Raven Culver Essays (882 words) - African Slave Trade, Literature

Raven Culver EN-229 Dr. Laoye 15 February 2017 Crossing the Middle Passage Caryl Phillips novel, "Crossing the River", follows three different Africans who have been sold into slavery by their father'. Though these three characters are not actual brothers and sisters, the time given in each individual story helps us to determine this, they all have the same place of origin, Africa. Each one of the sibling's stories are uniquely different. Nash was educated by his white master, Edward Williams, and then sent to Africa as a pioneer to teach the natives Christianity. Both Mr. Williams and Nash were not the good Christians they claim to be. Mr. Williams had sexual desires, and possible relationships, with his young slaves. Once Nash felt abandoned by Edward's unresponsiveness, he lost all of his Christian beliefs; he adopted the native ways and had multiple wives and lost all he was preaching. The second story deals with Martha and her unsuccessful travel to California to be with her friend Lucy and possibly find her first husband and daughter who were sold into slavery. On her travel, she is too sick to continue on the journey and is left in a town in Colorado. Though she is near death, she is still thinking of her main reason for travelingher daughter Eliza and first husband Lucas. The third story in the novel is told from the perspective of the ship's captain and is in a journal form. As he is on his way to Africa to pick up slaves, he reveals in his journal that he does not think the slave trade coincides with his Christian beliefs, though he must take over the business after the death of his father. In order to compensate for his guilt, he is forced to think of cargo, as he refers to the slaves (105), as cargo. His father seemed to feel in a similar way and continuing on in the slave trade business seemed to lead him to his death. The last section of the novel deals w ith another case of journal-like entries by Joyce. After a failed first marriage, Joyce falls in love with Travis, a black soldier of the U.S. Army, and has his child. When he is killed, Joyce must give up their son to the country. Though she loves her son and previous husband, she has no choice but to move on. Eventually, her son finds her and they are reunited at the perfect moment. The other two parts to the novel, which are a key to understanding, besides the three stories within it, are the epilogue and the prologue. One thing that I thought was very interesting about this novel was the places that each story in the novel went. Each different part corresponded with a part in the triangle of the African diaspora. We start with the prologue which places us in Africa, the beginning point of many of the slaves. They start in their native country of Africa until they are captured, brought to America and sold. The prologue talks about the, "foreign flag" (1), and "your bodies the seeds of new treessinking hopeful roots into new difficult soil" (2). This new soil is in America where the children are now off to. In The Pagan Coast, we go from America to modern Africa in Liberia. We know that Nash is raised by Edward and then sent to Liberia to pioneer. Here, he loses his Christian beliefs, falls right back into the African ways and adopts many wives and starts believing in the African culture and religious ways. In his last letter to Edward, he admits his wrongs, but says, "Liberia is the finest country for the colored manthis is a new country and everything has still to be created" (61). West goes to the Americas where Martha travels across the country from state to state, searching for her past life; her husband Lucas and daughter Eliza. She begins in Kansas and tries moving to California, but because of her health, she is dropped off in Colorado, where she spends the last day of her life reminiscing on the past. The whole Transatlantic Triangle Trade seems to be covered in the Crossing the River section of the novel.

AGILE Example

AGILE Example AGILE – Article Example Extreme Programming Affiliation Gerold Keefer bias about extreme programming lies on facts that he has collected over time and he has made it open to the public. I agree with Keefer bias about extreme programming outcomes or software should be subjected to quality assurance checks. This not only adds value to the software, but also paves way for advanced and future research. With reference to the above statement and according to the case text provided individuals have come up with software that are outstanding but have not been granted to be sure through better quality assurance checks hence this type of extreme programming is considered sub-standard. Gerold Keefer states that despite the negatives impacts of Extreme Programming, it has or it expects to get a clear understanding of agile methods and applications of extreme engineering to most software testing platforms. As a matter of fact over the last decade, researchers and scholars have working tirelessly to come up with agile platforms that have up to date qualities; the bias come in when individuals and companies come up with software that are of low quality but authorities drive them to extreme programming standard yet they do not meet this platform. The practice of producing extreme programs is not refactoring; this practice takes place after initial coding so at to improve the appearance of the software being developed, but to the author extreme programming calls for unit testing hence, refactoring leads to extra work hence, less efficient. The last value is simplicity; this is a respectable designing principle that extreme programming deploys to make sure that its works are user friendly; but this does not take place in the contemporary programming society.

Twitter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Twitter - Essay Example Twitter emerged as a side project for a number of board members at the blogging and podcasting company Odeo. The original inventors included Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone. The original name for the project was twttr. The first product utilization functioned within the Odeo Company, with the full version finishing development a number of months later ("The real history," 2011) . After the product was completed the original Twitter founders created Obvious Corporation and through investor funds purchased Odeo and all of its subsequent assets. In April 2007 Twitter spinoff from Odeo and became its own company. In terms of popularity the company gained perhaps its greatest boost at the Interactive portion of the South by Southwest festival; at this festival user-ship expanded from 20,000 to 60,000 (Picard, 2011). There were a number of early development elements that occurred throughout the product’s orientation. In large part the structural dimensions of the product have remained the same since its 2006 incarnation. Many of the early development elements occurred in terms of the company’s management and organizational structure. In 2007 co-founder Noah Glass was fired ("The real history," 2011). In 2008 Williams assumed company leadership in terms of becoming the chief executive officer and Jack Dorsey became chairman of the board. Williams would remain in this capacity until 2010 when Dick Costolo would assume the position. 2010 also witnessed a slight change in the company logo. Twitter has experimented with a number of modern development changes in the last two years. Perhaps most prominent among these is the inclusion of a trending sidebar that indicates the most popularly tweeted topics ("A visual history," 2011). Twitter has implemented this service as a means of advertising as specific companies are given the opportunity to have their subject of choice featured as a

Commercial Law - Sales of Goods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Commercial Law - Sales of Goods - Essay Example Emily accepted this proposal and handed over the scarf to Andrea for cleaning. Christine, who saw the scarf in the shop, instantly decided to purchase the scarf. Accordingly, she offered a very lucrative amount for it. Andrea accepted this offer and gave the scarf to Christine. Later on Emily came to know of this transaction and made a strong resolve to get back her scarf from Christine. Issues For advising Emily and Christine in respect of their rights regarding the possession of the scarf, the issues to be addressed are: Whether there was a contract of sale between Andrea and Emily. Whether Andrea possesses title to the scarf which was sold to Christine. Whether Emily got any remedy under the provisions of sale of goods Act. Whether Christine’s sale transaction with Andrea is a legally valid one. Rule of law As per the provisions of section 2(1) of the Sale of Goods Act 1979, a contract of sale is one in which the seller either transfers or accepts to sell the property in go ods to another person called the buyer for a consideration which can be termed as price. As per section 21 of the Sale of Goods Act 1979, an individual without title in the goods cannot transfer the same to others Application Since, Emily had paid for the scarf and taken possession, she had become its owner, as per the provisions of the Sale of Goods Act 1979. Thus, she possesses title to the property. ... In bailment, mere possession of the goods is given and there is no transfer of property in the goods. A bailment involves a transfer of possession in the goods. On the other hand, a sale results in the transfer of the general property in the goods. In instances, wherein there is a hire purchase agreement or a return transaction, the bailee may obtain property in the goods from the bailor (Macleod, 2002, p. 22). The bailor has the right to claim a return of the goods bailed, the moment that the purpose of such bailment has been realised. In the event of any delay by the bailee in returning these goods, the bailor can claim compensation. The remedy for failure by the bailee to take proper care of the goods is damages. On occasion, the risk and property in goods sold could have been transferred to the buyer and the seller could be duty bound to deliver goods to the buyer. In such instances, any ensuing damage to the goods resulting from the negligence of the seller has to be compensated for by the provision of damages to the buyer (Title and Passing of Property). However, in such cases, the buyer cannot reject the goods. As such, in a contract of bailment, the goods are delivered with the condition that the goods are to be returned to the owner or some other party. Despite the fact that the holder of the goods in a contract of bailment possesses certain obligations and rights, the title in the goods does not pass to that person (Sale of goods: contract, property and risk). The bailee does not hold good title, since property in goods is not transferred. Section 21(1) of the Sale of Goods Act 1979, enjoins a general rule. This rule declares that it is not

Anthropology, Development and Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Anthropology, Development and Tourism - Essay Example Aside from t counurce of foreign exchange, since the hoincome. tourism it is ia ma0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000providing considerable employment opportunities in sectors like the hotel industry, the transport sector and wildlife, tourism helps a country increase its foreign exchange reserves. Over the last 25 years, developing countries have increased their portion of the world’s tourism market by more than 20%. Tourism arrivals to destinations in developing countries made up 46% of the total global arrivals in 2011. In 20 of the 48 least developed states in the world, tourism is either the first or the second export earnings source. In terms of the contribution of tourism to the economies of developing countries, more than 25% of the GDP comes from tourism. This statistic mostly applies to the small island countries (BBC, n.d., n.p.). This paper shall discuss the reasons why most developing countries have chosen to engage tourism as an economic tool for development. Further, it shall expose the challenges that developing countries undergo in choosing tourism as an option for development, and the opportunities presented to developing countries in their quest to use tourism for development. The tourism sector may be the sole service sector that offers quantified and concrete trading opportunities (BMZ, n.d., n.p.). This sector is of immense benefits to any country, regardless of the country’s development levels. For developing countries, tourism is among the most fundamental pillars in their process of development because it has been marked as a dominant activity with the potential to spur economic growth. In some countries, tourism is the sole source of employment and foreign currency, therefore forming a concrete platform for development of the economy 90 (U.S.I.P, n.d., n.p.). The reasons for increased investment in the tourism sector by developing countries are as follows: The tourism sector

Analysis of Open and Closed Economies

Analysis of Open and Closed Economies Table of Contents (Jump to) TASK1 1.0 DEFINITION OF OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY 1.1 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY 1.2 COUNTRY WHO PRACTISE OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY 1.3 CONSUMPTION AMONG OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY 1.4 INVESTMENT AMONG THE OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY 1.5 IMPORT AMONG THE OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY TASK2 2.0 UTILIZE 2.1 WEALTH DISTRIBUTION 2.3 FOUR PRODUCTION FACTORS EFFICIENTLY AMONG WEALTH DISTRIBUTION 2.4 INTRODUCE NEW TECHNOLOGY AMONG WEALTH DISTRIBUTION 2.5 INVESTMENT IN NEWPLANT AND EQUIPMENT AMONG WEALTH DISTRIBUTION 2.6 ENSURE SUFFICIENT DEMAND AND SUPPLY FOR PRODUCTS AMONG WEALTH DISTRIBUTION 3.0 CONCULUSION 4.0 REFERENCES TASK1 1.0 DEFINITION OF OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY An open economy is an economy in which there are economic activities between domestic community and outside, e.g. people, including businesses, can trade in goods and services with other people and businesses in the international community, and flow of funds as investment across the border. Trade can be in the form of managerial exchange, technology transfers, all kinds of goods and services. Although, there are certain exceptions that cannot be exchanged, like, railway services of a country cannot be traded with another to avail this service, a country has to produce its own. This contrasts with a closed economy in which international trade and finance cannot take place. The act of selling goods or services to a foreign country is called exporting. The act of buying goods or services from a foreign country is called importing. Together exporting and importing are collectively called international trade. There are a number of advantages for citizens of a country with an open economy. One primary advantage is that the citizen consumers have a much larger variety of goods and services from which to choose. Additionally, consumers have an opportunity to invest their savings outside of the country. In an open economy, a countrys spending in any given year need not to equal its output of goods and services. A country can spend more money than it produces by borrowing from abroad, or it can spend less than it produces and lend the difference to foreigners. There is no closed economy in todays world. An economy in which no activity is conducted with outside economies. A closed economy is self-sufficient, meaning that no imports are brought in and no exports are sent out. The goal is to provide consumers with everything that they need from within the economys borders. A closed economy is the opposite of an open economy, in which a country will conduct trade with outside regions. 1.1 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY 1.2 COUNTRY WHO PRACTISE OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY American countries in adopting open economy and free and other trade practices or the United States an open economy is the opposite of a managed economy. It is one that is characteristically market-oriented, with free market policies rather than government-imposed price controls. In an open economy industries tend to be privately owned rather than owned by the government. In the area of international trade an open economy is one whose policies promote free trade over protectionism .On the other hand, a managed or closed economy is characterized by protective tariffs, state-run or nationalized industries, extensive government regulations and price controls, and similar policies indicative of a government-controlled economy. In a managed economy the government typically intervenes to influence the production of goods and services. In an open economy, market forces are allowed to determine production levels. A completely open economy exists only in theory. For example, no country in the world allows unlimited free access to its markets. Most nations have fiscal and monetary policies that attempt to improve their economies. Many economies that are open in some respects may still have government owned, monopolistic industries. A country is considered to have an open economy, however, if its policies allow market forces to determine such matters as production and pricing. 1.3 CONSUMPTION AMONG OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY In a closed economy, all output is sold domestically, and expenditure is divided into three components: consumption, investment, and government purchases. Y = C + I + G an open economy, some output is sold domestically and some is exported to be sold abroad. We can divide expenditure on an open economy’s output Y into four components: Cd, consumption of domestic goods and services, Id, investment in domestic goods and services, good government purchases of domestic goods and services, X, exports of domestic goods and services. The division of expenditure into these components is expressed in the identity. 1.4 INVESTMENT AMONG THE OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY An open economy is one that engages in international exchange of goods, services, and investments. Exports are goods and services sold to buyers outside the country, while imports are those purchased from foreigners. The difference between exports and imports of goods and services is called net exports. When foreign trade is introduced, domestic demand can differ from national output. Domestic demand comprises consumption, investment, and government purchases (C + I + G). To obtain GDP, exports Ex) must be added and imports (Im) subtracted, GDP = C + I + G + X. 1.5 IMPORT AMONG THE OPEN ECONOMY AND CLOSE ECONOMY The act of selling goods or services to a foreign country is called exporting. The act of buying goods or services from a foreign country is called importing. Together exporting and importing are collectively called international trade. There are a number of advantages for citizens of a country with an open economy. One primary advantage is that the citizen consumers have a much larger variety of goods and services from which to choose. Additionally, consumers have an opportunity to invest their savings outside of the country. TASK2 2.0 UTILIZE Utility, or usefulness, is the ability of something to satisfy needs or wants. Utility is an important concept in economics and game theory, because it represents satisfaction experienced by the consumer of a good. Not coincidentally, a good is something that satisfies human wants and provides utility, for example, to a consumer making a purchase. It was recognized that one cannot directly measure benefit, satisfaction or happiness from a good or service, so instead economists have devised ways of representing and measuring utility in terms of economic choices that can be counted. Economists have attempted to perfect highly abstract methods of comparing utilities by observing and calculating economic choices. In the simplest sense, economists consider utility to be revealed in peoples willingness to pay different amounts for an economic term referring to the total satisfaction received from consuming a good or service. A company that generates transmits and/or distributes electricity , water and/or gas from facilities that it owns and/or operates. 2.1 WEALTH DISTRIBUTION The distribution of wealth is a comparison of the wealth of various members or groups in a society. It differs from the distribution of income in that it looks at the distribution of ownership of the assets in a society; the word wealth is often confused with income. These two terms describe different but related things. Wealth consists of those items of economic value that an individual owns, while income is an inflow of items of economic value (See Stock and flow.) The relation between wealth, income, and expenses is rather than the current income of members of that society. 2.3 FOUR PRODUCTION FACTORS EFFICIENTLY AMONG WEALTH DISTRIBUTION The four factors of production in economics are land, labor, capital and entrepreneurship. In economics, factors of product are the inputs to the production process. Finished goods are the output. Input determines the quantity of output i.e. output depends upon input. Input is the starting point and output is the end point of production process and such input-output relationship is called a production function. There are three basic factors of production: land, labor, capital. Some modern economists also consider entrepreneurship for a factor of production. These factors are also frequently labeled producer goods in order to distinguish them from the goods or services purchased by consumers, which are frequently labeled consumer goods. All three of these are required in combination at a time to produce commodity. In economics, production means creation or an addition of utility. Factors of production (or productive inputs or resources) are any commodities or services used to produce goods or services. Factors of production may also refer specifically to the primary factors, which are stocks including land, labor the ability to work, and capital goods applied to production. Materials and energy are considered as secondary factors in classical economics because they are obtained from land, labor and capital. The primary factors facilitate production but neither become part of the product as with raw materials nor become significantly transformed by the production process as with fuel used to power machinery. Land includes not only the site of production but natural resources above or below the soil. The factor land may, however, for simplification purposes are merged with capital in some case due to land being of little importance in the service sector and manufacturing. Recent usage has distinguished human capital the stock of knowledge in the labor force from labor. Entrepreneurship is also sometimes considered a factor of production. Sometimes the overall state of technology is d escribed as a factor of production. The number and definition of factors varies, depending on theoretical purpose, empirical emphasis, or school of economics. 2.4 INTRODUCE NEW TECHNOLOGY AMONG WEALTH DISTRIBUTION In exchange relations two actors come to an agreement to trade with each other on mutually agreed-upon terms. Something is delivered, and something is expected in return, in a quid pro quo (â€Å"something for something†) relation. In product and labor markets, exchanges typically involve a flow of goods or services from seller to buyer, in return for a monetary payment. The monetary payments in turn create flows of labor and capital income. For example, when customers buy shoes from a mall shoe store, the incomes created include the payment of a wage to the shoe salesperson, rent to the owners of the mall, and profits to the owners of the business. Labor income is compensation received by workers in the form of wages, salaries, and fringe benefits. Capital income includes rents, profits, and interest. (Rent as economists use the term, refers not just to rent for housing, but to payments for the use of any asset). 2.5 INVESTMENT IN NEWPLANT AND EQUIPMENT AMONG WEALTH DISTRIBUTION Distribution of wealth and income, the way in which the wealth and income of a nation are divided among its population, or the way in which the wealth and income of the world are divided among nations. Such patterns of distribution are discerned and studied by various statistical means, all of which are based on data of varying degrees of reliability. Wealth is an accumulated store of possessions and financial claims. It may be given a monetary value if prices can be determined for each of the possessions; this process can be difficult when the possessions are such that they are not likely to be offered for sale. Income is a net total of the flow of payments received in a given time period. Some countries collect statistics on wealth from legally required evaluations of the estates of deceased persons, which may or may not be indicative of what is possessed by the living. In many countries, annual tax statements that measure income provide more or less reliable information. 2.6 ENSURE SUFFICIENT DEMAND AND SUPPLY FOR PRODUCTS AMONG WEALTH DISTRIBUTION Have been described as the most directly observable attributes of goods produced and exchanged in a market economy. The theory of supply and demand is an organizing principle for explaining how prices coordinate the amounts produced and consumed. In microeconomics, it applies to price and output determination for a market with perfect competition, which includes the condition of no buyers or sellers large enough to have price-setting power. For a given market of a commodity, demand is the relation of the quantity that all buyers would be prepared to purchase at each unit price of the good. Demand is often represented by a table or a graph showing price and quantity demanded (as in the figure). Demand theory describes individual consumers as rationally choosing the most preferred quantity of each good, given income, prices, tastes, etc. A term for this is constrained utility maximization (with income and wealth as the constraints on demand). Here, utility refers to the hypothesized relation of each individual consumer for ranking different commodity bundles as more or less preferred. FIGURE 1.2 DEMANDS AND SUPPLY 3.0 CONCULUSION This assignment task one based about open economy and close economy. The task two about utility. The open economy is market economy mostly free trade barriers and where exports and imports form a large percentage of GDP. 4.0 REFERENCES Unknown. Open economy. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_economy. Last accessed 19th JUNE. Unknown. . Close economy. Available: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/closed-economy.asp. Last accessed 19th June 2014. Unknown. Utility. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utility. Last accessed 19th June 2014. Unknown. Wealth distribution. Available: http://www. Wealth distribution Last accessed 19th June 2014. Unknown. . Wealth distribution. Available: http://www.wealth distribution. Last accessed 19th June 2014.

My Family: God Blessed Our Family with Robbie Essay -- Personal Narrat

Robbie is my eight-year-old brother. He is autistic. Autism is a developmental disability that interferes with the normal development of the brain in the areas of reasoning, social interaction, and communication skills. Because of autism, Robbie has severe delays in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and even in play activities. Robbie does not do what is normal for a child of eight and he acts much younger. Things that most children do automatically have to be taught to Robbie. Robbie goes to school every day. He is in a special education program that has helped him greatly. The TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication Handicapped Children) technique is used. It is a highly structured program with a great emphasis on functional and communication skills. Despite Robbie' inability to speak, he has learned how to communicate his needs and wants to others by using a Ma... ... Tank and "Friends" series and several of the Disney videos. He loves playing with "Tickle Me Elmo" and doing puzzles. But most of all Robbie enjoys eating. Pasta and noodle soup are his favorites. He is able to get the ingredients together by himself so all Mom has to do is turn on the stove and watch it cook. Robbie is autistic but he is also a very smart, funny, and loving person. He is so special and I am so happy to have such a special brother like Robbie.

An Unforgettable Night Essay

Mary Pittman Mr. Zemp English 101 January 20, 2010 Unforgettable Night What started out as a normal night, ended up as a night from hell. It was the day of graduation and everything was perfect. This day marked the beginning of the summer before my senior year. I had already made plans to go on trips to the beach with my family and friends. My friend, Bailes, was in town for graduation, as a surprise. She moved to Ohio her sophomore year and came to South Carolina when she could, which was not very often. That morning, when graduation was over, she texted me and said she was having a movie night at her house. She had invited the usual group of friends that we hung out with when she came into town. Her mom had recently moved into a new house, so I had never been there before. No one had ever been there. Bailes texted the directions to everyone’s phone so they would know how to get there. I had to work that day, so I was a little late getting to Bailes’ house. I was driving on dark and unfamiliar roads, so I was a little nervous. After a few wrong turns on Tower Road, I made it just in time. I walked in and was greeted by a huge hug from Bailes, whom I hadn’t seen in eight months. After talking to her for a few minutes to briefly catch up, I moved on to talk to everyone else. As time passed, more and more people started to arrive. Eventually, I found a nice, comfy spot on the couch. My friend Bart, whom I had known my entire life, came to sit beside me. It took us at least 15 minutes to decide what movie we should watch. The entire time everyone was deciding on a movie, Bart and I were joking around and acting like idiots. Bart had his own style. He wore socks that came up to his calf with shorts, which always amused me. I remember asking him jokingly, â€Å"Do you have a tan line from your socks? †. His response was, of course, â€Å"I don’t know. † Bart was a very mellow, carefree person. He just went with the flow and did what he wanted. I was still curious about the tan line, so I pulled down his socks, and there just happened to be a tan line. The whole room filled with laughter. Not even half-way through the movie Bart got a phone call from our friend Michael. Michael wanted Bart to meet him at the end of Tower Road; a road I will never forget. Bart got up to leave and I asked him if he wanted someone to ride with him. I did not want him to go by himself just in case something happened. I had never ridden with him before, so I had no idea how he drove. Tower Road is a road that has uneven pavement, potholes, very faint lines, and no helpful signs. It has many turns and hills. Bart was driving entirely too fast for that particular road, but, like an idiot, I said nothing to him about slowing down. We got to the end of the road and had to wait a few minutes because Michael was not there yet. While we waited we carried on casual conversation. Conversations, however, I will never forget. Michael finally got there and we started to head back to Bailes’. We were both unfamiliar with Tower Road. Bart was driving fast and glanced down at his cell phone for a split second; he never saw the curve coming. I looked ahead and saw the curve. A curve, on this awful road, that has changed my life forever. I screamed, â€Å"Bart! † trying to grab his attention, but it was a little too late. The next thing is the sound of shattering glass and the scraping of his Ford Explorer against trees. My body jerked forward and then backwards. Those few seconds seemed to last a lifetime. Then it was all over and everything was silent. I opened my eyes and looked around. I saw trees and broken glass. We had ended up in a ditch near a creek. I looked to my left and saw Bart. His eyes were closed and he did not look too banged up. I thought he was fine. I screamed for Michael to call 911 and tried to wake Bart up, yelling, â€Å"Bart, get up. We need to get out of here. † I kept calling his name, but never got an answer. Michael ran down the ditch to help us get out of the car. My door would not open, so he had to pull me out through the window, telling me, â€Å"Watch the glass. The glass was the least of my worries. I was bleeding from my face, but I felt nothing. Michael tried to get Bart out, but there was nothing we could do. The police, ambulance, and fire truck came. It seemed like an hour before they got there. They immediately looked at me and asked me questions about what happened, if I was ok. Stuff like that. I told them I was fine and to get my frie nd out of the car. I was taken to the hospital, where I was given x-rays and looked over. I kept asking about Bart, but no one ever said anything. My mom came in and then my sister. After a few minutes they told me Bart did not make it. I fell into tears. A little while later, I left the hospital. I went straight to my friend Blake’s house. Everyone had gone there to be together. I walked up to my friends who were crying their eyes out. The next day I went to the accident site with my friend Bailes. There was debris from the car all over the ground. In the ditch lay one of Bart’s socks and his shoes. The fast, hard impact of a tree we hit had blown them right off of him. After seeing the scene, Bailes and I went to Bart’s house to see his family. Considering the circumstances, they seemed to be ok. We left their house and went to see their car. Seeing the car was one of the most difficult things for me. I fell to my knees crying. The days that followed were filled with tears. The visitation was two days after the accident, the funeral three. After the visitation some of my friends and I put a cross on the curve where the accident happened. Since then, life has not been the same. I was not able to drive for two weeks after the accident. I was too afraid. Even today, I do not drive on certain roads or ride with many people. As for my friends, everyone seems to be okay now. We have all remained very close. We are there for each other, no matter what. Still, every day is a struggle. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about Bart or the accident. I remember every noise, every word, and every feeling– memories that haunt me on a daily basis; memories I wish I didn’t have. When I think about Bart, all of that goes away. Memories of him always put a smile on my face. He was such a wonderful, loving, and funny person. He was the best friend anyone could ever ask for. My love for him will never die. He is missed greatly.

Financial Analysis The Clipboard Tablet Co.

Financial Analysis The Clipboard Tablet Co. Overview The Clipboard Tablet Co. is a firm that was run by Joe Schmoe at a time when the company required the development of new products. The company developed three distinct products namely X5, X6 and X7 PC tablets. As a new VP in charge of the company’s marketing department, I have seen assigned a task to analyze the performance of the company under Joe’s tenure in the past six years.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Financial Analysis The Clipboard Tablet Co. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the process of undertaking analysis of the company’s performance, we had to look into the organizational development of the Clipboard Tablet Company. Joe Schmoe’s tenure in charge of sales and marketing was marked by the sale of X5, X6 and X7 tablet models. The analysis of the Clipboard Tablet Co. focused on the financial analysis of the company, the sales and profitability of the three tab let products over a 6 year period. Analysis The analysis markers for the Clipboard Tablet Co. include product development, sales, pricing and performance compared to its competitors. The analysis of these markers is shown below: Product Development In relation to Clipboard Tablet Co. we have to look into the products of the company which are X5, X6 and X7 tablets developed and marketed by the company. The X7 tablet developed in the year 2010, it was launched, marketed and sold in the year 2011. In terms of the development of other tablets by the company, we look at X5 and X6 as products of the company. X5 and X6 tablets were developed prior to the year 2010 and thus they were developed earlier and the sales of these tablets were based on improvements of features and add-ons (Yaeger, 2009). The company did not abolish or come up with new clone versions of the tablet and thus sales relied upon the popularity of the old versions of X5 and X6 tablets. We made an analysis of the allocati on of funds to the RD department over the last six years. From our analysis, we witness that the company spent small in terms of the development of new products. For instance, in the years 2010 and 2011, the company retained RD expenses at around $ 22 million. While in the years preceding 2015, the company spent less and less on the development of new products (Stice, 2010). The RD costs kept reducing at a level of around 30% and the only new product that was developed was the X7 tablet.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Sales The analysis of the sales the products X5, X6 and X7 shows that the Clipboard Tablet Co. performed well in the past six years. The sales performance of the tablets shows that the company sold a lot of X5 tablets in the last six years. In the year 2010, the company sold close to 1 million units of X5 tablet which netted the company around $ 249 million. The X5 tablet sold a lot of units in that year and the performance of X6 was also exemplary. As a result, based on the analysis of the sales performance, we notice that the sales of all products were on a growth path (McDonald, 2011). The sales figures for the X5 tablet have shown a growth in the figures from the 2010 period all the way to the year 2012. The increase in sales contributed to around 67% rise in the sales of X5. From the year 2013 to 2015, the sales of the X5 tablet declined tremendously by around 67%. Sales in many ways contribute to good profit margins and thus we had to analyze the profit margins brought about by the sale the tablets (Jones, 2011). Based on the data from the sale of the three tablets we realize that the revenues of the X5 tablet kept decreasing as time went by. As a result, the company profits with time were decreasing to a level that the revenue for X5 tablets amounted to around $ 137 million in the year 2015. This is compared to the initial revenue of around $ 248 million that the tablet realized in the year 2010. On the other hand, the X7 tablet realized revenues of around $ 30.3 million in its initial year of 2011 and this has grown to around $ 122 million by the end of 2015. This shows that while the sales growth figures grew by around 30% per annum the sales for the X7 tablet the sales figures for the X5 tablet declined by around the same margin over the same period. Pricing In the process of marketing and selling goods, it is important to market and sell your goods within a good price range. The tablets were sold at different market prices due to their differences in terms of performance. In the last 6 years starting from 2010 thru to 2015, the X5 tablet retailed at a fixed price of $ 265 while the X6 was sold at $ 420 and the X 7 at $ 195. The major driving force for determining the price of the tablets was the superiority and the popularity of the tablet brand.Advertising We will write a custom c ase study sample on Financial Analysis The Clipboard Tablet Co. specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Performance Measuring the performance of a company depends on the performance of its products, finances and analysis of the competition. Based on the sales prices of the tablets, the Clipboard Tablet Co. maintained steady prices for the tablet at around $ 265, 420 and 195 respectively for the X5, X6 and X7 tablets. This was in comparison to the prices for other tablets which sold at different retail prices. For instance, the most tablets retailed at around $ 200 up to $ 700 for high end tablets. Thus, based on this assessment we can contend that the Clipboard Tablet’s Co.’s competitors were performing well compared to the company. In terms of sales and revenue income, the company’s revenues continued to dip as revenue for its popular X5 and X6 brands continued to drop while the X7 sales were not picking up fast to catch up wi th the low sales of the other brands (McDonald, 2011). As a result, the company’s position compared to its competitors was dismal. Summary The analysis of the Clipboard Tablet Co.’s performance under Joe shows lack of foresight and strategic planning necessary in organizational development. Product development is a major in the process of selling consumer goods. As a result, Joe should have emphasized on the development of new products for the company since the company relies totally on the development and sale of tablets. For instance, in the last 6 years the company’s RD and fixed costs have remained the same while the revenues and profits have changed significantly. This is a mismatch of needs that should have been addressed a long time ago when the company was in need of restructuring. Moreover, allocation of costs was done in a manner whereby they were equally shared among the three main product segments for the Clipboard Tablet Company. As a result, in the periods 2010 to 2012, the X5 tablet sold more than the X6 and X7 brands and the reverse was witnessed between 2013 and 2015. In terms of sales and revenue, the company experienced high sales and revenue in the years 2012 and 2013. While the lowest revenues were witnessed in the years 2010 and 2015 due to poor sales of all the products ranges (Jones, 2011). The major problem in terms of sales was in pricing and timing since the company did not undertake good pricing models that would have netted the company good revenue streams. For instance, in the early years the company could have priced the X5 tablet as a premium product while discount on the other X6 and X7 tablets.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As a result, the sales units coupled with good pricing models would have netted the company good sales revenues. In general the performance of the company has been declining based on the revenue and profit figures (Stice, 2010). Since the company has a product mix that does not sell to well and pricing strategy that puts the company in a weak position compared to its competitors. The best strategy that would have been adopted by Joe was to sell the X5, X6, and X7 tablets at premium prices when the demand was high and discount new products as a means of attracting new consumers. Moreover, the company should have shelved the X5 tablet once demand had dipped to save the company from losses. References Jones, J., Heitger, D. Mowen, M. (2011). Cornerstones of Financial and Managerial Accounting. Sydney: Cengage Learning. McDonald, M., Payne, A. Frow P. (2011). Marketing Plans for Services: A Complete Guide. Chicago, IL: John Wiley and Sons. Stice, J. Swain, M. (2010). Accounting: Conc epts and Applications: Concepts and Applications. New York, NY: Lippincott Williams Wilkins. Yaeger, T. Sorensen, P. (2009). Strategic Organization Development: Managing Change for Success. Boston, MA: Jones Bartlett Learning.

Where Text Meets Flesh Essays

Where Text Meets Flesh Essays Where Text Meets Flesh Essay Where Text Meets Flesh Essay In his article â€Å"Where Text Meets Flesh, â€Å" James Benn details the textual justifications for the burning of flesh in the Buddhist tradition in China and other Sinitic countries.   According to Benn, the relationship between this practice and its textual precedents is a tenuous one.   He believes that this practice was kept alive simply because those whose interests it served to continue this form of body modification wrote texts to solidify it into Eastern Buddhist practice. He cites two specific cases where this practice was justified, the Fanwang jing and the Shouleng’yan jing, both apocryphal texts, where these writings were â€Å"not only justified such extreme acts as autocremation and the burning of fingers but were also used to establish burning at ordination.†Ã‚   His thesis is that this act was not originally endorsed by Indian Buddhist monks, citing that, â€Å"no clear and unambiguous justification for burning the body could be found in texts of non-Chinese origin hence texts†¦were created in order to provide one.† Benn’s arguments against the inherent approval in Buddhism self-immolation and moxibustion are convincing and correct.   That is, he is completely justified in saying that the practice of the burning of the flesh is only established in the texts and, as such, exists as a rite simply because of the incorporation of pre-Buddhist rituals into pre-Buddhist literature.   His arguments are sound because he conducts an extensive literature search and does well in linking the statements of the literature to the historical context of the era.   He also cites anecdotal cases where necessary.   All of these elements   together do a good job in convincing the reader of Benn’s thesis. One   of the first things the author does is establishes the credibility of the practice in pre-Buddhist ritual.   He writes, â€Å"The practice existed in China long before the composition of the Fanwang jing or the Shouleng’yan jing†¦in the forms of (1)moxibustion and (2) ritual autocremation in praying for rain.† In emphasizing this, he underlines the strong link between Chinese traditions and this practice.   Buddhism was a foreign religion imported into China, so it is believable that some justifications were created to incorporate indigenous practices into formal rituals.   He backs up his ideas with references from the literature, stating that â€Å"the inspiration for this†¦precept is most likely drawn from the Lotus Sutra†¦what contains a story of a bodhisattva who burned his arms,† continuing with, â€Å"body burners†¦could point to this text with some confidence and say that†¦they were merely doing as the Buddha had told them,† citing invoking strong proof that this practice is linked to texts that instruct the faithful to carry them out in a similar manner. He also cites specific instaces of justification for autocremation and self-immolation by the use of the Fanwang jing or the Shouleng’yan jing.   One such instance was of the Song Tiantai master Zhili, â€Å"who used the two passages to justify his own proposed autocremation.†Ã‚   Zhili wrote letters to the Song writer Yang Yi, who asked Zhili not to perform these acts and remain alive. In these letters, the master â€Å"explicity cites both the Fanwang jing or the Shouleng’yan jing   as justification for his actions.   This letter by Zhili is probably as close to the mind of a self-immolator as it is possible for us to get.†Ã‚  Ã‚   He also excecises credibility by using the accounts of observers, such as J.J.M. de Groot and Johannes Prip-Moller , who actually spent time at monestaries supporting this practice. In summary, there are several methods that Benn uses which make it easy to conclude that self-immolation in China is linked solely to justification of written Chinese Buddhist texts.   First, the author establishes the practice as pre-Buddhist and cites non-Buddhists, such as Zhili, who used the practice in praying for rain.   Second, he specifically cites the two sources that justify this practice in a Chinese context.  Ã‚   And third, he cites the observations of actual anthropologists who recorded at monasteries, to add to his convincing evidence.

Administration management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Administration management - Essay Example Brendan Murphy has a list of requirements, which he wants us to finish. The total budget for the project is US $60,000. The plan is to fit the scope and the schedule of the work. 2. Scope The scope of the project is to conduct two major tasks, to landscape the garden, and to fence. Apart from the core objectives, there are other tasks involved in the project such as installing electric lines and construction fishponds. The water pipes also have to be fitted in order to provide constant supply of water through all the seasons. All the tasks and processes that the company can garden have to fit within the budget of US $ 60,000. 3. Change Management Process Change management process is a very critical factor to consider because once the changes are executed, some of them are irreversible. The change management process considers the present condition of the garden and the expected results after its completion. This requires engagement of Mr. and Mrs. Murphy in a detailed interview. The i nformation they provide will be the guideline for the scope of the project. During the review of the change process, there will be need to assess the inherent risks involved and how to mitigate the risks before the change initiative can begin. If certain processes are attached to high-risk activities, then, there will be need to decline the processes and seek alternative actions (Chudley & Greeno, 2008). 4. Change Request After the interview and the risk assessment process, our company presents the request for change to our client with a summary of all the factors to consider and the expected results. As we do the request, we are mindful of the presence of our competitors who may present lower cost bids. Upon approval of the change request, we proceed to prepare the work schedule for the project (Diaz, 2013). It clear from the problem definition, that not all aspects of the garden need a change. Chang request feasibility has to be determined, and only when the change request feasibi lity has been ascertained can it move to the implementation of the activity schedule (McIntyre & Strischek, 2005). Similarly, there are areas that are completely new, including the fishpond project. The desire of our company is to encounter changes that can add value without necessarily having to attract legal challenges. The complete work schedule 5. Risk Management Risk assessment and control procedure will be required to consider the effects of these tasks on the environment and third party entities. Some of the risks to assess in this plan include: Legal Risks The processes have to be documented in a standard that complies with the regulations and policies of the government (Wood, 2012). For example, the fencing plan must coincide with the map from the government authorities in charge of planning. This is in observation that violation of legal regulations has heavy penalties. Risks of Insecurity The fencing of the garden is based on the survey of the environmental security. If t he risk is highly rated, then the control of having stronger fencing will be necessary. Additionally, there will be need to install live electric fence, and to employ security guards. Weather Changes The possibility of rainfall shortage is critical risk to the projects in the garden. The management for this is the plan for irrigation through the water pipe connections. 6. Communication The infrastructure in this environment has to support communication between the workers in the garden and between the owners and external service providers. Transport network will also be a vital factor to consider in this project (Chudley & Greeno,

Aeorodynamic and Myoeslastic forces Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Aeorodynamic and Myoeslastic forces - Essay Example â€Å"The glottis is the opening in the larynx that exists anteriorly (to the front) between the vocal folds and posteriorly (to the back) between the arytenoid cartilages. The part of the glottis between the vocal folds is known as the membranous glottis and the part of the glottis between the arytenoid cartilages is known as the cartilaginous glottis† {Mannel 2005] The function of the vocal folds in terms of closing and opening depends on the air pressure that is developed below and above the glottis. The glottal flow or glottal pulse remains zero when the phonation is in the closed phase, and the glottal pulse slowly increases during the opening phase of the phonation process. â€Å"The nature of phonation is such that the glottal pulses occurs as a series of pulses. The vibration has involves the pulse rate of the glottis with the additional function of the myoelastic and the aerodynamic forces. The combination of the elastic and the aerodynamic forces sets up as an oscillatory opening and closing of the glottis, causing what would otherwise be a steady air stream leaving lungs to be broken into a series of puffs of air many times per second †¦The sound that results form these puffs is called as phonation.†[Sherman Fitch III 1986]. The myolelastic and aerodynamic force initiates the vibration of the vocal folds. This aerodynamic forces initiates the vibrations of the tissues†. [Courey [2003]