Leadership in Shia Islam, Orthodox Judaism, and Roman Catholicism Essay

Leadership in Shia Islam, Orthodox Judaism, and Roman Catholicism - Essay Example The imamate history began with Ali, who is also accepted by Sunni Muslims as the fourth of the "rightly guided caliphs" to succeed the Prophet. Shias respect Ali as the First Imam, and his children, beginning with his sons Hassan and Husain, continue the line of the Imams until the twelfth. When Ali was six years old, he was invited by the Prophet to live with him, and Shia believes Ali was the first person to make the declaration of faith in Islam. Ali also slept in the Prophets bed on the night of the hijra, when it was feared that the house would be attacked by unbelievers and the Prophet stabbed to death. He fought in all the battles the Prophet did, except one, and the Prophet chose him to be the husband of one of his favorite daughters, Fatima. The Shia Imams represent the picture of both the mysterious and transparent dimensions of Islam. The authority of Imams includes both this worldly and other worldly affairs. One of the most significant doctrines underlying the possibility of the Imam’s comprehensive authority is their infallibility. The Sunnis believe that the Imams are infallible to any sin. For them if the Imams were considered to be the subject to sin and error, then there will not be any difference between the leader and the led which will paralyze the structure and operation of their religion. The followers are well advised to keep the authority of the Imam intact since though the Imam only the God is dispersing duties blessings to the followers as per the Shia’s belief. Only the Imams have the authority to reveal the hidden meanings of Qur’an. Since the Imams provide continuous authoritative interpretations of the Qur’an they are supposed to be free of any sin or error. It is a cond ition for Imam. The Imams are considered to be the charismatic leaders through their association with Mohammad as messenger of Allah. Jewish People believe in good and evils and they think that goodness

Captain Cook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Captain Cook - Essay Example Cook managed to rise through ranks from seaman, soon became a mate and within four years became a master but it was not until 1759, that he was given the capacity to command the Mercury and he managed to sail to Canada up to the St Lawrence River, where he assisted in the survey of the river channel. At this point, Cook was made responsible and managed to successfully pilot the fleet, and they took over took Quebec. For his expeditions, Cook choice of vessel was precise. He went for sturdy and practical vessels, preferably the one that could hold lots of provision as well as be able to be managed by a small crew if need be. Among his crew members was, Dr Green who was responsible for the scientific instruments that were used for observations used in the expedition. In his lifetime Cook went for three major voyages across the pacific, each voyage however a different purpose had and was directed to different parts of the world. According to Simmons, (41), James Cook was only twenty-nine years old when he set for the voyage with the chilling experience. A few years to come, he was to achieve recognition for his success in preventing the loss of the men under his command to scurvy, in. It marked as one of the most outstanding accomplishment he managed to attain during his voyages and exploration around the world. Cook was always cautious; he paid close attention to the health of the ship’s company on those voyages as he had not witnessed the terrible suffering aboard Pembroke. When Cook arrived in Halifax outbreaks of scurvy were not uncommon in the city itself maybe due to lack of property rights discouraged settlers from erecting fences and cultivating home gardens and this made fresh vegetables be scarce. On June 19th the British started bombarding the fortress with heavy artillery and two days later the French vessel cà ©là ¨bre was hit by gun fire and burst into flames. They put a strong resistance against the

Background And Development Of Ir In Singapore Tourism Essay

Background And Development Of Ir In Singapore Tourism Essay The implementation of the Garden City movement after 70 years, the rapid development of tourism industry especially integrated resorts in Singapore has become one of countrys economic pillars, and visitors mainly from China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Australia and other countries and regions (Edgar and Taylor, 1996). Tourism in Singapore is a major industry and attracts millions of tourists each year. As for integrated resort (IR) in Singapore, it is a euphemism used because of opposition to casinos (Abbugao, 2010). Currently, there are two large integrated resorts built up and opened to the visitors i.e. Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands. Resorts World Sentosa is located at the southern coast of Singapore, and its attractions include a theme park of Universal Studios, Marine Life Park and a casino. It was developed by developed by Genting Singapore since 16 April 2007 and opened to the public in early 2010 (Resorts World Sentosa, 2012). There are many attractions and facilities provided in this integrated resorts including hotels, casino, casual and fine dining, resorts world galleria luxury fashion, shows, salon spa, maritime experiential museum and park. Similar history and development process is for Marina Bay Sands. It was developed by Las Vegas Sands since early 2006 and opened in January 2010. The integrated resort is featured with a convention-exhibition centre of 1,300,000 square foot, a hotel with 2,561 rooms, a shopping mall with 800,000 square foot, two floating crystal pavilions, two large theatres, and the largest atrium casino in the world with 1,600 slot machines and 500 tables (Marina Bay Sands, 2012) . The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) is the key role in the development of integrated resort of this country. What STB tries to do is to conduct a long term strategic planning to promote integrated resorts as a key driver for domestic tourism development and keep in good relationship with both private and public stakeholders. STBs goal is to create exciting and innovative experiences for peoples visitors, in close partnership with the trade industry, thus etching forever in visitors minds an image of Singapore as a unique and compelling destination (STB, 2012). There are three areas of focus of STB i.e. strengthening Singapores position as a leading convention and exhibition city in Asia, developing Singapore as a leading Asian leisure destination, and establishing Singapore as the services centre of Asia (STB, 2012). As for IR development especially its casino business, STB supports its development from planning, design, construction and marketing. For instance, its strategic planning for Sentosa World Resort Casino is to make it a unique gaming centre for Asian tourists. 1.2 The Impacts of IR on Singapores Society The development of IRs in Singapore including Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World Sentosa has great impacts on the local society from many aspects, positive or negative. The majority of these impacts include Political, Economic, Social and Environmental aspects. Political impacts are how and to what degree a government intervenes in the economy in tourism industry. In Singapore, political factors include areas such as tax policy, labor law, environmental law, trade restrictions, tariffs, and political stability. Political factors may also include goods and services which the government wants to provide or are provided and those that the government does not want to be provided. As for the impact of integrated resorts, the main political impacts are the political complaints of local residents on the inflow of foreigners which results from the conflicts of business and benefits of local residents and foreigners. This is proven by the political debates held before the built up of these ca sinos in Singapore where a petition that attracted tens of thousands of signatures opposites the decision and the opposition said that the final decision made had overruled consensus. Still, the major impact of the development of integrated resorts is economic impact. It is seen that tourism is a major contribution to Singapore economy. According to the lasted annual report on tourism statistics published by Singapore Tourism Board (STB, 2009), the revenue from tourism is S$ 15.2 billion. More importantly, there are other indirect revenues or GDP generated from the inflow of tourists for these integrated resorts such as the revenues of retailers in Singapore by consumption of foreigners. Also, there is an impact on employee rate with more workers hired by the opening of these two integrated resorts in 2010. In addition, transport in Singapore grows fast recent years exhaustively covers most, if not all public venues in Singapore, which increase convenience for tourists. This includes the well-known Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system (STB, 2010). Last but not least, there are more visitors for other attractions along with these two integrated resorts. Among other thin gs, popularly promoted tourist attractions include the Merlion, the Night Zoo, Orchard Road (shopping area), Chinatown, Little India and its many eating areas (STB, 2010). Social factors include the cultural aspects and include health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety. As English is the dominant one of its four official languages, it is generally easier for tourists to understand when speaking to the local population of the country, however, with the consideration of more foreign visitors especially those from China, there are still many signs in Chinese presented in the attractions. Also, there is much criticism about the casinos in society especially its bad influence on the behaviors of Singaporeans. This is proven by the opposition of social workers in Muslim and Christian communities. They concerned the negative social impact of the casinos for worrying that these activities could increase the risk of problem gambling. Environmental impact is also a concern of the impact of these integrated resorts. Environmental factors include ecological and environmental aspects such as weather, cli mate, and climate change, which may especially affect industries such as tourism, farming, and insurance. Furthermore, growing awareness of the potential impacts of climate change is affecting how companies operate and the products they offer, both creating new markets and diminishing or destroying existing ones. There are many in the public worry about the impact of World Resort Sentosa for the protection of local natural environment for there are so many tourist inflows especially in the peak season which exceed the environmental capacity of the island and may threaten local environment stability. There are the impacts of the built up of these two integrated resorts that concerned most by local residents. 2. Body 2.1 Reason for IR Development in Ledyard Connecticut PESTEL is a strategic analysis tool that used to help organizations understand the external macro environment that the company face and consider (Richard, 2000). Also, I can be used to help identify the internal reason for developing integrated resort Foxwoods Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut. As for these reasons, they are summarized in the following paragraphs. Figure 1: PESTEL Analysis (Source: Richard, 2000) Political environment means the ruling partys nature, the social systems, governmental policies and guidelines etc. (Flethcher and Cooper, 19996). Generally, the government has the role to intervene the economy not for political stability but also for common benefits for the public. Through the development of casino-based integrated resort, the local government of Ledyard can rebuild local community for it can attract more new visitors and bring new sources of revenues for local residents. More importantly, it is a tool for local authority to compete with other ones nearby from many aspects. As seen from this aspect, the development of Foxwoods Resort Casino is a political decision to grow local strength in US economy and make benefits for local residents. Economic environment includes both macro-and micro-aspects (Nebel and Schaffer, 1992). Macroeconomic environment is related to the size of population, GDP and also the speed of national income growth and so forth. Microeconomic environment concerns with consumer income and other specific factors for business operation. As seen from this aspect, there are many benefits of the development of a hotel based casino in Ledyard. First of all, it is a key for local GDP growth through the consumption generated by travelers and gamblers. Secondly, more employment opportunities can be offered to local residents which are beneficial for the growth of local gross income. Last but not least, it is beneficial for the overall economic growth with the enhancement of transportation and related facilities. Social and cultural environment mainly concerned with the education level of residents, their beliefs, values and so on. Since there are different needs sourcing from various cultural and social backgrounds in different countries, it increases the potential costs for the integrated resorts to diversify its product design and marketing especially the latter one in different regions. Usually, gambling is regarded as a means of recreation, however, there are many concerns that it may lead to some illegal activities such as money laundering. Since Ledyard is equipped with a mature and healthy legal and social environment, the development of such a casino based integrated resorts can be acceptable. Technological means the importance of the development of technology investment and science especially those for IT. IT develops and update very fast, this becomes benefits for Ledyard to adopt new technology to help manage business operation of casinos as well as marketing its services nationally and internationally. Environmental factors concerns with environmental and ecological aspects like weather, and climate change, which can affect certain industries and the development of a service-based on integrated resort is environment friendly as compared with other economic activities. 2.2 Evaluation of Foxwoods Resort Casino The mixed-use concept means that there is a combination of institutional, cultural, residential, industrial or commercial uses of a single building, village, suburban or urban development, and these functions are functionally and physically integrated (Nebel and Schaffer, 1992). As for this case, it refers to an integrated development of a single real estate project. As one of the premier entertainment choices in Ledyard Connecticut, there a variety choice of entertainment and services offered in this destination including six casinos for gambling, hotels with four diamonds, world class spa, restaurants with all tastes, golf of world renowned services, exclusive retailers, convention and meeting space, and state-of-the-art theaters (Foxwoods, 2012). All of these functions integrated provide both business and recreation travllers endless possibilities of experiences. Along with these integrated functions, Foxwoods Resort Casino performs well in business. Although there is no direct da ta released from the official authority of the company, it is easy to see from its financial capacity of 1.5 billion dollars during the past years that it generates a lot of money for its shareholders and is still attractive in financial market. However, like other integrated resorts based on gambling, there criticism about problem gambling activities especially from those residents nearby (Olsen, 1991). According to local reports about Ledyard Town, there are some residents complain that gambling activities have affect some aspect of their lives and especially those young people become more speculative although they admit that there are still positive effects such as the increase in employment and local income. Also, since it is located in a small town as compared to other options such as Gambling integrated resorts in Las Vegas, its attraction is limited especially to those who living at the eastern part of the United States. Thus, as seen from this aspect, there is still a lot of work for Foxwoods Resort Casino to do for its future development and continuously generate incomes and benefits for stakeholders. 3. Conclusion Overall, Foxwoods Resort Casino did well in the past, however, in order to achieve sustainable development, there are still a lot of works to do, which can be summarized in to the following three aspects. First of all, there is a need for this integrated resort to integrate with other tourism and entertainment activities in Ledyard to achieve a combined effect and become even more attractive to potential visitors. As for this aspect, there are experiences that Ledyard can learn from Macau. It is well known that the dramatic increase of number of visitors to Macau is mainly due to the development of the gaming industry in this area. According to the Macau tourism board report, in year 2000, there were only 3 officially opened casinos in Macau because of the historical contract between the government and the casino company. In year 2002, the Macau government ranted the Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, Galaxy Entertainment Group and MGM Mirage and some other casino operators in Macau. Since then, the number of casinos increased dramatically. And because of the increased number of casinos, Macau is more and more attractive to the tourists whether they are professional gamblers, or they are just tourists who are curious about casinos. That is why the number of visitors to Macau has increase dramatically over the years. However, in recent years, the local government has developed many other options of tourism choices. As for attractions, there are many kinds of choices in Macau from special events to gambling activities, from historic to modern attractions. Table 1 below summarizes a sample of some attractions available in Macau by Jay (2004). It is easy to see that the categories of attractions in Macau include historical, cultural and sporting, natural, special events and built. Also, there are more exact attractions listed in the right column, which are the most famous attractions in Macau in each type that make it attractive to tourists. As for Ledyard, it can integrate the integrated resort casino with its natural beauty to develop more tourism attraction such as its unique glacial geography for the development of a Glacial Park for enhancing its attractions to potential tourists. Table 1: Recent Developments and Prospects of Macaos Tourism Industry (Source: Jay, 2004) In addition, since there are tourists with business purpose such as the needs for business meeting and convention, which is a attraction that should be emphasized and supported by local government of Ledyard and the integrated resort casino. The local government can make the development of integrated resorts sustainable by attracting business visitors to use current facilities like hotels and exhibitions centers are equipped at world-class levels, which make it attractive for more worldwide business activities and services as a gateway for local business men to the world outside. Meeting is a critical part in business operation, or saying in another way, it is an internal need for this kind of business travelers (Pearce and Lee, 2005). Also some organizations need to participate in convention to gain more opportunities to showcase their own products and services. This is also their internal demand. Thus they are push factors. However, good meeting and convention facilities and hospit ality services provide excellent meeting and convention services attract these business operators. The well equipped Foxwoods Resort Casino gives organization more opportunities to learn from others and obtain more international information. All these are external factors that help business operators choose meeting and convention services of the integrated resort and help its future sustainable development. Last but not least, according to Liu (2003), a tourism destination has to maintain its current strengths in order to achieve sustainable development. This is also applicable to Foxwoods Resort Casino and there must be activities conducted to strengths its current brand image and service quality. As for Foxwoods Resort Casino, the main events with comedy stars from TV and film, beloved singers, or Las Vegas style extravaganzas have to be continued every year to build up an event brand of entertainment with new data. These events include ISAACS BAKER and Victory that held every year. These events held usually have loyal participants and will be part of the brand image of Foxwoods and thus makes it attractiveness more sustainable. Also, there should be enhancement of the level of marketing activities with the application of new social media like YouTube, Facebook, Google + and Twitter to get visitors and consumer informed and connected for the built up of a responsible and strong brand image, which is critical for the sustainable development of Foxwoods Resort Casino and other integrated resorts in Ledyard Connecticut.

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) Essay -- ADD Childhood C

â€Å" ADHD, a disorder beginning in childhood, characterized by a persistent inability to sit still, focus attention on specific tasks, and control impulses,† contributed by Michael Woods to Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is one of the most common mental disorders of childhood. Many children grow out of ADHD by adolescent or adult years, but many do not. Studies show ADHD in adulthood is more severe and may cause long term effects. Diagnosing ADHD is very difficult, because most children are inattentive, hyperactive, and impulsive at least some of the time. When diagnosing there is no blood test, or written test to determine if ADHD is present. All there is are guidelines and an educated guess. The guidelines include, â€Å" A disturbance of at least six months during which at least eight of the following are present: 1. often fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat 2. has difficulty remaining seated when required to do so 3. is easily distracted by extraneous stimuli 4. has difficulty awaiting turn in games or group situations 5. often blurts out answers to questions before they have been completed 6. has difficulty following through on instructions from others 7. has difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities 8. often shifts from one uncompleted activity to another 9. has difficulty playing quietly 10. often talks excessively 11. often does not seem to listen to what is being said to him or her 13. often loses things necessary for tasks or activities at school or at home ( e.g.. pencils ) 14. often engages in physically dangerous activities without considering possible consequences ( not for thrill seeking purposes ) e.g.. runs into the street without looking The above items are listed in descending order of discriminating power based on data from national field trial of the DSM-III-R criteria for Disruptive Behavior Disorders,† contributed Sam & Michael Goldstein to Managing Attention Disorders in Children page11. In order to diagnose ADHD, these symptoms must occur more frequent than children of the same age and must occur in more than one sitting. 90% of ADHD patients take Ritalin, a mild central nervous system stimula... ...illness, it is very hard to diagnose and is very frustrating for an ADHD parent. ADHD is usually controlled by Ritalin, a mild nervous system stimulant. Due to the fact that there is no true way to determine ADHD, it is often a misdiagnosis of a child acting like a child. Works Cited â€Å"ADD,† What causes ADD?, 1997, Netscape Navigator 22 November /page_341_826.asp>. â€Å"ADD/ADHD,† Diagnosing ADHD/ADD in Children 1999, Netscape Nvigator 22 November 1999. r/page_341_822.asp>. â€Å"ADHD Medications,† Are Medicines OK for My Child? 1998, Netscape Navigator 22 November 1999, . Corley, Gwendolyn, interview, December 9,1999 Flick, Grad L. Ph.D ADD/ADHD Behavior-Change Resource Kit West Nyack, New York: 1998 Glodstein, Sam and Michael, Managing Attention Disorders in Children. Canada: 1990 John Wiley and Sons Inc.

Ratatouille Sound Film Analysis Essay

In all types of film, especially with animation, the images that are created on screen visually engage the audience to the world of the film, yet in order to fully experience all that the film has to offer, the visual aspects are only half of the importance. Sound design makes up that other half of the cinematic experience, and engages senses other than the visual in order to immerse the audience into the film. In Brad Bird’s animated film Ratatouille (2007), sound designer Randy Thom creates a rich sonic world for a film that’s plot is based around a rat who experiences the same senses that humans do. Since a rat usually seems to have no similarities to humans, Thom makes sure to use sound to emphasize Remy and how in his perspective, he is able to relate to the humans, but in the human’s perspective, Remy is still just a rat. Thom’s use of sound in animated film is unique and allows the spectator through the correct use of sound, the ability to perceive the Remy’s exceptional senses of smell and taste, which is are the two most key aspects of cooking in real life and in the film. The sound design combined with the incredible animation of Ratatouille (2007) allows the audience to sensually experience the film as if they were right there in the chaotic kitchen, and feel the authenticity of the location in the culinary capital of the world, Paris. In animated film, especially with Disney and Pixar films, characters that’s are animals are often given human-like features and abilities. In Ratatouille (2007), Remy the rat has the incredible senses of smell and taste, which allow him to fulfill his dream of becoming a chef. This is an idea that is quite contradictory to real life, so director Brad Bird and sound designer Randy Thom do an amazing job of balancing it out by making Remy seem more human like in his perspective, and more like a rat in the human’s perspective. For example, when introduced to Remy, he is the narrator, and we hear is voice as a non-diegetic sound, which allows us to think we are in the mind of Remy. His voice is a man’s voice, and we can assume that he has the full capacity of understanding everything just as a human would. While speaking amongst other rats, the sounds he makes are very similar to that of a human, and he even stands on two feet like one. Yet when we are seeing Remy in the kitchen, and see him  just as one of the people on the kitchen would, the sounds change. The â€Å"pitter-patter† sound of his tiny rat feet is heightened in volume, and each footstep is clearer than before. This emphasis on his footsteps reminds the viewer that while in Remy’s mind he sounds and thinks like a human would, through the perspective of a human in the film, he is still just a scurrying rat. Another example is when Alfredo Linguini is ordered to dispose of the rat, we see Remy and Linguini’s first interaction alone and without any other humans to judge Remy’s ability to understand humans. Through Linguini’s perspective, Remy can hear and understand what he is saying, but he cannot respond with words, only with nods, squeaks, quivering whiskers, and quiet sniffles. These diegetic sounds can be heard clearly even though they are soft and dainty, just like the footsteps. The sniffles are especially important because they represent Remy’s heightened senses, which become an entirely different aspect of the film that is given meaning through sound. In the world of cuisine and cooking, the two senses most frequently used and appreciated are smell a nd taste. The combination of the two can create amazing culinary experiences, and make a meal more than just eating, but a complete sensual experience. One of Thom’s main goals throughout the film was to manipulate pitch, volume, and timbre in order to give the characters their own senses that can reflect from the screen to the audience where they can feel as if they are experiencing the same scents and tastes that Remy is. Just as discussed before, when oberserving Remy in his element of cooking and creating delicious food combinations, the sounds he makes are not only louder and more amplified, but clearer. For example, in the opening scenes of the film, Remy is trying to find food that is good enough quality for his senses unlike the rest of his rat companions who will seem to eat anything that is not covered in poison. He stumbles upon a piece of cheese, and his attention is immediately focused on the smell. His nose become such an iconic symbol in the film, and the sniffing of foods is so well-defined that the audience is able to imagine exactly what that piece of cheese smells like. Since smell has sounds that can be or iented with the nose and sniffling, its is less complicated than trying to portray taste, which has little sound affect since it is completely individual and unique to each person. In order to get the audience to be able to feel the experience of what Remy tastes, director Brad Bird hired artist Michael  Gagne as the Taste Visualization Designer to create a series of animated vignettes that would accompany sound as Remy tastes certain foods. The visuals he created displayed colorful animated graphics for the taste of cheese and strawberry, and then a mixture of the two tastes. The visuals work very well with the two foods, but can only do so much when it comes to stimulating the audience’s senses. The rest of the work comes to Randy Thom and the rest of his sound design team to create sounds that will perfectly accompany the graphics to create a complete sense of taste. Thom uses different segments of music that seems to work perfectly with each food. When Remy takes the bite of cheese, smooth, creamy-like music plays, yet with the strawberry a louder more vivacious tune is heard. Then as Remy takes a bite of each at the same time, a firework of sounds occurs to compare to Remy’s taste bud explosion. This blend of graphics and music creates a sensual experience that leave the audience imagining exactly what Remy tastes. When thinking of Paris, France, common words to come to most minds are fancy, sophisticated, and romantic. Since these words are such a huge part of the vibe of the city, Randy Thom wanted to make sure that the sounds of the film really gave the audience the authenticity of the setting, and reflect the character of Paris. Aside from authentic French accents in many of the main character’s voices, especially the chef’s, Thom incorporates orchestrated music that would be heard in the city, and even background mumbling of actual French speaking people. In the background of most parts of the restaurant, Thom had murmurings of people actually speaking French and having real conversation to make the background noise more authentic to the setting. Along with the setting of the film, most fancy five-star restaurants the vibe most guests want to feel is calm and sophisticated. This is the opposite of what is usually going on behind the scenes in the restaurant’s kitchen. The kitchen is where the magic happens, and where the culinary art form comes to life. The tools that create the food are just as important as the ingredients, and the act of cooking requires many tools and utensils. In the film, Thom really emphasizes the sounds of these utensils, which makes the cooking easy to accept as real since the sounds are so accurate to a real life kitchen. The clinking of pots and pans is especially noticeable in the kitchen, and the pitch is a lot higher than other noises in the kitchen. The pots, pans, and utensils  are such an impo rtant part of the kitchen, and allow the spectator to relate to the sounds by noticing how many different meals are cooked at once in the kitchen. In an interview with Randy Thom, he explains that almost all of the sounds from the kitchen were composed from scratch by his design team and were individually created by recording the real life actions in the kitchen and putting them into the animation. Another aspect of the kitchen that seems to be especially emphasized through sound is the blending of foods, especially liquids. Thom differentiates between the sound effects of a pot of just plain water and a pot of creamy soup. The pot of water, when Remy falls into it, the sound is at first a loud splash, and then a very clear and fluid underwater noise. Yet when Remy is cooking his own special soup, he puts together multiple ingredients, dropping them into the boiling pot of broth. The sound of dense objects hitting the soup is so accurate and sounds more like a â€Å"plop† rather than a splash. While the sound of mixed ingredients may seem insignificant to the films overall affect, these sounds allow the audience to under stand the consistency of the food and imagine the texture that goes with it. Once again, the senses are being put to use without even noticing it, which Thom really put effort into doing with this film since the whole plot is based around food. In an interview with Randy Thom, he explained that while most people assume that image is created and then sound is later added to spruce it up, he finds that to be a myth worth busting. He feels that sound is just as important of a component as image, and if anything adds more life to the film than image does. Sound allows the audience to relate to the sounds they hear in the film to the sounds they hear in real life. These connections make it easier for the spectator to understand the emotions and themes being laid out and therefore they can better understand the film as a whole. With a film such as Ratatouille (2007), it seems difficult for the audience to relate to a rat who can cook, so Brad Bird and Randy Thom worked together to create a masterpiece that can continue to display the incredible animation yet through sound allow the audience to relate to not just the emotions, but the senses from the film. Through creative construction and extremely close attention to detail, the sound design of Ratatouille (2007) will leave viewers in a rich experience that will literally leave their mouths watering. Annotated Bibliography Barsam, Richard, and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies; an Introduction to Film. Third Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. 368-407. Print. Barsam and Monahan cover all aspects of the world of sound design from the purpose of sound in film to how it is created, and to how it affects the audience. When spectators are experiencing a film, if engaged properly, they use both senses of hearing and vision to perceive what is happening on the screen. Without one or the other, the film lacks proper perception from the audience, which is the whole point of the film. Barsam and Monahan spend a great amount of effort explaining the basic concept of sound in film, and analyze the different characteristics that audio has. Sound is an especially complex field because it decorates the images on screen, and heightens the experience visually through audio. The process of sound design consists of carefully choosing and recording sounds, editing those sounds, and then masterfully mixing them so that they can perfectly synchronize with what is visually seen on the screen. The main types of sound that the audience will experience during a film are vocal sounds and dialogue, sounds from the environment and world of the film (also known as diegetic sounds), music, and silence, which is actually the lack of sound yet still adds so much meaning and emotion to an on screen image. Sound in film intensifies the image and in most cases allows the audience to relate to the world of the film and be aware of both space and time within the means of the world of the film. Simple alterations in sounds from the pitch, amplitude, or volume of the noise can completely change or alter the audience’s perception of what is happening in the film. By the end of Barsam and Monahan’s chapter about sound design, the reader can understand most all aspects of sound in film, and how each characteristic is taken into account when being put into a film in order to fully allow the spectator to experience the film both on a visual and audible level. Sider, Larry. â€Å"If you wish to see, listen; The role of sound design.† Journal of Media Practice 4.1 (2003): 5-15. Through in depth analysis and argument, Sider creates an article that  explains the great importance of sound in film, and how when combined with visual elements, allows the spectator to fully engage and understand the film on a deeper level than just watching a screen. Sider explains how the industry, technology, and use of sound in film had changed from when the â€Å"sound designer† was created in the 1960’s by Walter Murch. Back then, sound was simply an added affect to film, whereas now sound completely creates another dimension to cinema. Sound and music make the image on screen multi-faceted and add not only emotion, but completely changes the picture just by adding an audio. On the other side of sound design, Sider shows the difficulties with creating sound in film. The sound designer not only has to know and understand the sounds in which we all hear, but they must completely understand the sounds from the world of the film they are working on. Knowing every diegetic and non-diegetic sound of the film’s story is complex yet engages the spectator more than they will ever realize. The job of the sound designer is not just to control and input dialogue into a film, but control and create every sound effect and somehow integrate it into the life of the film, not the other way around. Sider effectively explains how complex the job of a sound designer has become, and how their work engages the viewer on a new level, and gives the image life. Thom, Randy. Interviewed by Jake Riehle. â€Å"Ratatouille-Exclusive Interview with Sound Designer Randy Thom†. Designing Sound; Art and Technique of Sound Design. 26 June 2007. Web. 2011. Sound editor and mixer Jake Reihle interviews the well known sound designer Randy Thom to learn about his recent work on the animated film, Ratatouille (2007). Thom specializes in sound design within animated films, and in recent years won the Academy Award for best sound editing in the Pixar animated film The Incredibles(2004). Riehle asks Thom what aspects of sound design in animated film differ from live-action films, and the heightened amount of detail to sound is what Thom described as a main difference. In Ratatouille (2007) specifically, there are so many details within the sounds that all together create a different affect than expected. For example, when the wind is blowing through the underground sewer pipes, each wind sound is different, but together the sounds created a musical essence that worked extremely well with the mood of Ratatouille himself, and gave life to the rigid and cold  nature of the underground world that the rats live in. Another major difference between animated sound and live on-screen sound is the pace and rate at which Thom does his work. In the early stages of work, he notices that animated films tend to lack music and sound effects and focus more upon dialogue to set up the story, but Thom likes to make space to add music in a useful way in which the effects and music add to the dialogue, not take away from the dialogue. Reihle also goes into the stages in which Thom likes to mix and edit his sound effects, and how the budgeting of animated films differs from live action films. An interesting fact, Thom began his career at Skywalker Sound by writing a personal essay to Walker Murch, the man who is said to have invented the â€Å"sound designer†. Reihle’s interview with the sound designer Randy Thom gives very useful information on comparing and analyzing the differences of sound design within animated films and live-action films. Thom, Randy. â€Å"Designing A Movie For Sound†. Learning Space Dedicated to the Art and Analyses of Film Sound Design. 1999. Web. 2011 Academy Award winning sound designer Randy Thom provides readers with an article about the subject he knows best, sound in film. He defines exactly what sound design is, describes what it really is that he does, and crushes myths and ideas that many people have about film sound designers. Thom argues that what most people think passes as â€Å"great sound† in film is loud, boisterous noises, which is definitely not always, and rarely true through the opinion of a sound designer. Thom believes that truly great sounds in film are well orchestrated and are integrated into the film as a whole, rather than just into specific scenes and moments during the film. This creates a better sense of continuity and fluidity within the sounds of the film. Thom feels that rather than create a film and then hire a talented team to fabricate certain sounds, the film should be designed and created with the sounds in mind. The story, images and sound should be created and built simultaneously so that the sound contributions can affect the other aspects of the film and add even more continuity. Every aspect of film, even the cinematography, affects how sound works, and its purpose. From extreme close-ups to dutch angles and moving cameras, sound has a different role in every shot, whether it is music, dialogue, background noise, or even  silence. The author also describes in detail each step of how sound designers, composers, and sound editors go about creating their work within each stage of the production process including pre-production and post-production. Randy Thom is an extremely well-known film sound designer, and his personal insight into the world of sound design is eye opening and fresh. He explains the ideas of sound in film on both a basic and deep level while questioning many ideas and myths that are believed about the sound design world today.

College Strictly Essay

The learned philosopher Aristotle maintains that the pursuit of learning belongs at the heart of what is means to be human. By nature, he states, all men desire to know, inasmuch as all men seek to understand all things on account of being awed (cited in Marias, 1967, p. 63) But what is especially onerous about the acquisition of knowledge is that it is an endeavor that comes not without a price – one has to accede to the rigors of correct logic, as indeed follow the standards of correct methodologies. For true knowledge does not lie on knowing why things are what they are, it is essentially about learning to weed the straws of falsity from the prolific seeds of truthfulness. If learning institutions – or a certain college, as a way to concretely cite the case in point – exist on account of the noble pursuit of higher learning, then it is only reasonable that, by right of mere logic, they be made to comply with their mandated educational standards, whose controlling vision seeks nothing less than the attainment of human excellence in all fields. For such reason, it has to be argued that the need to enforce, in a manner being rigorous but reasonable, educational standards to all learning institutions is certainly a case whose necessity is beyond question. In the first place, one needs to appreciate the fact that the end for which learning institutions are established rests on the reasoned premise that they exist at the service of higher learning. When an institution starts to lose sight of this sacred goal, it compromises altogether the very reason why it should, in the very first place, exist. For instance, when a college professor starts to yield to the temptation of lowering the bar of expectation and truncating the amount of demands relative to his or her course, in the hope of gaining approval from a majority of his or her students, it frustrates the noble goal of learning just the same. It, as a consequence, frustrates too the foundational premise that gives reason to a college’s continued operation. Moreover, it has to be acknowledged that complying with educational standards is, ultimately, a service to the larger society. An institution that strictly enforces its educational standard gives the society a select group of people who not only are experts in their respective fields, but also – more importantly so – are learned individuals unto whom the foundation of a great society rests. Conversely, a college that does not strictly comply with the stipulations of its mandated standard can produce students who, after being allowed to take education lightly, end up ill-trained and unprepared for their greater calling in the world. The very reason why students go to school is precisely to learn, and not to have fun; and this, the learning institution has to remember, must be observed even when it means giving the students reasons to work for attaining a certain expertise in their craft, all in the service of the society’s greater good. Work Cited Marias, J. (1967). History of Philosophy. New York, Dover Publications, Incorporated.

The Worlds Funniest Dinosaur Jokes

The Worlds Funniest Dinosaur Jokes Dinosaurs have been the subjects of many serious movies, from King Kong in 1933 and its remakes, through animations such as The Land Before Time series, and on to later special-effects-laden extravaganzas including the Jurassic Park/World features. They are the focus of serious-minded research conducted in natural history museums and universities throughout the world. But dinosaurs have long been the focus of humor, including a bevy of jokes at the expense of these long-gone beasts, which roamed the earth millions of years ago. Here, then, is a crop of  the funniest jokes involving the  terrible lizards, better known as dinosaurs: Why do museums have old dinosaur bones?Because they cant afford new ones! What does a triceratops sit on?Its tricera-bottom! Why did the  tyrannosaur  cross the road?Because chickens hadnt evolved yet.Because it was chasing a chicken.Because it was being chased by a chicken. What’s the best way to talk to a  velociraptor?Long distance! How do you ask a tyrannosaur out to lunch?Tea, Rex? What was 30 feet long, had a two-foot-long beak, and left crumbs all over the mattress?Pretzelcoatlus! Dad:  Why are you crying?Son:  Because I wanted to get a dinosaur for my baby sister.Dad:  Thats no reason to cry.Son:  Yes, it is. No one would trade me! How do you know theres a seismosaurus under your bed?Because your nose is two inches from the ceiling! What’s better than a talking vulcanodon?A spelling bee! Whats worse than a giraffe with a sore throat?A tyrannosaur  with a giraffe in its throat! What do you call a gigantoraptor that wont stop talking?A dino-bore! Why cant you hear a pterosaur using the bathroom?Because the p is silent! How can you tell theres an allosaurus in your bed?By the bright red A on its pajamas. Person 1:  I keep seeing  pteranodons  with orange polka dots.Person 2: Have you seen an eye doctor yet?Person 1:  No, just pteranodons with orange polka dots! How can you tell theres a stegosaurus in your refrigerator?The door wont close! What family does shantungosaurus belong to?I dont know. I dont think any family in our neighborhood owns one! What has a prominent head crest, a duck-like bill, and 16 wheels?A Maiasaura on roller skates! Why did carnivorous dinosaurs eat raw meat?Because they didnt know how to barbecue! What has sharp fangs and sticks to the roof of your mouth?A peanut butter and jeholopterus sandwich. Child 1:  Hey, who stepped on your foot?Child 2:  Well, did you see that  gorgosaurus  over there?Child 1:  Yes.Child 2:  Well, I didnt! What do you call a terrible, horrible, unpleasant dinosaur?A thesaurus. What is a dinosaurs least favorite reindeer?Comet! Why dont dinosaurs ever forget?Because they never knew anything in the first place! What happened when the brachiosaurus took the train home?He had to bring it back! Whats purple and green and wont stop singing?Barney taking a shower! What do you say to a 10-ton Albertosaurus wearing earphones?Whatever you want. He cant hear you! Child 1:  I lost my pet  iguanodon!Child 2:  Why dont you put an ad in the paper?Child 1:  What good would that do? He cant read! What did dinosaurs use to make their hot dogs?Jurassic pork! Can you name 10 dinosaurs in 10 seconds?Yes, one gorgosaurus and nine velociraptors! What dinosaur could jump higher than a house?All of them. Houses cant jump! What should you do if you find a blue dilophosaurus?Try to cheer him up!

Ode to the West Wind is a Plea for Poetic Inspiration essays

Ode to the West Wind is a Plea for Poetic Inspiration essays With "Ode to the West Wind," Percy Bysshe Shelley presents a poetic prayer filled with musical metaphors and themes of death, rebirth, inspiration, and liberation. The poem possesses dynamic language to convey the formidable forces of the West Wind, an autumnal energy "whose unseen presence the leaves dead Are driven," (2-3). The leaves refer not only to the literal leaves off trees but also to leaves of paper, on which Shelley conveys his messages to the world. "Ode to the West Wind" is largely a plea for both personal and universal transformation. The West Wind transforms the natural world, killing off all that is dead and decaying and making room for the "sweet buds" of Spring and the New Year (11). So too can the "breath of Autumn's being" drive Shelley's "dead thoughts over the universe," (63). Through his poetry, and renewed and revitalized by universal energy, Shelley hopes to awaken and enlighten a sleeping world. Musical metaphors link with the central images of wind and air, for Shelley refers exclusively to wind-dependent instruments: the lyre, the clarion, and the trumpet. Moreover, the poet ends the first three sections with a plea, "oh hear!" "Ode to the West Wind" evokes and lauds the West Wind as a tangible and ephemeral force affecting the both the natural world and the In the first section of the ode, Shelley refers to "winged seeds" which "lie cold and low, Each like a corpse within its grave," (7-8). Winged seeds signify airborne potency, new life and rebirth, as seeds contain the blueprint for new life and their wings carry them through the air onto new soil. Seeds are born from flowers nearing decay; carried by the wind they float and fall, finding their way into organic graves beneath the ground. There they lie like corpses in a cold, dark womb of earth. Experiencing a symbolic death, the seeds hearken to the clarion call of spring, which awakens a ...

T5 Tax Slips for Canadian Income Taxes

T5 Tax Slips for Canadian Income Taxes A Canadian T5 tax slip, or Statement of Investment Income, is prepared and issued by organizations that pay interest, dividends, or royalties to tell you and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) how much investment income you earned for a given tax year. Income included on T5 tax slips includes most dividends, royalties, and interest from bank accounts, accounts with investment dealers or brokers, insurance policies, annuities, and bonds. Organizations do not usually issue T5 slips for earned interest and investment income less than $50 CAN, although you should still report that income when you file your Canadian income tax return. Deadline for T5 Tax Slips T5 tax slips must be issued by the last day of February, in the year after the calendar year to which the T5 tax slips apply. Filing T5 Tax Slips With Your Income Tax Return When you file a paper income tax return, include copies of each of the T5 tax slips you receive. If you file your income tax return using NETFILE or EFILE, keep copies of your T5 tax slips with your records for six years in case the CRA asks to see them. Missing T5 Tax Slips If an organization doesnt issue a T5 even though you have investment income over the $50 CAN threshold, you are required to ask for a copy of a missing T5 tax slip. If you havent received a T5 slip despite requesting one, file your income tax return by the tax deadline anyway to avoid penalties for filing your income taxes late. Calculate the investment income and any related tax credits you can claim as closely as you can using any information you have. Include a note with the organizations name and address, the type and amount of investment income, and what you have done to get a copy of the missing T5 slip. Include copies of any statements you used in calculating the income for the missing T5 tax slip. Implications of Not Filing a T5 The CRA will charge a penalty if you file an income tax return and forget to include a tax slip for the second time within a four-year period. It will also charge interest on the balance due, calculated from the tax deadline of the year to which the slip applied. If you have filed your tax return and you receive a late or amended T5 slip, file an adjustment request (T1-ADJ) immediately to report this discrepancy in income. Other Tax Information Slips The T5 slip doesnt include other income sources that must be reported, even if they deal with seemingly similar investment-related sources. Other tax information slips include: T4: Statement of Remuneration PaidT4A: Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other IncomeT4A(OAS): Statement of Old Age SecurityT4A(P): Statement of Canada Pension Plan BenefitsT4E: Statement of Employment Insurance and Other BenefitsT4RIF: Statement of Income From a Registered Retirement Income FundT4RSP: Statement of RRSP Income

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Story outline of one minute film idea - Essay Example The eagles respond that he is simply taking a walk through the forest. The rabbit then coyly asks the eagle for money. In the forth panel, the frame shifts to a close up of the eagle. He has just been asked by the rabbit for money and his face is shrieking in disgust and anger. He responds that the rabbit cannot have any money from him and that the rabbit should search somewhere else for the money. After rejecting the rabbit’s request, the frame shifts slightly and the viewer sees that there is another rabbit walking back from around a tree. This rabbit sees the two talking and shouts out, â€Å"Hey, don’t dawdle over there!† The film rapidly cuts again. This time to a behind the shoulder shot of a fourth rabbit. The rabbit is watching the eagle being surrounded by the earlier rabbits. The eagles’ face has suddenly shifted from his jovial laughing to a sudden and worrisome scowl. One of the rabbits is heard saying in a foreboding tone, â€Å"What are you laughing at?† The frame continues from the same perspective but follows the rabbit in slowly walking towards the eagle. This gives the effect of placing the viewer in the rabbit’s position and also gives the viewer of the impending worry and doom the eagle is facing in being surrounded by the rabbits. This time a different rabbit states, â€Å"You don’t take us seriously.† Suddenly, another rabbit appears and then another and another. The frame dissolves out from the infusion of rabbits into the

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Outline and Analyze the Challenges Facing Mellon Investor Services Essay Example for Free

Outline and Analyze the Challenges Facing Mellon Investor Services Essay Assignment Task Outline and analyze the challenges facing Mellon Investor Services in their organizational redesign and assess how well the company have dealt with those challenges in how they are approaching and managing the change. Delong, T. and Vijayaraghavan, V. (2002) Mellon Investor Services (ECCH case reference 9-402-036, Harvard Business School) Introduction Mellon Investor Services (â€Å"MIS†) is an investment management and investment services company, focused to help clients manage and move their financial assets and succeed in the rapidly changing global marketplace. Between 2000 and 2001 MIS underwent a substantial organizational redesign, which will be critically considered in this essay. Wittington and Mayer (2002) suggest that organizational performance is driven by the company’s ability to redesign structures frequently, however the change requires participation of people leading the change i.e. agents, organizational structure that welcomes the change and appropriate managements styles. The Chief Financial Officer of MIS, Jim Aramanda led the company for few very successful years, during which MIS was providing new offerings for transfer agent services including issue services, employee plans and direct services, broker / dealer services. The company had five years of successful growth and MIS was meeting and exceeding its financial goals. In Autumn of 2002 Aramanda’s became concerned for the successful future of the company and he recognised few areas that required closer attention: †¢different business units were not consolidating their offerings and taking advantage of various products, which resulted in two Requests For Proposal coming from one client whereby both RFPs were replied to separately, as opposed to a combined and unified response, †¢current successful offering of core products did not guarantee that MIS would grow in future, †¢MIS staff were not building long-term relationship with the clients therefore business opportunities may not be spotted in good time, †¢requirement for new measures of performance and progress, †¢lack of focus on hiring and rewarding talented people, †¢lack of focus on product development, which was manifested in product being offered by the sales department without confirmation that the product may actually be delivered to the clients, †¢Some of the groups, such as technology, were too achievement oriented without being focused. In order to address the above concerns and mould the company to his new vision, Aramanda hired a number of experienced consultants to support his structural redesign of MIS. Aramanda realised that the change would also involve a dramatic shift of vision and attitudes to introduce new systems and subsystems, with the likely result of clash of wills. Buchanan Badham (2008) argue that such a change can be successful if it involves one person influencing the organization according to their values, and Aramanda had the clear vision and skills to gather a team of knowledgeable people to fundamentally amend and adjust MIS future capabilities. The change that MIS underwent could be classified as ‘strategic’ or ‘transformational’ (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2010) and it aimed to redefine the boundaries, methods of problem-solving and doing business in the company. Aramanda acted on his vision in a very organized manner, as he instantly hired experienced, independent and talented consultants, Mary Davis and Jeanne DiFrancesco, and empowered them to accurately assess how the change should be conducted whilst keeping disruption of the day-to-day business activities to the minimum, design a four-phase project that was consistent with Aramanda’s aggressive deadlines, and work alongside all business units to manage the organizational change smoothly and efficiently. Although the organizational change instigated by Aramanda and facilitated by the consultants proved a great success, there were certain areas that should have been dealt with differently. The main challenges I have chosen as a topic of this assignment included overall communication, dealing with resistance to change and managing relationships. 1. Communication Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) note that many managers do not pay attention to communication when implementing change, which may increase employee absenteeism, turnover and low productivity. Furthermore, some of the reasons for employees’ increased expectation during the change process are availability of information through the internet as well as employees’ anticipation to contribute ideas and be kept informed. If these expectations are met, employees feel valued and therefore are more likely to be committed to the company and perform better at their work. Aramanda wanted to be supportive of a certain degree of open communication culture, which was manifested by a requirement for the employees to nominate their colleagues for newly created job posts. This approach was also constructed to represent Aramanda’s interests and to manipulate employee attitudes and behaviours. The nomination process aimed to take advantage of knowledge in the network or informal skills that perhaps could have been difficult to be evaluated by an outsider. The outcome however proved to be different than anticipated, as it created a negative feeling amongst the employees. Furthermore, one of the reasons for hiring consultants in the first place was to take advantage of their impartiality and independence from office politics. Insufficient communication was also evident in Phase One of the organizational change, during which key services, products and activities of the business were analysed. The result was anxiousness amongst the employees, who being afraid of job cuts, would feel that they were disregarded and forgotten, which in return lowered their productivity until the process was complete. As outlined by Buchanan and Huczynski (2010), many companies operate within a range of open and closed communication climate. Open and honest communication leads to employees having realistic expectations, and closed and defensive communication creates an atmosphere of distrust and secrecy. Although Aramanda’s relationship with his superiors was commendable, as he had a very open working relationship with the consultants and his direct reports, the communication with his employees was not as successful. One of the reasons for this situation was a lack of Head of Corporate Communications, whose post was vacant until June 2001, therefore all information during the process of a change was not communicated to the staff. Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) confirm that communication of ideas assists employees see the logic and need for change. The implication for MIS was that employees did not understand what was happening, therefore they were more unlikely to follow management decisions. Issues of communication also affected existing relationships with clients. One of the objectives of the organizational change was to evaluate every job function and employee in line with the new business strategy. This resulted in creation of new key groups, including new ‘business development’ team focused on growth and return on investment in new clients and ‘client management’ team whose assignment was growth and return on investment in existing clients. The new groups comprised of employees that had to move away from the relationships they took time and effort to establish with their clients. Before the change these relationships lead to more sales and generated more business through word of mouth. Furthermore, strong relationships improved the internal organization, morale, increased engagement and lead to greater satisfaction at work. By creation of new groups the above relationships were damaged or broken, which could have lead to a possible revenue loss caused by the impact that the organizational change had on the client satisfaction. 2. Resistance to change Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) confirm that change implies a positive experiment and creation of something new as well as a negative confrontation with the unknown through the deconstruction of familiar arrangements. Some of the MIS employees demonstrated unwillingness to accept the proposed changes, as they perceived them as threatening to the individual. The main causes of resistance to change were as follows: †¢Lack of facilitation and support Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) outline facilitation and support as most helpful, where fear and anxiety lie at the heart of resistance. At MIS some of the managers were not supporting their employees in new roles, as people were expected to continue to take care of their old responsibilities, therefore the new responsibilities had to take second priority. They employees were not given sufficient time to adjust to new jobs or recover after demanding period. †¢Low tolerance for change Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) stress that that people differ in their ability to cope with change and uncertainty, which may lead them to oppose even potentially beneficial changes. Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) agree that if the change is significant and the employee’s tolerance for change is low, he might begin to actively oppose the change for reasons he does not consciously understand. †¢Misunderstanding and lack of trust Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) argue that employees are more likely to resist the change if they don’t understand the reasons behind it. As outlined in the section above regarding lack of communication, it becomes transparent that MIS employees were not told what are the positive implications of change, therefore they believed the change might cost them much more than they would gain. This could be characterised by having a low level of trust between employees and managers and result in misunderstandings and increased perception of threat when change was introduced. 3. Networks and relationships Another challenge facing the organizational change of MIS was managing existing relationships and creating new networks. One of aims for the reorganization once MIS services and products and market needs were analysed, was to break down capabilities into building blocks and then to recompose the blocks to fit within the new strategy. In practice this meant changing the divisional structure of the organization from service-based to customer-based. The change from ‘squares’ to ‘squares and triangles’ caused a large power shift and a felling of unrest and injustice to many employees. In the new organization chart the ‘triangles’ comprised of market-facing professionals and were perceived as the ‘winners’. The triangles included new business development, client management, product management development and business management analytics units. A triangle holds its place as a symbol in the mathematics of ideal proportions and in the MIS reorganizational design employees chosen to become a part of new teams were deemed as ‘drivers’ having a superior status. This formal status was closely related to the leadership, generally accepted by the others with a power to influence and control other groups. On the other hand, the ‘squares’ represented all other employees in the company and were perceived as the ‘losers’ and ‘followers’ and deemed to have an inferior status. Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) note that lower status groups have less power and tend to be less influential, therefore employees actively seeking status in order to fulfil their self-esteem may experience personal dissatisfaction. Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) note that this method of implementing organizational change can cause confusion and increase employees’ level of stress. The MIS consultants hoped that by dismantling of social networks, new networks would grow very quickly. The presumption was made that the existing social networks used to compensate for the inefficiencies in the old system, so now they should accelerate the efficiencies of the new system. Some employees viewed this as a positive move, as it allowed transitioning some people to other teams to build communication and continuity based on their prior experiences in other business areas. This however had a more political aspect as many managers when switching roles from ‘triangles’ to ‘squares’ in their self-interest wanted to take the good people with them. In practice, whereby poor communication was also a contributing factor, the new social networks were not created as rapidly as anticipated and had a negative influence on employee engagement and work performance. Another reason for changing the divisional structure of the organization was MIS’ lack of integration. Child (2004) stresses that integration is a vital product of good organization, whereby different activities collectively create value. One of identified reasons for change at MIS was to consolidate their product offering to create more value for the customers. Although it is relatively easy to state the requirement for integration, it is not so straightforward to achieve it. The problem of integration presents itself most noticeably in the relations between functions that are responsible for producing services according to predetermined parameters established within the company, and functions that have to continuously adapt to the external environment. The organization cannot remained viable without this integration. Teams are one of the most commonly used means for achieving integration, however during the implementation of change at MIS these were taken apart under conditions of uncertainty and pressure. One of the signs that the integration needs were not sufficiently met by the new teams was conflict between departments, mainly between ‘triangles’ and ‘squares’. This situation would require ongoing monitoring to ensure that the conflict does not become persistent and threat overall teams’ performance. Summary As outlined above, the main challenges of the organizational change instigated by Aramanda included overall communication, dealing with resistance to change and managing relationships. The organizational change was possible due to a great contribution from the consultants, who appreciated that an organizational change is a complex process to dramatically adjust organization vision, structure and culture in a continuous effort to improve the performance. Reference list 1.Buchanan D., Badham R. (2008) ‘Power, politics and organizational change: Winning the turf game’, p. 9. 2.Buchanan D., Huczynski A.A. (2010) ‘Organizational behaviour’, pp. 329-330, 562-564, 570-573. 3.Child J. (2004) ‘Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice; Chaper 4: Achieving Integration’, p. 81-82. 4.Kotter J. P., Schlesinger L.A. (1979) ‘Choosing strategies for change’ Harvard Business Review, March – April pp. 108-109. 5.http://www.bnymellon.com/about/index.html, accessed on 18 June 2012.

Can Calcium Help with Weight Loss and Maintenance?

Can Calcium Help with Weight Loss and Maintenance? As we all know, calcium plays an important role in the protection and production of the bodys teeth and bones. An important question, we as nutritionists are wondering is, can calcium help with weight maintenance, weight loss, and obesity? We looked at several studies based on this question. The first study looked at the effects of weight, loss of a high-calcium energy, reduced diet on the biomarkers of inflammatory stress, fibrinolysis, and endothelial function in obese subjects. There were 35 subjects who lost at least 3% of initial body weight involved in this study. The study lasted a total of 16 weeks. The subjects were split up into two groups. One group was the high-calcium diet (HCD) group and the other was the low-calcium diet (LCD) group (Torres, M. R. S. G., and Sanjuliani, A. F., 2013). The HCD group was measured in a calcium intake of 1,200 1,300 mg/day, whereas the LCD group was measured in a calcium intake of less than 500 mg/day. Both on the diets followed the same intake for protein (22%), fat (28%), carbohydrates (50%), and 19 grams of fiber. The only difference in the diets was the HCD group received 60 grams/day of a non-fat powdered milk. The results indicated that those on the HCD had a greater reduction in the waist to hip ratio and waist circumfe rence. Both groups had similar reductions in the biomarkers. Therefore, an HCD helped to reduce waist circumference, but had no benefit in the biomarkers of inflammation, fibrinolysis, and endothelial function. According to this study, there seems to be a need for further research on the effectiveness of increased calcium in the diet and its correlation to weight loss and weight management (Torres, M. R. S. G., and Sanjuliani, A. F., 2013). Calcium plays a major role in accelerating fat and weight loss, especially in overweight and obese adults with calcium deficiency (Zhu et al., 2013). The authors of this second study looked at calcium and vitamin D supplements among overweight and obese college students to prevent fat storage and improve metabolic functions. In their randomized control study, 53 adults participated in the study and they were assigned 600 milligrams of calcium with 125 IU of vitamin D. The study was 12 weeks long to determine the effectiveness of supplementation in weight management, and involved a control group. The results showed that the calcium and vitamin D group had a decreased body fat and visceral fat level, but no changes in weight when compared to the control group. These findings suggest that the weight loss program can motivate adults to lose body fat along with further restrictions. It seems that further research is needed to address the dosage of calcium and vitamin D supplements in prom oting weight management among adults (Zhu et al., 2013). A systematic review conducted by Onakpoya, Perry, Zhang and Ernst (2011) looked at calcium supplementation as it relates to weight loss. Calcium carbonate and calcium citrate are commonly used dietary supplements and may influence weight loss. The investigators electronically searched for randomized, double-blind, placebo control studies in their review. A total of 729 participants could be included in this review. A forest plot of the seven main randomized control trials used in this review demonstrated that a small, significantly greater reduction in body fat was associated with calcium as it was compared with a placebo (Onakpoya, Perry, Zhang, Ernst, 2011). The researchers determined that the effect of calcium supplementation is small and not clinically relevant because less than 5% of total body weight at baseline was lost with calcium supplementation (Onakpoya Perry, Zhang, Ernst, 2011). This review shows that calcium supplementation for at least six months can have a small effe ct on weight loss, however, the researchers warn that the information obtained from the studies may not be completely accurate. The good news is, no adverse effects from calcium supplementation were reported in any of the randomized control trials (Onakpoya, Perry, Zhang, Ernst, 2011). It appears supplementing with calcium at recommended dietary intakes may help in weight loss but it is not a miracle drug. According to the three articles mentioned above, calcium does not seem to be a significant factor in weight loss and management. In the studies, there was often less than a 5% reduction in body weight, leading to the insignificance of a higher calcium diet. Further research needs to be conducted in order to better understand if a higher calcium diet is important in weight management. References Onakpoya, I.J., Perry, R., Zhang, J., Ernst, E. (2011). Efficacy of calcium supplementation for management of overweight and obesity: systematic review of randomized clinical trials. Nutrition Reviews. 69, 335-343. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21631515 Torres, M. R. S. G., and Sanjuliani, A. F., 2013. Effects of weight loss from a high-calcium energy reduced diet on biomarkers of inflammatory stress, fibrinolysis, and endothelial function in obese subjects. Nutrition Journal. 29. 143-151. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23010419 Zhu, W., Cai, D., Wang, Y., Lin, N., Hu, Q., Qi, Y., †¦ Amarasekara, S. (2013). Calcium plus vitamin D3 supplementation facilitated Fat loss in overweight and obese college students with very- low calcium consumption: a randomized controlled trial. Nutrition Journal, 12, 8. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3599592/

Motherhood in Barbara Kingsolvers The Bean Trees :: Kingsolver Bean Trees Essays

Motherhood in The Bean Trees In the novel, The Bean Trees, by Barbara Kingsolver, we watch as Taylor grows a great deal. This young woman takes on a huge commitment of caring for a child that doesn't even belong to her. The friends that she acquired along the way help teach her about love and responsibility, and those friends become family to her and Turtle. Having no experience in motherhood, she muddles through the best she can, as all mothers do. Marietta was raised in a small town in Kentucky. When she became an adult, she decided she needed a change. She wanted a different name and a different place to call home. She got in her Volkswagon, started driving, and on this journey she changed her name to Taylor. A stranger gave her a three year old Indian child to take care of, who she names Turtle. The two finally settle down in Tucson, where they live with a single mom who is also from a small town in Kentucky. Taylor works for a woman who hides political refugees in her home, and Taylor becomes good friends with two of them. These two refugees act as Turtle's parents and sign over custody to Taylor, so that Turtle could become her daughter legally. Taylor was very unsure about whether or not she would be a good mom, but in the end she realizes that Turtle belongs with her, and that Tucson is home. The first half of The Bean Trees was hard to stay interested in. Although the book had a lot of action, it could have been spread out more. It wasn't until the middle of the book that we found out what was medically wrong with Turtle, why she was so lethargic. Considering this child was such a major part of Taylor's life, and would change her future completely, she was not talked about as much as she could have been. It's like half the time she forgot Turtle was there. "It's funny how people don't give that much thought to what kids want, as long as they're being quiet"(280). I understand that Turtle was just dropped in Taylor's lap, but I still think Turtle deserved to have more attention given to her than she did. I would have liked Turtle to have been the child that was taken from the refugees, the refugee woman showed her so much love.

This self-portrait is the last ever self-portrait painted by Vincent Es

This self-portrait is the last ever self-portrait painted by Vincent van Gogh before he died on the 29th July 1890 as a result of a self-inflicted bullet wound. This self-portrait is the last ever self-portrait painted by Vincent van Gogh before he died on the 29th July 1890 as a result of a self-inflicted bullet wound. The first thing I notice when I look at the painting is the amount of blue used to create the background, the jacket and also the darker, shaded areas on van Gogh’s face. I think van Gogh did this for a few reasons, * One reason could be to show the way that he felt while he was painting, which could of been sad or â€Å"blue†. This is a possibility as van Gogh was known for his sad lifestyle which would eventually lead to him mutilating his ear after an argument with the artist Paul Gaugin, becoming a voluntary patient at the St. Remy Mental Asylum and then finally, shooting himself in a suicide attempt and dying two days later. * Another reason for the exaggerated use of blue could be down the fact that van Gogh wanted to make the reader feel as if it was cold or icy in the painting. * One more reason could be to give the impression that van Gogh is standing outside and the blue is the sky in the background. I can tell that van Gogh is not at a happy time in his life as his expression is gloomy and miserable. I think that the odd swirls in the background could be seen as symbolic of his mental state at the time. Whilst van ...

Koito Case

Koito-Pickens-Toyota Case Question 1 The Japanese corporate governance system differs vastly from the US system. Discuss corporate governance issues that may arise under the Japanese keiretsu. The corporate governance system in Japan is widely different from the US one insofar as it mostly involves a unique business model called â€Å"Keiretsu†. A Keiretsu is a form of corporate structure that groups a set of companies with interlocking board of directors and common business interests. Thus, due to its particular structure, some governance problem may arise under this Japanese Keiretsu: ) Issues from the perspectives of financiers Because the business is considered almost like an extended family, the financing may become political and the Japanese Keiretsu will almost always give favor to members of their Keiretsu. This could lead the financiers, for instance, to finance a company member of their Keiratsu they wouldn’t have finance otherwise. As far as the potential fin anciers are concerned, the main issue is the difficulty to enter and invest in the Keiretsu. Getting financial information about the Keiretsu firms could be complicated insofar as the financial and accounting statements are not disclosed.Thus, such discretion could lead to an ambiguity or a lack of understanding from an outside perspective. Actually, the keiretsu are just trying to protect themselves from what they fear the most that is to say the yakuza and the greenmailing. b) Issues from the perspectives owners As mentioned above, the keiretsu are suspicious towards the â€Å"outside† and this behavior may make foreign owners face some difficulties. Because the keiretsu system is much more in favor of inside shareholders than the outside ones, the former may find some difficulties to make the most of their shareholder rights.And this can maybe explain why the outside shareholders are often a minority in comparison with the shareholders of the keiretsu. Moreover, even if on e of the outside owners becomes the biggest one, as T. Boone Pickens did, he may not be able to use his rights as he hoped. c) Issues from the perspectives suppliers One of the main issues for external suppliers is to the relationship between OEMs and suppliers that often leads to dumping on the prices and enables the outside supplier to compete with such cheap prices.As far as the integrated suppliers are concerned, the exclusive partnership with the keiretsu they belong enables them to do business with another leading firm and to gain market shares. d) Issues from the perspectives employees On the one hand and in case of horizontal integration, the very structure of a Keiretsu can lead into a confusion in management. The management transfers are so frequent that employees do not understand for which company they really work for is. One the other, the strong stability that comes out from this system could lead to a lack of action and performance from employees. Question 2What were T. Boone Pickens’ motives when he bought the share? In the eyes of many, Mr. Pickens was only acting as a front man for Mr. Watanabe, a well-known green mailer in order to pave a way to gain power and control over the corporation. Mr. Pickens denies all these accusations of greenmailing by claiming that he bought the share to carry out a â€Å"test case† in order to evaluate the accessibility of the market. In others words, his initiative has the only aim of checking whether the United States could make, in the future, profitable investments in Japan depending of the degree of welcome of the market.Moreover, it is not implausible to think that one motive of T. Boone Pickens was the quest of profit. It should be borne in mind T. Boone Pickens targeted Koito as an undervalued investment opportunity in so far as he anticipated a Koito stock rise due to the tight link between Toyota and Koito. The good performances of Koito stock combined with the rise of the net income an d sales reinforce this idea due to the fact that the shareholder’s average annual return has impressively increased. So the pursuit of rise of the dividends could have motivated him to buy the share.As the largest shareholder of Koito Manufacturing, is he entitled to representation on the board, does Japanese law allow for that? If not what in the law could he use to get an equivalent result? With 26. 4% of stock, T. Boone Pickens should have been entitled to representation on the board of Koito insofar as the Japanese law gives him rights due to the fact that he owns more than 10% of stock. But not so in the Japanese Keiretsu point of view. He was overwhelmingly denied board access in a 1989 annual meeting. †¦It is not a custom in Japan just to say, ‘I’ve become a major shareholder so I should become director. ’†, said Takao Matsuura, president Koito Manufacturing Ltd. There are reasons to wager that his seat on the board was compromised by the fact that the company considers him as a greenmailer. Knowing that T. Boone Pickens was planning to increase his stake to 30%, he could obtain board representation by acquiring 4% more than what he expected. In fact, the Japanese law states that those with at least 34% ownership could propose special shareholder resolutions.An alternative would be to establish a new relationship between Mr. Pickens and all the members of the keiretsu based on loyalty and transparency. They would not suspect him of greenmail anymore. We can suppose that T. Boone Pickens has chosen this way insofar as he supported the adoption of a proposal prohibiting Koito from paying greenmail. Question 3 Besides board representation, T. Boone Pickens demanded higher dividend payouts. Were his demands justified? Provide quantitative evidence to back your answer. Besides board representation, T.Boone Pickens asked for higher dividend payout saying that â€Å"Boone Co’s philosophy was to put stockholder inte rests first† (page 7) and in this very case, his demand for a higher dividend can be justified. Indeed, when we look at the dividend payout ratio for the period 1982 – 1985 (Table 1), it decreases meanwhile the retained earnings was increasing (Table 2). Moreover, at the same period, the proportion of cash was also increasing. In others words, the retained earnings were not invested enough and stay as cash.Then in 1986, we noticed that the payout ratio increased up to 39% and at the same time the retained earnings and the cash goes strongly down. Finally, almost the same phenomenon is observed between 1988 and 1990. In other words, the payout ratio is not positively correlated to the retained earnings which are not invested and stay as cash. Table 1 Table 2 Is there anything in the Japanese commercial code that would allow Pickens to try to get more dividends? If yes, why doesn’t he use this? If not, based on your experience as an international investment banker, what changes would you recommend him to propose?In order to increase dividends, T. Boone Pickens had several solutions. Indeed, many researches on the conflicts of interest between majority and minority shareholders show that dividend  payout  is negatively related to ownership concentration and support the assumption that large shareholders do not appear to use dividend policy to remove excess  cash. In other words,  firms with concentrated ownership are less likely to increase dividends when profitability increases and more likely to omit dividends when investment opportunities improve. So, T. Boone Pickens could decrease the ownership concentration of Koito.There are also some more aggressive solutions to get more dividends. T. Boone Pickens could increase his shares ownership in order to increase his decision power in the General Assembly insofar as â€Å"a owner of 34% or more of the outstanding stock could propose special shareholder resolutions†. Question 4 Pi ckens accused Toyota of limiting profits earned by Koito Manufacturing. Explain how the mechanism works? This mechanism is related to the very structure of keiretsu insofar as Toyota, like most Japanese OEM, owns equity positions in its suppliers.In 1986 almost half of Koito’s output was bought by Toyota and at the same time, Toyota has built a dominant position over Koito by having a 19%-part of Koito’s ownership. Therefore, Toyota was not just one of Koito’s customers but also one of its owners. Through its powerful influence and thanks to the close and informal relationship between Toyota and its suppliers, the car manufacturer had been able to negotiate supply contracts, lower prices and then limited profits earned by Koito. Is this a self-dealing transaction? According to Steven L.Emanuel (â€Å"Corporations†, 2009), a self-dealing transaction occurs when three following conditions are met : (1) A key player (officer, director or controlling sharehol der) and the corporation are on opposite sides of a transaction, (2) The key player has helped influence the corporation’s decision to enter the transaction (3) The key player’s personal financial interests are at least potentially in conflict with the financial interests of the corporation. In the case of Koito, 3 members out of 23 are Toyota’s executives.Even if these 3 members are no longer Toyota’s executives, the Japanese notion of loyalty and the business relations between Toyota and Koito (Toyota buy 48% of Koito’s output) could imply that these three chairmen could act in favor of Toyota or at least try to satisfy the two companies. And in this way, the supplier was treated unfairly and conflicts of interests might have occurred. If Pickens gets access to financial information, how can he set out to prove his accusations? If you were an investment banker, what accounts or data would you tell him to scrutinize.If Pickens gets access to finan cial information, he could analyze the Income Statement and compare the evolution of the growth of sales and the growth of gross profit over these past years. Generally, sales and gross profit evolve in the same direction unless there is a below cost-selling. However, here we noticed for example that in 1986, as sales had grown by almost 10,2%, gross profit had grown by 7% and that in 1990, when the sales had grown by 10. 85%, gross profit had only grown up by 2. 8%. Such comparisons could be setting off alarm bells and could point out the fact that Toyota is limiting profits earned by Koito Manufacturing.On the other hand and if he can, he could also compare directly the price of goods sold to Toyota with the price of the same goods sold to minor customers such as Hino Motors. A high difference between the two prices combined with the fact that three directors of Koito are retired Toyota executives, would prove these â€Å"self dealing transactions†. Would you suggest to cha nge the charter of the organization of Koito? As investment banker, I would suggest him to analyze thoroughly the income statements and the supply contracts between Toyota and Koito in details to reinforce his accusations.As far as the charter of the organization of Koito is concerned, I would suggest to add a clause which enables a person somehow related to a strong customer or a strong supplier to be appointed as director to Koito’s board of directors. Question 5 Toyota has threatened to cut all ties with Koito Manufacturing if Pickens take over the company. How would this affect Pickens investments? If you were a minority shareholder in Koito Manufacturing, whose side would you take? Calculate the value of your shares with or without Toyota.Because Toyota is the second largest shareholder in Koito and is its principal customer, representing 48% of the total sales (Exhibit 2), we may think that cutting ties with Koito Manufacturing will lead to huge losses, at least in the first year. Let’s then calculate the value of a share with and without Toyota. In order to use the Discounted Cash Flow methodology, here are the assumptions we made : * The value of the firm is equal to the value of the discounted cash flows for the next four years plus it’s terminal value. The same growth is expected for the coming four years (this growth was calculated as the mean of the previous years growth) * Because the lack of information concerning the cost of equity we used today Koito’s beta (1. 38), a risk free rate of 3% and a Rm of 10% (return on S&P) in order to calculate an approximative WACC. Our calculations provide us with a WACC of almost 8%. With Toyota : Without Toyota : If I were a minority shareholder I would probably take Pickens’ side because he puts shareholder interests first.However, I would be careful and make sure that making stockholders’ interest first instead of company’s one will not damage the entityâ€⠄¢s wealth. Based on your assessment of the case, are large shareholders an effective solution to corporate gouvernance problem? Based on the analysis of this case, it appears that being a large shareholder is not necessarily an effective solution to the corporate governance problem. Indeed, even if T. Boone Pickens is the largest shareholder, he actually has no influence on â€Å"management issues† including those which concern the amount of dividends paid.