Analyse the financial performance & position of Intercontinental Hotel Essay

Analyse the financial performance & position of Intercontinental Hotel Group plc and explain and evaluate the treatment intangib - Essay Example Background Information Intercontinental Hotel Group Plc. owns one of the leading brand and chain of hotels and resorts across continents. The group’s registered corporate office is located in Denham, United Kingdom and the group has a history of almost 60 years of delivering the highest level of quality of customer service which has permitted the group to achieve phenomenal growth over the last few decades. The group operates not only by owing hotels and resorts completely and also by entering into franchise agreements with other companies to operate hotels and resources The group has more than 4,500 hotels which are operating in different countries. The group operates hotels brands including Crown Plaza Hotel, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites and others. These brands are arranged in a way that they reflect both luxury and budget hoteling facilities for guests. The group offers a hotel loyalty program through which it has achieved 63 million members wh o received updates and discounts on bookings and other privileges (Yahoo Finance, 2012). Financial Ratios Analysis For the purpose of analyzing Group’s financial performance in the last two years, following ratios have been determined and a discussion for them is presented while considering additional supporting information available in the Group’s annual report. It is pertinent to mention here that there are material exceptional items in the financial statements of IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group, 2011). These exceptional items are not considered for the purpose of calculating ratios. However, the impact of these exceptional items has been evaluated at the end of financial analysis. Profitability of IHG Keeping in view the profitability ratios as calculated below for the Group, it is noted that the Group has improved its performance in terms of returns. Apart from the continuing effects of recent global financial distress, the Group has managed to report growth in its profits. As evidenced by the gross and operating margins presented below, the Group has been able to report considerable growth in its gross and operating profits. One of the main reasons for this growth has been increase in total revenues of the Group. On the other hand, it is worth mentioning here that IHG’s cost of sales declined in 2011 whereas revenues climbed up, thus signifying the level of operational efficiency reached by the Group. Following this improvement in cost of sales figure in 2011 and gross profits, the trend translated into operating profits also, due to which the Group has been able to report higher operating margin for the year ended 2011 (Peterson & Fabozzi, 2012; Warren et al., 2011; InterContinental Hotels Group, 2011). Profitability Ratios Ratio 2011 2010 Return on Capital Employed 17.35 % 12.29 % Return on Equity 67.93 % 97.59 % Operating Profit Margin 21.32 % 17.44 % Gross Profit Margin 56.39 % 53.75 % Source: (InterContinental Hotels Group, 20 11) In addition to this, the returns on capital employed and on total equity of the Group have also shown favorable changes. With the increase in profits attributable to shareholders of the Group, the return on equity and capital employed also increased, and this increase in net profits for the Group has been such that it overcame the impact of increase in capital employed

Exploring changes in futures prices - Financial Market Essay

Exploring changes in futures prices - Financial Market - Essay Example This report aims at solving issues and problems related to future price changes and how best they can be used to best suit the needs of the market. Future contracts A future is contract between two parties to buy or sell a financial asset or instrument at a fixed future date and at a predetermined price as argued by Chandra, (2008). Futures are traded in the exchange which acts as an intermediary between the two parties. The terms of future contracts are standardized as they indicate what is to trade, when to trade and where to trade. There are three types of protections built-in to ease credit risk in the futures. One, the daily settlement which is is usually settled in cash basis is a major protection that plays a significant role in easing credit risk. Two, margin which the balance is kept in the accounts to cover several days’ worth of potential market to market transfers. It is necessary for every trader to understand this aspect of margin in reference to credit risk. Fin ally, the clearing house which guarantees transactions by insures daily settlement on market gains and losses. Forward contacts are not investments as a result it costs nothing to enter into the legally binding agreement. There are three ways of settling or closing out a contract. First, enter in an offsetting transaction. Two, make or taking physical delivery of the underlying commodity. Finally, cash settlement is another aspect that should be elaborated to traders entering into any form of future contracts. Over the counter forward contracts are flexible but they have their own disadvantages. They are unregulated as no formal body regulates the players in the market and they are only designated for specific needs. History of future contracts The first standardized future to be listed in the exchange was the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) in the year 1848 in the United States. Other major exchanges in U.S include New York Mercantile Exchange (1872), Chicago Mercantile Exchange (187 4) and Kansas City Board of Trade (1882). In Europe futures contracts in the Exchange include London international financial futures Exchange (LIFFE) and Amsterdam, Paris, Belgium exchanges merged with LIFFE to create Euronext LIFFE. This also merged with the Lisbon Stock Exchange. Types of future contracts There are two types of futures, those that provide cash settlement and those that provide physical delivery for commodity. Commodity futures such as coffee require physical delivery on the agreed day. Stock index future contract is an example of a cash settlement contract. They are settled on cash on the basis of index number at the closing day. Treasury bond futures are settled through physical delivery of treasury bonds. Upon maturity, they have to convert into deliverable bond. A holder of short must deliver 100 treasury bonds must mature for at least 15 years. Treasury bill futures. Treasury bills matures after 3 months and that’s when the holder delivers its face valu e Currency futures. Most of the currencies are traded at banks on a cash basis. Usefulness of future contrac

Feminist Reading Of Aunt Jennifers Tigers English Literature Essay

Feminist Reading Of Aunt Jennifers Tigers English Literature Essay Short poem by Adrienne Rich called Aunt Jennifers Tigers consists only of three stanzas but it tells the entire story of aunt Jennifers life. Hard life of women in male-oriented society is the main theme of the poem. The author does not express her ideas directly but makes the readers to understand her through allusions and symbols. Bright images and deep symbolism help readers to get the authors message. The author creates a picture of life of aunt Jennifer. There are several places in the poem which give allusion that aunt Jennifer is unhappily married and that she is oppressed by her husband. In the end of the second stanza Rich writes: The massive weight of Uncles wedding band Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifers hand (Rich). These words show that wedding ring is a heavy burden which makes aunt Jennifer unhappy. This woman is not satisfied with her life and her husband but she has no power to change it. In the society governed by men women have little freedom and independence. The author does not show all circumstances of Aunt Jennifers life but she very vividly illustrates that this women is unhappy in her family life and she can not change it by her death. In the beginning of the third stanza Rich writes: When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by. And this is another allusion on hard family life she can not escape. The image of ring, which becomes a symbol of oppression and torture of women is vivid. The author speaks about the wedding ring as about the kind of shackles which make women totally controlled by men. The author shows that marriage is one of many ways men use to oppress women. The image of tigers is more complicated for the interpretation. From the one side it symbolizes hidden aggression. Aunt Jennifer has to suppress her negative feelings in order not to make anger her husband. Like many women aunt Jennifer probably has to stand many humiliations from her husband. Bad attitude of her husband and unhappy family life result in negative feelings aunt Jennifer can not express feely. She expresses these feelings in her works. The line They do not fear the men beneath the tree may be interpreted as hidden fear of her husband. Tigers, which are mighty and strong animals are described by the author as way poor woman uses to express her true feelings and attitudes. In her dreams she possesses the power and ability to confront humiliation and oppression she experiences from men. The motif of hidden aggression is very transparent. The contrast between such peaceful occupation as knitting and the image which is knitted is stunning. The author contrasts a typical female occupation to the image which symbolizes strength and protest. Tigers symbolize not only suppressed feelings, but also become the symbol of great power and protest. They know no fear and they are totally free. They are not afraid of man behind the tree and They pace in sleek chivalric certainty. From these lines it becomes evident that tigers possess qualities aunt Jennifer desperately lacks in her own life. She can not manifest these qualities in her everyday life and they become objects of her art. The author of the poem gives her readers an opportunity to enter inner world of ordinary wom en. This life may seem happy and easy at the first glance but the author shows the truth to her readers. Aunt Jenifer has no way to express her temper and her desires in her everyday life. Her strong characters and personal characteristics are suppressed in male-oriented society. In this society women are give definite roles and they can not break the rules and play any other roles. Aunt Jennifer is trapped by social norms and regulations and has not way to express her inner world. Prescribed social role limit womens abilities to express themselves. Passion and desires are expressed in knitting. Aunt Jennifer shows her true feelings, needs and desires in her knitting. The poem is based on the contrast. The first stanza shows free and mighty animals, who know no fear and doubts. The tigers are free in their choices and they are not afraid of anything. In the second and third stanzas the author shows how the world of dreams may differ from reality. The image created by aunt Jennifer s ignificantly differs from her own life. aunt Jennifer is oppressed by her life and she has no way to realize herself as personality. She does not feel free to express her feelings and desires. The author vividly illustrates that not only hard house work and burden of everyday responsibilities may limit female life. She shows that aunt Jenifer has free time for knitting but still she does not feel satisfied with her life and with her family relations. In reality she can not control her life and her free time and she has to limit herself by social roles defined by the society, which is controlled by men.

the meaning of life Essay example -- essays research papers

The Meaning of life What is the meaning of life. The meaning of our lives, the purpose, and the dreams both dashed and realized, and the expectations forced upon us by others. In other words how do you "translate" what life is? "Translation" means to explain in simple terms. What is it supposed to be about? There are different answers for different people at different times in their lives. A person's lifetime is filled with self-examination. Why am I here? What am I doing? Is this as good as it gets? You have a beginning. You're in the middle, and your story hasn't ended yet. If one would recognize the greatest things we have in life, they would not be asking this question. These great things are faith, hope, and love. Faith is the one that can keep one from asking questions. If God wanted us to know something, then we would know it. In most religions, Christian ones in particular, the question of meaning in life is inextricably wrapped up in a relationship with God. Living in, for, with, and through him. Therefore, how one answers the meaning of life question bears directly the existence of God. Soren Kierkegaard said to be the "father" of existentialism maintains that there are three basic answers to the question of the meaning of life. He called these "stages" of life, because he believed that people "progressed" from one stage to the next. Whether or not that is true, there do seem to be at least three fundamental outlooks on life. One is a life devoted to pleasure. This value perspective can be shown by a person whose only concern is for what they are doing now. They would rather gain from pleasures in life without any regards to how they might affect their future. Another stage is those choosing ethical and moral paths. People who are honest and loyal demonstrate this in their everyday lives. Finally, there is a live religiously. This has been the popular way of life for many of us. It is going to church and practicing your faith Stace argues, the present age has begun to weaken faith in God. The concept of a supernatural person has begun to seem unlikely to many people. The Bible no longer seems as respected for many Catholics. While many peopl... ...ve the opportunity to choose either Him or evil, thereby proving our love for Him. If His were the only game in town, then there would not be a free will conscious choice for Him. It is evident that the meaning of life has to far to complex for any one to fully understand or agree on the same answer. All these ideas of these different philosophers are not necessarily inaccurate, just incomplete. All pieces to a puzzle that one has no way of fully figuring out. No one has seemed to accomplish this yet in life. There are so many obstacles that we face as we try to achieve a higher good. Many of these are based in the fact that we are human beings, and because of that are flawed by the ways of our culture. Things such as self-doubt, worry, ignorance, and the values put into our heads since the day we were born all are roadblocks on our way to a higher level. Also being human beings makes vulnerable to the ways of the world around us, so it is not easy to block these things out of our lives. This life is a stage in which we are to develop our minds, bodies, and souls to their highest potential in preparation for the afterlife. Only God could ever really show anyon e true meaning.

Reading of Jane Austen(TM)s short stories Essay

‘From a reading of Jane Austen’s short stories what do we learn about women’s lives in the late eighteenth century?’ In Jane Austen’s a collection of short stories â€Å"Love and Friendship†, she shows us the lives of women in the late eighteenth century, and what they have to deal with. These short stories are written in epistolary (letter) form between women who were friends at the time, these letters show us what their lives were about and what was considered to be important to them. Jane Austen writes about marriage, status, personal views and the attitude to what she saw, she also uses humour in her letters showing us how shallow women were in that time. For young women in the late eighteenth century marriage was very important and a woman who did not get married was considered worthless, all women were expected to get married. There were many important reasons to get married for a woman living in this time, the most important reason being having money. If a woman had no money she would be considered as having a bad status, because women when they were with their parents had no possession of their own. In the three sisters Mary is not sure about marrying Mr Watts she does not like him but she still considers marring him because he has a lot of money. â€Å"He has a large fortune and will make great settlements on me.† â€Å"I hate him more than anybody else in the world.† This shows us the amount of money he has is more important than the relationship and how happy they will be together. She decides to marry him if he will give her all she wants, this shows us how shallow the women could be and what they will do for possessions, she demands â€Å"a new carriage hung as high as the Duttons’, and blue spotted with silver; and I shall expect a new saddle horse, a suit of fine lace, and an infinite number of the most fine jewels†¦must always let me do just as I please and make a very good husband.† This shows us all the things she expects to get in marring him they are all but one material goods. This shows us that women in the eighteenth century were very much focused on marriage and how much money they could get out of it. If a woman did not get married she would either have to live with her mother or a paid female companion. Another alternative was to be a governess to a wealthy family; this was not a good thing to be because you would be treated a little better than a servant, they would neither be on the same level as the servants or the family. Young women in the late eighteenth century were considered well educated if they had plenty of accomplishment, these were things like sewing, singing, reading and entertaining their guests at a dinner party. In ‘Lesley Castle’, Margaret Lesley was writing to Charlotte Lutterell tell her what they did to pass the time in Scotland and what they do is â€Å"we read, we work, we walk and when fatigued with these employments we relieve our spirits, either by a lively song, a graceful dance or by some smart bon-mot and witty repartee.† This shows us that they did not do any challenging or intelligent type of work. The women in the late 18th century were also polite this shows us that this mattered in this time; we can see they are polite because they write long pleasant letters to each other. ‘Lesley Castle’ demonstrates that it is important to have accomplishments in this time and it allowed them to get into a good marriage which was the most important thing in a young lady’s’ life in the late eighteenth century. Not many girls of the time attended school but the few that did attended boarding school, would not learn to be clever they would only learn things like sewing and singing. Margaret Lesley and Charlotte Lutterell both went to boarding school together, â€Å"it is four years since my removal from school.† School was mostly for boys, some girls went to boarding school but the education was not very good because they did not need lessons and the teachers did not know what to teach them. Women in the late eighteenth century did not own anything or have any property for themselves. A woman’s inheritance would be given to a distant male relative the woman would never be given the whole of the money. The only way women could get money was through marriage, Mary only wants to marry Mr Watts because â€Å"he has a large fortune and will make great settlements on me.† She also expects the pinmoney; two hundred a year.† Which Mr Watts only want to be â€Å"a hundred and seventy-five.† When Mary agrees to marry Mr Watts she expects him to build her â€Å"an elegant greenhouse and stock it with plants†¦ a room on purpose and a theatre to act plays in.† she also expects to be allow out of the house all the time she insists on spending â€Å"every Winter in Bath, every Spring in town, every summer in taking some Tour, and every Autumn at a watering place.† Mary’s mother is set on not letting â€Å"such an opportunity escape of settling one of my daughters so advantageously.† This shows us that money was not only important to the woman but also important to the rest of their family, to ensure that the family would stay with money. It would also be in a mans interest to marry someone with lots of money because some of the family money would be given to him for marring into the family. Marriage was based on material goods not on a relationship. If you did not marry you would have no money and possessions you could have from your father. In Lesley castle Charlotte Lutterell is worried what will happen if â€Å"by this second marriage sir George should have a second family, our fortunes must be considerably diminished †¦ those jewels which once adorned our mother †¦ Matilda would no longer sit at the head of her father’s table.† This shows us how easy it is to loose money and financial security. Female friendship in the late 18th century come over as shallow, because they are always judging each other Margaret Lesley calls her mother-in-law â€Å"an insignificant dwarf.† Where their mother-in-law Susan Lesley calls Margaret and Matilda â€Å"scotch giants† and continues â€Å"I am sure they would frighten you out of your wits.† This show us that women in the 18th century judge each other and think they look better than each other. There is also a lot of rivalry between friends Mary in â€Å"The Three Sisters†, says â€Å"how I will triumph over the Duttons† and the two families were friends; this shows us that was even rivalry between friends and even though they were nice to them to their faces they were horrible behind people’s backs. Manners and etiquette were more important than actual friendship; Susan Lesley and Charlotte Lutterell are only friends even though they are feed up with each other because â€Å"she is too polite and I am too civil to say† they still write letters which â€Å"are still as frequent and as affectionate.† This show us that women in the late eighteenth century are very selfish, and their lives were very shallow. We have learnt from reading Jane Austen’s short stories that women in the late eighteenth century had very little choice to what they could do because they had to marry to ensure that they would still have enough money to live. Life in the late eighteenth century for women was very much ‘everyone out for themselves’ and they all had to fight over having a rich man and material goods better than everyone else’s. Jane Austen did not like living in this time we can tell this because of the humour she uses with the women to show how important money was to them in â€Å"The Three Sister† Mary is very indecisive whether she should marry Mr Watts or not. Today we find it hard to compare with how they lived in the late eighteenth century because it is so different to how we live now. I am glad that we live in a society today which is more accepting to women and how both male and female should be treated the same. I also believe that Jane Austen would prefer to live in the society that we live in today because Jane Austen always humours the women in her collection of short stories.

Food Safety Act Essay

Food safety regulations places an obligation on food business operators to ensure that all their activities are carried out in a hygienic way and make it an offence to supply food which is unsafe or harmful to human health, this applies to all premises that provide food whether money is exchanged or not. The food safety team is responsible for ensuring that businesses comply with these requirement under the food safety act 1990 and food hygiene (England) regulations 2006 they deal with hygiene except at primary production (farms) where trading standards and other bodies have responsibility. Food safety The council sets the following standards for food. * Food businesses are registered. * Food is correctly labelled and described, and meets quality standards. *Manufactures and retailers of food are regularly inspected. * Restaurants and other food premises meet strict hygiene standards. * Food is safe to eat. The food safety team is responsible for the inspection of food retailers and providers in the borough; they ensure that the food hygiene and quality being made available in premises meets legal requirements. It is also responsible for ensuring food is correctly labelled and compositional standards are met. The cook in charge has to make sure all the fridges are set at the right temperature. All food that is cooked is set at the right temperature, is cooked to the right temperature before it is served. All dates are monitored regularly, only order what is needed. Documentation is filled in properly. The kitchen is kept clean. Gloves, hats and aprons are worn, hair tied back. Regular food and hygiene courses, all equipment is kept clean and stored in the correct place. Colour coded chopping boards are used. Inspectors can visit you at anytime to make sure you are doing your job to a high standard.

Free Essays on Masque Of The Red Death

In the "Masque of the Red Death", Poe uses his imagination throughout the story (Rogers 43). A plague has devastated the entire country. It takes only half an hour tofor the course of the disease to run. At first one feels sharp pains and dizziness. Then one starts bleeding at the pores. The disease results in death. Prince Prospero has ordered one thousand lords and ladies to the deep seclusion of one of his abbeys. The building was built by the Prince and is filled with his exotic ornaments. It is sealed from the outside world by a huge wall with iron gates. Inside the building are dancers, musicians, and everything they need in order to stay secluded until the plague runs its course. After six months of seclusion, the Prince decides to hold a masked ball. The ball is held in a suite with seven rooms. Each room is decorated in a single color. The last room is decorated in red. Within this room stands a huge clock that strikes the hour with a heavy clang. The rooms are very crowded for the ball. At the stroke of midnight, a guest is seen in a costume of the red death itself and This frightens the other guests. The Prince is angered at what he believes to be a practical joke. He orders the stranger seized and hanged from the battlements. Prince Prospero follows the stranger into the red chamber. It is there that Prince Prospero falls dead at the feet of the stranger. The others capture the unknown person in the costume. To their horror they find there is no living form in the costume. One by one they die until no one else remains. Death is king of all (Rogers 41). "The horror abysmal darkness, and absolute helplessness befalling the victims are described with vivid accuracy in tales such as 'The Fall of the House of Usher,' 'The Cask of Amontillado,' and 'The Premature Burial' (Perry XI-XII)." In "The Fall of the House of Usher," the narrator visits his ... Free Essays on Masque Of The Red Death Free Essays on Masque Of The Red Death Honestly, fiction stories are not my favorite type of genre. I would much rather read a biography on one of my favorite athletes or a novel based on a true story. However, Edgar Allen Poe’s use of setting made â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† a very enjoyable story for me. I really feel the story come alive as I read it. The enormous amount of detail that Poe uses, truly demonstrates his descriptive abilities. The details make the story believable, add irony, and create an atmosphere appropriate for the â€Å"Red Death.† Even though â€Å"The Masque of the Red Death† is a fictional story, Poe makes it seem very realistic. His description of the setting paints such a clear image of the scene that one cannot help but to believe it is true. This manipulation is due to the great detail the writer focuses on throughout the story. Seemingly, more of the story is setting, rather than actual action. With descriptions of things such as the Red Death and the imperial suite, the author creates a believable image in the mind of the reader. This creation of images is very important to the story. Without these images, things such as the arrival of the Red Death would not be credible. Poe also creates irony throughout the story. His description of the castle states that â€Å"a strong and lofty wall girdled it,† and that the gates were welded shut (327). This causes the reader to believe that nothing can happen to the prince and his people as long as they are inside. Ironically, the wall and gate which were intended to keep the Red Death outside of the castle, actually trap it inside. Poe leaves clues that suggest that this may occur. He mentions that the welded gates prevented egress as well as ingress. This means that if something has already entered, there is no way for it to get out. In this way, Poe uses his setting to create irony in his story. Poe also does a great job of creating an appropriate atmosphere for the Red D... Free Essays on Masque of the Red Death In the "Masque of the Red Death", Poe uses his imagination throughout the story (Rogers 43). A plague has devastated the entire country. It takes only half an hour tofor the course of the disease to run. At first one feels sharp pains and dizziness. Then one starts bleeding at the pores. The disease results in death. Prince Prospero has ordered one thousand lords and ladies to the deep seclusion of one of his abbeys. The building was built by the Prince and is filled with his exotic ornaments. It is sealed from the outside world by a huge wall with iron gates. Inside the building are dancers, musicians, and everything they need in order to stay secluded until the plague runs its course. After six months of seclusion, the Prince decides to hold a masked ball. The ball is held in a suite with seven rooms. Each room is decorated in a single color. The last room is decorated in red. Within this room stands a huge clock that strikes the hour with a heavy clang. The rooms are very crowded for the ball. At the stroke of midnight, a guest is seen in a costume of the red death itself and This frightens the other guests. The Prince is angered at what he believes to be a practical joke. He orders the stranger seized and hanged from the battlements. Prince Prospero follows the stranger into the red chamber. It is there that Prince Prospero falls dead at the feet of the stranger. The others capture the unknown person in the costume. To their horror they find there is no living form in the costume. One by one they die until no one else remains. Death is king of all (Rogers 41). "The horror abysmal darkness, and absolute helplessness befalling the victims are described with vivid accuracy in tales such as 'The Fall of the House of Usher,' 'The Cask of Amontillado,' and 'The Premature Burial' (Perry XI-XII)." In "The Fall of the House of Usher," the narrator visits his ...

Free Essays on Flood Comparison

The Chaldean Flood Tablets, spawned from the city of Ur (Southern Iraq), depicts how the Babylonian God, Ea (a god who took part in the creation of man), rendered â€Å"the end of all flesh.† Nearly identical to the way God covered the earth with a great rain to spite the lawlessness of man. The biblical and the Babylonian interpretations resemble each other in many aspects though differ in distinct parts. Mankind became obnoxious, mendacious, and sinful in the eyes of God. Comparable to the Babylonian story, the people were looked upon as being too numerous and too noisy. God chose a righteous man named Noah to carry on the human race after The Great Flood. The Babylonian god Ea chose Utnapishtim to do the same, indirectly warning Utnapishtim of the great revelation through a dream. In contrast, Noah was forewarned directly through the instructions of God. Noah was told to build an ark of gopher wood and cover it inside and out with a pitch, just as Utnapishtim was told. The arks had an opening for daylight, a single door, along with numerous internal compartments. Noah’s ark was constructed 3 stories high and rectangular shaped opposed to the Babylonian chast of 6 stories high and square in contour. Both arks carried all living things; man, woman, birds, beasts and creepy things. The sky filled with darkness and the heavenly storms wiped out all that roamed the earth. Despite both arks landing in the Middle East, Noah’s ark landed on Mt.Ararat, and Utnapishti’s ark on Mt.Nisir. For forty days and forty nights rain poured down on earth and on Noah’s ark, however, the Babylonian story was said to have rained for only seven days and seven nights. Utnapishtim and Noah individually sent two birds to find dry land with no avail. The third birds did not return, apparently finding dry land. Although both men released three birds, Utnapishtim released a dove, swallow and a raven; Noah released a raven once a... Free Essays on Flood Comparison Free Essays on Flood Comparison The Chaldean Flood Tablets, spawned from the city of Ur (Southern Iraq), depicts how the Babylonian God, Ea (a god who took part in the creation of man), rendered â€Å"the end of all flesh.† Nearly identical to the way God covered the earth with a great rain to spite the lawlessness of man. The biblical and the Babylonian interpretations resemble each other in many aspects though differ in distinct parts. Mankind became obnoxious, mendacious, and sinful in the eyes of God. Comparable to the Babylonian story, the people were looked upon as being too numerous and too noisy. God chose a righteous man named Noah to carry on the human race after The Great Flood. The Babylonian god Ea chose Utnapishtim to do the same, indirectly warning Utnapishtim of the great revelation through a dream. In contrast, Noah was forewarned directly through the instructions of God. Noah was told to build an ark of gopher wood and cover it inside and out with a pitch, just as Utnapishtim was told. The arks had an opening for daylight, a single door, along with numerous internal compartments. Noah’s ark was constructed 3 stories high and rectangular shaped opposed to the Babylonian chast of 6 stories high and square in contour. Both arks carried all living things; man, woman, birds, beasts and creepy things. The sky filled with darkness and the heavenly storms wiped out all that roamed the earth. Despite both arks landing in the Middle East, Noah’s ark landed on Mt.Ararat, and Utnapishti’s ark on Mt.Nisir. For forty days and forty nights rain poured down on earth and on Noah’s ark, however, the Babylonian story was said to have rained for only seven days and seven nights. Utnapishtim and Noah individually sent two birds to find dry land with no avail. The third birds did not return, apparently finding dry land. Although both men released three birds, Utnapishtim released a dove, swallow and a raven; Noah released a raven once a...

British castles

British castles Essay BRITISH CASTLESGreat Britain’s castles exemplify artistic characteristics and were essential elements in the lives of kings, lords, nobles, and chieftains. The word castle means a building or group of buildings usually intended as a residence of a king, lord, noble, or chieftain. There are many different types of castles, and the features about them are simply amazing. Warfare was also an important issue involving castles. They had to have some means of protection. The castles reached their fullest development in the medieval period, even though fortified building had been around much earlier. The castles created a feudal system, which gave them their greatest importance. The feudal system was divided into three classes: the knights and nobles, clergy, and peasants. The knights and nobles’ job was to defend society, the clergy was to pray, while the peasants had the duty to till the soil and support other classes (Collier’s Encyclopedia 532). The origin of has be en traced back to the late Roman times when men placed themselves under a man stronger and wealthier than themselves (Rowling 31). The knights lived in castles built upon hilltops or in the bend of rivers. There they received vessels, held meeting: and upon occasion, defended themselves from rivals. There are many different general styles of castles in Britain. One of the styles is a motte and bailey, which was one of the first types of castles built. The castle was made of a motte, which was a large man-made mound of earth. The top of the mound was surrounded by wooden palisades, which were like logs. Within those logs was a wooden keep. This was used as a lookout tower and a last refuge or keep (Farndon 7). The only way to get into the motte was across a sloping bridge, placed on high pillars. The bailey was next to the motte, and wooden palisades also surrounded it. A ditch of water protected the bailey. The motte and bailey were connected by a flying bridge that could be torn down if the bailey was not needed anymore. Since the motte and bailey were made of wood and earth none of the castles have survived completely today (Remfry 1). Norman’s were few so they must have had to force people to help build it (Farndon 6). By the eleventh century the motte and bailey form of castle was widely spread (Alistair 3). Another type of castle is a shell keep. This was one of the first stone castles built. The keep was a circular wall that had buildings surrounding it. The keep was surrounded by an open-courtyard. This had the advantage of clustering the major components of the castle into a single strong, easily defensible keep (Remfry, Types of castles 1). Due to the fact that the shell keep was light enough to be supported by a man-made mound, many of the keeps were added to the existing motte and bailey castles. This keep was so much stronger and larger that it took longer to build than a motte or bailey. A Masonry Tower was a square that was 30 or 40 feet high. This tower was made of paste and stones, but brick and rubble were often used to fill walls at times. These towers were freestanding and the stone led to a better defense if needed. A later development of the design was a Welsh D-Tower which is a combined square keep with a round tower that made the masonry tower even stronger. The Tower of London is the most famous of these Towers (Remfry, Types of castle 2). A donjon was quite common and found in many shapes. The donjonWas considered to be a last line of defense. They were surrounded by a stone curtain wall, which was defended by several towers. The wall was very thick, as, much as nine or ten feet thick and maybe 40 foot in height. The wall has an apron like based on it to thicken the wall base, and causing solid or liquid material (Simpson 14). A later design to these towers was a gatehouse. The gate caused a weak defense so they later surrounded it by a pair of Towers. These other towers would allow attackers to be defeated from above or on the side of the gatehouse. A portcullis was also used to protect the gate with a metal grate (Remfry 2). Finally, a concentric castle was an unusual type of castle. It represented the highest form of a castle. It usually consisted of a donjon and curtain wall, even two or more walls. The second wall was lower than the first, allowing archers to drop from both walls and fire upon attackers. The tower also consisted of round towers, large moats, and gatekeeps. If the first tower was destroyed, the attacker was still faced with a whole other complete castle. If the castle were constructed properly, it would be invincible. Edward I built a majority of the castles to put down the Welsh rebellions (Remfry 2). READ: From Village to City EssayWarfare was very important with the lords of the castles. A good built castle could rarely be taken down by a direct attack. During a siege, the attacking army would surround the entrance of the castle and prevent supplies from entering (Mfeinberg 1). The army would literally starve everybody to make him or her surrender. This would take months or even years, and in this time they would demolish the castles appearance with weapons. The most common of these weapons was a catapult, which would hurl stones at the castle wall and at the defenders. A catapult could also be used to hurl other things at the castles such as heads or bodies. That would get very messy! It could also be used to hurl things at one point of the wall because they were so accurate. This could cause the castle to crumble. Another weapon of the middle ages was a ballista. This was a huge crossbow that hurled arrows the size of trees. It could also be used to hurl large stones (Brown 64). This would really start to destroy the castles in little to no time at all. A different siege weapon was a battering ram brought close to the gate and rammed until broken (Mfeinberg, Siege warfare 1). Other methods were used to get around the wall. A rolling tower, the height of the wall, was used to get close to the wall and drop soldiers at the top of the wall. Castles on cliffs were common and made it hard for the enemy to attack. There was good visibility to see attackers and made an excellent source of water and supplies. A castle with access to supplies could withstand a siege longer than one that did not. A moat was added to castles to make them stronger. A moat is a large ditch that went around the castle, filled with water. It also contained a drawbridge that limited access to the castle. Another addition to a castle were arrow loops, which were small slits in the wall that allowed archers a long field of fire and made him hard to hit. On the top of the wall crenellations served a purpose of arrow loops. A crenellation is an alternating pattern of high a low spots that affords an archer a place to hide (Mfeinberg, siege warfare 1). Instead of an archer, a crossbowman was used but a second assistant was needed to reload a second crossbow. Since windows were the only source of natural light, secesses behind them were the size of small rooms. They had built in seats behind them. For security windows near the bottom of the castle were very narrow, whereas the top ones were wide (Macaulay 31). Later advancements were even better for the castles. A round tower stronger than the square had a better platform for fire and was harder to undermine. A glacis or sloping wall was placed at the bottom of the tower to prevent ram attackers. A murder hole was used to drop cold water to put out fires. Rocks and hot water were also dropped upon attackers to annoy them. The combination of these things resulted in the gatehouse. These consisted of a pair of towers that if attackers managed to enter the gate murder holes and arrow would attack them loops from close range. A final characteristic added to castles was a posten gate. That was a small gate that allowed escape incasing the castle started to fall. During a siege it was also used to send out a huge number of troops to harass the attackers. Many of these methods made a castl e almost defeatless. But in the 16th century these methods all changed when gunpowder was invented. Then everyone started using canons to defeat the castle. The canon had more power than a catapult or ballista. The canons could level walls sometimes within a couple tries. Gunpowder revolutionized warfare and the use of castles and sieges became part of history (Mcfeinberg, siege warfare 2). The lord and lady of a castle wore beautiful garments. They would sleep naked and put on linen under garments when rising for the day. After they bathed in cold water, which was only once a week, they would put on their outer garments. Their garments were basically the same. A long sleeved tunic slipped over the head and fastened at the neck with a burch. The second tunic went over the first. It was shorter with either sleeveless or with wide, loose sleeves and often lined with fur. Finally a mantle made with a circular piece of material, lined with fur and fastened at the neck with a chain. The lords garments were shorter that the ladies and had looser sleeves. Both wore belts tied at the waist or fastened with a metal buckle. The man’s costume was completed with a long hose attached to the belt that held up his pants. The women’s hose were shorter and suspended from garters below the knees. The lord and lady both wore shoes: sandals for around the castle and boots for the outdoors (Gies 110). READ: World History - Power Comes From The Barrel Of A Gun EssayThe colors of there tunics, mantles, hose, and shoes were bright blues, yellows, crimsons, purples, and greens. Their garments were usually made out of wool, though fine silks were often worn. Camlet was sometimes used for winter robes, which was woven from camel or goat hair. The fur trimmings were of squirrel, lambskin, rabbit, otter, marten, beavers, fox, ermine, and sable. For festive occasions belts might be silk with gold or silver threads with jewels attached to them. Both men and women wore head coverings indoors an outdoors. The lord usually wore a linen coif tied by string to his chin. Feathers and buttons decorated this. The lady wore a linen wimple either white or colored that covered her hair and neck. Outside, hood and caps were worn over the coifs and wimples. Elegant gloves, jewelry, necklaces, gold rings with stones, pins, hairbands, shoebuckles and bracelets completed the costume (Gies, 111). The morning was spent in routine task depending on whether the castle had quest. The lord had conferences with members of his counsel. The lady conversed with her quest or stayed busy with embroidery and other projects. The knights practiced fencing and tilting, while children did their lessons with a tutor. The tutor was usually one of the lord’s clerks. When the lesson was over the children would play. The girls played with dolls and the boys with tops and balls, horseshoes, and bows and arrows. In the courtyard, the grooms swept out the stables and fed the horses. Smith’s worked on horseshoes, nails, and wagon fittings (Gies, 112). In the kitchen the cook and his staff turned the meat on a spit and prepared stews and soups in iron pots hung over the fire on a hook and chain that could be raised and lowered for different temperatures. Some of there meat was pork, beef, mutton, poultry, and game. When the boiling meat was ready it was lifted out of the pot with an iron meat hook, a long fork with a wooden handle and prongs attached to the side. The soup was stirred with a long-handled slotted spoon. Salting or smoking preserved the meat. Most common was to keep the meat alive int’l ready for use. On fast days they served fish (Gies, 113). The lords had to use hunting as a way of life. At dawn on summer days the lords, his household, and quest would go into the forest while the huntsman, a professional and regular member of the lord’s staff would hunt the deer down with their dogs. There were three kinds of dogs: the lymer, a bloodhound, bachet, and a gray hound. The bloodhound was kept on a leash an d used to finish off the prey at bay. The bachet was a smaller hound and a gray hound was larger than the modern breed and capable of killing a deer on its own. When the animal was brought to the bay it was usually beheaded. Sometimes they would use bow and arrow to kill. Skinning and dividing up the meat, including the hound’s share (Gies 125) followed the kill. A meal would also include beer. The lords and there acquaintances love to drink beer (Quenells 43). Dinner would be served between 10:00 a.m. and noon. The dinner consisted of two or three courses each served in separate dishes. All of the courses consisted of the same kinds of food except for the last course, which consisted of fruits, nuts, cheese, wafers, and spiced wine. On holidays and weddings a large quantity of food would be served. When HenryIII daughter married there was more than sixty pasture cattle eaten at the first and principal course at the table (Gies, 117). During dinner the quest might be entertai ned with music or jokes, and stories. When dinner was over one of the quest would entertain the company with a song of their own. The way of life lived in these times were very different from how we live things now. Their way of attack then was very brutal and took strong men to pull the job off. Now gun-power is invented so it is easier to defend us from attackers. The lords and ladies were very creative in their ways of doing things. It would have been amazing to live in those times.

Fire Protection Systems (MGM Grand Hotel, Paradise, Nevada, November Term Paper - 1

Fire Protection Systems (MGM Grand Hotel, Paradise, Nevada, November 21, 1980) - Term Paper Example The MGM Grand Fire accident also destroyed a lot of property, including adjacent restaurants. While the tragic nature of the MGM Grand Fire cannot be downplayed, it served as a silver lining behind the dark cloud of the accident. Particularly, the MGM Grand Fire accident helped people grasp the danger of smoke inhalation as something as dangerous as the actual flames, if not more. This is because, as many as seventy-five died from carbon dioxide poisoning and smoke inhalation. Before the MGM Grand Fire accident, it was required that all commercial buildings should have fire sprinklers installed. It is for this reason that the constructor, Orvin Engineering Company made recommendations to MGM Grand that it should have fire sprinklers so that MGM Grand should even assume liability of the unsprinkled areas within the building. Nevertheless, the MGM Grand Chairman, Fred Benninger resisted the pressure to install the fire sprinklers. It was also required that commercial buildings such as the MGM Grand Hotel have building code enforcement procedures throughout the building process. It is for this reason that the County Office of Building and Safety sought to ensure that a system of onsite resident inspectors was used after being hired by the Clerk of County Office of Building and Safety. The County Office of Building and Safety did this in lieu of the fire department simply because at the time, the fire department was not endowed with the authority to enforce building authority. It is for this reason that fire protection and life safety in the MGM Grand Building became so peripheral that MGM Grand did not install fire sprinklers. Johnson, G A and Calkins, A. (1999). Prehospital triage and communication performance in small mass casualty incidents: a gauge for disaster preparedness. The American journal of emergency medicine, 17 (2), 148 -

Product definition Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Product definition - Assignment Example The expected attributes of a product are those benefits that customers perceive that they will be offered in return of purchasing Rolls Royce Phantom. The customers expect that by purchasing the Phantom they will attain the benefit of travelling in a luxurious and expensive vehicle which will suit and compliment their higher social status in the society. The customers expect that Rolls Royce will offer them security and it does provide security in the shape of features including frontal and overhead airbags. It even offers customers safety as these cars come along with the attribute of disabling the ignition. Customers expect that these cars will offer them convenience in shape of programmed temperature controlling option and they even offer the driver with a bin attached on the door. These are those benefits that are offered by Rolls Royce Luxury Cars and provide a competitive advantage to the company over its competitors. One of the major benefits that customers receive from purchasing a Rolls Royce is that they are allowed to customize their own cars according to their needs and taste. The benefit of customization is quite rare and this allows the company to maintain a base of customers who are loyal to the brand. Rolls Royce Phantom offers a moon roof that is not offered by its close competitor Mulsanne. The Phantom even offers warranty coverage for a period of 4 years and even offers door locks for children that are not offered by its competitors. The customers of Rolls Royce luxury cars such as the customers of Phantom expect that in future these cars will be more fuel efficient with updated technologies that will reduce fuel consumption. The customers even expect that in future the phantom may be priced lower with the introduction of a mini Phantom. This will allow a lot more consumers to experience the luxury and comfort

TEXTBOOK CJ2012 FAGIN-Explain the difference between the crime control Essay

TEXTBOOK CJ2012 FAGIN-Explain the difference between the crime control model and the due process model of justice - Essay Example This model emphasizes efficiency and speed in the administration of criminal justice process. The advantages of reducing crime rates outweigh any possible costs to rights of the individual. Due Process Model accords priority on the right and freedom of human beings to be protected and sheltered from the power of the government. Values of this model seek to ensure that the state should prove a person’s guilt within a process designed to safeguard and protect personal liberties as itemized in the Bill of Rights. Basically, the difference between these two derives from the fact that crime control model places emphasis on the prosecution of criminals, while the due process model focuses on restricting and limiting the scope of rules and laws by stressing more on personal freedoms and liberty. Besides, the crime control model pays attention on putting the criminal away, defending the innocent people. The due process, on the other hand, considers the rights of the accused person and rehabilitation. The courts incline more towards the due process model, which even supports the accused persons by securing their freedom and rights, to promise that every individual’s rights and freedom are protected as stated in the Bill of Rights. Enforcement inclines in the direction of the model of crime control; they treat arrest as if they were already culpable; largely emphasizing on prosecution, arrest and conviction of those who have broken the law. The due process models needs to guarantee that every person is protected under 8th Amendment and the 4th Amendment, which allows no illegal and unlawful search and seizure. The rights should be put aside for the purpose of maintaining purpose of security and criminal justice manners. On the other hand, sometimes one has to give up his or her right for the advantage of society as a whole. The justice system in US is a complex one and sometimes it becomes difficult to distinguish between the innocent

Type of community Absecon, New Jersey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Type of community Absecon, New Jersey - Essay Example Absecon is a city in Atlantic County, in the Atlantic City metro area. The community name derives from Indian term variously translated as little stream" or "plenty (or place) of swans" The latitude of Absecon is 39.428N. The longitude is -74.496W. It is in the Eastern Standard time zone. Elevation is 23 feet. The estimated population, in 2003, was 7,835. .. Industries providing employment: Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services (29.7%), Educational, health and social services (19.0%), Retail trade (12.9%). Absecon-area historical tornado activity is below New Jersey state average. It is 50% smaller than the overall U.S. average. On 7/21/1983, a category 3 (max. wind speeds 158-206 mph) tornado 22.6 miles away from the Absecon city center caused between $500,000 and $5,000,000 in damages. On 11/4/1970, a category 2 (max. wind speeds 113-157 mph) tornado 5.6 miles away from the city center caused between $50,000 and $500,000 in damages. Hospitals/medical centers near Absecon: BETTY BACHARACH REHAB CENTER (about 6 miles; POMONA, NJ) ATLANTIC CITY MEDICAL CTR (about 7 miles; ATLANTIC CITY, NJ) SHORE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL (about 11 miles; SOMERS POINT, NJ) Airports certified for carrier operations nearest to Absecon: ATLANTIC CITY INTERNATIONAL (about 5 miles; ATLANTIC CITY, NJ; ID: ACY) MC GUIRE AFB (about 40 miles; WRIGHTSTOWN, NJ; ID: WRI) LAKEHURST NAES /MAXFIELD FIELD (about 43 miles; LAKEHURST, NJ; ID: NEL) Other public-use airports nearest to Absecon: ATLANTIC CITY MUNI/BADER FIELD (about 7 miles; ATLANTIC CITY, NJ; ID: AIY) STEEL PIER TAJ MAHAL (about 9 miles; ATLANTIC CITY, NJ; ID: 92N) OCEAN CITY MUNI (about 15 miles; OCEAN CITY, NJ; ID: 26N) Colleges/universities with over 2000 students nearest to Absecon: THE RICHARD STOCKTON COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY (about 6 miles; POMONA, NJ; Full-time enrollment: 5,526) ATLANTIC CAPE COMMUNITY COLLEGE (about 18 miles; MAYS LANDING, NJ; FT enrollment: 3,086) BURLINGTON COUNTY COLLEGE (about 39 miles; PEMBERTON, NJ; FT enrollment: 3,751) OCEAN COUNTY COLLEGE (about 43 miles; TOMS RIVER, NJ; FT enrollment: 4,651) CAMDEN COUNTY

Spam Overview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Spam Overview - Essay Example Spammers are not abe to prevent intermediary systems from adding these headers while the headers provide only minimal protection because a thorough examination of the "Received:" header will be required to identify the real source of the message. There are two popular techniques used by spammers to puzzle message recipients: using open relay sites (Yahoo! Anti-Spam Resource Center, 2004) to send messages and adding "Received:" headers of their own creation when sending a message. Open relay sites refer to servers that are generally allowed to be used by unknown computers in order to to send e-mail messages. Mail can be traced back to these relays, but it is unlikely that the relay operator will be able to identify the system that passed it the message. While servers that allow relaying are becoming less common as a result of the spam problem, they still exist and are well-known by spammers. These relay sites are often blacklisted, meaning that certain ISPs will not accept messages from them. While this is helpful, it has the effect of blocking not only spam, but also legitimate messages by other senders that may depend on the relay for mail transport. The second technique is the adding of bogus "Received:" headers. However, this technique is not so effective as the first one. The bogus headers usually contain errors, but are not able to prevent the addition of accurate "Received:" headers. This means that recipient can believe the header that the own server added (jupiter.solar.net in the example) and work back from one header to the next, identifying whether the server is one he trusts at each step. (Klensin, 1995) The message "id" can be utilized to authenticate the validity with the administrator at each intermediary. Ultimately, the false headers can... The problem of spam has grown intensively since the emergence of the Internet. During the period of 2001-2002, spam increased by 450 percent or 12.4 billion messages per day. Spam is considered to be highly challenging problem because it mostly contains pornographic advertisement or fraudulent, get-rich-quick schemes sent from a cautiously disguised source. Spam is also a computer security risk since it spreads computer viruses that then turn infected computers into spammers. The sending of spam results in a substantial shifting of costs from advertisers to ISPs and e-mail recipients. In 2003, spam is counted to have cost companies worldwide $20.5 billion. Spammers are able to send messages for minimal cost--the cost of their Internet access and mailing lists. The costs of relaying messages, storing them, and downloading them are borne by others. The extent of other forms of commercial advertising that occurs is limited by the cost of the advertising.

TEXTBOOK CJ2012 FAGIN-Explain the difference between the crime control Essay

TEXTBOOK CJ2012 FAGIN-Explain the difference between the crime control model and the due process model of justice - Essay Example This model emphasizes efficiency and speed in the administration of criminal justice process. The advantages of reducing crime rates outweigh any possible costs to rights of the individual. Due Process Model accords priority on the right and freedom of human beings to be protected and sheltered from the power of the government. Values of this model seek to ensure that the state should prove a person’s guilt within a process designed to safeguard and protect personal liberties as itemized in the Bill of Rights. Basically, the difference between these two derives from the fact that crime control model places emphasis on the prosecution of criminals, while the due process model focuses on restricting and limiting the scope of rules and laws by stressing more on personal freedoms and liberty. Besides, the crime control model pays attention on putting the criminal away, defending the innocent people. The due process, on the other hand, considers the rights of the accused person and rehabilitation. The courts incline more towards the due process model, which even supports the accused persons by securing their freedom and rights, to promise that every individual’s rights and freedom are protected as stated in the Bill of Rights. Enforcement inclines in the direction of the model of crime control; they treat arrest as if they were already culpable; largely emphasizing on prosecution, arrest and conviction of those who have broken the law. The due process models needs to guarantee that every person is protected under 8th Amendment and the 4th Amendment, which allows no illegal and unlawful search and seizure. The rights should be put aside for the purpose of maintaining purpose of security and criminal justice manners. On the other hand, sometimes one has to give up his or her right for the advantage of society as a whole. The justice system in US is a complex one and sometimes it becomes difficult to distinguish between the innocent

Spam Overview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Spam Overview - Essay Example Spammers are not abe to prevent intermediary systems from adding these headers while the headers provide only minimal protection because a thorough examination of the "Received:" header will be required to identify the real source of the message. There are two popular techniques used by spammers to puzzle message recipients: using open relay sites (Yahoo! Anti-Spam Resource Center, 2004) to send messages and adding "Received:" headers of their own creation when sending a message. Open relay sites refer to servers that are generally allowed to be used by unknown computers in order to to send e-mail messages. Mail can be traced back to these relays, but it is unlikely that the relay operator will be able to identify the system that passed it the message. While servers that allow relaying are becoming less common as a result of the spam problem, they still exist and are well-known by spammers. These relay sites are often blacklisted, meaning that certain ISPs will not accept messages from them. While this is helpful, it has the effect of blocking not only spam, but also legitimate messages by other senders that may depend on the relay for mail transport. The second technique is the adding of bogus "Received:" headers. However, this technique is not so effective as the first one. The bogus headers usually contain errors, but are not able to prevent the addition of accurate "Received:" headers. This means that recipient can believe the header that the own server added (jupiter.solar.net in the example) and work back from one header to the next, identifying whether the server is one he trusts at each step. (Klensin, 1995) The message "id" can be utilized to authenticate the validity with the administrator at each intermediary. Ultimately, the false headers can... The problem of spam has grown intensively since the emergence of the Internet. During the period of 2001-2002, spam increased by 450 percent or 12.4 billion messages per day. Spam is considered to be highly challenging problem because it mostly contains pornographic advertisement or fraudulent, get-rich-quick schemes sent from a cautiously disguised source. Spam is also a computer security risk since it spreads computer viruses that then turn infected computers into spammers. The sending of spam results in a substantial shifting of costs from advertisers to ISPs and e-mail recipients. In 2003, spam is counted to have cost companies worldwide $20.5 billion. Spammers are able to send messages for minimal cost--the cost of their Internet access and mailing lists. The costs of relaying messages, storing them, and downloading them are borne by others. The extent of other forms of commercial advertising that occurs is limited by the cost of the advertising.

World War I Essay Example for Free

World War I Essay The economy of Christiania steadily grew until before World War I. When the First World War broke out in 1914, Norway declared its neutrality. However, Christiania benefited economically from the war by carrying British cargoes inspite of the loss of Norwegian lives and ships that were caught in the war (Compton 610). After the war Christiania settled back to its normal life. In 1924, Christiania was renamed back to Oslo (â€Å"Oslo: City† 2006). Second World War On April 9, 1940 Oslo was defeated by the Germans almost with only a slight resistance due to the betrayal by Norwegian Officer and Fascist politician Vidkun Quisling who collaborated with the Nazis. As a result, the city was only slightly damaged during the war (Halsey 239). In 1942, Germany installed a puppet government in Norway under National Union leader Vidkun Quisling. However, the Norwegians resisted the Germans and its puppet regime. Oslo became a place of opposition strikes. Other citizens were secretly involved in the large-scale industrial sabotage and espionage on behalf of the allied powers. (â€Å"Oslo† 2006). During their occupation of the city the Nazis used Akershus as a prison and place of execution for those convicted of allied conspiracy and today its the site of Norways Resistance Museum, which provided a detailed account of German takeover and the Norwegian struggle against it (Thodock 2003). The German forces that overran Norway surrendered in May 8, 1945 enabling the exiled King Hakon VII to return to Norway from London in June. Oslo then began to rebuild its ruin buildings while at the same time prosecuted â€Å"about 90,000 alleged cases of treason and defection†. Convicted traitors faced execution foremost of which was Vidkun Quisling (â€Å"Oslo† 2006). When it came to The Cold War, that is the postwar to World War II, two major alliances were created. Although, in World War I a system of alliances did not work, the systems of alliances that formed after World War II were bigger and they werent buddy-buddy alliances. These two alliances were formed to bring peace throughout the world, to end The Cold War, and to prevent anymore future high scale wars. Toward the end of the war, hostility between Norwegians and the German occupying forces grew considerably stronger. A prime cause was the German withdrawal from all fronts. Retreating German units from the fronts in the north, the USSR and Finland, withdrew to Norwegian territory. In the autumn of 1944, the Red Army followed the Germans into Finnmark, where it liberated Kirkenes and the northeastern areas. As the occupying troops retreated, they ordered an evacuation of the entire Norwegian population in Finnmark and in Troms south to Lyngen. In Lyngen, three German army corps dug in. Then the entire region north of Lyngen was burned and destroyed. The destruction included 10,400 homes, bridges, power stations, factories, fishing vessels, telephone facilities and other types of infrastructure. The scorched earth area was much larger than all of Denmark. After the Soviet Red Army crossed into North Norway, a Norwegian military mission and a small number of Norwegian soldiers from Great Britain and Sweden followed. The Russians withdrew from Norway in September 1945, a few months after the German capitulation. When the costs of the war were estimated in Norway, the tally showed that 10,262 Norwegians had been killed, including 3,670 seamen. The Germans had executed 366 and tortured 39 to death. Among political prisoners and members of the underground, 658 died at home and 1,433 abroad. After the war, legal proceedings were initiated against those who had betrayed their country. About 46,000 persons were punished for treason. Among these, 18,000 were sentenced to prison terms, 28,000 were fined and deprived of their rights as citizens. A total of 45 Norwegians and Germans received death sentences, 37 of the executions were carried out. It did not take long for the country to recuperate from the effects of World War II. Industrial production and the gross domestic product were greater in 1946 than in 1938. Three years later, the countrys national wealth had also returned to its pre-war level. Part 3: Major Event in the modern Era of the City The world over there is no other coveted price that comes even in comparison to the Nobel peace prize. It is one of a kind and its importance and value can not be underrated. Oslo helped to promote the preservation of worldwide peace when it was chosen to be the place for the annual awarding of the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in 1901. Alfred Nobel, a renowned Swedish inventor of the dynamite, left in his will dated November 27, 1895 the order to use some of his fortune as a prize for any individuals, irregardless of his race, who helped promote peace in the world. The Nobel peace was to be specifically awarded to person or persons who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding of peace congresses. In 1901 the first Nobel Prize was awarded to International Red Cross founder Henry Dunant and International Pacifist Frederic Passy. In succeeding years Nobel Peace Prize according to an Oxford Dictionary of Twentieth Century World History, became The worlds most prestigious prize. † The prize was to be awarded by a committee of five persons to be elected by the Norwegian Storting†. The members of the committee are all Norwegians and for more than a hundred years the committee members were able to generally make a respectable and decent selection although controversies were also present. The criteria for choosing the recipients have enabled the world to get acquainted with Norwegian perception or definition of peace. In the study of the recipients of the award, it can be said that the values that Nobel Prize committee members adhered to represented the â€Å"Norwegian version of Western liberal internationalism. Thus, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has been a strong believer in international organizations, from the Inter-Parliamentary Union to the League of Nations and the United Nations†. Moreover, Norwegians believed that â€Å"small nations almost instinctively prefer international law to the might they do not possess, and they believe in the arbitration, mediation and peaceful solution of international disputes†. In this context, the Nobel Prize actively encouraged and awarded humanitarian assistance to the weak and the poor especially with the exercise of their human rights as well as the control of military power that may threatened the peace and order of the world. In a more personal level, Nobel left no explanation as to why he chose the Norwegians to award the Nobel Peace Prize. Educated inferences were presented to explain his action. Nobel may have been aware of the close ties between Sweden and Norway since the latter was once ruled by the former. Aside from that he may have admired Norway’s participation in settling international disputes of the 1890’s. Perhaps he may have regarded Norway as a more peace-oriented and more democratic country than

Importance Of Civil Engineering in Britain

Importance Of Civil Engineering in Britain Civil Engineering is the key to many of the issues affecting our daily lives. Civil engineers solve most problems and make our live easy and enjoyable. Civil engineering covers several specialized sectors including: buildings of all kinds as well as transport and communications infrastructure, production, storage and distribution of electricity gas and water. Most everything civil engineers do affects our daily lives in many ways. The operation of the infrastructure that surrounds us is the foundation of our society. This infrastructure includes roads, airports, railroads, buildings, bridges, water and wastewater treatment plants, sewers, drainage, flood control, water supply, landfills, and many other facilities. All these are the jobs for Civil Engineers. This essay is about importance of civil engineering in Britain and roles of civil engineering in Britain. I will do this by explaining water sewers, buildings, roads, stadiums development, wastewater treatment plants, energy development, york eco depot, airports, railroads, bridges and, sewers, drainage, flood control and water supply. Civil Engineers saved time, money and resources by demolishing an old seven-storey building in Londons Buckingham Palace Road and replacing it with a new building that re-used the foundation of the original building. This technique reduced construction risks associated digging new foundations in London clay near the Circle and District Underground line. If more new piles had simply been installed between existing ones this would have restricted the future development of the site. Great care was taken to prevent water produced during drilling from swelling the clay and reducing the strength of the foundations. Other challenges included testing the structural integrity of the original piles and identifying their exact location as the original pen and ink drawings only showed the building as designed, not as it was actually constructed. The essential engineering work to ease congestion around Heathrow Airport would have caused chaos along a 23km stretch of the M25. M25 is regarded as on of the busiest motorway in Europe, visit [http://www.bbcel.co.uk/news/631_key-milestone-complete-on-m25-junction-16-23 ]. As well as ensuring construction work did not create traffic jams engineers also had to find clever ways of widening the road within existing highway boundaries and without using any new land. Getting land from the motor ways central reservations as well as the hard shoulders and verges of the motor ways, the civil engineers increased Junctions 12 to 14 from four lanes to five lanes as well the Junction 15 from four lanes to six. Around ninety percentage of material used for this construction was recovered from the site and recycled. This technique not just reduced the congestion but also transport needed for the construction. On the night, when the natural awareness in so small and traffic queues are so small, the line closures are scheduled. This project was completed in 2005 before the time allocated without being seen the traffice congestions expected before the project has been started. Engineers worked together to define unique characteristics of the Wembley Stadium and create a new English national football stadium that just looks like the original old building. While most modern stadium are orientated North-South so that the players seen well on afternoon sun, this new stadium is orientated East-West, just like the original Wembley (thanks to knowledge of the civil engineers). Visit http://www.wembleystadium.com/buildingwembley for more information regarding this project. On sunny days the South side of the roof is retracted so the whole pitch is in sunlight. This avoids valuable seconds of play being lost to broadcasters as television cameras adjust from bright sun to shadow. The iconic arch spans 315m, are visible for over 20km, carries 70% of the roof load and removes the need for any structural columns. This means that, unlike the old stadium, all 90,000 seats has unobstructed views of the pitch. [http://www.wembleystadium.com/buildingwembley] To solve the crisis Hampshire and its partners created an action plan to reduce waste, increase composting and recycling, support anaerobic digestion, adopt recovery technologies and create up to five new facilities to process up to 200,000 tones of waste annually. The new Chineham Energy Recovery Facility is exceptional because engineers altered a standard building format to fit the small 1.4-hectare site of a former Basingstoke incinerator. The facility produces up to 8MW of power of which 1.25MW is used to operates the plant. The remaining 6.75MW is sufficient to supply 10,000 homes with electricity each year. The building is partly clad in light-reactive coated aluminum that changes color depending on light levels and weather to appear grey, blue or purple. Semi-opaque polycarbonate cladding allows natural light into the building and reduces electricity use. The tipping hall has a living roof covered with plants that change color seasonally and require no maintenance. Visit www.v eoliaenvironmentalservices.co.uk/Hampshire for more information regarding this project. Beddington Zero Energy Development, (BedZED) is regarded as an eye-catching and affordable housing community in South East England. Civil engineers worked to reduce the energy demands of 100 homes and 2,500m2 of commercial space, according to http://www.bioregional.com/what-we-do/our-work/bedzed. The civil engineers reduced the demand for energy with renewable resources including passive solar heating and wood-fuelled combined heat and power. These energy sources resulted by reducing fuel carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere to as well fossil energy development to zero. While BedZEDs tenants are assured an efficient energy lifestyles by using the techniques used by engineers to reduce the amount of energy they require. Visit www.bioregional.com for more information regarding this project. The civil engineers used their to help City of York Council to move its department for housing, waste and roads from an expensive to an attractive new cheaper building. The civil engineers knowledge resulted in using a technique that maximizes natural light and ventilation by using sensors that detect high temperature, rain or high wind and open and close windows accordingly. Rainfalls from the roof of the building is collected in what is known as the underground tanks and used to wash vehicles. This resulted by reducing water consumption around fifty percentage. The warehouse construction also reduces energy use by up to seventy-six percentages and the Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to one hundred and fifty five tones annually if compared when building to a traditionally built, air-conditioned office of the same size. The warehouse also includes an Interpretation Room that could be used for education of the community in the City of York Council. Visit [www.carillionplc.com ] for more information regarding this project. My conclusion is that the water we drink, the pavement we drive on, the air we breathe are the work of civil and environmental engineers literally surrounds us all. Transport systems join our communities together. Road, rail, air and sea networks span the world. All these are the work for civil engineers. Civil Engineers help us trade, travel, exchange ideas and information, and gain employment, healthcare and education. Our civilization is developing, but so too is our demand for electricity. Civil engineers are committed to protecting our natural resources, designing structures that use as little energy as possible. When it comes to providing energy for the entire planet, engineers are using nature to meet the needs of today and tomorrow. We should be proud of our civilization today, and its many great achievements. By applying the latest technologies, civil engineers can save structures and monuments from the distant past so that they can still be enjoyed well into the future. Civil engineers are using designs and materials that will protect our natural and cultural heritage for future generations. The civil engineering knowledge cannot be regarded as a new subject. It has been around for so many hundred years back to the Romans (for their ancient Roman civilization), Egyptians (best known for their building of the pyramids) and Mayans (the Mayans are people from America that have a history or around three thousand years) who built great civilizations before us, our civilization relies more than ever on the civil engineers whom the work on all the environment in and around us, such as the road, the bridges, the libraries, the buses, the trains, the aero planes, the water we consume in our every day life, the toilets that we use, the cars we drive, the houses we sleep, the shelters that we cover from the cold and hot and the many more things that we use in our daily life without them the life would now have been as the one we have today.

Repetitive Strain Injury Essay -- Health, Musculoskeletal Injury

Repetitive strain injury is a term that encompasses a broad range of musculoskeletal conditions that usually occur in sedentary workers. The musculoskeletal injury occurs due to an accumulation of microtrauma caused by repeated soft tissue overload (Ratzlaff 2007). In other words, tissues in the body are repeatedly injured with each injury being minor but, cumulatively, causing serious pain and damage to the body. Repetitive strain injury is not new phenomenon. It was first reported in the early 1900’s as telegraphic operator’s cramp in men who operated Morse keys (Youngson 2005). As the name suggests, repetitive strain injury affect those who perform repeated tasks for long periods of time. Most people affected are those who spend the majority of their work day sitting at a desk or using a computer. Other groups who frequently suffer from repetitive strain injury are those who use a particular muscle or group of muscles repeatedly such as musicians, knitters, a nd sewers. Factors contributing to repetitive strain injury are repeated use of same muscles, poor posture and sitting for long periods of time. Manifested primarily as pain in the forearm, shoulder or neck, repetitive strain injury is more common in women, tall people, smokers or those who are overweight. (Youngson 2005). Symptoms include pain anywhere in the fingers, hands, arms or upper spine. Repetitive strain injuries usually begin gradually and progress through distinct stages (Youngson 2005) and are easily manageable in the early stages. It is important to recognize the symptoms and treat early. Carpal tunnel syndrome is the most common type of repetitive strain injury and results from compression of the median nerve as it traverses the carpal tunnel ... ...biofeedback. A third treatment commonly used is an ergonomic approach. This involves the minimization of exposure to risk factors in the workplace. One method of achieving this is by the altering or replacement of equipment that is causing the injury. Many types of ergonomic keyboards are available for computer users which reduce the stress placed on the hands and wrists. Employee’s workstations can be altered to include equipment such as desks and chairs that help maintain proper posture reducing stress to the arms, upper torso, and neck. Frequent rest breaks are also encouraged by experts to minimize strain to all parts of the body. Repetitive strain injury is a condition that can affect a person of any age, gender, or race. Activities and tasks that seem insignificant, when performed repeatedly, have to ability to damage the body if left untreated.

Critique of Barbara Huttman’s A Crime of Compassion Essay -- Euthansas

Critique of Barbara Huttman’s â€Å"A Crime of Compassion† Barbara Huttman’s â€Å"A Crime of Compassion† has many warrants yet the thesis is not qualified. This is a story that explains the struggles of being a nurse and having to make split-second decisions, whether they are right or wrong. Barbara was a nurse who was taking care of a cancer patient named Mac. Mac had wasted away to a 60-pound skeleton (95). When he walked into the hospital, he was a macho police officer who believed he could single-handedly protect the whole city (95). His condition worsened every day until it got so bad that he had to be resuscitated two or three times a day. Barbara eventually gave into his wishes to be let go. Do you believe we should have the right to die? In my opinion, if a person is terminally ill and there is no chance of bringing them back then they should have the right to make the choice whether they want to be kept alive or let go. What is the point of sitting in a hospital for the rest of a person’s life if they are not going to be able to do any thing? This claim is supported throughout the entire text through her believes in religion. And every night I prayed that his agonized eyes would never again plead with me to let him die (96). Barbara talked about how she wondered about a spiritual judge, and by this, it shows that religion is an important part in her life. Several times in the text, he begs to be let go so his suffering could be come to an end. Some would ask why we would not have the right to die. How enjoyable could life be when a person must be resuscitated fifty-two times in just one month? Anybody who reads â€Å"A Crime of Compassion† can easily find it very emotional. I believe the pathos plays a very important... ...o get a do not resuscitate order. That is an order that the families may sign so the hospital does not have to give effort to bring a person back to life anymore once they have stopped breathing. Even though Barbara’s intentions in this paper are directly stated, her claims she gives does not back her argument at all. After reading her major claim, which states that we do not have the right to die (97), I feel the complete opposite of what she thinks and I believe a person should have the right to die if there is no chance of them getting better in the future. The author’s grounds explained all of the struggles of keeping a very sick man alive, which I believe gave me some very good evidence to write my counter argument. Works Cited Huttman, Barbara. â€Å"A Crime of Compassion.† The Genre of Argument Ed. Irene Clark. Boston, MA: Christopher Klein, 1998.

Hemingway (Sun Also Rises) and Fitzgerald (Great Gatsby) Essay

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby and Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises both define the culture of the 1920s through the behaviors and thoughts of their characters. The characters in both novels have a sense of sadness and emptiness, which they resolve through sex and alcohol. This can be attributed to the disillusionment surrounding the Great War, better known as World War I. Jay Gatsby in The Great Gatsby represents the Jazz Age and high life of the 1920s, in contrast to Brett Ashley as the New Woman of the 1920s and Jake Barnes’s embodiment of the Lost Generation in Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. The Great Gatsby illustrated people reaching for the â€Å"American Dream.† The Sun Also Rises instills a â€Å"permanent emotion,† what many members of the â€Å"Lost Generation† searched for, into the reader by presenting a sense of nostalgia for the better past. Fitzgerald’s 1920s was full of life, flappers, money, alcohol and jazz. It was a time of happy spirits, never ending wealth and the American Dream. Many believed that through hard work and perseverance one could be as rich as they wanted. One could own a mansion and a car and the latest fashions and live the high life. The flapper, a major symbol of the 1920s, wore their hair short and bobbed, make-up that was applied in public, and baggy short dresses that exposed skin. She thought fast, talked fast and was perhaps even a bit brazen. â€Å"They’re all desperadoes, these kids, all of them with any life in their veins; the girls as well as the boys; maybe more than the boys.†(Fabian) Money encompassed the spirit of the times. It represented the pop life, modern days, happiness and the American Dream and everybody wanted it. It seemed that there was not a soul who was not fashionably chic and dressed like they were rich. Everybody drank alcohol even though it was illegal; a party in a Harlem nightclub wouldn’t be as much fun without alcohol. Who couldn’t resist the sweet upbeat tunes of jazz music flowing through brass instruments? â€Å"†¦Jazz is a joyous revolt from convention, custom, authority, boredom, even sorrow.†(Rogers) Originally, jazz sprang from the African-American culture, but the young people of the 1920s adopted the music and even began playing it themselves. Dances such as the Charleston, Black Bottom, the Shimmy, and Fox Trot, were invented to accompany the upbeat music. (Watson) All of these elements are included in The Great Gatsby. Jay Gatsby in Fitzgerald’s novel is the archetype male of the 1920s. He has it all: money, a handsome figure, a mansion, a cream-colored automobile, British lingo, and some sort of inexplicable charm about him. He is new money living in West Egg. Yet despite his lavish parties and impressive mansion he is never be accepted by those who live in East Egg, where old money lives. The West Egg and East Egg are peninsulas that are a mere few miles apart where the only separation is the bay. (Fitzgerald) Fitzgerald’s peninsulas represent the same gap many Americans had to face in the 1920s. The two peninsulas are so close that Gatsby is able to see the green light coming from the Buchanan’s dock yet he cannot take hold of the light because he isn’t allowed to be a part of the society of Daisy Buchanan, his unattainable love who is married to Tom Buchanan. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby to focus on the American dream. It is his undying hope. Gatsby believes soon he will be able to be part of Daisy’s life. His optimism is so strong that in response to Nick Carraway’s comment â€Å"You can’t repeat the past,† he says, â€Å"Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!†(Fitzgerald) He believes he can make anything happen. Even his disastrous end is caused by not himself but those who did not want him to succeed. Just as the American Dream was the central part of life in the 1920s so it is in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald both as a writer and a man understood the American Dream and its risks and rewards. Fitzgerald had lived the American Dream. He, just like Gatsby, had desired an unattainable love whom he couldn’t have until he was rich and successful. The 1920s was the dawning of the American materialistic age and where acceptance and wealth were of the utmost importance. It is the idea that still exists today in American culture. Fitzgerald also describes the careless and senseless parties that took place during his time, similar to the parties Gatsby had. It was all about the money and if one couldn’t have it, one would turn to sex and alcohol. (Sklar) Hemingway’s experience of the 1920s was almost the opposite of Fitzgerald’s. Sex and a great deal of alcoholism were apparent and were used to subdue the everlasting sadness caused by World War I. The young men went to war between  the ages of 18 and 25, when they would have normally become civilized. Many of these people lived to find a permanent emotion or nostalgia after living through the disillusionment of the Great War. Paris was the expatriate capital. It was where the boldest modernists were. Many Americans who survived the war wanted to escape the newfound materialistic life and traveled to Paris and other major cities in Europe. Gertrude Stein called these people the Lost Generation and invented the term. Many were writers, artists and creative thinkers, including Hemingway. Many had hoped to experience their very own bohemian and artistic being in Paris. Though the term first came to apply to those who had just come out of the war, the Lost Generation gradually became all American expatriates and in particular those with artistic and literary preferences. Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises expresses the uncivilized and aimless Americans who lived in Paris, and later Pamplona, Spain, who personified the term Lost Generation. (Mills) Lady Brett Ashley and Jake Barnes are two characters that display the qualities of the Lost Generation. Brett is seen as a â€Å"New Woman† of the 1920s. Jake describes her hair being brushed back â€Å"like a boy’.† (Hemingway) She is trapped amid two styles of gender depictions: that of the â€Å"woman on a platform† and that of the independent and sexually liberated â€Å"contemporary women†. In contrast to flappers, â€Å"New Women† were educated and a product of an industrialized city. Brett values her body and doesn’t believe in the value of a family. Brett is single and carelessly sleeps around with other men. She snubs feminine models of cleanliness, faithfulness, and obedience. Instead Brett insists on sexual independence and self-expression while ignoring the rules of a patriarchal marriage. Robert Cohen, a recent lover of Brett’s, comments she is Circe, turns men into pigs and controls them using sex and simulated lov e. This later turns the men against each other. Brett is seen as a threat to the social order of her group of which she is the only female. (Hemingway) Jake, out of all the characters in the novel, is the most civilized character and is usually embarrassed by his friends. He is still a member of the Lost Generation yet he is more civilized than the others. To compensate for his more civilized nature he constantly drinks alcohol, which was how much of  the Lost Generation spent their time. He is also the modern protagonist in the novel. He is an American and a contemporary man who has seen through the political and nationalist front wall of the war to assured facts about modern hostility embodied by World War One. Jake’s war injury, genital injury, represents the impotence of modernity and a media-flooded ethical and religious alienation. Jake’s infertility juxtaposed to Spain’s fertile country allude to the clichà ©d idea of the 1920s of a lost legitimacy or completeness such as bullfighting and boxing. Jake’s wild interest in bullfighting is a part of his search for the permanent emotion that he searches for as well as Hemingway did. He carries nostalgia of how good life was before his war injury and wishes he could return to the past. (Finnegan) While Hemingway put much of himself into Jake’s character, he resented the women of the Lost Generation. He correctly characterized the people and culture of the 1920s by making the nature of the characters in his novel intolerable and primitive. He made the novel self-conscious of the primitive images it presents, knowing they are a modernist clichà © of his time. Just like much of the Lost Generation, Hemingway searched for a pure style that would permanently capture an emotion. This was also considered as â€Å"a civilized nostalgia for a barbaric world of tragedy and triumph.† This deep â€Å"reactionary level of thought† can be seen throughout The Sun Also Rises and the Lost Generation. (Finnegan) The two novels focus on American life since after the Great War Americans held a new philosophy of materialism that Europeans did not. Americans started to believe that the more property that was owned the better their chances of succeeding economically and socially. Because of this newfound materialism, many writers including Hemingway and Fitzgerald, were attracted to Americans. It was the Americans’ belief in the American Dream and the feeling of no place in the world and continual circling of the world, the Lost Generation, that influenced the characters’ decisions and actions in both novels hence the names The Great Gatsby and The Sun Also Rises. Fitzgerald titled his novel The Great Gatsby for the reason of Gatsby’s never ending optimism as Hemingway titled his novel The Sun Also Rises to allude to the excerpt of Ecclesiastes he placed at the beginning of the  novel, â€Å"The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth gown, and hasteth to the place where he ar ose.† (Hemingway) Hemingway used The main difference between Fitzgerald and Hemingway, as well as they way they thought and wrote, is that Fitzgerald avoided war service while Hemingway served the Italian army and encountered a near death experience. If one were to try to learn about the people of the 1920’s through a textbook they would not learn the people’s behavior and general attitudes on life in general. One wouldn’t be able to be captured by that permanent emotion Hemingway constantly searched for and one couldn’t experience the struggles of Fitzgerald’s American Dream. One couldn’t experience the new revolutionary modern way of writing that Fitzgerald and Hemingway had impressively presented. Works Cited Jim Finnegan. The Sun Also Rises (1926) Lecture Notes (Last Day of Discussion). Fall 2001. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. http://www2.english.uiuc.edu/finnegan/English%20251/sunrises.html> November 28, 2004 Fitzgerald, F. Scott. The Great Gatsby. New York: Collier Books Macmillan Publishing Company, 1925. Flaming Youth. Warner Fabian. John Francis Dillon. 1923. Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises. New York: Collier Books Macmillan Publishing Company, 1926. Ian C. Mills. Hemingway’s Paris. 1998-1999. DiscoverFrance.net. Rogers, J.A. â€Å"Jazz at Home.† The Survey Graphic. 1925 Sklar, Robert. The Plastic Age, 1917-1930. New York: George Braziller, 1970. Sonny Watson. Swingstreet.com. 1999. http://www.streetswing.com/histmain/z3jazz1.htm November 26, 2004

Foundation Certification †My Short Notes Essay

A team or group of people and the tools they use to carry out one or more processes or activities. Functions provide units of organization responsible for specific outcomes. Functions are logically isolated from each other. Definition – Process A set of coordinated activities combining and implementing resources and capabilities in order to produce an outcome and provide value to customers or stakeholders. Process has following attributes. Trigger, Activity, Dependency & Sequence Process should be measurable Process should produce specific output Process should meet customer expectation Definition – Process Owner The person/role responsible for ensuring that the process is fit for the desired purpose and is accountable for the outputs of that process. Definition – Service Owner The person/role accountable for the delivery of a specific IT Service. They are responsible for continual improvement and management of change affecting services under their care. The service owner is a primary stakeholder in all of the underlying IT processes that enable or support the service they own. Definition – Service A means of delivering value to customers by facilitating outcomes customers want to achieve without the ownership of specific costs or risks. Definition – RACI Model R – Responsibility (at least 1R per activity who is doing the actual work) A – Accountability (1 A per activity) C – Consult I – Inform Service Strategy The purpose is to define the perspective, position, plans, and patterns that a service provider needs to be able to execute to meet an organization’s business outcomes * Perspective – Defines the organization’s view of itself, generally communicated through the organization’s vision and direction. * Positions – Defines the distinctiveness of the organization in comparison to its competitive market and as identified through the minds of its customers. * Plans – The predefined details for supporting and enhancing the organization’s perspective and positions, usually identifying a potential future state for the organization and a strategic response to the state and level of investment required. * Patterns – Defines the conditions and actions that must be consistently in place and repeatable to achieve the objectives of the organization; patterns allow the organization to predict the future. Service strategy defines the role of serv ices and service provider in achieving the business objectives of the organization through management of IT. Value to Customer To enable a service provider to create value for a customer, a systematic approach has to be adopted. For ITIL, this approach is determining service utility and service warranty. Service Warranty (Fit for use) + Service Utility (Fit for propose) = Service Value Service utility and service warranty are present for every service provided to a customer. One cannot exist without the other. By describing both Service Utility and Service Warranty, it enables the provider to clearly establish the value of the service, differentiate themselves from the competition, and, when necessary, attach a meaningful price tag that has relevance to the customer and associated market space. Service Package = Enabling Services + Core Services + Enhancing Services Definition – Service Asset A Service Asset is any resource or capability used in the provision of services Definition – Business Case The business case is a detailed analysis of the benefits and impact of the business action in meeting the business objective and disrupting the delivery of other IT services. Attributes Introduction, Methods & Assumptions, Business Impact, Risk Service Strategy Processes Demand Management & Strategy Management for IT Services are out of scope for ITIL Foundation exam. 1. Financial Management * Responsible for securing the necessary fund to provide the service to the customer. * Maintain balance between cost of service and quality of the service * Maintain balance between supply and demand * Activities * Budgeting * IT Accounting * Chargeback * Service Valuation * Outputs * Service Valuation * Service Investment Analysis * Compliance (Align with rules & regulations) * Cost optimization * Support for BIA 2. Service Portfolio Management * Track services throughout whole service lifecycle * Link services to their business objectives/value * Ensure all other management processes are working to get expected business outcomes * Includes Service Pipeline, Service Catalog & Retired Service Catalog * Content : Description, Requirements/Business Cases, Value, Options, Price, Risk, Priority Investment Categories and Budget Allocations Phases/Activities of service portfolio management 3. Business Relationship Management * Maintain relationship between customer and service provider and understand customer needs * Ensure high level of customer satisfaction * Understand service packages and service level packages Service Design Benefits of Service Design * Reduction in total cost of ownership (TCO) * Improved quality of service * Improved consistency of service * Easier implementation of new or changed services * Improved service alignment * Improved service performance * Improved IT governance * Improved effectiveness of service management and IT processes * Improved information and decision-making * Improved alignment with customer values and strategies The Four Perspectives (Attributes) of ITSM * Partners/Suppliers * People * Product/Technology * Processes Major Aspects of Service Design * Service solutions for new or changed services * The management information systems and tools, especially the service portfolio * The technology architectures and management architectures * The processes required * The measurement methods and metrics Service Design Package (SDP) The contents of the service design package comprise four major sections with several smaller, but equally important, sub-sections. The four major sections are: †¢ Requirements †¢ Service Design †¢ Organizational readiness assessment †¢ Service Lifecycle Plan Service Design Processes 1. Design Coordination * Single point of coordination and control for all activities & processes in Service Design stage * Individual organizations decide whether they need Design Coordination process or not. Only major changes will require this process * Activities 2. Service Level Management * Focus on Service Warranty (performance, availability, and security) * The establishment, monitoring, and improvements in service levels and their achievement * Communication to Customers & Business managers on Service Levels. Will not conflict with Business Relationship Management process since this will only focus on Service Warranty * Manage, Negotiate & Document SLR & SLA * Develop & Review OLA * Review UC for ensure they are align with SLA * Influence improvement within SIP * Monitor service performance against SLA * Three types of SLA structures. Service Based, Customer Based & Multi Level/Hierarchical (Corporate, Customer & Service based agreements) 3. Supplier Management * UC (Underpinning Contracts) SCMIS (Suppliers & Contracts Management Information System) * Activities * Definition of new supplier and contract requirements * Evaluation of new suppliers and contracts * Supplier and contract categorization and maintenance of the * SCMIS * Establishment of new suppliers and contracts * Supplier, contract, and performance management * Contract renewal or termination * Supplier Categorization * Supplier Management process activities are span across all states except Service Strategy 4. Service Catalog Management * Include live service are services available for deployment (Customer-facing service and supportive services) * Service Catalog is a large part of the Service Portfolio. However, while the portfolio is focused on tracking the business requirements and the investments on a service, the Service Catalog is focused on the service solution and its delivery to the business * Service Catalog includes Business Service Catalog & Technical Service Catalog * Top – Down approach is used when defining service catalog. (Business -> Technical) 5. Capacity Management * Maintain balance between Resources/Capabilities Vs Demand * Business Capacity Management & Service Capacity Management * Sub-Process of capacity management * Business * Service * Components * Activities * Performance Monitoring * Demand Management – Short term reactive activity * Application Sizing – New or Changed service * Modeling – Predict future behaviors * Tuning * Capacity Planning * Capacity Management Information System 6. Availability Management * Ensure that the level of availability delivered to all IT services matches the agreed need for availability or defined service level targets * Includes Reactive Activities (Monitoring, Incidents) & Proactive Activities (Planning, Design) * Measurements * Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) or Uptime * Mean Time to Restore Service (MTRS) or Downtime * Mean Time Between System Incidents (MTBSI) 7. IT Service Continuity Management * Known as disaster recover planning * Produce and maintain IT Service Continuity plan to support Business Continuity Plan * Business Impact Analysis (Quantify the loss) Risk Assessment (Identify possible failure points) are considered when implementing strategy * Ongoing activities to make people aware about the recovery plan. Trainings, Reviews 8. Information Security Management * Information security is a critical part of the warranty of a service * Ensuring that the agreed business needs regarding the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the organization’s assets information, data, and IT services are matched * Develop and maintain information security policy align with business security requirements * Security test schedules and plans. * Information Security Management Perspectives * Organizational * Procedural * Physical * Technical * Framework for Managing Information Security * Plan * Implement * Control * Evaluate * Maintain Service Transition Service Transition Processes 1. Transition Planning and Support * Ensure proper attention is given to the overall planning for service transitions and to coordinate the resources required to implement the new or changed service * Provide clear and comprehensive plans that enable customer and business change projects to align their activities with the service transition plans * The scope of transition planning and support concentrates on the resources, schedules, and budgets required to move the IT service * To standardize methods and procedures used for efficient and prompt handling of all changes * A transition strategy will be constructed to define how all transitions will be managed within the organization based on the type and size of transitions expected in the environment 2. Knowledge Management * Maintain a Service Knowledge Management System (SKMS) that provides controlled access to knowledge, information, and data that is appropriate for each audience * DIKW Data-Information-Knowledge-Wisdom structure * Database to capture Data, Information and Knowledge but not Wisdom * Components of SKMS 3. Service Asset and Configuration Management * Ensure that assets under the control of the IT organization are identified, controlled, and properly cared for throughout their lifecycle * Identify, control, record, report, audit, and verify services and other configuration items (CIs), including versions, baselines, constituent components, their attributes, and relationships * Manage complete life cycle of CI * Activities * Planning – Strategy, Policy, Objectives, CMDB Design * Identification – What CI to be recorded & their relationships * Control * Status Accounting * Verification & Audit 4. Change Management * Ensure that all changes to configuration items are recorded in the configuration management system * Optimize overall business risk. It is often correct to minimize business risk, but sometimes it is appropriate to knowingly accept a risk because of the potential benefit. * Types of changes * Normal Changes – Need to go through all steps of change management process * Standard Changes – Pre approved changes. Should be possible via service request. No need of RFC * Emergency Change * Steps * The RFC is logged. * An initial review is performed (to filter RFCs). * The RFCs are assessed and may require involvement of CAB or ECAB. * Authorization of change builds and test by the Change Manager * Coordination of the build and test, e.g., work orders are issued for the * Build of the change (carried out by other groups) * Change Management authorizes deployment. * Change Management coordinates the deployment (with multiple checkpoints). * The change is reviewed (Post Implementation Review). * The change is closed. 5. Release and Deployment Management * Planning, scheduling, and controlling practices applied to the build, test, and deployment of releases * Define and agree Release and Deployment Management plans with customers and stakeholders * Four phases of release deployment management * Release & Deployment Planning * Release Build & Test * Deployment * Review & Close Service Operation Responsible for the ongoing management of the technology that is used to deliver and support the services. Service Operation accepts the new, modified, retiring, or retired services from Service Transition, once the test and acceptance criteria have been met. Functions Unique to Service Operations is the introduction of functions. While a defined function does have responsibilities in all stages of the Service Lifecycle, the majority of activities they performed are completed within the scope of Service operations. 1. Service Desk * Single point of contact between the services being provided and the users. A typical Service Desk will manage incidents and service requests as well as communication with the users. Thus, the Service Desk staff will execute the Incident Management and Request Fulfillment processes with the intent to restore normal-state service operation to users as quickly as possible * Minimize service outage day to day basis * Make sure that agreed services only provide to those who authorized * Structures * Local * Central * Virtual * Follow the Sun * Activities * Logging all request, prioritization, categorization and first level of investigation * Keep user informed about incident & outage * Customer satisfaction survey 2. Technical Management * Custodian of technical knowledge and expertise related to managing the IT Infrastructure. It provides detailed technical skills and resources needed to support the ongoing operation of the IT Infrastructure. * Plays an important role in providing the actual resources to support the IT Service Management lifecycle. It ensures that resources are effectively trained and deployed to design, build, and transition, operate, and improve the technology to deliver and support IT Services. 3. IT Operations Management * Ongoing management and maintenance of an organization’s IT infrastructure. IT operations is the set of activities used in the day-to-day running of the IT infrastructure to deliver IT services at agreed levels to meet stated business objectives.IT Operation Control * IT Operation Control * Job Scheduling, Backup, Restore and Monitoring * Facilities Management * Data Centers, Recovery Sites, Computer Rooms 4. Application Management * Application Management covers the entire ongoing lifecycle of an application, including requirements, design, build, deploy, operate, and optimize. Service Operation Processes 1. Event Management * Detecting Event, Understanding Event, Determining Appropriate Control Action * Three Types of events * Informational * Warning * Exception * Populate SKMS with event information and history 2. Incident Management * An unplanned interruption to an IT service or reduction in the quality of an IT service, or a failure of a CI that has not yet impacted an IT service * The purpose of Incident Management is not to prevent an incident, but to reduce its impact by restoring normal service operation as quickly as possible * Ensure that standardized methods and procedures are used for efficient and prompt response, analysis, documentation, ongoing management, and reporting of incidents * Incident Models – Steps and procedures that should be used to manage previously seen and documented incidents * Steps * Order of Steps * Responsibilities – Who should do what * Time scale/Threshold * Escalation Procedures * Any necessary evidence/prevention actions * Activities * Identification * Logging – All incidents regardless of source of that incident * Categorization * Prioritization * Impact + Urgency = Priority * Initial Diagnosis * Escalation * Functional * Hierarchical * Investigation and Diagnosis * Resolution * Closure 3. Problem Management * Concentrate on diagnosing the root cause of incidents and on determining the resolution to those problems. * Defines a problem as the underlying cause of one or more incidents 4. Request Fulfillment * Form of changes that are small in nature, low risk, and low cost in its execution, and are frequently performed * Activities * Menu Selection * Financial Approval – Optional * Other Approval – Optional * Fulfillment * Closure 5. Access Management * Effectively execute the policies in Information Security Management, enabling the organization to manage the confidentiality, availability, and integrity of the organization’s data and intellectual property. Continual Service Improvements * CSI is always seeking ways to improve service effectiveness, process effectiveness, and cost effectiveness * Review, analyze, prioritize, and make recommendations on improvement opportunities in each lifecycle stage * Periodically conducting internal audits verifying employee and process compliance * Periodically conducting customer satisfaction surveys * Continual Service Improvement Approach * CSI Register * Part of SKMS. And keep track of all improvements opportunities. * Anyone should be able to access and submit improvement points to CSI Register * IT Governance has three main areas * Enterprise, Corporate, IT Governance * Types of Metrics * Technology – Performance, Availability * Process – KPI, * Service * Tension Metrics : Resources, Features, Time Schedule The Deming Cycle * Plan: Design or revise business process components to improve results * Do: Implement the plan and measure its performance * Check: Assess the measurements and report the results to decision makers * Act: Decide on changes needed to improve the process Seven Steps Improvement Process 1. Identify Strategy for Improvements 2. Define What You Will Measure 3. Gather Data 4. Process Data 5. Analyze the information & data 6. Present and use the information 7. Implement Improvement