Wednesday, July 31, 2019

On Turning Ten

On Turning Ten Billy Collins Billy Collins was born in New York City in 1941. Collins is a member of the faculty of SUNY Stonybrook Southampton College, where he teaches poetry workshops. He was appointed as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He served as Poet Laureate in New York from 2004 to 2006. He has been named Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Winter Park Institute in Winter Park, Florida. In his early ages, he attended Archbishop Stepinac High School in White Plains and received a B.A. (English) from the college of the Holy Cross in 1963 and received his M. A. and PhD in English from the University of California, Riverside. Billy Collins has been called â€Å"The most popular poet in America† by the New York Times. The poem on Turning Ten by Billy Collins was written in 1996. The poem is about leaving the childhood behind and growing up. It gives new perspective on aging and how it feels when becoming old. Over the years, the U. S. agazine Poetry ha s awarded Collins several prizes in recognition of poems they publish. During the 1990s, Collins won five such prizes. The magazine also selected him as â€Å"Poet of the Year† in 1994. In 2005 Collins was the first annual recipient of its Mark Twain Prize for Humor in Poetry. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts and in 1993, from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Bag of Bones CHAPTER NINETEEN

The telephone was ringing. I climbed toward it from a drowning dream where I couldn't catch my breath, rising into early sunlight, wincing at the pain in the back of my head as I swung my feet out of bed. The phone would quit before I got to it, they almost always do in such situations, and then I'd lie back down and spend a fruitless ten minutes wondering who it had been before getting up for good. Ringgg . . . ringgg . . . ringgg . . . Was that ten? A dozen? I'd lost count. Someone was really dedicated. I hoped it wasn't trouble, but in my experience people don't try that hard when the news is good. I touched my fingers gingerly to the back of my head. It hurt plenty, but that deep, sick ache seemed to be gone. And there was no blood on my fingers when I looked at them. I padded down the hall and picked up the phone. ‘Hello?' ‘Well, you won't have to worry about testifyin at the kid's custody hearin anymore, at least.' ‘Bill?' ‘Ayuh.' ‘How did you know . . . ‘ I leaned around the corner and peered at the waggy, annoying cat-clock. Twenty minutes past seven and already sweltering. Hotter'n a bugger, as us TR Martians like to say. ‘How do you know he decided ‘ ‘I don't know nothing about his business one way or t'other.' Bill sounded touchy. ‘He never called to ask my advice, and I never called to give him any.' ‘What's happened? What's going on?' ‘You haven't had the TV on yet?' ‘I don't even have the coffee on yet.' No apology from Bill; he was a fellow who believed that people who didn't get up until after six A.M. deserved whatever they got. I was awake now, though. And had a pretty good idea of what was coming. ‘Devore killed himself last night, Mike. Got into a tub of warm water and pulled a plastic bag over his head. Mustn't have taken long, with his lungs the way they were.' No, I thought, probably not long. In spite of the humid summer heat that already lay on the house, I shivered. ‘Who found him? The woman?' ‘Ayuh, sure.' ‘What time?' †'Shortly before midnight,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ they said on the Channel 6 news.' Right around the time I had awakened on the couch and taken myself stiffly off to bed, in other words. ‘Is she implicated?' ‘Did she play Kevorkian, you mean? The news report I saw didn't say nothin about that. The gossip-mill down to the Lakeview General will be turnin brisk by now, but I ain't been down yet for my share of the grain. If she helped him, I don't think she'll ever see trouble for it, do you? He was eighty-five and not well.' ‘Do you know if he'll be buried on the TR?' ‘California. She said there'd be services in Palm Springs on Tuesday.' A sense of surpassing oddness swept over me as I realized the source of Mattie's problems might be lying in a chapel filled with flowers at the same time The Friends of Kyra Devore were digesting their lunches and getting ready to start throwing the Frisbee around. It's going to be a celebration, I thought wonderingly. I don't know how they're going to handle it in The Little Chapel of the Microchips in Palm Springs, but on Wasp Hill Road they're going to be dancing and throwing their arms in the sky and hollering Yes, lawd. I'd never been glad to hear of anyone's death before in my life, but I was glad to hear of Devore's. I was sorry to feel that way, but I did. The old bastard had dumped me in the lake . . . but before the night was over, he was the one who had drowned. Inside a plastic bag he had drowned, sitting in a tub of tepid water. ‘Any idea how the TV guys got onto it so fast?' It wasn't superfast, not with seven hours between the discovery of the body and the seven o'clock news, but TV news people have a tendency to be lazy. ‘Whitmore called em. Had a press conference right there in Warrington's parlor at two o'clock this morning. Took questions settin on that big maroon plush sofa, the one Jo always used to say should be in a saloon oil paintin with a naked woman lyin on it. Remember?' ‘Yeah.' ‘I saw a coupla County deputies walkin around in the background, plus a fella I reckonized from Jaquard's Funeral Home in Motton.' ‘That's bizarre,' I said. ‘Ayuh, body still upstairs, most likely, while Whitmore was runnin her gums . . . but she claimed she was just followin the boss's orders. Said he left a tape sayin he'd done it on Friday night so as not to affect the cump'ny stock price and wanted Rogette to call in the press right off and assure folks that the cump'ny was solid, that between his son and the Board of Directors, everythin was going to be just acey-deucey. Then she told about the services in Palm Springs.' ‘He commits suicide, then holds a two A.M. press conference by proxy to soothe the stockholders.' ‘Ayuh. And it sounds just like him.' A silence fell between us on the line. I tried to think and couldn't. All I knew was that I wanted to go upstairs and work, aching head or no aching head. I wanted to rejoin Andy Drake, John Shackleford, and Shackleford's childhood friend, the awful Ray Garraty. There was madness in my story, but it was a madness I understood. ‘Bill,' I said at last, ‘are we still friends?' ‘Christ, yes,' he said promptly. ‘But if there's people around who seem a little stand-offy to you, you'll know why, won't you?' Sure I'd know. Many would blame the old man's death on me. It was crazy, given his physical condition, and it would by no means be a majority opinion, but the idea would gain a certain amount of credence, at least in the short run I knew that as well as I knew the truth about John Shackleford's childhood friend. Kiddies, once upon a time there was a goose that flew back to the little unincorporated township where it had lived as a downy gosling. It began laying lovely golden eggs, and the townsfolk all gathered around to marvel and receive their share. Now, however, that goose was cooked and someone had to take the heat. I'd get some, but Mattie's kitchen might get a few degrees toastier than mine; she'd had the temerity to fight for her child instead of silently handing Ki over. ‘Keep your head down the next few weeks,' Bill said. ‘That'd be my idea. In fact, if you had business that took you right out of the TR until all this settles down, that might be for the best.' ‘I appreciate the sense of what you're saying, but I can't. I'm writing a book. If I pick up my shit and move, it's apt to die on me. It's happened before, and I don't want it to happen this time.' ‘Pretty good yarn, is it?' ‘Not bad, but that's not the important thing. It's . . . well, let's just say this one's important to me for other reasons.' ‘Wouldn't it travel as far as Derry?' ‘Are you trying to get rid of me, William?' ‘I'm tryin to keep an eye out, that's all caretakin's my job, y'know. And don't say you weren't warned: the hive's gonna buzz. There's two stories going around about you, Mike. One is that you're shacking with Mattie Devore. The other is that you came back to write a hatchet-job on the TR. Pull out all the old skeletons you can find.' ‘Finish what Jo started, in other words. Who's been spreading that story, Bill?' Silence from Bill. We were back on earthquake ground again, and this time that ground felt shakier than ever. ‘The book I'm working on is a novel,' I said. ‘Set in Florida.' ‘Oh, ayuh?' You wouldn't think three little syllables could have so much relief in them. ‘Think you could kind of pass that around?' ‘I think I could,' he said. ‘If you tell Brenda Meserve, it'd get around even faster and go even farther.' ‘Okay, I will. As far as Mattie goes ‘ ‘Mike, you don't have to' ‘I'm not shacking with her. That was never the deal. The deal was like walking down the street, turning the corner, and seeing a big guy beating up a little guy.' I paused. ‘She and her lawyer are planning a barbecue at her place Tuesday noon. I'm planning to join them. Are people from town going to think we're dancing on Devore's grave?' ‘Some will. Royce Merrill will. Dickie Brooks will. Old ladies in pants, Yvette calls em.' ‘Well fuck them,' I said. ‘Every last one.' ‘I understand how you feel, but tell her not to shove it in folks' faces,' he almost pleaded. ‘Do that much, Mike. It wouldn't kill her to drag her grill around back of her trailer, would it? At least with it there, folks lookin out from the store or the garage wouldn't see nothing but the smoke.' ‘I'll pass on the message. And if I make the party, I'll put the barbecue around back myself.' ‘You'd do well to stay away from that girl and her child,' Bill said. ‘You can tell me it's none of my business, but I'm talkin to you like a Dutch uncle, tellin you for your own good.' I had a flash of my dream then. The slick, exquisite tightness as I slipped inside her. The little breasts with their hard nipples. Her voice in the darkness, telling me to do what I wanted. My body responded almost instantly. ‘I know you are,' I said. ‘All right.' He sounded relieved that I wasn't going to scold him take him to school, he would have said. ‘I'll let you go n have your breakfast.' ‘I appreciate you calling.' ‘Almost didn't. Yvette talked me into it. She said, â€Å"You always liked Mike and Jo Noonan best of all the ones you did for. Don't you get in bad with him now that he's back home.† ‘Tell her I appreciate it,' I said. I hung up the phone and looked at it thoughtfully. We seemed to be on good terms again . . . but I didn't think we were exactly friends. Certainly not the way we had been. That had changed when I realized Bill was lying to me about some things and holding back about others; it had also changed when I realized what he had almost called Sara and the Red-Tops. You can't condemn a manor what may only be a figment of your own imagination. True, and I'd try not to do it . . . but I knew what I knew. I went into the living room, snapped on the TV, then snapped it off again. My satellite dish got fifty or sixty different channels, and not a one of them local. There was a portable TV in the kitchen, however, and if I dipped its rabbit-ears toward the lake I'd be able to get WMTW, the ABC affiliate in western Maine. I snatched up Rogette's note, went into the kitchen, and turned on the little Sony tucked under the cabinets with the coffee-maker. Good Morning America was on, but they would be breaking for the local news soon. In the meantime I scanned the note, this time concentrating on the mode of expression rather than the message, which had taken all of my attention the night before. Hopes to return to California by private jet very soon, she had written. Has business which can be put off no longer, she had written. If you promise to let him rest in peace, she had written. It was a goddam suicide note. ‘You knew,' I said, rubbing my thumb over the raised letters of her name. ‘You knew when you wrote this, and probably when you were chucking rocks at me. But why?' Custody has its responsibilities, she had written. Don't forget he said so. But the custody business was over, right? Not even a judge that was bought and paid for could award custody to a dead man. GMA finally gave way to the local report, where Max Devore's suicide was the leader. The TV picture was snowy, but I could see the maroon sofa Bill had mentioned, and Rogette Whitmore sitting on it with her hands folded composedly in her lap. I thought one of the deputies in the background was George Footman, although the snow was too heavy for me to be completely sure. Mr. Devore had spoken frequently over the last eight months of ending his life, Whitmore said. He had been very unwell. He had asked her to come out with him the previous evening, and she realized now that he had wanted to look at one final sunset. It had been a glorious one, too, she added. I could have corroborated that; I remembered the sunset very well, having almost drowned by its light. Rogette was reading Devore's statement when my phone rang again. It was Mattie, and she was crying in hard gusts. ‘The news,' she said, ‘Mike, did you see . . . do you know . . . ‘ At first that was all she could manage that was coherent. I told her I did know, Bill Dean had called me and then I'd caught some of it on the local news. She tried to reply and couldn't speak. Guilt, relief, horror, even hilarity I heard all those things in her crying. I asked where Ki was. I could sympathize with how Mattie felt until turning on the news this morning she'd believed old Max Devore was her bitterest enemy but I didn't like the idea of a three-year-old girl watching her mom fall apart. ‘Out back,' she managed. ‘She's had her breakfast. Now she's having a d-doll p-p-p . . . doll pi-p-pic ‘ ‘Doll picnic. Yes. Good. Let it go, then. All of it. Let it out.' She cried for two minutes at least, maybe longer. I stood with the telephone pressed to my ear, sweating in the July heat, trying to be patient. I'm going to give you one chance to save your soul, Devore had told me, but this morning he was dead and his soul was wherever it was. He was dead, Mattie was free, I was writing. Life should have felt wonderful, but it didn't. At last she began to get her control back. ‘I'm sorry. I haven't cried like that really, really cried since Lance died.' ‘It's understandable and you're allowed.' ‘Come to lunch,' she said. ‘Come to lunch please, Mike. Ki's going to spend the afternoon with a friend she met at Vacation Bible School, and we can talk. I need to talk to someone . . . God, my head is spinning. Please say you'll come.' ‘I'd love to, but it's a bad idea. Especially with Ki gone.' I gave her an edited version of my conversation with Bill Dean. She listened carefully. I thought there might be an angry outburst when I finished, but I'd forgotten one simple fact: Mattie Stanchfield Devore had lived around here all her life. She knew how things worked. ‘I understand that things will heal quicker if I keep my eyes down, my mouth shut, and my knees together,' she said, ‘and I'll do my best to go along, but diplomacy only stretches so far. That old man was trying to take my daughter away, don't they realize that down at the goddam general store?' ‘I realize it.' ‘I know. That's why I wanted to talk to you.' ‘What if we had an early supper on the Castle Rock common? Same place as Friday? Say five-ish?' ‘I'd have to bring Ki ‘ ‘Fine,' I said. ‘Bring her. Tell her I know â€Å"Hansel and Gretel† by heart and am willing to share. Will you call John in Philly? Give him the details?' ‘Yes. I'll wait another hour or so. God, I'm so happy. I know that's wrong, but I'm so happy I could burst!' ‘That makes two of us.' There was a pause on the other end. I heard a long, watery intake of breath. ‘Mattie? All right?' ‘Yes, but how do you tell a three-year-old her grandfather died?' Tell her the old fuck slipped and fell headfirst into a Glad Bag, I thought, then pressed the back of my hand against my mouth to stifle a spate of lunatic cackles. ‘I don't know, but you'll have to do it as soon as she comes in.' ‘I will? Why?' ‘Because she's going to see you. She's going to see your face.' I lasted exactly two hours in the upstairs study, and then the heat drove me out the thermometer on the stoop read ninety-five degrees at ten o'clock. I guessed it might be five degrees warmer on the second floor. Hoping I wasn't making a mistake, I unplugged the IBM and carried it downstairs. I was working without a shirt, and as I crossed the living room, the back of the typewriter slipped in the sweat coating my midriff and I almost dropped the outdated sonofabitch on my toes. That made me think of my ankle, the one I'd hurt when I fell into the lake, and I set the typewriter aside to look at it. It was colorful, black and purple and reddish at the edges, but not terribly inflated. I guessed my immersion in the cool water had helped keep the swelling down. I put the typewriter on the deck table, rummaged out an extension cord, plugged in beneath Bunter's watchful eye, and sat down facing the hazy blue-gray surface of the lake. I waited for one of my old anxiety attacks to hit the clenched stomach, the throbbing eyes, and, worst of all, that sensation of invisible steel bands clamped around my chest, making it impossible to breathe. Nothing like that happened. The words flowed as easily down here as they had upstairs, and my naked upper body was loving the little breeze that puffed in off the lake every now and again. I forgot about Max Devore, Mattie Devore, Kyra Devore. I forgot about Jo Noonan and Sara Tidwell. I forgot about myself. For two hours I was back in Florida. John Shackleford's execution was nearing. Andy Drake was racing the clock. It was the telephone that brought me back, and for once I didn't resent interruption. If undisturbed, I might have gone on writing until I simply melted into a sweaty pile of goo on the deck. It was my brother. We talked about Mom in Siddy's opinion she was now short an entire roof instead of just a few shingles and her sister, Francine, who had broken her hip in June. Sid wanted to know how I was doing, and I told him I was doing all right, I'd had some problems getting going on a new book but now seemed to be back on track (in my family, the only permissible time to discuss trouble is when it's over). And how was the Sidster? Kickin, he said, which I assumed meant just fine Siddy has a twelve-year-old, and consequently his slang is always up-to-date. The new accounting business was starting to take hold, although he'd been scared for awhile (first I knew of it, of course). He could never thank me enough for the bridge loan I'd made him last November. I replied that it was the least I could do, which was the absolute truth, especially when I considered how much more time both in person and on the phone he spent with our mother than I did. ‘Well, I'll let you go,' Siddy told me after a few more pleasantries he never says goodbye or so long when he's on the phone, it's always well, I'll let you go, as if he's been holding you hostage. ‘You want to keep cool up there, Mike Weather Channel says it's going to be hotter than hell in New England all weekend.' ‘There's always the lake if things get too bad. Hey Sid?' ‘Hey what?' Like I'll let you go, Hey what went back to childhood. It was sort of comforting; it was also sort of spooky. ‘Our folks all came from Prout's Neck, right? I mean on Daddy's side.' Mom came from another world entirely one where the men wear Lacoste polo shirts, the women always wear full slips under their dresses, and everyone knows the second verse of ‘Dixie' by heart. She had met my dad in Portland while competing in a college cheerleading event. Materfamilias came from Memphis quality, darling, and didn't let you forget it. ‘I guess so,' he said. ‘Yeah. But don't go asking me a lot of family-tree questions, Mike I'm still not sure what the difference is between a nephew and a cousin, and I told Jo the same thing.' ‘Did you?' Everything inside me had gone very still . . . but I can't say I was surprised. Not by then. ‘Uh-huh, you bet.' ‘What did she want to know?' ‘Everything I knew. Which isn't much. I could have told her all about Ma's great-great-grandfather, the one who got killed by the Indians, but Jo didn't seem to care about any of Ma's folks.' ‘When would this have been?' ‘Does it matter?' ‘It might.' ‘Okay, let's see. I think it was around the time Patrick had his appendectomy. Yeah, I'm sure it was. February of '94. It might have been March, but I'm pretty sure it was February.' Six months from the Rite Aid parking lot. Jo moving into the shadow of her own death like a woman stepping beneath the shade of an awning. Not pregnant, though, not yet. Jo making day-trips to the TR. Jo asking questions, some of the sort that made people feel bad, according to Bill Dean . . . but she'd gone on asking just the same. Yeah. Because once she got onto something, Jo was like a terrier with a rag in its jaws. Had she been asking questions of the man in the brown sportcoat? Who was the man in the brown sportcoat? ‘Pat was in the hospital, sure. Dr. Alpert said he was doing fine, but when the phone rang I jumped for it I half-expected it to be him, Alpert, saying Pat had had a relapse or something.' ‘Where in God's name did you get this sense of impending doom, Sid?' ‘I dunno, buddy, but it's there. Anyway, it's not Alpert, it's Johanna. She wants to know if we had any ancestors three, maybe even four generations back who lived there where you are, or in one of the surrounding towns. I told her I didn't know, but you might. Know, I mean. She said she didn't want to ask you because it was a surprise. Was it a surprise?' ‘A big one,' I said. ‘Daddy was a lobsterman ‘ ‘Bite your tongue, he was an artist ‘a seacoast primitive.' Ma still calls him that.' Siddy wasn't quite laughing. ‘Shit, he sold lobster-pot coffee-tables and lawn-puffins to the tourists when he got too rheumatic to go out on the bay and haul traps.' ‘I know that, but Ma's got her marriage edited like a movie for television.' How true. Our own version of Blanche Du Bois. ‘Dad was a lobster-man in Prout's Neck. He ‘ Siddy interrupted, singing the first verse of ‘Papa Was a Rollin' Stone' in a horrible off key tenor. ‘Come on, this is serious. He had his first boat from his father, right?' ‘That's the story,' Sid agreed. ‘Jack Noonan's Lazy Betty, original owner Paul Noonan. Also of Prout's. Boat took a hell of a pasting in Hurricane Donna, back in 1960. I think it was Donna.' Two years after I was born. ‘And Daddy put it up for sale in '63.' ‘Yep. I don't know whatever became of it, but it was Grampy Paul's to begin with, all right. Do you remember all the lobster stew we ate when we were kids, Mikey?' ‘Seacoast meatloaf,' I said, hardly thinking about it. Like most kids raised on the coast of Maine, I can't imagine ordering lobster in a restaurant that's for flatlanders. I was thinking about Grampy Paul, who had been born in the 1890s. Paul Noonan begat Jack Noonan, Jack Noonan begat Mike and Sid Noonan, and that was really all I knew, except the Noonans had all grown up a long way from where I now stood sweating my brains out. They shit in the same pit. Devore had gotten it wrong, that was all when we Noonans weren't wearing polo shirts and being Memphis quality, we were Prout's Neckers. It was unlikely that Devore's great-grandfather and my own would have had anything to do with each other in any case; the old rip had been twice my age, and that meant the generations didn't match up. But if he had been totally wrong, what had Jo been on about? ‘Mike?' Sid asked. ‘Are you there?' ‘Yeah.' ‘Are you okay? You don't sound so great, I have to tell you.' ‘It's the heat,' I said. ‘Not to mention your sense of impending doom. Thanks for calling, Siddy.' ‘Thanks for being there, brother.' ‘Kickin,' I said. I went out to the kitchen to get a glass of cold water. As I was filling it, I heard the magnets on the fridge begin sliding around. I whirled, spilling some of the water on my bare feet and hardly noticing. I was as excited as a kid who thinks he may glimpse Santa Claus before he shoots back up the chimney. I was barely in time to see nine plastic letters drawn into the circle from all points of the compass. CARLADEAN, they spelled . . . but only for a second. Some presence, tremendous but unseen, shot past me. Not a hair on my head stirred, but there was still a strong sense of being buffeted, the way you're buffeted by the air of a passing express train if you're standing near the platform yellow-line when the train bolts through. I cried out in surprise and groped my glass of water back onto the counter, spilling it. I no longer felt in need of cold water, because the temperature in the kitchen of Sara Laughs had dropped off the table. I blew out my breath and saw vapor, as you do on a cold day in January. One puff, maybe two, and it was gone but it had been there, all right, and for perhaps five seconds the film of sweat on my body turned to what felt like a slime of ice. CARLADEAN exploded outward in all directions it was like watching an atom being smashed in a cartoon. Magnetized letters, fruits, and vegetables flew off the front of the refrigerator and scattered across the kitchen. For a moment the fury which fuelled that scattering was something I could almost taste, like gunpowder. And something gave way before it, going with a sighing, rueful whisper I had heard before: ‘Oh Mike. Oh Mike.' It was the voice I'd caught on the Memo-Scriber tape, and although I hadn't been sure then, I was now it was Jo's voice. But who was the other one? Why had it scattered the letters? Carla Dean. Not Bill's wife; that was Yvette. His mother? His grandmother? I walked slowly through the kitchen, collecting fridge-magnets like prizes in a scavenger hunt and sticking them back on the Kenmore by the handful. Nothing snatched them out of my hands; nothing froze the sweat on the back of my neck; Bunter's bell didn't ring. Still, I wasn't alone, and I knew it. CARLADEAN: Jo had wanted me to know. Something else hadn't. Something else had shot past me like the Wabash Cannonball, trying to scatter the letters before I could read them. Jo was here; a boy who wept in the night was here, too. And what else? What else was sharing my house with me?

Monday, July 29, 2019

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Technology

Chief among there is its convenience, efficiency and effectiveness in work, study, and research. It must be said that there are a number of substantial problems associated with the phenomenon of modernized technology. The one that springs immediately to mind is the potential risk of overusing technology in our lives. At the other end of the spectrum, there are many and varied merits to the concept of easily accessible up-to-date technology. Perhaps most importantly, it assists people to carry out their work faster. In my own experience, I found that technological appliances such as computer and mobile phone have assisted me a great deal in my occupation. As an accountant, I usually liaise with my clients to discuss about their account issues. Sometimes, problems can be solved via only a phone call. In addition, the aid of computer has reduced amount of my work significantly. At the end of the day, the positives effects of using digital technology and its convenience and efficiency for most people are more convincing than the negative aspects. If digital technology were never invented, our lives would be never wonderful as they should be. There is a school of thought which contends that features, talents and shortcomings humanity is born with determine our social skills and growth considerably more than any education and real-life scenarios throughout our lives. From my personal perspective, I am unable to concur with this view. First and foremost, it is clearly evident that while beasts inherit all the intuition needed for existence when they come into the world, humanity is virtually useless at birth and takes the first 20 years of life acquiring survival prowess. / To begin with, it is immediately apparent that off spring inherit incredible genetic †hard-wired† abilities at birth, but unless they are encouraged to evolve these, such talents will manifest themselves. / First and foremost, it is clearly evident that if an individual has skill at something, it becomes pparent in earlier youth. People do not wake up one morning as excellent/superb athletes or academics at the age of 35. Similarly, lack of ability or learning difficulties are usually noticed at a very young age. This strongly recommends that babies are neither born with distinct abilities nor they are. †¦.. At the end of the day, in the course of our daily existence, any educative processes and life-changing events exert far g reater control than aspects, natural abilities as well as weak points that are contained in our genetic make-up.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Women And Slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Women And Slavery - Essay Example Slaves were owned by their masters, having no rights of their own. They were subject to brutal punishments often for false or whimsical reasons, depending upon the desire or mood of the master who owned them. Men were beaten and often killed by their masters for unavoidable human error. Deliberate offenses were punished by cruel torture, such as being left in the hot sun while restrained by a stock, after being beaten and horsewhipped on a bare back. â€Å"Patrollers† were men assigned to riding on horseback through areas to check for slaves off the plantations; runaways were punished. Both men and women runaways were branded on their cheeks with an R, signifying runaway. Male slaves who attempted to run away were beaten and had their tendons slashed on one leg so they couldn’t walk very well, much less run. Women were often beaten and raped by their masters to satisfy their base natures or to provide some form of entertainment; children were born of these events, were owned, like livestock. The slaves were frequently traded and sold in the open market at designated marketplaces. They were chained together and displayed in a public place. Each potential buyer would examine the slave they were interested in as livestock; the body, attitude, and minimal history of each slave was considered. Slaves social and work history were recorded along with their trade records; for example, it would list the name of the slave, the amount of pervious purchase, any significant social history, such as violence or mental instability, with the current asking price; often these histories were inaccurate. It was rare that families were allowed to remain together; each person being sold piecemeal, although, young children were usually left with their mothers until they were old enough to be useful as servants or laborers. Neighbors and other plantation owners developed a network for trading slaves. They often borrowed each other’s slaves during times of harvest or disaster. Towards the end of the slavery period, slaves, in preparation for transition, would obtain permission to rent themselves out to neighboring plantation owners in order to make money to buy their freedom. The Slave Codes born from the Negro Act of 1740 controlled every detailed aspect of slave life. The children usually wore no clothing until adolescence; then clothing of the poorest quality was distributed once a year by the master, occasionally winter clothing was issued at Christmas. The elderly or physically disabled slaves received nothing extra, neither warm clothing nor shoes. Slaves weren’t allowed to learn to read or write, neither could they assemble together, nor practice folk traditions, customs, or their religion. Plantation slaves often had more of a sense of community, because they usually worked together. They were often managed by a â€Å"driver† who was of their own community; making him responsible for the performance of every slave on the plantation. It often led to disputes among them, as he also had to be the one to deliver the required punishments. On the plantations, slaves lived in cabins they built for themselves; it was often just a lean to shack of one room, urban slaves lived in the attics or back rooms of the master’s home. Slaves lined up weekly, usually on Saturdays, at a central location on the plantation, usually near the area where butchering was done to receive their weekly rations of food; their diets were poor, usually very high in meat fat and starch. They received flour, molasses, peas and beans, lard, cornmeal, and a poor cut of scrap meat. (From this is comes the tradition some companies still have

Computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Computing - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the field of computer science deals with the idea of computability theory which looks at mathematical and logical problems by examining their solvability. In essence, it examines if a problem can be positively handled by a logic machine or not. In even simpler terms, computability theory works at the very limits of computing power so while we can expect computers today to be very powerful and complex machines; there are certain limits to the problems they can solve. In certain situations, computability theory suggests that specialized computers might be required for solving specific kinds of problems.   The theory, of course, would depend on our own definition of a computer and how a computer operates depending on its language and coding principles. Computability theory considers various models of computers but the three most popular ones are: Finite State Machine Pushdown Automaton System Turning Machine The Finite State Machine is the most common computer machine model which is available to us. It has also been suggested that this is the only theoretical computer model which is realistically possible and all present computers are based more or less on this machine. This computer has a set of predefined states and methods by which transitions can take place from one state to the other. In certain situations, the computer can accept data while in others it is used to output information of some kind. A common desktop computer can be used as a good example of this machine type.

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Responsibility as a Core Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Responsibility as a Core Value - Essay Example Without responsibility, nothing can be achieved because people will look towards each other for action with no one taking action. The sphere of operation of every manager is defined by the allocation of duties and responsibilities. The duties and responsibility will define what actions the employee can take to solve the issue. Managers are leaders because they are endowed the powers and are given a defined responsibility in the business (Snoeyenbos and Humber). In this case, managers may be tasked with ensuring the welfare of the employee is enacted. The movie the smartest guy in the room highlights the necessity of taking responsibility in business and even politically. Responsibility in the film Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room The movie presents challenges faced in the organization if responsibility for the actions is not addressed effectively. The crucial issue depicted in the movie is scandals resulting from the loss of ethics and the power of greed. Despite the existence of fraud, the founder of the company tries to hide the problem by creating a different image. For workers, the company deals with them discriminatory by firing the bottom 15% performers. The strategy is used to increase competitiveness and taking of responsibility for individual performance. The level of competitiveness in the employees is improved by the strategy. However, the strategy does not factor in the role of the managers on the failure in employee performance. Judging by the action of the managers, it is evident that the employees are not accorded the support they require. In addition, the managers are bent on accumulating wealth. The lack of financial and political responsibility makes the whole process difficult and cumbersome for the shareholders. Lou Pai the CEO of the company resigns after stealing about $250 Million despite the department managed by him registering a loss of $1 billion. How can a company division be in losses while the manager of the division accrues a lot of wealth? The issue is straightforward; he does not have any responsibility for the failure of the division. Without responsibility, it is possible for the manager to steal from the company and not be charged. The case also is evident in the spending of the company finances, in gambling. Despite the firing of some individuals, they were not allowed to bear the financial responsibility. The use of public relations to hide the failures of the organization makes the situation complex (Snoeyenbos and Humber 56). Responsibility as a value and The Madoff Affair movie The movie is about Bernie Madoff and the investigation of Martin smith. Madoff is under investigation as the chief perpetrator of a massive financial fraud. Madoff is blamed for stealing $65 billion from investors. Compared to the Enron movie, this moves show the need for holding Madoff for the financial scandal that he instituted. The sentencing of Madoff to a prison term of 150 years marks the climax of the whole proce ss. The Ponzi scheme he operated defrauded investors of over $65 billion. C the sentencing of Madoff is a product of enforcing the responsibility value in the society. The effect of the fraud had a ripple effect in the economy. The success of the whole investigation dependent on the investigation

Friday, July 26, 2019

Knowledge, Innovation and New product Development Essay

Knowledge, Innovation and New product Development - Essay Example rowth rate as compared to the already developed markets; and the economically developed countries like US and Germany are facing greater heat of recession with surging economic crises. Therefore one can think of investment in either India or China. I took India as the country to develop new product because cosmetic, especially 100% herbal and vegetarian Lipstick with variety of shades can be a new product that can be developed in an Indian Market. The increasing urbanization and a growth in the number of office workers have resulted in a strong focus on grooming in that country. 65% of the total population of India is below 35 years of age but only around 30% of the women use lipsticks in India, so there is a wide scope to flourish in India. The USP (unique selling proposition) of this product is its attribute of being 100% Herbal and Vegetarian as almost 40% of the total population in India is vegetarian and till now no other company has launched this type of product in the Indian M arket. Cosmetics and toiletries have seen tremendous growth in 2007. Growth was partly due to high levels of inflation but volume sales also saw dynamic growth. Rising income levels resulted in lower-income groups being able to afford more cosmetics and toiletries and also saw many trading up from unpackaged to packaged products. Meanwhile, mid- and high-income consumers in urban areas began to seek out value-added mass brands and premium products. India can be taken as the country to sell the product as Indian females are considered an epitome of beauty and they are more and more becoming beauty and fashion conscious. The product that can be marketed is a wide range of cosmetics (100%Vegetarian) especially lipsticks and it can be launched in the Indian market by the name: This indeed is true because people will not normally forget the hospitability offered at the service based organization like restaurant, beauty parlor, consultancy firm etc and especially the cosmetic

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Humanities Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Humanities Class - Essay Example In his work, Rousseau holds that the social interactions of individuals with each other are the root cause of all the wrongs happenings in the world and all the elements of corrupt individuals. He believed that when people are born, they are very free in state, their minds are not corrupted and they are pure as created by God. At that moment of time, the humans possess sense of love which is pure valuing someone’s existence in the world (Kant 1781). The individuals therefore hold a sense of harmony about themselves and those around them. But he adds that once humans become integrated with the social settings of the world like property ownership and interdependence, there is where unhealthy happenings occur in societies. It is where the sense of love disappears. He connects these unhealthy behaviours to the competition for resources and antagonism in the world among people. The following illustration outlines how cruelty originates from societal interactions (Hogarth 1751). In the text book, Rousseau believed that â€Å"human were originally pure and morally good in the eyes of others and originator† (Text book pg. 132). Humans lived together in a society that acted as a single large family where everyone loved and cared for one another. If one family lacked some basic need, the family could easily obtain it from the other family who had, they had shared responsibility. People grew together and lived together in harmony and mutual coexistence existed among them. They carried out their activities in unison (Hogarth 1751). There was division of responsibility where women became more sedentary and accustomed themselves to looking after the children while men went out to seek their common subsistence. The two sexes lived softer lives but unfortunately, the single individuals couldn’t fight the common enemy; the wild beasts. This therefore led to the grouping of the families

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

How to be a better writer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

How to be a better writer - Essay Example Also, several books are available to teach these principles. Once the principles have been learnt, then one needs to develop vocabulary. Learning some new words on daily basis is a very good practice and causes one’s vocabulary to expand. This helps in writing because one knows what the exact word that should be used in a sentence to convey the meaning as one intends to be conveyed to the audience is. These days, dictionaries both in book form and those available online are very good sources of vocabulary building. Once sufficient vocabulary has been built, one should practice writing papers of each type. In the start, it will take time. But as time passes, one will develop speed and will be able to write more in less time. Also, the quality of writing may not be very good in the start, but as one practices more, the quality of writing starts to improve. One needs to practice writing daily to achieve

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Disaster recovery team Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Disaster recovery team - Essay Example The business disasters have several causes including human, natural, and mechanical in nature. The committee is in charge of procedures and operations of a discovery exercise. It is the central committee in any business company. For this company, it has twelve members from across all departments operational in the business. The departments are Information technology, management, electrical, finance, human resources, security department, and vendor. The committee must prepare and maintain a discovery plan. It is the first step in the process of planning the recovery. The committee should identify the risks and threats associated with disasters. The committee does this exercise by carrying out risk analysis that includes among others evaluating threats posed to the continuality of the business (Mukhopadhyay, 2005). Other scholars refer to the business risk analysis as the business impact analysis and entails assessing the current environmental and physical control and security structures as well as evaluating their capacity to serve their purposes. Differences in the magnitude of risk depend on location of occurrence, affected asset, as well as time. The committee should classify the risks into various classes while undertaking evaluation. The process helps in arranging on a scale according to priority. The committee can categorize the risks into known categories. External risks refer to those risks that nobody can associate failures of the company with their occurrence (Klein, 2007). Their strengths come from the fact that they are not bound by the company and its management. They fall into four subcategories including natural risks, risks caused by human factors, supplier, as well as civil risks. Completion of evaluation of risks means that the disaster recovery committee should sort and allocate scores to the categories. Determinants could be impact and likelihood. The management can prepare a score sheet to effectively score and

Shakespeare and Austen present Essay Example for Free

Shakespeare and Austen present Essay Exploration of the ways that Shakespeare and Austen present us with different aspects of love or the theme of love looking at similarities and differences in the two texts and bearing in mind the different times they were written in. In this essay, I am going to look two texts, Shakespeares A Midsummers Night Dream and Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice. The theme I am fascinated to write about is love and this is very significant in both books. In A Midsummers Night dream, love is displayed in a more light-hearted way and not absolutely serious, yet, Pride and Prejudice is introduced more meaningful and formal. I will additionally investigate the first impressions of both books. Pride and Prejudices first title was First Impressions. I will not only be investigating how the characters first impressions effect one another but moreover the first impression of the reader and how they are affected by passion. Pride and Prejudice and A Midsummer Nights Dream are, as a matter of first importance, two texts about getting through difficulties and accomplishing emotional fulfilment and those problems. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth, the courageous person, and Darcy, her resulting husband, the main difficulty lies in the books first title: First Impressions. Darcy, the proud, noble nephew, should break from his initial thought of Elizabeth as not handsome enough to tempt me and from his prejudice in opposition to her lack of money and the way her family live. Elizabeths first impressions, however, shows Darcy as arrogant and vain; as an outcome, she later receives offensive accusations in disapproval to him as right. The marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth uncovers the qualities that create a successful marriage. One of these qualities is that the feeling cannot be carried on by look, and should continuously improve as individuals as they get to know each other. At first, Elizabeth and Darcy were far off from one another because of how prejudice they were towards one another. The succession of occasions and bumping into each other which they have both encountered gave them the chance to understand each other and the chance to reveal their true emotions for one another. They discussed and shared that their understanding of each other will head them to a tranquil and enduring marriage. This connection between Elizabeth and Darcy uncovers the significance of getting to know the person before marrying. Both Elizabeth and Darcy are pressured to understand their beginning misunderstandings. The first part of the novel follows Darcys movement to the point at which he is right to allow his affection despite his opinions. In the second part, Elizabeths mixed up impressions are replaced by changed feelings about Darcys loyal personality. Darcys two proposals to Elizabeth show the true advancement of their relationship. His first proposal on page 185 of the novel shows he has grasped his fondness and love for Elizabeth but has not yet developed his hate for her family. When Darcy proposes for the second time, he positively confirms his affection for Elizabeth, now with full understanding of Mr. Darcys exceptional person, joyfully accepts. It shows how they finally achieve the ability to view each other fair eyes. Hermia and Lysander are the lovers where nothing goes their way. Their affection is so solid that nothing would get in the way of their love. This shows their relationship to be really passionate just like Darcy and Elizabeth. Hermia is confronted with a determination to marry Demetrius, the man she doesnt have feelings for. The father of Hermia is the one setting up the marriage. Their affection is so strong that they will let nothing stop them, so they run together into the woods. This sincerely is an indication of correct affection. However, Hermia and Lysanders relationship is almost completely opposite to Darcy and Elizabeth because their relationship is pulled apart by the magic potion, while Darcys and Elizabeths is growing as they are getting to know each other more. In my opinion, I believe that Hermia is the singled out person that speaks thoroughly, articulately, and is most unbelievably civilised in this play about love and any person Now much beshrew my manners and my pride If Hermia meant to say Lysander lied. But, gentle friend, for love and courtesy, Lie further off, in humane modesty. Such separation as may well be said becomes a virtuous bachelor and a maid, So far be distant; and good night, sweet friend. Thy loves neer alters till thy sweet life end. This implies that Hermia is most obviously expressive when she explains her love to Lysander. An additional case is Why are you grown rude! What changed is this, sweet love? This indicates that Hermia is definitely caring towards her love to Lysander I think that Hermia is the most appropriate person in A Midsummer Nights Dream that speaks articulately, and most incredibly sympathetic in this play about love. Pride and Prejudice is a novel in which people marry for love, personality and happiness, however, A Midsummer Nights Dream portrays it as mad and a bit ridiculous but there is nothing to do about it. The marriage between Jane Bennet and Charles Bingley is also a case of successful marriage. Elizabeth shows her feelings of the relationship when she says, really believed all his (Bingley) expectations of felicity, to be rationally founded, because they had for basis the excellent understanding, and super-excellent disposition of Jane, and a general similarity of feeling and taste between her and himself. Bingley honestly adores Jane for who she really is. Unlike Darcy and Elizabeth, there is damage in their connection. The imperfection is that both characters are too nai ve and too great-hearted to ever act positively in conflict to outer forces that might try to split them: You (Jane and Bingley) are each of you so complying, that nothing will ever be resolved on; so easy, that every servant will cheat you; and so generous, that you will always exceed your income.

Monday, July 22, 2019

Alice in Wonderland Essay Example for Free

Alice in Wonderland Essay As the Cheshire-Cat appears and sits on a limb of a tree with his grinning face while Alice is walking in the forest he explains to her that everyone in wonderland is mad even Alice, which is why she is there. Alice did not agree with the Cheshire-Cat but continued on her way to see the March Hare anyways. Being mad or crazy does not always make a person bad. In fact the Cheshire-Cat was right, all the people in Wonderland were indeed mad and they were all there for that reason. In every classic story there are good characters versus bad characters. In the book, Alice in Wonderland written by Lewis Carroll, there is no exception. The characters Alice, the White Rabbit, and the Cheshire-Cat are all positive characters in the story and the Queen of Hearts is the villain or the negative character in Wonderland. Positive characters can be identified in the story of Alice in Wonderland by their personalities and how each character interacts with one another. Lewis Carroll only made one distinctive negative character and the rest he made either positive characters or characters that are Just in the middle. Most of the characters in the ook are middle characters that do not have a good or bad sense of personality. Negative characters can be identified by color and personality as well. The Queen of Hearts for instance is represented by the color red with represents fury and anger. That describes the Queen perfectly. Alice is a positive character in the story of Alice in Wonderland. She is the main character of the story. Lewis Carroll does a good Job of portraying Alice as a young curious and well mannered lady. Youth and innocence can describe Alice as a positive character. Throughout the whole story Alice gets onfused quit easily when talking to the other people in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter and the Caterpillar especially. Although she is in an obscure and crazy world, Alice keeps her cool for the most part and tries to keep her senses. In the world of Wonderland, however, being sane is mad, which allows Alice to fit right in with the others (From Alice on Stage). The White Rabbit was made to contrast Alice in every way. He is timid, old, punctual, and often nervous. The White Rabbit can be seen as a positive character because he is white in color, also because he is somewhat helpful. Although he is shy and nervous he does not do anything that would make him be considered a negative character. I would say he is somewhat of a mediator, neither positive nor negative. The White Rabbit is significant in the story of Alice in Wonderland in order to understand Alice more (From Alice on Stage). Most unique of them all is the Cheshire-Cat. When Alice first comes across the Cheshire-Cat he is in the house of the Duchess and is grinning very widely. From the way he is first described I thought that he was going to be a negative character in the story. His grin seemed some what villainous and because he was mysterious led to the conclusion he was a negative character. After the book goes on the Cheshire-Cat is very calm and sensible in the mad world of Wonderland. He helps Alice when she need someone to talk to and when she has questions about Wonderland. The Cheshire-Cat is the most knowledgeable about Wonderland and fits right in when it comes to craziness (Spark Notes from Alice in Wonderland). Queen of Hearts. Some of the other characters have their moments of rudeness or snappy ways but none of them can be identified as complete negative characters esides the Queen of Hearts. When we first meet the Queen she comes into the yard yelling orders at everyone and being very rude. From the beginning you can tell that the Queen has anger and fury within her. Because she is red in color she can be identified as negative. Red usually has a bad connotation and is usually associated with anger and fire or fury. She makes irrational decisions, most of them affecting everyone but herself. Everyone in her court is afraid of her because she is known for prosecuting and beheading anything and anyone who gets in her way (From Alice on Stage). Of all the characters in Alice in Wonderland the Queen of Hearts and Alice are the most significant. I would not say that in this story there is a hero or villain, but Just positive and negative characters. A lot of the characters in the story were middle characters that had no sense of good or bad, they were Just mad. Everyone in Wonderland was mad, including Alice, that is why she ended up in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll defined each character using their personalities. The Queen of Hearts impatient, loud, and obnoxious and Alice is curious, sensible, and has a sense of uperiority.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Introduction To Polyurethane Foam Engineering Essay

Introduction To Polyurethane Foam Engineering Essay Polyurethanes are broad class of materials used widely in many applications. Polyurethanes are also written as PUR. Polyurethanes also called as urethanes are characterized by urethane linkage -NH- C (=O) O . This linkage is formed due to the reaction of isocyanate group with hydroxyl group as shown in the following equation. [2] Equation 1.1 Equation showing the reaction of urethane linkage in polyurethanes. [2] Polyurethanes are discovered by Otto Von Bayer co workers in 1937. [3] The characteristic structure of urethanes is given as: And they can be considered as esters or amide esters of carbonic acid. [3] The polyurethanes are also sometimes called as urethanes only and they are also called as isocyanate polymers. They are synthesized by the reaction of polyfunctional hydroxyl compounds with polyfunctional isocyanates. [3] The structure of polyurethane formed from di hydroxyl compound and di isocyanate is given as: Polyurethane is widely used in various fields such as making of plastics, cushions, foams, rubber goods, synthetic leathers and fibres. The total annual production of urethanes in the world is estimated to be 8 million tons per year and is increasing 4-5 % yearly. [4] Polyurethane is a versatile polymer having unique chemistry with excellent mechanical and optical properties and have good solvent resistance. [5] Polyurethanes are materials with many applications but major applications are in furniture industry, foam industry, building construction and shoe industry and also polyurethanes can be used in medicinal and agricultural applications. [6] Polyurethanes have large number of applications and uses in different areas due to their versatility but most important application of polyurethane which has covered almost 29% of the total market of polyurethane is polyurethane foam. [7] 1.2 Polyurethane Foam The major application of polyurethane is polyurethane foams which are extensively used in many applications. They are referred as PUR foams and they are prepared by the reaction of addition, condensation or cyclotrimerization. [2] Following table shows the type of reaction in the foaming system and the resulting foam property present in the foam produced by that respective reaction. Foam Reaction Foam Property Polyurethane Poly addition Flexible and rigid Polyisocyanurate Poly cyclo trimerization Rigid Polyamide Poly condensation Flexible and rigid Polyimide Poly condensation Semi rigid and rigid Polyurea Poly addition Flexible and rigid Poly Carbodiimide Poly condensation Semi rigid Poly Oxazolidone Ring opening Poly addition Rigid and semi rigid Table 1.1 Table showing different types of foam based on their synthesis reaction [2] Mainly PUR foams are classified into two types which is flexible and rigid foam and then flexible and rigid foam are classified into various sub types depending upon the different type of applications in which they are used. Polyurethane structure consist of a polyol and polyisocyanate component we can say that polyols are the building blocks and isocyanates are jointing agents. So polyurethane foam chemistry is called as building block chemistry. All kinds of polyurethane foams are prepared with the proper choice of polyol and isocyanate component with respect to chemical structure, equivalent weight and functionality. [2] Following table shows the classification of PU foam with respect to polyol component and functionality. Polyol Rigid foam Semi rigid foam Flexible foam OH No. 350-560 100-200 5.6-7.0 OH Equivalent No. 160-100 560-280 10,000-80 Functionality 3.0-8.0 3.0-3.5 2.0-3.1 Table 1.2 Classification of polyurethane foam w.r.t polyol and functionality [2] 1.3 Foam Preparation Technology Polyurethane foams are prepared by mixing isocynate component in polyol having catalyst, fillers, additives, surfactants and other chemicals in it. No heating is required at room temperature. [2] 1.3.1 Foaming Systems Foaming systems are classified into three types based on the type of chemicals used in the synthesis process. These types are: One step One shot system Quasi Pre polymer system Full Pre Polymer system One step system and Quasi system are mostly used in foaming industries now in which one step process is used majorly while pre polymer system was used only in the early times of urethane industry. [2] 1.3.1.1 One step one shot System In one step system Component A and Component B are taken separately. Component A contains only polyisocyanate component while component B contains polyol, surfactant, blowing agent and catalyst. Both components are mixed which led to the formation of foam. 1.3.1.2 Quasi Pre polymer System In this system in component A polyisocyanate component is taken with polyol and in component B rest of the ingredients are taken with polyol which includes catalyst, blowing agent etc. Mixing forms a foaming product. 1.3.1.3 Full Pre polymer System In full prepolymer system in component A poly isocyantae component is taken and polyol is also added in it while in component B polyol is not added while the rest of chemicals like blowing agents, surfactants and catalyst are taken. Components A B are mixed and foam is formed. These foaming systems show only two component system however in industrial processes there are modifications. For example in slabstock process three or four streams are employed carrying different reactants. [2] 1.3.2 Foaming Processes Mainly three types of foaming processes are used, which are cup foaming, box foaming and machine foaming. Machine foaming is further classified into various foaming processes. [2] 1.3.2.1 Cup Foaming This foaming process is also known as hand mixing. This method is mostly used for lab scale synthesis of foaming products. In this process mixing is done in paper or plastic cups thats why called as cup foaming. In cup foaming poly isocyanate component is taken in a cup and rest of the reactants are also taken in a separate cup which includes polyols, catalysts etc. Then both the components are mixed using electric balance or by hand mixing and a foaming material is formed in the shape of a cup. This is the simple and cheap foaming process thats why used widely on lab scale. 1.3.2.2 Box Foaming Box foaming is better than cup foaming to obtain sufficient amount of samples for evaluating foam properties for machine foaming. The sizes of the box range from 15x15x15 cm and 30x30x30 cm. The inside of the box is lined with craft paper. The procedure is almost similar to that of cup foaming and mixing is done through electric drill equipped with mixer. Immediately after mixing system is poured into the box and allowed to rise to obtain foam. Foam is cured at room temperature after some time. [2] This method is also used largely on lab scale to produce foam. 1.3.2.3 Machine Foaming In machine foaming variety of machine processes are available which are one by one described as under. [2] 1.3.2.3.1 Large Box Foaming It is a discontinuous process used to produce small foam blocks with smaller volumes. The size can be 1x1x2 meters. Due to exothermic conditions small modification is required in the process as compared to the box foaming process. 1.3.2.3.2 Slabstock Foaming Slabstock foam is made by the continuous pouring of foamable liquids on a moving conveyer. A cut-off segment of the continuously produced foam loaf is called a block or bun [2]. In the case of polyether-based flexible urethane foam, a slabstock foam size can be about 1 meter high and 2 meters wide, with a foam density of 1.6 to 2.0 pound/ft3. The cross section is rectangular with a crown-shaped top surface. The higher the crown, the less the yield of available foam. Two techniques canto used to reduce the crown. One method is to pull vertical sides of rising foam. Another technique is to compress the top of crown surface. Equipment for doing this is commercially available. [2] 1.3.2.3.3 Pour-in-Place Foaming This process includes pouring of foaming ingredients into a void space to form an integral part of the foam and substrates. Products which use this process are household refrigerators and deep freezers. 1.3.2.3.4 Sandwich Foaming and Molding Sandwich foaming is used to produce sandwich panels from foam cores. It can be produced continuously using conveyers or discontinuously using jigs. Surfaces material can be craft paper in it. Molding is used to produce shaped foam products such as car seats and furniture. Reactants are placed in mold cavity and cured in the mold. After curing molded foam is removed. [2] 1.3.2.3.5 Spraying and frothing Spraying is a unique process used for urethane and iso cyanurate foams .It creates insulation layers not only on flat surfaces like roofs but also on non flat surfaces such as spherical tanks and pipes and building structures such as frames. Frothing process in urethane systems is similar to that of shaving cream. There are different types of frothing processes which are conventional frothing processes, chemical frothing and thermal frothing etc. Frothing process usage depends upon the reactants and conditions and which type of foaming product is required. [2] 1.4 Types of Polyurethane foams Major classes of polyurethane foams are flexible and rigid foam further these two types are more classified according to their extensive applications. 1.4.1 Flexible Polyurethane foam Flexible polyurethane foams are synthesized by slabstock process or by molding process and they are also classified further on the basis of technique used for their synthesis. They are also classified on the basis of polyol in polyether and polyester foams. Slabstock foams include conventional polyether foam, high-resilience (HR) foam, visco-elastic foam, super-soft foam, energy-absorbing (EA) foam, semi flexible foam, and flexible polyester foam. Molded foams are classified in two classes: hot molded foam and cold molded foam. [2] All classes of flexible foams are explained one by one as follows . 1.4.1.1 Slab stock foam The contionous piece of foam by the continuous pouring of foaming ingredients on a continuously moving conveyer is called slab stock foam. A cut off segment of slab stock foam is called as bun foam. Slab stock process is widely used in industry in production of flexible polyurethane foam. [2] In slab stock foam process inclined conveyer is used from the beginning of urethane industry. Following figure shows the production line of contionuous slab stock machine. Figure1.1 Continuous slabstock machine [2] The cross section of slabstock foams produced by the inclined conveyer process is not exactly rectangular and has crown shape. A crown-shaped cross section of foam bun results in a lower yield of fabricated foams. Accordingly, some improved processes to obtain rectangular cross sections have been proposed. One step process is widely used in these foaming systems. All ingredients are pumped into the mixing head through several streams and are poured from the mixing head onto the moving conveyer. From the standpoint of viscosity and metering accuracy, some ingredients are preblended. These blends include a blend of water and amine catalyst, a blend of tin catalyst and polyol, and a blend of physical blowing agent and polyol. The reaction temperatures in core foam usually reach about 160 to 170Â °C. The exothermic heat is mainly a function of the water-isocyanate reaction. The reaction temperatures are affected by the isocyanate index, water level, and catalyst concentration.[2] Poly ether slab-stock foam is important in slab-stock flexible PU foams and it is produced by this slab-stock process widely in industries. 1.4.1.2 Molded Flexible foams Molded flexible foams are used for making shaped products such as automotive seats, child seats, head restraints, vibration damping for automobiles, arm rests, furniture cushions and mattresses. The density distribution of molded foams is composed of high density skin foam and low density core foam. In the molding process mixed foaming ingredients are poured through a mixing head into a preheated mold made of aluminum, steel, or epoxy resin. The mixed ingredients flow and expand in the mold, and then the molded foams are kept at the required curing temperature for a limited time, which is followed by de-molding.[2] Molded flexible foams are further classified into hot molded and cold molded flexible polyurethane foams. 1.4.1.2.1 Hot Molded flexible foams Hot molded foam is produced using conventional polyether polyol with TDI 80/20. In 1961 hot-molded urethane foam mattresses was commercialized that provided better sleeping comfort than slabstock foam mattresses and greater durability. Because of the relatively higher cost, however, the molded mattress was not competitive with slabstock foam mattresses, and production was discontinued. [2] 1.4.1.2.2 Cold Molded flexible foams Cold molded flexible foam is prepared at very low mold temperatures of 60 to 70 Â °C with mold retention time of 10 minutes and then cured in a separate oven or at room temperature. In this type mostly isocyante components used are blends of TDI MDI and polyol used is polymer or graft polyol. Dual hardness automotive seats are made by this process using graft polyols. [2] 1.4.1.2.3 High Resilience HR foams HR foams have higher resiliency than conventional flexible foams. These foams are prepared by cold molded process. The formulation principle is to reduce intermolecular interactions such as hydrogen bonding of urethane linkages, irregular structures of polymeric molecule, and so on. High Molecular weight polyether polyols are used in the formulation of these foams. Polyisocyante components used are blends of TDI MDI with the weight ratio of 80/20. Also polymeric MDI alone can be used. HR foms are widely used in furniture and automotive applications. [2] 1.4.1.2.4 Visco-elastic foam Visco-elastic VE foams are characterized by slow recovery after compression. The foam is also called low-resiliency foam, slow-recovery foam, ergonomic foam, better-riding comfort foam, and temperature-sensitive foam. VE foams are used by NASA in early 1960 but they are highlighted commercially only in the recent years. VE foams are synthesized using polyol blend of high and low molecule weight polyols with TDI or MDI, and they can also be produced using blend of MDI TDI with polyether polyol. TDI-based VE foams are soft to the touch and have very low resilience and slow recovery. MDI-based foams are easier to process and can be produced in a wider range of isocyanate indexes. However, physical strengths of MDI-based foams are lower, resilience is higher, and compression set is better than TDI-based foams. The VE foam market includes seat cushions for people who spend a long time sitting such as truck drivers, office workers, and airline pilots, as well as for NASAs space shuttle seats, wheelchair seats, and so on; sporting goods that require energy absorption such as gym mats, helmet linings, leg guards for ice hockey, ski boots, and ice skates. [2] Our main product is VE foam and it is further explained in the later chapters. 1.4.1.2.5 Super soft slab-stock foam This foam can be prepared by using a high molecular weight polyether triol with TDI 80/20. Blowing agent can be water alone or some physical blowing agent can be used with water. It is a low density foam. Major market of super soft foam is high quality back cushions for sofas. This foam also have low cross linking density. [2] 1.4.1.2.6 Semi flexible slab-stock foam These foams have high open cells, high load bearing and high energy absorbing characteristics. These foams are used in large number of automotive applications such as bumper cores, interior knee bolsters, side impact absorbing door panels, and headliners under the automotive roof. Due to energy absorbing characteristics this foam may be called as Energy absorbing EA foam. [2] 1.4.1.2.7 Reticulated foam It is 100% open cell structure foam with no cell membranes. Removal of cell membranes for polyether foam is possible when membranes are dissolved with an alkaline solution. Reticulated foam find its applications in various mats, filters and pads.[2] Mostly the foam used in floor mats is this type of foam and it is mostly used in making mats and filters because it is completely open celled foam. 1.4.1.2.8 Integral skin flexible foam Integral skin foam is also called self skin foam. It consists of high density skin foam and low density core foam that is sandwich structure. The mold temperature for integral skin foam is carefully controlled at 40 to 70 Â °C. Water can be used as a blowing agent but it produces thin skins. Integral skin foam is prepared by open mold process or by reaction injection molding. [2] 1.4.1.2.9 Micro-cellular Elastomers These are also called foamed urethane elastomers. The density is in the range of about 320 to 960 kg/m3. Micro-cellular foams are prepared by using aliphatic polyester diols with poly tetra methylene ether glycol (PTMEG). The poly isocyanate component used is TDI pre-polymer and liquid MDI. Also chain extenders and cross linkers are used. Water is used as a blowing agent. These elastomeric foams are used for various shock absorbing elements in vehicle suspensions, precision machines, shoe soles and sports shoes etc. [2] 1.4.1.2.10 Shoe Sole foam The advantages of polyurethane foam in shoe soles include high abrasion resistance, high flexibility, low density, high cushioning, and solvent resistance. In addition, the direct molding of the sole with the upper part of shoe makes it possible to increase production efficiency and lower production costs. Casual shoes are produced using polyether-based foam systems. Some sports shoes such as tennis shoes are produced by polyester foam systems, because polyester-based foam has higher abrasion resistance, tensile strength, and elongation at break in comparison with polyether-based foams. [2]

Saturday, July 20, 2019

The Knights Tale in Geoffrey Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay

The Knight's Tale in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales The Knight's Tale is one of the twenty-two completed Canterbury Tales by the celebrated English Writer Geoffrey Chaucer (1343-1400). The Canterbury Tales are a collection of 120 stories that Chaucer began writing in 1386, and planned to complete during his lifetime. Each of the tales features a large range of characters in a great variety of medieval plots, along with interesting dramatic interaction. The Knight's Tale itself was completed sometime between 1386 and 1400. It is found in its entirety in the Ellesmere manuscript, one of the earliest of Chaucer's remaining manuscripts. The Ellesmere features the story, as well as an elaborately done pictorial representation of The Knight's Tale done in woodcarvings. The story line of this tale is based on Italian writer Boccaccio's Teseida written in 1381 or 1382. Chaucer's Knight's tale is a chivalric romance about love and war. These characteristics are presented as two possible sources of human affliction yet are celebrated in a very honoring, ceremonious way. In the tale, two knights are our main characters. Their story embodies the chivalric principles of honor and especially courtly love. In desperation they both decide they must either die or gain the heart of the beautiful maiden Emelye. After years, they eventually meet to fight for her in a duel. This was a common method of winning a lady in Chaucer's age due to the ide als introduced by former Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine of France (1122-1204). The romantic tradition of the work stresses passion and honor and their importance in successful courtly love. Although The Knights Tale is known primarily for its concentration on courtly love, the work... ...ov, 1998. <http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/knight.htm>. 6. Jokinen, Anniina. "The Knight's Tale in images". Nov. 3, 1997. 8 Nov, 1998. <http://www.luminarium.org/medlit/knightimg.htm>. 7. "Knight. WAV". Downloaded WAV file. Brigham Young University. 8 Nov, 1998. <http://english.byu.edu/chaucer/wav/knight.wav>. 8. "The Knight's Tale". The Geoffrey Chaucer Homepage. The University of Harvard. Feb. 2, 1998. 8 Nov, 1998. <http://icg.harvard.edu/~chaucer/canttales/knight/ktsum.html>. 9. "The left out tales: The Knight's Tale". The University of Texas. 8 Nov, 1998. <http://www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~scoggins/316british/chaucercanon/tales.html#knight>. 10. Tobias, Tom. "The Canterbury tales: The Knight's Tale". Virginia Tech University. 8 Nov, 1998. <http://sfbox.vt.edu:10021/T/tomt220/knit.html>.

The Origin of the Work of Art Essay -- Literary Analysis, Heidegger

In The Origin of the Work of Art, Heidegger attempts to the answer the question of what art is, as well as try to find the origin of art itself. In his attempt Heidegger distinguishes between his ideas of â€Å"Work† and â€Å"Equipment†. While, central to his argument within The Origin of the Work of Art, these ideas are important within themselves in Heidegger’s Philosophy. In this essay I will define as well as compare and contrast these two concepts. I will also explain the ideas of â€Å"Earth† and â€Å"World† presented by Heidegger in order to facilitate this goal. Finally, I’ll conclude the paper by summarizing the key concepts and their relationship to one another. In order to accomplish the goal of defining and explaining both â€Å"Equipment† & â€Å"Work†; I’ll need to introduce and explain two other prevalent concepts in Heidegger’s work. These are the concepts of â€Å"World† and â€Å"Earth†. First I’ll start with the notion of â€Å"World†. Heidegger writes, â€Å"The world is not the mere collection of the countable or uncountable, familiar and unfamiliar things that are at hand† (Heidegger, pg.170). Heidegger is stating that the â€Å"World† isn’t merely an ontical concept that most of us perceive of, a totality of matter existing within the material conception of â€Å"World†. Heidegger clearly explains, â€Å"The world worlds, and is more fully in being than the tangible and perceptible realm in which we believe ourselves to be at home† (Heidegger, pg 170). Heidegger defines â€Å"World† as an ontological concept, in which a web of significant relations exists between Dasein and all that is ready-at-hand. For example, a coffee table exists in a web of significant relations for it points to those who regularly sit at it, which then can branch of to the various conversations ha... ...e work lets the earth be an earth† (Heidegger, pg 172). He then adds, â€Å"The opposition of world and earth is strife† (Heidegger, pg 174). We finally have the criteria of what â€Å"Work† is. Heidegger explains that work sets up a world and sets forth the â€Å"Earth†. â€Å"The work is an instigating of this strife† (Heidegger, pg 175). That strife opens truth or as Heidegger puts it, â€Å"Aletheia† to the observer of the â€Å"Work†. The struggle or â€Å"Strife† is the process of a work of art taking place within the art work itself. In conclusion, the concepts of â€Å"Work† and â€Å"Equipment† that Heidegger presents in The Origin of the Work of Art can be summarized as follows. â€Å"Equipment† defines itself by its use and â€Å"Work† is grounded upon the â€Å"Earth† and â€Å"World† it was created on. Whose essential importance cannot be understated in order to understand Heidegger’s message within the text.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Husserl’s Conceptions of Formal Mathematics Essay -- Edmund Husserl Ma

Husserl’s Conceptions of Formal Mathematics Edmund Husserl’s conception of mathematics was a unique blend of Platonist and formalist ideas. He believed that mathematics had reached a mixed state combining Platonic and formal elements and that both were important for the pursuit of the sciences, as well as for each other. However, he seemed to believe that only the Platonic aspects had significance for his science of phenomenology. Because of the significance of the distinction between these two types of mathematics, I will always use one of the adjectives â€Å"material† or â€Å"formal† when discussing any branch of mathematics, unless I specifically mean to include both. First, I must specify what I mean by each of these terms. By material mathematics, I will mean mathematics as it had traditionally been done before the conceptions of imaginary numbers and non-Euclidean geometry. Thus, any branch of material mathematics seeks to describe how some class of existing things actually behaves. So material geometry seeks to describe how objects lie in space, material number theory seeks to describe how the actual natural numbers are related, and material logic seeks to describe how concepts actually relate to one another. Some of these areas (like material geometry) seek to deal with the physical world, while others (like material logic) deal with abstract objects, so I avoid using the word â€Å"Platonic†, which suggests only the latter. By formal mathematics, I will mean mathematics done as is typical in the 20th century, purely axiomatically, without regard to what sorts of objects it might actually describe. Thus, for formal geometry it is irrel evant whether the objects described are physical objects in actual space, or n-tuples of real nu... ... Bouvier, Bonn, 1981. Tieszen, Richard L. â€Å"Mathematical Intuition: Phenomenology and Mathematical Knowledge†. Kluwer, Boston, 1989. Zalta, Ed. â€Å"Frege’s Logic, Theorem and Foundations for Arithmetic†. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/frege-logic/ Footnotes 1. Lohmar, p. 14 2. However, this claim is itself a material claim of the truth of a statement in material logic, i.e. that the given statement follows from the given axioms, when this statement and these axioms are viewed as actual objects in our reasoning system. 3. Husserl, p. 16 4. Fà ¸llesdal, in Hintikka, p. 442 5. Hill, p. 153 6. Husserl, p. xxiii 7. Husserl, p. 161 8. Gà ¶del, p. 385 9. Husserl, p. 163-4 10. Husserl, p. 167-8 11. Husserl, p. 169 12. Husserl, p. 168-9 13. Husserl, p. 136 14. Gà ¶del, p. 385 15. See Zalta’s discussion of Basic Law V. home

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Littlefield Lab Essay

Since the beginning the team decided to try an aggressive strategy to win the game, assuming a riskier position with higher potential benefits and costs. For that, it was necessary to identify key parameters of the process and design a dashboard to analyze the information and make decisions in a faster way. The key parameters we started monitoring were demand (jobs accepted), stations utilization and lead times of the entire process. The first goal was to balance the line and satisfying the demand. Demand analysis and its relation to order kits In order to predict the future flows of the demand and match the info with the kit orders we create a model in attempting to avoid stock breaks or overstocks and anticipate the purchase of machines. The model considered the median demand of last 2 weeks projected with the growth rate of those weeks. Utilization of stations and its relation to purchase machines In order to to satisfy the demand, generate equilibrium in the capacity of the 3 stations, and avoid bottlenecks to get the maximum profit with the contract 3, the purchasing of new machines were made when utilization of any station was steadely over 80% and was justified by the cost-benefit analysis. Cost-benefit analysis to purchase machines Considering a demand of 30, 60 & 90, the pay back time will be 29, 15 & 10 days on ideal conditions. Changing the contracts When the balance was achieved on the process, then we started to intervene contracts since contract 3 provides the best profitability when the Lab is able to accomplish a promised lead time of 0.5 days being careful of change to contract 2 or 1 if the promised lead time would not be accomplished due to the circumstantial conditions of the process. To optimize the profitability of the jobs received on the first day of every week, we began to modify the contracts according to the following criteria: – Contract 1: If machine 1 had more than 3 jobs waiting for kits on last day of the previous week. – Contract 2: If machine 1 had between 1 to 3 jobs waiting  for kits on last day of the previous week. – Contract 3: If machine 1 had 0 jobs waiting for kits on last day of the previous week. Finally, on day 150 we try an â€Å"all in† strategy spending $160.000 in 1 machine for station 1 and 2 to increase the capacity and to process jobs only on conditions of con tract 3. This decision was taken based on a demand of 91 jobs and a utilization of station 1 of 0.83 between days 143 and 149. Profits analysis The table shows the sources and uses of cash including the analysis of main items. Description Amount, $ Comments Starting Cash + 1.000.000 Revenue +2.770.670 – 493, 226 & 1981 jobs were accepted under contract 1, 2 & 3 respectively. – $ 3.072.000 was the maximum possible revenue. (Calculations: 493 x $ 750 + 226 x $ 1.000 + 1.981 x $ 1.250) – $ 301.220 were lost for non-fulfillment of the contracts. (Calculations: $ 3.072.000 – 2.770.670) Interest +81.993 Station purchases -560.000 – 4 stations N º1 were bought on days 61,115, 141 and 150. – 2 stations N º2 were bought on days 116 and 150. All stations were bought at a certain time which ensures that the investment were payed back before the day 314 considering a pay back period 10-29 days for each station (see cost-benefit analysis). Inventory -1.704.600 – 2.841 kits were bought (including kits ordered by default). – 2.566 kits were ordered on the review period corresponding to day 7. – 2.700 jobs were accepted. Inefficiencies: – 134 kits were needed but not ordered (2.700-2.566 kits). They represent maximum losses of $ 167.500 (134 x $ 1.250) – 141 kits were ordered but not needed (2.841-2.700 kits). They represent losses of $ 84.600 (141 x $ 600) Cash Balance 1.588.064 The cash balance shows that investments on machines and kits were payed back but was not possible to get a better profitability because orders were only 80/week instead 91/week as we predicted on day 150. Conclusion – The Lab purchased the first 4 machines too late, so the up-grade of the process and the pay back of the investments were got too late, affecting profits. – The Lab should not have purchased last 2 machines (station 1 &2), since they were not needed to serve 80 orders/week (demand after day 150 was overestimated). It would have saved $ 160.000. – The contracts were not changed on time, so because of that there was a maximum lost of $ 301.220. – The kits were ordered including the number of jobs waiting for kits at the end of each week, because we do not realize that they were ordered by default. It would saved a maximum of $ 84.600. – The Lab should have worked with LIFO instead FIFO system considering that kits queued for station 1 were mostly already late to be ready at the lead time of 0.5 days under contract 3.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

35 Dumb Things People Say

gym mat Paradowski 35 Dumb Things People give tongue to Dr. Cullen has been referred to as being the better(p) thither is at simplifying the complex issues of diversity in an entertaining and educational manner (MauraCullen. com). As expressed on Dr. Cullens website, she has been capturing the minds and paddy wagon of the great unwashed with dynamic seminars and speaking eng epochments in the United States, Canada and Australia. She is con situationred 1 of the best political science on leadership and diversity. She similarly has worked with everywhere 400 organizations with audiences of up to 8,000 passel. Dr.Cullen holds a doctors degree in Social Justice and conversion direction. She has 25 years of experience as a diversity trainer and loudspeaker system at everywhere 400 universities and organizations. Maura Cullen is the originator of 35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People claim Surprising Things We Say That Widen the transmutation Gap. She is a higher education as similator affairs professional and is the founding skill of the Social Justice Training Institute. (http//www. mauracullen. com). Her Education background includes The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Springfield College and Bridgewater State College. http//www. linkedin. com/in/mauracullen). The audience I believe Dr. Cullen is arduous to reach is everyone in general, further legion(predicate) of the utterings that deal with race ar adapt more(prenominal) towards purity good deal. When course session The 35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say it seems that she was referring to everybody. I am pretty sure on the button nearly everyone has said at least(prenominal) one of the formulations at least at one cartridge holder in their livelihood. Out of the 35 looks listed I involve said 10 of them many a(prenominal) times in my support. The accommodate basic solelyy posits to the intended audience to retrieve onwards you speak. some(prenominal) people cou ld take the book as telling you to more politic only in ally correct. after(prenominal) reading over this chapter to me Dr. Maura Cullen seems to be an velocity class Republican who is besides nimble worrying nigh what everyone theorizes or ranks. She seems to necessitate everyaffair to be very socially and politically correct. In the real orb life ordain never be alike this. Sometimes while reading this chapter of her book I thought she approximates she is better than everyone else. If people didnt submit these things both(prenominal)times the world would be bland and everyone would act the said(prenominal) having no feeling or thoughts of their own.Who is she to say these things argon dumb to say. I am not dictum she is not impertinent but I am saying people need many of these sayings in their life and that yes rough may be considered dumb but some atomic number 18 also very relevant. I in truth dont guess that everyone is press release to think that thi s is repellent or that the soul saying it is an idiot or dumb. In todays day and age I dont think people really care if they floor an another(prenominal) person. I really never thought roughly or spy if any of the sayings in this book were offensive or not.Will I try to look into saying the ones that I think are offensive? Sure I lead but I let been saying them for so long or have heard people saying them that it is difference to be extremely sturdy to change. sequence reading this chapter, I saw some things people say that I think are pretty damn funny. For type 30 states, Thats so dauntless/ preposterous or thats so retarded (Cullen pg. 103). Anyone with some sort of honey oil sense would k at present when people say this they are not talking about homosexuals or mentally handicapped people. Anyone with an oz. of light would know this.When people say, that is so homo or, that is so queer they are actually saying whatever they are talking about is dumb or stupid. T he same goes for the saying, that is so retarded. Personally I say these things a lot. I dont mean anything bad by saying it. It is just that I have grown up saying it and do not think it is offensive. Like I said before anyone with an ounce of intelligence would know the true intention of saying, That is so gay or That is so queer. An example of a saying I think has some relevance is add up 16 I never own slaves. (Cullen pg. 83) This is one of the saying I think is geared only toward white people. I think it is relevant because of the amount of opposite racism in the world today. umpteen black people still recoil about The Man or white people. The black people that complain about white people usually say that the white man is guardianship them back. In all honesty the only holding them back is themselves and their lack of drive, determination and hard work. So white people started saying I never owned slaves so dont complain to me about your short comings.If anyone is discrimi nated against it is white people. The reason I say that is because of affirmative action. Why should soulfulness give birth a job over a more qualified applicant solely based on the coloring material of their skin and that the employer doesnt have generous of that race working for them. Finally that finishing quote I thought had some relevance at least in my life is number 20 occupational group women Girls, Honey, Sweetie Pie, or other old(prenominal) terms. (Cullen pg. 87) I used this statement all the time. I use it in the carriage Dr.Cullen says it is intended for which is to make a data link or attempting to make an environment more casual or friendly. (Cullen Pg. 87) I do not see it as prejudiced or move. I do not think it is disrespectful either. I say this because when a man calls his significant other knockout pie or honey they emphatically are not trying to be male chauvinist. I know for sure they definitely are not being condescending either. The thing is wom en say things like this also it is just men do not think it is sexist or condescending.Out of all the women I may have called sweetie pie or honey in my life I have never had anyone get upset behind my back or to my face about it. People who are not so uptight or stuck on themselves will not think it is sexist or condescending either. I do not think people need to watch what they say from now on. I believe that more people need to loosen up and tackle life as it comes to them. Is it really value complaining about these sayings? I for one think it is retarded or gay to complain and worry about all this crap.I have been through many thing in my life one of which was a near death experience. Life is too short to try and do everything the neat or office way. Sure some of the 35 saying could be a little on the rude side but hey no one is perfect, right? People have been saying these things and will continue to say these things until the end of time. Some things may change in time but not all. Weather it is rude, sexist or condescending it is all in the eye of the beholder. If we could all just ask out each other as they are then these sayings would be irrelevant anyways.I enjoyed reading this chapter of Dr. Cullens book but sometimes it do me angry after reading her best bets sections. Sure she has a doctorate but her best bet situations will not always be correct.Works Cited Dr. Maura J Cullen sort Taking Adversity out of Diversity. 2010. 29 Nov. 2010. . Dr. Maura Cullen Diversity Training & Coaching Professional. 2008. 29 Nov. 2010. http//www. linkedin. com/in/mauracullenCullen, Maura. Morgan James Publishing. New York tend City, 2008. Print.

Marketing Plan: Product and Performance Essay

Marketing Plan: Product and Performance Essay

Executive SummaryMobility, latest trends and technologies are three most significant factors that customer seek today when they walk-in in an electronic item’s outlet. Years before the journey of technology started out from the calculator the most basic computer as we call it. Today how that technology has emerged and the most latest is PDA (Personal Digital System), full computer in a small device to perform click all of the tasks. New Nokia Mobile phone has all the features of a desktop computer, no need of a laptop.You get your product to begin with.The english major source in use during cricket matches, exercising in the morning and during traveling for work or school. 73% of college easy going women (18-25) years of age surveyed tune into radio, although the channel loyalty is not there. The most frequent listening occurs after dinner time.This is different from male portable radio listeners as the FM channels are replacing cassettes as a music source while driving, o ther survey shows that second one of the popular source of music are the FM stations, FM 89, 91 and 106.Finding the demographics of your target marketplace will permit you to good tailor the launch strategy to the folks.

180 million), 16.667% of Pakistanis are young. Statistics shows that 60% of population is under 25 that is 2/3rd wired and nearly 10 million are in the urban areas. GEN X and GEN Y is the most experienced  and accessed generation in the human history.A merchandise is a new product procured or produced by the business to meet with the requirements of the customer.Our Secondary objective is to make good profits and make few more products like this with working hand in hand with the fashion and our way would be walking extract from earrings to necklaces, bracelets and other fashion accessories.Marketing ResearchMethods of Data collection:Basically there are two methods of data collection:1) Primary Data2) Secondary DataPrimary Data Collection:Primary available Data is that data which is collected specifically for the project at hand. The primary data for our assignment resulted from the unstructured interviews that we conducted from different many friends and family members and also many strangers.Secondary Data Collection:Secondary Data is that data, which has already been collected for some other purpose but can be used as reference material.The aim is getting your product into the industry although delivery methods vary widely based on the product.

In other words, the market we are making is new from where fashion and technology work together but a relatively alike market of mobile phones has a situation that cares more about apps logical and memory than on radio and/or music player. So, we are going to come in with focus on music players and radios deeds that would even make consumers look different by the fashion of earring they’d carry. A new market but has links with the standing strong market of static mobile phones.The ProductIntroduction of product:Now days, mobility is becoming an important factor in electronic devices.A superb product isnt simple to define since itll mean things.Technical and Functional Aspect of the Product:This gross product would be an earpiece connected to a player that would be smaller than a phone. Both the devices would be connected via Bluetooth. Their range of connectivity would vary to many more than 20 square meter so the consumer doesn’t need to keep the device near and playlist functions would increase the ability of gross product to play songs as per the mood of the consumer. Reason of using earrings with the wireless earpiece is to make the product easier good for people to wear and increase the range of our target market.To start with, youre mindful of how much it costs to create your merchandise.

Issue: How to identify the potential outlets?Mission statement:â€Å"We are the followers of the latest trend we strongly believe that fashion develops, we provide the best and quality is never compromised. Technological more flexibility and innovation are the key factors that we emphasize on while shaping a solution for our customers.† Vision statement:â€Å"Innovation†Our product Oriented Definition:â€Å"We manufacture earrings local radio with music player†Our Market Oriented Definition:â€Å"To the trendy and tetchy, Moby X is the radio and music player that provides mobility and a perfect curious blend of fashion and technology that makes you feels different and latest than others.†Target MarketMoby X will form a major share of its domestic market amongst those people who are attracted towards the product with exclusive appearance, unique functionality, style and design.Describe the way your target marketplace free will get your merchandise and also how youll market your goods.The mini chip radio and music player in the earrings itself is fascinating and will communicate on its own towards the people who are engrossed through mini products.Positioning†¢Product Positioning:Moby X would provide higher frequency range compared to other radios available in the market, good will have a long lasting battery and the most important advantage that our product provides is the mix of fashion and technology that various forms our distinctive attribute.Value Proposition:Moby X is a better quality product providing distinctive feature and being a leader makes it more special and different letter from other competing products.  LAPCO using latest Japanese technologies is most reliable and durable.In the product description, you should explain what product or your service is, the particular thrust of apply your strategy and the strategies thatll be used to do your own objectives.

†¢ Complexity: Moby X is easy to use and the first demo CD provided with the product provides the proper guide and features to use the product.†¢ Divisibility: Moby X is an expensive product and initially no discounted rates can be offered.†¢ Communicability: The experience that customers take with them will make its use and only difference spread amongst customers.Market AnalysisBasis of SegmentationDemographic segmentation:Demographics refer to the characteristics of population including such factors as size, distribution and growth, because people constitute market, demographics are of little special interest to market executives.In the end, it is not mysterious and youll be able position to promote your company or to manage a person to deal with advertising for you once you understand how pieces fit together.Any one lying in the income bracket of Rs 50,000+ can afford this productPsychographic Segmentation:The psychographics of the Moby X can be analyzed by r eviewing the advertisement. The lifestyle shown in Moby X advertisements portray successful, sophisticated, professional women who are active energetic and full of life. Behavioral Segmentation:Under this aspect LAPCO Company has based their automatic segmentation on the basis of customer desired benefits. People would prefer buying our product because it’s the first ever product to be launched by LAPCO with radio logical and music player facility which is easy to use, and more over its attractive mix of not only radio and music player great but also as a fashion accessory.The plan has to be accessible to any employee at any given moment.

Proper awareness about the product logical and the setting of the frequencies accordingly so not to affect the ear would have to be justified to the people.Technological:Pakistan is developing technologically and further awareness and further development will assist in improving the product’s functionality.Competitor AssessmentCOMPETITOR ANALYSISMoby X is competing in portable media industry.Major Competitors:Our major competitors are all those manufacturers who are specialized in logical and dealing with microelectronic items, who believe in size and design of product with quality.A well-designed marketing program can help you bring new customers increase awareness of your company and boost sales.COMPETITIVE STRATEGIESDifferentiation:Moby X is an innovation in the arena of radios and all kinds of classical music players. It gives connectivity to the outside world in a way that adds value and beauty to the face.Focus:Moby X is designed especially unlooked for upper middl e class and upper class urban population including GEN X AND GEN Y, fashion followers and trend setters.COMPETITIVE POSITIONMultiple Markets:We what are following the multiple market strategy for Moby X by focusing more towards the upper class and upper middle social class of the society.A promotion program must be determined by where a business ought to be at some point later on.

Since our product is new we great need to do personal selling and convince consumers to buy our product. Then eventually as we gain a foot hold in the market we will have retailers selling our product.Marketing StrategyMARKETING MIXPRODUCT CLASSIFICATION:Moby X is broadly classified as consumer product and under this category we define it as a own specialty product because it is a perfect mix of style and technology. It involves strong brand preference and loyalty, special purchase efforts by consumers, little comparison of brands and low price sensitivity.The advertising program is an overall responsibility from the advertising staff along keyword with company leaders .It includes 3 years’ money back warranty and a pair of fabulous earrings along with the product. Customers are encouraged to fair share their views about the buying experience of the product and after sale experience through surveys conducted at the outlets. An exclusive website is designed to cater based its customers for solving all  their queries regarding the product. Online purchasing service is also available.Face it is a chore.

3 years (Limited) Warranty.Size – (1/3x 1/3 x 3/8) mm is the size of radio chip. 30 x 20 x 5 mm is the size of the earring. Weight – 1/2 oz is the low weight of the earring radio.Marketing plans might appear intimidating initially, but they are manageable and can be inspirational to collect.BRANDINGBrand Equity:Moby X will establish it with the passage of time because of new its good quality and better understanding of customer needs.Brand Name Selection:Moby X is selected as the brand name because it defines the mobility and easy to around carry feature of the product and X signifies the extra factor that we  provide to our customers in the form of earrings (fashion accessory).Brand Sponsorship:LAPCO is manufacturer’s brand.Brand Development:No extension.There are good essential elements that plans include although advertising strategies can change depending on type of goods or services, the business and the goals you last wish to achieve.

Free demo CD is also given. Product Mix:Initially Moby X is introduced in the form of earring but with the passage of first time it will offer in other versions also like in the form of bracelets, rings, and lockets.Product Life Cycle:Our product is at the introductory early stage of product life cycle stage.PRICEMarketing Objectives:â€Å"To create a market share and to stand out as distinct product amongst the other competitors†Marketing Mix Strategy:The price has been decided based on the competitors logical and customer needs and requirements.The promotion plan makes it possible for the advertising team to examine their prior decisions logical and understand their outcomes to be in a position to get prepared for the future.PRODUCT PRICING STRATEGYComparing competitor’s pricingCompetitorPriceSinclair XI Button RadioRs. 2304.93FM Mini Radios Rs.719.3500.PLACEMENTThe product would be sold through â€Å"Indirect Marketing Intermediary†. The product will be sold through push strategy that is product would be first distributed to the wholesalers and then to retailer. The retailers would assist in creating contact with the other retailers which would expand the network and add value.

Newspaper:Moby X is an expensive and new product. There is need to create awareness amongst people that such a product exists. ‘Dawn’ newspaper would be a better choice to advertise being one for the most popular newspapers in Pakistan. A full page would be dedicated to advertise the product providing  a detail know how of the features and distinctive attributes.Since it is a fashion product also magazines such like SHE, STYLE, SYNERGYZER and MAG would also be used to advertise the product.Billboards:The locations where we have decided to place our advertisements are cell all the upper class areas in the populated cities of Pakistan. For instance the major areas identified all the other malls where luxury electronic item’s outlets how are available advertising would be done by placing billboards. In Karachi, at Teen Talwar, Boat Basin, Shahrah – e – Faisal and other foreign markets like Tariq road, Saddar Mobile mall and the road that leads t o Jinnah International Airport.com that special offers all the latest songs.Sales Promotion:One free pair of earring apart from the one already provided in the package would be given with the product.Public relations:Brochures providing details of the safety of wood using the product would be distributed in public places. Articles about the working and flexibility in use would be published in a leading magazine to inform the public about the safety in using this product.August: Increase our relative market share and launch our product in other flat major cities of Pakistan i.e. Lahore, Islamabad.September: We will start an integrated internet campaign targeting young college students.