Dracula Coursework

TRAN5291M Traffic Network Modelling Assignment: [Dracula Coursework] Student ID Number: [200750558] Lecturer: [Dr. Ronghui Liu] Submission Date: [12/03/2013] Semester: [Semester 2] Academic Year: [2012-2013] Words: [1546] Table of Content 1. Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 2. Task coding for base scenario†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3 Task C (Simulation for proposed bus lane scheme)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4 4. Task D (comparison of bus stop and bus lay by)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â ‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 5 5. Task E (Proposed Scheme)†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 7 6. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 7. Reference†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 0 1. Introduction Otley is a market town in the outskirts of Leeds having population of 14124(National statistics. 2004). Otley town council wants to patronage public transport service by improvin g bus services to market and improving local environment by traffic reduction. We as a transport planner have been tasked to measure the effectiveness of inclusion of bus lane on link 24-17 which is a two lane carriage way serving all traffic, also to consider a change of bus layby to a bus stop Figure 1 Otley NetworkThe bus service in on route from zone 105 to 109 with a frequency of one every 10 minutes. Data collected from Dracula after simulation for bus route which have 2 bus stop and one layby holds the base scenario for this report and also to which the proposed scheme is compared. 2. Task coding for base scenario 2. Simulation of the Base Scenario For base scenario, the network is coded with 2 bus stop on link 24-17 and 15-9 and a bus lay by on link 16-15, 5 iteration were done with random NSEED no which are shown in table 1 Day 1| Day 2| Day 3| Day 4| Day 5| NSEED| 12345| 23456| 34567| 45678| 56789| Table 1. Random NSEED NO. Data collected for this simulation in this report included average total journey time for cars and buses over the network for 5 days which was 90. 26 seconds with standard deviation of 2. 26 for cars and 354. 68 seconds with standard deviation of 7. 55 for buses. The total Journey time data was taken from . REB file Figure 1. Base scenario average journey time for 5 days 3 Task C 3. 1Simulation for proposed bus lane schemeSimulation for proposed bus lane on link 24-17 were carried with same NSEED no as in the base scenario with respective days. Figure 2. Average journey time with bus lane As the graph indicates average total journey time for cars is 89. 62 and for bus is 339. 48 sec ,which has decreased in comparison with the base scenario. When the average journey times for the base scenario is compared with the proposed bus lane scheme as shown in figure 3,it was observed that although the journey time with the inclusion of bus lane have decreased but the deviation from the mean is higher compared to base scenario.As from the fi gure 3 the maximum deviation for the bus lane scheme not much higher as in the case of base scenario but with a minimum deviation there is a probability that journey time with bus lane scheme can reduce further. Figure 3. comparison of avg. journey times for base scenario and bus lane journey time In case of cars the change in average total journey time does not have a significant impact as the journey time in the base scenario changes form 90. 26 hours to 89. 26 hours and also the error bar in both the cases is vey less.Figure 4. Average journey time for cars The average number of passengers in the bus lane scheme have decreased from 163 passengers to 158 and also the error bar in the bus lane scheme is high compared to base scenario, shown in Table 1 | Bus lane scheme avg| Error bar| Base scenario avg| Error bar| Npsg| 158. 2| 20. 5| 163. 6| 7. 68| Pdelay(m)| 761. 28| 110. 598| 777. 82| 57. 29| Tdwell(s)| 1082| 224. 9| 1100. 6| 98. 36| Table 1:Comparision of base scenario and bus lane scheme for busThe passenger delay and bus dwell time have rather decreased but the error bar in the respective cases for bus lane scheme are high compared to base scenario. Although the journey time, number of passenger, passenger delay and bus dwell time are decreasing in bus lane scheme compared to base scenario but the error bar are comparatively high, hence it is more appropriate to have a reliable system and inclusion of bus lane would not affect the overall current bus service of the otley network significantly, but its inclusion can improve certain parts of the network which are significant in improving public transport service . Task D (comparison of bus stop and bus lay by) Analysing the performance of lay by on link 17- 15 with no bus lane the average total journey time for cars almost remained the same and does not have any significant impact . But in case of bus the total journey time with layby was more when compared with the bus stop scenario, also the error bar i n the bus top scenario was smaller that of a layby scenario, as shown in figure 5 Figure 6. comparison of average journey time for bus layby and bus stop scenario.Comparing the average no of passengers ,passenger delay time and bus dwell time the bus lay by scenario was better than the bus stop scenario as the number of passenger decreased in bus stop scenario with bigger error bar compared to base scenario, passenger delay does not have a significant impact but bus dwell time was smaller than the base scenario but the value for error bar is just double in the bus stop scenario ,as shown in table 7. | Bus stop scenario avg| Error bar| Bus layby scenario avg| Error bar| Npsg| 158. 4| 16. 9| 163. 6| 7. 68| Pdelay(m)| 779. 87| 96. 64| 777. 82| 57. 29| Tdwell(s)| 1080. 4| 183. 63| 1100. 6| 98. 36| Table 2. Comparison of bus stop and bus lay by scenario In case of Queuing delay bus lay bay have larger queuing delay than bus stop queuing delay, as shown in figure 7 Figure 7. comparison of queuing delay for bus layby and bus stop More Queuing delay in bus layby than that in bus stop case is because once bus get off the road to pick passengers, bus have to face congestion because of other cars which are already in the route .Comparing the average speed for bus in both the scenarios buses on link 16 -15 with bus stop have higher average speed than the case of a layby, as shown in figure 8 Figure 8. comparison of average speed for bus Bus also create congestion for other vehicle while they are boarding or deboarding the passengers. Performance flow on link 16 -15 for cars is shown in figure 9 Figure 9. Comparison of performed flow for cars Figure above show that the performance flow for cars was better in case of bus stop than that of a layby.Analysing the simulation for both bus stop and bus lay by the average journey time for bus top was significantly smaller compared to bus lay by on link 16-15,other factors such as average speed ,no of passengers ,passenger delay ti me and bus dwell time does not have a significant impact . Hence replacing bus layby with a bus stop would be beneficial and would encourage more usage of public transport service. 5. Task E (Proposed Scheme) Improvement of public transport service can be done if passengers already have seasonal tickets, this will reduce the bus dwell time and would also decrease the passenger delay at the bus stop.Proposal is given for a bus lane of length on link 24-17 with a bus stop on link 16 -15 and encouraging 50 percent of the passengers to have seasonal tickets. Frequency of the bus is kept the same as in the case of base scenario Improving infrastructure could be helpful in improving public transport service as on the network there are sharp turns which cause manoeuvring difficulties and causes some of the time delay (e. g. turn from link 24-17 to 17-15) The average journey time for proposed scheme is shown in figure 10As shown in the above graph the average journey time have decreased con siderably after inclusion of seasonal ticket, bus lane and bus stop on link 16 -15. Although the error bar for the proposed scheme is double of the base scenario but the maximum error of the proposed scheme is lesser than the minimum error for the base scenario. In terms of environment the proposed scheme does not have a huge impact on environment, as the co2,NOx and hydrocarbon emission are nearly same in both the cases, as shown in table 3. | Pollutants emission and fuel consumption|   | Base scenario|   | Proposed scheme|   |   | | Avg| Error Bar| Avg| Error Bar|   | Co2 (Kg)| 33. 71| 1. 37| 34. 11| 0. 37|   | Nox(Kg)| 0. 694| 0. 03| 0. 7| 0. 007|   | Hc (Kg)| 2. 28| 0. 09| 2. 318| 0. 02|   | Fuel (L)| 158| 6. 45| 159. 5| 1. 7|   | Table 3. Pollutant emission in base scenario and proposed scheme Comparing the queuing delay for both the scenarios ,queuing delay for bus in proposed scheme was lesser as compared to that of the base scenario. Figure 11. Comparison o f queuing delay for proposed scheme and base scenarioWith inclusion of bus stop and bus lane the average speed for busses increases form 12. 23 kmph to 14. 95 kmph as shown in figure12 When comparing the average no of passengers ,passenger delay at bus stop and bus dwell time we see that the no of passenger at the bus stop have increased and bus dwell time have decreased which is beneficial in improvement of public transport services. 6. Conclusion In the proposed scheme for the otley network in Dracula the inclusion of bus lane on link 24-17 and a bus stop on link 16-15 is beneficial . lso 50 percent of passengers having seasonal ticket is an advantage as it is reducing the bus dwell time and also the bus total journey time. 7. Reference 1. Office for National Statistics. (2004). Neighbourhood statistics. Available: http://www. neighbourhood. statistics. gov. uk/dissemination/viewFullDataset. do;jsessionid=zqGzR8CX0hh2WhLzqnHLh6GKBsqNYD19kNYPFXyCkSQjL4BBM092! 1701030348! 1362936375 650? instanceSelection=03070&productId=7. Last accessed 10/03/2013. 2. Dr. Ronghui Liu (2005). Dracula manual. ITS,LEEDS: Handouts. 1-147.

Explore how Carol Churchill presents woman in the role of mother in “Top Girls”

In the first act, Churchill has created a surreal environment for all of the women. We find, during the course of the meal, that all of the women have things in common. Each of the women had children apart from Isabella. Lady Nijo and Griselda however, had to live without knowing their children because of their husbands, in both cases the husbands removed the children. Dull Gret is slightly different, she experienced living with her children and bringing them up, however her oldest and youngest were killed during war. Pope Joan does not know what happened to her baby, as she was stoned to death as soon as she gave birth, she assumes they killed it. Marlene, the leader of the women had a completely different story to tell, however she does not talk of it during Act One. Marlene became pregnant at 17 and let her sister, Joyce adopt the baby because at the time Joyce could not become pregnant. Marlene has since, had two abortions. Griselda, Lady Nijo and Marlene are all similar in the fact that they all had to sacrifice their children for a particular reason. Griselda sacrificed her children to make the man she loved happy. Griselda does not arrive to the meal until quite late, the other women are all drunk and merry and Griselda appears un noticed. She appears polite but shy and does not want to make a fuss but eventually gives into a pudding, â€Å"Oh if everyone is. I don't mind. † Marlene automatically puts her in the spot light by introducing her as having the â€Å"fairy-story† life. All of the women become interested in Griselda's story and begin questioning it. Griselda, whilst talking appears still faithful to the Marquis, â€Å"But of course a wife must obey her husband. And of course I must obey the Marquis. Throughout the story of Griselda's life, Marlene acts as if she is almost showing off that she already knows the story, â€Å"Oh, you wait. † This shows that Marlene feels a need to be included and in control at all times. Unlike Lady Nijo, Griselda spent six weeks with her first born, a girl, Nijo finds this hard to believe, â€Å"Much better to do it straight away . † Only Nijo truly understands Griselda's life and she has been put in the same position, Marlene finds it an outrage that she let the Walter take her baby, â€Å"Walter was bonkers† and obviously, it will be hard for Gret to accept as she brought up her own children, â€Å"Bastard†. Even when everybody else is being un fair and negative about Walter, Griselda remains with her upbeat attitude, whilst still shy she shows her feelings. Griselda takes up much of the conversation when she arrives, and when this conversation has ended she doesn't talk much more. Throughout Act One and throughout Griselda's life story Lady Nijo listens, and doesn't talk an awful lot about her background and history. She talks about her past in and amongst everyone else's conversation, although they listen to her, they do not pay as much attention to her as they do to Griselda. Lady Nijo does not appear as hurt and as faithful to her children as Griselda did to hers, this is probably because Griselda spent a short time with her children and Nijo did not. Lady Nijo's first baby was Akenbono's, a girl and he received it and brought it up with his wife. Her second, was to an unknown and the third and fourth children were Ariake the priests. Nijo never saw her third child after it was born and admits feeling nothing at all for her third son, her fourth child. I think that this is because Ariake had died before the birth and she was still grieving him, â€Å"I didn't want to see anyone. In Act Two Scene Two we are introduced to Marlene, a character brought in from Act One, Joyce, Marlene's sister, Angie, Joyce's daughter and Marlene's niece and Kit, Angie's friend. The following scene concentrates mainly on Marlene's niece, Angie and her younger friend, Kit. We begin to realise that Angie maybe slightly â€Å"simple† and troubled as she talks to Kit about controlling objects with her mind and things falling from the walls in her house, â€Å"Last night I was in bed and suddenly a picture fell down off the wall. The pair continually ignore Angie's mother, Joyce, shouting them from the house. This shows disrespect of the children to their mother. The childlike attitude of the children continues throughout the play, they continue to ignore the mother shouting and continue bantering as children would, â€Å"I don't want her to like me. † This eventually progresses into Angie suggesting that Joyce is not her biological mother, and Marlene, her aunt, is. â€Å"I think I'm my aunts child. I think my mother's really my aunt. For a girl of Angie's mentality to suggest something as complex as this must suggest that her and Joyce do not have a loving, sharing relationship, however, Angie's only explanation for this suggestion is â€Å"my mother hates her. † We learn further on in Scene Two that Joyce does not think very highly of Angie â€Å"I don't know who'd have her, mind. † This seems stranger for a mother to say to another child about her own daughter. This is possibly where Churchill is trying to insinuate that, at heart, Joyce does not care for her child as much as a normal mother would. Showing cracks in the couples, mother daughter relationship. Another loss of respect between Joyce and Angie is shown when Joyce calls her a â€Å"Fucking rotten little cunt. † And states â€Å"You can stay there and die†, this either shows that Joyce is now sick of Angie not listening to her or if she just does not have enough respect for her. Act Three actually happens a year before Act Two happens. Therefore the old dress that Angie puts on in Act Two, is the dress that Marlene gives her as a present in Act Three. Marlene and Joyce seem to have an awkward relationship, they are constantly bickering when Marlene first arrives, â€Å"I don't mind seeing you. â€Å"Great, I feel really welcome. † The pair wait until Angie has gone to bed before talking about her and her life, Angie refuses to go to sleep fore quite a while because her aunty is there, but eventually she gives in. Joyce then begins to talk about Angie, â€Å"I don't know how you could leave your own child. â€Å", Marlene does not react badly to this vici ous statement, she simply replies, â€Å"You were quick enough to take her. † I feel that this shows that Marlene does not know how much Joyce has done for her. She obviously does not appreciate that Joyce has brought Angie up the best that she could so that Marlene could move away and concentrate on her career. Joyce begins to take ownership of Angie as the argument continues, showing that she has a bond with her child, motherly love. â€Å"Course I do, she's my child. † Instead of moving away and getting a job and making money, Joyce took Marlene's baby and gave it a life. The relationship between Marlene and Joyce begins to break up as the two begin to blame each other for the mistakes they have made in life, â€Å"I did get pregnant and I lost it because I was so tired looking after your fucking baby. The Act ends with Joyce and Marlene apologising and Joyce going to bed, leaving Marlene alone to have another drink. Angie then wakes up calling for her mother and walks downstairs, when Angie realises that its Marlene sat there and Joyce has gone to bed she only mutters two words, â€Å"frightening† â€Å"frightening† . This symbolises Angie's weirdness and simple mindedness. Is she speaking about the conversation between Joyce and Marlene or is she speaking about the fact that she thought Marlene was her mother ?

Consumption Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Consumption - Essay Example Shopping centers and catalogs are coded frameworks that do not just encourage people to purchase as a habit, but also more importantly, assist people in building their sense of identity. Shopping centers are a preferred topic for the concerns of traditional conservatives (Flanders 104). Shopping centers also concern parties that find consumerism a crucial lifestyle. Consumerism is undoubtedly the traditional center of modern consumption. Critics of consumerism note that shopping centers have slowly turned into places where youth convene for social purposes. As a result, shopping centers slowly became places where senior citizens and the aged rarely came to socialize. Shopping centers attract people from different ethnic backgrounds, social status, age, and professional positions. According to Pressdee and John Fiske, shopping centers are public places formally, but in fact very selective socially (Flanders 104). Frequent goers of shopping centers do not exercise the freedom of speech or assembly. Owners of these shopping centers closely monitor and filter what goes in and out of their businesses’ premises. For instance, shopping centers inhibit the diverse mu ltitude of companies and authorities that occupy open spaces. This is because such spaces apparently hide a prevalent private authority. Shopping centers practice comprehensive and clandestine authority not just in the regulation of conduct, but also in the building of the perceptible and audible public discussion (Flanders 105). The source of this consumption is what society today uses to relate to its identity, views, and desires. Consumption is the focal point of the discourse of fashion among outlying consumers. Teenagers, especially female tend to send a great deal of time and their parents’ money in shopping centers. The time spent by teenagers in shopping centers surpasses the money. Here, teenagers overcome the simple products they are used to at their

Death Penalty II Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Death Penalty II - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, the bible upholds human life as sanctity and the same Bible instruct no one to kill. Humans have enforced the law through the constitution and in United States, since the 1787 constitution, the 5th, 8th, and 14th amendments expressly support the act, but places limits in prosecution. Capital punishment methods have changed; methods such as electrocution, lethal gas injection, and use of gas chambers are the modern methods. The death penalty is intended to help deter crime by acting as a warning message to potential criminals. This paper finally addresses the implication of the punishment on criminals and society at large. Keywords: Death Penalty, Capital Punishment, Criminals, Cruel, Unusual, 5th/8th/ 14th Amendment, Crime, Human Life, Crime Deterrence, Torture, Constitution Death Penalty Most countries and world human rights organizations have abolished and are against the death penalty for any type of crime. However, some nations still retain it and are strongly suppo rted by their constitutions for certain death eligible crimes. The federal government and a high number of states in the United States allow the death penalty, even though they have acted to amend the legislature with time. The Constitution The US federal government has for the last two centuries practiced death penalty, since its adoption from England. The U S supreme court has always held it to be constitutional, apart from the challenging period between 1972 to 1976 in the case of Furman v Georgia, where Furman challenged the 8th amendment arguing that it resulted in arbitrary and capricious sentencing, which caused the penalty to be concluded as cruel and unusual in the violation of the amendment (â€Å"Constitutionality† n.d.). Since the first US constitution of 1787, thousands of individuals have been executed to what has been upheld by the U S criminal justice system. Over time, reasons that would call for the penalty have changed and so far, the US constitution reserv es the policy for murder, treason, espionage, or as part of the military justice, which is contrary to some Middle East countries that have religious sharia law embedded in their constitution, making the punishment applicable to additional sexual and apostasy crimes. The fifth amendment of the US constitution clearly allow for life taking, without use of ambiguous phrases like in 8th and 14th amendments. It states that no individual can be punished through death penalty ‘answering for infamous crime or for a capital,’ unless the case is presented for review or condemnation of a Grand Jury; in short, the law has to be followed before attempt to be put in jeopardy of life or deny criminals of their lives, property, or liberty (â€Å"The Death,† 2007). The law however places limits in the prosecution putting it clear that the accused has to receive proper indictment, trial, and conviction by the grand jury. The phrase mentions of answering for capital, which openly suggests serious crimes punishable by death. Since then, the congress has since adopted, revised, or rejected certain bills related to capital punishment. The 8th amendment indirectly emphasizes on death penalty, even though it clearly bans cruel and unusual punishments. Before this amendment, most states had already been practicing it and hence the use of the terms ‘cruel and unusual’

Apples directional strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Apples directional strategy - Essay Example In advancing through future markets it’s clear that these aspects will constitute the backbone of Apple’s directional strategy. Within this context of understanding, it’s further necessary for the company to implement leverage as a means of retaining their competitive advantage. Sales of the Apple Macintosh as well as iPod and iTunes technology are such that the company is given access to many new segments of the population. In these regards, it’s necessary for the company to implement their consumer access as permitted in this software as a means of promoting innovative software design and industry leading brand. The following years will be a telling period for Apple in terms of whether they are able to continue this innovate product development after the death of company CEO Jobs, but with the corporation’s significant leverage and brand identity there exists plentiful opportunity for the continuation of the success the company has enjoyed in the previous

Discuss the causes and solutions for climate change Essay

Discuss the causes and solutions for climate change - Essay Example Carbon is a vital element for both human beings and the natural environment (Archer & Rahmstorf, 2010). Climate changes occur when particular elements in the atmosphere permit sunlight to penetrate freely. The atmosphere then traps the reflected light. It can be associated with an increase in greenhouse gases. Four main greenhouse gases that are common in the current atmosphere are methane, fluorocarbons, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. The greenhouse effects include rise in mean surface air temperature, rising sea level, rise in global mean speed in evaporation and precipitation, and alterations in the biosphere. Most of these forecasts are based broadly on computer models that encourage basic geographical processes. Predictions in climate change designate that a rise in atmospheric concentration in greenhouse gasses can result in the earth’s average atmospheric temperature (Henson, 2011). Geological documentation suggests that greenhouse gases both contribute and respond to climate change. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is perceived to be one of the central components of the climate system that interrelate in complex ways in a broad range of timescales. An alteration in these interactive structures is probable to affect other features of the global climate system. Such interactive relations between the climate and CO2 imply that the records in geology are not probable to disclose analogs of simple climate forces by anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions. The extra atmospheric greenhouse gases and burned fossils fuels induced into the atmosphere increase the energy of IR absorbed into the atmosphere, thus exerting an influence in warming on the surface and the lower atmosphere causing a cooling effect on the stratosphere. Climate model estimations show that the greenhouse influence of the numerous greenhouse gases is equally forcing giving support to the convenience of the idea of

Cult Cinema Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Cult Cinema - Dissertation Example The content is often offbeat or even transgressive, besides being aberrant or challenging. The central themes tend to be far-fetched and uncanny, but still become the centre of audience’s attention. Thus, cult cinema tends to be categorically different from the mainstream cinema; this dissimilarity is revealed by lack of highfalutin artistic exclusiveness, mass consumerism, and political correctness in cult movies. This dissertation will provide a context for defining cult cinema, by delineating the peculiar characteristics that distinguish it from other genres. This dissertation is based upon information accumulated from a vast array of primary and secondary research sources dealing with cult cinema. The chief source was literature comprising of books, journal articles, articles in periodicals specifically aimed at identifying the underlying factors that drive audience towards cult cinema. Since the dissertation is aimed at exposing the factors that have developed a fan following, so analysis of the narrative, literary techniques, characters, and plot is relevant to this study. In addition to that, secondary methods shall also encompass analysis of box office success and commercial business of the top fifty cult films. Secondary resources such as statistical data concerning commercial revenue reveal that cult films were box office hits. Similarly, reviews of most successful movies based on the viewers’ ability to recall showed that many cult films such as Blade Runner, The Shawshank Redemption, Godzilla, Star Wars, Jaws, Scary Movie were the most favourites of all times. Other literature such as journal articles and books define the textual attributes and enigmatic signifiers that appeal to young and middle aged fans. Furthermore, analysis of movies made during the last two decades revealed how audiences’ demand has accelerated the trend of making of the cult films. In the ultimate analysis, the information contained in the following pages will shed light on how cult cinema, despite being bizarre and farfetched has produced some groundbreaking films and developed a huge fan following. Increasingly, audiences are fascinated by the aesthetic elements of cult movies such as enigmatic sig nifiers: mysterious puzzles that provoke thought and engage audiences throughout the film. Lastly, the process of narrative and characters go under an unexpected transformation to deliver ontological shock to audience’s leaves a mark on the audience. Undoubtedly, these aspects make cult movies the centre of fan debate and discussion. Chapter I: Introduction Although motion pictures have fundamentally

Trade Mark Dilution in EU Comparing with USA Essay

Trade Mark Dilution in EU Comparing with USA - Essay Example Blurring and tarnishment have been recognized in the anti dilution laws of the European Union. There have been controversies surrounding various organizations in the world on the use of trade marks. Companies have claimed that their competitors or other organizations have been using their trademark thereby affecting their market base as well bas competition. Trade mark dilution refers to the use of a similar trade mark by another company. However there are misunderstandings as to whether the products registered under the trade mark should be similar or different. In the European Union, courts have ruled otherwise that the use of similar trademarks but different goods under the trade mark does not lead to trade mark dilution1. The European Union has put in place measures to curb dilution of trade marks; they ensure that there is no unfair advantage on the use of a trade mark on their poor quality products that can harm the products reputation and character. The most widespread term ap plied is known as the protection against â€Å"free riding† on the trade mark. It is also important to note that the unfair advantage in the use of trade mark, blurring and tarnishment are grouped together in the same sub article in their laws. In the United States, there is no major link in the application of laws between dilution protection and unfair advantage over the use of trade mark2. There are three aspects in which dilution differ from other forms of infringement in the European Union. The first aspect involves the confusion in which the consumer cannot differentiate the original trade mark and its usage on other junior products. Secondly, dilution can also involve the use of trade mark on different goods. This differs in traditional forms of protection where the difference in types of goods represented by the same trade mark was not a big issue. It was difficult to actually show the level of confusion when the goods were dissimilar from those of the senior user of t he trade mark. Finally, dilution is generally applied in cases whereby the consumers have a common knowledge of the trade mark and the goods it represent3. The controversy surrounding dilution is based on its differences from confusion based infringement. In Europe as well as in the United States, the focus is on the use of a similar trade mark but with dissimilar goods. Infringement actions involved situations whereby the goods under the trade mark were similar and thus confusing the consumers4. The Argument The application of anti dilution laws in Europe are more complicated. The formulation of trade mark laws brought about different perspectives in the application of the law. The main concern has been on the unfair advantage enjoyed by the junior users of a trade mark rather that the harm caused to the trade mark. Unfair competition was the main driving force behind the use of trademarks by other companies. For example, in France, a company had to show that its trade mark suffere d harm fro its usage by other companies. However, the use of a trade mark to achieve competitive advantage was also termed as a form of harm to the trade mark. In Germany, a company had to show how it was affected in competition by the use of its trade mark by other competitors. Competition should be understood to mean competition for the trade mark and on situations whereby the junior user of the trademark would use the mark on dissimilar goods5. Article 5(2) of the

Policy dictating mandatory marriage classes before couples get married Article

Policy dictating mandatory marriage classes before couples get married should be introduced - Article Example The cohort, which has been found to exhibit high chances of getting divorced after few years of marriage, is the youth who fall between the ages of 25-29 years old. When these young couples take mandatory marriage classes, the causes of divorce in many marriages can be reduced or eliminated. These mandatory classes will enable the couples to understand obligations of mutual respect, fidelity and support for each other. The couples must know that they must be able to support themselves and their spouse, which also applies to biological and adopted children. The absence of such support may lead to civil actions or criminal charge for non-support of dependents (Ross 1). The couples should also know the importance of establishing themselves financially to maximize their wealth. Therefore, without proper training or counseling before marriage then a couple may not be able to identify this as something they must put in place before marriage. The couple must plan how to succeed in marriage by taking some time to look forward and to survey this field of marriage keenly by taking up mandatory marriage classes and understanding fully what marriage entails (Ross 1). Pre-marriage counseling and classes help in the making of transition from one kind of relationship to another. Through such informative sessions, couples get to understand the major issues that break marriages before engaging to marriage. In the article, Ross mentions that the change in which society and people have gone through, in turn, has led to change in the way that people view the concept of marriage. In a Christian marriage, the couple must undergo a mandatory counseling before marriage, which is conducted by Christian counselors. Ross states that most young people get divorced at a higher rate compared to the rate in which the old generation used to get divorced. It is advisable for young couples and divorcees to be taken

Case Study Response Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Case Study Response - Coursework Example oduct consumes a lot of funds in advertisements and it might not be a wise decision for the company that has been witnessing a constant decline in the total sales of its products. Against this background, it would be wise for Patterson to lobby for expanding the drug market using the existing brand that is known to the targeted customers. This is commonly referred to as standardization where an attempt is made to develop the market using the same brand. Effort will be made to attract new customers for the brand while putting measures that are designed to cut costs (Kotler & Armstrong, 2010). The main advantage of this strategy is that the revenue collected by the organization will increase as a result of economies of scales created by lowering production costs. The brand will be standardised such that it can appeal to the interests of many customers and this helps to increase the sales. Compared to launching a new brand, it can be seen that the strategy recommended above has many

The War Powers Act of 1973 Essay Example for Free

The War Powers Act of 1973 Essay The fundamental conflict between Article I, Section 8 and Article II, Section 2 of the United States Constitution gave occasion to the passing of The War Powers Act of 1973 also known as The War Powers Resolution of 1973. The former constitutional provision granted the power to declare war to Congress while the latter appointed the President of the United States to be the Commander-in-Chief of the country’s armed forces. The conflict occurred because the Presidents, in sending American soldiers to war in their capacity as their Commander-in-Chief, have been ignoring the provision of the constitution which vested unto Congress the â€Å"sole power to declare war. † This practice was believed to have started when President Truman sent American soldiers to Korea without a congressional declaration of war. The truth was, the United States Congress had not officially declared any war after World War II (Lithwick). It was observed that the U. S. Presidents believed that as long as Congress did not declare any war formally, committing American soldiers to hostilities was within their constitutional power as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. In other words, so long as Congress could be prevented from declaring war formally, the presidents retain a virtual free hand in such cases (Centre for European Policy Studies).     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After the war in Vietnam, however, the members of Congress, in an effort to assert their authority to declare war which was granted by the constitution, passed The War Powers Act of 1973 over the veto which was exercised by then President Richard Nixon. Unfortunately, the act failed to settle with finality the conflict between the President and Congress. As a matter of fact, almost all American Presidents continued to ignore Congress, including The War Powers Act of 1973, for various reasons (Rasky).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Act has three prominent sections. These are Sections 3 (which deals on â€Å"Consultation†); Section 4 (Reporting); and Section 5, which discusses â€Å"Congressional Action.† Section 3 specifically states that The President in every possible instance shall consult with Congress before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situation where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the  circumstances, and after every such introduction shall consult regularly with  the Congress until United States Armed Forces are no longer engaged in  hostilities or have been removed from such situations (War Powers Resolution of 1973).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This provision clearly asserts the constitutional authority of Congress in the declaration of war or the commitment of American soldiers to any war or war-like activities. In other words, Congress do not only want to be consulted before the President sends any troops to hostile situations, but it should also be appraised of the situation while the troops are still in the area. Finally, the President should consult with Congress when the troops will already be withdrawn or have already been withdrawn.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Section 4, on the other hand, states that when American forces are deployed in hostilities without a war being declared, a written report should be submitted by the President within 48 hours of such deployment to both the Speaker of the House of Representatives as well as the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate. The report should explain the reasons for the action and the â€Å"estimated scope and duration of the hostilities or involvement.† Aside from submitting this written report at least once every six months, the President should also answer any questions posed by Congress concerning its constitutional war-making powers (War Powers Resolution of 1973).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   These provisions, unfortunately, had been cited as not only burdensome and dilatory, but also unfair, particularly Section 3, when Congress is in recess. For instance, President Gerald Ford experienced some difficulties along this line when American forces were being evacuated from DaNang sometime in 1975 and again in 1976 in Lebanon. He said that â€Å"When the evacuation of DaNang was forced upon us during the Congress’s Easter recess, not one of the key bipartisan leaders of the Congress was in Washington.† He said that because of the break, some of the key leaders were in Greece. Others were in the People’s Republic of China, while there were those who spent the time in Mexico, the Middle East, and Europe. He expressed disappointment with the law, calling it unfair especially since, according to him, â€Å"military operations seldom wait for Congress to meet,† claiming further that many critical situations around the world in fact arose when it was nighttime in Washington (HOW AMERICA GOES TO WAR). In essence, President Ford was explaining that preparing for and/or actually going to war could be greatly hampered by all these consultations and reporting to Congress because any element of surprise or advantage of quick retaliation would be lost in the process.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Republican President Ronald Reagan had similarly experienced the dilatory effect of the War Powers Act in 1982. After deploying American Marines to Lebanon, President Reagan complied with the provision of the act by making a report about the deployment to Congress. In spite of the majority of the Republicans in the Senate, the deployment was vigorously opposed by the Democratic congressmen who were the majority in the House of Representatives at the time. In other words, the deployment was not granted Congressional authority for several months, only to be approved later the following year after a compromise was reached by the leaders of both houses of Congress, authorizing the U.S. Marines to stay in Lebanon for 18 months. What made matters worse was the observation of some quarters that the opposition to the deployment had been mainly due to partisan political reasons. President Reagan, for his part, was greatly disappointed with the compromise especially since it sought President Reagan’s assurances on what the Marines were not supposed to do, thereby tying down their hands and reducing their effectiveness (HOW AMERICA GOES TO WAR). According to observers, the delay in the authorization and the challenges made in the House of Representatives had the effect of weakening the negotiating position of President Reagan not only with Syria but also with the warring political groups found in Lebanon. As a result, the Department of State’s Director of the Policy Planning Staff, Peter W. Rodman, said that the presence of the Marines in Lebanon was stripped of its deterrent impact. Specifically, Rodman explained that what happened in Congress â€Å"convinced the Syrians that the United States was ‘short of breath’ †¦, thus undermining the delicate diplomatic efforts †¦that sought a negotiated solution† By March 6, 1984, Senator Howard Baker, the Majority Leader, was already questioning the appropriateness and the relevance of the War Powers Act as an interactive tool between the two branches of government. He voiced the opinion that the country’s military involvement in other countries could not always start off â€Å"with a prolonged tedious and divisive negotiation between the executive and the legislative branches of Government [because] The world and its many challenges to [American] interests simply do not allow [such] luxury†   (HOW AMERICA GOES TO WAR). Records would later show that that Lebanese episode was the first and only incident where Congress was able to invoke the War Powers Act. Nevertheless, a compromise subsequently produced the required congressional authority and effectively aborted what could have been a genuine face-off between the two branches of government (Rasky).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Section 5, which provides for the necessary congressional action, is the third important section of the Act. Subsection (a) of this section provides that when Congress is not in session for at least three days when the President’s report is being transmitted to Congress, the President could be requested jointly by the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representative to convene Congress for the sole purpose of considering the report and taking any appropriate action where necessary. Obviously, this provision should be interpreted as proof of Congress’s intention of giving due priority to the problem. Subsection (b), on the other hand, requires the President to withdraw the American forces from the area of hostilities sixty days from the filing of the report to Congress unless: Congress has either officially declared war or has issued its authorization for the continued use of the American forces; has granted a statutory extension after the sixty-day period has lapsed; or fails to convene for the purpose of acting on the matter resulting from any armed attack from hostile parties. This section likewise specifies that in a case where an extension to the sixty-day period is requested by the President for any valid reason, Congress is only empowered to grant an additional 30 days to effect the safe withdrawal of the American forces. Finally, subsection (c) specifically provides that â€Å"at any time that United States Armed Forces are engaged in hostilities outside the territory of the United States, its possessions and territories without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization, such forces shall be removed by the President if the Congress so directs by concurrent resolution† (War Powers Resolution of 1973).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to this subsection, a concurrent resolution by the House of Representatives and the Senate could compel the President to immediately withdraw American forces from undeclared wars. This, however, has been deemed unconstitutional by some quarters, interpreting the provision as giving â€Å"the force of law to a concurrent resolution, which is passed by majorities in both chambers of Congress, but is not presented to the President for his consent or veto.† They have cited Article I, Section 7, Clause 3 of the Constitution which provides that Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two-thirds vote of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the case of a Bill (HOW AMERICA GOES TO WAR). Works Cited Lithwick, Dahlia. â€Å"What War Powers Does the President Have?† 15 January 2008.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.slate.com/id/1008290 Centre For European Policy Studies. â€Å"On a European War Powers Act.† 19 February 2007.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15 January 2008. http://ceps01.link.be/Article.php?=article_id=80 â€Å"HOW AMERICA GOES TO WAR.† The Progressive Conservative. Ed. Alman Leroy Way,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Jr. 10 June – 31 December 1999. 15 January 2008.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.geocities.com/way_leroy/ProConVolTwoIssueOnePage5.html Rasky, Susan F. â€Å"War Powers Act: Years of Conflict Over Constitutionality.† New York   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Times online. 19 April 1988. 15 January 2008.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://ceps01.link.be/Article.php?=article_id=80 â€Å"War Powers Resolution of 1973.† Almanac of Policy Issues. 7 November 1973. 15 January http://www.policyalmanac.org/world/archive/war_powers_resolution.shtml

Main Features And Characteristics Information Technology Essay

Main Features And Characteristics Information Technology Essay Over the past 50 years, the construction industry has witnessed exciting breakthroughs such as the advent of Critical Path Method scheduling, the introduction of Computer Aided Design and Drafting (CADD), the acceptance of integrated project delivery systems and the application of Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR). In addition, the construction industry has also been impacted with two powerful global developments; the internet, revolutionising the communications infrastructure and also environmental awareness which focuses on the commitment to sustainability and lifecycle solutions (Bakhtar McDonough 2008). We are now approaching a virtual reality to create intelligent, integrated 3D models of construction projects allowing stakeholders to visualise and analyse the completed project before it is built. By implementing BIM, Risk is reduced, design intent is maintained, quality control is streamlined, communication is clearer and higher analytic tools are more accessible (Australian Institute of Architects 2005). It is BIM which also enhances collaboration through interaction of different stakeholders which can be used for stimulation, structural design, cost estimating, scheduling, fabrication, erection and facilities management (Bakhtar McDonough 2008). As the industry begins to integrate BIM in practice, it is likely to bring about change in work practice, project development approach and emergence of new roles and relationships, both at technical and management levels (Brankovic et al. 2007). Despite the apparent benefits the adoption of BIM in practice, the uptake has been slow. Workshops with industry focus groups have been conducted to identify the industry needs, concerns and expectations from participants who had implemented BIM or were BIM ready. Factors inhibiting BIM adoption include lack of training, low business incentives, perception of lack of rewards, technological concerns, contractual matters and resistance to changing current work practice. Successful BIM usage depends on collective adoption of BIM across the different disciplines and requires the support of the client (Brankovic 2008). So is Building Information Modelling (BIM) the real deal? Some say its a matter of when, not if, industry adopts BIM universally and increasingly, public-and private sector developments are calling for its use on large projects. Can they afford not to? (Hyslop 2010). 2.0 Main Features Characteristics BIM involves computerised design software tools that help create a model that reflects all of the building components geometric and functional qualities. The general contractor and trade subcontractors provide product-specific information for building components and that data is inputted into the model, including performance specifications, connection details and cost data. However, the model is more than a mere representation of the design in a three-dimensional computer graphic but rather, embedded within the design programs which feature rules that define which of the components relation to the other components (Pohl Short 2010). In order to be classified as true BIM, all information related to the building, including its physical and functional characteristics and project life cycle information should be held in a series of Smart or Intelligent objects. For instance, an air conditioning unit within a BIM model would contain the data about its supplier, flow rates, maintenance procedures, lead in times and clearance requirements (Scuderi 2007). In essence, BIM is a variation of the traditional construction project model in terms of technology and process. In a traditional project, design documents flow down from the architect, through the owner, to the contractor and then from the contractor to subcontractors, suppliers and fabricators. This downward flow of design documents and design information defines and reinforces the distinct roles, responsibilities and liabilities of the designer and contractor (Crandall Katz 2010). BIM, however, changes the traditional model through the use of advanced technology to edit the design documents and allows designers to attach specific information to each object of a project. Any changes in the BIM model automatically changes all relevant information attached to the particular object which saves design time and avoids potential design errors that occur (Katz Crandall, 2010). BIM is particularly useful for identifying potential construction conflicts (clash detection) at the design stage, and quantifying the materials required for construction. In theory, assuming that the information provided by the various stakeholders in the project is accurate and the rules embedded in the model are correct, BIM should reduce errors and omissions, resulting in aggregate reduction in professional liability and errors and omission claims. Yet, if the assumptions embedded in the computerised model is prove false, then the result would be a costly problem that all concerned should hope to be covered by insurance (Pohl Short 2010 p.1). A few cases of successful use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) approach in real world projects have been reported (Khemlani 2007a, 2007b) that suggest, even if the BIM applications and tools may not have matured fully they are very much usable in their present form and can enhance project collaboration and management in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry well beyond the current state (Brankovic et al. 2007). 3.0 Benefits of adopting BIM The benefits of adopting BIM are staggering, that some are even sounding the warning that those who fail to jump aboard the BIM bandwagon will be quickly left in the dust . Building performance and predictability of outcomes are greatly improved by adopting BIM. An Engineers Australia Queensland Division Task Force 2005 report estimates that 60-90% of all variations are due to poor project design documentation. A BIM is one way of significantly improving design and documentation quality (Scuderi 2007). Stanford University Centre for Integrated Facility Engineering figures which are based on 32 major projects using BIM indicates benefits such as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A 40% elimination of unbudgeted change à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cost estimation accuracy within three per cent à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ An 80% reduction in the time taken to generate a cost estimate à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A saving of 10% of the contract value through clash detection à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A 7% reduction in project time, and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A return on investment when using a 3D model of 5 10 times (Scuderi 2007). Other advantages include: 3.1 Visualisation and Design Features Ability to visualise a model before construction begins Eliminates and minimises the number of site related questions due to design errors Provides drawings, cross-sections and details in 3D which better describe complexities and allow images to be rotated for better visualisation BIM can be used as visual timeline to assess progress payments Easy to add information into the model and takes little time to change Once one change is made, all relevant components change automatically, saving time on updating design drawings individually Able to run detailed analysis such as sun shading modelling, thermal properties etc Easy to understand details about the building and individual components 3.2 Conflict Detection Data embedded into the BIM model for each component allows BIM software to identify potential conflicts during the design phase Eliminates/minimises construction errors by detecting problems early Saves time and money which would be previously wasted should an error occur during later stages of construction 3.3 Collaboration Coordination Allows communication between design team/s, engineers and contractors which can increase project efficiencies due to collaboration Remedy the deficient efficiencies early in the design process An increase in collaboration can reduce the number of Request For Information (RFIs) and change order which can shorten construction schedules. Laing ORourke saw a 70% reduction in RFIs on the 123 Albert Street project due to subcontractors being able to view their appropriate trade and solving/answering their own questions themselves (P Nunn 2010, pers. comm., 6 Aug). 3.4 Fabric Efficiency and Estimating Detailed specifications can be extracted directly from a BIM model and sent to a fabricator Saves time and avoids potential errors that could occur when contractors manually extract fabrication data Due to the increased visualisation and data information contained within each object, fabricated components are more likely to fit when delivered (e.g. steel fabrication) therefore reducing construction waste Suppliers can extract material estimates and project schedules directly from a BIM model which can save time and prevent delivery delays 3.5 Data Entry Reduces data entry and computational errors as there is no need to re-enter data or manually extract information from design documents BIM models can compare project components such as building codes and energy efficiency standards 3.6 Life-Cycle Management BIM models can be used throughout the life-cycle of a building Models can be used to determine maintenance requirements and can analyse compatibility and cost-effectiveness as well as providing visual representation of improvements 3.7 Sustainability Design BIM models are able to provide building analysis which allows sustainable rating tools to gain insight into a buildings performance Sustainable features can be incorporated and tested before construction, allowing what if scenarios which quickly evaluate design alternatives Allows the opportunity to make better decisions to iterate on a greener design Schedules of building material quantities can be obtained directly from the model to determine the amount of materials which can be reused, recycled or salvaged Sources for advantages of BIM: (Bakhtar McDonough 2008), (Cranda Katz 2010), (Middlebrooks 2006), (M Ryan 2010. Pers. comm., 8 July), 4.0 Issues that affect the adoption of BIM With any new technology, there is a period of adjustment and learning. There are many different views about BIM and its potential, however the consensus is that it represents a fundamental (some say revolutionary) change in the way a building project design is prepared and implemented (Sieminski 2007). Based on the QUT Research paper from the ICAN Conference in 2007 (Brankovic et al.2007), before greater adoption of BIM, the following issues need to be addressed: 4.1 Version management New technology requires software to be constantly upgraded; this has been an issue for many practitioners. Although most upgraded software allows you to use data generated from earlier versions, many significant changes inhibit these. This means that in order to have all collaborating stakeholders to be working on compatible versions, often compromises have to be made on efficiency (Brankovic et al. 2007). Laing ORourke has initiated various processes to reduce risk from upgrades in software. This involves contracting all collaborating stakeholders to use the same program and upgrading all relevant software before the commencement of their contract (P Nunn 2010, pers. comm., 6 Aug). This process has been implemented in the recent $110 million design and construct contract for a new health centre and common user teaching facility at the Griffith University Gold Coast campus which is set to be one of the first 100% BIM model projects in QLD . 4.2 Organisation and data management As more data is managed and stored electronically, standard practices and procedures need to be in place to deal with data organisation, storage and security. Managing the different versions of the project which relates to compatible set of data from different disciplines at specific stages need to be fixed (Brankovic et al.2007, p.7). While the ability to constantly update the data gives unprecedented flexibility, it also adds to the complexity relating to version management, data explosion and usability (Brankovic et al.2007). Issues exist in Database Management Systems (DMS) in relation to organisational issues for the Architects, Engineers and Contractors (AEC) domain and practitioners which poses a new challenge involving strategic decision making. Stakeholders are also finding that some programs produce a large file size which has led to hardware lagging the software (P Nunn 2010, pers. comm., 6 Aug). 4.3 Program training One of the greatest issues with the adoption of BIM is the training and development of staff and taking the resources off project work to do so (A Bryant 2010, pers. comm., 30 June). In recent years, the architectural industry has received major criticisms of the widening gap of the techniques and methods taught in architecture schools and what is practiced in the field. It is suggested that rather than giving separate introductory session on computational approaches and BIM applications, there is a need for integrating the same in design studios for students which will alleviate the concerns in some sections that believe computational approaches to be inhibiting design creativity (Brankovic et al.2007). 4.4 Cost of adoption The cost of adopting BIM is also an issue. For Revit systems and software, it costs approximately $10,000, plus training and cost of product libraries. The real costs depend on the extent you choose to develop a model. You can develop a simple or well built model which costs a lot more but again, depends on the value and use of the model. However, the benefits include the reduction in waste, ease of design, increase opportunity for sustainability and overall, the process is more efficient. The industry needs to value to outcome (A Gutteridge 2010, pers. comm., 1 July). Large and medium sized firms can afford the luxury of aligning teams to BIM as they would have some supplement workforce at certain points of time. Smaller firms however, would find this difficult to achieve as they would be unable to commit an entire team to BIM software at any given time or even over a period of time . Although the loss of billable hours during training is a concern, the short term productivity paybacks will quickly offset the loss. A recent online survey of Revit customers reported that although there was an average productivity loss of 25-50% during the initial training period, it took most customers only 3-4 months to achieve the same level of productivity using Revit as with the previous design tool. Building on that statistic, the estimated increase in productivity (as a result of migrating to Revit) ranged from 10% to over 100%, with more than half the respondents experienced productivity gains of over 50% and close to 20% experienced productivity gains of over 100% . Due to the large capital cost of training and BIM software, smaller firms may struggle to keep up with the technology. A viable option for small firms would be to seek offshore expertise. Leveraging outside experience and expertise would help them keep their team intact; facilitate better integration of BIM technologies within their business model and save a large amounts of billable hours . 4.5 Security of data Placing data on an integrated database in an electronic format raises security concern amongst the involved stakeholders. Some concerns are related to the following: Network security Intellectual Property (IP) Protection of copyrights These concerns however may be justified and alleviated by greater awareness and legal measures. For example, access should be controlled through secure log-ins with data check-in and check-outs which can be registered for each interaction. Therefore data hosts can manage the data under a contractual agreement with the data owner with the terms and conditions outlined accordingly in the documentation (Brankovic et al.2007). 4.6 Readiness of the tools Examples of the use of BIM approach in practice suggest that in the present state as well there are tools that can significantly improve the work process in the AEC industry documentation (Brankovic et al.2007). However, lack of tools supporting and integrating conceptual design activity has been a major concern (Khemlani 2007a). As more BIM applications are being developed to look at specific aspects of design process and allow integration with each other, the technical support which is bound to improve (Brankovic et al.2007). 4.7 Seamless Integration and standards Due to the various types of tools which have been introduced over the past few years, it is important that there is greater standardisation of processes, terminologies and products, early information exchange between different stakeholders. This will avoid re-work, provide capability to conduct preliminary analysis of project concepts, greater intelligence in tools to air computability of building data as they get more complex, and great automation in construction and fabrication to leverage the benefits of a better and precise model (Brankovic et al.2007). 5.0 Contractual Issues that affect the BIM adoption As BIM technology evolves further, it is apparent that there are a number of legal and contractual issues which warrant careful consideration. Unfortunately, the newness of BIM leaves us with more questions than definitive answers at this present time. For the owner, designer, or contractor participating in a BIM project for the first time, these questions should be carefully weighed, understandings reached and memorialised in appropriate contract document (Haynes 2009). 5.1 There isnt a BIM-specific standard contract form For many, a standardised BIM contract is the most important facet of BIM implementation. A standardised BIM form is recognised as the most logical starting point in the integration of BIM as a standard contracting method. Australia does not currently have a specific stand contract form, therefore contractors, clients and relevant parties must create their own contractual agreements with the relevant stakeholders for each project. 5.2 Ownership Creating an integrated BIM model involves the input of several stakeholders which focus on specific design elements such as mechanical and electrical services and the overall design. Therefore, the difficulty exists with the issue of legal ownership and copyright for instruments of service. Without modification in the underlying contract documents, the normal principle would be that the part that creates the BIM model would retain ownership of and the copyright of the model. This is consistent with the AIA American standard agreements whereby the ownership and copyright is retained by the drafting party, therefore, agrees to license its instruments of services (Haynes 2009). In some cases, owners/clients may insist that the various data and deliverables provided by the design professional be owned by the owner. In Queensland, the most common client who may wish to own the model is Project Services (P Nunn 2010. Pers. comm., 6 Aug). When there are numerous stakeholders involved in the design process, it is important that the intellectual property interests in BIM models and data be clearly addressed up-front by the parties. For example, Laing ORourke may choose to outsource consultants for particular projects; however it is made very clear that Laing ORourke own the copyright. Laing ORourke in Australia, don not have an issue with Intellectual Property (IP) as it is clearly defined in their contract documents (P Nunn 2010. Pers. comm., 6 Aug). 5.3 Standard of Care There is a concern that the universal use of BIM will eventually alter both the standard of care and historical protections afforded to design professional by the doctrine of privity  [1]  . Until recently in America, the doctrine of privity of contract shielded architects and engineers from negligence claims by parties with whom the architect did not have a contract (Sieminski 2007). Many jurisdictions in America now allow claims without privity when it is clear that a contractor reasonably relied upon information that the design professional misrepresented in a context in which the contractor clearly would be relying upon that information (Sieminski 2007). Therefore, contractual issues would become problematic in the future, in that, one of the requirements of the example claim above reasonable reliance may appear to be presumed in a BIM environment. 5.4 Insurance Contracting parties, contract insurers and sureties need more certainty and an accurate gauge of their exposure when writing insurance policies and bonds. While there are many positives about BIM, there are currently too many unknowns for insurers to write BIM policies (Faulkner 2007). Just as BIM technology is evolving, so must the insurance industry evolve to consider whether its current products adequately cover the new risks created by this technology or whether additional instruments are necessary to allow project participants to manage these risks in a prudent manner (Haynes 2009). From the design professionals perspective, it is important to carefully examine the adequacy of their professional liability arising out of negligence of the design professional during the preparation of BIM models. When design professionals assume additional responsibility as a gatekeeper or model manager, then additional risks undertaken and thereby must be covered under the standard professional liability policy. Similarly, when a contractor involved in creating BIM construction models, utilises them for planning, fabrication, estimating or scheduling, the need for professional liability is even more important (Haynes 2009). 5.5 Interoperability One of the largest challenges being actively addressed by technology developers and end-users are the interoperability of existing BIM programs and the creation of multiple accurate models to fulfil specific purposes (Miner Thomson 2006). The term interoperability refers to the ability of various project participants to share and exchange information electronically through the use of different software systems. Due to the different types of design/BIM programs on the market, there are no guarantees that the different software can be used by all stakeholders or work flawlessly together (Haynes 2009). There have been several attempts to standardise the language interfaces of various BIM software, however have not been formalised. In the meantime, however, provisions must be made among parties concerning the consequences of inconsistencies or errors that arise as a result of interoperability. This issue of software compatibility also flows into a concern with remedies for defects in software (Haynes 2009). Up until now there has yet to be a lawsuit based on the use of BIM, however its only a matter of time before misunderstandings or relative risks and responsibilities of parties will be noticed. The use of BIM in the construction process will continue to be affected by the contractual relationship between project participants, the world of litigation and evolution of technology. It is important for those involved to continue to assess the interrelationships of these variables and prepare for more technological advances which are inevitably on the horizon . 6.0 BIM adoption in Australia Vs America 6.1 Uptake of BIM Despite the potential benefits of BIM, its uptake in Australia has been slow (Branksovic et al. 2010). Based on the National Guidelines of Digital Modelling written by the CRC in Australia 2009, slow adoption in the industry exists due to voids which exist in practice as the industry is yet to make full use of the possibilities that new software technologies have provided. There appears to be little multidisciplinary BIM, and very little over the whole building lifecycle (National Guidelines of Digital Modelling, 2009, p.20). According to a recent survey by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), however, America has experienced a 160% increase in use in the main architectural community during 2005 to 2009 (Ireland 2010). The AIA survey also reveals that more than 75% of responding architects reported very heavy or heavy use of BIM technology in their projects in 2009. Were well past the tipping point now, says Markku Allison, resource architect for AIA. At our 2005 convention, the opening plenary session was about BIM, and of the nearly 4,000 architects in the room we got the impression that 85% had never even heard of BIM. Now when we go on the road, everyone knows what BIM is, and the audience can offer up success stories about using BIM (Ireland 2010). However, in Australia it is said that the Architects are against the adoption of BIM due to the large setup costs (P Nunn 2010, pers. comm., 6 Aug). 6.2 Which stakeholders are driving the adoption of BIM? After interviewing a number of industry professionals in Australia, the general consensus was that different stakeholders were driving the adoption of BIM, all for different reasons. Client benefits from BIM through the Facility Management perspective and ongoing building operation Architects Engineers benefit from the speed in design (once the initial design is complete), there is no need to draw sections and details are they are all within the model to start with Builders benefit through the ease of coordination, reduction in buildability issues and the use of clash detection (M Ryan 2010. pers. comm., 8 July). Paul Nunn from Laing ORourke, however, indicated that clients such as Project Services and companies such as Laing ORourke are currently driving the adoption of BIM (P Nunn 2010. pers. comm., 6 Aug). Andrew Gutteridge, and architect from Arkhefield Australia believes that Architects are the ones who need to get to speed first architects have a lot to learn (A Gutteridge 2010. pers. comm., 1 July). On the other hand, Architects currently make up the largest group of user of BIM technology in America (Ireland 2010). In 2008, a SmartMarket Report published by New York-based McGraw-Hill Construction revealed that more than 43% of architects were using BIM on more than 60% of their projects. However, the use of BIM requires more than the adoption of its technology by one group in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry (Ireland 2010). 6.3 BIM Standard Form Contracts The construction industry is only beginning to catch up with the contractual liability issues that arise from the non-traditional roles played by the various project participants. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has developed IPD Agreements which include the following contracts: AIA C196-2008 Standard Form of Agreement between Single Purpose Entity Owner or Integrated Project Delivery AIA C197-2008 Standard Form of Agreement between Single Purpose Entity Non-Owner or Integrated Project Delivery These contractual agreements also incorporate a separate Exhibit (AIA Document E202-2008) that might also be used with their other, more traditional contract documents on IPD project using BIM technologies (Pohl Short 2010). In addition to these contractual agreements, the AIA and the new ConsenusDOCs organisation have issued their respective BIM documents which address, at least in a preliminary manner, many of the legal and contractual implications of utilising BIM technology. ConsensusDOCs 301 Building Information Modeling (BIM) Addendum was released by the ConsensusDOCs organization in June 2008. This document is intended as an exhibit to be appended to a standard construction or design agreement, to address certain key legal and contractual questions, and give the parties a platform on which to reach an agreement on how to manage the various risks derived from this technology. ConsensusDOCs 301 was followed later in 2008 by the AIAs issuance of its E-202 Building Information Modeling Protocol exhibit, which like its predecessor outlines a number of practical issues and formulates certain procedures and protocols for the parties to follow with respect to the development of their BIM models. Again, both the CD301 and the E-202 are designed as exhibits to be appended to an existing design or construction services agreement (Haynes 2009). Unlike America, Australia has no standard contract form for the implementation of BIM. However, contractors such as Laing ORourke have established their own in-house protocols which provide detailed information based on the British standards (P Nunn 2010. pers. comm., 6 Aug). In Australia, the Australian Institute of Architects and Building Smart in conjunction with CRC Construction Innovation have produced a National Guidelines for Digital Modelling. The guidelines are readily available; however, not enough people are taking them seriously. The uptake in the industry is increasing, but not fast enough. There are still many misconceptions about BIM and there is a lack of understanding about the value of BIM in the industry (A Butteridge 2010. pers. comm., 1 July). The Queensland Government have vouched to release all government projects in 3D within the next two years (P Nunn 2010. pers. comm., 6 Aug). America is two steps ahead, with five states mandating the use of BIM which has forced the market to adopt and invest in BIM technology. 7.0 Future of BIM Based on the QUT Research paper from the ICAN Conference in 2007 (Brankovic et al.2007), in order for greater adoption of BIM in Australia, the following issues need to be addressed: 7.1 Incentives and drivers Architects, Engineers and Contractors will continue to see the benefits of adopting BIM especially with large projects involving the Government (Project Services). The drive from the Government and clients will provide enough incentives for stakeholders to invest in BIM. A successful adoption of BIM is expected to lengthen the initial design process but reduce the construction cost and time (Brankovic et al.2007). In addition to this, the effort required by the architects and other design disciplines to put in the additional information can be considerably reduced if the commercial vendors have enough incentives to provide country specific product libraries and standards. Such specifications need to be in place to allow a sustained market for BIM applications. This in turn will also facilitate the working of regulatory authorities enabling automatic code checking and building standards (Brankovic et al.2007 p.10). 7.2 Market needs and distribution As previously discussed, small and medium sized firms within the industry will need to decide on when and if their firm will adopt BIM over the next two years. Although the capital costs are high, small f

Book of Galatians

Book of Galatians Introduction The Book of Galatians highly believed to be written by Apostle Paul was written in its original form as instructions to the Christians in southern Galatia, which was a Roman province in what is now Turkey. Galatia was the area where on his first missionary journey Paul established the congregations in Pisidia Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe . Although there have been several other books written by bible scholars alike on Pauls   letter to the Galatians but that of Ralph Martin and Julie Wu under review is by normal standard one of the best annotated books of understanding. The book is explicit and clear in its outline with the use of interesting pictures and boxes to highlight points in a very concise manner, the colour combination is attractive and makes the book appeal to reading and learning. Authorship and date Paul was attributed to have written no fewer than thirteen epistles in the New Testament. Out of this thirteen, seven are almost universally accepted, three are considered in some academic circles as other than Pauline for textual and grammatical reasons, and the other three are in dispute in those same circles. It was gathered that Paul writing documented today in the book of Galatians was a dictation through a secretary (or amanuensis), who would usually paraphrase the gist of his message, as was the practice among first-century scribes. It was also gathered that the message in the book of Galatians was first circulated among the Christians, where they were read aloud by members of the church along with other works. That was why some bible scholars regard Pauls epistles which was said to have been written between 50-62 to be one of the earliest-written books, if not the first written book of the New Testament as they were cited around c. 96 by Clement of Rome. It must be emphasised that this letter which was largely traceable to Paul was part of the intensive trips/missions to the east and west of the Aegean Sea†¦during which he concentrated in the succession of the provinces of Galatia, Macedona, Achaia and Asia Although, scholars have not agreed on a specific date because the exact year is difficult to determine, but some placed the date of Pauls writing his letter to the Galatians between 48 to 52 AD. To some scholars the date was a time when Pauls writing was put before the Jerusalem Council. According to then, the materials before the Council dealt with the issue of circumcision and the Law of Moses and whether such issue is relevant in view of the New Testament teachings. The argument here is that Pauls letter to the Galatians did not mention the Jerusalem Council and that if the council had met before the date of Pauls writing his letter, Paul would have mentioned the decisions of the apostolic council in Jerusalem. Before of this assumption, scholars believed Paul must have written this letter to the Galatians before the Jerusalem Council, which was around 48 to 49 AD. Expectedly, there is another group of scholars who argued that Pauls Galatian letter should be dated at a date after the Jerusalem Council. According to this group, Paul began his second missionary journey after the Council had met. This group cited Acts 16:4 where it was recorded that Paul revisited the churches of Galatia to deliver the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in the Jerusalem Council. They also argued that it was after this date that Paul went to Greece to teach for close to two years while on his second missionary journey, this would place the date of its being written around 52 AD. Purpose Galatians purpose was primarily to resolve the dispute among churches in Galatians. During Pauls mission in Corinth, false teachers were overturning the decision of the Jerusalem Council by claiming that the Gentile Christians must be circumcised according to the Law of Moses to be saved. To try to settle the matter, Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians from Corinth, where he was unable to leave his missionary work at the time. In other words, Paul wrote his letter to Galatians while in Corinth. Another purpose is for Paul to counter the Judaizer view. Paul was particularly interested in refuting the false teachers spread by false teachers and to remind the Galatians of the roots of their faith. The three issues surrounding false teaching Paul was trying to tackle include: That Paul was not a true apostle and did not have the full backing of the church in Jerusalem and that they (the false teachers) are the true apostle accredited by James; That while Paul brought the Galatians the gospel of Jesus Christ, he had failed to give them the full undiluted gospel and that; Without adherence to the Jewish Law, the church would have no ethical guidelines and would fall into immorality. Structure The book of Galatians has 6 Chapters, and was written in polemical style and tone, yet with a clear rhetorical structure and deep pastoral concern for the readers, to enforce the twin themes of faith and freedom (9). The book is carefully structured into five distinct parts. The first part contained greetings and introduction (Galatians 1:1-10). The second part (Galatians 1:11-2:21) was used to defend Paul apostolic ministry of the pure gospel as against the false teachers. The third part was used to defend the gospel of justification and salvation by grace and faith alone (Galatians 3:1-4:31) while the fourth part was dedicated to defending the freedom Christians have to love one another and live by the Spirit. Galatians 5:1-6:10. The last part includes conclusion and summation (Galatians 6:11-18). Conclusion This work has been to review Pauls letters to the Galatians at the time the false prophets and teachers were spreading fake counsels and heresies about Paul and his teachings. The book was structurally crafted to treat the purpose and intent of Paul in a very clear manner. Pauls Galatians is regarded as his very first epistle in the New Testament.

Kurt Vonneguts Who Am I This T Essay -- essays research papers

Growing up we learn the importance of many different things. Of all these things, we have learned that being accepted into society, forming friendships, and loving someone are very important to us. In Kurt Vonnegut’s short story, “Who Am I This Time?';, we see through the experiences of Helene Shaw that by shutting ourselves off from others around us we can miss out on some of the most important things in life. Many things are important to us, one of these is being accepted by our society. We all hate to be the outsider or the new kid, because we feel alone and secluded . In “Who Am I This Time?';, Helene Shaw’s job kept her moving to a different town every eight weeks. She became very cold to her surroundings in order to ease the transition from ...

Humorous Wedding Speech by a Friend of the Groom (Bridegroom) :: Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Humorous Wedding Speech by a Friend of the Groom (Bridegroom) Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen - My name is Charles. I've tried to memorise this speech, but forgive me if I resort to my notes every five seconds. I did ask for an autocue to be set up in front of me, but apparently the wedding budget doesn't stretch that far. And, unfortunately, neither does my eyesight. Laughter I've known Steven for 22 years now and we've had more good times than I can remember - and we'd have had a one more if I hadn't run out of money in that strip cub on the other night. During this period, I’ve seen Steven go through many evolutionary changes to end up the man he is today. And in order to understand exactly what went wrong, we must start by examining his early goals in life. At school, Steven had two goals: 1) To play for the school baseball (cricket) team – which he did. In fact, his prowess was legendary and he single-handedly rewrote the school record books - shortest time at bat (in bat), most catches dropped and most unforced errors in a single game (wides bowled in an over). The list is endless. 2) To star in a school play – and his first opportunity came with the school’s major production of â€Å"Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs†, in which Steven was cast as one of the dwarfs. And very soon, he had made the part his own. From the outset, he personified his role day and night, living and breathing the essence of his character. And many say they’ve never since seen a more virtuoso performance of Dopey. After leaving school, Steven’s goal was to travel the world. But he only got as far as New Zealand, where we all new it would suit him down to the ground. What with the sun, sea, surf and, of course, the biggest draw of them all – the sheep. On his return, his goal was to land a job in a bank because they had the two things he liked best: money and holidays. But if it hadn’t been for me it might never have happened. When applying for the job he asked me to give his application form a quick once over before he sent it off. It was a good thing he did. Where he was asked, ‘Length of residence at present address,’ he had replied, ‘About 20 meters – not counting the garage.

Red Badge Of Courage :: essays research papers

Article Review on "Red Badge of Courage" The book Red Badge of Courage, is about a physical and emotional pain that a solider of the Civil War might of went through. The soldiers pain comes from all of the horrible things associated with war. The main character, Henery Fleming, joins the Union army dreaming of the heroic things he will accomplish. During the war he discovers that war is not so great and becomes real unsure of himself. Henry then meets up with his friend Jim Then halfway through the book he confronts his cowardice and gains a realistic and sense of duty and responsibility. When the novel ends he has conquered his fear. Then Henry meets Wilson, the loud solider, who I think represents the two sides of human nature. Wilson is a mean and tough guy that no one likes and then towards the end of the book he finds that he really cares about Henry. While Henry is dealing with all of his emotions they are moving into war. The book Red Badge of Courage is insightful because it gives great detail about the hardship of war, the physical and emotional side of it. It shows how a young solider of the Civil War would have felt and also it shows all his fears. It is not just about war and the fighting, the book gives details about the camp and the other soldiers that Henry Flemmings interacts with. Stephen Crane has a unique writing style because it is very symbolic and it paints a lot of pictures for you. Crane is very imaginative and takes a look from one viewpoint into an isolated person and his relationship with society. I believe the book was well writing at times because some parts could have used more detail. It would have been easier to understand. Some parts of the book I felt like I was really there but others it just felt so distance. This work is important because of its historical value that it has with the Civil War. It tells not just about the war itself and what is going on but the emotion al side of a young solider. It tells how soldiers break down in war and that all of them are heroes at sometime in the war. I learned from the book that you must face your fears and that if you run from them once then the next time you must face them.

Dram Shop Laws Essay

Dram shop laws are instituted for all places which serve alcoholic beverages including restaurants, taverns and bars. An employee of these establishments may not serve alcohol to minors or those ‘visibly intoxicated’. If the person which consumed the beverage leaves the establishment, gets in an accident or causes bodily harm to another person, the establishment and the server may be held liable for damages. However, this should not be the case. Those who were intoxicated and caused the accident should be the only ones held liable for damages he or she caused to another person. Too many people take advantage of the legal proponent which allows these places which serve alcohol to be held liable. I would like to remove this proponent and make a revision to Montana’s Dram Shop laws, making it better for servers and consumers alike. In the following I will tell you some positive and negative outcomes if this change ever were to occur. I am going to answer the question of the whether Montana should have the liability clause which puts establishments at risk of being held financially responsible. In order to come to a conclusion, both sides must be heard. I will begin why we should remove these laws and positive outcomes. Should Montana in fact have liability clauses which enable the tavern or bar to be held liable? The job of a bartender can be a tedious and stressful one. By removing the liability element of the Dram Shop laws, bartenders can focus on their jobs instead of on attempting to recognize the signs of someone who is ‘visibly intoxicated’ (Rumberger: Kirk & Caldwell). This becomes especially difficult on a bustling Saturday evening when the bass of the band is thrumming in your ears and ten different people are calling out, â€Å"Bartender! On busy Saturday nights, not only are the bartenders kept busy, but the tills are as well. Businesses make quite a bit of money on nights like these; however the liability clause can put a damper on the profits of small, local businesses. Part of a bartender’s whole job is to encourage the buying of alcohol, and the drinker should respond by leaving when he or she has noticed they have developed that ‘buzzed’ feeling. The bartender’s job is simple; tend the bar and comply with the wishes of your customers. When servers have to cut off drinkers, feelings are often brushed and money lost. When someone gets particularly offended, physical altercations can often occur, posing a major health safety risk for all those in the bar. With these laws in place, often bartenders and bouncers put their welfare on the line when it comes to removing drunken patrons. When is seemingly too intoxicated to continue drinking, it is the duty of the bartender to refuse any further service to the customer. Even though this is required by law, it can often result in one if not both, of the parties involved to leave with a bump or bruise, if not worse. When it comes to injuries in public establishments, people these days seem to get all together ‘sue-happy. ’ Without these laws putting liability on establishments which took no part in the maiming of others, the person who actually committed the offence will be the only one who can be held responsible. There are many cases which someone is offended, injured or leaves and commits another crime which can then be financially supported by the small business. Now that I have gone over the positives, I will now explain the negative effects of the removal of this element of the Dram Shop laws. We all know drunk driving is an all too common occurrence in the United States. Most people probably don’t know that a studies conducted have shown that nearly 80 million trips a year are made with a driver having consumed some amount of alcohol (Major Mark Willingham). This means that all establishments must do their part in making these numbers go down. By keeping these laws, bartenders will continue to be pressured to keep people better under-control in bars and taverns. Bartenders are specially trained to recognize the signs of people when they are beginning to show signs of intoxication and how to handle the following situations. Without these laws, employees will lose the proper training by employers with the lack of enforcement (CADCA). These guidelines can help to quickly clear up situations which pose a threat to the server or those also in the bar. As an establishment which serves alcohol, taverns and bars have an obligation to their customers to perform all aspects of proper service (expertpages. om). When someone comes into a place to be served alcohol, bartenders should be able to aid in helping for these customers get home by cutting them off. They are also supposed to provide any service which is asked, usually complied with a cheery demeanor. All these aspects create the foundation for proper service in these establishments. Without the liability element of the Dram shop laws, there is an element of pressure which can result in the loss of proper service. The blatant cause for most terms of Dram shop laws is simple; reduce harmful alcohol consumption and all accidents which would be classified as alcohol-related (whatworksforhealth. com). With all the fine-toothed combed sections of these laws, the ideal set-up has been instituted in communities in order to control these situations. With the concept of liability, these laws do not only hold the person who committed the crime or offence, but can help to keep bars and taverns in check and doing their jobs. Some terms that must be corrected before this law becomes valid are the concept of ‘visual intoxication. ’ There is no clear definition by which you can define someone as visibly drunk, some people are just morons. Some people act more or less drunk than they are. The legal drinking age of 21 must also be clearly stated. I still believe that the liability aspects of Dram Shop laws should be removed. Bartenders keep clients in line as much as possible, but should not suffer blame and loss of business in order to make an educated guess at the intoxicated state of another person. Too many people have taken advantage of these small businesses and there needs to be only one person, the one truly responsible, to be held liable. When these establishments get slam-jammed busy, there is no way for one or two people to properly assess the mental state of someone, especially a stranger. Enough pressure is applied to these businesses in economic times like those we are in. we should take away the possibility that someone could take business, money and good name of any bar or tavern.

Ethan Frome Essay

Ethan Frome had nothing but sickness and trouble. His life revolves around taking care of one invalid after another, from his father, his mother to his hypochondriac wife and finally ending up as a disfigured and very image of â€Å"ruin of a man†. He failed to achieve any of his ambitions to leave town and become an engineer and did not succeed even in his desire to run away with Mattie Silver. Aside from poverty, the rigid moral character of Ethan prevents him from going against the social conventions in favor of his personal ambitions and fulfillment. Set in New England, in the rural town of Starkfield, Massachusetts, this literary piece was written by Edith Wharton in 1922. The bleak environment of seemingly endless winter aptly sets the tone of the story and the fate of Ethan Frome. A narrator who was forced to stay in Starkfield because of a workers strike was instantly fascinated by Frome’s appearance that looks quite old for a man of fifty-two and disfigured since an accident twenty-four years ago when he first saw him outside of the post office. He went on to find out more about him as he â€Å"had the story, bit by bit, from various people, and, as generally happens in such cases, each time it was a different story† (1). The story of Ethan Frome is a portrayal of a passive and unhappy man who is weighed down by his duty to his wife and his bitter existence as a poor farmer. Ethan had been in Starksfield since his youth when his father died and he had to come home to take care of his ailing mother and their farm. Prior to this event, he was taking a technological course in Worcester but the lack of money prevented him from realizing his dream to become an engineer. He decided to marry Zenobia Pierce or Zeena, his cousin who came to help him care for his mother, after the burial as he was afraid to spend the winter alone. Though Zeena was lively and cheerful at first, she later on fell silent and sickly. He woulf often think that had his mother died in the springtime he would not have thought of offering marriage to Zeena. Her illnesses became her obsession as she would go on a monthly trip to Bettsbridge to see her doctor. For rural towns like Starkfield, people with sickness or complications are common topic for conversations and are â€Å"singled out for a great fate†. Zeena’s illness became her weapon that she uses to take control of the household and of Ethan. Mattie Silver actually came to the Fromes to do the household chores in exchange for the food and shelter as she was also destitute after the death of her parents. Since she was not used to doing housekeeping, Ethan would help her out in doing her chores just so she would not incur the wrath of Zeena. Ethan eventually fell in love with lively and cheerful Mattie who gave Ethan respite from the isolation and loveless match with a sickly and whining woman. The illicit relationship however advances to no more than holding of hands as both Mattie and Ethan are too afraid to defy the forces of social and marital duties. The time came though that Zeena decided to send Mattie away because of a broken red pickle dish that is symbolic in the story of the marriage of Ethan and Zeena. The idea of living apart from each other was unbearable for Mattie and Ethan that upon the suggestion of the former, they went on to take a sleigh ride that would crash them into the big elm tree. The attempted suicide failed leaving Ethan disfigured and Mattie a paralyzed woman. The irony of the story is that in the end Zeena seem to overcome her illness and became the caregiver of the now invalid, whining Mattie and the lame Ethan. The entire life of Ethan Frome had been a series of dreams destroyed because of the circumstances of him being poor and his adherence to social duty. His opportunity to leave town and finish education to eventually become an engineer was hindered when his father died and he has a farm and an ailing mother to take care of. Their farm as he said was â€Å"side-tracked† when the railroads where put up and no more people came to town. He blames this as the cause as to why his mother’s condition deteriorated. It could also mean the lost opportunities for the town and also to him as the place got left behind in the course of development. Ethan was one of the people stuck in Starkfield, a place where â€Å"most of the smart ones get away†(14) as Harmon Gow, the stage driver in the story, aptly puts it. The bleakness that surrounds Starkfield, for one thing, is not an environment that would nurture youth and create a field for dreams to come true. The narrator in the story noted that although he initially felt invigorated by the clear blue skies and shocking white of snow, this was soon followed by long periods of cold and darkness that he begun to understand the â€Å"deadness of the community† (15). In an environment that was neither nurturing nor bountiful, Ethan is further subdued into the tangled web of harshness and scarcity. The Fromes practically had to eke living from what little they could get from their farm for their survival. The connection between the land and the people is symbolic in the story. The environment made life for the townspeople difficult such as when Ethan and another man had to struggle in the sleet just to be able to transport logs. Starkfield is isolation in itself, with the places beyond it seen as a place to â€Å"get away† so as to seek a different fortune or freedom from the drab and coldness of the place. The limitations of the environment coupled with poverty further intensified the lost potentials of Ethan Frome. There was the poignant scene where the narrator accidentally left his biochemistry book in the sleigh and later on sees it in Frome’s hand. Ethan was both fascinated and humbled by the book as he exclaimed, â€Å"There are things in that book that I didn’t know the first word about† (18). It shows that Ethan’s curiosity and intellect had very few outlets in that kind of environment. For a fifty-two year old man who found excitement in a book, it is painful to think of what he could have been had he got the chance to explore his potentials. The conflict between personal passion and social convention is another theme portrayed in the story. The character of Zeena and Mattie were so different that the reader would readily understand the choice of Ethan between them. Mattie symbolizes beauty and energy in her ways, in the colors that she uses from the ribbons in her hair to the dish that she illicitly uses whereas Zeena possesses the deathly and sickly qualities in life. The sexual and emotional frustration in the marriage of Zeena and Ethan is symbolized by the unused pickle dish. Though shown as Zeena’s most prized possession, it remains at the topmost of the china closet left and unused. The barren relationship that they have is further portrayed with them not having children and hardly ever sharing a conversation. Ethan fell in love with Mattie and had come to hate Zeena but his strong sense of marital duty prevents him from deciding to be with Mattie. He acts with uncertainty and frustration under the looming shadow of his obligation to Zeena that it created a conflict in him. Ethan is also hesitant to leave his sickly wife for he believes that if he went away it would leave Zeena alone and penniless. Even in the moment when Zeena went away, her presence was greatly felt in imagined visions and in the symbol of the cat. Conventionally, the society upholds marriage as a sacred bond and is, in fact, at the apex of the set social orders. A man and woman are joined in marriage; it is protected by the norms of the society to keep the union intact. The critical eyes of the society is so that it could even permeate walls of intimate moments like the evening that Ethan and Mattie spent together when Zeena went away from the town to see a doctor. Their excitement though withered when the cat broke the dish and the looming figure of Zeena in their minds. Zeena’s absence bear more weight that her presence that conversation became impossible. The circumstance does not allow them to attempt to recreate a fantasy of life together, spending an evening as a husband and wife would. Their passion was shrouded by guilt and the unseen eyes of the society that both of them felt in the situation. As Ethan noted † in the warm lamplit room, with all its ancient implications of conformity and order, she (Mattie) seemed infinitely farther away from him and more unapproachable† (54). Conformity and order in the living room reminded Ethan that it belongs to Zeena and Ethan and could never be Mattie and Ethan. And when Ethan crossed the line when showed the slightest act of passion by kissing a piece of cloth that she was sewing, Mattie was spurred into retreating, scared of the repercussions with the transgression made. Poverty also limited the illicit lovers from taking serious step in pursuing an adulterous affair. Mattie, for one, was in a very precarious condition being dependent on the Fromes for her daily sustenance. Having nowhere else to go, she is also afraid of going into that kind of relationship with Ethan that could take away the refuge that she now has. Ethan, on the other hand, his duty to his wife and even to the Hales prevents him from acting on the situation like the loan that he planned to take from the Hale in able to elope with Mattie. Ethan did not only sacrifice his chance on love but he also sacrificed his ambitions just so he can fulfill his social duties. He had to give up his dream to move out of Starkfield and of becoming an engineer to care for his father, his mother and the farm. And upon the death of his mother, he end up in frustrated desire to fulfill his dreams for he was trapped in a marriage with a sickly wife whom he cannot bear to leave because of her condition. Though a sympathetic character, Ethan Frome can be also frustrating because of his lack determination to change the course of his life. He allows circumstances to take over him and did not decidedly pursue his interests and ambitions. Like the epitaph of the original Ethan Frome in the graveyard with his wife Endurance, he endures rather than act on his fate in pursuit of happiness and fulfillment. In his relationship with Mattie, instead of finding the courage to address his dilemma he opted for suicide with his lover, which he did not even decide on but took on upon the suggestion of Mattie. This was his only bold decision in the entire novel but this too ended up as a failure leaving him ruined and destined to live his entire life with an invalid lover and a controlling wife. Though Ethan is a sensitive and decent person he lacks emotional strength and determination. Instead of mustering enough courage to defy conventions, he chose not to take decisions and face the consequences of it, The deadened vitality of Ethan Frome from the decades of frustrations and his inability to rise up beyond the circumstances had left him in a situation where is â€Å"not much difference between the Fromes up at the farm and the Fromes down in the graveyard†.