Legitimating Conquest and Slavery in the New World Essay

A Spaniard by the name of Christopher Columbus set sail on a voyage heading west across the Atlantic Ocean to Asia. This 1492 voyage turned out to be a discovery of another continent, America. Columbus thought that he had reached East Indies, but was in fact, in the Caribbean. The native people that inhabited the island were curious to see these new visitors and came out to greet them. The natives or ?Indians? as Columbus called them were friendly and generous people, giving gifts to the European travelers. Soon after the arrival, the Europeans started to take over and take what they pleased. As more Europeans came to the Americas, the population of the Indians declined in great numbers. The Europeans brought many dreadful diseases and had†¦show more content†¦As a faithful servant to the King and Queen of Spain, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Columbus wrote a letter with details of the land and the native people who inhabit it. The way he described the natives, or? Indi ans? is that are timorous people who are naked and they have no weapons and are not fitted to use them. This way King Ferdinand will read that the natives on the land we will conquer are shy, they have no armor or no weapons, and if they had any, they wouldn?t know how to fight with them. ?They do not carry arms nor are they acquainted with them.? (Belmonte, 2) After receiving Columbus? letter, King Ferdinand sent a proclamation to the native people. This proclamation legitimized the taking of the land and the people who reside there and is now property of the King of Spain. While the proclamation was being read to the Indians, no one disagreed to it, this could be because the Indians did not speak Spanish. In our lecture, we learned that the definition of Legitimation is to make legal that which is fundamentally illegal. The Europeans took the land and the freedom of the Indians by reading a piece of paper stating it was through divine law. With legitimation it was legal to use t errorism upon the people, it was legal to kill, enslave, steal property, and punish. Now that the Europeans had the physical control, land and the people, it was then they needed the mental control, the fear of the native people. ?If you don?t do what I tell you, I will

Leadership and Organizational Culture Essay - 1310 Words

LEADERSHIP AND ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE In this paper I will discuss the effects and responsibilities leaders have on an organizational culture. I believe leaders have an enormous effect on the well-being of an organizational culture. Leaders must take an active role within their organizations culture. Whether positive or negative, in an organization, things tend to follow suit down hill. A leader has the power and influence to maintain, create, or repair an organizational culture. However, this can prove to be a delicate and challenging task. When trying to maintain a healthy organizational culture the leader has many factors that he/she must balance. Maintaining a healthy organizational culture may be viewed as an entire strategic†¦show more content†¦4) These factors that shape an organization culture often seem to evolve naturally among subordinates in an organization. It is vital that the leader know how to manage these factors effectively to ensure a healthy organizational culture. Perspectives on Relationships between Leadership and Organizational Culture Upon researching I found a three perspective model showing the relationship between leaders and organizational culture. The first is the functionalism perspective. The functionalism perspective basically entails that a strong culture depends on a strong leader or a strong leader can develop a strong culture. Leaders have choices and can influence the firm through their actions or decisions. (Zhang, Tsui, Wang, Xin, n.d., p.5) With the functionalism perspective it is believed that the leaders, who are in the head positions, have all the power in molding and changing an organization. There are numerous factors and the leader must know how to manage them. The second perspective is the attribution perspective. 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Measuring Return on Investment (ROI) Free Essays

Before starting to compare and measure the return of investment for an information system, it is better to define terms such as Information Technology and Return of Investment or ROI. Information technology is a field concerned with the production, manipulation, sharing and transfer or information through the use of electronically-based equipments to satisfy man’s needs (Albacea p. 4). We will write a custom essay sample on Measuring Return on Investment (ROI) or any similar topic only for you Order Now Thus, in this definition we are not just referring to information itself but also for the communication aspects of the information system which is of wide use today. The Return of Investment, on the other hand, includes the costs and benefits in putting up a firm. Mainly, it is more focused on maximizing the benefits of the firm. In dealing with information systems, the definition of the return of investment is better to be extended so a to include not only the tangible but also the tangible benefits a firm or an office can derived in establishing their own information system (Grimes). To make a clear measurement of the ROI, let us have only two groups of consideration. Since most of the websites on the internet are focused only on either commercial or information sake, then we shall consider the firms that invests on utilizing information systems for commercial purposes and the other ones are those that utilizes the information system for information sake such as the government. In the first category, measuring the cost of building an information-related investment such as websites for selling or doing e-commerce can be clearly seen. E-commerce is an innovation in the information technology where consumers can transact with sellers using only information system (Albacea p. 256). Since the cost for hiring a programmer, for example, in creating a website for a commercial firm, the hardware and other features such as searching or blog which can be brought through licensing are known, then the total cost of establishing this set up can be computed and is just can be known by making a total of all of the expenses and efforts. The other part, which is computing the benefits, is rather the difficult part of it. This may be the reason why business owners and IT leaders are not interested in knowing or having a precise or definite benefit evaluation or effectiveness after they had made a website or an e-commerce page. According to Mary K. Pratt of the Computerworld of US in one of her features, the ROI for a website must be necessarily measured. She justified the ROI is truly measurable, and that those companies that are not measuring it doesn’t really concern of what their money’s worth. She takes, for example, Kia Motors. Kia Motors has for their websites visitor and mostly, what their basis of ranking is on the probability or likelihood of the customer to purchase a motor. They said that those that are downloading their white page are more likely to purchase a motor than those that only browse through their homepage. They can also measure the benefits on how advertisements on the Internet have changed their production and gross profit. If they see that they had made an advertisement on the Internet but has no increase on the sales, assuming all other factors are held constant, then the information-based technique they use is ineffective. Since ROI’s concern is in costs and benefits, we should also take the advantages of having information related systems than not having any. For example, we can measure how we can save money by replacing the paper ads or printed documents by the electronic version. About 18%, according to the analysts, of the printed document of a business firm becomes expired or not updated after just seven days or a week-long of time. Thus, after this period, they must be replaced by the updated ones. On the other hand, updating publications on the web will cost less than updating the printed ones (McGrath). Hence, this is one way of showing how information systems can cause a movement of the computation of the ROI. For the firms that utilizes the information system for commercial purposes, ROI can be measured in this way – the cost or the expenses can be easily calculated by just summing up the expenses made in putting up or establishing an electronic-based project, and the benefits, though not clearly seen, can be calculated by taking into consideration its effect on the business and how it can cut costs for the establishment. Now, let us look at the second category which is the firms or offices that utilizes information system for information-sake. The most common example for this category is the government. Usually, included in their budget is the allocation for having information systems that are helpful for public. If the benefits in the commercial-related are not clearly seen, here in the second category, the benefits are even more difficult to measure. Take United States for example. According to Center for Technology of Government at the University of Albany, even after some years of having information system exclusive for government information, the return of investment for this particular project is uncertain and is very hard to put in numbers (ctg.albany.edu†¦PrintVersion=1). Why is this so? Similar to the first category, the input resources for putting up or for the establishment of the information system to be used by the government can be readily computed for this is only the sum of all the expenses needed in the establishment. This will surely includes the wages or salaries of the personnel involved, the purchases made, and other licensing expenses. Government usually has its websites for its departments to ensure that the public will be well informed of national issues and information that are of public concern or the public can have great use of them. Again, return of investment is concern with the cost and the benefits. Now, how can we measure the benefits? If the members of the first categories’ benefits can be measured by seeing the effect of the system to their business, government’s measurement of the benefits is a lot more different. Remember that the benefits as defined earlier simultaneously with the Return of Investment don’t only include the tangible benefits but also the non-tangible ones. Thus, looking at the example earlier, the government has its own way of measuring the benefits. They had a standard assessment technique that gives results whether their investments or efforts in putting up the information system dedicated to serve the public has a significant effect or just a waste of time, effort and money (Grimes). This assessment technique needs some adjustments as justified by the Center of Technology for Government. This leads them to propose the Public Value Framework (Cresswell). The Public Value Framework emphasizes the role and importance of the public in assessing the performance of the information system used by the government. Unlike the previous system where only the government are responsible for the evaluation done, the second system or the Public Value Framework will give power for the public in assessments. Therefore, for the firms or offices that utilize information system for information sake, like the first one, they had a clear computation for cost but a rather difficult computation for benefits. The ROI can be computed by computing the cost through obtaining the summation of all the expenses and the benefits can be seen on the effects or how their objectives of putting up the system are fulfilled. That is, if the public has more satisfaction in using the system established by the government, then the government’s return of investment is indeed higher. In general, measuring the return of investment for an information system is not an easy task because of the complexity on the non-tangible benefits it has to offer, even if the cost of establishing the information system is clearly and be easily computed. In the end, the basis of the measurement of the return of investment is still in how it would affect the entities it is intended to be useful for or how the goals or objectives of a firm who puts up the system is attained or become more possible. It is recommended that more studies be made to make a standard basis for computation of the return of investment even if it has to involve many factors that are hard to put in numbers. References Pratt, Mary K.( May 28, 2007) â€Å"Measuring Your Website’s Return of Investment.† Business Technology Leadership. 6 July 2007. http://www.cio.com.au/index.php/id;1 315684679. Cresswell, Anthony M, et al. (September 2006). Advancing Return of Investment Analysis for Government IT. 6 July 2007 Grimes, Brad and Joab Jackson. (September 2006). What’s you IT investment worth –really? 6 July 2007 Center for Technology in Government. 6 July 2007 McGrath, George   and Anthony Schneider. Measuring Intranet Return On Investment. 6 July 2007. Albacea, Eliezer A. Information Technology Literacy I. UPLB, Philippines: UPLB Foundation, Inc. 2005. How to cite Measuring Return on Investment (ROI), Essay examples

How Is Atticus Finch Portrayed free essay sample

To kill a mocking bird is a novel written by Harper lee set in the southern part of America just after the civil war had ended . This means that though slavery had been abolished , black people were still held to a lower standard than white people . It is not only black people who are subjected to racial prejudice but also anyone who fails to conform to the social norms of the ‘tired old town’ of Maycomb. Atticus Finch is one of the main characters in To Kill a Mocking Bird. He is the father to Jem and Scout finch and a lawyer in Maycomb County . Most of the main themes in the novel are shown in one way or another through this character. One of the main themes in the book is Intolerance . Atticus is adamant about his children not developing the same intolerant views that the other inhabitants of the town have towards people who are different to themselves. This is shown during a conversation held between Atticus and his daughter, Scout ,after she judges her new teacher . He says to her, ‘You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view, until you climb into his skin and walk around in it. ’ This shows Atticus as a very empathetic man . He could easily follow the other people of Maycomb in turning against anyone who is different but instead decides to look at things from their side of the situation, a skill needed in his line of work as a lawyer . It also shows that he wants his children to have these traits , as he is willing to teach Scout about empathy. He wants to change Maycomb’s ways and is starting this by sending his children into the world with a better understanding of the people in it in the hopes of sculpting a generation of more tolerant people. However, Scout struggles with this concept. This is shown when a poor boy named Walter Cunningham visits the finch residence for a meal and Scout acts very judgemental , criticising him for the way he acts at the dinner table . Not only does this part of the book show a lot about Scout , it shows a lot about Atticus as well. The book says ‘Atticus shook his head at me again. ’ Atticus doesn’t vocalise his protest to Scouts verbal assault on Walter. This may have been to spare Walter any further embarrassment which strengthens the idea that Atticus is very empathetic . It may have also been a way of showing how in control of his children Atticus truly is. He doesn’t need words to convey to his children his how he is feeling or what he wants them to do, a simple shake of his head is enough. This paints Atticus as a natural leader which would help him a lot in the courtroom. Though Scout treats Walter badly, the interactions between Walter and Atticus go very differently. Atticus treats Walter like an equal. This is shown in the book when Lee writes ‘While Walter piled food on his plate, he and Atticus talked like two men-‘. This shows that Atticus does not discriminate by age , but treats those mature enough , despite how young they are, like equals . In fact , the book shows Atticus as undiscriminating, be it against gender, age or race. In a town where the vast majority of residents look at black people as lesser than themselves, Atticus stands out in the book as one of the few people who are pro-equality. While other white families treat the black people who work at their homes as slaves, Atticus treats Calpurnia, the finch’s cook, as part of the family. When Scout speaks badly of Calpurnia, Atticus says to her ‘I’ve no intention of getting rid of her, now or ever. We couldn’t operate a single day without Cal. ’ The quote shows Atticus respects Calpurnia despite the colour of her skin. He is not afraid to admit that Calpurnia is the only thing keeping the family working , which shows he is honest , even in the face of judgment . When he says ‘I’ve no intention of getting rid of her, now or ever. ’ It shows he is loyal. Calpurnia is not just an employee to him , she is also a valued member of the household who he finds irreplaceable , a view point not shared by many in the town. More proof that Atticus is not racist is in the fact that he took Tom Robinson’s case. Tom Robinson is a 25 year old black man who is wrongly accused of the rape of a white woman. Since Atticus would be defending Tom gainst a white person, many of the townsfolk disapprove of it, seeing it as a betrayal. This means almost the whole town turns against the Finch family. In the book, Atticus says ‘every lawyer gets at least one case in his lifetime that affects him personally. ’ This shows that Atticus understands that he and his family going to face a lot of backlash for taking the case. He takes it any way, as it is a matter of honour to him. Atticus knows exactly where a Negro stands in the south. Despite the abolition of slavery at the end of the civil war, in the eyes of the people of Maycomb, black people were still viewed as second class citizen’s . hough he knows he cannot win, he has to take the case in order to not lose his self respect or the respect of the people whose opinion he cares about. This point is supported when Atticus says to uncle Jack when asked to pass the case on to someone else, ‘Do you think i could face my children otherwise ? ’ It took Atticus a lot of moral courage to see the case through. Though Atticus is prepared to face the judgment of the townsfolk, he wishes he could protect his children from it all. This is shown in a conversation held between Atticus and his brother, Jack regarding the Tom Robinson case. Atticus says ‘what worries me is that she and Jem will have to absorb some ugly things pretty soon. ’ By ‘ugly things’ Atticus is referring to the slander that Scout and Jem are subjected to prior and during the trial. The use of the word ugly really emphasises Atticus’ view point on the verbal abuse. Atticus is a gentleman and usually respects other people’s opinions and what they have to say even if they go against his own opinion or insults him personally. Describing it in such a way infers that Atticus finds the behaviour distasteful. If the townsfolk had insulted Atticus directly, he would respect their opinions, though he may like them. What angered him is that they not only say it behind his back but to his children, the very people he is trying to shield from such view points. Atticus not only tries to protect his children on a mental level, but when they are physically threatened by a rabid dog by the name of Tim Johnson , he plays the role of protective father and breaks one of his own moral codes to save his children and the other inhabitants of the town . Similarities can be found between Atticus and Tim Johnson. What remained of his poor mind made him pause and seem to consider which road he would take. He made a few hesitant steps and stopped in front of the Radley gate; then he tried to turn around, but was having difficulty. ’ These are the words Lee used when describing Tim Johnsons struggle. These could easily be applied to Atticus’s moral struggle as he is torn between the right choices and the easy choices. Atticus’s struggle begins when he takes the case. He starts off on a straight course, making noble and honourable choices in the name of justice. Then circumstances change and he is given a choice. He can continue on the course he’s on. If Tim Johnson had taken this path it would have led him straight to the Radley place, potentially putting the Radleys in danger. In the novel, Lee uses the Radley family as a symbol for intolerance. In the same way that Tim Johson could kill the Radley family, Atticus has the chance to put an end to intolerance in Maycomb if he were to see the case through to the end. Both Tim and Atticus meet obstacles on this course. While Tim’s is a physical thing (namely the gate to the Radley yard) Atticus’s obstacles manifest themselves in the form of traditions that have been present in Maycomb for generations. Then there is the easy way. For Tim Johnson this is to follow the curve of the road where there is nothing but open space. For Atticus, it is to forget about the case, to pass it on to another lawyer and avoid the slander and judgement from the other residents. But in the same way that Tim Johnson struggles to turn around, Atticus cannot walk away from the case without jeopardising his personal beliefs and morals, or risking the respect of his children. The fact that Atticus saw the case through, even with all the obstacles , shows he is very passionate about staying true to his beliefs. The moral code I referred to is Atticus’s choice to not take a life. Known by the older generation of Maycomb as ‘one-shot finch’, Atticus is the best shot in the county but chooses not to use his talent as he thinks, as Miss Maudie put it, ‘God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things’ (Miss Maudie is used by Lee as a narrative device as the narrator of the story, Scout, is too young to know about Atticus’s shooting history). Atticus has a deep belief in equality and will do what he can to balance the scales. Like his marksmanship skills, Atticus may also view being white as an unfair advantage given by God over black people, who are viewed as lesser than himself. Since this is not something Atticus can fix by doing something as simple as putting down his gun, he uses his position of power, both as a white man and a lawyer , to sway the people’s opinions and stop the injustice that black people endure . Atticus shows physical courage when he picks up the gun and shoots the dog. He views courage as an important trait to have and therefore respects people who do. Among these people is Mrs Dubose. Though arguable the character that contrasts most with Atticus, in some ways, they are surprisingly alike. Mrs Dubose’s personality is much like the camellias found in her garden. Camellias are very large and very bright flowers and, as a result, can be seen as quite garish and distasteful. Those words may also be used by Jem and Scout to describe how they see Mrs Dubose. She is very vocal about her opinions, despite the negative affects they might have on other people. She always speaks her mind and is truthful to the extent of seeming insulting since she doesn’t filter through her thoughts to find what is appropriate and not appropriate to say to who she’s addressing. An example of this is when she says to Jem and Scout ‘Your father is no better than the niggers and trash he works for ! ’. This quote shows an obvious disregard for the childrens feelings. Hidden behind the bright colours of the elaborate flower is dried fruit . It is not nice to look at and is often hidden away as to not spoil the aesthetics of the camellia . This is another trait that Mrs Dubose shares with her beloved flowers. Behind her rough exterior, Mrs Dubose is going through a terrible struggle that some could say even surpasses Atticus’s. The fruit could be a metaphor for this. Her struggle is attempting to quit her addiction to morphine in order to leave the world ‘beholden to nothing and nobody ‘. Atticus had great respect for her . He says ‘she was the bravest person I ever knew. ’ He even holds her above himself in terms of role models for his children, saying, ‘I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. ’ Atticus may be referring to young boys at that time idolising soldiers like those that fought in the civil war but he may have been referring to himself and the way Jem views him as brave after he shot Tim Johnson. If it is the latter, it shows Atticus is self-deprecating and that he believes it is easy to pull a trigger when it means no consequence to yourself but seeing how bad it is going to turn out for you and yet still going through with it anyway ,like Mrs Dubose and Atticus with the case , is what takes real courage. This point is supported when Atticus goes on to say ‘It’s when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what. ’. In conclusion, Atticus is presented in the book as the voice of justice in Maycomb. In a town filled with prejudice, hatred and injustice, Lee uses Atticus as a symbol of all that is right. He is honourable , brave , truthful and other characteristics that make him the perfect person. He is quite an unrealistic character , but in a town as badly ridden with racism and judgement as Maycomb , it would take someone that is compassionate beyond what a human is capable of to make a difference. Atticus is the physical representation of the idea that unless somebody cares an aweful lot, nothing is going to change.

Who Should be Allowed to Filter the Internet

Safeway Supermarket Essay Essay Example

Safeway Supermarket Essay Essay Example Safeway Supermarket Essay Essay Safeway Supermarket Essay Essay Safeway Company has policies that require employees to smile at and do oculus contacts with clients. Most of the clients would see this sort of facial gestures as a friendly manner of making concern. but some clients might misconstrue them as a â€Å"flirt† . Twelve employees had filed ailments about this â€Å"Superior Service† policy and found it unethical for the company to hold clandestine shoppers to descry if there is any lawbreaker. This led to Union to acquire involved and suggest the company to modify the policy. However. the central offices disagreed that the policy was the cause of the misinterpretation. And they think it is necessary to develop their employees to be friendly and holding the right attitude to function their clients. Analysis of the Case Due to the â€Å"Superior Service† Policy implemented by Safeway. clients have two typical letter writer illations on the employees:* Positive: A friendly manner of making concern.* Negative: Employee purpose or effort to chat up with the clients. Although the instances of clients holding a negative letter writer illations on the Safeway Employees is little nevertheless it was a major concern which lead the Union to be involved and accordingly the Policy to be abolished. Q1. How. specifically. is the procedure of ascription illustrated in this instance? Causal Attribution is study on the causes of behaviour based on the followers: * Internal: based on actions for which the person is responsible. * External: based on state of affairss over which the person has no control. Majority of the clients are utilizing Positive letter writer illations to associate the employees to be friendly. The internal causes might be the employees are friendly. helpful and socially natured persons. On the other manus. the external causes might be the employees need to purely follow by the Policy of implemented by Safeway. Culture and norm practiced in Safeway. fright of being sent of Smile School. portion of their KPI and Job Descriptions. Certain clients are utilizing Negative letter writer illations to associate the employees to be coquettish. The internal causes are likely due to the â€Å"Easy going† and â€Å"very social† personalities of the employees. On the other hands the external causes are due to the enlisting and choice procedure in Safeway. the civilization of the company. The negative letter writer illations might be due to the following perceptual prejudices:* Fundamental ascription mistake* Halo consequence* Similar-to-me consequence* First feeling mistake* Selective perceptual experience* Pigeonholing Q2. What do you supposed is being done to assist develop people to be friendlier toward clients? In other words. what would you conceive of goes on in Safeway’s â€Å"Smile Schools† ? Learning is procedure where a comparatively lasting alteration in behavior happening as a consequence of experience. Operant Conditioning is the signifier of acquisition in which people associate the effects of their actions with the actions themselves. Normally the behaviours with positive effects are acquired whilst the behaviours with negative effects tend to be eliminated. Observational Learning is the signifier of acquisition in which people get new behaviours by consistently detecting the wagess and penalties given to others. For Safeway to efficaciously develop the employees to be friendlier. a assortment of developing techniques should be used. Either the preparation should be conducted officially in category in the Smile School and later via on occupation preparation. The Smile School categories should include developing on basic communicating accomplishments. recognizing accomplishments. client relationship accomplishments. Role Play should be included as an effectual manner to integrate the transportation of cognition and accomplishments of the engagement. support of the cognition acquired. Participant can associate to existent life experiences and trainers can measure defects and supply feedback. One of the Role Play should include scenario how to manage hard client under assorted state of affairss. The formal preparation and on occupation preparation would supply both positive and negative support. Positive support is the procedure by which people learn to execute behaviours that lead to the presentation of desired results while negative support is the procedure by which people learn to execute Acts of the Apostless that lead to the remotion of unsought events. Training should be conducted uninterrupted and ongoing so that it will be a uninterrupted support in which all desired behaviours are reinforced. Reinforcement should avoid penalty and should merely be used penalty as the last resort. The aim of penalty is diminishing the unwanted behaviour by following it with unwanted effects. Q3. Describe what you believe might be the progressive subject measure outlined in the warning missive to unfriendly Safeway clerks. Once preparation has been completed and the desired results still have non been reached. Safeway could follow taking progressive subject stairss as illustrated in the diagram below: It is a systematic and progressive method to reenforce the coveted consequence. The coveted consequence and the defects must be communicated decently. Written warning must spell out what is required from the employees. what are the defects. what action will be taken and the effects.

Sea world orlando Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sea world orlando - Essay Example The park is highly popular as tourist spot for children and adults alike. The theme based marine park has contributed to the environment conservation and preservation mainly through its adventure trips and exhibitions of wild lives of ocean. The highlights of the park are its killer whale; seal and dolphin display; adventure rides like wild arctic, Shamu happy harbor, journey to Atlantis; shows, exhibits; and wild life experience with killer whale, penguins, dolphins and other marine lives. The exhilarating ride and breathtaking shows keep the visitors entranced. Some of the rides like Shamu are thrilling in their experience as they take the riders under the oceans to have a close animal encounter. The various adventure camps and programs are especially helpful in creating deep awareness of the ocean wild life creatures as many of them encourage interaction with the sea animals. The friendly penguins and playful dolphins serve dual purpose of entertaining visitors and creating awareness amongst them. The normal hours from October 6, 2011 would be from 9 a.m to 6

Are social networks a positive phenomenon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Are social networks a positive phenomenon - Essay Example When considering the nature of social networking as a phenomenon or lasting element of culture, one must consider the means by which networking has already made a significant impact within society. In these regards, perhaps the most important or meaningful can be found within the field of education. Within education social networking has taken hold in many classroom environments through innovative learning solutions. One such example is that of the networking device Ning. Teachers throughout the country have been able to implement Ning to advance classroom project collaboration in functional and innovative ways. For instance, one such method of collaborative processing has been shown to occur in English classrooms when the instructor is able to assign homework to students through this messaging system, allowing them to collaboratively brainstorm projects, and to seek advice from each other on challenging passages and group projects (Fraser & Dutta, 2008). While such collaborative thi nking was previously relegated to the classroom environment it is now able to be carried over to homework situations. This has expanded the intellectual reaches of the classroom and made social networking an essential aspect of this process (Dede, 2005). ... In these regards one must only consider how a platform such as Facebook has brought individuals into contact with each other throughout the nation and world. While only a decade ago immediate social communication with individuals in another country could only be conducted through email or telephone, Facebook and Twitter allow individuals to remain in contact with each other through indirect yet strong and profound means. This not only constitutes a means of communicating that is on par with the previously mentioned means of communication, but functions as an entirely unique form of socialization. Through these social networking platforms individuals can readily meet people through the world and communicate not simply through verbal dialogue, but engage in self-expression through pictures and songs. This means of communication allows for newfound means of interaction and expression that goes beyond past forms of social communication, advancing knowledge of the world through improved c ollaboration. Perhaps the most pressing question of social networking is not whether it will be considered a phenomenon, but in what forms it will evolve. As has been demonstrated social networking is a vital element of contemporary culture and not merely a trend, yet it is also clear that networking is constantly evolving. When one considers that past forms of networking communication as embodied in MySpace and Friendster quickly gave out to the more functional Facebook, it should come as no surprise that social networking as a solid definitive aspect of culture must evolve into a form of communication that is even more advanced than current networking

Innovation and Enterprise Buisness plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Innovation and Enterprise Buisness plan - Essay Example ......................4 3.2 Opportunity specification indicating costs and payback.......................5 3.3 Staffing of the proposal.........................................................................7 3.4 Application of the proposal to future planning......................................8 4. Conclusion...................................................................................................9 References...............................................................................................................10 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Competition is a characteristic of every market and thus, businesses have to come up with ways that they can use to deal with the competition in their market. In the sector of petroleum engineering, the competition is high since the number of businesses dealing in exploration and sale of oil and gas products is very high. The report aims at giving one strategy that can be used by a business to increase its customer base. The strategy d iscussed in the report is introduction of new products in the market through exploration. Chevron is petroleum engineering Coorporation based in California, which mainly deals with exploration and sale of crude oil, natural gas, and other petroleum products. The report gives the details that the company will follow in its proposal of exploring a new petroleum reservoir in UK. Therefore, the report will analyse such issues as the staffs required, the financial analysis, and the use of the proposal in future planning of the company. 2. INTRODUCTION Chevron Company was started in the year 1879 as Pacific Coast Oil Copmany. It is in the year 1984 that its name was changed to Chevron, after a merger with a company referred to as Gulf Oil Corporation. The company explores, produces and transports crude oil and natural gas. In addition, the company also manufactures and transports petroleum products. Over the years, it has also managed to generate power and produce renewable energy sources such as geothermal energy. Chevron Corporation is recognized as one of the leading energy companies in the world due to its high capacity fuel production. For instance, the company produces over 2.5 million barrels of oil per day. Despite this high production, the company still desires to explore more oil in order to meet the increasing energy demands of the world. Therefore, the company is planning a project that will aid in aid in exploration of a certain identified oil reservoir. The major objective of the exploration is to assist the company to increase its production capacity. The products manufactured thereafter will also widen the market of the company since; customers will have a variety of petroleum products from which to choose. In addition, the company will be able to meet customers demand for energy. 3. PROJECT DESCRIPTION 3.0 Goals and Objectives The key goals and objectives of the project are to ensure increased and diversified variety of energy sources in the company (Kahn,  2006, 5). In addition, the project also aims at increasing the number of customers served by the company. On the other hand, other factors such as competition and increased demand for petroleum products have also caused the company to consider exploring the new oil reservoir. This is because; the company will be more competitive in the market if it serves more variety of products than its competitors do. The company also has a goal of meeting the customers’ needs that have not yet been met. For instance, some customers

NDT Robotic Technology

NDT Robotic Technology

Ray Bradbury Biography :: essays research papers

Ray Bradbury Biography U.S. author, born in Waukegan, Ill., on Aug. 22, 1920. In his stories, Bradbury wove together the intrigue of changing technology with insightful social commentary. One of his best-known works was 'The Martian Chronicles’; a collection of interrelated stories concerning colonization of the planet Mars those attracted readers both young and old. In it, Bradbury portrayed the strengths and weaknesses of human beings as they encountered a new world. Ray Bradbury grew up in Waukegan and in Los Angeles, where he founded a magazine called Futuria Fantasia while in high school. He sold his first short story when he was 21 years old. His early stories were published in pulp magazines, but Bradbury later published stories in such mainstream magazines as The New Yorker, Mademoiselle, and the Saturday Evening Post. His science fiction and fantasy short-story collections included 'The Martian Chronicles', 'The Illustrated Man', and 'Dinosaur Tales'. Bradbury's 1980 collection, 'The Stories of Ray Bradbury', covers a wide range of topics, none of which is truly science fiction. His novels included 'Fahrenheit 451', Dandelion Wine, and 'Something Wicked This Way Comes'. 'Fahrenheit 451' was made into a motion picture in 1966, and 'The Martian Chronicles' later appeared both as a motion picture and a television miniseries. In 1954 Bradbury was honored with an award from the National Institute of Arts and Letters for his contribution to American literature. In 1956 he collaborated with John Huston to create the screenplay for 'Moby Dick'. In addition to fiction Bradbury wrote 'Zen and the Art of Writing' and also published such dramas as 'The Anthem Sprinters’, 'The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, The Pedestrian’, and volumes of poetry including 'When Elephants Last in the Dooryard Bloomed', 'Where Robot Mice & Robot Men Run Around in Robot Towns', and 'The Haunted Computer and the Android Pope'.

Moral, Social and Political Philosophy Essay

Moral, social and political philosophies are fields that share similarities with one another. The most basic and common characteristic found in all three fields is the role and significance of these fields in the manner by which human beings conduct intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships, with one’s self, with one another and with the community. Social, moral and political philosophies all act as important bedrocks or foundations of ideas humans use to guide their actions. Another similarity or common ground between these three fields is the presence of the examination of the human feelings as well as rational ideas necessary in the development of specific philosophies inside these three fields, even though in some aspects other factors are absent. For example, Immanuel Kant believes that moral philosophy should be without the consideration on human emotions (Gadamer, Weinsheimer, Marshall, 2004, p. 29). Without great thinkers who examined, assessed and concretized ideas based from human experiences, ideas and feelings, moral, social and political philosophies would not have existed in the first place. There are many other different similarities. Examples are how all three influence practice, tradition, norm, culture and values, how they all impact human life and later, history, and how all three fields evolve and change over time depending on perspectives introduced by new individuals, new thinking, new ideas and new perspectives. As for differences, one of the main differences when all three are compared is the specific focus inside which each philosophy works, is applied to, and allows the influence of. The use of moral philosophy – believed to be as one of the two oldest forms of philosophy (Fitzpatrick, 2008, p. 4) – in aspects dealing with moral issues hardly can make any considerations for the use of or relevance of either social or political philosophies. These are not the best and most suitable perspective to use. Ideas are also different. For example, what can be acceptable to political philosophy can be unacceptable to moral philosophy and vice versa. The focus of the two has the tendency to move towards different, if not altogether contrasting, paths. Justifications for beliefs and the use of sets of philosophical ideas and content can vary depending on what is being argued or debated upon and how these ideas are being used. Social, moral and political philosophies allow the individual to examine, look closely, investigate, assess and explain life. This is accomplished by these fields via the questions that they offer to the people to answer and explore the answers for themselves through the use of, or guidance, of these different fields of philosophy. The questions these fields of philosophy pose figure into a consideration of modern human life simply because these fields of philosophy exist to tackle, explain and to provide reasons for modern life. What these fields of philosophy creates as questions for humans to answer all point to man’s ability to examine human life, the modern life, consistently. For example, questions posed by moral philosophy figure into a consideration of modern life. Moral philosophy asks the human being how and why he or she is behaving as he or she does, giving them the trigger for self investigation. This can I justify how I act and why I act with regards to existing moral philosophy, or have I really deviated from it and is thus considered as bad? The questions they pose figure into a consideration of modern life simply because these fields of philosophy is all about life, life experiences and the resulting ideas from these life experiences in the first place. In the discussion of Smith and Haakonssen (2002) on moral philosophy, it explained that human beings may have the tendency to be confused especially in consideration with the different ideas past and present inside moral philosophy that can counter one another (Smith and Haakonssen, 2002, p. vii). This instance illustrates the idea that these fields of philosophy bring forward questions that allows people to examine life, including modern life, making these fields of philosophy and the questions they pose something that eventually figures into the consideration of the modern life. Scheppele (1988) noted that people asks for directions, not just literally but also for direction in life and for direction in their ideas and beliefs (Scheppele, 1988, p. 143). Since philosophies are not cast in stone, at times they provide answers in as much as they provide questions, at the same time, allow the individual to make a serious consideration of the present modern life, like how there are questions arising from how law and the social and moral philosophies. For example, getting in the way of one another during particular instances and how the individual can get away from or wriggle from it with sufficient sense of justification for such action. In the end, the effort at comparing and contrasting social, moral and political philosophy begs the answer to this question – is any one area more important than another? This is a tricky question. Even though the answer is most probably either yes or no, there are complex considerations why it is difficult to arrive at any one of the offered monosyllabic answers. To say that one is actually more important than the other is to say that the philosophical ideas of the superior one can supplant or totally override the ideas of the other, which cannot be consistently true. Philosophical arguments and the use of philosophy is always a case per case basis with focus on considerations as well as the aspect and context inside which the argument is found. For example, moral philosophy may be important than political or social philosophy. Moral philosophy governs the basic actions of man. However, if the base of argument leans more towards political considerations and with consideration to accepted political practices that may go against moral ideals, then moral philosophy cannot simply be considered as more important to political or social philosophy. The best possible answer is that all of these are equally important. Its importance should not be gauged and measured and compared with one another. How it is applied to life is a complex process that is hardly possible to quantify or measure to ascertain any indication of measurable importance that can be compared with one another. All of these are important because they help govern, and even make organized human life that is becoming more and more complex and complicated. References Fitzpatrick, T. (2008). Applied Ethics and social problems: moral questions of birth, society and death. Bristol: The Policy Press. Gadamer, H. G. , Weinsheimer, J. and Marshall, D. G. (2004). Truth and method. London: Continuum International Publishing Group. Schappele, K. L. (1988). Legal secrets: equality and efficiency in the common law. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Smith, A. and Haakonssen, K. (2002). The theory of moral sentiments. London: Cambridge University Press.

Youre Writing Blogs Wrong

Youre Writing Blogs Wrong If youve been maintaining a blog to draw traffic to your website, hows that going for you? Are you seeing the traffic you hoped to see from it? If youre running a business, does that web traffic include the right customers (or audience)? If not, then lets look at some things you might be doing wrong and discuss the best ways to correct those mistakes so your blog will do what it is meant to do- reach the right audience and help you grow your business or succeed in personal branding.Common mistake 1 – Expecting immediate resultsTheres no doubt that blogs are incredibly useful in building a business or reputation. However, a common mistake that bloggers make is assuming that this benefit will be instantaneous. As soon as the blog goes up, business will start pouring in, right?Well, no. Not exactly. A blog is different than print advertising in traditional media in that an audience must be built- steadily and over time. Blogging is not an immediate results type of advertising for several reasons. First, a blog helps you increase your sites visibility on Google, but that takes time to happen. Second, a blog helps you show your expertise, but to be considered an expert, you need to demonstrate a lot of knowledge (more than one or nine or even twenty posts can convey). Finally, a blogs audience isnt instantaneous. Your audience will grow from activities like sharing on social media and word of mouth, and that will take some time to happen. So dont give up within a few months if youre not seeing the results you want to see. Be patient, keep blogging, and give the blog time to grow. Youll be glad you did.Common mistake 2 – Focusing on SEOWeve all heard about SEO and using it to help Google index your site closer to its front page results, and a blog can certainly make this happen. However, writing a blog strictly for this purpose is not a good long-term plan and there are plenty of reasons why. First, your primary purpose in writing a blog is to share you r expertise and build influence in your field. Second, you want your audience to share the content you write- thats how your blog will grow its readership. If you overload your blog with too much SEO content without focusing on the quality and voice of the information, your expertise is buried beneath keywords and the content will be moderately interesting, at best. Put simply: write for your customers, not for SEO. Keeping focus on your customers will ensure that you publish high-quality content that they will want to read and (ideally) share with others.Common mistake 3 – Not allowing your content to have personalityNo one wants to read boring writing, even if its about a topic that interests them. Think of some of the best writers you know and think about what makes them so unique. Its the personality of their writing, isnt it? Its the voice of the author that makes them interesting, familiar, and almost seem like theyre speaking just to you when you write. Its that trait that makes favored writers so engaging, and you should use that exact approach when writing a blog for your business or personal brand.This means youll need to be personable. Write as if youre speaking with your client instead of like youre writing for a text book or press release. Its this voice that will make your audience want to read more because we all like to read writing that speaks to us on a personal level. Engage your audience with humor, stories, photos- anything that can draw people in on a personal level. An SEO-laden, 500-word, boring blog entry simply wont do that.Another great benefit to personable and engaging blog entries is that it keeps your business from seeming faceless. It adds character and projects something about you, as the owner, that your customers want to know. People like knowing theyre doing business with other REAL people, not just faceless corporate enterprises.Common mistake 4 – Not being consistentMany bloggers begin with a lot of fireworks and end up sizzling out. Not publishing consistently means that not only will you lose the audience youve gained so far- youll also be seen as potentially out of business or dated. This does not mean that you have to publish a new post daily (or even weekly). Sometimes publishing too much content can be just as harmful, particularly if the content youre publishing becomes stale, repetitive or boring to read.The best way to ensure consistency in your blogging practices is to make a good judgment about how often you can reasonably publish new content. If you can publish once a month consistently, make that your goal. If you can manage more than that- biweekly or even weekly- then thats even better, but the important thing is publishing consistently.Common mistake 5 – Making it all about youFinally, keep in mind that while the blog is meant to show your expertise, it shouldnt be all about you. The main reason for this is your readers will become bored very quickly, even if you lead the most exciting life imaginable. Instead of constantly publishing about your accomplishments, ideas, event participation, etc., focus instead on current events related to your line of work. Showing your audience that you understand your field and keep up to date on current happenings reveals as much about your level of expertise as constantly writing about yourself and your own viewpoints.

Religion and Sports

Religion and Sports In the world of sport, man has internalized the concept of supernatural intervention as the basis of success. This success is greatly attributed to intervention by a supernatural being that is believed to be the force behind every victory. In the world of sport; from football, athletics, to indoor events, many participants have displayed deep religious inclination and belief for their outstanding performance. Thus, this reflective treatise attempts to explicitly contextualize ideas and beliefs surrounding religion and its influence on success as claimed by athletes around the globe. Besides, these comments are categorized into themes attributing success to supernatural influence. Reflection on religion as influential in performance and achievement through intervention of a super natural power has existed since the beginning of the ancient world. Reflectively, the Greeks had special prayers to their gods during sporting events such as Olympic which was named after their outstanding at hletes.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion and Sports specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Man has always believed in existence of supernatural powers and has established religion to practice the art of worship of the supernatural being (Higgs, 1995). As a matter of fact, irrespective of religion, man has always believed in strong supernatural power to decide the fate during sporting event. Those who win are considered blessed by the supernatural being on their side. Across the globe, the main religions include Christianity, Islamic religion, Buddhism, and Judaism (Forney, 2011). Though these religious inclinations have variances in doctrinal beliefs and approaches to the supernatural force, they all acknowledge powers of the being as beyond human knowledge. In the famous interview of Jonathan Edward, a British jumper and Olympic champion, declined to participate in the World Championship in 1991 because the sport was held on his worship day on Sunday. Later, he confesses of strong belief in God who is the source of his success. Since this event was held on the special day of worship, he believed that participating in the same would jeopardize his faith. Thus, he decided to forfeit a gold medal he could easily win. Besides, the NFL quarterback’s Kurt Warner, advised a fellow team member to seek religious intervention by asserting that the Lord was with the team. Specifically, he points his finger to the sky after every score to appreciate the supreme power. Kurt argues that faith and religion is part of his career and that his team depends on God’s endorsement to flaunt. Interestingly, Warner’s belief worked noting that they won all the matches played during the next four seasons of his athletics career. Nathan Scheelhaase, Illinois quarterbacks, shares same sentiments with Kurt that religion is an identity concept as Tim Tebow. Besides, the former NBA Mutombo Dikembe an d MBL Jeff Kent displayed religious acts when justifying success.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In fact, the former NBA Mutombo had to kneel down in the court before every match and his team to the powers of the supernatural being. In these circumstances, religion has been part and parcel of man’s success in sporting activities. As discovered in the above scenarios, it is apparent that religion is critical in man’s perception of success in sporting events. It helps man to strengthen bonds that exist between him and the supernatural being. In the current global arena, the same practice has been internalized by schools, collages, and other institutions across the larger America in support of the ‘religious doctrine’ and success of man theory. This theory opines that mankind has learnt to appreciate the intervention of the supernatural in t heir lives. Considering sociological perspective, this view supports the social role played by religion in promoting success and discipline in mankind. For instance, when a belief is aligned to norms, the state of anomy is likely to minimize as man appreciates the need to conform to religious clandestine of chosen faith. Moreover, when religion merges with human activities, the aspect of personalized and institutionalization of expected and actual behavior will ensure that contentious and self conflicting beliefs are dealt with as a social and not a personal problem. Since sports attracts a mammoth of fans, it has positively contributed to ‘religious doctrine’ and belief in intervention by a supernatural being. In the coming Olympic Games, it is interesting to appreciate the arrangements that have been made by organizers to ensure the venue is safe and respectful to participants of different religious inclinations. Besides, major religious groupings have been invited to be part of the organizing team. Conclusively, religion has played a critical role in presenting sports as a social event that nurtures discipline and submission to the powers of the supernatural being.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion and Sports specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Interestingly, these athletes have internalized the influence of religion and vital part played by supernatural power in their success (Arnold, 2011). As a matter of fact, Edward boycotted a major event since it clashes with day of worship. Besides, Kurt always kneels down in the field before each game and attributes his success to God. References Arnold, P. (2011). Religion and Sports., New York: University Readers. Forney, C. (2011). The Holy Trinity of American Sports: Civil Religion in Football, Baseball, and Basketball. Georgia: Mercer University Press. Higgs, R. (1995). God in the stadium: sports and religion in America. Lexing ton: University Press of Kentucky.

Changing Stereotypes of Arab and Muslims That Link Them to Terrorism Essay

Changing Stereotypes of Arab and Muslims That Link Them to Terrorism And Extremism - Essay Example Everyone has a tendency to stereotype in order to simplify his or her lives. Stereotypes are the maps of the world and aptly demonstrate the very human need to categorize. People like to stereotype to serve a fundamental need to preserve their own safety and well-being. Therefore, people end up making presumptions about persons and groups that say how they will end up affecting these people. However, sometimes that need transforms into a vehicle to elevate one’s own status as compared to the stereotyped group. Muslims and Muslim-Americans are currently experiencing this very phenomenon. After the attacks of September 11, Muslims and Arabs have been subjected to increased scrutiny and racial profiling at airports. In a poll carried out by the Boston Globe, 71 percent black people and 57 percent whites expressed the belief that Arabs and Muslims should be put through special, intensive security checks before they are allowed to board aeroplanes. ("Terror fears hamper,†) It is considered quite acceptable and even necessary to hold Muslims without any explanation and then subject them to hours of questioning and even arrest without a cause. The American Civil Liberties Union is sorting out many lawsuits of the kind. Mike Gallagher, a Fox News radio host has even gone on to say that, "Its time to have a Muslims check-point line in America's airports and have Muslims be scrutinized. You better believe it, its time." (Cowan, 2001) ("Fox news airs,†) In a sixth-grade social studies book, the Muslim culture is portrayed as oppressive and patriarchal. The book displays pictures of camels, tents and veiled women. The authors say that Muslim girls do not go to school and women cannot own property. In the end, the authors ask, â€Å"Would you like to be a Muslim woman in the Middle East?† There are many examples like this one, of stereotyping Muslims, based on the culture and traditions prevalent in one country. (Shaheen) It is a glaring assumption to presume that Muslim women

Marketing Sun Power Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing Sun Power - Case Study Example rther in the United States because its technology can be mass produced at a relative constant price due to the fact that variations in the price of silicon do not affect the production of First Solar products. â€Å"Thin-film solar, concentrated solar and wave power to name but a few, are also making significant advances thanks to substantial improvements in engineering and design† (Plunkett Research). Case Questions 1. Which marketing environment forces are likely to have the greatest impact on First Solar? The two environmental forces that will have the greatest impact on the company are natural and technological environments. Humanity is destroying the natural resources of our planet. At the current consumption rate the earth will run out of petroleum for commercial use within 30-40 years. As the natural reserves of crude oil continue to dry out the prices of fossil based energy will go up a lot. Solar energy is perfectly position to grow at exponential levels in the near f uture due to the fact that the sun is an endless raw material supply that users of the technology can access free of charge. 2. What types of organizations are most likely to exert the strongest competitive forces on First Solar? There are several types of companies that pose a threat to First Solar. The companies in its segment of the industry that manufacture solar based panel that use silicon are the main competition of the firm. Other sources of competition are nuclear, hydro-electric, wind technologies. Fossil fuels are direct competitors of all renewable energy companies. 3. How did technology affect First Solar's responses to the changes in the marketing environment? How can it continue to maintain its technological edge in its industry? First Solar has wisely invested millions of dollars in...Solar energy is perfectly position to grow at exponential levels in the near future due to the fact that the sun is an endless raw material supply that users of the technology can acces s free of charge. 2. What types of organizations are most likely to exert the strongest competitive forces on First Solar? There are several types of companies that pose a threat to First Solar. The companies in its segment of the industry that manufacture solar based panel that use silicon are the main competition of the firm. Other sources of competition are nuclear, hydro-electric, wind technologies. Fossil fuels are direct competitors of all renewable energy companies. 3. How did technology affect First Solar's responses to the changes in the marketing environment? How can it continue to maintain its technological edge in its industry? First Solar has wisely invested millions of dollars in research and development which has help the company produce technologically advanced solar cells and panels. The superior design of the firm’s product provided the company with the capabilities of producing its panels at a mass scale. The China project that will be ready in 2019 has a facility with an infrastructure of 21 square miles. In the ever changing world of the 21st century companies have to adapt to stay on top of the competition. Humans have always taken advantage of the sun’s energy, but in the 21st century society demands great utilization of this natural resource (Energyquest).

Air Commerce Act of 1926 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Air Commerce Act of 1926 - Research Paper Example Then in 1918, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) was form to provide regulation of air commerce, including licensing of pilots and inspection of aircrafts and airfields. The following year this organization drafted a bill for the congress to consider. This bill could lead to creation of a bureau of aeronautics within the department of commerce. Due to lack of adequate budget and the political philosophy of those days, that bill was not enacted. The efforts to have some form of regulation continued with the congress having a bill related to this every year between 1919 and 1926. During these years, several legislation measures were proposed but they failed at some point in the legislation process. One of these legislation measures was the Civil Aeronautical Bill of 1923, which sought to regulate airspace and establish federal licensing standards. This bill failed in the committee stage as a few steps to becoming a law. In the late 1924 and early 1925 two committees , the Marrow Board, and congressional hearings took testimonies on this issue and issued reports endorsing similar recommendations, which would later emerge as the Air Commerce Act of 1926. ... Another purpose was to achieve a uniform nationwide system allocation throughout all the states of America which was to ensure that air transportation achieve almost similar growth in all the states. Moreover, the government in enacting this law purposed to have a system for registering aircrafts and aircrew. This could help the country in the management of its airspace and in general coordinate its air transportation. This also aimed to ensure that all airplanes and crewmembers meet required standards for enhanced safety. The impact of air Commerce Act was that it established an aeronautical branch within the department of commerce. This branch was given the mandate of undertaking all the regulation involving the activities of the aviation industry. This branch had five divisions within it and each division was assigned a specific task concerning the aviation industry. These divisions were the airways division, Aeronautical Research division, Aeronautical mapping division, aeronauti cal regulation division, and the air information division. The airways division was responsible for control the activities in the airways. The research division was responsible for any kind of research required to improve air transportation. The aeronautical mapping division was responsible for identifying new places to develop airports. The aeronautical division was responsible for regulating all the activities in this industry and the air information division was responsible for the custody of any information belong to this industry. At the beginning most of the work within this branch was undertaken by other established branches of this department except aeronautical regulation and air information. This is because

Impacts of Business Environment Change Essay Example for Free

Impacts of Business Environment Change Essay IP/MIP techniques have been used most often to aid supply chain configuration decisions and there have been many successful applications [9]. Two recent articles [9; 11] made comprehensive reviews about facility location models relevant to global manufacturing operations. This review section focuses on optimization models which are closely related with impacts of business environment cost parameters on the design of manufacturing networks. Cohen and Lee [12] developed a MIP model for a global manufacturing and distribution network. It demonstrated significant impacts of changes in the foreign exchange rate. Cohen and Moon [13] used a MIP model to analyze impacts of changes in a firm’s cost environment. It was found that scale economies, scope economies, and transportation costs could alter optimal facility network design strategies. Vidal and Goetschalckx [14] analyzed impacts of uncertainties on global supply chains through a MIP model. Foreign exchange rate was identified to be influential on global supply chain configurations. Using a two-stage optimization model, Kulkarni et al. [15] evaluated trade-offs between risk pooling and logistics costs in a multi-plant network with commonality. Their analyses showed that impacts of operational cost parameters may be significant and non-intuitive. All these models suggested that cost parameters have significant impacts on manufacturing facility location decisions, and may even alter supply chain configuration strategies. However, they only considered a single objective of profits or costs. The consideration of both costs and responsiveness was seen in the reconfiguration of global manufacturing and distribution network at Digital Equipment Corporation. It used a bi-objective model to minimize total costs and activity days. The model was implemented successfully with savings over $100 million [10]. However, the application did not explore impacts of changes in cost parameters. Overall, there is a lack of using a bi-objective approach to analyze impacts of business environment changes on the configuration of GMNs.

Post Feminist Television Film Studies Essay

Post Feminist Television Film Studies Essay The media creates powerful representations and therefore has a strong impact on what people believe in. Gender has always been present in media and it is the media that creates stereotypes and assumptions of it. The representation of women in media has changed throughout the years. In the 1950s women were always at home, taking care of their children and making sure that the house was clean and dinner served on time. In other words they were born to become mothers and wives and it was a mans role to work and provide for the family. In recent years on the other hand women in television are presented as successful businesswomen with extremely good sense of fashion and most of the time they are single. Lotz explains that the term postfeminism is used in media to explain contemporary gender politics (2001:106). Women are more present in media than ever, they play leading roles; they can be mothers, wives, and successful businesswomen without losing their femininity. The process was possible by connecting postconvergence of television with postfeminist culture. Bonnie J. Dow (1996) notices that The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977) was one of the first examples of the shift from the domestic family situation shows into a single woman, career-oriented program. It is seen as the result of how powerful and influential feminism was at that time, creating new female audiences and allowing social changes in the way that women could fulfill themselves as successful and independent businesswomen without the need having a family. Dow (1996:26) argues that The Mary Tyler Moore Show created important parameters for future television discourse representing feminism, parameters that include a focus on working women (and a concomitant avoidance of a critique of the traditional patriarchal family), the deception of womens lives without male romantic partners, the enactment of a feminist lifestyle by young, attractive, white, heterosexual, female characters, and a reliance on the tenets of second-wave liberal or equity feminism. The show helped in creating new audiences and encouraged women to find new ways of fulfilling themselves outside their shallow, filled with housework and looking after their children lives. At the same time it was addressed to women experiencing changes in their economic and familial status with stories infused with consciousness-raising perspectives and lifestyle politics (Lotz, 2001:107). Year 1986 brought significant changes to the way women were represented in media (Dow, 1996:nr). A third-wave of feminists movements found coverage in television and press, women were more interested in educating themselves and building their careers around their family lives. Professions occupied previously only by men were now available for women, even though their pay was significantly lower. Bonnie J. Dow (1996:105-108) recognises three modes of postfeminist US drama series: professional serial drama, with the example of L.A. Law (1986-1994) where women characters struggle to find a balance between professional life and a family life, postfeminist family television (e.g. thirtysomething (1987-1991)) which illustrates an idealised version of a woman who can be a successful businesswoman and a perfect mother at the same time, and finally a postfeminist nirvana (e.g. Designing Women (1986-1993)) showing successful women who are also single mothers and divorcees. It was the end of 1990s when a new kind of television programs emerged with women as protagonists, these include: Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-2001), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), Ally McBeal (1997-2002), Sex in the City (1998-2004) or Family Law (1999-2002). This was the time when a new, new woman was introduced to television shows, much more complex than Mary Richards in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and bringing a new wave of feminism, also identified as postfeminism. As Elyce Rae Helford says the late 90s offered some of the most developed and compelling (if contradictory and sometimes even reactionary) televisual representations of gender politics and debates over (and within) feminism (2000a:6). One of the most significant feminine role models in prime-time US television series was Ally McBeal (played by Calista Flockhart). She is an attractive, young, single and successful lawyer and a problematic character at the same time, struggling to find a man who would meet her expectations. Moseley and Read (2001:222) suggest that it was a combination of feminine discourses and feminist discourses that made Allys character a subject of men gaze and a role model for feminists. The show challenges feminists conventions regarding natural differences between men and women, underlying the fact that these differences can be eliminated or ignored entirely. Sex and the city series is another example of how influential feminism is. Main characters are a group of friends, single independent women who gave up on looking for their perfect life partners, but unlike Ally they decide to live life to the full and act like men, without any commitments, feelings or sentiments. Every detail of their lives has its meaning: Carrie Bradshaw (played by Sarah Jessica Parker) rents a house, lives from paycheck to paycheck, but spends fortune on top of the range designer clothes and accessories which indicates on her lack of stability and frivolous relationships with opposite sex; Samantha Jones (played by Kim Cattrall) treats men like objects, repulses relationships, monogamy, institution of marriage and children; Miranda Hobbes (played by Cynthia Nixon) is a wealthy, cynical feminist who criticises men for taking advantage of women and cannot understand why no men are attracted to her; and finally Charlotte York (played by Kristin Davis) is an outcast of the series, who dreams about her ideal wedding and children, which shows her dedication to one person and traditionalism. There are no taboo subjects in this circle of friends, they share their sexual fantasies with each other, insult men and cherish their singledom. There is a connection point between Ally McBeal and Sex and the City: both shows seek to change female nature into male behavious, but in both cases characters end up choosing traditional routes. Unlike single women in Sex and the City, protagonists in Desperate Housewives (2004-) are far from being perfect feminine heroines: Mary Alice Young (played by Brenda Strong) kills herself in the first 5 minutes from the start of the series because she cannot live with the guilt of the crime she committed, Bree Van De Kamp (played by Marcia Cross) who is a widowed recovering alcoholic, obsessed with keeping a perfectly clean household to hide dirty secrets of her life, Lynette Scavo (played by Felicity Huffman) who used to be a successful businesswoman, but had to leave her job after giving birth to six children; Susan Meyer (played by Teri Hatcher) who is an emotionally unstable divorcee living with her teenage daughter; and finally Gabrielle Solis (played by Eva Longoria)- a former super-model who is an unemployed trophy wife to her wealthy husband and cheats on him on every occasion. The series suggest a completely different ways of finding fulfillment in lives of these domestic g oddesses as they do not seem to find satisfaction in their family lives, struggle with their ungrateful and overpowering children. There are certain but slight different aspects of postfeminism visible in Gossip Girl (2007-). This new teen drama portrays young women as successful, independent, socially mobile and free to choose their destiny (McRobbie, 2007:270). The freedom that young women represent in the series is highlighted through material and sexual consumption. Just like in Sex and the City, protagonists in Gossip Girl are attractive, thin and well off. Anita Harris (2004:128) argues that a young in-control woman in twenty first century needs to actively participate in the flow of information technology, which shapes her sense of identity and gives her a technological capital, which can be acquired through knowing the latest technological trends, having the latest camera phone and Facebook or Twitter account. Gossip Girl is based on the book series of the same title written by Cecily von Ziegesar and tells the story about a group of teenagers living in Manhattan. Two main girl characters, Serena van der Woodsen (played by Blake Lively) and Blair Waldorf (played by Leighton Meester), are almost every girls wannabies: extremely beautiful, wealthy and privileged, and at the same time very unrealistic. It is almost impossible to identify with them, but the viewers can take pleasure from fantasising about the world they live in or identify themselves with Jenny Humphrey (played by Taylor Momsen), who attends the same school and Blair and Serena, but comes from a normal middle class family and can never be one of these girls (Pattee, 2006:167). The aspect of post-feminism in Gossip Girl series is portrayed through the lifestyle and the consumption of culture of Blair and Serena. They are both socially active, but it is Blair who has the most dominating characteristics. She named herself the Queen Bee, positioned herself at the top of the hierarchy at school, which means that every decision made by any of her peer needs to be authorized by her. She victimises girls that do not match her taste, makes fun of them and blocks their way to all social evens. On the other hand Blair is very insecure about herself, hates losing or being alone. She needs constant appreciation and acceptance, especially when Serena tries to steal her crown. In episode 4 of the first series she says to Serena: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) you could not deal with the spotlight shining on me for once, could you? Because you steal everything from me: Nate, my mom and girls at school (2007). Throughout the years women revolutionalised prime-time television. From Ally McBeal from Ally McBeal, Carrie Bradshaws from Sex and the City, Bree Van De Camp from Desperate Housewives and Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf from Gossip girl, every woman finds her ideal character features she wants to implement into her life. FEMALE NARRATORS- VOICE-OVER NARRATION IN POSTFEMINIST DRAMA SERIES The female voice has enormous conceptual and discursive range once it is freed from its claustral confinement within the female body. It is capable of talking about terrorism, anger, melancholia, homosexual as well as heterosexual desire, ancient Mexican divinities, soap operas, Emma Goldman, the circulation of money and even cinema itself (Silverman, 1988:186). Kathleen A McHaugh (2001:3) notices that voice-over narration has a long history in American cinema, began in 1930s and was mostly presented by men. Silverman (1988:ix) argues that female voice-over narration is rare and only occurs in experimental feminist productions. McHaugh (2001:3) says that women storytellers is only a recent development, but very rarely occurs in noir films. Susan Snaider Lancer has described female narrators voices as a site of crisis, contradiction, or challenge (1992:7). Women narrators help in defining textual effects and function as a link between language and the feminine body. Voice-over narration is typical in most television programs and as Kozloff (1987) notices, the voice-over narration helps to introduce the story, reveals thoughts and emotions. The number of prime-time television shows with voice-over narration has risen in recent years, these include: Felicity (1998-2002), Aliens in America (2007-2008), How I Met Your Mother (2005-), Heroes (2006-2010), Everybody Hates Chris (2005-2009), Scrubs (2001-2010), Greys Anatomy (2005-), Pushing Daisies (2007-2009), My Name Is Earl (2005-2009), Dexter (2006-) and analysed in this work Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives (which popularised omniscient narration with its premiere in 2004) and Sex and the City. Although female voice-over narration is most often associated with television series, there are examples of it on the big screen. These include films like Fried Green Tomatoes (Avnet, 1991), Orlando (Potter, 1993), Clueless (Heckerling, 1995), Bound (Wachowski Bros, 1996), Daughters of the Dust (Dash, 1996) or Mansfield Park (Rozema, 1999). The common characteristic for all these films is that they are either experimental cinemas or independent productions, which leads to the conclusion that female voice-over narration very rarely occurs is box office productions. The voice-over narration is repeatedly chosen in films where the characters deal with trauma (McHaugh, 2001:5) to mark the seriousness of its circumstances (war films, in these cases however, the narrator is male) or in films where protagonists tell their coming of age stories, with the examples of Titanic (Cameron, 1997) and Notebook (Cassavetes, 2004). THE IMPORTANCE OF VOICE-OVER NARRATION: OMNISCIENCE IN THE AGE OF GOSIPDOM Sarah Kozloff (1988:5) says that voice-over narration can be formally defined as oral statements, conveying any portion of a narrative, spoken by an unseen speaker situated in a space and time other than that simultaneously being presented by the images on the screen. Kozloff (1988:3) claims that in voice-over narration all three words are fully operative. Voice controls the medium, over is a connection between the narrator and the image on the screen (the narrator in not visible at that time) and narration is the message being sent from the narrator to the viewer (Kozloff, 1988:3). The aim of this section is to explore forms and functions of female voice-over narration in the television series Sex and the City, Desperate Housewives and Gossip Girl with the main focus on Desperate Housewives series. To fully understand the agenda of each one of them, it is important to fully analyse who the narrators are and what they represent. The research for this article is based on analysis of the first three series of each television program with the main focus on their voice-over narration. It is worth noticing that all three television shows belong to different genre. Although Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives both focus on private lives of their four main characters, they differ in length of the episodes: approximately 25 minutes of Sex and the City, which classifies it as a sitcom and approximately 45 minutes of Desperate Housewives, which classes it to a drama series category (similarly to Gossip Girl, which is a teen drama with episodes approximately 45 minutes long). Although in Desperate Housewives and Sex and the City we know who the narrator is, we rarely see them speaking. It is what Allrath et al. calls a non-visible narrators voice (year:15). The narrator shows the viewers around, introduces the scenes that they look at without showing his or her face to help them understand the main focus of the episode. One of the reasons why the narrator is present in television series is that he or she gets to choose what the viewer should focus on by defining what scenes are shown: Voice-over narration changes the quality of the visual, adding a subjective note by implying that what the audience is watching has been chosen by the narrator (Hoth, 2010:82). In Sex and the City the voice-over is provided by one of the protagonists- Carrie Bradshaw. She is a newspaper columnist writing about female sexuality and her voice-over represents her thoughts about hers and her three friends sexual exploits. The Sex and the City series start with the narrators statement, the naked truth about the times we live in: Welcome to the age of un-innocence. No one has breakfast at Tiffanys and no one has affairs to remember. Instead, we have breakfast at 7 a.m. and affairs we try to forget as quickly as possible. Self-protection and closing the deal are paramount. Cupid has flown the co-op (S01E01, 1998). The message that comes with the above statement is cruel but simple: romantic love does not exist any more, but it becomes untrue later on in the series as we learn that all of the characters are looking for true love, romantic dinners and honest feelings. The theme of each episode is a series of questions of different sexual subject that she ponders about with her closest friends, and answers to these questions she puts in a form of an article to her sex column: I explore those sorts of issues in my column and I have terrific sources- my friends (Carrie Bradshaw: S01E01, 1998). Each episode starts with the view of Carrie sitting in front of her laptop. She ponders on the sexual dilemmas by sharing her internal thoughts, which is a rare characteristic for television series featuring single women. Singledom is the subject that Carrie very often comes back to. As an unmarried woman herself, she tries to find the resolution to the nurturing stereotype that it is easier to be killed by a terrorist that it is for a woman to get married after 30 (Carrie Bradshaw: S01E01, 1998). She often brings up the statistics about the number of singles in Manhattan, trying to convince herself about the endless possibilities of finding a perfect life partner. The filming technique being used in the series help the viewer to identify with the narrator. The camera movements makes the viewers feel that they perform the same activities as Carrie: the camera moves as she looks through the window, walks around her flat or zooms in on her computer screen the same moment when Carrie looks at it. Carries voice-over is technology mediated, whatever she thinks she types on her laptop. Her thoughts at the same time are available to public audience, making her private life dilemmas a public read. Sex and the City uses female narration to intervene in feminine discourses regarding female sexuality and lifestyle choices. For example in episode in episode 2 of the first series Carrie says: the truth was I thought I had come to terms with my looks the year I turned 30, when I realised that I no longer had the energy to be superficial (1998). She is very honest about her sexuality. When at the beginning of the third series Carrie starts dating a twenty six year old, bisexual man named Sean (played by Eddie Cahill), she soon realises how uncomfortable she feels being with someone who is not only attracted to her, but still has feelings for his ex boyfriend. But this is not what she was expecting. At the beginning of episode 4 of the third series she states: its been said that New Yorkers are the most jaded people in the world. The fact is weve pretty much done and seen it all. It takes quite a bit to shock usà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦'(S03E04, 2000). It was only after she met Seans ex boyfriend, who also happened to be married to a guy and had a daughter with his ex girlfriend who was also married to another woman, when Carrie realised how strong she feels about her sexuality. Carrie provides the voice-over narration to each episode. Her voice-over also frames each episode. Her prologue introduces the topic of the episode, e.g.: Lets be honest. Sometimes there is nothing harder in life than being happy for somebody else, like lottery winners or extremely successful people who are twenty something. And then there is the hell on earth that only your closest friends can inflict on- the baby shower (S01E10, 1998). The statements that she gives us at the beginning make the viewers aware of her insecurity and subjectivity. Usually the entire episode is based on Carries thoughts and dilemmas that she shares with her friends, analyses them and provides possible answers and resolutions at the end of the episode. Carrie uses a very innovative and unusual technique to share her thoughts with the viewers. Especially in the first and the second series she gives background information by directly addressing it to the audience. It seems like she pauses the world behind her, e.g. during a telephone conversation, she stops talking, looks in the camera and starts talking to the viewers. Similarly, when Carrie does the research for her column article, she asks random passers-by for their opinion and usually they look straight in the camera while giving their answers. Both mentioned above techniques cause confusion to the viewer, it is hard to say if she talks to the viewer or becomes one. Mary Alice Young The first series of Desperate Housewives opens with scenes of a model housewife, Mary Alice Young (played by Brenda Strong), preparing a family breakfast, painting a chair, polishing and dusting- and then killing herself just after she has finished these tasks. Her voiceover interrupts the suicide to say: in truth I spent the day as I spend every other day, quietly polishing the routine of my life until it gleamed with perfection. Thats why it was so astonishing when I decided to go to my hallway closet and retrieve a revolver that has never been used (S01E01, 2004). She says these words with a very calm tone of voice, almost as she was telling a story that ends with a happy end, or even as she was talking about somebody else. Does she think of her suicide as of a happy moment? What about her family? What about all these people she left behind? Why did she even do that? Why did no one predict it? Apparently suicidal thoughts are an involuntary thoughts and people who want to take their lives away just want to stop hurting. This proves the point that Mary Alice did stop hurting and it seems that committing suicide dehumanised her and took away all her feelings. This moment of suicide enables her to become the omniscient god-like narrator of the series, whose voiceover tells the story from Heaven. Marys suicide thus makes her central to the main plot line of the first season of the show, since her fatal pulling of the trigger is precisely what triggers the dynamics of investigation and the shows gradual revelations about her past. Listening to Mary Alice the viewer gets the impression of listening to a good old friend, which gives the feeling of authenticity of the series. She can be classified as a heterodiegetic, third person narrator, because she talks about her past, has no active position in the series and her voice starts and ends each episode. This kind of narrative sets up an enigma, which incites the series and gives the viewer something to look forward to every week. Sarah Kozloff (1988) has called the narrator who begins and ends the story a frame narrator. She claims that frame narrators possess a greater degree of believability, also called authentication authority- the ability to establish and verify the facts of the fictional world. At the end of each episode she sumarises it and helps to understand its message that people believe is true, sharing her worldly wisdom with the viewers: we honour heroes for different reasons. Sometimes for their daring. Sometimes fort heir bravery. Sometimes for their goodness. But mostly we honour heroes because at one point or another we all dream of being rescued. Of course if the right hero doesnt come along, sometimes we just have to rescue ourselves (S01E17, 2004). A perfect housewife leaves her family behind to lead us through the mysterious lives of the people of Wisteria Lane, but what her best friends, and at the same time the main protagonists of the story, want to know is why did she do it? Suspicions arise when four of Mary Alices best friends: Susan (played by Teri Hatcher), Bree (played by Marcia Cross), Lynette (played by Felicity Huffman) and Gabrielle (played by Eva Longoria) find a note in her belongings: I know what you did, it makes me sick, Im going to tell (S01E01, 2004). This opening to the series provided an effective entry into the unfolding narrative, setting up new enigmas week by week and encourages watching following episodes. The secret is revealed at the end of season one and after that the stories that she tells are not related with her family or herself. This is also the time when her son and husband move out from Wisteria Lane. All she does from this moment is commenting on her friends problems, lies and affairs. Surprisingly to all the living, she says something that no one would ever think about, which intensifies this enigma: an odd thing happens when we die, our senses vanish: taste, touch, smell and sound become a distant memory, but our sightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ oh our sight expands and we can suddenly see the world weve left behind so clearly. Of course, most of whats visible to the dead, could also be seen by the living, if theyd only taken time to look (S01E02, 2004). This provides the characters way of explaining where her omniscience comes from. By saying this she also explains herself that all she has got left are memories, but what she gained is the limitless access to peoples lives and thoughts. Thanks to Mary Alice the dirty secrets, affairs, illnesses and financial problems of Wisteria Lane are made public. At the beginning of each episode the voice-over prologue introduces more and more complications to the narrative and new information about the characters in the series. For example in episode 2 of the first series Mary Alice reveals Gabrielles secret: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) like my friend Gabrielle. I should have seen how unhappy she was, but I didnt. I only saw her clothes from Paris and her platinum jewellery, and her brand new diamond watch. If I looked closer, I would have seen Gabrielle was a drowning woman, desperately in search of a life raft. Luckily for her, she found one. Of course Gabrielle only saw her young gardener as a way to infuse her life with little excitement. But now she was about to discover just how exciting her life could get (2004). Following this statement Mary Alice proceeds to showing Gabrielles husband getting out of his car while she is having a bath with her lover. Narrators prologue functions as the time to reveal her friends dirty secrets and also to show who they really are behind the closed doors. Another example could be episode 15 of the first series where Mary Alice shows Bree finding a condom in the laundry basket: Bree Van De Kamp believed in old-fashioned values, such as respect for God, the importance of family and love of country. In fact Bree believed so strongly in her values, it was always a shock whenever she was confronted with those who didnt (2004). Mary Alice knew her friend so well that she instantly knew what Brees reaction would be- to find out if her husband is cheating or if one of her children has pre-marital sex. She predicts characters actions, knows the resolution to their problems, but waits with the reveal and gives hints of what is going to happen next. At the end of every episode Mary Alices voice-over summarises the events, which she has unfolded with an epilogue and teases the viewer with what is going to happen next: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) yes, each new day in suburbia brings with it a new set of lies, the worst are the ones we tell ourselves before we fall asleep. We whisper them in the dark, telling ourselves we are happy or that he is happy, that we can change or that he will change his mind. We persuade ourselves we can live with our sins or that we can live without him. Yes, each night before we fall asleep we lie to ourselves in a desperate, desperate hope that come morning it will all be true (S01E15, 2004). Suburban areas used to be portrayed as idyllic places, where people grew up in their communities, raised their kids and everyone was extremely nice to each other. With Mary Alices words the impression that the viewer gets is that the association of this idyllic place has been turned upside down. It seems that there are lots of lies and secrets that it holds, which makes it an example of juxtaposition for the truth about the series, she explains: Suburbia is a battleground, an arena for all forms of domestic combat (S01E06, 2004). Another example of this kind is shown in episode 2 of the second series, where Mary Alice says: beautiful lawns. Spacious homes. Happy families. These are the hallmarks of suburbia. But if you look beneath the veneer of gracious living, you will see a battle raging. A battle for control. You see the combatants everywhere, engaged in their routine skirmishes fighting fiercely to have dominion over the world around them (2005). The way that suburbia is presented in Desperate Housewives denies being a sacred domestic space of mutual trust and affection, altruistic care, peaceful innocence, religious inspiration, security from outside interference, and all-encompassing virtue (Hebel, 2005:187). What is striking about this statement is that the narrator of the series is presented as authoritative, truthful and realistic, while people living on Wisteria Lane and the idea of the place itself are illusive. Everyone attends Mary Alices funeral, which either proves a strong relationship between neighbours or is a gesture of politeness in the community. Everyone seeks scandal in modern world, there are no perfect places mentioned by Hebel (2005:187), they varnished the moment the first crime was committed and the truth hidden: (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) yes, everyone loves a scandal, no matter how big or small. After all, what could be more entertaining than watching the downfall of the high and mighty. What could be more amusing than the public exposure of hypocritical sinners. Yes, everyone loves a scandal, and if for some reason youre not enjoying the latest one, well, the next one is always around the corner (Mary Alice, S01E16, 2005). Mary Alice is initially portrayed by her friends- the main protagonists- as the nicest person they have ever met. At the wake, Bree, Lynette, Gabrielle and Susan gather at a dining table, stare briefly at the chair that Mary Alice used to sit on and start pondering about their friends life. They cannot believe that someone so happy could have done something so terrible. Gabrielle reflects: what kind of problems could she have had? She was healthy, had a great home, a nice family. If Mary Alice was having some sort of crisis, we would have known, she lives fifty feet away for Gods sake (S01E01). There are many situations throughout the series when Mary Alices apparent narrative omnipresence and omnipotence are demonstrated. When she says that to understand Maisy Gibbons (played by Sharon Lawrence), you first need to know how she spends her afternoons (S01E10, 2004) and then proceeds to show the viewers how Maisy does her husbands laundry, helps her children with their homework and works as a prostitute in the afternoons when her family is not at home. It is a shocking juxtaposition to the way that her neighbours see her: as a perfect mother and an exemplary housewife. The interesting fact here is that Maisy is not a main character in the series and here almost the whole episode is dedicated to her. The narrators voice is always very calm, the viewer is never able to notice any emotions driving her. She speaks with a lot of confidence and authority because she is aware of the fact that she knows everything and everyone. Sometimes she gives the viewer the impression of interacting with other characters. When her friends gather to pack up her belongings and Gabrielle notices that all Mary Alices clothes were size 8, not size 6 like she had been telling everyone, she drops a comment: Guess we found a skeleton in her closet (S01E01, 2004), Mary Alice responds: Not quite Gabrielle, not quite (S01E01, 2004), which insinuates that even darker secrets are to be revealed in the future. Mary Alice seems to be enjoying her power and knowledge. She knows in what emotional state her friends are, e.g. when Edie Britt (played by Nicollette Sheridan) decided to ask Mike Delfino (played by James Denton) out on a date despite the fact that she knew that Susan was interested, Mar