Barbie Is A Good Role Model

First appearing in 1959 at the American International Toy Fair, Barbie has since become the best selling doll in the world. Barbie has become so popular, that several controversies have come up about her, the most recurrent being whether or not Barbie serves as a good role model for little girls. This paper aims to provide argumentative elements based on facts and reason that support the idea that Barbie is indeed a good role model for little girls. The argument that I wish to make is that Barbie’s biography is indicative of values that women hold dear and that mothers wish of their little girls when they grow up.Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. She was born a healthy baby girl to George and Margaret Roberts of Willows, Wisconsin. Barbie attended Willows High School in Willows, Wisconsin and Manhattan International High School in New York City. Barbie’s senior year in high school introduced her to Ken Carson, who would later be her boyfriend. Barbie has had over forty pets including cats and dogs, horses, a panda, a lion cub, and a zebra. She has owned pink convertibles, trailers, jeeps and more.She also holds a pilot's license, and operates commercial airliners in addition to serving as a flight attendant. She has been, among many others, a veterinarian, an astronaut and a diplomat. Barbie has a lot of friends including Hispanic Teresa, African American Christie and Steven (Christie's boyfriend). (Lord 2) Liberalism has been a positive value to America which has shaped the improvement of many sectors in society. Women in particular have forwarded the feminist movement successfully from the 60s through the 70s, lobbying for equality in treatment and dignity.Barbie’s plethora of abilities indicates the woman’s ability to take on any task given to her and do well in it. Her ability to drive convertibles and trucks and planes alike signifies that women need not bend over to masculine predominance and can actually do thin gs that men used to do for them on their own. Even Barbie’s relationship with Ken, riddled with breakups and reconciliations as it was, showed a Barbie that was not dependent on a man. This is the very core of the feminist movement that every little girl should be aware of.Little girls who are avid fans of Barbie run the easy possibility of being exposed to these lofty ideas of gender equality very early on in their lives. It could lead them to assert themselves in class, gather courage to participate in school activities and sporting events and have strength to fight against anyone that might want to take advantage of her. Animal rights have been a long standing issue in society. The welfare of house pets and the survival of endangered species are of primary concern to humankind.Towards the goals of animal rights movements, Barbie promotes kindness in the pets that she has had. Her many pets teach little girls the importance of taking care of one’s animals. Advertisem ents of Barbie with a new pet always show the young woman taking the best of care of her little darlings. Also, her array of pets includes endangered species, which at the very least gathers awareness from the little ones who idolize her. Who knows how many little girls were inspired to be marine biologists or veterinarians because they were fans of Barbie and her pets during their childhood years?In the era of terrorism, racial disputes and bickering abound all over the world. In the United States, violence in schools due to racial discrimination has reached an all time high. People are very suspicious of anyone who doesn’t look like them. New people are always regarded with fear or anger, especially if they are of a foreign race. But what does Barbie show our little girls at home? She shows them that having friends isn’t a matter of picking people you have a lot of things in common with; it is a matter of talking to people, of talking about your differences and findi ng the beauty in them.Barbie’s being white doesn’t hinder her from being friends with people of different colors, whether it’s Hispanic Theresa or African-American Christie. Barbie’s selection of friends is not hindered by prejudice. All these three explanations tied to three very contentious issues of today prove that Barbie is one of the good girls. It proves that Barbie is a believer in women’s rights. That she is a feminist by heart and that her nature as a young strong woman who can take on any task and not any man get in her way is the woman of today.It proves that Barbie is a supporter of animal rights. Her care for her pets condemns animal cruelty and her inclusion of endangered species among the animals she takes care of shows her concern for the dangers these animals face. It proves that Barbie is no racist, she is an open minded young lady who has made friends because of heart and not skin color. Barbie’s biography speaks of a goo d young lady, who serves as a good role model for all the little girls who love her. Sources: Lord, M. G. , Forever Barbie: The Unauthorized Biography of a Real Doll. Paperback

Protecting and Preserving Our Environment Essay

Our planet Earth is dying. This is a fact that we are experiencing, caused by our own behaviors. The term â€Å"dying’’ is true, because our lifestyle is causing serious damage to the environment and might lead to the termination of humanity if those actions are not stopped. We all share a role in protecting and preserving our environment because it is the primary and the only place for us to live and develop new generations. We all are consumers, but there is a huge difference between a wise consumer and an average consumer in terms of protecting the environment and homeland. As consumers, we always look for the lowest price without putting in mind the potential damage a product can cause to our environment. A perfect example is plastic bottles. We always buy plastic bottled products without knowing whether they are recyclable or not. In fact, it is estimated that 80% of plastic bottles are not being recycled (Greenupgrader.com). A nonrecyclable plastic bottle may last as long as 1000 years before it biodegrades completely (Answers.com). Another notable fact is that 1 ton of recycled plastic bottles would save more than 7.4 cubic yards of landfill (Earth911.com). If we all move to buying recyclable bottles and recycle them, we would save our environment from mountains of discarded bottles. Also, we may save our environment from tons of toxic vapors caused by burning plastic bottles. Controlling air pollution is another crucial factor in preserving our environment. In the past, people were not worried about the potential harm the environment is exposed to because of their acts; however, they became much concerned and alarmed nowadays after they sensed the symptoms of the global warming. We all know about global warming and its side effects. We also know that we are all accused of that problem because of our actions, but why don’t we stop it? If we all try to reduce main factors of air pollution; we would decrease the global warming, and how is very easy. Reducing the use of fossil fuels is an excellent example. Hybrid or fully electric cars can produce 25% to 90% less toxic emissions than an ordinary gas powered vehicle (carbon-monoxide-poisoning.com). This means if we buy hybrid or fully electric cars; then we would contribute to the environment by reducing tons of toxic emissions from fossil fuel powered vehicles. Those toxic emissions cause about 51% of Carbon Monoxide in the air; which is an extremely toxic gas and fatal in high concentrations (thegoodairlady.com). Another great example of reducing air pollution is sharing a ride when commuting to work or school. Sharing a ride or â€Å"carpooling† reduces the number of running vehicles on roads and thus reducing the toxic emissions from them. If 500 people use carpooling every working day, then we would contribute to the environment by reducing as much as 60% of the total carbon monoxide in the air. Controlling air pollution is extremely important; however, excessive water consumption is even much more important and essential to humanity and next generations. Water is becoming scarce in different parts of the world, and this is because we don’t know how vital water conservation is. It is estimated that over 1.5 billion people worldwide do not have access to safe and fresh water to drink (Matt Scott). Isn’t 1.5 billion an astonishing number? , and don’t you think it is time to reduce our consumption not only for us, but also for the next generations? There are many ways to conserve water. One good example is the use of low flow shower head. A low flow shower head may reduce about 15 gallons of water during an average 10 minute shower (environment.nationalgeographic.com). In addition, we all have to regularly check our house for water leaks. Undiscovered water leakage could waste as much as 15,000 gallons of water a year. Moreover, try to avoid filling the bathtub and instead use the overhead shower. Taking a bath wastes about 70 gallons of water, while a normal 10 minute shower wastes only 20 gallons. The difference may not be significant, but over a long period, it does matter. Finally, I think if the majority of us went to one of the mentioned solutions and acted mindfully, then we would save our precious environment from pollution, water scarcity, and many other serious environmental issues. Environment conservation starts with me, you and all occupants of planet earth, so let us start protecting our lives and have a brighter future for the next generations. Works Cited Gunzelmann, Doug. â€Å"Plastic Bottle Facts Make You Think Before You Drink† August 2008 www.greenupgrader.com/3258/plastic-bottle-facts-make-you-think-before-you- drink/ Gunner, John. â€Å"How Long a Plastic Bottle Last Before it Decompose† April 2010 www.wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_for_plastic_water_bottle_to_decompose Earth 911 â€Å"Plastic Recycling Facts† June 2007 www.earth911.com/recycling/plastic/plastic-bottle-recycling-facts/ Carbon Monoxide Poisoning â€Å"A Guide to Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning† www.carbon-monoxide-poisoning.com/article5-hybrid-car-emissions.html Sage Blossom Consulting. ‘’Car Pollution Facts’’ August 2007. www.thegoodairlady.com/car_pollution_facts_000233.html/ Matt, Scott. â€Å"40 Shocking Facts About Water’’ June 2009. www.metadornetwork.com/change/40-shocking/facts-about-water/ National Geographic â€Å"Water Conservation Tips† www.environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/freshwater/water-conservation- tips/

Management Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Management - Term Paper Example Instead, there are Introduction & Thesis Statement Background information Starbucks Corporation is a US global coffee business and coffeehouse chain which is based in Seattle, Washington. Presently, Starbucks enjoys the status of the world’s largest coffeehouse company, having 20,891 stores in 62 countries. 65% of these stores are in the United States, while the rest are distributed in Canada [1,324 stores], Japan [851 stores], China [806 stores], the United Kingdom [556 stores], South Korea [377 stores], Mexico [291 stores], Taiwan [206 stores], Germany [167 stores], Thailand [171 stores], and Turkey [179 stores]. All Starbucks stores serve hot and cold beverages, whole-bean coffee, snacks, full-leaf teas, micro-ground instant coffee and pastries. There are Starbucks stores which also deal in food items, hot and cold sandwiches and even in crockery [particularly, mugs and tumblers]. There are also other Starbucks stores which under the program dubbed Starbucks Evenings provide a variety of wines, beers and appetizers after 4:30 PM. Starbucks store s, through its Hear Music brand and Starbucks Entertainment division also sells music, film and books. Other Starbucks stores also sell coffee and ice-cream and deal in grocery stores. Additionally, a greater part of Starbucks stores deal in seasonal products, or products which may be specific to the location of a given product. Thesis or Main Idea of the Case Study... arbucks Corporation was already operating six stores in Seattle, just after embarking on the sale of espresso coffee which was not so popular at the time. By 1989, Starbucks was operating 46 stores across the Midwest and Northwest and was also roasting 2,000,000 pounds of coffee. The next decade was also evident of Starbucks Corporation’s growth. In June 1992, Starbucks was already running 140 outlets and had a large pool of revenue amounting to 73.5 million US dollars. By 1992, the company had a rise in its share price by 70%. By 2013, Starbucks Corporation had developed an in-store purchases mobile phone application to pave way for greater online interaction with clients. Research studies also show that at least 27,000 clients had engaged with Starbucks Corporation and made purchases worth 180,000 US dollars, since Starbucks began using online sales. Despite the gains which Starbucks Corporation has made to facilitate increase the volume of its sales and to penetrate differe nt and newer markets, it is a fact that there are several challenges which the company has to deal with. This is especially the case when it is considered that the supply chain demand for Starbucks Corporation has to contend with a myriad of issues such as competition from other competitors, impenetrable regions and markets and a market that is drifting away from the love of coffee and tea beverages [which are Starbucks Corporation’s main products]. To underscore the magnitude of the problem which accosts Starbucks Corporation’s supply chain demand, it is important to appreciate underlying ethical and diversity issues. Among many ethical issues, it is quite a dilemma that Starbucks Corporation should seek to circumvent health concerns that are always associated with the consumption of

Community Resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Community Resources - Essay Example In the United States alone, various non-profit organizations (NGOs) have come devoted themselves in helping local communities to achieve self-sufficiency, well-being, and develop self-confidence. Luckily, Berks County, Pennsylvania is the home to two different agencies which have the same goal of resolving crisis management, namely: BerksTALKLINE and Opportunity House. With a mission of â€Å"providing free, confidential, nonjudgmental, skilled listening services to individuals, and assistance in assessing their options,† Berks TALKLINE’s hotline is available 12 hours a day, from 11 am to 11 pm, seven days a week. It was establish in order to create a positive impact on the various situations of its callers. By positive impact, this NGO allows each and every individual to be heard, make them feel better about themselves, and eventually help them solve their own problems or conflicts. At times, Talkline is also an alternative referral source to health and human service agencies, as well as schools, for youth and adult callers. Talkline handles a variety of crisis management cases, particularly in the areas of child abuse, drug and alcohol use, physical violence, gangs, self-image and self-esteem problems, loneliness, and social/emotional problems. The organization started way back in 1989, when a consortium of Berks County leaders, from school districts, civic organizations, social service agencies, and even business leaders, found out from a survey conducted with 1,000 students and school personnel that school personnel supported the concept of a local telephone hotline that will serve as an â€Å"effective means to provide children with confidential support and referral.† About 80% of student interviewees also supported that such concept would most likely work. With the help of an extensive two-year research, the aforementioned consortium founded BerksTALKLINE in October 15, 1990. This was seen as a model program for initially providing

Timberland and City Year Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Timberland and City Year - Case Study Example The Timberland brand had existed since 1973 and had shown steady growth since then. When Jeffery Swartz took over in 1991, he applied some basic business expertise to the organization, reducing overheads, cutting inventory, and improving customer service significantly. The result was an increase in revenues from $196 million in 1990 to $650 in 1994. Alongside, Swartz made considerable effort to associate the company and the brand with community service. Swartz developed a distinct relationship with City Year, a fledgling community service corps for young people in the Boston area. Between 1991 and 1994, this relationship strengthened from a supply of 70 boots to a level where Timberland stood committed to providing five million dollars to City Year over a five-year period and Swartz taking a position on its Board. City Year in the meantime increased its spread to six major cities across the US and gained recognition as a national community service receiving 50% of its funds through F ederal grants. Timberland's practice of modern day philanthropy, although good hearted, cannot go without both challenges and criticisms. In the subsequent analysis, we find that the partnership generated benefits and negatives for Timberland because of the inherent and sometimes acute difference in agendas of a for-profit company and a non-profit organization. However, the most drastic problems surfaced in late 1994, early 1995. The loss for Timberland was financial, leaving many employees worried about an uncertain future. Timberland was forced to scale back its operation, laying off a number of employees and outsourcing labor. City Year also faced funding problems, as Congress threatened to withdraw federal funding. Community service with City Year became a major source of tension within the company as employees found it difficult to accept diversion of major amounts to City Year while colleagues lost their jobs in the company. The problem now became whether and how to maintain commitment to co mmunity service in the face of financial difficulties. Literature Review Mason (1993), states that customers may not perceive companies as doing enough even when they are providing good quality at competitive prices. There is increasing emphasis on environment and social involvement among businesses as part of strategy (Fellman, 1999). This concern has been at the root of corporate responsibility discussions that took shape in the Sarbanes Oxley Act, requiring transparency in operations and for companies to demonstrate their commitment to the environment and society through positive action. Studies have shown that customers buy from their business not only based on criteria such as price, quality, and availability, but also other socially responsible acts. According to L&G Business Solutions, a 2001 Hill & Knowlton Harris Interactive poll showed that 79% of Americans consider corporate citizenship when deciding whether to buy a particular company's product; 36% of Americans consider corporate citizenship an important factor when making purchasing decision s. Cause related marketing (CRM) is an accepted and key strategy in

Organisational Culture Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Organisational Culture - Research Proposal Example This paper is a research proposal on the organization culture of McDonalds that has enabled it to be successful in the emerging market of India. The hypothesis for the research is that McDonalds organization culture and entry strategy into India is the main factor that has contributed to the success of the organization in the market. The proposal will explore the literature on international business and emerging markets and relate them to the success of the organization in India. The final study will use primary inquiry to identify if and how the organization culture relates to success in the international market. Over the years and especially in the last thirty years, the global business competition has become a very important consideration for entrepreneurs (Knight & Kim 2009)(Griffith et al. 2008). The competition has begun to have a decisive influence on the strategic planning, organisational culture and management both in the large corporations and in other small companies that have previously relied on the local markets (Ghemawat 2003). Corporations are now largely involved in establishing their place in international business environment either directly or indirectly. The increasing need for globalization and exploration of international business has led many companies in the world to allocate more resources to cross-cultural management (Doz 2011) (Kedia & Englis 2011). The nature of culture and its implication on the internationalization of business have been studies for long (Field et al. 2010). Hofstede (2009) defines culture as the programmed state of mind that distinguishes members of one group of people from those of another. In the case of international business, culture can be defined as the way of doing things that differentiate people from one country to another or one organization to another (Hofstede 2009). Culture, be it of a country or

Airfix Footwear LTD v. Cope [1978] ICR 1210 Case Study

Airfix Footwear LTD v. Cope [1978] ICR 1210 - Case Study Example It is irrelevant in the case observed in the paper whether the individual daily contracts were separate employment or not. The IT concluded that no individual contracts existed between the worker and the company. The company only delivers work sporadically from time to time, and from time-to-time the worker chooses to do it, so that there is a pattern of an occasional week done a few times a year, then it might well be that there comes into existence on each of these occasions a separate contract of service or contract for services, but the overriding arrangement is not itself a contract of employment, either of services or for services. But these matters must depend upon the facts of each particular case. This case confirms the view that an "umbrella" contract can exist if a practice of dealing has been built up over the years with expectations and obligations on each side. It was only in respect of the overall contract that the question of mutuality of obligation came into effect, and in this particular case, it was considered that this obligation was so overpowering that it meant that no individual contracts had existed. However, it is often difficult to establish the necessary ongoing mutuality of obligation to change a series of short-term contracts into a single "umbrella" contract. In this case, the IT denied the worker's claim because the worker is not obligated to accept the work and the provider is not under any obligation to consistently provide the work to the worker. In order for the 'worker' to be classified as an 'employee', the case must be able to pass the test for employee status. In this case, the company does not have or is not in a position to exercise any control over the worker. "The more control the supervisor or employer can exercise, the more likely the worker will be deemed an employee. Temporary workers engaged through employment agencies have for a number of years been a popular choice for UK businesses. The benefits to businesses o f engaging a flexible labor resource have been tangible. The resource can, in theory, be turned on and off at will, without the problems associated with headcount, the need for redundancy procedures or risk of unfair dismissal. In short, temporary agency workers have proved a cost-efficient resource to end-user businesses. For an employment contract to exist, as a minimum the following ingredients must be met; first a contract between the parties, second, an element of control over the worker and third, a mutuality of obligation between the worker and the employer. Up until 2004, most cases considered by the courts found that whilst there may be sufficient control exercised by the hiring end user over the worker and mutuality of obligation, there was no actual contract between the worker and the end user. In contrast, the courts found that whilst there was a contract between the agency and the worker, there was insufficient mutuality of obligation or control by the agency over the w orker for it to be an employment contract. The consequence was the worker was not employed by either the agency or the hiring end user. It soon became obvious to the court that the base was not broad enough, using merely mutuality of obligation as the test. It broadened its scope of the test by including the concept of control of the worker.

Rhetorical Analysis Assignment Description Essay - 2

Rhetorical Analysis Assignment Description - Essay Example Some people have argued that the events of the September 11 terrorist attack on the US soil had an effect on immigration laws in the country. Thus, the fears expressed by the author in the unchanging number of illegal immigrants in the US are justifiable, if one considers the intention of some of these illegal immigrants. The terrorist attack have made the United States of America to tighten immigration laws as the laws are now stricter than they used to be before the September 11 terrorist attack. Immigrants suspected of having any connection with terrorists would be jailed for about seven days without being charged in the court of law. Prior to the 9/11 terrorist attack, the immigration laws were lenient and the barrier set around immigration has made it difficult to obtain visas to screening process is now more intense than what it used to be before the 9/11 attacks. The fact that the author did not try relate the issue of illegal immigration to the terrorist attack is actually a flaw in his writing as the author did not provide her readers with a good background knowledge on the subject matter. Security officials have realized that they have to do more to combat the problems of terrorism due to the 9/11 attack. The police departments have now improved their services and are now better prepared in the event of another terrorist attack. The police have now been empowered to monitor people’s conversation and survey people’s electronic mails. This was not the case before the terrorist attack as people were left alone to guard their private lives without the fear of being watched. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was also established by the Bush Administration in 2002 to combat terrorism locally. The author’s reference to the Department of Homeland Security as she brings out data about the deportation of 400, 000 immigrants by Federal immigration authorities (Preston) shows the extent at which the author develops logos in the

Abu Dhabi Polymers Company Limited Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Abu Dhabi Polymers Company Limited - Essay Example Borouge currently has headquarters located in both the United Arab Emirates and Singapore. Worldwide, Borouge has a workforce of 1,600 people, who represent over 40 nationalities and serve customers in more than 50 countries throughout the Middle East, the Asia-Pacific region, the Indian sub-continent, and Africa (Company Facts, 2010, p. 5). The company’s vision is simply shaping the future with plastics, while its mission statement is value creation through innovation (Company Facts, 2010, p. 2). Borouge has divided business responsibilities into three departments: Executive Team – Borouge’s Marketing Company, Executive Team – Borouge’s Production Company, and Support Functions. The Chief Executive Officer for Borouge’s Marketing Company is Wim Roels, who is based in Singapore and was only recently handed the role in July of 2011. On the other hand, the Chief Executive Officer for Borouge’s Production Company is Abdulaziz Alhajri, a U AE national who was appointed in the role back in 2007 (Executive Biography, 2008). Borouge has developed four key strategies to help drive the company forward: respect, exceed, create, and focus. Respect is all about caring for the environment and all the people that live in it. The value of exceed promises to go the extra mile and leading by example. The third value, create, demands continuous improvement through encouraging openness and allowing new ideas to flourish. Lastly, focus helps build partnerships with customers by anticipating their requirements and operating the business with strong ethical principles. Social Responsibility As of today, over a billion people can’t drink clean water, and more than twice that number do not have suitable sanitation facilities. Because of this fact, the United Nations set a Millennium Development Goal to cut in half the number of people who do not have access to clean drinking water before the year 2015 (Company Facts, 2010, p. 4). The strategy of this plan was to better manage and preserve the water resources that are already available. In response to this, Borouge created the Water for the Worldâ„ ¢ initiative in 2007. This global programme aims to use local expertise in conjunction with Borouge professionals to help provide suitable solutions for accessing safe water and sanitation facilities. Borouge plans to make a difference through implementing its new technological skills with the home country’s leadership. Products Borouge has developed a wide variety of distinctive products that include water, gas, and industrial pipe systems, medical devices, and automotive components (Bourouge, 2011). In order to give itself a competitive advantage over its rivals, Borouge utilizes Borstar technology to produce high-value plastic products at its modern petrochemical complex, which is situated in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi. This Borstar technology is the key to Borouge’s success because it enables the constr uction of high-performance products that are crucial in today’s modern living (Borouge, 2011). The four key products that are marketed to consumers are energy and communication cables, pipe systems, automotive components, and advanced packaging (Company Facts, 2010, p. 3). For the first line of products, Borouge supplies insulation, semi-conductive, and jacketing to the wire and cable industries. In terms of communication cables, Borouge has the solutions for low, medium, and high voltage energy transmission and distribution cables, data and communication cables, and building and automotive wires (Borealis AG, 2011). The next set of products that Borouge supplies are pipe systems. These systems are used in water and gas

Google and Innovation Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Google and Innovation - Term Paper Example Its business model is driven by technology based innovation in the area of internet. Most importantly, its business strategy relies on exploiting the vast opportunities of internet to generate revenues for itself as well as for the users and its clients who vary from individual and small entrepreneurs to large corporate houses. Modern business is highly competitive and its challenges need to be met through constant endeavours for innovative products and services that meet and anticipate the changing requirements of the people. Its numerous products and services vis-a-vis Google Chrome, Google App, AdWords, AdSense etc. are testament to its technological advantage that provide users with unique experience and opportunities to enhance their business goals. Moreover, it serves the interests of diverse populace across the globe by providing contents in more than 160 languages worldwide. It has also established offices in more than 40 countries to facilitate local businesses to exploit bu siness opportunities through internet. This is highly creative strategy that integrates local interests with global ambitions. The local businesses can use GooglePlaces to add their business in the list. Thus, when products are searched area wise from across varying geographical locations, their name along with details like address and phone can be accessed by the potential customers. Answer 2 Organization life cycle of Google’s products/services is seasonal mainly due to the fact that internet usage is reduced in summers and commercial activities significantly increase during the fourth quarter. Vacations and festival season contributes to the seasonality. In recent times, recessive trend has also become critical factor for reduced commercial activities. But despite its seasonality, AdSense, Google App and Android are three major product/services that have witnessed significant increase in terms of global sales volume. Advertising is the main source of revenue generation tha t accounts for 96% of its total revenue3. It also serves as key tool that provides its clients with huge opportunities for growth of business and revenue. AdSense program facilitates websites which are part of Network to efficiently deliver advertisements from AdWords advertisers and revenue shared amongst them. Google App has become hugely popular as its various application tools like email, documents, calendar greatly help to communicate effectively within and across the workplace. Moreover, its cloud based application helps to switch from one medium to another while accessing information. As Google constantly upgrades its products and services, the businesses using its cloud based products and services are not only able to enjoy secured access but they are also not bothered by advancing technology which could have otherwise made it difficult to access data. Android is mobile based platform that can be used to develop applications for mobile devices. Its free open source has made it very popular. Within a year of its launch in 2011 and as on January 2012, more than 250 million mobiles devices were using Android system. Answer 3 The type of control strategy that Google practices is based on decentralized system that gives its employees full freedom to experiment with new ideas within an encouraging environment of constant learning. The decentralized system creates an open environment of trust and accessibility to resources

Raw Materials as Biofuel Pellets Essay Example for Free

Raw Materials as Biofuel Pellets Essay In the Philippines, forests and woodlands cover about 7,168,400 hectares (http://forestry.denr.gov.ph). These forests have unique environmental and biodiversity values, and make available a wide range of products for subsistence use. The most predominant use of wood is in the form of firewood and charcoal by the majority of Filipinos in both rural and urban areas. Firewood is preferred in rural areas simply because it is obtainable free of charge. Charcoal is preferred in urban areas on account of its being cheap, easy to transport, distribute and store. It is almost smokeless and has higher calorific value A(30 MJ/kg) than firewood (15MJ/kg). But according to the U.N. FAO (2003), the woodlands have experienced highest rates of degradation and deforestation compared to other cover classes. This could be attributed to selective cutting for timber and clear felling of trees for both charcoal production and cultivation. Charcoal production is responsible for degradation and deforestation.Between 1990 and 2010, the Philippines lost an average of 54,750 ha or 0.83% of forested area per year. Charcoal production and cultivation have an impact on large-scale deforestation that has occurred in the area between 1991 and 1998. Philippine Government is also in trouble as environmental sanitation is concerned. Waste materials in markets or even in public places continually piled up every other day when it is not fetched by a garbage truck. These waste materials are primarily composed of coconut shells in markets, wastepaper in schools and offices, rice hulls in agricultural remains and sawdust, a waste product produce in the lumber shops. This study was conducted to reduce the percentage breakdown of deforestation which would soon contribute to the prevalent global warming. Since waste materials such as coconut shells, rice hulls, sawdust and wastepaper are totally organic and may seem useful at times, we came up on using it as a primary component in making Biofuel at varying formulations. This way, the researchers can help in preserving the environmental balance of the ecosystem and at the same time, to come up with a cheap, easy-drying and a highly combustible fuel for household fuel – The Biofuel Pellets. Statement of the Problem This study aimed to determine whether different formulations of coconut shells, rice hulls, sawdust and wastepapercan be a viable source of Biofuel in the form of Pellets. Specific Objectives: This study specifically aimed to answer the following inquiries: 1. To determine the heating values of each raw materials to be used in making the biofuel pellets. 2. To determine the heating values of the biofuel pellets at varying coconut shells: rice hull: sawdust: wastepaper ratios and the wood charcoal as the positive control. 3. To determine if there is a significant difference on the heating value of Formulation 1, Formulation 2, Formulation 3, Formulation 4 and the positive control. 4. To determine the relationship between the size and the heating value of varying formulations and the positive control. 5. To determine the boiling time of biofuel pellets when biofuel pellets at varying formulations and wood charcoal are used as fuels. 6. To determine if there is a significant difference on the boiling time of Formulation 1, Formulation 2, Formulation 3, Formulation 4 and the positive control. 7. To determine the relationship between the size and the boiling time of varying formulations and the positive control. 8. To determine the density of biofuel pellets at varying formulations and the wood charcoal. 9. To determine if there is a significant differenceon the density of Formulation 1, Formulation 2, Formulation 3, Formulation 4 and the positive control. 10. To determine the relationship between the size and the density of varying formulations and the positive control. Hypothesis of the Study This study aimed to determine whether the mixture of waste paper products and materials, and coconut shell can be a viable source of bioethanol. Specifically, this study aimed to determine if there is an existing significant difference, in terms of the percentage of bioethanol produced, between the pure waste paper mixture, pure pulverized coconut shell, and 1:1 ratio mixture of waste paper and pulverized coconut. This study hypothesized that there will be no existing significant difference, in terms of the percentage of bioethanol produced, between the pure waste paper mixture, pure pulverized coconut shell, and 1:1 ratio mixture of waste paper and pulverized coconut. Schematic Diagram Independent Variables Dependent Variables Formulation 1 150g coconut shells, 150g rice hull; 150g, saw dust , 50g paper Formulation 2 225g coconut shells, 112.5g rice hull, 112.5g sawdust, 50g waste paper Boiling Time (minutes) Formulation 3 112.5g coconut shells, 225g rice hull, 112.5g saw dust, 50g waste paper Burning Time (minutes) Formulation 4 112.5g coconut shells, 112.5g rice hull, 225g saw dust, 50g waste paper Density (g/ mL) Positive Group: Wood Charcoal Figure 1.A diagram showing the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variables Significance of the Study The findings of this study would greatly benefit the various sectors, primarily the following: Community Residences. Since it takes a lot of time to dry those wood charcoal that is traditionally used by countless homes in the community, this study could be a good source of an alternative fuel in household cooking chores. First, it is well-accessible to use anytime, with less worries of its dryness when used and lastly, it could be conveniently used in any cooking activities because of its high combustibility, since Biofuel pellets are primarily composed of combustible materials. Energy Sector. The promising friendly fuel from biofuel production could help the energy deficit of the energy sector; thus sustaining not only the demand of the consumers but also the need of the environment to have a green and amicable energy source. Environmental Sector. This study could help reduce the amount of pollution to the environment by simply using organic waste products and converting it into an environment friendly source of fuel. Other Researchers. This study could benefit other researchers by using this study as a reference for future researches. Scope and Limitation of the Study This study was conducted on July 12, 2012 until August 4, 2012 at the Negros Occidental High School Physics and Chemistry Laboratory. The waste materials that were used in this study were coconut shells, rice hulls, sawdust and wastepaper. The coconut shells were obtained from different stalls at Libertad Market, rice hulls were from Agricultural waste during post-harvest, and sawdust was from lumber shops while the Wastepaper was a total combination of that in Offices and Schools. The study limited itself in the determination of the heating values and the most effective formulation of waste materials that could be a viable alternative for wood charcoals. In addition, this study did not include the cost analysis based from the probable costs that may arise during the experimentation process. However, utmost economic optimization was employed during the materials selection and Biofuel pellets production. Definition of Terms Boiling time. Allotted time in which phase transition of the substance turns from the liquid state to the gas state, usually occurring when a liquid is heated to its boiling point (http://chemistry.about.com). In this study, boiling point was used as one of the parameters of this study. Burning Time.the time during which the propellant charge of a fuel is fully consumed (merriam-webster.com). In this study, the burning time was used as one of the parameters during the experimentation of the study. Coconut. A member of the family Arecaceae (palm family). It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut (apps.kew.org). In this study, the coconut was one of the raw materials in the process of fuel pellet production. Density.The quantity of something per unit measure, especially per unit length, area, or volume or the mass per unit volume of a substance under specified conditions of pressure and temperature (thefreedictionary.com) In this study, density was used as one of the parameters during the experiment. Fuel Pellets. A piece of fuel usually in the shape of a sphere or cylinder, used in pebble-bed reactors, inserted in graphite blocks, or used in metallic tubular fuel elements (www.thefreedictionary.com). In this study, fuel pellets was the product of the study conducted. Heating Value. Amount of heat produced from the complete combustion of a specific amount of fuel (www.businessdictionary.com). In this study, heating value was used as one of the parameters in this study. Rice hull.The dry outer covering of a rice grain; a husk (www.thefreedictionary.com). In this study, the rice hull was pulverized and used as one of the materials in the process of fuel pellet production. Sawdust. The small particles of wood or other material that fall from an object being sawed (http://education.yahoo.com). In this study, sawdust was used as one of the raw materials for the fuel pellet production. Waste papers.Paper that is not needed and has been thrown away (Encarta Dictionaries, 2008). In this study, the waste paper was used as a raw material for fuel pellet production.

Why Has Evians Us Market Share Continually Decreased Marketing Essay

Why Has Evians Us Market Share Continually Decreased Marketing Essay To begin with, the customer indifference is one of the main factors to be considered. Compared with the colas, Evian is premium price bottled water, and it is failed to realise that customers in different regions will make different reactions according to their preferences. In Europe, customers accept the types of bottled water and pay a premium for the Evian brand gladly. By contrast, in the U.S. water market, customers place little value on this premium and the cheapest bottled water is always selected in stores. Danone does not satisfy the US customers needs, and therefore, the decreasing demand for Evian in the US water market will affect its market share. Secondly, Danone is weak of the distribution capability. On one hand, Danone mastered its direct-to-store delivery system well, but the distribution strategy is not suitable for the U.S. water market. The U.S. water market needs a giant colarun distribution network which includes access to rented stored shelves. On the other hand, the colas and other water brands all have good distribution capabilities, while Danone is inferior. It is rarely to see Evian locate in such points of sale for bottled water, like vending machines, groceries, stores, street vendors, convenience outlets, and etc. Therefore, the distribution deficiencies will lead Danone in a low volume in the US water market. Thirdly, pricing is another factor which should be considered. The colas resource mostly comes from local tap water, so the initial cost of the colas is lower, and it is priced at an appropriate level. In contrast, Evian Nature Spring Water comes from French Alps, so the initial cost of Evian is high, and it is priced at a premium level. In consequence, higher price of the bottled water may not be accepted by the U.S. customers, then the market share dwindles. Finally, it is seems that Danone is lack of advertising. In evaluating Danones strategy for gaining U.S. market share, present the positives and negatives for remaining a single enterprise entity and going it alone. Danones strategy to go it alone in the U.S. water market has the positives and negatives. Danones go it alone U.S. water market strategy means that Evian becomes a niche product brand, and its price keeps at a premium level. Under the strategy, Evian can extend its brand to a global extent with a healthy edge, and also can protect its unique Glacier brand effectively. Besides these, it can create business opportunities in the U.S. water market, and increase its marginal revenue for Danone as well. However, because of the premium price of the Evians bottled water, Evian may hold lower market share in low volume in the U.S. water market, compared with the lower price water brands. Another Danones go-it-alone U.S. water market strategy is that taking over local-source spring water enterprise. After acquisition, it is clear that Danone can get source locally rather than from France, therefore Danone can reduce the costs, and it will be more competitive against Nestlà © and the colas for market share in the high volume and price-driven market. Another advantage under this strategy is that Danone can build-out its lines production and distribution after acquisitions. However, there are also some problems after acquisition. The strategy here will need a large amount of money to invest from Danone, and the return on the investment will need a long period to get the money back. Given Evians lack of success in the US market, what would be the ramifications of Danone exiting the U.S. bottled water market altogether? Compared with other water brands, Evian is premium price bottled water, and it is failed to realise that customers in the U.S. water market prefer to choose cheaper bottled water, not like the customers preferences in Europe. Therefore, the low volume of Evians bottled water sale may lead to the decreasing market share and Evians lack of success in the U.S. market. As a consequence of this condition, Danones get out of the U.S. Market strategy may make some ramifications. If Danone exit the U.S. bottled water market, Danone may lose the business opportunities in the U.S. market, and may lose much more market share in such a large market as well. Besides, Danone will probably run counter to its global marketing strategy, and it will not drive Danones global sales and extension of global brand. Furthermore, Danone will save the entry expenditures if exiting from the U.S. market, and it can invest on the market where the glacier premium is recognized and also gain the market share from those countries.

Media In The Uk Influence On British Society Media Essay

Media In The Uk Influence On British Society Media Essay Currently, the people in Britain spend nearly thirty percent of their waking life in the media and communications activities (BBC,2010). The figures from Ofcom shows Britons expend seven hours per day on surfing the Internet, watching TV and using their mobile phones(BBC,2010). Media involve any communication institutions,and in Britain it generally include print media and broadcasting (Oakland,2006). Media have influenced British society in a variety of ways. Oakland claimed that nearly 70% percent of British people gain daily news from television,one fifth from newspapers and nearly 10% from radio. Kasier (2002) cited by Mackeogh (2004) that a investigation of fifteen to seventeen year olds showed that 72% teenagers felt young people can be influenced somewhat or a lot, though only one fourth thought it influenced young peoples behaviour. This paper will first analyze changing role of media in Britain, then illustrate how media influence British society. Finally, it will generate s everal recommendations for this situation. Outline the structure with key and supporting ideas (with referenced support): History: The British press began in the 1620s and development in the nineteenth century(Majesty,1976). Broadcasting began in the 1920s and became sturdy until mid-1980s.BBC was created in 1955 and ITA began in 1954 (Oakland,2006). Internet began in the 1990s ,and it developed rapidly since mid-1990s (BBC,2010). The current situation: Individual spent averagely 538 minutes per day on using all kinds of media(BBC,2010). The time Britons spend on print media are much less than past. Currently, people spend only 31 minutes per day on print media (BBC,2010). TV has become the most significant in the mass media, and the most convinent way for the public to get the news, as well as the information around the world,public spend almost 3.8 hours watching TV per day(BBC,2010). Internet play an important role in current life. Internet has been used by people for everyday,and people spend nearly one third of their waking time on Internet (BBC,2010). The influenceof media on British society: Negative: Over-commercialization(Oakland,2006). Media involves some violence, it have some negative influences on young people(Sefton-Green,1993). Positive: Media play an important part of the British economy,people spent more than 10 billion pounds for media activities in 1988(Veljanovski, 1990 ). Media help people culative their citizenship. As a propaganda tool, media promotes citizenship and moral consciousness of the public by using public service advertisement ¼Ã‹â€ BBC,2010 ¼Ã¢â‚¬ °. The media press ahead with socialist democracy. Burton, G (2005, p.20) highlight that western government clearly know the value of media coverage in swaying public opinion. The broadcasting media play an role as an mirror to keep the diversity of opinion and act as a national communication platform. (Curran, J. and Seaton, J. 2003 p.234) Government control the individuals opinion by mass media(Curran,1938). Media involves the culture of different countries, promotes golblaziation (Hiebert,1987). Recommendation: Reduce the content of unhealth (sex and violence): Magazines for young girls and women should not include lots of information about sex(Stokes,1999). A example of boys own story(Sefton-Green,1993). report more positive aspects. Reduce business investment, re-define the direction of media guide. Media should be a transparent, open, democratic and should not be controlled by government. Conclusion: There has existed several negative affects of media on British society, however, media changed British life style and their thinking way in a variety of aspects. Chosen academic references BBC(2010) Ofcom report highlights multi-tasking media users. Accessed from : www.bbc.uk.com. Burton, G. (2005). Media and society: critical perspectives. Berkshire: Open University Press. Crisell,A.(1999) Broadcasting:Television and Radio. In Stokes, J. and Reading, A. The media in Britain current debates and developments. pp.61-74. Curran, J.(1987). Impact Influence. New York:Methuenco. Hiebert, R. (1988) Impact of mass media.New York: Longman. Majesty, H.(1976)The British press.England:Unwin Brothers Limited. Oakland, J.(2006) British Civilization New York: Routledge. Sefton-Green,J.(1993) Untidy, depressing and violent:a boys own story.In Buckingham, D. Reading audiences.pp.89-116. Stock ¼Ã…’J.(1999). Use it or lose it ¼Ã… ¡sex,sexuality,and sexual health in magazines for girls.In Stokes, J. and Reading, A. The media in Britain current debates and developments. pp.209-217. Veljanovski,C.(1990). The media in Britain today. London: News International.

Pragmatic Literary Criticism :: Literature Essays Literary Criticism

Pragmatic Literary Criticism      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Pragmatic criticism is concerned, first and foremost, with the ethical impact any literary text has upon an audience. Regardless of art's other merits or failings, the primary responsibility or function of art is social in nature. Assessing, fulfilling, and shaping the needs, wants, and desires of an audience should be the first task of an artist. Art does not exist in isolation; it is a potent tool for individual as well as communal change. Though pragmatic critics believe that art houses the potential for massive societal transformation, art is conspicuously ambivalent in its ability to promote good or evil. The critical project of pragmatic criticism is to establish a moral standard of quality for art. By establishing artistic boundaries based upon moral/ethical guidelines, art which enriches and entertains, inspires and instructs a reader with knowledge of truth and goodness will be preserved and celebrated, and art which does not will be judged inferior, caution ed against, and (if necessary) destroyed. Moral outrage as well as logical argument have been the motivating forces behind pragmatic criticism throughout history. The tension created between this emotional and intellectual reaction to literature has created a wealth of criticism with varying degrees of success. Ironically, much like art's capacity to inspire diligence or decadence in a reader, pragmatic criticism encompasses both redemptive and destructive qualities.  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Plato provides a foundational and absolute argument for pragmatic criticism. Excluding poetry from his ideal Republic, Plato attempts to completely undermine the power and authority of art. He justifies his position by claiming that "the power which poetry has of harming even the good (and there are very few who are not harmed) is surely an awful thing" (28). Because artists claim their imitations can speak to the true nature of things, circumventing the need for serious, calmly considered intellectual inquiry, art should not be pursued as a valuable endeavor. Art widens the gap between truth and the world of appearances, ironically by claiming to breach it. The artist promotes false images of truth and goodness by appealing to basic human passions, indulging "the irrational nature which has no discernment of greater and less, but thinks the same thing at one time great and at another small" (27). Art manufactures moral ambiguity, and to P lato this is unacceptable. Because it is deceptive and essentially superficial, all art must be controlled and delegitmized for all time.

J.B.Priestley’s play, An Inspector Calls - Eva Smiths Diary :: An Inspector Calls

Dear Diary This month had started off good as I went on holiday with some of my friends to Brighton. Tracey loved it and we didn't want to leave. When we got back life went downhill. When we got back to Mr. Birling's factory we asked for a pay rise as we spent most of our money on the holiday. The reason we asked far a rise was that we need some money to get food and other things. It was actually Tracey's idea to ask far a pay rise from twenty-two and six to twenty five shillings a week. But Mr. Birling said no. We went on strike after we wouldn't get the pay rise. Dear Diary ========== This has been the worse month ever me and the girls had been sacked after a few weeks we'd been on strike it was only the ringleaders who got sacked; Me Tracey Jane Amy and Michelle. And we now don't have any money. I'm now looking for a job and as I have no parents, I have no one to fall back on financially and I don't want to go back to the workhouse. I am really scared now I'm not sure I'm going to have enough money to buy clothes and food. I don't have many friends apart from Tracey. Dear Diary Last month was hell with no income I've now found a job at millwards the great clothes shop. I've got a great job but it was a spot of luck because of the amount of influenza about, two workers became ill so I applied and now I have a job at last YES! It is exciting there. They have rich customers, which means better pay I think? But it doesn't matter, as it's a great place to work. Dear Diary January had been a good month but today Miss Sheila Birling complained about me, at least I think it's her as she was the only customer to go into the manager's office. I think she complained that I laughed at her when she tried on the most ridiculous dress. She looked a picture in it she looked so funny in it that's why I laughing with the other assistant my friend Tracey. Dear Diary February was full of ups and downs. It started with a down when Millwards sacked me when they took the side of the customer not me. But now I've changed my name from Eva Smith to Daisy Renton. The reason I did it was that it might give me new people to meet as Eva Smith was a troublemaker but Daisy Renton will be kind-hearted and

Members of Congress Should Have Term Limits Essay -- congressional ter

When the United States was founded, the theme behind the new government was to establish an efficient system without doling out too much power to any one person. The Founders intended to prevent a rebirth of tyranny, which they had just escaped by breaking away from England. However, when members of Congress such as Tom Foley, who served as a Representative from 1964 through 1995, and Jack Brooks, who served as a Representative from 1952 through 1994, remain in the legislative system for over forty years, it is evident that tyranny has not necessarily been eradicated from the United States (Vance, 1994, p. 429). Term limits are a necessity to uphold the Founders’ intentions, to prevent unfair advantages given to incumbents, and to allow a multitude of additional benefits. Initially, the Founders intended to have a limit on the amount of time any one person could serve. In the Articles of Confederation, a rotation in office system was described, so that no one person could remain in a position for decades on end. However, this was abandoned in the Constitution because it was deemed unnecessary. At the time of the nation’s founding, the occupation of â€Å"politician† did not exist. One could hold an office for a number of years, but it was not considered a career path. Originally, politicians were seen as making great sacrifices, because they stepped away from their family and primary jobs for a number of years to serve their country, before returning to their normal lives (Vance, 1994, p. 429). In the words of Founding Father Roger Sherman, â€Å"The representatives ought to return home and mix with the people. By remaining at the seat of the government, they will acquire the habits of the place, which might differ from those.. . ... crack due to career politicians disregarding the governmental system created by the Founders. Works Cited CRS Rep., 104th Cong., 1-2 (1997). CRS Rep., 106th Cong., 3-5 (2000). Kurfirst, R. (1996). Term-limit logic: paradigms and paradoxes. Polity, 29.1, 119-140. Madison, J. (1788, Feb. 19). The Federalist no. 57: The alleged tendency of the new plan to elevate the few at the expense of the many considered in connection with representation. New York Packet. Retrieved from http://constitution.org/fed/federa57.htm U.S. Const., art. I,  § 2. Vance, D.A. (1994). State-imposed congressional term limits: what would the Founders of the Constitution say?. Brigham Young University Law Review, 1994, 429. Weissert, C., & Halperin, K. (2007). The paradox of term limit support: to know them is not to love them. Political Research Quarterly, 60.3, 516-517.

How Should China Establish The Privilege of Silence System in Criminal Proceedings?

1. The origin and the connotations of the Privilege of Silence. â€Å"Miranda warning† originated from a case heard by the U. S. Supreme Court in 1966: an 18-year-old girl was kidnapped and raped, she identified that it was Miranda who did that. The police interrogated Miranda and used his confession as the hearing testimony. After Miranda was convicted he appealed to the Supreme Court on the grounds that the police did not inform him of the right to remain silent, and his confession was concocted under pressure. He said that if he had been told to have a privilege of silence, he would have not made up that confession. After considering all the arguments, the United States Supreme Court ruled the Miranda confession invalid. Because of this jurisprudence, when arresting or interrogating suspects, the police need to say the â€Å"Miranda warning† first. This is how the privilege of silence was born in the judicial system. The Privilege of Silence contains the following connotations: First, the suspect has no obligation to say words which might be detrimental to his/her own, the prosecution agencies or the courts can not use inhuman or degrading methods to force him to say; Second, the suspect has the right to always keep silent during the interrogation, and the judge can not make the adjudication against him/her because his/her silence; Third, before the suspect says the favorable or unfavorable word to him/her, he/she has the right to know the consequences of these words. And he/she must be voluntary to say. If the suspect was forced to speak, the court cannot use these words as the evidence. 2. The Privilege of Silence in China In China, the Privilege of Silence has not yet been established. This is inseparable with China's actual situation. In China’s judicial practice, on one hand, due to the comparatively poorly developed investigation technology, the testimony of the suspect plays an important part in guiding the police to find out the truth. On the other hand, paying attention to the testimony of the suspect can indeed enhance case handling efficiency. However, the neglect of the right of silence begins to constantly expose some problems. For example, some significant wronged cases reported by the media these years show that the problem of â€Å"Confession by Torture† is so severe in China. Although the confession by torture is strictly prohibited by Criminal Law, yet in the investigation, prosecution or trial activity, the phenomenon of torture generally exists. It is not uncommon that the judiciary staff frequently uses threat, enticement, deceit or other illegal methods to collect evidence, which seriously violates the basic human rights guaranteed in the Constitution. Among the various causes of the torture phenomenon, the most important reasons are the ideology of the presumption of guilt and the practice of relying heavily on confessions. Thus the establishment of the privilege of silence plays an important role in effectively combating with this phenomenon. 3. Pros and cons Whether China shall establish a right to silence system? This has long been the hot topic in the legal circles in recent years. The mainly supporting ideas are as following: (1) The establishment of right to silence can help to curb the long-standing phenomenon of confessions by torture. Extracting confessions by torture is a spurned and forbidden behavior in the civilized society. Its typical characteristic is to impose violence or disguised violence on the suspect, severely devastating both the suspect’s physical and psychological health, violating the natural rights of human. (2) It is required by the full implementation of the presumption of innocence. Although the presumption of guilt is prohibited by law, yet in China’s judicial practice, this harmful ideology is not even close to be banned. Under the impact of this ideology, the alleged offender is considered as a criminal and he/she shall be treated as a criminal. So the penalties, the long-term or even indefinite detention, the torture and other inhuman ways can all be imposed on him/her. 3 (3) China has recognized the right of silent advocated by some international rules or meeting, therefore, China needs to make the corresponding provisions in the Code of Criminal Procedure. With the development of international economic and trade, the cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries continue to deepen. You can read also King v Cogdon The technological media makes China’s judicial activities began to be transparent to the world. Thus, to safeguard the image of the country, a high demand of the legality in investigative activities must be assured. (4) The confirmation of the privilege of silence was considered to be one of the most important milestones in human’s fight to the civilization. It ensures the humanity and justice in the criminal proceedings. It reflects the degree of judicial civilization of a country, and is an inevitable requirement of the country according to law. Opponents argue that the country should not create a right of silence system, the right of silence does not meet the conditions of our country, at least for now China does not yet have the conditions to introduce this system, their views mainly include the following: (1) The privilege of silence reduces the effectiveness of the proceedings, and influences the effectiveness of punishing crimes. The confession of the suspect is the shortcut for investigators to identify the facts of the case, but the silent right blocks this shortcut. This right of the suspect would make the investigators’ interrogation right exist in name only. As a result, the search of various potential evidences relies solely on the existing investigation techniques and the professional competence of the investigators, thereby greatly slow down the investigation process, and even stagnating investigative work. There are irreconcilable contradictions between the privilege of silence and the principle of economic proceedings. And if the investigators failed to find relevant evidences other than the confession, the truth of the case would not be identified and the defendant must be released. If the released defendant were the real criminal, then it would undoubtedly indulgent the evil, and would obstruct upholding the social justice. (2) The privilege of silence is bound to increase the cost of litigation. Once the suspect decides to keep silent, investigators then have to spend time and energy, make use of manpower, material and financial resources to search for clues and evidence for the case. Therefore, the establishment of the silent right system will inevitably lead to the increase in the cost of litigation. (3) The privilege of silence cannot fundamentally exclude the confession by torture. The right of silence can help to curb the torture to some degree, but due to a variety of objectively presenting reasons, investigators can always come up with various means or reasons to circumvent the legal responsibility. Therefore, the privilege of silence itself is not the cure of torture. To make the privilege truly serve to inhibit the confession by torture, there must be corresponding establishment of mechanisms to ensure the enforcement of this privilege. (4) In some major crimes of terrorism and organized crimes, the privilege of silence might be used by these â€Å"career criminals†, making them escape from the punishment of law. This is contrary to the original purpose. Despite there are certain flaws exist in the privilege of silence system, However, even criminals should also have their own personal rights, not to mention the suspects, any suspect can not be identified as guilty before the court makes a final judgment, so their right to remain silent should not be illegally infringed. If such a close judicial procedure could not be ensured, then the remote â€Å"eternal justice† would be doomed to remain as utopia. The reason that the Americans has accepted the â€Å"Miranda warning† and would tolerate the side effects of the Miranda rule is that they believe that the law’s first function is to suppress the public authority, secondary is to suppress the dangerous social criminals. 1 If the public authority were out of control, its harms to the society would be far more than those of personal crimes. Letting go the murderers may make the justice come late, but letting loose the public power may ultimately distort and devaluate justice. If the authority were abused to protect the so-called justice, it would be extremely possible that some legal-abiding citizens might be pushed into the abyss of evil. By then, even if it punished crimes a hundred times, it would not offset the pains that a kind person had gone through from one injustice. Even though the build of the privilege of silence system is the trend, it is important for us to realize that there are objective flaws exist in this system, efforts should be made to prevent its negative effects. According to the current conditions of the country, my suggestion is to confirm a limited right of silence. 4. Recommendations: Build a limited privilege of silence system. The right of Silence System is an integrated system that contains many aspects of deep-seated factors in the litigation. Thus the establishment of the right of silence system is not a simple task, but a systematic project, including the legislators' decision-making, the public’s recognition and support, the corresponding operational mechanism and the appropriate protection mechanism. Therefore, under current conditions, the country needs to establish a minimum mechanism of protection of the right to silence. (1) Comprehensively establish the principle of the presumption of innocence. The principle of the presumption of innocence is one of the basic principles in the criminal proceedings and is a generally recognized criminal procedure principle for modern countries under the rule of law. And the right of silence system is the necessary logic requirement of the principle of the presumption of innocence. The Article 12 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in China stipulates: â€Å"No person shall be found guilty without being judged as such by a People's Court according to law. † It has absorbed the spirit of the presumption of innocence. Therefore, the Code of Criminal Procedure should further clarify the principle of the presumption of innocence. This is the theoretical basis for and the guarantee of implementation of the privilege of silence system. Accordingly, the Article 12 can be modified to: â€Å"Every person should be regarded as innocent before the Court’s effective verdict. Every suspect has the privilege of silence, unless his/her privilege of silence is excluded by law. † (2) Expressly exclude the rule of self-incrimination and clearly confirm the privilege of silence. Prohibit making any adverse inference because of the suspect’s silence. Cancel the obligation stipulated in the Criminal Procedure Law that requires the suspects to answer questions truthfully. There is a close connection between the exclusion of self-incrimination and the privilege of silence. And the exclusion of self-incrimination should be a basic principle for the criminal proceedings. Therefore this principle could be added in the first chapter of the Code of Criminal Procedure—-the tasks and basic principles, namely: â€Å"any person can not be compelled to testify against himself/herself, suspects and defendants in criminal proceedings have the right to remain silent, unless his/her right of silence is excluded by law. Prohibit regarding the suspects’ and the defendants’ silence as aggravating circumstances. There is a contradiction between the right of silence and the obligation to honestly state. Therefore, to ensure the exercise of the privilege of silence, the 93 Article of the Code of Criminal Procedure stipulates that the suspect must answer the investigators' questions truthfully should be removed. 7 (3) Establish Illegal Oral Evidence exclusionary rule and arbitrary confession rule. These are two important rules in the rules of evidence and are institutional guarantees for the privilege of silence and can help curb the phenomenon of confession by torture. Illegal evidence exclusion rules require all illegal or improper obtained evidences (rather than confession out of free will) should be absolutely ruled out, and confessions cannot be proven beyond reasonable doubt should also be excluded. Arbitrary confession rule puts that, unless the law explicitly limits, the confessions are effective only under the circumstances that the suspects voluntarily, intentionally and rationally give up their rights of silence. In China, the Criminal Procedure Law of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulates that Judges, prosecutors and investigators must, in accordance with legal procedures, collect various evidence that can confirm the suspect’s and the defendant's guilt or innocence, or the gravity of his/her crime; extorting confessions by torture, threatening, enticing, tricking or other illegal methods are strictly forbidden in collecting evidence; and any person shall not be compelled to prove his own guilt. Therefore, based on the existing spirit of law, we can further confirm the evidence exclusion rules. In the Article 46 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, after the existing â€Å"†¦ credence shall not be readily given to oral statements†,7 we can further add â€Å"where extorting confessions by torture or threat, inducement, fraud, extended detention or other illegal methods that are used to obtain the testimony of witnesses, statements of victims and the confessions of the suspect can be verified, then these confessions shall not be used to accuse a crime or make a judgment. (4) Establish systems to encourage the defendant to testify, including the testimony immunity system and leniency programs. The right to silence does not mean that suspects cannot speak, nor that to encourage suspects to not confess, but to give him/her the right to choose whether to remain silent or to make a statement, this is to protect his/ her basic human rights. The law does not prohibit self- incrimination, but prohibits forced self-incrimination. In America, for example, through the Plea Bargaining, the offender's guilty plea rate is up to 90%. To minimize the side effects of the right to silence system, we shall establish some relevant systems to ensure that the defendant actively cooperates with the judicial authorities in a timely manner to investigate the facts. First, through legalizing the leniency policies to encourage the defendant to admit guilt initiatively, making the confession the legal circumstances of leniency, rather than just discretionary circumstances. The second is to establish testimony immunity system. Prohibit using some of the defendant’s statements to testify against herself/himself, and exempt the according criminal responsibilities. But note the testimony immunity system should only be applied to some significant and complex cases, for example, organized crime, triad societies, smart crime, corruption and bribery crime, transnational crime or other major crimes. (5) Improve the witness system. The testimony of witnesses is an important means to expose and prove the criminal. The establishment of right to silence system will make the Criminal proceedings mainly rely on evidences other than confessions. Consequently, the role of the witness testimony will be more prominent and more important. Therefore, the Code of Criminal Procedure should stipulate that witnesses must appear in court, and construct supporting measures to improve the attendance of witnesses and to ensure the witnesses provide testimony objectively and sufficiently. First, we must establish system to force witness to court and clear the legal consequences of the illegal testimony. The second is to establish a material compensation system and the security guarantee system for the witness, eliminating their worries. 6) Establish the Notification of Procedural Rights and the Lawyer Presence Right mechanisms, protect the suspect’s meeting right and communication right. These are the important procedural safeguards for the full implementation of the right to silence, without which, the right of silence would merely be a meaningless rule. It is impossible for people to exercise their rights if they don’t know them. And the judicial officers may use the misleading and unclear circumstances to lure confessions. To make the suspects be clearly informed of their rights prior to the interrogation is a common practice and consensus in most countries. Therefore, the law must stipulate detailed requirements to the notification system, including the time and specific issues of the notification, statutory interpretation obligations and the consequences of having failed to perform the duties and responsibilities. Due to the suspects are not necessarily familiar with the law, without the assistance of counsel, the right to silence is difficult to be well implemented. The lawyer presence right is an effective way to avoid confession by torture and to ensure the exercise of the right of silence. In China’s criminal proceedings, the lawyer’s involvement degree is very low, especially compared to the developed countries. Therefore, according to the country’s conditions, except some major cases, such as cases involves national security, complex organized crime cases, the Code of Criminal Procedure should endow the presence right to the lawyer. Through protecting the meeting rights and communication rights of the suspects, the law can prevent or reduce the coercion to the suspects in custody. Therefore, the law should reduce the limits to the suspect’s meet and communication. Of course, in some special cases, to protect some significant social interests, the law can set up necessary exceptions, review or control the suspect’s meeting and communication rights. (7) Establish some exceptions to the right of silence. To decide whether or not a suspect will be endowed the right of silence in a case, the specific issues need to be analyzed first. In some special cases, the suspects’ right of silence should be restricted. These restrictions are to seek the unification between individual rights and the social interest. According to this principle, at least it seems to me, the following crimes should be excluded: A. Crimes of endangering national security, financial fraud crime and computer crime. The country's interests are above everything else, to effectively safeguard national security and fight against both domestic and foreign hostile forces, the chapter one of the Criminal Law–crimes of endangering national security—could be excluded. The intelligent crimes have become increasingly prominent and due to the limits of the country’s investigative techniques, the high-tech crimes are to difficult to detect. Thus, at least for now it is not appropriate to give such criminals the privilege of silence. B. Smuggling, narcotics, money laundering, robbery and other severe joint crime, criminal syndicate and underworld crime and other organized crime. In crimes such as smuggling, narcotics and money laundering, criminals usually use one-way communication. Thus the confessions of the suspects play a crucial role in revealing the cases’ causes, backgrounds and processes, and the relationships between the accomplices. If they were given the right to silence, the real culprits behind the scene would not likely to be captured. Organized crime has the following characteristics: numerous people, strict organization, huge hazards or potential harms and hard to track down. Such cases are very difficult to catch, of accomplices, confessions plays the pivotal role. Therefore the confessions of the captured suspects tend to play a decisive role in such cases. C. Corruption, bribery and huge unidentified property cases. At present, China is in a period of high incidence of corruption cases, the fight against corruption is a long-term and arduous task. In order to effectively combat corruption and bribery, to curb and reduce the incidence of job-related crimes, it is recommended that those crimes are being excluded. Besides, most criminal subjects in these crimes hold an important authority; have a certain degree of education background and social status. Which means they have wide social relations and strong social activities ability, and often have both preparations before and countermeasures after the crime. Such strong anti-investigative capacities often interfere the detection processes. The investigation of these crimes would be harder if they were endowed with the privilege of silence, which would damage the interests of the country. D. Cases relate to public safety and emergency situations. For crimes involving public safety, if not got confessions in time, significant public safety hazard would happen. For life threatening cases, if the suspect did not immediately provide the place of where the victims were hidden, the personal safety of the victims would be endangered. Thus the privilege of silence should be excluded in these cases. For example, kidnapping, illegal detention, unaccounted dangerous goods crimes such as poisons, firearms, ammunitions and explosives. To these cases, at the trial stage, the privilege of silence is undoubtedly applied, but at the interrogation stage, whether or not the privilege of silence should be given need to be identified by the judges. E. The defendant should not keep silent on some crimes unrelated basic personal information. Such information includes name, identity, age, occupation, address and so on. This is in order to combat crime effectively and accurately, and to avoid unnecessary losses. (8) Improve the construction of the judicial organs. The establishment of the privilege of silence system is the trend, which put forward higher requirements for the construction of the judicial organs. The judicial offices should actively respond to this trend and try to improve themselves in the following two ways: First, update the judicial notions of the staff and weaken the confession’s role in evidence system. In current criminal proceedings, the confession is known as the â€Å"king of the evidence†, the value and importance of the confession is extremely exaggerated. This notion is still deeply rooted in the minds of many judicial officers, which is contrary to the requirements of the right of silence system. Therefore, the judicial organs should change their concepts, and establish the concept of human rights protection, and resolutely put an end to the behavior of extracting confessions. Second, use high-tech to equip judicial organs, and to improve their investigation abilities. The establishment of the privilege of silence system will makes the judicial officers pay more attention to obtaining external evidence rather than confessions. Which requires the country to increase investment in technology and equipment of the investigative organs, to improve the standards of the investigators, and to actualize scientific investigation. With the development of the litigation civilization and the improvement of the detection capability, the number of the unpunished criminals will be gradually reducing, and the side effects of the privilege of silence system will be minimized.

Bottleneck and non-bottleneck work centers

Eliyahu M Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints (TOC) states that the bottleneck in a work system is the crucial constraint that must be scheduled first in order to achieve maximum system output. All efforts are to go toward scheduling the bottleneck work center, the capacity of which does not meet the demand placed on it and is less than the capacity of all other work centers. TOC uses five steps (Godratt, 1999, p. 3-6), including:Identify the bottleneck. 2. Exploit the bottleneck, maximizing its throughput by streamlining or improving processes, equipment maintenance, training, anything necessary. 3. Subordinate the throughput of all other work centers to the bottleneck. 4. Elevate the status/condition of the bottleneck with additional equipment, staffing, work hours, etc. 5. Inertia is to be avoided. Begin again with Step #1, find the new bottleneck, and continue the 5 steps.One scheduling alternative is to streamline and reduce the amount of setup time needed for the bottleneck . Another is to schedule its activity for additional hours per day and/or days per month. Further, breaks, lunchtime, and intermittent maintenance may be eliminated or rescheduled. Finally, work that does not need to go through the bottleneck can be eliminated by scheduling it to other work centers. MINPRT: Minimum Processing Time is the best scheduling rule to use in order to eliminate a bottleneck.Applying this rule, each next-scheduled job is the one that has 2 the shortest processing time. Since all scheduled jobs are then the shortest jobs, more jobs are completed more quickly so that downstream work centers do not wait for work. Non-bottleneck work centers can be scheduled to include completing their setup after the bottleneck is set up, to use them fewer hours per day and/or days per month, and to schedule them for jobs that do not need to go through the bottleneck.MINSOP: Minimum Slack time per Operation is a scheduling rule that can work well for non-bottlenecks. Using this rule, each next-scheduled job is the one that has the least slack (down) time so that production increases per hour. MINDD: Minimum Due Date may be the best option for non-bottlenecks and includes consistently scheduling the next job that is due first in order to meet due dates effectively. REFERENCES Goldratt, E. M. (December 1999). Theory of Constraints. Great Barrington, MA: North River Press.

Google And Motorola Essay

This $12. 5 billion deal is Google’s first step into the mobile device hardware market and can therefore be seen as a non- ­? horizontal or vertical merger, as Google has been active in the market at a different stage of the supply chain through the development of one of the major mobile device operating systems (OSs): Android OS. This merger will strengthen Google’s stance in the market for mobile devices and will mainly boost Google’s patent portfolio. Nearly one third of all mobile device sales in 2011 were smartphones with a growth rate of 58 percent from 2010. In this rapidly eveloping market with such a high number of consumers, it is of great importance that there is high competition in order to keep the prices low and to drive innovation. As this market is also very global, antitrust organisations all over the world, for example the United States Department of Justice or the European Commission need to check, whether a merger like the one that is presented in the following could harm competition or increase a firm’s market power in a market above an acceptable level. Additionally, this paper will face the question, whether the sinergies of this merger are big enough to influence the competition ommissions’ decisions. In order to answer these questions, this paper will firstly present the case and the decisions from both the European and the US point of view. Secondly, it will show an analysis of the economic background of the case to trace the steps of the two antitrust commissions and then, thirdly it will conclude with a competition analysis and a search for efficiency gains that justify the commissions’ decisions, followed by a short outlook. As an introductory part to this paper, I will give some general information about the firms, their operations prior to the merger and a projection of their ombined future. I will also present the notifying party’s (i. e. Google’s) reasons for why they would like to acquire Motorola. Following this are the EU and U. S. decisions and a short abstract on the differences in their approaches. 1 2. 1 Google, Inc. Google is mainly known as a provider of its internet search platform and online advertising services. Founded by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1998, it became a publically traded company in 2004 and since then it has become one of the biggest players in web- ­? based enterprises around the world. Its broad range of products goes from web search tools, via advertising services ike AdSense or AdWords, communication and publishing services, development resources, map- ­? related products, statistical tools and desktop applications to mobile applications and the operating systems Android for mobile devices and ChromeOS for personal computers. (Google, Inc. , 2012a) 2. 2 Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. MMI, formerly the mobile devices division of Motorola Inc. , became its own publically traded company in January 2011. In the 1990s it was the pioneer of the flip phone, the StarTac. With this and through its focus on this market segment it was able to develop its hit product, the super- ­? thin flip phone: Motorola RAZR. While these boosted its position in the analogue mobile phone market for a while, MMI’s slow adaption to digital technology made it lose the race to its rivals, e. g. Sony Ericsson or Nokia, in the beginning of the 21st century (Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc. , 2010). Its market share began to drop with a record $1. 2 billion loss in 2007 and continued to drop in the years thereafter towards 2. 7 percent in 2010. This, amongst other issues, has led some people to believe that Motorola was nearing bankruptcy. (Gartner, Inc. , 2011) 2. 3 Reasons for a Merger In its own press release, Google Inc. (2012) states the ain benefits of the deal to be: 1. An acceleration of innovation and choice in mobile computing through which consumers will get better phones at lower prices and 2. A protection of the Android Ecosystem through Motorola’s patent portfolio, which guarantees Android to stay open- ­? source software, which is vital to completion in the mobile device space, as it is ensuring hardware manufacturers, application developers, mobile phone carriers and consumers all to have choice. Since 2008 Motorola has fully implemented the Android operating system for their 2 smartphones, which creates a â€Å"natural fit between [the two] companies† Google, Inc. , 2012b, p. 1). This, as well as Motorola being a member of the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), a consortium to create open standards for mobile devices, which now includes 84 firms from every part of the supply chain, will enable faster innovation. Another point that Google stresses in their facts about the acquisition is the long history of innovation in communications technology at Motorola Mobility and additionally the development of intellectual property. The latter is very important to Google as it will support their own, so far very small, patent portfolio to defend Android OS against the strong competition rom Apple and Microsoft, which is well explained in an extra paragraph in their press release. It is very important to Google to support the constant competition it has injected into the smartphone market since the introduction of the first Android phone in 2008. They are trying to give â€Å"consumers, application developers, and mobile carriers high- ­? quality alternatives to products like Apple? s iPhone and iPad and RIM’s BlackBerryâ€Å" (Google, Inc. , 2012b, p. 2). Google especially highlights what they will not be trying to do with the merger, in order to keep competitors and consumers calm. They do not want to close the Android cosystem and favour Motorola over other hardware manufactures. The Android OS will stay available to everyone on an open source basis. Google will also not force their partners to use Google search (in order to boost their own advertising revenues). 2. 4 The EU Decision The European Commission (EC) was notified of the proposed merger in late November 2011. Since Google and Motorola Mobility have a combined world- ­? wide turnover exceeding â‚ ¬5 billion and each have an EU- ­? wide turnover of more than â‚ ¬250 million, as well as neither one company is achieving more than two- ­? thirds of its EU- ­? Wide turnover within one European ountry, the merger has an EU dimension and has therefore to be allowed by the EC. In their analysis of whether the merger would bring about competition issues, the EC concluded to focus on the vertical relationships between â€Å"Google as the supplier of the open source Android OS and online services on the one hand and Motorola Mobility as a supplier of mobile devices and holder of important Intellectual Property Rights for mobile devices on the other hand† (European Commission, 2012, p. 4). The EC splits its initial market analysis into three parts: Firstly it focusses on the market for operating systems, secondly it analyses he market for mobile devices and thirdly it discusses the Standard Essential Patents (SEPs) 3 Google acquires from MMI. With their market analysis they conduct a competition analysis and conclude in all areas that the merger does not raise any competition issues, which can also be seen in the economic analysis that follows later. Their decision therefore is to drop the investigation and allow the deal to go through without any remedies or changes to be made. 2. 5 The US Decision The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has approached the case in a similar, however, slightly different way. It combined the investigations f the merger case with acquisitions of certain patents by Apple Inc. , Microsoft Corporation and Research In Motion Ltd. , as all of these were linked to each other. In their analysis, the DOJ followed a similar approach to the EU, checking, whether the proposed acquisitions would create incentives and abilities for the acquiring firms to â€Å"exploit ambiguities in the SSOs’ F/RAND [fair/ reasonable and non- ­? discriminatory terms] licensing commitments to hold up rivals, this preventing or inhibiting innovation and competition† (U. S. Department of Justice, 2012, p. 2). In terms of Microsoft Corp. ’s and Apple’s acquisition of Nortel patents, the division’s concerns were lessened by the â€Å"clear commitments by Apple And Microsoft to license SEPsâ€Å" (U. S. Department of Justice, 2012, p. 1) on FRAND terms, as well as their commitments not to seek injunctions in disputes involving SEPs. However, the Department of Justice identifies Google’s commitments to be less clear. The Department refers to Google’s open letter to all Standard Setting Organizations (SSOs) and argues that Google’s statement does not directly provide the same assurance, as for example the other companies mentioned before. Google for example mentions in their letter that it will not seek njunctions for the infringement of SEPs against a competitor, however only for disputes involving future license revenues, and only if the counterparty â€Å"forgoes certain defenses such as challenging the validity of the patent; pays the full disputed amount into escrow; and agrees to a reciprocal assurance as the other companies’ statements concerning the exercise of its newly acquired patent rightsâ€Å" (Lo, 2012, p. 3). These are, however, only reasons for the Department to decide on further monitoring of how competitors are exercising their patents, in order to identify potential misuses of the SEPs and not to prohibit the merger.

Important Part of Education Essay

The website www. labsafety. org offers secondary science teachers both with resources and training in enhancing and providing safety in laboratories and in the environment. It seeks to cater questions and insights surrounding effective facilitation and education in adherence to the standards given to students. The site offers supplementary areas for training, consultation, audits and design that will make each educational institution responsible and accountable in such aspects. The information provided gives important ideas surrounding implementing and adhering to specific guidelines and standards mandated. Likewise, it will encourage both educators to practice safety and responsibility in their actions. The other website www. regentsprep. org is an important guide that can help secondary science students to adapt to the current curriculum design and models towards New York State Regents requirements. It offers resource and links for examinations and procedures of handling necessary information related to the study of science. Seeing this, this site is essential in classrooms because educators can use such as a guide in building and establishing frameworks that are synchronized with standards. At the same time, it can offer students the possibility to expand and develop in areas that are deemed important in the study of secondary science. Such perspective garners the needed boost in obtaining efficient and optimum inputs from both the students and educators. Work Cited Oswego School District. Regents Exam Prep Center. 2007 accessed 19 March 2009 from The Laboratory Safety Institute. Making Health, Safety and Environment and Integral and Important Part of Education, Work and Life. 2007 accessed 19 March 2009 from

Relection Paper of Book Called Tuesday with Morrie Essay

Relection Paper of Book Called Tuesday with Morrie - Essay Example It thus took me a long time to finally read this book and what a book it was! Powerful is the right word to describe it. Anyone who has ever thought about life and wisdom would thank the author for going through the pains of actually writing this book. I read it at a time when my life was undergoing some serious changes and I wanted to make sense of my life. This book worked for me because there were some lines and passages that spoke to me directly. The one passage where Morrie talks about tension of opposites was of special significance to me. I had noticed that in my life, even though I was grateful for most things, there had been times when I had taken a person or thing for granted. I failed to understand why we do that. But Morrie's observation put me at ease as I realized that we all seem to make the same mistakes, that while we must not take things for granted, we might sometimes do that and it was okay to forgive ourselves. Explaining the tension of opposites, Morrie says: "Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for grante d." (p. 40) Another important observation was about death and it changed my perspective on death. I had always believed that when people are aging and they are near death, they must want to be young again and many old people around me confirmed my belief. But I realized that this happens only when a person has lived a meaningless life. Anyone who has lived a meaningful life, doesn't want to revisit his past, he wants to keep moving forward as Morrie said: ''Aging is not just decay. It's growth. If you've found meaning in your life, you won't want to go back.'' (p. 118) Very few of us actually think deeply about life and those who do are always on the lookout for more wisdom. Morrie was one of those and through his experiences, many readers would benefit as well. There is a very beautiful observation made by him about children. You may or may not agree with it, but if you think deeply you will realize that indeed it's very true. "If you want the experience of having complete responsibility for another human being, and to learn how to love and bond in the deepest way, then you should have children" (p. 93) Everyday we hear about celebrities being careless about their children and many children being sent to foster care because their parents couldn't provide adequate love and care. That should be a wake up call for all of us. Why do we have children when we can't look after them We should understand that bringing a child into this world means taking complete responsibility for his growth and for the love that he requires. Morrie's lessons would not only benefit Mitch Albom but everyone who wants to experience life in its fullness and who is looking for meaning. We are usually so caught up in the everyday routine of our lives that we seldom take a break to understand what's really happening. Do we really want this Where are we headed Is there meaning in our lives Meaning doesn't have to be very big or all encompassing. It can be anything that gives you complete fulfillment. If in taking care of your children and bringing them up properly, you think you life has meaning and purpose, then that's all you really need. You don't have to go out there and wage