Free Essays on Black Men In Public Spaces

themselves. The use of irony is enormously prevalent throughout the entire essay, and is nothing if not indispensable to the overall persuasiveness of his argument. Staples’ use of specific stories becomes essential to the meaning and overall power of the story, and creates the necessary elements that must be included if a writing is to be proper and effective. By using his own life encounters, Staples allows for a first hand understanding of what it was like in that particular situation, and also what he felt during those ordeals. Staples’ stories become such an integral part of the entire piece that without them, the entire essay would be totally lacking, and the emotional gain credited to these stories would be completely lost. This also makes for a much more flowing and sinuous piece, but still attests to the argument that throughout his life, Stap... Free Essays on Black Men In Public Spaces Free Essays on Black Men In Public Spaces In the late 1940’s, racial prejudice began a presumably unending journey, winding through decade after decade, usually lessening, though never completely disappearing. In more recent years, racial acceptance has become much more commonplace and laws formed by United States lawmakers have been implemented to ensure the fair and equal treatment of everyone, regardless of race. However, does this mean that every race is still viewed equally? In the essay entitled â€Å"Black Men and Public Space†, author Brent Staples argues that he has been racially profiled on several occasions, and in doing so, has been falsely assumed to be a threat to the safety of those around him. By employing specific stories, Staples creates an intellectually and emotionally powerful essay. His inclusion of emotion is very effective in pleading his case that he has been racially profiled, and through his own emotions, he forms a completely multi-faceted essay. Also, by writing the entire ess ay in an ironic manner, Staples is able to create an essay that has meaning and rationale far beyond the words themselves. The use of irony is enormously prevalent throughout the entire essay, and is nothing if not indispensable to the overall persuasiveness of his argument. Staples’ use of specific stories becomes essential to the meaning and overall power of the story, and creates the necessary elements that must be included if a writing is to be proper and effective. By using his own life encounters, Staples allows for a first hand understanding of what it was like in that particular situation, and also what he felt during those ordeals. Staples’ stories become such an integral part of the entire piece that without them, the entire essay would be totally lacking, and the emotional gain credited to these stories would be completely lost. This also makes for a much more flowing and sinuous piece, but still attests to the argument that throughout his life, Stap...

The First Battle of the Marne

The First Battle of the Marne From September 6-12, 1914, just one month into World War I, the First Battle of the Marne took place just 30 miles northeast of Paris in the Marne River Valley of France. Following the Schlieffen Plan, the Germans had been moving swiftly toward Paris when the French staged a surprise attack that began the First Battle of the Marne. The French, with the aid of some British troops, successfully halted the German advance and both sides dug in. The resulting trenches became the first of many that characterized the rest of World War I. Because of their loss at the Battle of the Marne, the Germans, now stuck in muddy, bloody trenches, were not able to eliminate the second front of World War I; thus, the war was to last years rather than months. World War I Begins Upon the assassination of Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914, by a Serbian, Austria-Hungary officially declared war on Serbia on July 28- a month to the day from the assassination.  Serbian ally Russia then declared war on Austria-Hungary.  Germany then jumped into the looming battle at the defense of Austria-Hungary.  And France, who had an alliance with Russia, also joined the war. World War I had begun. Germany, who was literally in the middle of all this, was in a predicament. To fight France in the west and Russia in the east, Germany would need to divide its troops and resources and then send them in separate directions. This would cause the Germans to have a weakened position on both fronts. Germany had been afraid this might happen. Thus, years before World War I, they had created a plan for just such a contingency- the Schlieffen Plan. The Schlieffen Plan The Schlieffen Plan was developed in the early 20th century by German Count Albert von Schlieffen, chief of the German Great General Staff from 1891 to 1905. The plan aimed to end a two-front war as quickly as possible. Schlieffen’s plan involved speed and Belgium. At that time in history, the French had heavily fortified their border with Germany; thus it would take months, if not longer, for the Germans to try to break through those defenses. They needed a faster plan. Schlieffen advocated circumventing these fortifications by invading France from the north via Belgium.  However, the assault had to happen quickly- before the Russians could gather their forces and attack Germany from the east. The downside of Schlieffen’s plan was that Belgium was at that time still a neutral country; a direct attack would bring Belgium into the war on the side of the Allies. The positive of the plan was that a quick victory over France would bring a swift end to the Western Front and then Germany could shift all of its resources to the east in their fight with Russia. At the beginning of World War I, Germany decided to take its chances and put the Schlieffen Plan, with a few changes, into effect.  Schlieffen had calculated that the plan would take only 42 days to complete. The Germans headed to Paris via Belgium. The March to Paris The French, of course, tried to stop the Germans. They challenged the Germans along the French-Belgian border in the Battle of Frontiers. Although this successfully slowed the Germans down, the Germans ultimately broke through and continued southward toward the French capital of Paris.   As the Germans advanced, Paris readied itself for a siege. On September 2, the French government evacuated to the city of Bordeaux, leaving French General Joseph-Simon Gallieni as the new military governor of Paris, in charge of the defense of the city. As the Germans advanced rapidly toward Paris, the German First and Second Armies (led by Generals Alexander von Kluck and Karl von Bà ¼low respectively) were following parallel paths southward, with the First Army a little to the west and the Second Army a bit to the east. Although Kluck and Bà ¼low had been directed to approach Paris as a unit, supporting one another, Kluck got distracted when he sensed easy prey. Instead of following orders and heading directly to Paris, Kluck chose instead to pursue the exhausted, retreating French Fifth Army, led by General Charles Lanrezac. Kluck’s distraction not only did not turn into a quick and decisive victory, but it also created a gap between the German First and Second Armies and exposed the First Army’s right flank, leaving them susceptible to a French counterattack. On September 3, Kluck’s First Army crossed the Marne River and entered the Marne River Valley. The Battle Begins Despite Gallieni’s many last-minute preparations within the city, he knew that Paris couldn’t withstand a siege for long; thus, upon learning of Kluck’s new movements, Gallieni urged the French military to launch a surprise attack before the Germans reached Paris. Chief of the French General Staff Joseph Joffre had exactly the same idea. It was an opportunity that couldn’t be passed up, even if it was a surprisingly optimistic plan in the face of the ongoing massive retreat from northern France. Troops on both sides were utterly and completely exhausted from the long and fast march south. However, the French had an advantage in the fact that as they had retreated south, closer to Paris, their supply lines had shortened; while the Germans’ supply lines had become stretched thin. On September 6, 1914, the 37th day of the German campaign, the Battle of the Marne began. The French Sixth Army, led by General Michel Maunoury, attacked Germany’s First Army from the west. Under attack, Kluck swung even further west, away from the German Second Army, to confront the French attackers. This created a 30-mile gap between the German First and Second Armies. Kluck’s First Army nearly defeated the French’s Sixth when, in the nick in time, the French received 6,000 reinforcements from Paris, brought to the front via 630 taxicabs- the very first automotive transport of troops during the war in history. Meanwhile, the French Fifth Army, now led by General Louis Franchet d’Esperey (who had replaced Lanrezac), and Field Marshal John French’s British troops (who agreed to join in the battle only after much, much urging) pushed up into the 30-mile gap that divided the German First and Second Armies. The French Fifth Army then attacked Bà ¼low’s Second Army. Mass confusion within the German army ensued. For the French, what began as a move of desperation ended up as a wild success, and the Germans began to be pushed back.   The Digging of Trenches By September 9, 1914, it was apparent that the German advance had been halted by the French.  Intending to eliminate this dangerous gap between their armies, the Germans began to retreat, regrouping 40 miles to the northeast, on the border of the Aisne River.   German Chief of the Great General Staff Helmuth von Moltke was mortified by this unexpected change in course and suffered a nervous breakdown.  As a result, the retreat was handled by Moltke’s subsidiaries, causing the German forces to pull back at a much slower pace than they had advanced.   The process was further hampered by the loss in communications between the divisions and a rainstorm on September 11 that turned everything to mud, slowing down man and horse alike. In the end, it took the Germans a total of three full days to retreat.   By September 12, the battle had officially ended, and the German divisions were all relocated to the banks of the Aisne River where they began regrouping.  Moltke, shortly before he was replaced, gave one of the most important orders of the war- â€Å"The lines so reached will be fortified and defended.†1 The German troops began digging trenches. The process of trench digging took nearly two months but was still only meant to be a temporary measure against French retaliation.  Instead, gone were the days of open warfare; both sides remained within these underground lairs until the end of the war. Trench warfare, begun at the First Battle of the Marne, would come to monopolize the rest of World War I. The Toll of the Battle of the Marne In the end, the Battle of the Marne was a bloody battle. Casualties (both those killed and wounded) for the French forces are roughly estimated around 250,000 men; casualties for the Germans, who had no official tally, are estimated to be around the same number.  The British lost 12,733.   The First Battle of the Marne was successful in halting the German advance to seize Paris; however, it is also one of the main reasons that the war continued past the point of initial brief projections.  According to historian Barbara Tuchman, in her book The Guns of August, The Battle of the Marne was one of the decisive battles of the world not because it determined that Germany would eventually lose or the Allies ultimately win the war but because it determined that the war would go on.2 The Second Battle of the Marne The area of the Marne River Valley would be revisited with large-scale warfare in July 1918 when German General Erich von Ludendorff attempted one of the final German offensives of the war.   This attempted advance became known as the Second Battle of the Marne but was rapidly halted by Allied forces. It is viewed today as one of the keys to ultimately ending the war as the Germans realized that they lacked the resources to win the battles necessary to win World War I.

Battling Clean Up and Striking Out by Dave Barry Essay

Battling Clean Up and Striking Out by Dave Barry - Essay Example The basic premise of this particular column is about the different sensitivity of men and women to dirt and to sports, and Barry uses humor consistently throughout it, while at the same time pointing out factual information as well. Barry makes stereotypical remarks throughout this column, such as the fact that basically 'all women care about is cleaning up and men care about sports'. In regards to my own personal opinion and how well I conform to Barry's generalization here, I would say that the answer to this would go hand in hand with the issue of what ways I am stereotypically male or female. I am female, however, I do not consider my only worries to be in regards to 'dirt', and in fact, I enjoy sports very much. Therefore, in regards to Barry's stereotypical generalizations, I would actually consider that I am more stereotypically male in this case. As well, in regards to whether or not such generalizations as this amuse or merely annoy me, I can honestly and truthfully say that they amuse me. Generalizations such as the ones that Barry produces in his Battling Clean-up and Striking Out column, are not harsh or cynical in any way but are rather general stereotypes that can be seen in the world around us every day. I find them to be amusing, and they are even more obviously kidded about in this column by Barry in order to allow readers to see that he is joking around. Generalizations such as this certainly can be made to be rude or hurtful, but in this work of Barry’s, they are anything but. Dave Barry is an intelligent and incredibly humorous writer, and this work of his goes to prove this.

How were European captives treated by Americans Essay

How were European captives treated by Americans - Essay Example Long before the Europeans started the ritual of slavery, Native Americans showed some cases of slavery where captives were enslaved. However, the enslavement practices of Native Americans were quite different from the European practices. The Native Americans did not treat their slaves as inferior creatures. The Native American culture allowed the slaves to acquire freedom through various options. As already mentioned they could either get adopted in the family or else they could free themselves through marriage, in cases of death of their masters or by performing any particular service that provided them freedom from the captor. 2 Not all captives were taken into enslavement; they were also tortured under different conditions. There was also a culture of killing the captives or selling them to the enemies for personal benefits by the Native Americans. A sect of Native Americans had beliefs that captives should be treated according to their bravery and courage in the war. If the capti ve was brave then he earned the respect of the captors. Some captives were sold in exchange for new weapons, food, clothing and other needed items when the Native Americans were in dire need of new weapons and goods at that

Learning Communities Essay Example for Free

Learning Communities Essay Concorde Career Institute Orlando has been an educational institution for over 25 years. This organization provides fast-track, health-related programs in various fields. As with any educational institution, proprietary or not, there are many employees-all part of many different departments. Concorde Orlando has developed of a learning community to some extent, but the findings presented in Assignment Two support a need for further development in many areas. Concorde has committed itself to providing online and in-person training in order to continue to connect members of its current learning community. This training usually covers a variety of different objectives and the training is usually provided by outside companies. By utilizing outside agencies to provide training materials, the needs of the organization and its employees are not being evaluated nor met. A more personalized training, tailored to specific and immediate needs is a must. Stronger leadership and a more cohesive working milieu are also imperative. Concorde’s major concerns should be focused upon its communication and teamwork approach but, there are many more areas of that require attention. A cohesive, functional learning environment takes dedication and time. Once those areas are better executed, it can begin to build upon the foundation it has begun to lay. Concorde Career Institution, as a corporation, makes statements that it supports a mature learning environment. The mission statement seems to promote an idealistic working atmosphere that fosters independent thinking, creativity, and a teamwork approach to education. Reality has proven to be different. A motivated and strong team leader should be put into place-one that can appreciate the benefits of a well-built and maturely developed learning community. Concorde Orlando provides a yearly employee evaluation. This valuation is meant to appraise employee performance, acknowledge strengths and identify weaknesses. The employee evaluates himself, and then subsequently, so does his/her immediate supervisor. Depending on the evaluation’s results, it may produce an action plan. This action plan recognizes areas that need to be improved on, provides a strategy by which to improve them and a date in which a reevaluation should take place. Concorde does not necessarily discuss findings in employee performance evaluations with the employees; therefore organizational expectations are not known. This causes confusion and ambiguity. Many organizations have begun to favor consultants when evaluating employee performance. This can assure independent and neutral employee performance feedback. There is research that supports consulting as a strategy for improving teachers implementation of classroom interventions. † Results have supported that internal consultants are able to assess and briefly increase teachers treatment integrity with performance feedback† (Sanetti, et. al, 2013). There is a call, however, for organizations to realize that being proactive instead of reactive is a more logical approach when it comes to employee performance. According to a 2012 Global Workforce Study,† a survey of 32,000 employees across 30 countries, calls for employers to focus on engagement. The report defines such engagement as the intensity of employees connection to their organization based on three factors: the extent of their discretionary effort committed to achieving work goals, an environment that supports productivity in multiple ways, and a work experience that promotes well-being† (TD, 2013). This of course will improve overall employee performance and benefits the organization as a whole. The â€Å"group think† theory suggests that people from similar areas of work and backgrounds have ideas that are familiar are accepted without examination, while those that are unfamiliar are rejected without open consideration (Martin, 2006). Groups affected by group think do not tolerate opinions that do not coincide with their own. A learning community can be especially susceptible to group think when its community members are similar in background, shielded from outside opinions, and when there are no clear rules for decision making. At Concorde, group thinking does not habitually exist. Concorde does consider the input of the community, holding biannual meetings in which area affiliates give their input on school progress, its students and offers suggestions for change. This organization seems to value the input and opinions of others. Community members can feel included when they participate in creating the future direction of their learning community. They will make better decisions when they respect social, environmental and economic needs. When a shared vision is used to devise goals that guide local leadership, the community is well on its way to creating a better, sustainable place for the community (Grunkemeyer and Moss, 2010). Shared visions are an important characteristic of any successful learning community. Concorde Orlando is no exception to this fact. This organization has a clear set of goals to accomplish, and department leaders do communicate these company visions with employees. There does not seem to be a comprehensible plan in place, however, as to how to achieve them. Often times, multiple meetings are held in order to impart the company vision community members. Because we live in a world that is constantly changing and moving, organizations are challenged with conditions that seem to change at the speed of light. Often times, initiatives are poorly planned and executed. These errors can cause crippling effects within an organization. More and more, organizations have come to depend on teamwork. According to Ofoegbu, O. , et. l (2012) â€Å"Teamwork may be an appropriate managerial approach to reducing politics by increasing employees understanding and control, particularly in organizations whose strategic objectives call for employees to work in teams. † Most modern organizations have realized the value and benefits of teamwork and Concorde Orlando is no exception. Most projects are completed by teams. Most issues are resolved through the input of various community members. Many community outreach activities are also organized and carried out by teams. With enrollments being the number one company goal, Concorde Orlando heavily relies on teamwork in order to achieve this. Unfortunately, inappropriate team leaders are often chosen, resulting in poorly executed plans. This can cause major project delays and â€Å"do-over’s†. Dennis J. Elrod (2012), states that â€Å"Great leaders are always learning, whether its from those above them in the hierarchy, their peers, or those they lead. They also dont let opportunities to improve pass them by, so it pays to always be on the lookout for things that may improve your leadership style. There are many different types of leaders and many different types of leadership styles. Leaders not only concern themselves with the organizational goals, but also about the people who are involved in the process. Autocratic and hierarchical models of leadership dominated many businesses and organizations for years. The workplace environment changes from generation to generation. Today, community members are no longer content to go to work in complete obscurity. Employees want to feel significant, stimulated and challenged. Being an effective leader builds a sense of belonging within its learning community. Effective leaders not only increase employee retention, but also improve employee efficiency. Employees are more willing to follow efficient leaders than non-effective individuals. Choosing the right leader is the difference between success and failure. A great team leader needs to understand the organization’s goals and be able to understand what drivers are needed in order to motivate the team members. It is the leader’s job to ensure that great ideas are smartly implemented. The team leader must be able to sell his vision, the organization’s goals and the rewards reaped from the fruits of their labor. He must be able determine which team member could execute what parts of the project, resolve conflicts, and encourage each team member’s creativity and input. Concorde Orlando has a long standing history of ineffective leadership and a very high turn-over rate. During the last year, there have been several personnel changes in the Campus President, Academic Dean and program director positions. This instability and low employee retention ratio in its leadership roles have compromised Concorde Orlando’s credibility with the student body, its employees and the community. Concorde Career Institute has not been a pioneer in the field of communication. Issues are slow to be resolved, meetings are full of redundant material and there is a general fear of communicating with administrators for fear of retaliation. Great communication starts with listening and observing, and this organization has not trained its leaders to do that. Training is requisite in order to learn how to effectively communicate with others in a work environment. Currently, there is no communication training available at Concorde. The same communication methods that have been in place for years are still practiced today. Reevaluation of these methods is needed in order to have more successful communication within its learning community. Internet access provides opportunities for classrooms throughout the world to communicate and collaborate in real time. In the same way, members of the learning community can experience these open new ways of thinking. â€Å"A compendium of organizations and businesses is dedicated to encouraging an emphasis on skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, computer and technology skills, communication, and self-direction skills in US schools and schools worldwide. The educational challenges of the 21st century open up possibilities that, until now, have been beyond imagination† (Roth, 2010). Concorde does utilize different methods of training its employees in order to maximize learning potential. What seems to have been most successful within this learning community is peer leadership. â€Å"Peer leadership contributes to the success of collaborative group learning† (Popejoy and Asala, 2013). Group learning allows all members to be actively involved. When community members are involved in learning processes with their peers, they are more likely to feel comfortable. Concorde Orlando supports and encourages all types of learning models, therefore increases the chance of successful outcomes. Concorde Career Institute-Orlando could be classified as being well on its way to developing a mature learning community. Though this learning community is fraught with quite a few weaknesses, it also has an impressive set of strengths. As long as someone has the initiative and fortitude to move this community forward, Concorde Orlando can prove to be a great success.

The Evolution of Character in John Knowles A Separate Peace :: essays papers

The Evolution of Character in John Knowles' A Separate Peace One of the most revered and utterly enigmatic topics present within humanity is the evolution of humankind itself. Collectively contrasting both the origins of man physically and the very beginning of complex thought processes has been an incredible task, which is currently undetermined. The exact methods of the mind and of human character are both delicate and completely beyond true understanding. The only ways we as a race retain the ability to even attempt to comprehend such processes is through experimentation and elaboration via written text and visual arts. The process of human mental evolution, the evolution of character, is well demonstrated within the novel A Separate Peace authored by John Knowles. Knowles creates such an atmosphere as to carry you as the reader into the minds of the characters. The characters, in a like manner, attempt to delve into their own understanding and determine the whole of an immense complexity of emotions shared between themselves and the other characters. The use of this type of perception is furthered by the narrator's transformation from the very beginning to the very end, and the stories entire basis upon a flashback. The story itself takes place years before the narrator, named Gene, begins to speak of the incidents of which it is composed. This maturation of the young Gene mentioned in the story and the older adult Gene we meet at the very beginning allows us a sense of how Gene as a character evolved. Everybody has their own methods and their own "style" in a manner of speaking, of evolving both physically and mentally. Once you as the reader understand a character's method of evolution, it becomes much easier to understand that character's thinking pattern and any actions he or she may take further into the story. Before I dive headfirst into the presence of character, I want to mention the incredible use of descriptive and artistic wording to create a rather fantastic sense of setting. The ability of Knowles to create an overwhelming sense of being and imagination allows for the story itself to be played out in real time, visually within the reader's mind. Collated with the immense diversity of readers' imaginations, the story and the characters themselves always appear in the reader's own isolated vision of what is being represented on the page. A very unique and rather brilliant aspect of novels that is thoroughly and well presented in A Separate Peace. The Evolution of Character in John Knowles' A Separate Peace :: essays papers The Evolution of Character in John Knowles' A Separate Peace One of the most revered and utterly enigmatic topics present within humanity is the evolution of humankind itself. Collectively contrasting both the origins of man physically and the very beginning of complex thought processes has been an incredible task, which is currently undetermined. The exact methods of the mind and of human character are both delicate and completely beyond true understanding. The only ways we as a race retain the ability to even attempt to comprehend such processes is through experimentation and elaboration via written text and visual arts. The process of human mental evolution, the evolution of character, is well demonstrated within the novel A Separate Peace authored by John Knowles. Knowles creates such an atmosphere as to carry you as the reader into the minds of the characters. The characters, in a like manner, attempt to delve into their own understanding and determine the whole of an immense complexity of emotions shared between themselves and the other characters. The use of this type of perception is furthered by the narrator's transformation from the very beginning to the very end, and the stories entire basis upon a flashback. The story itself takes place years before the narrator, named Gene, begins to speak of the incidents of which it is composed. This maturation of the young Gene mentioned in the story and the older adult Gene we meet at the very beginning allows us a sense of how Gene as a character evolved. Everybody has their own methods and their own "style" in a manner of speaking, of evolving both physically and mentally. Once you as the reader understand a character's method of evolution, it becomes much easier to understand that character's thinking pattern and any actions he or she may take further into the story. Before I dive headfirst into the presence of character, I want to mention the incredible use of descriptive and artistic wording to create a rather fantastic sense of setting. The ability of Knowles to create an overwhelming sense of being and imagination allows for the story itself to be played out in real time, visually within the reader's mind. Collated with the immense diversity of readers' imaginations, the story and the characters themselves always appear in the reader's own isolated vision of what is being represented on the page. A very unique and rather brilliant aspect of novels that is thoroughly and well presented in A Separate Peace.

Netflix and Consumer Behavior Trends Essay

Netflix, Inc. is a subscription-based movie and television show rental service that offers media to it’s subscribers through on-demand internet streaming and DVD-by-mail service. Since its start in 1997, Netflix has taken the movie rental world by storm, becoming the world’s largest online movie rental service. As of January 2013 Netflix had a total of 29. 4 million streaming customers worldwide (Cohan). Netflix can attribute much of its success to its decisions to follow trends in consumer behavior, while its major competitors, namely blockbuster, sealed their fate by ignoring them. In the following paper I will tell you how Netflix was able to stay afloat while other movie rental companies failed, and gained success by following trends in consumer behavior. Background Netflix was founded in 1997 by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings. Hastings had the idea for the DVD-by-mail service when he was forced to pay $40 in late fees after returning an overdue video. The company began its operation in April of 1998, with its core business being DVD-by-mail rental service. Besides being one of the first companies to rent DVDs by mail, Netflix also planned to capitalize on the fact that major brick and mortar video stores, such as Blockbuster, did not carry a wide selection of DVD rentals at the time. Netflix experienced much success with DVD-by-mail rentals, hitting the one million subscribers mark in February of 2003, and shipping over 1,000,000 DVDs by mail per day by 2005. In 2007 Netflix introduced it’s Video on Demand Service. This service was extremely successful, eventually making Netflix the number one online video streaming service in the world. Netflix, Inc. History) Consumer Behavior Trends Towards Entertainment There are several key trends in consumer behavior towards entertainment that Netflix was able to capitalize on. The first consumer behavior trend is convenience. The fast paced world that we live in has the average consumer seeking out anything that will save them the smallest amount of time or effort. Therefore, consumers expect entertainment fast, and at their fingertips. The next trend in consumer behavior is to limit spending. Due to the financial hardships our country has been experiencing in recent years consumers are looking to cut cost in whatever way possible. Before making a purchase decision, consumers are looking for a much higher cost/value ratio than they were in the past. The third consumer behavior trend Netflix was able to pick up on is the Smartphone/ tablet trend. According to Business Insider, â€Å"there are at least 165 million active Android and Apple iOS devices in the U. S. and that they are used by 78% of the adult population (Blodget). Today’s consumers are hardwired to participate from anywhere at any time; they use their smartphones for everything they can and expect to be able to do almost anything on it. Having the ability to stream media straight to their smartphones was almost expected by consumers. How Netflix Followed Consumer Behavior Trends Netflix was able to satisfy the consumers need for convenience at first by shipping unlimited DVDs through the mail for a month ly membership fee, instead of making consumers visit a brick and mortar location (Kang). Since then, Netflix has furthered adhered to the consumers need for convenience by introducing Video on Demand streaming in 2007. Through Video on Demand Netflix subscribers have their choice of thousand of new and old TV shows and movies to watch at just the click of the mouse. Customers can stream videos from netflix using a multitude of devices such as Xbox, PlayStation 3, Wii, Roku, their smartphone or tablet, or their computer, making Netflix easily accessible to almost all consumers. Netflix’s decision to incorporate Video on Demand into its service offerings was brought on by two factors- the decline in DVD sales starting in 2006, and the increase in the amount of consumers who were viewing video content digitally through websites like YouTube. These two factors demonstrated a fundamental shift in the way people consume entertainment that Netflix was quick to catch on to (Kang). Netflixs main competitor at the time, Blockbuster, chose to ignore these trends in consumer behavior, leading to its ultimate demise; â€Å"Netflix almost single- handedly wiped out the retail video rental business. Blockbuster went bankrupt last fall (Kang)†. The article â€Å"Why Blockbuster Went Bust While Netflix Flourished† found on Dailyfinance online states â€Å"Netflix’s corporate mindset has been key to its ability to adapt as people started gravitating toward online video streaming. It’s method is to put new technology at the service of customers while keeping a close eye on changing delivery costs and the competition (Cohan, 2010)† Netflix’s strategy of appealing to the consumers need for fast, convenient at home entertainment has proved to be successful. In the fourth quarter of 2012, Netflix reported customer growth of 2. 05 million customers in the United States, bringing its total US customer base to 27. 15 million. According to Brian Stelter in an article written for The New York Times â€Å"Netflix’s fourth-quarter success was a convenient reminder to the entertainment and technology industries that consumers increasingly want on-demand access to television shows and movies. Streaming services by Amazon, Hulu and Redbox are all competing on the same playing field, but for now Netflix remains the biggest such service, and thus a pioneer for all the others. Stelter)† The state of the US economy has caused consumers to seek out ways to cut corners with spending as much as possible. In terms of entertainment, this has lead to more people staying in and watching movies instead of going out as a way to save money (Crutchfield). From the beginning Netflix offered consumers an affordable means to entertainment by charging users a reasonable flat fee to have DVDs mailed to them as often as they want, without any late fees (Cohan). Today, Netflix’s more prominent service, instant streaming video, offers consumers the same affordability as its DVD by mail service. The company provides consumers with a very affordable subscription plan- unlimited streaming movie rentals for $7. 99 a month. CEO of Netflix, Reed Hastings believes that at this price â€Å"people who use it once or twice a month will still find value and come back and those who use it once or twice a week will rave about it to friends (Kim). Due to the rise in smartphones and tablets, and the amount of things consumers use theses devices for Netflix made the decisions to expand their service offerings to smartphones and tablets. In May of 2011 Netflix released a free application consumers can download on their smartphone or tablet that allows them to instantly stream movies and television shows to their smartphone anywhere there is WiFi, as long as they have a subscription (Brown). Consumers were very impressed with the quality of the video streaming Netflix was able to provide via smartphone or tablet, â€Å"Over WiFi viewing is superb– as though you were looking at a DVD not a video streamed off the internet (Brown). † Netflix’s integration with the smartphone and tablet market has proved to be wildly successful, â€Å"The company said revenue of $945 million, up from $875 million in the quarter in 2011, was driven in part by holiday sales of new tablets (Stelter). † The Netflix app Conclusion In conclusion, much of Netflix’s success can be accredited to the actions taken by the company to stay on top of and follow trends in consumer behavior. If the fate of Blockbuster is any indication, the level of attention companies pay to changing consumer behavior trends and the actions they take to be the first to satisfy the needs of those customers has the ability to make or break the company. Despite Blockbuster’s household brand name, Netflix, a relatively unknown company at the time, was able to win its customers by offering them the things they felt of value that Blockbuster did not.

Automobile Pollution Essay

Exponential growth in petrol and diesel fueled vehicles are responsible for deterioration of air quality in cities. Because of the increase in urbanization, industrialization and commercial activities in the urban areas, the demand for transport has also been increased. In addition to it the use of personal vehicles has also increase steadily. The various principle pollutants emit from vehicles are as follows- Carbon monoxide (CO) Suspended particulate matter (SPM) Oxides of nitrogen (NOx) Hydrocarbons (HC) Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). 2005 Air Toxic Emissions from On-road Mobile Sources (Tox-weighted) Affects of Automobile Pollution 1. In India about 15-20 million people are asthmatic because of emission of automobile pollution. 2. N02 is a highly toxic gas and attacks the lungs causing lung cancer and emphysema. 3. Automobile pollutants interferes the development and functioning of the nervous system. 4. Some diseases such as bronchitis, plurosis occur by long-term exposure to the particulate matter. 5. N02 reacts with hydrocarbons and creates photochemical smog. Reasons for Automobile Pollution The petrol driven vehicles emit invisible gases such as CO and Benzene while diesel driven vehicles emit mainly black smog containing minute carbon particles and S02. The main reasons for vehicular pollution problems are as follows- 1. Poor quality of fuel 2. Outdated vehicles 3. Congestion and mixed traffic of different types 4. Lack of proper traffic management Important Pre-requisites for Controlling Vehicular Pollution 1. Phasing out of grossly polluted vehicles 2. Enforcement of emission norms for new and in-use vehicles. 3. Improvement in automobile technology 4. Reduction of lead content in motor fuel 5. Stream lining traffic management 6. Improvement in public transport system 7. Fuel quality improvement and switch over to cleaner fuel 8. Restriction on indiscriminate growth of urban centers, industrial and commercial activities Alternative Fuels Hydrogen Gas: It can be used in modified combustion engines and is eco-friendly as it emits water vapours only. Electric Vehicles: They are advantageous over conventional fueled vehicles as far as environment is concerned. Ethanol: It can be used in regular automobiles after blending with petrol. It is rather clean fuel with low nitrogen oxide and hydrocarbons emission and no net C02 emission. Methanol: It is a liquid fuel and is produce from coal, natural gas and biomass. ft emits very little NOx and HC. Natural gas: It exists in the gaseous state at normal temperature and pressure and is found in the form of CNG and LPG. It causes substantially lower pollution without affecting the performance of the vehicles.

2nd Grade Math Course of Study

2nd Grade Math Course of Study The following list provides you with the basic concepts that should be attained by the end of the school year. Mastery of the concepts at the previous grade is assumed. Numbers Read print numbers to 20 and locate, compare, order, represent, estimate, identify numbers to 1000 and mentally add and subtract numbers to 20Understand place value to be able to trade 10 ones for a ten, etc.Count by 1s, 2s, 5s, 10s beyond 100.Locate numbers when requested to 1000Understand the reverse properties of whole numbers 57 is the same as 75Add and subtract two-digit numbers (no carrying/regrouping)Introduction to division using sharing as examplesCount by skipping numbers when requestedAdd and subtract coins up to $1.00Compute word problems with addition and subtraction, (We have 20 children in swimming class, 8 are boys, how many are girls?) Measurement Use and understand more than, less than, the same as, heavier than, lighter than, taller than etc.Measure with a variety of cups, rulers and measuring spoonsTime - hours, minutes and secondsUse the terms inches, feet, yards, centimeters, meters etc.Know the months of the year and tell time to the quarter hourUse a thermometer and count money to a dollar including being able to create different sets that equal a dollarCompare a variety of measurement tools Geometry Describe, identify, create and sort and build with shapes (squares, triangles, circles, rectangles etc.)Identify a variety of geometric shapes in everyday structuresCompare and sort 2- and 3-dimensional shapes (3-D terms include sphere, prism cones etc.)Extend and make patterns with shapesDetermine lines of symmetry, flips, slides, turns, and transformations of shapesDescribe locations on a grid - up four and over two etc. Algebra/Patterning Identify, describe, reorganize and extend patterns with more than one attributeGive specific rules about patterns for numbers, shapes, pictures, and objectsIdentify and describe patterns in the world around us (wallpaper, paint etc) Probability Use graphs to record number of pets, hair color temperature with 1 and 2 attributesDesign or construct bar graphs and include pertinent informationInterpret a variety of picture and bar graphs and give explanationsInvestigate what happens when coins are flipped and die are rolled All Grades Pre-K Kdg. Gr. 1 Gr. 2 Gr. 3 Gr. 4 Gr. 5 Gr. 6 Gr. 7 Gr. 8 Gr. 9 Gr. 10 Gr.11 Gr. 12

Geography of the Country of Belize - World Atlas

Geography of the Country of Belize - World Atlas Population: 314,522 (July 2010 estimate)Capital: BelmopanBordering Countries: Guatemala and MexicoLand Area: 8,867 square miles (22,966 sq km)Coastline: 320 miles (516 km)Highest Point: Doyles Delight at 3,805 feet (1,160 m)Belize is a country located in Central America and it is bordered to the north by Mexico, to the south and west by Guatemala and to the east by the Caribbean Sea. It is a diverse country with various cultures and languages. Belize also has the lowest population density in Central America with 35 people per square mile or 14 people per square kilometer. Belize is also known for its extreme biodiversity and distinctive ecosystems.History of BelizeThe first people to develop Belize were the Maya around 1500 B.C.E. As shown in archeological records, they established a number of settlements there. These include Caracol, Lamanai and Lubaantun. The first European contact with Belize occurred in 1502 when Christopher Columbus reached the areas coast. In 1638, the first Eu ropean settlement was established by England and for 150 years, many more English settlements were set up. In 1840, Belize became a Colony of British Honduras and in 1862, it became a crown colony. For one hundred years after that, Belize was a representative government of England but in January 1964, full self government with a ministerial system was granted. In 1973, the regions name was changed from British Honduras to Belize and on September 21, 1981, full independence was achieved.Government of BelizeToday, Belize is a parliamentary democracy within the British Commonwealth. It has an executive branch filled by Queen Elizabeth II as chief of state and a local head of government. Belize also has a bicameral National Assembly that is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate members are selected by appointment while the members of the House of Representatives are elected by direct popular votes every five years. Belizes judicial branch is comprised of the Summary Jurisdiction Courts, District Courts, the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, the Privy Council in the U.K. and the Caribbean Court of Justice. Belize is divided into six districts (Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek and Toledo) for local administration.Economics and Land Use in BelizeTourism is the largest international revenue generator in Belize as its economy is very small and consists mainly of small private enterprises. Belize does export some agricultural products though - the largest of these include bananas, cacao, citrus, sugar, fish, cultured shrimp and lumber. The main industries in Belize are garment production, food processing, tourism, construction and oil. Tourism is large in Belize because it is a tropical, mainly undeveloped area with abundant recreation and Mayan historical sites. In addition, ecotourism is increasing in the country today.Geography, Climate and Biodiversity of BelizeBelize is a relatively small country with mainly flat terrain. On the coast it has a swampy coastal plain that is dominated by mangrove swamps and in the south and the interior there are hills and low mountains. Most of Belize is undeveloped and is forested with hardwoods. Belize is a part if the Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot and it has many jungles, wildlife reserves, a large variety of different species of flora and fauna and the largest cave system in Central America. Some species of Belize include the black orchid, the mahogany tree, the toucan and tapirs.The climate of Belize is tropical and is therefore very hot and humid. It has a rainy season which lasts from May to November and a dry season lasting from February to May.More Facts about Belize Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official language Regional languages of Belize are Kriol, Spanish, Garifuna, Maya and Plautdietsch Belize has one of the lowest population densities in the world The main religions in Belize are Roman Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, Mennonite, other Protestant, Muslim, Hindu and BuddhistTo learn more about Belize, visit the Belize section in Geography and Maps on this websit e. ReferencesCentral Intelligence Agency. (27 May 2010). CIA - The World Factbook - Belize. Retrieved from: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/bh.htmlInfoplease.com. (n.d.). Belize: History, Geography, Government, and Culture- Infoplease.com. Retrieved from: infoplease.com/ipa/A0107333.htmlUnited States Department of State. (9 April 2010). Belize. Retrieved from: state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/1955.htmWikipedia.com. (30 June 2010). Belize - Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belize

Law of Torts Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Law of Torts - Case Study Example The inherent ambiguity as to what conduct will constitute an interference with the use and enjoyment of land in order to justify an action in private nuisance has facilitated the piecemeal development of legal principles in this area2. This is further evidenced in context of environmental litigation3. Moreover, it has been widely extrapolated the law of nuisance is the most significant course of action in respect of environmental disputes4. However, commentators have criticised the multifarious limitations in private nuisance claims, which further render inherently complex cases difficult to be brought to court with any realistic prospect of success5. Indeed, the very nature of a claim being available only when environmental damage directly affects the use and enjoyment of another person's land intrinsically limits the parameters of nuisance6. Furthermore, the decision in the case of Hunter v Canary Wharf7 renders private nuisance claims dependant upon demonstration of a proprietary interest in the land, which has fuelled academic debate regarding the decision's implications for private nuisance claims8. The focus of this analysis is to evaluate the implications of the decision in the Hunter case, particularly in context of the development and application of the strict liability rule in Rylands v Fletcher9. Firstly it has been submitted that the arbitrary nature of judicial developments in private nuisance claims would alternatively be better addressed by the strict liability rule as established in Rylands v Fletcher10. The Rylands rule relates to the situation where a non-natural land user keeping something on their land, which is likely to escape, and as such, is stated to be kept at their own peril11. If the "thing" does escape, the rule affirms that the individual will be liable for all damage that is a natural consequence of the escape12. In the Rylands case itself, the defendant was a mill owner who had employed an independent contractor to build a reservoir on his land. The contractor had been negligent in failing to block a disused mine shaft that he had come across on the site. As a result, when the reservoir was filled, water escaped causing damage. As the contractor was independent the landowner was not liable for negligence or vicariously liable for the contractor's conduct13. In delivering the judgement for the claimant, Blackburn J asserted "the rule only applied to a thing which was not naturally there14". Furthermore, Lord Cairns presiding in the House of Lords additionally qualified the applicability of the Rylands rule to where the defendant had actually brought the thing onto his land15. The rule was further developed in the decision in Reads v Lyons16 by determining that one cannot claim for personal injuries in private nuisance but only for the discomfort caused to the use of the land itself17. The essence of the rule is that it is a form of strict liability for the escape of 'things' likely to cause damage and which have been brought onto land18. On the one hand the strict liability rule in Rylands leans towards legal certainty in this complex area of law by

Gas turbine engine basics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Gas turbine engine basics - Coursework Example This means that if the exit velocity is maintained at a higher value than free stream velocity, and simultaneously, the engine flow rate (m dot) is kept as high as possible, the high engine flow will produce a high thrust in a turboprop engine. Even though a large amount of air is ingested, the change in velocity is very minimal between the intake and the exit so that the exit velocity is at a low value (Low exit velocity). Due to the large value of m dot, a high thrust is developed. If we denote the free stream conditions by â€Å"0†, the propeller exit conditions by â€Å"1†, core exit conditions by â€Å"e† and core entrance conditions by â€Å"c†, then from the basic thrust equation we get: In Turboprop engine, the mass flow rate through the propeller is much greater than that of core engine(High mass flow ). The mass flow rate entering the core is almost equal to the mass flow rate exiting the core. The exit velocity from the core is almost the same as inlet velocity into the core(Low exit velocity). Hence the thrust equation can be rounded off to get: Components and Purpose: The intake also called the inlet serves three purposes, namely (1) recovering as much of the total pressure of the free air stream required for combustion, from free-stream conditions to the conditions and deliver this pressure to the entrance of fan or compressor, (2) delivering air to the compressor under all flight conditions with minimum turbulence and (3) to have minimum drag. The inlet is generally not defined by any particular part, but is formed by structural support parts which are located in front of compressor. The design of subsonic inlet differs from that of supersonic inlet. In subsonic inlets of engines fitted in nacelles air enters in different streamline patterns at different speeds of operation as shown in Fig-1 (Mattingly,p759). Supersonic inlets are