JavaScript Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

JavaScript - Essay Example In the course of its development however, it has gone beyond the realm of simple interactive web features to become a â€Å"respected programming language used by corporations and developers across the globe to make incredible applications† (Resig, 2006, p. 3). JavaScript 2.0, the next major release, is currently under development. The success of any scripting language lies in its compatibility across different browsers, operating systems and platforms. A language developed by Netscape and Mozilla Foundation, JavaScript is naturally fully supported on all Netscape and Mozilla browsers (Lemay, 1996, p. 8). Increasing popularity however pushed other web browsers to support the language or implement a dialect that is compatible with ECMAScript. ECMAScript is yet another scripting language developed by Ecma International; according to a Wikipedia (2009) article, JavaScript is in fact just a dialect of ECMAScript. In this section, we shall examine whether JavaScript is a truly cross-platform application. We shall begin by checking popular browsers for JavaScript support. Netscape Navigator and Mozilla Firefox are, as mentioned, out of the question, leaving us only with Internet Explorer, Safari, Google Chrome and Opera. Internet Explorer. JScript, an ECMAScript dialect, is Microsoft’s answer to JavaScript’s popularity. Because JScript and JavaScript are derived from ECMAScript, the two have minor differences. In other words, an IE browser may, to some extent, read a code differently from a Firefox browser. Thankfully, McFedries (2001) confirms that these differences are trivial and that commonly used JavaScript codes will still run smoothly on non-Mozilla or non-Netscape browsers. Safari. About two years ago, Safari, a browser developed by Apple, was made available to Windows. Luckily, â€Å"Safari uses Apples WebKit for rendering web pages and running JavaScript†, as stated in a Wikipedia

Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay Example for Free

Letter from Birmingham Jail Essay On April 16, 1963, from the jail of Birmingham, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote an extensive letter to eight clergymen who attacked his work for civil rights in a public statement released on April 12, 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr. aimed this letter at those eight leaders of the white Church of the South. However, the eight clergymens letter and the response from Martin Luther King, Jr. were publicly published. Martin Luther King, Jr. wanted to convince of the utility of his commitment in this particular area at this specific moment. To persuade his readers, Martin Luther King, Jr. appeals to his own reputation and wisdom. Second, he tries to arouse sympathy in the readers to influence them emotionally. Finally, he appeals to logic, supported with evidence and citations from influential thinkers. This paragraph starts with a delicate yet strong statement from King whom wants to say, Honest confession that over the past few years has been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. The imagery used in his topic sentence, honest confession, gives you the impression that he is opening his deepest and most heart felt feelings then; when he is disappointed gravely, as he said, by the white moderates reactions to his direct action, you begin to feel a prejudice towards them from the very start. This imagery is continued when King states his regrettable conclusion about what the real obstacles King also relates the white moderates main argument, the idea that direct action is not necessary and that all problems are resolved over time, with an unrealistic image. King states that the white moderates actions or inactions are guided by a mythical concept of time, which leads the white moderate to believe that there is a more convenient season, which must be on a later date. This argument also ties into an argument made in a later paragraph which starts by saying, such an attitude stems from a tragic misconception of time, from the strangely irrational notion that there is something in the very flow of time that will inevitably cure all ills. It comes to Kings attention that these members of the white moderate are not of ill will, but he argues that this in essence is worse than being of ill will because Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Not only does Martin Luther King Jr. give the white moderate a negative connotation, but also when told I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action, he relates the white moderates argument with a father telling a child to wait for he wants. The white moderate paternalistically believes that they can set a time table for another mans freedom. This argument is subtle yet effective because the idea is a paradox, in that you cannot be paternal in relation to a man, someone who has reached manhood or maturity. The overall meaning and essence of the letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. while he was in jail gave the white leaders and black leaders a reason for negotiation on the cause for desegregation. Martin Luther King Jr. as successful in his attempt to lead a non-violent protest in light to his feeling for Gandhi and make a huge accomplishment once again for black African Americans in the city. The protests which lead to Martin Luther King Jr. to Birmingham jail gave a chance to help desegregation take place and leave a positive impact on the people of color, and the whites. The Letter from the Birmingham jail made a huge impact and change on the lives of thousands of African Americans.

The Role of the Watch in William Faulkners A Rose for Emily Essay

The Role of the Watch in William Faulkner's A Rose for Emily Even the casual reader of William Faulkner will recognize the element of time as a crucial one in much of the writer's work, and the critical attention given to the subject of time in Faulkner most certainly fills many pages of criticism. A goodly number of those pages of criticism deal with the well-known short story, "A Rose for Emily." Several scholars, most notably Paul McGlynn, have worked to untangle the confusing chronology of this work (461-62). Others have given a variety of symbolic and psychological reasons for Emily Grierson's inability (or refusal) to acknowledge the passage of time. Yet in all of this careful literary analysis, no one has discussed one troubling and therefore highly significant detail. When we first meet Miss Emily, she carries in a pocket somewhere within her clothing an "invisible watch ticking at the end of [a] gold chain" (Faulkner 121). What would a woman like Emily Grierson, who seems to us fixed in the past and oblivious to any passing of time, n eed with a watch? An awareness of the significance of this watch, however, is crucial for a clear understanding of Miss Emily herself. The watch's placement in her pocket, its unusually loud ticking, and the chain to which it is attached illustrate both her attempts to control the passage of the years and the consequences of such an ultimately futile effort. The idiom of having something or someone "in one's pocket," that is, under one's personal control, is important here, for by wearing the watch in her pocket rather than, say, pinned to her bodice, Emily demonstrates her effort to subjugat e the clock to her own will. In staring down the aldermen who have come about the taxes, ... ...for what is new to us, we soon learn, is not new to Miss Emily. Repeatedly, she has attempted to control time, to fix people and events in the past, and the stru cture of the story mirrors this. Also, since the story begins and ends, more or less, with Emily's funeral (the events of her life being presented to us in a series of flashbacks), very little actual time passes in the course of the narrativ e. By telling her story after her death, Faulkner shows that, in the only way possible, time now stands still for her. Thus this one small detail, the hidden yet constantly ticking watch, becomes a symbol for the horror and futility that are Emily Grierson. WORKS CITED Faulkner, William. "A Rose for Emily." Collected Stories. New York: Vintage, 1977. 119-30. McGlynn, Paul. "The Chronology of `A Rose for Emily.'" Studies in Short Fiction, 6 (1969): 461-62.

Ethics and Compensation Essay

Results of the Internal Revenue Service Exempt Organizations Executive Compensation Compliance Project had reviewed the compensation practices of several corporations in the United States, pointed the issues on tax compliance and further identified areas of abuse. On its report, high amounts of compensation were recorded in several cases, however the IRS by and large assessed them to be substantiated based on comparability data (McGookin, 2007). Several conspiracies are being worked on by the IRS regarding the executive compensation compliance aspect. It was those controversies, besetting the current compensation of the executives in particular, that have rendered the broad public in full skepticism, according to â€Å"The 2007 Wharton Economic Summit Panel† . The apparent frequency imposed by companies or corporations in redesigning their executive programmes, along with its long-term incentives, generally poses a grave predicament in the ethics of corporal business (McGookin, 2007). The principal issue of compensation at present is the way by which CEOs of large corporations in the US have made an amount of money from just one day on a work that an average employee can earn for a matter of year. According to the Associated Press survey, the total compensation of the major corporations have averaged a total of $10. 8 million, which is roughly 364 more times the salary of an average American worker. While executives continue to accumulate more wealth while in throne of service, workers underneath the rung, on the other hand were granted the first federal minimum wage increase. However, the minimum wage, which is only $5. 85 still falls underside where the minimum salary in real terms had tumbled a decade ago (Simon, 2007). An issue in † The Wall Street Journal† (2007) , moreover, had reported that there was an increase in the regularity of pay growth among workers in 2006. Furthermore, an increase on the salaries and bonuses of chief executives among the 350 US major corporations was likewise put in record. However, delving deeper into the matter of increases in compensation, it seems unjust that half of the executives working with several major US Corporations have enjoyed a total compensation, that which includes salaries, bonuses and stock options, which on the other hand was over a hundred times the average wage of a US worker. Such data proves that there is an apparent broadening of disparity between executive and average-earners’ compensation. The said data was supported by the Institute for Policy Studies and United for a Fair Economy wherein in one of their compilations, it was shown that a corporate CEO’s earnings in one day is comparatively equivalent to more than what average workers can make year round (McGookin, 2007 ) Provided such data, the manifestation of a complete American-executives-domination is put in line. To add further with the pleasure these executives enjoy, the value of their possible pensions were shown to have grown by an average of $ 1. 3 million (Simon, 2007). Clearly, a medium that has long been of significance in retaining, attracting and motivating individuals to work is the tool of â€Å"reward†. But reward shall be accorded in proper distribution to appropriate individuals because getting it wrong may put the potential of demotivation and/or loss of talent instead . Standard and Poor’s 500 compensation issue On a preliminary analysis done by the Corporate Library documented that the CEO of Standard and Poor’s 500 company made an average of total compensation amounting over $14. 78 million in 2006 (Simon,2007). The cumbersome issue and predicament regarding the executive compensation were highlighted in 2006, when a large amount of severance packages were apportioned to departing CEOs whose performance does not nearly qualify a standard. The remaining CEOs then were attacked by backdating scandals in relation with stock options in their companies. According to Simon (2007), the flaws in the compensation system were uncovered through the said backdating indignities, in which the seated CEOs are privileged to take what they like within their companies and the shareholders with impunity. Disney’s compensation issue Take for another example the compensation issues at Disney. Shareholders of Disney polled at a 45% no confidence vote for CEO Eisner regarding his re-election. Some investors were rankled to know that Eisner himself was the beneficiary of the board’s decision to double the CEO’s salary, which amounts to $2 million (The Pay Gap,2007). Despite the fact that Disney’s stock is improving, there substantiates an apparent and unnecessary relationship between shareholder value and executive compensation. Practically speaking, such relationship in the business arena allocates an unjust proportion of benefits towards the executives. A rise in the stock price is cordially adhered with the notion of welcome salvation for the employed executives but, tying everything to compensation or rewards, is the company’s performance in progress over time? Ethically, any switching in the approaches of putting management interests over that of the shareholder’s interest that Disney bargains into will not do any good for the company (The Pay Gap, 2007). Yahoo’s compensation issue Evidently, the high cost of primary executive wage has induced in recent years as the amount of wages likewise increase and stock options were luxuriously paid off. Terry Sernel of Yahoo Inc. gained a total of $71. 7 million in 2006, according to the AP filings. Roughly, such amount is estimated to be $20 million and 20% more of the gross box office take spearheaded by A-list actors as Brad Pitt or Leonardo DiCaprio (the Pay Gap, 2007).

Snowboarding History

As the excitement of fall winds down, many people fall into a depression. The leaves are gone, the woods are desolate, and the chill of winter air has crept upon us. While most people find this sad, I find it exciting! Why? Because it is time for my favorite sport, snowboarding. Snowboarding’s a new, challenging sport that’s attracting new fans from all around the world. It has really changed since it was first invented. It’s become one of the largest and fastest growing sports in the world. Everywhere, people, including myself, are waiting for the snow to get a chance to go snowboarding.Snowboarding is the cross between surfing and skateboarding. Snowboarding use to be known as a child’s story, but now has evolved into a great sport. Since it was first invented, it has changed from a child’s sport to a new competitive sport that is great for both men and women. Some people saw snowboarding as an alternative to skateboarding, skiing, and surfing. Pe ople who could not afford to buy surfboards, like Jake Burton, used snowboarding as an alternative. Skateboarders saw snowboarding as a new sport that they could make their mark on.Nobody knows who truly invented the first snowboard. But in 1929, M. J. â€Å"Jack† Burchett invented one of the first snowboards. He used clothesline and horse reins to secure a piece of plywood to his feet. Thirty years later, Sherman Poppen, a chemical gases engineer invented â€Å"The Snurfer† as a toy for his daughter. He made the â€Å"snurfer† by bounding two skis together and putting a rope at the nose, so that the rider could hold it and keep it stable. Poppen licensed his idea to manufacturer when his daughter’s friends wanted a â€Å"snurfer† too.In 1966, â€Å"the snurfer† sold over a half million times. In 1979, Poppen left the snowboarding business after Jake Burton came up with the bindings and went back to his old profession. Jake Burton, another i nventor of the snowboard, became interested in snowboarding after taking part in Poppen’s â€Å"snurfer† competitions that were organized by Poppen. His parents wouldn’t buy him a surfboard so riding the â€Å"snurfer† was a new and cool thing to do. In 1977, after he finished college, Burton moved to Londonderry, Vermont to make different types of the Snurfer.He made his first board out of laminated hardwood. In 1979, while at a Snurfer competition, Burton shocked everyone by using his new board that had the first binding. It made a big difference that allowed him to control the board and made it easier to beat the other riders. In 1969, Dimitrije Milovich, after he got the idea from sliding down a hill on a cafeteria plate in college, started making snowboards. His snowboards were based on surfboards combined with the way skis work. In 1972, he started a new company called â€Å"Winterstick†.He produced lots of snowboards and even got articles in magazines like, â€Å"News Week†, â€Å"Playboy†, and â€Å"Power†. In 1980, he left the snowboarding business, but was still known as a very important pioneer of the sport. At the same time that Jake Burton was producing his snowboards Tom Sims produced his first snowboards in 1977. Sims was an avid skateboarder who made a â€Å"snowboard† in a junior high school shop class. He made his out of carpet wood and aluminum. He glued some carpet to the top of a piece of wood and put an aluminum sheet on the bottom.He started making snowboards in 1977 in his garage with his friend and employee Chuck Barfoot. Barfoot actually made the boards and came up with the â€Å"Flying Yellow Banana†. It was a skateboard deck on top of a plastic shell with skegs. During 1980 Sims signed a skate-snowboarding deal with a big company called Vision Sports. Signing the deal helped Sims get out of his financial problems, but his friend Barfoot, was left out and tried to go into business for himself. He couldn’t compete with big competitors like Sims and Burton.The first modern competitive snowboarding contest took place in Leadville, Colorado in 1981. Then snowboarding competition took off from there and became worldwide. In 1982, the first national snowboarding race was held in Suicide Six, outside of Woodstock, Vermont. Because of the conditions of the hill, the goal of the race appeared to be mostly just surviving the race. The race was on a steep icy downhill run called â€Å"The Face†. Paul Graves put it on and Tom Simms and Jake Burton competed. Doug Bouton won first place overall.This race marked the last time that snowboards and snurfer’s raced together. In 1983, Jake Burton puts on the national snowboarding championships in Snow Valley. A couple of months later Tom Sims holds the inaugural World Snowboarding Championships at Soda Springs Ski Bowl in Lake Tahoe. That contest featured the first contest with a half pipe. In 1986 the World Snowboarding Championships moved from Soda Springs to Colorado. In 1986, a new European snowboarding generation launched. Then the Europeans began to organize their own regional events like the Swiss Championships in St. Moritz. In 1987, a group of riders and manufacturers formed the N. A. S. B. A. (National Association of State Boards of Accountancy) whose main goal was to create a unified World Cup tour with the Europeans. In 1988 N. A. S. B. A. got its wish and the first world cup was held in both Europe and the United States. It was the most expensive snowboarding contest ever. In 1994 everybody was happy because snowboarding was declared a Winter Olympic sport. It was finally accepted as a real competitive sport and was first seen in the 1998 Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Flopping Sun Essays - English-language Films, Films, Rising Sun

Flopping Sun Essays - English-language Films, Films, Rising Sun Flopping Sun Flopping Sun. How to turn a great book into a bad movie. There have been many book to movie conversions, yet Rising Sun by Michael Crichton was one that had gone horribly wrong. Rising Sun, in addition to being a gripping mystery/thriller, functioned as a scathing attack on American apathy to Japanese economic aggression. In fact, in his afterword to the novel, Crichton says, "The Japanese are not our saviors. They are our competitors. We should not forget it." Statements like these earned Rising Sun the dubious distinction of being a Japan-bashing novel. The movie version of this book tried to stay away from that type of publicity. With it came a horrible adaptation of a wonderful book. First some background information. In an empty conference room on the forty-sixth floor of Los Angeles' Nakatomo Tower, the dead body of a beautiful young call girl has been found sprawled out on a table. When Lieutenant Tom Graham (Harvey Keitel), the racist cop in charge, has trouble obtaining the full cooperation of the Nakatomo execs, Special Services liaison Lieutenant Web Smith (Wesley Snipes), who was renamed from Peter Smith in the book, is summoned for help. Along the way, Smith receives a call on the car phone telling him to pick up Captain John Connor (Sean Connery), a man known to be well-versed in Japanese traditions and, in the opinion of some, a Japanese sympathizer. Nothing about this investigation is straightforward, but as more is revealed about the details of the case, Connor and Smith find themselves "in the warzone" of a business battle in which life is a commodity easily lost. That is where the similarities between the book and movie stop. Although Crichton?s book contained mass amounts of Japanese bashing sentiments, much of the anti- Japanese sentiment has been toned down. Great pains are taken to present as many positives as negatives in the Japanese way of life, and there are as many sleazy Americans as there are Japanese in the movie. Crude Asian stereotypes and caricatures are avoided, and care is taken to give the good guys vices and the bad guys virtues. With the exception of an ill timed and confusing ending, the movie follows the general plotline of the book surprisingly well. There are changes of course. Despite altering the specifics of the killer's identity, the main culprits remain the same. A few additional action scenes have been added (Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes enter into a hand-to-hand struggle with a bunch of Japanese thugs) to keep the audience's attention, and a great deal of Crichton's detail on Japanese culture has been dropped. The most obvious book-to-movie change is the casting of black actor Wesley Snipes as a character that is white in the book. Actually, as things turn out, the race of Lieutenant Smith becomes almost irrelevant, except in one scene new to the movie where Smith uses a bunch of his ghetto buddies to help him out of a scrape. With much of the intended comedy failing in this instance, this is not one of the better alterations. It's far too silly. One of the problems with getting a rising star of Wesley Snipes' stature to play opposite Sean Connery is that Lieutenant Smith can't simply be the second man to Connor. Admittedly, there is some friction between the two in the book, but it's nothing like what's present in the movie, where the two almost come to blows (actually, Smith wants to fight while Connor looks at him like an amused parent with a misbehaving child). There is also the change of Tia Carrere?s character Jingo Asakuma, which was changed from Theresa in the book, from si! ngle woman to being Conner?s love interest. The ending is a little sloppy, with a bit too much "Hollywood" added, and a long, drawn-out scene with Snipes and Carrere that's pointless. Apparently the writers wanted to solve the one outstanding mystery of the film in the most idiotic way possible. In the final analysis, Rising Sun is yet another book-to-movie conversion that loses something in the translation. This is one adaptation that could have been done better but limitation on the audiences attention span just would not permit it. Grade Received on

Marriage Words

Marriage Words Marriage Words Marriage Words By Maeve Maddox In my reading last night, I discovered a new marriage word: hypergamy [hye-PER-guh-mee]: marriage with a partner of higher social standing. Cinderella’s marriage to the prince is an example of hypergamy. Hypergamy belongs to a group of English words formed with -gamy, a suffix derived from Greek words for husband, wife, and marry. The presence of this suffix indicates that a word has something to do with marriage or reproduction. Most of these words relate to botany or biology, but several apply to people. bigamy: marriage with a second wife or husband when already married. Bigamy became a criminal offense in England and Wales in 1640, and a federal offense in the United States in 1862. deuterogamy: marriage a second time; marriage after the death of a first husband or wife. digamy: another word for deuterogamy. endogamy: (anthropology) The custom of marrying only within the limits of a clan or tribe. exogamy: (anthropology) The custom by which a man is bound to take a wife outside his own clan or group. hypergamy: marriage with a partner of higher social standing. homogamy: marriage between partners of equal social status. hypogamy: marriage of a woman into a lower caste or into a tribe of lower standing than her own. misogamy: hatred of or opposition to marriage. monogamy: The condition, rule, or custom of being married to only one person at a time. Once it meant not remarrying after the death of a first spouse. pantagamy: A communal system of marriage in which all the men and women of a household or community are regarded as married to each other polygamy: The practice or custom of having more than one spouse at the same time. octogamy: Marriage with eight spouses (successively or at the same time). Even the much-married Wife of Bath had only five husbands, but several modern celebrities have achieved the status of octogamist. Note on pantagamy: In 1848, an American preacher, John Humphrey Noyes, founded a communal religious settlement at Oneida, New York. Noyes is credited with having coined the term â€Å"free love.† The community supported itself by manufacturing silverware, leather bags, woven hats, and garden furniture. Possessiveness and exclusive sexual relationships were frowned upon, with the result that members recognized something called â€Å"complex marriage†: any member was free to have sex with any other consenting member. The community was dissolved in 1881 and the practice of pantagamy ended. Its silver manufacturing operation went on to become Oneida Limited, a company still headquartered near the site of the defunct community, although the manufacturing has been outsourced abroad. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should KnowEmpathy "With" or Empathy "For"?10 Terms for the Common People

10 in demand skills you NEED to get hired

10 in demand skills you NEED to get hired If you feel like your job hunt is floundering or you find yourself in a position where you need to find a new job ASAP, one of the best things you can do is focus on your skills. Even more than experience, skills are often what gets you into an interview- and, ideally, into a new gig. LinkedIn recently did a survey of hundreds of thousands of job postings on their site and identified the skills most in demand by today’s employers. If you’re looking to get more impact on your resume and job applications, these skills are a great place to start. Hard skillsHard skills, or the specific, teachable skills that you’ve acquired through school, training, or experience, are the hardest to â€Å"fake it ‘til you make it.† Typically, these skills can be boosted through specific training or education, but this also makes them an easier skill type to build because they’re so specific. All of these skills can be learned through online courses. According to LinkedIn, these are the top five hard skills sought by employers.Cloud computingAll the data lives in the cloud now, which means people with engineering skills who can wrangle, understand, and leverage the massive amounts of cloud data in an efficient way will be highly valued.Artificial intelligenceFrom digital assistants in our home to hiring platforms, artificial intelligence is the method of choice for making work more efficient and accessible. Machine learning is taking over in every industry, as employers look for ways to reduce human effort (and human error) in their processes.Analytical reasoningNow that every corporate decision seems to be data-based, that means people with the skills to take all of that raw information and turn it into meaningful, impactful decisions will be in high demand with employers.People managementSomething that will never change is the need to manage people at all levels of an organization. And although â€Å"leadership† is a soft skill (more on that in a bit), you can build very specific skills that will make you a better manager and leader.UX/UI designUser experience design, or UX design, is crucial for the way people receive information, shop, organize their lives, browse online, or use devices. As companies put more resources into finding the right app layout or the best customer experiences, having design skills will make you a strong candidate in our digital-first society.Softs skillsThese are the less concrete skills- the people skills. Soft skills are the personal attributes you need to work with others and be successful in the workplace. Although they’re not as easy to learn as, say, a specific software platform or mastery of a tool, you can still build these as well through courses and practice. According to LinkedIn, these are the top five soft skills sought by employers.CreativityCreativity, or the ability to solve problems with basic human ingenuity, is one of the things that all the AI and data in the world won’t be able to replace completely. It’s also a challenge if you’re not already a creative problem solver. However, courses about the creative process, and how to generate ideas, can help train your brain to think more creatively.PersuasionAlways be selling, right? Whether you’re selling your team on an idea or a product to a customer, you’ve got to be able to identify why they need it, how it benefits them, and why it saves time/money/effort/etc. And oh yeah, you also have to present it in an engaging way. Persuasive skills will also help you when it comes time to negotiate for a raise or a promotion, by the way. Courses in human behavior or consumer behavior can help you refine your pitches and build your persuasiveness.CollaborationEvery employer out there wants people who can play well with others. You can hire all the hot shots you want, but if everyone’s butting heads all the time or doing their own thing without regard for others, no real work is going to get done. Collaboration and teamwork are one of the fastest-growing skills identified as high-priority by hiring managers. If you’re a lone wolf type or just want to learn how to interact with people more effectively, courses in effective communication, professional collaboration, or team dynamics can help.AdaptabilityLike teamwork, adaptability is highly prized by employers, who want to be increasing efficiency and results all the time. Adaptability is also a key element of innovation, another big-ticket priority for most employers. Flexible thinking may not be your default mode, though, so if you find yourself clinging to â€Å"the old way† of doing things, seminars on strategic agility and developing adaptability in yourself and others can make you a more flexible thinker and worker.Time managementThis is one of those skills that just about everyone could stand to improve. Balancing projects, balancing work and life, and managing deadlines so that things get done well and on time are all crucial skills in every industry. Building this skill is not quite a simple as writing up a calendar or schedule, but there are courses on finding time management strategies that work for your personality that can help you manage your time and count it as a marketable skill.Whether you don’t yet have these skills or just want to shine them up so that you can feature them proudly on your resume, online courses are an effective way to do that- especially if you’re feeling a time crunch. The more time you spend developing these skills now, the sooner you’ll have the most in-demand skills and opportunities rolling in.

How to Get More Young People in the UK Involved in Politics Coursework

How to Get More Young People in the UK Involved in Politics - Coursework Example It is noticed that youth across the world, are interested in doing those activities, which they think are good for them and which give them the opportunity to call themselves as a â€Å"good citizens†. Some of these activities include voting, watching the news, party activism, sending emails to government websites, attending meetings in the town hall, volunteering, or addressing envelopes for civic organizations , to name a few (Banaji, 2008). However, in their effort to become â€Å"good citizens†, certain activities indulged by the youngsters such as distrust and dissatisfaction, (legitimate, as per them), as well as group anger, cynicism and unsanctioned protest are in direct contrast with the civic path they are supposed to follow. While analyzing the scenario prevailing in UK, one gets the feeling that young people are alienated from politics (Henn et al., 2002). The view held by some people is that it is a direct reflection of a wider malaise prevailing in the soc iety. The study conducted on the youngsters and first time voters of UK, gives an impression that young people are definitely interested in political matters as they affect them directly. They are also supportive of democratic process of working of the government. What really puts them off is the kind of work the elected representative end up doing, which is in total contrast with their expectations and they feel skeptic about the whole process of elections. The general feeling is that young people in the UK are increasingly disinterested in ‘conventional politics’. This has been illustrated by the alarmingly low turnout of 18–24 year olds in the 2001 and 2005 general elections as well as in the shrinking and ageing memberships of political parties. Yet, young people remain interested in politics (broadly defined) and are active in alternative modes of political participation. The problem is not, therefore, political apathy, but alienation from the political syst em.   A debate in the government and public throws up some interesting findings. It shows that youngsters are â€Å"apathetic free – riders â€Å"and would like to enjoy the benefits and privileges of citizenship, without doing their primary duty of voting. (Marsh et al., 2007). The reason for this apathy is clearly due to extremely low level of political literacy. This can be corrected by the Government by making sure that citizenship lessons are introduced compulsorily at school level and also explaining to youngsters the meaning and ease of voting. The findings of David Marsh et al., (2007) conclude that young people per se are not apathetic but sincerely believe that their interests and worries are taken care of by the elected representatives. Due to this reason they tend to refrain in taking active part in mainstream politics. One remedy suggested is to employ adult support workers and develop organizations that can outlast the commitment of their initial participant s.  With the help and support of elderly and those who are in the thick and thin of the politics, the picture can be clarified to they youngsters and their doubts can also be cleared. The other suggestions are to actively involve youngsters, from their school level to take part in the democratic process of elections. Establishing youth parliaments means grappling with processes and mechanisms in new territory. For example, elections for school council can be held and students can be asked to participate in the process. This would give them first hand idea and information how the democracy functions. Their own views of improving the conditions

Scarlet letter Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scarlet letter - Annotated Bibliography Example 2008. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. It is a comprehensive article that delves into the main character of the novel, Hester Prynne. Her character, personality and experiences are analyzed and extensively evaluated. It also tackles the symbolic roles she, as a woman, represents from the time that she moved from England to the United States, her act of adultery to her husband, and the harsh punishment and condemnation that she had to face thereafter. Press, 1985. Print. It is a collection of different essays written by scholars and literary critics that explores the themes and implied messages that the story conveys, from the roles of the characters to the experiences that they undergo throughout the whole novel. Additionally, the essays also discuss the significance and impact of the book in today’s literature, analyzes the different elements, which contains and expresses varying premises about the Puritans in the United States, sexuality, sin, gender roles, life and

Companies with Similar Gross Profit Figures and Different Net Assignment - 4

Companies with Similar Gross Profit Figures and Different Net Operating Income - Assignment Example There are four levels of profit and profit margins- gross profit, operating profit, pre-tax profit, and net profit. The term â€Å"margin† can apply to the absolute number for a given profit level and/or the number as a percentage of net sales/revenue. Profit margin analysis uses the percentage calculation to provide a comprehensive measure of a company’s profitability on a historical basis (3-5 years) and in comparison to peer companies and industry benchmarks. Another online resource tells how to calculate operating margin. According to the Allstarsstock online, Key measurement of the financial strength, by Walden, G â€Å"Operating income / total revenue= operating margin.† Hence, from the above references, we can easily abstract the impact of operating margin on the overall operating income of the company. Therefore, two companies having the same gross profit can also have different operating income. Thinking of personal skill as the products and selling them in the market is just like selling your company’s products in the market or sometimes you can purse for new market opportunities. According to the book by Chaudhry, A. The Craft of selling yourself. 2009, â€Å"Job hunting is similar to selling anything. It’s selling of one’s skills, ideas, time, talent, energies, and expertise. It’s like being available for value addition as any other product does; and in return, you get paid in cash and kind.†Ã‚  Therefore, in order to hunt new market opportunities, we have to enhance our skills as well look for the new opportunities created in the market. All we need to take crucial steps towards our career path planning. It is very vital to achieving a certain level in society, which is considered as or you can say most suitable for us while considering our overall qualifications and skills we are having. In order to achieve the target market in terms of new market opportunities in regards to career planning, we should take a look at the latest happenings and current market situation. Therefore, according to the author of the book, managing your Career. 2010,† each one of us has the ability to control the path that our careers take. It requires that we truly self-aware so that we can identify what our own interests and passions are – what will truly make us happy in our career.†Ã‚   I do agree with the statement mentioned above, other than people like Warren Buffet and Bill Gates. According to the colloquium on tax policy and public break issued by New York University School of Law, Tax deductions for charitable contributions: domestic activities, foreign activities, or none of above, 2011, â€Å"Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and a bevy of other billionaires have pledged to give half of their wealth for charitable purposes.† This statement shows that the topmost billionaires in the United States are giving more than half of their overall wealth for charitable purpo ses. Nevertheless, in most cases, the above statement is quite right.

Globalisation and Fragmentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Globalisation and Fragmentation - Essay Example Nevertheless, certain fundamental questions come to mind regarding globalisation and how it addresses human need in this century. Even more important is the question as to how the world can fair on without the essentials of globalisation. Thomas Friedman in his book â€Å"The world is flat† argues on the account that globalisation is the only panacea to address the conflicts often realised in the world. He highlights the important case of the global supply chains through which goods and services reach people across the world irrespective of the manufacturing places (Friedman 586). It certainly does appear that globalisation has helped solve some of the conflicts that were often realised in the world in the early days. Indeed, the case of China and Taiwan presents a very chilling account of how this interrelatedness can help address conflicts in the world. The problems of this age have made countries across the world to be dependent on one another. As such, no country can effic iently survive on its own devices without support or trade from other countries. Conflicts are known to hinder the process of international relations and trade across the world. No country wants to lag behind as the whole world gets ahead in development through globalisation. It therefore implies that the global supply chains realised in the manufacturing processes and consumption of goods and services across the world. In the same vein, investment is normally a function of the favourable conditions existing in the country. Investment and business activities have made many countries to be friends on technical grounds. Countries that were once enemies like India and Pakistan have become friends courtesy of the relations brought by trade and investment supply chains. Friedman is certainly right in the argument that wars and conflicts can substantially be mitigated in the world through the proper management of globalization. Several cases across the world serve to prove this fundamenta l fact. Many countries have begun to realise the devastating effects of war and how a modern war becomes expensive to fund. In that regard, hitherto sour relations have been transformed into friendship for the benefit of the participating countries. Supply chains across the world have enabled business and production activities to thrive in many places. For instance, globalisation has enabled Dell to produce computers in many parts of the world which are then shipped across all corners of this world. As such, a country that benefits from globalisation might not want to jeopardise such favours merely by engaging in war with another country. Nevertheless, Friedman never fails to mention the devastating effects of globalisation and how the global supply chains can be used to bring terror and suffering to humanity. Terror gangs across the world basically rely on effective supply chains in different parts of the world from which coordination of terror activities takes place. These groups rely on efficient networks which are facilitated by the simplicities created by globalisation and the benefits of modern global systems to successfully manage and cause terror across the world while management and organisation is conducted from a centralized location. In a way, it confirms the very fact that globalisation is a double edged sword. William Duiker seems to oppose the views of Friedman regarding the concept of globalisation.

Sociology, Crisis and Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sociology, Crisis and Conflict - Essay Example The subject matter of this essay states about Sociology, Crises and Conflict, while under this a question arise which state; "Medicine alone cannot rid humanity of the scourge of AIDS." How authentic is this assertion Can AID be curable only through medicine or there are other approaches that need to bring forward to achieve for achieving that purpose In the end of the essay, it would get to understand about these. Meanwhile, at this point, let flash back once again to talk about already raising debate on health and social issues. No doubt, health is a social issue that needs to have great concentrations from government and private organizations in all communities across the globe. As social means the ensuring of well being of the people, thus, health issue most to be included on that aspect. In Barents Euro -Artatic Region for example, health matter is going hand in hand with other social issues. "The new Program on Health and Related Social Issueswill develop the necessary co-operation between social and health institutions in order to enhance the health situation in the Barents Euro-Arctic region. Vulnerable groups in the population should be the main target of the Program, also taking into account the special problems of sparsely populated areas. Three areas of priority have been chosen." (Working Group on Health and Related Social Issues). However, the issue ... Meanwhile, it is observed that it very true that medicine alone cannot cure the suffering, trouble and tension cause by AID. The disease AID is a very serious event resulting in great destruction and change, which is also politicized world wide, especially in the 21 century. How can medicine alone can cure a disease which is widely promoted by International medical authorities, government and non-government organization, including media, given information that frighten and contradict It must not be possible that the medicine alone can do this work. BACKGROUND OF AID DISEASE. It is noted in an article titled (Evidence That HIV Causes AID) that "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized in 1981 and has since become a major worldwide pandemic. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By leading to the destruction and/or functional impairment of cells of the immune system, notably CD4+ T cells, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers. An HIV-infected person is diagnosed with AIDS when his or her immune system is seriously compromised and manifestations of HIV infection are severe. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently defines AIDS in an adult or adolescent age 13 years or older as the presence of one of 26 conditions indicative of severe immunosuppressant associated with HIV infection, such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), a condition extraordinarily rare in people without HIV infection".The United state for example has begin to witnessing the escalation of the incidence of HIV Disease from 1981, up to the year 2006, which is approximately 25 years back. The situation not only adversely

Consider the ways in which actual readers may deviate from the role Essay

Consider the ways in which actual readers may deviate from the role assigned them as implied readers and why this happens. Make very specific and detailed reference to the texts and make use of quotations - Essay Example Written by Chinua Achebe, it is regarded as the seminal novel within African literature. Achebe has said that he wrote his famous book, at least in part, because of the anger he felt at being made to read Conrad's Heart of Darkness and Cary's Mister Johnson in colonial schools. The latter features a slavish African who adores his white boss so much that he is gladly shot to death by him. In the former, white men go insane because of the 'heart" of the "darkness" revealed by Africa and Africans. In Things Fall Apart Achebe intends to speak to an implied reader who has read books similar to the ones he was made to read in high school. Achebe assumes a knowledge of Africa based upon books such as these, and then turns that "knowledge" on its head by giving the African viewpoint. Colonization had a profound effect upon many parts of the now developing world. Formulated as part economic expansion and part assertion of supposedly superior values and culture by mainly European countries, the effects of colonization were similarly varied. Colonial areas essentially became vassals of their colonial masters. Their economic riches were taken for the good of the colonists and old customs often subsumed within the changes brought about by European education of the elite and the attempts of missionaries to convert the local people to Christianity. Achebe is attempting to put the reader in the shoes of the Africans being influenced by these policies rather than, as is more normal within literature, in the position of the Europeans. In 1914, Lord Frederick Lugard, the governor of the British territories in Nigeria united areas in the North and South of the country into a single colony, thus creating "Nigeria" at a stroke. This was a common occurrence: countries were essentially just drawn on a map with little attention paid to natural geographical, cultural or tribal boundaries. It also played into the idea that all Africans were somehow the 'same': that is, primitive, innately stupid and dangerous unless treated with a carefully harsh hand. There were no differences in culture to the colonial's eyes, or if there were, they were insignificant as the Africans were just "natives" first and members of individual and contrasting groups second. In Things Falling Apart the author takes this tendency to see all Africans as a homogenous whole and turns it on its head. He suggests that Africans are almost as responsible for their lowly state as the colonial powers because they essentially buy into the idea of their supposedly primitive nature. If Africans are not interested in their history and culture, then how can they expect colonial powers to be In the book an attempt is made to show native African culture as complex and sophisticated with various traditions that date back centuries. But this culture was essentially dwarfed and overwhelmed by unimpeded contact with Western culture. Take the example of the Oba leaders called Afins. Under colonialism their wealth tended to disintegrate because their economic system had changed so rapidly. They could no longer benefit from free labor and the chief was no longer allowed to impound properties. The Oba could not support large numbers of wives, children and servants. The Afins were often forced to shut down their large houses and to turn to ordinary work. Achebe argues that all too many Africans are willing to accept the European

Sociology, Crisis and Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sociology, Crisis and Conflict - Essay Example The subject matter of this essay states about Sociology, Crises and Conflict, while under this a question arise which state; "Medicine alone cannot rid humanity of the scourge of AIDS." How authentic is this assertion Can AID be curable only through medicine or there are other approaches that need to bring forward to achieve for achieving that purpose In the end of the essay, it would get to understand about these. Meanwhile, at this point, let flash back once again to talk about already raising debate on health and social issues. No doubt, health is a social issue that needs to have great concentrations from government and private organizations in all communities across the globe. As social means the ensuring of well being of the people, thus, health issue most to be included on that aspect. In Barents Euro -Artatic Region for example, health matter is going hand in hand with other social issues. "The new Program on Health and Related Social Issueswill develop the necessary co-operation between social and health institutions in order to enhance the health situation in the Barents Euro-Arctic region. Vulnerable groups in the population should be the main target of the Program, also taking into account the special problems of sparsely populated areas. Three areas of priority have been chosen." (Working Group on Health and Related Social Issues). However, the issue ... Meanwhile, it is observed that it very true that medicine alone cannot cure the suffering, trouble and tension cause by AID. The disease AID is a very serious event resulting in great destruction and change, which is also politicized world wide, especially in the 21 century. How can medicine alone can cure a disease which is widely promoted by International medical authorities, government and non-government organization, including media, given information that frighten and contradict It must not be possible that the medicine alone can do this work. BACKGROUND OF AID DISEASE. It is noted in an article titled (Evidence That HIV Causes AID) that "acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) was first recognized in 1981 and has since become a major worldwide pandemic. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). By leading to the destruction and/or functional impairment of cells of the immune system, notably CD4+ T cells, HIV progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers. An HIV-infected person is diagnosed with AIDS when his or her immune system is seriously compromised and manifestations of HIV infection are severe. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently defines AIDS in an adult or adolescent age 13 years or older as the presence of one of 26 conditions indicative of severe immunosuppressant associated with HIV infection, such as Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), a condition extraordinarily rare in people without HIV infection".The United state for example has begin to witnessing the escalation of the incidence of HIV Disease from 1981, up to the year 2006, which is approximately 25 years back. The situation not only adversely

Workforce diversity and HR Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Workforce diversity and HR - Coursework Example An overview of LOCOG indicates that it is a temporary organization established in 2005 for the ultimate aim of delivering the most challenging international project to the standards required by the International Olympic Committee through the defined time frame culminating on the 27th of July, 2012. Due to the disclosed need to live up to the worldwide expectations associated with the global brand of the Olympics, as host organization, LOCOG is expected to present a compendium detailing the importance of managing workforce diversity. Likewise, as HR Manager of LOCOG, one is tasked with presenting ways by which HR can significantly contribute towards the organization’s broader objective of diversity. Therefore, the current discourse used three specifically identified articles written by Shen, Chanda, D’Netto, and Monga (2009); McCuiston, Wooldrige, and Pierce (2004); as well as Mannix and Neale (2005) to present the crucial information supporting the need to manage divers ity at LOCOG and to identify specific means by which HR can contribute towards the organization’s broader objective of adhering and complying with maintaining a diversified workforce. The compendium would initially present a brief definition of terms, specifically on ‘diversity† as seen from various authors’ perspectives. Then, the importance of workforce diversity would be expounded; prior to delving into HR’s contribution to LOCOG’s diversity goals. Definition of Terms To ensure that LOCOG’s management would be accurately informed on the crucial concepts, theories and applications on workforce diversity, it is pertinent that a definition of the term ‘diversity’ be presented and expounded. According to Mannix and Neale (2005), the authors agreed on using the definition cited by Williams and O’Reilly (1998), to wit: â€Å"any attribute that another person may use to detect individual differences’’ (p. 81). On the other hand, Shen, Chanda, D’Netto and Monga (2009) emphasized clearly that â€Å"workforce diversity acknowledges the reality that people differ in many ways, visible or invisible, mainly age, gender, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality, ethnicity and culture (Kossek, Lobel and Brown 2005)† (p. 235). Diversity therefore manifests and accepts disparities in cultural orientation seen to be a crucial factor in the successful performance of various contemporary organizations. In the situation of LOCOG, since the organization would be directly and closely involved in interacting and governing peoples all over the world, it is imperative that managing diversity within their workforce would embody the organization’s ideals and philosophies and form an integral part of their value system. Importance of Workforce Diversity The importance in managing workforce diversity has been greatly illumined by Shen, et.al. (2009) as it focuses not so much on â€Å"accepting that individuals are different but creating an atmosphere of inclusion and making a commitment to valuing diversity† (p. 236). From a review of related literature, Shen, et.al. (2009) cited the following benefits and advantages of supporting a diverse workforce, as summarized below: Provides opportunities of improving the quality of decision making through innovative ideas and offering superior solutions to problems (Australian Centre for International Business (ACIB), 2000; Mannix and Neale 2005). Provides a â€Å"better-quality solution to brainstorming tasks, displays more cooperative behavior, relative to homogenous groups, and can raise organizational efficiency, effectiveness and profitability†

Barilla Spa A Essay Example for Free

Barilla Spa A Essay Barilla SpA, an Italian pasta manufacturer is experiencing problems in manufacturing and distribution systems caused by fluctuations in demand. To eliminate these difficulties Giorgio Maggiali, the Chief of Barilla’s Logistics Department, has been trying to implement the Just-In-Time-Distribution, further referred as JITD, system proposed by his predecessor Brando Vitali. JITD can be called a remake of popular â€Å"Just-In-Time† manufacturing concept. Although Maggiali has been trying to convince his consumers that the JITD would definitely work, he has not made much progress. The program was met with significant resistance by the distributors and Barilla’s own Sales and Marketing organizations. Now Maggiali is looking for possible solutions of the problem. In the following analysis we will provide recommendations, which will help Barilla to successfully implement the JITD system and thus decrease its costs, increase efficiencies and its profits. Introduction Barilla SpA was founded in 1975 by Pietro Barilla. From a small shop in Palma, Italy, it became a large, vertically integrated corporation with mills, plants and factories located throughout the Italy. Barilla’s success highly depended on its’ quality of product and innovative marketing programs, which created strong brand name. The company was sold to Grace Inc. in 1971, because the building of a huge plant in Perdignano drove the owners â€Å"deeply into debt†. Grace brought additional capital investment and professional manag Barilla SpA Case Study The biggest challenge facing Giorgio Maggiali and Barilla SpA is the mounting burden that fluctuations of demand have placed on Barillas’ manufacturing and distribution methods, and whether or not to implement a Just-in-Time Distribution (JITD) system for their distributers. The implementation of Just in Time Distribution would allow for a more efficient process for getting the products to the end user when and where they are needed. Solution #1: To implement Just in Time Distribution. For this to succeed, Mr. Maggiali as the director of logistics for Barilla will need to be personally and intimately involved and partner with Mr. DiMaria who is in charge of sales for Barilla and to obtain the support from their own sales reps. Barilla will need to pull the sales reps in for training on how implementing JITD would benefit their accounts, Barilla SpA and themselves. The sales reps will need to â€Å"sell† their customers on this idea and to shift the mentality of their distributers away from â€Å"this is the way we have always done it† and for them to be amiable to exploring new and more efficient ways to replenish their stock. Pro: Barilla would more easily be able to control their manufacturing process and greatly reduce production overruns and stock outs thus enable to pass cost savings onto their distributors. Con: Resistance from the distributors to change may continue. Their distributer may ask â€Å"why is that a concern of mine? † I just want the product I want when I want it. Con: Will incur costs to purchase or develop software needed to gather and correlate sales information. Pro: The initial cost for software development will be offset by savings in lost sales opportunity, reductions in buybacks and an overall increase in productivity and sales. Barilla already has much of the needed data pertaining to sales to the distributers. Con: Customers may be resistant to providing their sales and customer base data to Barilla. Pro: Barilla Sp Company Overview Barilla Spa is a large vertically integrated family owned largest pasta producer in Italy. Its operations are divided into seven divisions: three Pasta divisions, the bakery products division, the Fresh Bread division, the Catering division and the International division. Barilla products were sold through three types of retail outlet: small independent grocers, supermarket chains, and independent supermarkets. Products were sold through CDCs and through intermediate distribution channels. Fresh products were sold through a network of brokers. Inventory levels in the supply were high with larger levels of stock held for dry pasta since its shelf life was high as compared to wet pasta. Barilla enjoyed a strong brand image in Italy. Its marketing and sales strategy was based upon a combination of advertising and promotions. Also distributors can buy as much product as they want to for meeting their demand at the discount offered by the company. Barilla produced two major kinds of products:- a) Dry Products- These include dry pasta, cookies, biscuits, flour, bread sticks and dry toasts. These make 75% of the Barilla sales. They had long shelf lives of 18-24 months or medium shelf lives of 10-12 weeks depending on the product type. b) Fresh products- These include fresh pasta products with 21 day shelf life and bread with 1 day shelf life. Issues Faced The company was suffering from the following problems: 1. Variability in demand- This lead to operational inefficiencies on the part of the company. 2. Inventory Management- The company produced over 800 SKUs, most of which had long or medium shelf lives, thus could be easily stored up at the company warehouse or with the distributors. During periods of low demand, high inventory holding costs had to be incurred. 3. Stock outs- This was one of the major problems which Barilla faced. Many of the distributors were not able to cater to the demands of the retailers during times of high demand. This time B Thoughts on Supply Chain Management The JITD program was supposed to tackle the uneven distribution workload Barilla encountered with its distributors. In order to achieve this, better demand forecast was needed with the support of the distributors. Benefits of the program are below. Barilla’s own logistics organization would be allowed to specify the appropriate delivery quantities that would more effectively meet the end consumer’s needs It would also allow Barilla to distribute the workload on manufacturing and logistics systems more evenly Drawbacks of the program are below. Higher investment costs such as training Since JITD is a new concept, and has not tried out before, there is a risk that serious errors may occur during the implementation process, and this would ruin all previous efforts The value chain consists of five major components, and it can be represented as SIPOC, where S is Supplier, I Input, P Production, O Output and C Customer. Between C and P, there are also the distributors, wholesalers and retailers. It is almost impossible to develop an accurate sales forecast because the market is constantly changing. Factors affecting the market situation are also changing. Without an accurate sales forecast, it is difficult to achieve JIT. This is basically a paradox. No enterprise is able to develop an accurate sales forecast, and without an accurate sales forecast, it is not possible to achieve JIT. Is there really no way out? How about Dell? Dell basically builds computers on a BTO (build-to-order) basis, and this makes JIT possible. But how many enterprises can really deliver products on a BTO basis? What are the requirements to produce on a BTO basis? Barilla definitely was not one of them. Communication here is the critical success factor. The supplier, in this case, Barilla, has to collect information from the distributor, and the distributor has to be able to collect information from the wholesaler, and then the wholesaler has to d

History of the Laser

History of the Laser INTRODUCTION The name LASER is an acronym for Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Light is really an electromagnetic wave. Each wave has brightness and color, and vibrates at a certain angle, so-called polarization. This is also true for laser light but it is more parallel than any other light source. Every part of the beam has (almost) the exact same direction and the beam will therefore diverge very little. With a good laser an object at a distance of 1 km (0.6 mile) can be illuminated with a dot about 60 mm (2.3 inches) in radius. As it is so parallel it can also be focused to very small diameters where the concentration of light energy becomes so great that you can cut, drill or turn with the beam. It also makes it possible to illuminate and examine very tiny details. It is this property that is used in surgical appliances and in CD players. It can also be made very monochromic, so that just one light wavelength is present. This is not the case with ordinary light sources. White light contains all the colors in the spectrum, but even a colored light, such as a red LED (light emitting diode) contains a continuous interval of red wavelengths. On the other hand, laser emissions are not usually very strong when it comes to energy content. A very powerful laser of the kind that is used in a laser show does not give off more light than an ordinary streetlight; the difference is in how parallel it is. Before the Laser there was the Maser In 1954, Charles Townes and Arthur Schawlow invented the maser (microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation), using ammonia gas and microwave radiation the maser was invented before the (optical) laser. The technology is very close but does not use a visible light. The maser was used to amplify radio signals and as an ultrasensitive detector for space research. Many different materials can be used as lasers. Some, like the ruby laser, emit short pulses of laser light. Others, like helium-neon gas lasers or liquid dye lasers emit a continuous beam of light. Laser action Lasers are possible because of the way light interacts with electrons. Electrons exist at specific energy levels or states characteristic of that particular atom or molecule. The energy levels can be imagined as rings or orbits around a nucleus. Electrons in outer rings are at higher energy levels than those in inner rings. Electrons can be bumped up to higher energy levels by the injection of energy-for example, by a flash of light. When an electron drops from an outer to an inner level, excess energy is given off as light. The wavelength or color of the emitted light is precisely related to the amount of energy released. Depending on the particular lasing material being used, specific wavelengths of light are absorbed (to energize or excite the electrons) and specific wavelengths are emitted (when the electrons fall back to their initial level). In a cylinder a fully reflecting mirror is placed on one end and a partially reflecting mirror on the other. A high-intensity lamp is spiraled around the ruby cylinder to provide a flash of white light that triggers the laser action. The green and blue wavelengths in the flash excite electrons in the atoms to a higher energy level. Upon returning to their normal state, the electrons emit their characteristic ruby-red light. The mirrors reflect some of this light back and forth inside the ruby crystal, stimulating other excited chromium atoms to produce more red light, until the light pulse builds up to high power and drains the energy stored in the crystal. High-voltage electricity causes the quartz flash tube to emit an intense burst of light, exciting some of the atoms in the ruby crystal to higher energy levels. At a specific energy level, some atoms emit particles of light called photons. At first the photons are emitted in all directions. Photons from one atom stimulate emission of photons from other atoms and the light intensity is rapidly amplified. Mirrors at each end reflect the photons back and forth, continuing this process of stimulated emission and amplification. The photons leave through the partially silvered mirror at one end. This is laser light. EINSTEINS THEORY OF LASER Although Einstein did not invent the laser his work laid the foundation. It was Einstein who pointed out that stimulated emission of radiation could occur along with spontaneous emission absorption. He used his photon mathematics to examine the case of a large collection of atoms full of excess energy and ready to emit a photon at some random time in a random direction. If a stray photon passes by, then the atoms are stimulated by its presence to emit their photons early. More remarkably, the emitted photons go in the same direction and have exactly the same frequency as the original photon ! Later, as the small crowd of identical photons moves through the rest of the atoms, more and more photons will leave their atoms early to join in the subatomic parade. All it took to invent the laser was for someone to find the right kind of atoms and to add reflecting mirrors to help the stimulated emission along .The acronym LASER means Light Amplification by (using Einsteins ideas about) Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Stimulated Emission A third type of photon-related electron transitions in an atom is stimulated emission. Suppose an electron is in a higher energy level and a photon comes along with an energy equal to the difference between the electrons energy and a lower energy.Then the photon will stimulate the electron to fall into the lower energy state, thereby emitting a photon. The emitted photon will have the same energy as the original photon, and viewed as waves we will then have two waves emerging from the atom in phase with the same frequency. Such waves will constructively interfere, leading to a more intense wave. This is the principle behind the laser, which stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. In a laser atoms are kept in an excited state by pumping the laser, and some photons are inserted. This causes some atoms to undergo stimulated emission, and the resulting photons cause other atoms to undergo stimulated emission, leading to a chain reaction. The resultant light is very intense and coherent (composed of one frequency), and can be easily focused. TYPES OF LASER ON THE BASIS OF ENERGY LEVEL Two level: In this photon from mata stable state jumps to second level on excitation Three level: In this photon from mata stable state jumps to third level on excitation Four level: In this photon from mata stable state jumps to fourth level on excitation ON THE BASIS OF MATERIAL USED Gas lasers Helium Neon Laser It is used in Interferometer, holography, spectroscopy, barcode scanning, alignment, optical demonstrations. Argon Laser It is used in Retinal phototherapy (for diabetes), lithography, confocal microscopy,spectroscopy pumping other lasers. Krypton Laser This laser is used in Scientific research, mixed with argon to create white-light lasers, light shows. Xenon ion Laser used in scientific research. In this type of laser many lines throughout visible spectrum extend into the UV and IR. Nitrogen Laser It is used in Pumping of dye lasers, measuring air pollution, scientific research. Nitrogen lasers can operate superradiantly (without a resonator cavity). Amateur laser construction. Carbon Dioxide laser It is used in Material processing (cutting, welding, etc.), surgery. It is produced by Transverse (high power) or longitudinal (low power) electrical discharge. Excimer Laser This type of laser is produced by excimer recombination via electrical discharge.It is used in Ultraviolet lithography for semiconductor manufacturing, laser surgery, LASIK Chemical lasers These type of lasers are used as directed-energy weapons like: Hydrogen Fluoride laser: It is formed by Chemical reaction in a burning jet of ethylene and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and is used in research for laser weaponry by the U.S. DOD, operated in continuous wave mode, can have power in the megawatt range. Deuterium fluoride laser: It is used in MIRACL, Pulsed Energy Projectile Tactical High Energy Laser COIL (Chemical oxygen-iodine laser): It is produced by Chemical reaction in a jet of singlet delta oxygen and iodine and is used in Laser weaponry, scientific and materials research, laser used in the U.S. militarys Airborne laser, operated in continuous wave mode, can have power in the megawatt range. DYE LASER: These type of lasers are used in Research, spectroscopy, birthmark removal, isotope separation. The tuning range of the laser depends on which dye is used. Metal-vapor lasers Helium-cadmium (HeCd) metal-vapor laser: They are used in Printing and typesetting applications, fluorescence excitation examination (ie. in U.S. paper currency printing), scientific research. Helium-mercury (HeHg) metal-vapor laser: They are used in Rare, scientific research, amateur laser construction. Helium-silver (HeAg) metal-vapor laser, Neon-copper (NeCu) metal-vapor laser: They are used in scientific research. Copper vapor laser: It is used in Dermatological uses, high speed photography, pump for dye lasers. Gold vapor laser: This type of laser is used in Rare, dermatological and photodynamic therapy uses. Solid-state laser Ruby laser: Used in Holography, tattoo removal. The first type of visible light laser invented; May 1960. Nd:YAG laser : used in Material processing, rangefinding, laser target designation, surgery, research, pumping other lasers (combined with frequency doubling to produce a green 532 nm beam). One of the most common high power lasers. Usually pulsed (down to fractions of a nanosecond) Er:YAG laser: used in Periodontal scaling, Dentistry Neodymium YLF (Nd:YLF) solid-state laser: Mostly used for pulsed pumping of certain types of pulsed Ti:sapphire lasers, combined with frequency doubling. Neodymium doped Yttrium orthovanadate (Nd:YVO4) laser: Mostly used for continuous pumping of mode-locked Ti:sapphire or dye lasers, in combination with frequency doubling. Also used pulsed for marking and micromachining. A frequency doubled nd:YVO4 laser is also the normal way of making a green laser pointer. Neodymium glass (Nd:Glass) laser: Used in extremely high power (terawatt scale), high energy (megajoules) multiple beam systems for inertial confinement fusion. Nd:Glass lasers are usually frequency tripled to the third harmonic at 351 nm in laser fusion devices. Cerium doped lithium strontium(or calcium) aluminum fluoride (Ce:LiSAF, Ce:LiCAF): Used in Remote atmospheric sensing, LIDAR, optics research. Erbium doped and erbium-ytterbium codoped glass lasers: These are made in rod, plate/chip, and optical fiber form. Erbium doped fibers are commonly used as optical amplifiers for telecommunications. Semiconductor laser Semiconductor laser diode has working wavelength between 0.4-20Â µm, depending on active region and are used in Telecommunications, holography, printing, weapons, machining, welding, pump. There are many different types of semiconductor lasers like: AlGaAs : used in Optical discs, laser pointers, data communications. 780 nm Compact Disc player laser is the most common laser type in the world. Solid-state laser pumping, machining, medical. InGaAsP : used in Telecommunications, solid-state laser pumping, machining, medical. Quantum cascade laser : used in Research,Future applications may include collision-avoidance radar, industrial-process control and medical diagnostics such as breath analyzers. Other types of lasers Free electron laser : This type of laser is having a broad wavelength range (about 100 nm several mm); one free electron laser may be tunable over a wavelength range and is basically used in atmospheric research, material science, medical applications. Gas dynamic laser : used In Military applications; can operate in CW mode at several megawatts optical power and is produced by Spin state population inversion in carbon dioxide molecules caused by supersonic adiabatic expansion of mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. Nickel-like Samarium laser : It has pumping source Lasing in ultra-hot samarium plasma formed by double pulse terawatt scale irradiation fluences created by Rutherford Appleton Laboratorys Nd:glass Vulcan laser and first demonstration of efficient saturated operation of a sub-10 nm X-ray laser, possible applications in high resolution microscopy and holography, operation is close to the water window at 2.2 to 4.4 nm where observation of DNA structure and the action of viruses and drugs on cells can be examined. Raman laser, uses inelastic stimulated Raman scattering in a nonlinear media, mostly fiber, for amplification. It finds its applications in Complete 1-2 Â µm wavelength coverage; distributed optical signal amplification for telecommunications; optical solitons generation and amplification APPLICATIONS Industrial Applications of Laser Today, laser can be found in a broad range of applications within industry, where it can be used for such things as pointing and measuring. In the manufacturing industry, laser is used to measure the ball cylindricity in bearings by observing the dispersion of a laser beam when reflected on the ball.Laser also works as a spirit level and can be used to indicate a flat surface by just sweeping the laser beam along the surface. This is, for instance, used when making walls at building sites. In the mining industry, laser is used to point out the drilling direction. Laser technologies have also been used within environmental areas. One example is the ability to determine from a distance the environmental toxins in a column of smoke. Other examples are being able to predict and measure the existence of photochemical smog and ozone, both at ground level where it isnt wanted and in the upper layers of the atmosphere where it is needed. Laser is also used to supervise wastewater purification. Laser works as a light source in all fiber optics in use. It has greater bandwidth. It is insensitive to interference from external electrical and magnetic fields. Fiber optics is used increasingly often in data and telecommunications around the world. Medicine Laser is used in medicine to improve precision work like surgery. Brain surgery is an example of precision surgery that calls for the surgeon to reach the intended area precisely. To make sure of this, lasers are used both to measure and to point in the area in question. Birthmarks, warts and discoloring of the skin can easily be removed with an unfocused laser. The operations are quick and heal quickly and, best of all, they are less painful than ordinary surgery performed with a scalpel. RECENT APPLICATIONS DVD A DVD player contains laser that is used not because it produces a parallel beam, but rather because the light emerges from a tiny point, which enables it to be focused on the different layers of the disc. The information, ones and zeros, is stored in several layers, and only one layer is to be read at a time. Every point on a particular layer is read during every revolution of the disc. In order to make room for a lot of information on every disc, the beam has to be focused on as small an area as possible. This cannot be done with any other light source than a laser. Laser Pointers Lasers pointers are made from inexpensive semiconductors laser as together with lens produce a parallel beam of light that can be used to make a bright spot to point with. Their range is very large. If one points at a surface 200 meters (220 yards) distant in the dark, a person standing close to the object being pointed at will have no trouble seeing the shining spot (of course, someone else has to hold the laser). On the other hand, the one holding the pointer will have difficulty seeing the spot. The eternal question of range has more to do with the lights behavior on its way back to the sender than with the length of the beam. Laser Sights Laser sights for rifles and guns can be based on several different principles. Some send a laser beam parallel to the trajectory so that the point of impact becomes visible. This method exposes the marksman. Some project a red dot inside a telescopic sight (instead of cross hairs). In both cases, the dot can be produced with a ring around it. Speed Measurement Using Laser The method the police use to measure car speed is based on a laser signal that is sent towards the target. This beam bounces back and is mixed with light that has not hit the car. The result is an oscillation the same as when you tune a guitar with higher frequency (more treble) the faster the target moves. The speed has to be measured straight from the front or from the back. If it is measured at an angle, the speed is underrated. This means that you cannot get false values that are too high. The measurement is dependent on the car having something that reflects well. The license plate is perfect, as are different types of reflecting objects. Fogged surfaces are okay, but reduce the maximum distance. Laser Distance Meter The primary use of laser distance meters today is surveyors and constructors, Least spectacular is the so-called parking assistance that helps the driver to estimate the distance to the car behind when parking. A more recent application measures the distance to the car in front of the driver when driving on highways or other roads. You simply lock in the distance to the car in front of you in order to maintain that distance. This makes driving more efficient and faster as long as it all works. This kind of laser is found in most robots with mechanical vision. LASER DISCOVERIES 1971 Gabor (alone) was given the prize, having founded the basic ideas of the holographic method, which is a famous and spectacular application of laser technology. At first just a method of creating 3-D pictures, it has since become a useful tool for the observation of vibrating objects. Much of what we today know about how musical instruments produce their tones is due to the use of holograms. In addition to holograms that can be bought and hung on a wall, simpler holograms can be found on many other things where you might not expect to find them. Small holograms are present on many credit cards and identity cards in order to make them more difficult to forge. 1981 Bloembergen and Schawlow received the prize for their contribution to the development of laser spectroscopy. One typical application of this is nonlinear optics which means methods of influencing one light beam with another and permanently joining several laser beams (not just mixing them compare the difference between mixing two substances and making them chemically react with one another). These phenomena mean that a light beam can in principle be steered by another light beam. If in the future someone intends to build an optical computer (that could be much faster and much more efficient in storing data), it would have to be based on a nonlinear optic. When using optical fibers, for example in broadband applications, several of the switches and amplifiers that are used require nonlinear optical effects. 1997 Chu, Cohen-Tannoudji and Phillips et al. received the prize for their developments of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light which is a method for inducing atoms to relinquish their heat energy to laser light and thus reach lower and lower temperatures. When their temperature sinks very close to absolute zero, atoms form aggregates (make clumps) in a way that reveals some of the innermost aspects of nature. And that is the important application of laser cooling, namely to make us understand more of nature. Very soon after the discovery other scientists started to use the technique to further develop closely related areas. 2000 Alferov and Kroemer were given the prize for their development within the field of semiconductor physics, where they had studied the type of substances that was first used to build semiconductor lasers, that is, the kind of miniature lasers that today have become the cheapest, lightest and smallest. The idea is to produce both the light source and energy supply and place the mirrors in one crystal (less than 1 mm facet, with many sequences). This has become not only the basis for many cheap and portable appliances, but also the foundation in optical information networks. The CD player, laser writer, laser pointer and the bar code reader the cashier at the supermarket uses, are all based on their discovery. REFRENCES NEWAGE PUBLISHER PVT. LTD.,LASERANDNONLINEAROPTICS,P.B LAUD macmillan publisher,laser theory and application,k.dhyacagrajan,ak.ghatak universities publishers,laser,e.a siegman http://www.nobel.org

Famous People :: essays papers

Famous People In 1999 Ricky Martin’s debut album hit number one on the Billboard Top 100 charts and also surpassed his other CD sales by selling almost 661,000 copies of his first English language album. That same year two major publishers printed biographies on him. (Griffiths, john 1of 5) Since his Grammy debut in 1999 he seems to have found success in every aspect of his career except in his personal life. Even with all the success he has reaped he unfortunately still suffers from the inability to keep a lasting partner in his life. This problem is seen through interpreting his music, where he expresses his loneliness and feelings about losing love. His loneliness has occurred from putting his career in front of his personal life due to his earliest obsession with having the full attention of his both his separated parents. His need for attention did not start at the beginning of the divorce though, in contrary he received even more attention then normal because both his parents wanted to see him be as happy as possible. With his parents not communicating to each other regularly he was able to get things from one parent that the other previously disapproved of. (Furman 5-7) One of the things he convinced his parents to let him do was acting. While watching other actors on TV he wished that he would one day do the same. He decided at the age of five that he wanted to entertain and his father supported him all the way. For his Father, seeing him perform in school plays and sing in his church choir only proved that letting his son act was the most reasonable thing to do. (Celebrating Hispanic Culture 1 of 4) â€Å"For Ricky being on-stage was synonymous with being loved. It was like having an even bigger family to adore and admire his every move and gesture.†(Furman 7) But soon Ricky’s new and improved â€Å"bigger† family would become a littler bit smaller. A short while after his acting pursuit began both his parents remarried and five new stepbrothers and sisters followed. Since losing most of his parents full attention he dreamt day and night about being a huge star so that, once again, he could just not get the attention of his parents but also of the adoring public all around the world. (Furman 8-9) He didn’t know that the public adoration was just around the corner though.

Romanticism in American Literature

Tennyson, in â€Å"The Princess† describes, under the diagnosis of catalepsy, probable temporal lobe epileptic dreamy states with deterioration which serve as a adaptor of sexual and moral ambivalence, the poem's central theme. It seems that Tennyson knew such seizures from his own father who had been given a diagnosis of catalepsy. Poe gave his Bernice in the novella of the same title a diagnosis of epilepsy as a reason for a premature burial.However, there was a good deal of unlikelihood in this, and when he came to this theme in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† and in â€Å"The Premature Burial† he chose instead a diagnosis of catalepsy which fitted better with the plot. The fits of the title character in George Elite's Sills Manner, ignored as catalepsy, would today rather be seen as epileptic twilight states. It would seem that this author drew from contemporary dictionary descriptions which described conditions similar to Manner's fits under the headin g of catalepsy.In Elite's â€Å"legend with a realistic treatment†, the twilight states are a central factor in the plot and explain Manner's reclusion and passivity. In Poor Miss Finch by English realist Willie Collins, the postgraduates seizures of Oscar, one of the main characters, their cause, their treatment with silver nitrate, and the subsequent disconsolation of his kin are central supporting elements of a perfectly constructed plot. Collins gives an exact description of a right aversive seizure with secondary generalization, and how to deal with it.In none of these works seizures are seen in a negative light. They rather evoke reactions of sympathy and support. Keywords: Anglo-American literature, disease in fiction, romanticism, realism, Tennyson, Poe, George Eliot, Willie Collins. INTRODUCTION The romantics were fascinated by unusual behavior and exceptional psychic phenomena. Psychiatric illness was threatening and unexplored UT also had the attraction of the morb id and was a poetic treasure chest.For the literature in the realistic period, illness remained an important theme in general because the dark sides of life were not to be neglected, and we can thank the great English realists for sometimes being the first to give us De- tailed descriptions of pathological conditions, such as developmental dyslexia in Dickens' Bleak House Jacob, 1992). For this reason it is not surprising to find epilepsy represented in literature written in the middle of the nineteenth century. Here we also meet the term catalepsy and a relationship between the two diagnoses warrants our examination.Address correspondence to: Peter Wolf, Plenipotentiary Bethel, Kline Mar l, Marriage 21, D – 33617 Believed, Germany. Tell: +49-521-1443686. Fax: +49-521-1444637. E-mail: panorama. De. EPILEPSY & CATALEPSY IN ANGLO-AMERICAN LITERATURE 287 ALFRED TENNYSON: â€Å"THE PRINCESS† Alfred Tennyson (1808-1892) was one of the main literary figures in the middle of the last century in England. The pair of terms seizures and catalepsy in his â€Å"Princess† (1847-1851), a long narrative poem, has gently been pursued by an American philologist, Barbara Herb Wright (1987), who is married to a neurologist. The Princess† first appeared in 1847, and in a reworked second edition in 1848. In the third edition in 1850, six songs were added between each of the chapters and in the fourth edition Weird seizures' are mentioned for the first time but then as an essential element of the composition. The literary studies' dispute about this element's artistic value and function, as well as the author's refusal to comment on the question, has been depicted in detail by Ms Wright. Tennyson called his work a ‘medley.The structure is multifaceted, and it has allegorical, discursive and ironic elements. The story uses the story-in-story technique. On the first level, the story narrator and a group of fellow students visit the castle of one of th e students. The student comes from a very old family and has found an ancestor in his family tree, a lady who, ‘miracle of noble womanhood' (p. 154), has defended the fortress in full armor and weapons against its foes. At a garden party Lila, his friend's sister appears, ‘half child, half woman' (p. 55; the half ND half motif, the ‘inebriate' is a basic motif of this work), and decorates the statue of a warlike ancestor with her head scarf and silk stole while talking about women's oppression and the founding of a radical Amazon state. In the next seven chapters the seven students tell the story of such a community: The prince and princess of two neighboring kingdoms have been engaged to marry since their childhood. When the father of the prince sends for the bride-to-be with pomp and presents, her father writes a letter saying she wants to live alone with her women, and not wed.When the elderly king, father of the prince, hears this, he wants to declare war but t he prince sets off to clear up the situation himself. Two friends accompany him, also to help him in the event that he should have seizures. The seizures are the result of a curse on his family, laid on them long ago by a man who a former ancestor had burned as a sorcerer because he cast no shadow: none of their blood should know the shadow from the substance, image from reality, and one ‘should come to fight with shadows and to fall' (p. 1 57).For this reason Waking dreams were an old and strange affection of the house' (p. 57), and the curse manifests itself in the prince as Weird seizures' (p. 157) which are marked with deterioration experiences. The prince hears from the princess' gentle, peace-loving father that she has withdrawn to their summer castle, founded a women's university and now holds a purely female court: no male being may enter the area under penalty of death. But the prince and his friends dress up as girls and go there. They are discovered and have to flee .The fact that the prince has saved the princess from drowning does not help. During this time period the prince has two seizures without the princess noticing. The first happens at their second meeting when he is overwhelmed by her royal appearance, her foot on a tame leopard, before they ride out together. During their excursion his love, previously unnoticed, blossoms. The second seizure happens when he lets himself be despicably thrown out by her, even though he not only saved her life, but is also convinced by and willing to accept the equal rights of women.Both times the princess appears to him as a shadow in his seizures, whereas otherwise he admires her for her uncompromising consistency and loves her because she sticks to her cause in a more straightforward manner than others. War is declared, the prince and one of the princess' brothers defending the princess fight against each other along with 50 of the best knights on both sides. The prince remembers the prophecy that on e of his family will fight against shadows, gets a seizure, and goes into battle although he is still in a dreamy state. He and his group of men lose the battle.He is seriously injured, and experiences his long recuperation period as a continuation of the seizure. After clearly winning the war, the princess becomes less rigorous in her attitude and takes care of the 288 PETER WOLF prince and all of the other injured on both sides. The prince and princess forgive each other and the question of dream or reality, shadow or substance, becomes a question about who the princess really is, what her essence is. Is it the masculine unwillingness to compromise with which she tries to demonstrate her rationality or rather the other side, which allows for feelings of pity, gratitude, love, and duty?As this is decided, the prince's seizures cease and he changes into a stronger, more masculine person. He can convince the princess that her holding a purely female court was not right for her, not g enuine, only a copy of the male world. The prince and princess, until then both a cross between male and female, discover one another. They also both find their own selves in the recognition that man and woman remain incomplete, only half of a whole, as long as each attempts to be whole alone, or as long as one sees the other as the dominate or superior one.The court physician diagnosed the prince's seizures as ‘catalepsy (p. 1 57). We now know that Tennyson used, or at least owned, Quinsy's medical dictionary of 1804 (Wright, 1987)), which defined catalepsy as ‘a sudden suppression of movement and perception where the DOD is immobilizers (freezes') in its present position'. This comes in seizures, lasts a few minutes, seldom up to a few hours, and at the end the patients do not remember anything that has happened during the seizure. It is as if they awake from sleep (Wright, 1987).Interestingly enough, the prince's seizures are described completely differently: Others n otice nothing, he even fights in a battle during a seizure. Only his perception is altered. This change in perception usually only lasts for a short time. It seems to him as if he is surrounded by ghosts and he himself only a shadow of a dream. The princess appears to him as an incomplete sketch, her leopards as a fantastic painting, other people as empty masks. Things are present and not present at the same time, a scene Just experienced happened and at the same time did not happen.He is unable to tell the difference between reality and illusion. Ms. Wright (1987) was the first to suggest that epileptic seizures were being described here and she is without doubt correct: These are focal seizures of the temporal lobe with illusionary experiences of De-realization and diversification – a type of seizure that was underscored in medicine at Tennyson time. How did Tennyson know about them? There were several cases of epilepsy in his immediate family, for example his father, as ca n be seen by a letter describing his situation which fits the diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy.We also know that doctors told the family that his seizures were ‘catalepsy rather than epilepsy (Wright, 1987). This could have been intended to calm the family or make the diagnosis sound less threatening. On the other hand, it is also unknown how clearly a distinction between the terms catalepsy and epilepsy was made in the early nineteenth century (Teeming, 1971)1. Trances also play a securing role in the rest of Tennyson work, and it is well known that he often set himself into trances by repeating his own name.But the description of the subjective seizure experiences in the â€Å"Princess†, whose origin and terminology seem to be explained by Wright, stands alone, and the seizures have their special literary sense as metaphor for the indecision and insecurity that leads to the main theme of the story. EDGAR ALLAN POE: â€Å"BERNICE†, â€Å"THE FALL OF THE HOUS E OF USHER† AND â€Å"THE PREMATURE BURIAL† The possibility that Poe was also a model for Tennyson and the use of catalepsy as a motif in his writings cannot be excluded.Tennyson was deeply affected by Poe, admired him, and contributed substantially to the literary acceptance of the American in England – in nineteenth century something not to be taken for granted. (The 1 . Something similar may have been true, in the public mind, for the terms epilepsy and apoplexy. Thacker in Inanity Fair† seems once to have mixed them up (Wolf, 1995), and simple-minded Joe Gagger, in Dickens' â€Å"Great Expectations† says his father went off in a purple elliptic fit, obviously meaning apoplectic. † 289 other way around, Pope's lyric was influenced by Tennyson. Poe created a figure with he diagnosis of epilepsy, Bernice, in the story carrying her name in 1835. The story belongs to a group of dismal fatalistic novellas, and he needs a progressive physical and mental illness for Bernice, which would also make it plausible for her to appear dead. The story is told in the first person from the point of view of Usages. Usages lives in a lonely mansion with his beautiful cousin Bernice. Bernice has ‘a species of epilepsy not infrequently terminating in trance itself – trance very nearly resembling positive dissolution' (p. 172).In a reversal and projection that is not typical for Poe, Usages does not explain these trances but rather his own, which are trances or daydreams induced by concentrating on coincidental objects or meditation on trivial words. Bernice and Usages become engaged. In the progression of her disease Bernice loses her beauty. One day in her altered condition she silently stands in front of him. In an unexpected smile of peculiar meaning her splendid white teeth which have remained perfect are exposed and their overleaf image becomes the focus of a monomania, a daydream of his lasting several days.During this ti me he is vaguely aware that she has seizures one ironing. In the evening she appears to be dead and so is buried. His state of trance continues. Finally, he awakens out of his trance with a bad feeling, a vague recollection of a deed, of the shrill cry of a woman's voice. He learns from a menial who is wild with terror that Prince's grave has been violated, and that she has been found in her grave still alive: There is a spade leaning on the wall next to him.As he opens a little box that he finds on his table without knowing how it got there, dental surgery instruments fall out together with thirty-two small, white, and ivory-looking substances' (p. 77). Behind the similarity of Usages' and Tennyson self-induced daydreams and trances no hidden allusions should be suspected. These things are a part of the type of psychic experiments that the romantics were enthusiastic about. Nevertheless, the affinity in motif and the relationship to epilepsy that both authors created are worthy of being mentioned.Poe must have noticed that it was unlikely for someone known to have epilepsy to have seizures in a familiar environment in the morning and on the same evening to be declared dead and buried. He prepares the reader by mentioning some pages fore that Bernice, in most cases, recovered from her seizures surprisingly rapidly, but the construction remains dubious. Perhaps this is the reason he gives Madeline of Usher another diagnosis to allow her to be mistakenly buried alive a few years later in â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher† . She has transient affections of a partially cataleptic character' (p. 82), and this leaves more room for the unlikely. Madeline appears only once before her apparent death. The narrator, a friend of her brother Redbrick, talks about her appearance: she ‘passed through a remote portion of the apartment, and, without having noticed my presence, disappeared' (p. 182). She is not described in more detail (unusual for Poe); foremos t is the feeling her appearance leaves in the narrator and her brother observing her: ‘A sensation of stupor oppressed me as my eyes followed her retreating steps' (p. 182). Her appearance causes her brother to sorrowfully bury his face in his hands.Later they lay her in her coffin although there still is ‘a faint blush upon the bosom and the face, as usual in all maladies of strictly cataleptic character' (p. 186). In spite of the improbability, Madeline manages to fight her way out of the coffin, and presents herself in silent reproach to her brother who must have suspected she had not really been dead. Poe must have been virtually obsessed with the idea of being buried alive: It plays an important role, for example, in the early tale â€Å"Algeria†, and later became a theme in a own story with the title â€Å"The Premature Burial†.This begins with reports about actual live burials and leads to describing the fear associated with waking up in a coffin aft er being buried. The narrator, who believes that such things happen more often Han people suspect, tells his own story of being ill with increasingly frequent and long cataleptic seizures, trances, semi-syncope, and 290 his growing fear that he will be buried in such a state. He takes extensive organizational precautions to prevent such an incident, but it does not calm him in the least.He talks about a further symptom, a disassociated awakening with very slow reorientation, preparing the scene for a cathartic experience ending the entire terrible episode: He awakens one day in a tight wooden chamber in total darkness with the smell of damp earth around him, and experiences the real horror of being ride alive. He remembers that he had been on a hunting excursion when a storm arose and that he fled to a barge laden with garden McCollum and went to sleep in a very tight berth.Now he can shake away his fear – and he also loses the catalepsy which had perhaps been less the cause than the consequence of his fears (p. 271). Here the construction of the disease history – especially with the final considerations – is really convincing. Nevertheless, this tale is one of Pope's less familiar stories and literally not fully satisfying due to the approximate balance between reported facts ND fiction being only loosely connected.Poe apparently did not use Quince for his catalepsy motif, but another source, since his descriptions are completely different. They seem to be based on a tradition that Could and Pyle (1896) summarize: ‘Catalepsy, trance and lethargy, lasting for days or weeks, are really examples of spontaneously developed mesmeric sleep in hysteric patients or subjects of incipient insanity. It is in this condition that the lay Journals find argument for their stories of premature burial'.GEORGE ELIOT: â€Å"SILLS MANNER† In contrast, it seems that George Eliot (pseudonym or Mary Ann Evans, 1819-1880) also used Quinsy's Medical Dictionary or a similar source to describe the seizures of the title figure in Sills Manner (1861), because her description corresponds much more exactly to Quinsy's definition than Tennyson. In Sills Manner the seizures of the title figure, a poor linen weaver, are an important structural element of the story. They are conditions that can last from a few minutes to an hour or more, and which are described in the book as trance or cataleptic seizures.When Manner has such a seizure he falls into an unconscious and snootiness stiffness with an empty look in his eyes. The seizures leave him with amnesia and Manner is not even aware of having had a seizure. At first, his community, a ‘narrow religious sect', the middle point and content of Manner's life, where he is respected for his faith and exemplary life style, interpret the seizures as a mark of his being specially chosen by God, as visitations of divine origin.But as the man who Manner thinks of as his best friend becomes hi s rival, he uses Manner's seizures to discredit him in the community by indicating his seizures might also have satanic origins (p. 0). Furthermore, he deals a devastating blow by blaming Manner for a theft that occurs during a death wake when Manner is in a trance. Manner is exiled and emigrates to a faraway region where he sets up his weaving loom in a hut at the edge of the village (up. 11-15). There he lives a secluded hermit-like existence for 15 years.Despairing of God and his fellow man, he only thinks of his work and of his treasure of gold, sovereigns, that he has managed to scrape together by living so frugally. In this village he is also known for having fits and this contributes to his role as an outsider. When Manner leaves his hut on an errand one stormy evening, someone steals his treasure, leaving him empty-handed for the second time. But in contrast to the first time, he becomes integrated into the community because the members have pity on him (p. 03). Then a third event happens, when he is in a twilight state which falls over him while standing in the open door of his hut: When he awakens from the trance he perceives a vague, golden shimmer in his hut that he at first believes must be the expected return of his gold coins; but it is the golden hair of a little orphan girl who has sought shelter in 91 the hut (p. 1 51). He accepts the child and raises her with the help of a neighbor and a happy time starts now and lasts into his old gage.The treasure is also found again. It is discovered – and the reader is told this early in the story – that the father of the child and the thief are the same person. All these motifs are woven together in a very complex manner and build into an artful design interwoven with the golden threads that make a legend. In a letter to her publisher, John Blackfoot, George Eliot characterized the work as ‘a sort of legendary tale' which she ‘became inclined to give] a more realistic treatment ' (Karl, 1995).The disease is of utmost importance in explaining the necessary static and passivity of the title figure which would normally be unnatural. It also allows for unexplainable events to happen which contribute to the story's legendary quality. Sills Manner is one of the most perfect of the literary works in which an epileptic disease is an essential stylistic element. Today we use the term catalepsy to describe a condition of motionless rigidity which can occasionally be observed over a longer period of time with androgenic psychosis or with severe life-threatening brain diseases.The seizures with impairment of consciousness from which Sills Manner suffered would today no longer be classified as catalepsy but as twilight states, and epilepsy would primarily be considered the cause. A recent biographer of Eliot (Karl, 1995) talks about Manner's epileptic fits as a matter of course. It seems as though Eliot did not use direct observation in describing catalepsy but relied on the lexicographic definition. This included certain epileptic phenomena and catalepsy and epilepsy were probably not strictly separated at that time.Earlier, catalepsy had even been considered a variant of epilepsy (Teeming, 1971). AS we have seen in the case of Tennyson, catalepsy may sometimes have been used as a euphemism for epilepsy (see above). WILLIE COLLINS: â€Å"POOR MISS FINCH† Willie colitis (1824-1889), a mend of Charles Dickens, is considered together with Dickens and George Eliot to be one of the great English realists of the nineteenth century. His Poor Miss Finch (1872) is one of the books in which epilepsy plays a key role in the construction of the plot. Oscar loves the beautiful, capricious, and blind Lucille who also loves him.His twin brother, the ruthless Nugent tries to be his rival. Their voices are indistinguishable and they have he same features to someone who looks at them or touches them. An eye specialist appears on the scene who is able to ma ke Lucille see by operating on her. Like some blind people, Lucille can imagine colors, loves everything light and hates everything dark. This almost leads the bad Nugent to succeed because he argues that when Lucille will see Oscar she is sure to despise him: His skin is disclosure to a blackish blue as a result of the treatment of his epilepsy with silver nitrate (p. 3). Oscar fears the day she will be able to see him but argues nevertheless unselfishly and generously for the controversial operation. Lucille then reacts completely different than expected and there is a happy end. In this novel Collins was particularly interested in the discoveries that had been made throughout the 18th and 19th century about what people born blind or who became blind in early childhood could sense or experience and how, after successful operation on their eyes, they reacted and learned to create a visual environment.These reports deal extensively with theories about the conception of space and the construction of visual space, and with Molybdenum's problem, whether a congenitally blind person who had learned to extinguish and name forms like a sphere and a cube by touch would be able to distinguish and identify these forms visually if the faculty of sight was recovered (v. Sender, 1960). Collins was more interested in the sys- 2.The village doctor who has been called to the scene is mildly made fun of by the author: the sages of the village urge Manner strongly to smoke a pipe â€Å"as a practice ‘good for the fits'; and this advice was sanctioned by Dry. Kimball, on the ground that it was as well to try what could do no harm – a principle which was made to answer for a great deal of work in that gentleman's medical practice† (p. 91). Manner follows this advice faithfully even though he actually dislikes tobacco and it doesn't really help. 92 ecological and moral responses of his characters to such an event. His description of the tests and tasks that are given his heroine by her doctor shows that he conducted thorough research for the story. Likewise, the epilepsy is not Just there but the result of a brain trauma (p. 68) from a robbery which has its own function in the carefully constructed story. In order to make the blackening of the skin more credible people with the same coloring appear marginally twice in the story (up. 3,269). Is that exaggerated? Apparently not.The treatment of epilepsy with silver nitrate was very common until the middle of the nineteenth century. One of the affected in Collins' book says there are hundreds of people disclosure as I am, in the various parts of the civilized world' (p. 84), and the English neurologist Todd complained that so many patients showed in the disconsolation of their faces the indelible marks of the ineffective treatment they had undergone (Teeming, 1971). Collins thinks better of Oscar and allows the treatment to be successful: His epilepsy is cured (p. 0). CONCLUSIONS Four author s from two consecutive epochs of literature in the English language gave four completely different pictures of illness: In Poe, the romanticist, the epileptic and cataleptic conditions are more conjured up than described, whereas not the seizures themselves but the motif of a slow physical and mental deterioration are a point of focus. The epileptic and cataleptic states are essential elements to the gloomy mood that seem to drive these stories into inevitable fatalistic catastrophes.Tennyson depicts subjective perception of seizures and has resalable found an authentic source so that we can correct the diagnosis of catalepsy. Eliot probably followed a lexicographic definition for her description of ‘cataleptic' semi-conscious or trance states fairly exactly, but this definition subsumes symptoms of a condition which would nowadays be classified as epilepsy. Collins is furthest away from Poe. He virtually gives us a clinical case study with a matter-of- fact description of a s eizure which begins with a wrenching aversive movement towards the right and the calm attitude of the doctor mastering the situation at hand.The diagnosis is given n a short and concise sentence, the etiology and therapy are a part of the case history in this realistic novel. Whereas with the earlier authors the distinction between epilepsy and catalepsy appears somewhat blurred, which may be typical for the time, Collins' description of (post-traumatic) epilepsy and a focal seizure is fully correct. These four significant authors from the middle of the nineteenth century also handle the function of the seizures in the structure of their works very differently. Poe uses seizures as a reason for the supposed death and subsequent live burial.Tennyson uses De-realization during seizures as a metaphor for his basic motif of half and half, and for the indecision in the main characters. Once these are overcome, the seizures disappear. In Elite's work, the occurrence of recurring seizures is necessary for the plot of the story, they are an important element for the legendary aspect and a reason for Sills Manner's timidity and resolution to fate. For Collins, who like Dickens laid special value on clean construction in his books, Scar's epilepsy is a central supporting element which combines many associations in a perfectly structured story.In none of the authors' works are the seizures indifferent, a mere curiosity or spectacle. Nor are they seen in a negative light. They rather evoke reactions of support, and sympathy with 3. A frightful contortion fastened itself on Scar's face. His eyes turned up hideously. From his head to foot his whole body was wrenched round, as if giant hands had twisted it, towards the right. Before I could speak, he was in convulsions on the floor at his doctor's feet. ‘Good God, what is this! ‘ I cried out. The doctor loosened his cravat, and moved away the furniture that was near him.