was broken by Alan Moore, who added political issues in his writings. 'Watchmen' is known to be a great piece of comic work by Alan Moore in 1986-87. Alan Moore is recognized as the best writer in comics after creating such a master piece. His impressive DC series tracks many caparisoned vigilantes, consisting of the inhuman, knowledgeable, crazy, and intelligent but

The Impact of Self Interest in Relation to Change Essay

The Impact of Self Interest in Relation to Change - Essay Example Change is a  crucial  part of  our  lives. Change in organizations is also an  important  factor. In the words of Arthur Schopenhauer, â€Å"Change alone is continuous, eternal and perpetual.† According to this assertion, the permanency and inevitability of change can neither be underrated nor overemphasized (Smollan, 2011). The fact that not all change is  positive  should not  deter  individuals from embracing change. However, change must be approached from an informed point of view. Both the proponents and opponents of change must  appreciate  that all change tags along discomforts and drawbacks. This essay will  seek  to address the impact of self interest as a motivator that inspires change (Robbins & Judge, 2011). According to Machiavelli’s â€Å"†¦. there is nothing harder and hazardous, or more uncertain of success, than an effort to introduce a new sequence of  things†¦for  the pacesetter has for enemies all those who benefit from the status quo whilst those who support the new †¦will be but lukewarm defenders.† This quote thus suggests that the introduction of change in any setting faces some  level  of resistance (Robbins & Judge, 2011). ... ge† must be achieved.  Resistance to change alludes to the action adopted by individuals and groups when they  sense  that a change that is happening as a threat to them (Cartwright, 2005, p. 301).  This  resistance  is encountered  within organizations, although it can also be found in other places.  Man’s habitual tendency to tread the path of least resistance bars him from accepting change.  In an organization, this  resistance  can also be deemed  positive. Resistance to change affords a  level  of  stability  and certainty of behavior by preventing  abrupt  change. Absence of such resistance would lead to a  situation  of chaotic randomness within the organization. In an attempt to  discuss  the causes of resistance, this paper will  classify  the causes into; individual resistance,  group  resistance  and organizational resistance (Robbins & Judge, 2011). Individual resistance Individual resistance arises due to conflicting perceptions, needs and personalities.  Most of the reasons as to  why such resistance occurs may be  lucid  or emotional. The reasons for  individual  resistance  are listed  hereunder: Economic reasons In an  organization,  when a new technology  is introduced, the technology will  encounter  some  level  of resistance. The employees may  dread  that the new technology will  render  them  jobless. Usually, new technology necessitates  further  training  and replacement of  unskilled  staff  by  skilled  staff  and  therefore, the employees will  oppose  the change. In organizations where the rate of pay  is pegged  on the workers productivity, the workers may fear that the new technology will cause them  miss  their  production  targets and thus  lower  their earnings Psychological factors The psychological factors that  breed  resistance

Temperature-dependent impact tests Essay Example for Free

Temperature-dependent impact tests Essay Purpose This lab was performed to fully comprehend the temperature dependency of the fracture toughness of the Aluminum and Steel. It was also executed to discover the ductile-brittle transition of each. Summary The experiment solidified the hypothesis that the 6061 aluminum has no ductile-to-brittle transition do to its FCC crystal structure. The 1018 steel has a ductile-to-brittle transition temperature of -31Â ºC due to its BCC crystal structure. Results Figure 1: Graph of fracture energy vs. temperature for entire class data From Figure 1 one can determine that steel has a ductile-to-brittle transition temperature at -31Â ºC requiring a large increase in energy required to fracture over the temperature range. Also it can be determined that aluminum has no ductile to brittle transition due to the almost nonexistent change in fracture energy over the temperature range. Figure 2:Â  Photos of the fracture of each specimen for each testing temperature From the photos in Figure 2 one can see that the Aluminum fracture remains relatively constant throughout the temperature range. This shows plastic deformation due to its ductile behavior throughout the testing temperatures. The steel on the other hand is brittle at the colder temperatures and from the pictures you can see the grain boundaries are more visible and course. This represents a brittle failure. As the temperature increases, the grains become smoother as seen in the photos, which denote a transition to plastic deformation for a more ductile steel. Conclusion The results show that for the 1018 steel the fracture energy increases over the temperature increase, while for the 6061 aluminum the fracture energy stays relatively constant throughout the temperature increase. In the Figure 2 photos, the aluminum is relatively constant on the surface of the fracture. There is a smooth appearance to the grains on the surface of the aluminum, displaying plastic deformation. For the steel, the grains are jagged and rough at the lower temperatures, displaying shearing of the grains, but as the temperature increases the surface becomes smooth like the aluminum. The crystal structure of the 1018 steel is a BCC when the 6061 Aluminum has a FCC. For a BCC crystal structure there is ductile-to-brittle transition due to cleavage in the grains, but in a FCC crystal structure cleavage is nonexistent therefore no ductile-to-brittle transition occurs. In conclusion the 1018 steel has ductile-to-brittle transition.

Concealed Carry Laws Debate

Concealed Carry Laws Debate Mark Derham The study of crime in all its forms by scholars is a mainstay of academia. Research on this topic spans across a wide breadth of related issues, but the main concern of this essay is crime and the effect concealed handgun laws have on it. These laws provide citizens a legal means by which to carry a concealed handgun by having them undergo a background check through their local law enforcement agency to ensure they have no criminal history and are not suffering from a mental health illness (Lott and Mustard 1997).This particular issue was brought to the forefront of the academic debate by Lott and Mustard (1997) in an attempt to apply empirical, quantitative analysis to the issue to assist in the formulation of public policies regarding handguns and the right-to-carry. Following the publishing of Lott and Mustard (1997), numerous other scholars joined in the debate on concealed handgun laws and the effect such laws have on the crime rate (see Bartley and Cohen 1998; Black and Nagin 1 998; Ludwig 2000; Plassman and Tideman 2001; Ayres and Donohue III 2003; Plassman and Whitley 2003; Moody and Marvell 2008; etc.). What has resulted is a collection of work showing a divide amongst scholars and a debate on whether or not concealed handgun laws have a negative, neutral or positive effect on crime rate and the proper method for analyzing the available data. School shootings, gunmen attacking innocent civilians in public areas, and other forms of gun violence continue to put people on high alert when it comes to the issue of guns, their availability, and the ease in which one can lawfully carry said guns. These forms of crime in relation to gun laws also continue to play a big role in local, state and national elections, with party lines having already been drawn at all levels. As a result of the national attention crime receives and the impact it has on political debates, it is critical to understanding the issue of crime, and how local, state and national laws impact crime levels. With this information in mind, this essay is specifically concerned with the following question: why does the crime rate vary? With such a question, it is expected that there are numerous reasons that variance is to be found, and several variables will be set up and reviewed to determine their effect on the crime rate. The literature surrounding concealed carry laws is extensive due in large part to Lott and Mustard (1997) providing a spark for other scholars to join the debate. The results in the literature also reveal that scholars are deeply divided on the effects concealed carry laws have on the crime rate, and the methods by which researchers believe this issue should be addressed also widely vary. While there are not necessarily key findings due to the divide amongst scholars, there are several generalizations that can be gathered from the literature. First, crime data can be difficult to interpret due to inconsistency in reporting and classification of crimes over time (Lott and Mustard 1997; Ludwig 2000; Ayres and Donohue III 2003). Second, the independent variables used to control for other factors that affect the crime rate can have a significant impact on the end results, which comes as no surprise (Ludwig 2000; Ayres and Donohue III). Third, the unit of analysis used to study the issue has been shown to have a significant impact on the results due mainly to crime reports and different independent variables affecting different regions (Ayres and Donohue III; Black and Nagin 1998; Lott and Mustard 1997; Ludwig 2000). Fourth, the majority of the literature maintains even when lower violent crime rates cannot be attributed to concealed carry laws, there is also little evidence of higher violent crime rates as a result of these laws (Bartley and Cohen 1998; Black and Nagin 1998; Lott and Mustard 1997; Ludwig 2000; Moody and Marvell 2008; Plassman and Tideman 2001; Plassman and Whitley 2003). With such variance over all aspects of concealed handgun laws effects on crime rate, there is also a large variance in the results that scholars have achieved. Lott and Mustard (1997) originally determined that concealed handgun laws reduce murders, rapes, and aggravated assaults; property crimes increase when the laws go into effect; and the laws deter all types of crime with murder, rape, and aggravated assault being the most affected. Bartley and Cohen (1998) found a reduction in violent crime rates and no substitution effect for property crimes. Plassman and Tideman (2001) saw a deterrent for murder, rape and robbery in ten of the states they analyzed, but also recognize the potential for an increase in crime for the other half of states they reviewed. Plassman and Whitley (2003) conclude the laws do reduce murder rates, and Moody and Marvell (2009) also conclude there is generally a reduction in overall crime. Thus, even amongst the scholars that see a positive effect on conceal ed carry laws, the results are varied on what the precise effect is. The other side of the debate generally recognizes that the laws maintain a neutral effect on overall crime, although, Ayres and Donohue III (2003,2009) argue that their model shows an increase in crime once concealed handgun laws are put in place.They also reject the majority of the literature supporting a reduction in crime based on issues with the original data sets utilized by Lott (2000). Once the data sets are extended to include the years up to 2000 and corrections are made to original coding issues, the results of previous studies (Lott 2000; Plassman and Whitely 2003) are reversed (Ayres and Donohue III 2009). Once the data sets extend up to 2006, the issue becomes more complicated and only shows an increase in aggravated assaults with no significant results for murder and robbery (Ayres and Donohuee III 2009b).Black and Nagin (2008) argue in their analysis that there is too much sensitivity for the model and sample size and qualify this by showing that Lott and Mustardâ€⠄¢s (1997) results are dependent on Florida being included in the analysis. Once Florida is removed from the sample, there is no deterrence effect for murder and rape and assaults are unaffected. They conclude that Lott and Mustard’s results should not affect public policies due to the sensitivity of the analysis (Black and Nagin 2008). Finally, when analyzing only homicide rates and attempting to control for unobserved variables by using juveniles as a control group, there is a positive effect for concealed carry laws, but it is not significant (Ludwig 2000). Once again, the varied results complicate the overall analysis and provide questions on the overall reliability and accuracy of the results. The data used to study this issue were derived by pulling statistics and information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and then supplementing that data with state reported statistics obtained through various state agencies for conviction rates, sentencing length, and concealed handgun permits issues (Lott and Mustard 1997). This data pool is criticized to an extent due to the known issues with the UCR data being a victim of non-reporting, incomplete reporting, and under reporting (Ludwig 2000). However, there appears to be an agreement that this is the best available data since the majority of the available literature utilized Lott and Mustard’s data to conduct their own analysis (Ayres and Donohue III; Bartley and Cohen 1998; Black and Nagin 1998; Lott and Mustard 1997; Ludwig 2000; Moody and Marvell 2008; Plassman and Tideman 2001; Plassman and Whitley 2003). There has also been work completed to supplement Lott and Mustardâ⠂¬â„¢s data by including additional years of statistics up to 2006 (Ayres and Donohue III 2009b; Moody and Marvell 2008). There is also the issue of obtaining data regarding a state’s concealed handgun permits. Since there only six states that had any reportable data available regarding the number of concealed handgun permits issued, there was also agreement that a dichotomous value was required to assess the status of a states concealed handgun laws (Ayres and Donohue III 2003; Bartley and Cohen 1998; Black and Nagin 1998; Lott and Mustard 1997; Ludwig 2000; Moody and Marvell 2008; Plassman and Tideman 2001; Plassman and Whitley 2000). This continues to be a contentious point amongst scholars since there is no measure for the number of issued concealed weapon permits by state. The unit at which the studies were analyzed varied, and there is some level of debate as to which unit of analysis is best able to interpret the available data. Lott and Mustard (1997) argue that the county is the best unit of analysis based on the heterogeneity of states and the effects this carries over to state level analysis. Additionally, they argue that the city level isn’t appropriate due to the lack of time-series data once the laws are put in place (Lott and Mustard 1997). However, the county as the unit of analysis is rejected by several other scholars. Black and Nagin (1998) use the county as their unit of analysis but reject Lott and Mustard’s results based on their acceptance of all counties, which results in the dropping of a large amount of data due to some crimes not being present in all counties each year. Thus, Black and Nagin (1998) set a population limit on the counties being accepted into the analysis. On the other hand, Plassman and Tideman (2001) find that limiting counties by size results in a loss of significant value to the models and instead use the state to discover a significant variation in results across multiple states. Finally, Ayres and Donohue III (2003, 2009b) run models utilizing both state and county levels to test for reliability and accuracy of the available data. Additionally, the state level data was able to be extended using the UCR through 2006. Utilizing county level data is dangerous due to the sheer inaccuracy of it, amongst other issues (Ayres and Donohue III 2003).What is clear from each of these studies is that the unit of analysis can certainly vary, and it is necessary to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each before moving forward. The methods used by scholars are the true dividing force in the debate over concealed handgun laws. There seems to be little agreement on which methods produce the most accurate results and each subsequent scholar that joins the debate finds a new method to interpret the available data. The only consensus that is to be found in the literature supports a cross-sectional, time series study. Following that, the models used to analyze the data vary widely. Lott and Mustard (1997) utilized a least squares regression model along with Black and Nagin (1998) and Bartley and Cohen (1998). Plassman and Tideman (2001) found this causes unreliable results since the least squares method is not suitable for the low levels of occurrence for some of the crimes. They argue that a Poisson-lognormal model is much more accurate based on the available data (Plassman and Tideman 2001). Ludwig (2000) utilizes only the homicide data, due to the unreliability of other nonviolent crime data, to run a differen ce-in-difference-in-difference (DDD) model at the state level. Ayres and Donohue III (2003) also reject the least squares regression model based on the re-running of the analysis with their additional data sets and instead favor a hybrid model that incorporates state trends, state post-law dummies, and state post-law trends. This latter model has also been rejected due to the restriction of Ayres and Donohue III’s post passage analysis to only five years. When the model was extended by one more year, the results shifted completely (Moody and Marvell 2009).This is also dangerous since there was only one to three years worth of data available for the 25 states originally reviewed, so extending the analysis an additional year could have caused errors in the results (Ayres and Donohue III, 2009). The available research on right to carry laws and their effects on the crime rate show that there is much disagreement surrounding the available data, at what level the data should be analyzed, measures utilized, and models used for the regression analysis. As a result, there is still room to provide input into this issue and no true key findings amongst scholars exist, though, general findings can be surmised. With regard to the data, there will always be inconsistencies with how crime is reported and provided to the public in the UCR. Regardless, this is the best available source for crime data and the real debate should be on what level that data is analyzed and how to control for the inaccuracy of the available data. All of the research has used either state or county level data due to the lack of city level data prior to 1985. The measures utilized also show a discrepancy amongst research as to the most appropriate variables necessary to account for other factors that affect cri me. This is certainly a problem all of its own due to the demonstrated effects on results of removing certain variables and accounting for others. Thus, more work is necessary to discover the most appropriate variables to control for during the analysis. Finally, a host of models have been used to run regression analysis with each finding differing results. This calls into question the reliability of the results and the need for additional research. With this information in mind, this study will approach the issue of the crime rate in a quantitative method. The dependent variable will be the crime rate since the issue at hand is what causes variance in the crime rate. The units of analysis will be states and time represented over a calendar year. Treatment and control states will be utilized to account for other factors that can be expected to impact crime rates. The primary variable this article will analyze is the presence of concealed handgun laws. The second variable this study expects to affect crime rate variance is the metropolitan population percentage of a state. With the dependant and independent variables having been established, there are two hypotheses this study puts forward. First, if concealed handgun laws are in place, then the crime rate should be reduced over time. Second, if a state’s metropolitan population percentage decreases over time, then the crime rate should decrease over time. Thus, for the independent variable of concealed handgun laws, this study expects to see a positive impact to the crime rate. For the metropolitan population percentage variable, it is expected that a lower percentage over time will have a positive impact to the crime rate, and a higher percentage over time will have a negative impact. Works Cited Aikens, Steven and Slider, Gary. 2014. â€Å"US State Pages.† Accessed on March 3, 2014.http://www.handgunlaw.us/. Ayres, Ian and Donohue III, John J. 2003.â€Å"Shooting down the More Guns, Less Crime Hypothesis.†Stanford Law Review 55 (April): 1193-1312.  ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ ­. 2009. â€Å"Yet Another Refutation of the More Guns, Less Crime Hypothesis – With Some Help From Moody and Marvell.† Econ Journal Watch 6 (January): 35-59. – ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ ­. 2009b. â€Å"More Guns, Less Crime FailsAgain: The Latest Evidence from1977 – 2006.† Econ Journal Watch 6 (May): 218-238. 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