American History 2020 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

American History 2020 - Essay Example 2). This principle reconciled American democratic ideals with its colonialist tendencies for which it fought against former mother country of Great Britain. It was used to justify territorial acquisition and transfer or absorb people of other nationalities. American businessmen wanted new markets for their manufactured products so Manifest Destiny emboldened American political leaders to pursue expansionism. The expansionist strategy went on for a century and continues even today in its foreign policy (Kinzer 552) by sometimes acting unilaterally in matters of international concern. American imperialism snared for the country various overseas territories such as Cuba, Hawaii, the Philippines, Guam, and Puerto Rico but a key distinguishing feature of this imperialism was its benevolence, unlike European imperialism that merely exploited the people and resources of the colonies they had grabbed and colonized (Conrad 72). Unlike what Great Britain did to India or Portugal to parts of Africa as the foremost proponent of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. America tempered its imperialism with the ideals of democracy, freedom, liberalism, and progressivism by spreading the benefits of democracy, capitalism, assimilation, and universal free education to all its colonies (Miller

Defined the Three Different Types of Breach of Contract Essay Example for Free

Defined the Three Different Types of Breach of Contract Essay In Contracts there are many terms used that sometimes may get confusing. Other times it is hard to tell which words mean what and how to use them properly in a sentence; the word condition being one of them. There are so many uses for the word and it may be used as a form to explain more in-depth in a contract, so that there is no confusion, or questions asked in what was meant by in a statement. Conditioned is defined in a contact as a future uncertained event that creates or destroys rights and obligations. A condition is a contact clause that modifies the basic agreements between the parties. Conditions can be complexed as â€Å"if you do this†¦, I’ll do that†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . There are different types of conditions, including implied, express, condition precedent and condition subsequent. It is legal and very common for contracts to have conditions. A condition can modify or rescind a contract. Conditions can also be based on certain action either of the parties themselves or some other outside action. A contract with no condition is â€Å"I promise to pay you $2,000 for your car†. A contract with a condition is â€Å"I promise to pay you $2,000 for your car, if a mechanic certifies it has no major mechanical problems. How can you tell if a contact has a condition you may ask, well its very simple, if the statements requires action to be taken for the contract to be enforced. An implied contract is one that is not stated in the contract and an expressed contract is one that is stated.

A Prolonged Civil Conflict :: essays research papers

The reasons why the Vietnam War lasted so long is a very controversial subject among Americans. There is no simple answer to as why the war lasted so long. Many factors have to be considered when analyzing the war. The first factor that has to be considered is whether or not the U.S. really belonged in the Vietnam War in the first place. The initial reason that the U.S. became involved in Vietnam was because they thought that North Vietnam was going to Russia and China, which were communist countries, for support. Because of the containment policy, the U.S. felt it had to defend South Vietnam from communism. They thought that Russia was trying to take over Europe and make it one communist state. Herring says, “The United States formally committed itself to he containment of Soviet expansion in Europe, and throughout the next two years attention was riveted on France, where economic stagnation and political instability aroused grave fears of communists takeover'; (11). However, all Ho and North Vietnam wanted was for their country to be reunited. “For the Vietminh, unification of their not only represented fulfillment of the centuries-old dream of Vietnamese nationalists but also was economic necessity'; (8). The Vietminh asked the U.S. for support but because they thought that North Vietnam was influenced by Russia, the U.S. turned them down. It was not until later that the Vietminh went to Mao Tse-tung’s Chinese Communists for support out of desperateness. From the very beginning, “the U.S. had attached itself to a losing cause'; (19). Because the U.S. was obsessed with the domino theory and a communist threat in Southeast Asia, they became involved in and were partly to blame for prolonging a civil conflict.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the U.S. had initially become involved in Vietnam’s civil conflict, they kept getting more and more involved. Besides several bomb raids the U.S. also kept sending more and more troops into South Vietnam. The massive bomb raids and the continuous flow of troops into South Vietnam established the U.S.’s policy; they were willing to give full support to South Vietnam and fight in a war in order to stop the spread of communism. As Herring says, the U.S. also insisted “that an important interest had been established that had to be defended for the sake of U.S. credibility throughout the world'; (309).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This leads to the second factor to as why the war lasted so long.

Theater Arts

â€Å"Sitting in Limbo† is a play written by Dawn Penso and Judith Hepburn who are both Jamaican nationals living in London, the play was directed by Jo-Ann McCabe. â€Å"Sitting in Limbo† was held at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination; in the Walcott Warner Theater. The moon reading featured a trio of Barbadian actors: Amanda Cumerbatch as Yvonne Campbell, Philip Eno as the judge and radio announcer and finally Loretta Hackett as Nita George, on Monday 25th February 2013.The theatrical piece starts out with a contrast between two women, one of a fairly wealthy background and the other struggling to make ends meet this portrays a conflict between both women based on their differences which in the end both women overcame. The play about a prison warden, Nita George and prisoner Yvonne Campbell depicts a political disruption in Grenada’s annals which led to the imprisonment of Grenadian Phllis Coard.Immu red along with her husband for assassinating Grenada’s elected Prime Minister, Nita presumes that Yvonne is a greedy woman with a thirst for predominance and that she is the main reason behind all the troubles in Grenada due to her pushing her husband into the overthrow of the Prime Minister. Nita openly affronts Yvonne, while Yvonne demands that she be respected because of her position in society and the â€Å"success† she has brought upon the country.Two years had passed and Nita’s views about Yvonne hadn’t changed but as the years went by for a total of seven years and they both opened up to each other and adapted to each other’s personalities Nita saw Yvonne as a woman with humanity and compassion. Although the play is mainly about the two characters Nita and Yvonne, the radio announcer plays a very important role, he notifies the audience about the amount of years passed and the fate of Grenada, the radio announcer practically gives viewers an idea of what was going on during the play.The trio has done an exceptionally great job on the piece ‘Sitting in Limbo†. The use of accents added a great effect on the nationality of the characters or the origin where the incident was being taken place. The use of costume was also great because one could identify which character was which , when Nita or Loretta wore the khaki shirt and the khaki pants it gave the audience a hint that she was some sort of guard or officer or in this case a prison warden.In Philip’s case the use of headphones gave the audience an idea that he was a Dj or a radio announcer. The use of the projection of bars gave the audience an idea that it was some kind of prison. The bars also reflected on how each woman felt inside, Nita trying to raise a family by herself in the economic struggles felt ‘imprisoned† because she wanted to live a better life, she wanted to reach for her goals but she could not do so because of the curren t situation but eventually ‘broke free â€Å"and decided to accept the offer her sister had given her.Yvonne although imprisoned literally felt† imprisoned† due to the fact that deep down inside she knew what she did was wrong but her arrogance and pride got in the way ,she’ broke free† by refusing to sign a contract which could have literally freed her by denying everything she had actually done. However they were some minor imperfections which were indeed noticeable, such as the backing of the audience, Phillip walking offstage before the fade had actually begun and where Loretta and Amanda had somewhat forgotten a bit of their lines.There were also some technical difficulties where as the fade would begin too early or a little too late but they but did not affect the theatrical piece it self. The play was a unique piece especially because it was my first time viewing a moon read play and because they tied in a fictional crisis into a play which I f ound very creative. The play also impacted the audience and made it an enjoyable play for them.

What Care Services Are Available to People with Long-Term Health?

What care services are available to people with long-term health conditions and why is it important that these services should take into account individuals sensitivities and circumstances? â€Å"According to Talcott Parsons being sick is a role (a deviant one) which is a temporary role that all people (regardless of their status or position) enter at some stage of their life. Its main function is to control illness, and to reduce its disruptive effects on the social system by ensuring that sick people are returned to health as speedily as possible† (Parsons 1951).However if you are seen as enjoying playing the sick role, people might label you as a malingerer. â€Å"A malingerer is someone who shirks their duties by pretending to be ill† (Block 1 who cares, p-67), this also has its problems as you start to feel isolated, depressed and loss of self-esteem from hiding daily activities from people. Therefore, before you even contemplate on seeing a doctor you will have al ready taken on the sick role. The NHS is split into two, Primary and Secondary health services they both look after people who suffer from long-term illnesses i. . diabetes, asthma and coronary heart disease. It is estimated that there are around 15 million people in England that have a long-term illness (DH 2006). ‘Your local doctors’ surgery or GP practice provides a wide range of family health services’ (NHS Choices, 2007). I myself will often refer to a study of a man named Anwar Malik that I have been studying, who himself has used most of the health services. Anwar Malik is a 54 year old green grocer and lives with his wife Hansa and their youngest son Iqbal.Anwar originally was born in Pakistan and came to live in the UK when he was a young man. Anwar’s first language is Punjabi and Urdu, but can speak English as Hansar and Anwar speak it in their shop. Anwar had been feeling unwell for a while, lethargic, tired and generally thirsty. Anwar’s wife noticed that he had become less active and frequenting the toilet more often. Hansa his wife became concerned for her husband’s health and advised him to visit his doctor. Anwar’s G. P referred him to hospital for further tests where it was discovered he in fact was diagnosed with diabetes.Primary care services are normally the first point of contact if you have a health related issue, an appointment with your GP (general practitioner), dentist, nurse or optometrist. It is estimated that around 90% use this service and most can be accessed in the doctor’s surgery, although Anwar could have gone to his local walk in center or even telephoned NHS direct. If your illness requires further tests your G. P will refer you to a secondary health care provider, this is what happened to Anwar Malik. Secondary care is defined as a service provided by medical specialists who generally do not have first contact with patients.Secondary care is usually delivered in hospit als and patients have usually been referred to secondary care by their primary care provider (usually their GP) (Dr Foster 2001). What can people expect to find in a hospital setting? Consultants, nurses, health care assistants and domestics are just a few to name. There are different departments that split the hospital, intensive care; different medical wards i. e. Neurology, surgical, and also not forgetting the Accident and Emergency department. Communication between primary and secondary care breaks down quite easily, especially if you are receiving long term care.If you are being seen as an outpatient for long periods, the GP will need to be informed of their treatment and progress, as this could have an impact on the GP’s own treatment for the patient. Social care supports people for whatever reason that is unable to function without support or supervision in their own homes. Some families struggle to fund this kind of service as it is not always free and requires servi ce users to use their own money in order to obtain the service. Home care workers work to a care plan which determines what they do for each service user.However there needs to be clear boundaries between the home care worker and the service user in being friendly and being a friend, otherwise this could lead to considerable emotional demands on the home care worker. There are a combination of factors why some are reluctant to use this service, as it requires ‘strangers’ going into the service users own home and carrying out personal care. Service users can also get very frustrated with home care as there are frequent changes in staff and some are even poorly trained.The service can be unreliable due to staff sickness or not receiving a call due to adverse conditions, leaving the service user stranded. However there are a majority of service users that enjoy home care as it is delivered in the comfort of their own homes, takes pressure off families and can even postpone or stop the need to go in hospital or care homes. Everybody’s illness differs from person to person so it is always important to take into account individuals sensitivities and circumstances, like Anwar were his taken into account?It is not just the individual with the illness that needs to be thought about, the family is often affected to. As we are aware Anwar originated from Pakistan and maybe he did not fully understanding English properly, also Hansa cannot read English very well and this proved difficult when trying to plan and follow meals for Anwar from a leaflet given to her by the nurse. The menu showed typical ‘English’ food; had anyone taken into account that Asians eat western food and their eating patterns differ from our own culture, this can lead to cultural barriers.Should the hospital have translated the diet sheet into the appropriate language that Anwar and Hansa are familiar with? What about communication and visual aids? Should the hospital have provided a translator, so that both Anwar and Hansa fully understand the effects of diabetes? The hospital also could have shown Anwar and Hansa photos of a gangrenous foot or even an amputee, this could have made Anwar think twice about his own health (this could be me). Two per cent of the UK suffers with diabetes, South Asian residents of the UK are 4 times likely to be affected by diabetes than the rest of the population (Block 1, who cares p-85).What about financial worries? Having to follow a healthy eating plan can cause financial burden on the whole family. â€Å"Families struggle to eat healthily amid rising food bills and shrinking budgets† (Guardian 2012), could this be another obstacle in the way of Anwar’s treatment. Can they afford to change the whole family’s diet, or have they enough money for extra food just for Anwar? Should the hospital be taking this into account for the sake of people’s health? However it is also important to th ink about a person’s psychological needs, do they understand what is being asked of them, are they fully aware of the condition that they have.Living with a chronic illness is a demanding job and can often lead to bouts of depression; many people are so overwhelmed by complications that may arise with their health and may experience a number of other emotions apart from depression, anger is also common as to why this is happening to them, mood swings, frustration and fear of the unknown. If such emotions do arise it is important for the health care professionals to support them and encourage them to communicate their concerns straight away, otherwise this can have a long term effect on how they and their families manage their illness, thus helping to improve a erson’s health for the see able future. Over the last century health care has been totally transformed by biomedical science to understand what causes illness and diseases, and to find a cure. However biomedical science is not enough to encourage people to administer their own care. To provide effective health care involves educating, informing, engaging and supporting people and their families, so that they can manage their own treatment. This means you would have to look at things from the service user perspective, asking them how they feel and helping them make sense of their illness.Any treatment that has to be given must take into account peoples cultural, social circumstances and lifestyles. Word Count-1420 Good practice 1) Liz appears to be ensuring Clarice gets the level of support she wants, to do the things she wants, in the way she wants. Liz doesn’t appear to impose an agenda of her own or one defined by Somebody Cares. I think this is supporting Clarice s rights to appropriate services. 2) When Clarice is in conversation with Liz, not only does Liz listen but lets her lead the conversation.Liz puts no time pressure on Clarice and lets her do what she can for herself and only helps when asked by Clarice. Liz is supporting Clarice in maximising her potential to being independent. 3) Clarice opens the door to Liz; they then have a little chat before any tasks are done. Not at any point does Liz talk about another client and lets Clarice lead the way to the bathroom. I think Liz is maximising Clarice’s potential by letting her be as independent as possible and by not divulging confidential information onto Clarice about another client. Bad practice ) Marjorie does not engage Iris in two-way conversation at any point. She talks over her all the time. Consequently, Iris has no chance to give voice to her views or wishes. She doesn’t get a chance to make her point even in her own room. This is not supporting Iris to have a voice or be heard. 2) Iris’s room is treated like a public place, where Marjorie comes and goes as she pleases. Iris is given no dignity in her own room shouting â€Å"do you want the lavvie? † Marjorie moans about another person to Iris, leaving Iris wondering â€Å"does she speak about me to other people†.I think Marjorie has no concept of people’s rights to privacy and confidentiality. 3) Iris is capable of having a bath; she probably would find it a pleasure but unfortunately Marjorie runs it for her. This is not taking into account Iris’s capabilities’ or wishes and definitely not maximising Iris’s potential to run it herself. Word count-346 My tutor’s feedback has helped me to develop my writing, thinking skills and to actually believe in myself. The only negative I had was no reference list, but I did send one (maybe didn’t receive it).The most difficult task I’ve found while doing TMA02 was not to ramble on and miss the point. References The Open University (second edition2010), block 1 who cares, Malta, Gutenberg Press Limited (p-67) & (p-85) Parson, T, (1951) the Social System, Glencoe IL, the Free Press. Department of He alth (DH) (2006) Our Health Our Care, our Say: A New Direction for Community Services, Norwich, The Stationary Office; also available online at www. dh. gov. uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4127453 (Accessed 26 February 2008).NHS Choices (2007) About NHS Services: NHS GPs/Doctors [online], www. nhs. uk/AboutNHSservices/doctors/pages/DoctorsSummary. aspx (Accessed 17 December 2007 www. guardian. co. uk/society/2012/nov/18/families-rising-food-prices-budgets (Accessed 10 November 2012). www. uwic. ac. uk/shss/dom/newweb/Sick_role/Introduction. htm (Accessed 10 November 2012). www. drfosterhealth. co. uk/medical-dictionary/terminology/secondary-care. aspx (Accessed 12 November 2012). www. medicalprotection. org/uk/booklets/common-problems-hospital/communication-between-specialties (Accessed 17 November 2012).

The Many Meanings of Sweat

The Many Meanings of Sweat The Many Meanings of â€Å"Sweat† The Many Meanings of â€Å"Sweat† By Maeve Maddox Sweat is one of those Old English words that has dwindled in meaning since Anglo-Saxon times. Back in those sword-swinging times, sweat mean blood. By Middle English times sweat had acquired its modern meaning of â€Å"perspiration.† In addition to its current literal meaning, sweat enjoys a rich figurative life: sweat of one’s brow This expression comes from Genesis 3:19: In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. The expression has been used with a legal meaning in discussions of copyright law: â€Å"the effort expended in labor, and the value created thereby.† sweat equity value added to a house by means of the unpaid labor of owner or tenant. sweatshirt a collarless long-sleeved pullover made of cotton jersey with a smooth-finished face and a heavily napped back Merriam Webster sweat pants athletic pants made of the same fabric as a sweatshirt sweatband/sweat-band: can be either the band of leather or other material that forms the lining of a cap, or a band of terry cloth or other absorbent material worn around the head to absorb perspiration. sweat bee a bee attracted to the salt in human perspiration night sweats Excessive sweating during sleep. Medical term: Sleep hyperhidrosis sweat shop a small factory that does not conform to local standards of safety, sanitation, length of workday, or payment. sweat lodge an enclosed area heated by steam from water poured on hot stones; used especially by American Indians for spiritual and/or health purposes. sweater girl a model or actress who wears tight-fitting sweaters for publicity photos. The first â€Å"sweater girl† was Lana Turner. no sweat This idiom means â€Å"no problem.† â€Å"Can you fix this wretched computer for me?† â€Å"No sweat,† 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:100 Mostly Small But Expressive Interjections60 Synonyms for â€Å"Trip†25 Favorite Portmanteau Words

Ultimately Responsible For His Downfall Essays - Free Essays

Macbeth/Ultimately Responsible For His Downfall Essays - Free Essays Macbeth/Ultimately Responsible For His Downfall William Shakespeares Macbeth is a tragedy about a war hero named Macbeth, who follows his ambition with evil and who is repaid with evil. Macbeth has influenced many works of literature through its conflicts between good and evil; heroes and villains; loyalty and treachery; and ambition and morality. In the story, Macbeth is ultimately responsible for the actions that lead to his fate. Although the witches predictions are responsible for influencing Macbeths thoughts, no one tells Macbeth to kill Duncan. Macbeth is responsible for putting power into the hands of Lady Macbeth and letting her influence him. Finally, Macbeth acknowledges his guilt of wrongdoing and is thereby responsible for his actions. Macbeths ambitions spur him on to follow an unstated yet clearly understood plan to kill Duncan. Although the witches predictions initiate Macbeths desire to become king, no one tells him to kill Duncan. When the second prophecy becomes a reality, Macbeth immediately thinks of murdering Duncan. I am of Cawdor: / If good, why do I yield to that suggestion / Whose image doth unfix my hair (I, iii, 143-145). For the first time in the story, we see a dark side to the brave and courageous Macbeth. Macbeth sees himself kill his ruler. Macbeth is horrified by the idea but his thoughts of going after his destiny still remain. Another example of Macbeths early thoughts of treachery occurs when Duncan formally names his son Malcom as his successor. Stars, hide your fires; / Let not light see my black and deep desires: / The eye wink at the hand! yet let that be, / (I, iv, 57-59). Macbeth is vexed at the Duncans choice of successor and wishes to overleap the situation with murder. No one helps Macbeths thoughts to prepare for the murder of Duncan. It is Macbeth and Macbeth only who is resp onsible for his own ambitions. Macbeth is eager to become king and wishes to reach his goal by any means, even if this means letting himself be influenced by others. Macbeth is responsible for putting power into the hands of Lady Macbeth and letting her influence him. Lady Macbeth tries to persuade Macbeth to kill Duncan but it is Macbeth who listens to her demands. This nights great business into my dispatch; / Which shall to all our nights and days to come / Give solely sovereign sway and masterdom (I, v, 75-77). Macbeth could have told his Lady to stop her plans. Instead, he lets himself be influenced. Macbeth puts power into the hands of Lady Macbeth by letting her arrange Duncans murder. Will it not be received, / When we have markd with blood those sleepy two / Of his own chamber, and used their very daggers, / That they have donet? (I, vii, 82-85). Macbeth agrees with the plan, determined to win the throne. If Macbeth truly did not want to commit evil, he could have refused his Ladys arrangements. Instead, Macbeth accepts the plans and goes further by asking Lady Macbeth to mock the time with fairest show (I, vii, 91). Although sometimes M acbeth wants the murder of Duncan, other times his thoughts show the contrary. Macbeth recognizes the thoughts of killing Ducan are immoral. Macbeths is conscious that is thoughts are evil, yet he does nothing to correct the situation. My thought, whose murder yet is but fantastical, / Shakes so my single state of man that function / Is smotherd in surmise; and nothing is / But what is not (I, iii, 149-152). If Macbeth were mentally deranged he would not be responsible for the outcome of his actions. However, Macbeth shows that he has a conscience and that he can differentiate good from evil. In privacy, Macbeth re-thinks his plans to kill Duncan. Macbeth, reveals that he knows what he is about to do is immoral, and that justice will be repay him with evil. We still have judgment here; that we but teach Bloody instructions, which being taught return To plague the inventor: this even-handed justice Commends the ingredients of our poisond chalice To our own lips. Hes here in double trust: First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed: then, as his

Red Alert 10 Signs You Should Avoid That Freelance Writing Client

Red Alert 10 Signs You Should Avoid That Freelance Writing Client When you’re a hungry freelance writer, it can be hard to say no to a prospective client. But not every freelance-writing job is one you should take. Some clients are simply a nightmare. The good news is, you can often tell you’ve got a PITA (Pain In The A*) client before you ever get started. After more than 20 years of freelancing – and 7 years coaching 12,000 writers in my Freelance Writers Den support community online here are my warning signs. 1. The freebie request Based on what I’m hearing, there’s been a resurgence of the ‘free sample’ scam. If you have portfolio samples, there’s no reason to do a custom, unpaid piece as a tryout. These clients rarely hire writers. They just tell you no, and then use all the free-tryout posts and ideas they get. 2. Buy-to-work offers Ever get what sounds like a big-name client who’s dying to put you to work, as soon as you write a check for the computer or supplies they insist you need to do their job? Yeah that’s a popular scam. Even if they send you a check to cover that cost, it bounces. 3. Low pay and promises Many faltering startups have work available now, at terrible pay rates, but they promise it’s only temporary. Don’t believe it. If you start low, you’re likely to stay there. And clients who can’t pay pro rates often go bust. 4. Paid in dreams Some clients have an exciting startup story to tell you, and they’d like you to work for shares of stock in their company (a/k/a equity). Those will be worth a fortune someday, they insist. Only take these gigs if you can afford to never get paid. 5. Paid for the win Some shady companies and nonprofits will ask you to write a grant, Kickstarter campaign, or bid proposal for them, paying you only if they receive the sought-after funds. These are highly unethical. Grants, Kickstarter money, and government-bid funding cannot pay the writer. A similar offer in PR writing is to get paid only if you succeed in securing a story for them in their target magazine. Again, that’s a no-go. You need to get paid for your time, regardless. 6. No-boundaries alert These needy clients are going to ask for your instant-messaging ID. They plan to ding you late at night, on weekends, all the time. And they’re going to birth a calf if you don’t respond right a- -way. If you don’t want to be available to clients 24/7, set your work-hour rules right away. Hint: Set the example 7. Contract phobia Is your new prospect all excited to work with you, but when you ask for a contract, you suddenly hear crickets? Hesitation to sign contracts clearly defines a client unfamiliar with freelancing. That means you’ll spend way too much time training them, or they’re planning to stiff you and don’t want you to be able to sue. Also, don’t agree to, â€Å"We’ll do the contract later.† 8. No deposit, no workee When writing for companies, your request for a 30 to 50 percent up-front deposit will flush out the losers. Experienced, legit companies won’t blink at this requirement. Bogus companies will act like you’re insane. 9. Peer in the Glassdoor Hop on Glassdoor.com and put in their company name. Read the reviews. I know many writers who could have avoided unpleasant clients and ripoffs, if they’d read Glassdoor first. 10. LinkedIn clues Every good company has a LinkedIn company page. Put their name in a LinkedIn search and narrow your search to ‘Companies.’ No page? They DO have a LinkedIn page? Take a look at how many employees link to it. This is your yardstick for whether the firm is big enough to pay decent rates and have ongoing work. If they have 3 employees, it’s a questionable situation. Feel reassured with 20 linked profiles, and 50+ is best. Watch for red flags If you notice one of the problems above, think hard about whether you want the hassle this client will bring. The time you spend working for clients who underpay or don’t appreciate you is better spent seeking great clients who love you, understand your value, and pay appropriately.

Business requirements Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business requirements - Assignment Example Among the advances of technology, include the innovation of the micro processor which increased the amount of processed information as compared to the information that individuals and firms could have processed, internet innovation also led to availability of markets that are functional always whereby information could be passed at the appropriate time. On the other hand, changes in the communication sector makes businesses are allocated in areas where production costs are low but high profit margins. Advancements in the communication sector have led to creation on global markets since marketers effectively communicate with their consumers. Hence, the continuous innovation space in which recognized firms tend to thrive is shown by a dependence on subsisting value networks as well as a contented financial hurdle rate. Nevertheless, this space is not without defies even for original corporations. Thus, scrutinizing it facilitate the provision views on the hardships ascertained companie s stumble upon when they depart the relative comfort zone of maintaining innovation. Therefore, the article is all about identifying the main mobile business model aspects in conjunction with their interdependencies and providing analysis of MNOs with an aim of improving their BMs in this new competitive environment. Moreover, changes in technology have led to global businesses since firms have expand globally, transported products to their consumers at a cost effective price and communicate with them effectively. Likewise, the convergence of these technologies is to enable mobile users to converse richer information in extraordinary levels of litheness and expediency (Al-Debei & Avison 217). One of the essential uses of markets and hierarchies in the electronic business is that the electronic market is able to cover a broad range of activities for the seller and the customer that converge at one place. Activities become easier and convenient

My walk with catholism Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My walk with catholism - Research Paper Example The aims of this essay are two-fold: to observe and to participate in an unfamiliar spiritual tradition that is different from one’s own.  I was reared in a conservative southern Baptist church. For the purpose of this paper, my attendance to a Catholic church is hereby detailed and shared. Introduction to the Catholic Church The rich historical background of the Catholic Church has led scholars and theologians to pinpoint its origins from the time of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ nearly 2,000 years ago (Aguilar, 2007). People who are strongly devoted to the Catholic faith contend that Jesus Christ is the ultimate founder and supreme head of Roman Catholics. Upon the demise of Christ, one of the apostles, Peter, was reported to be designated as the first Pope, or temporal head of the increasing number of faithful devotees of the Catholic Church. Since then, it has been averred that the mission of this faith is to spread the faith across the world. According to Pope Ben edict XVI, the Catholic Church’s mission is summarized â€Å"as a threefold responsibility to proclaim the word of God, celebrate the sacraments, and exercise the ministry of charity† (Benedict XVI 2005). ... St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church is reported to have been established in the year 1853 and â€Å"named for the patron of the Bishop, Martin John Spalding† (St. Martin: Parish History, 2011, par. 1). I made four visits to this church on following dates: 21st March (Monday), 23rd March (Wednesday), 27th March (Sunday ) and my last visit was on the 30th of March (Wednesday). On first three visits, I attended Masses; while on my last visit, I conducted an interview. B. Social Issues Endorsed by the Place of Worship The St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church actively endorses participation in social issues being a multicultural Catholic church. The population living nearby in the vicinity is African American and this community is a working class and mainly poor. This church remains opens 24/7 and is open to everyone. The place of worship’s governing staff and leaders believe in supporting minorities as well as their rights. One of the main issues addressed by the parish is t he issue of racial equality, specifically black and Indian minorities living particularly in Kentucky, and in the USA, in general. The reason they address this issue is consistent with the Catholic’s mission of proclaiming the word of God to all mankind. Further, the parish aims to gather funds and donations in order to support various charitable endeavors. One of the communities supported through financial contributions is the Catholic American Indian communities on reservations, in inner cities and in rural areas. Parishioners are encouraged to give voluntary gifts, either in kind or in cash, to support evangelization programs of African Americans. From among the currently ongoing programs include Preaches in their own Archdiocese through the work of

Summary of the vice president debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of the vice president debate - Essay Example He specifically mentioned about the killing of US ambassador in Libya. However, it was Bidden who assertively maneuvered the debate from one issue to another and also started a debate on foreign policy. During the debate it was quite clear that Bidden, due to his experience in Politics, was more mature and assertive in debating on certain issues. Though on economic issues, Ryan was able to highlight some of the weaknesses of the government however, he was clearly not been able to put in a full-fledged attack on Bidden regarding the overall economic performance of Obama regime. Bidden’s arguments for doing much more for the Middle Class of America, tax policies, Medicare and other issues have actually not allowed Ryan to plan a full-fledged attack on the overall policies of Obama government. Ryan also did not seem to be prepared much on the issues of taxes and was pressured by Bidden to go into details which he unfortunately was not able to and thus was clearly lacking a well thought out debate plan. Bidden was also specific about the issues on the Military and presented facts and figures which Ryan was not able to provide for. Bidden’s ability to actually dominate the debate and suggestion of increasing the military budget was something for which Ryan looked less prepared. Debate also touched upon the issue of Middle East and Bidden was able to put forward the arguments of having better relationships with Israel. Ryan actually attempted to suggest that relationships between Israel and US were deteriorating however, Bidden was convincing enough to actually highlight that the relationships between two countries have actually improved over the period of time. Bidden was also able to defend Afghan Issue and defended the policy of leaving Afghanistan and handing it over to Afghans with support from US. Ryan was however not been able to fully justify the

Verizon Wireless Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Verizon Wireless - Case Study Example These are its high quality nationwide wireless network, technological choice of CDMA instead of GSM, constant monitoring of its products and services, and provision of the best product to the customer through an automated software which analyzes customers' calling habits. The company's investment in building a system which takes into consideration the customer service capabilities and coverage has important implications on the company's long-term cost structure. Through these investments, the company is able to provide the best for its clients thereby minimizing churn. The case states that customer loyalty is very important as the acquisition of a customer totals to $300 to $400 each and it takes six to eight months before this cost of customer acquisition is recouped by a business organization. Thus, when a customer stays longer in a service provider, this will mean that the cost of acquisition is covered while the company will not be spending so much in order to acquire new ones. Loyalty also has important implications for a company. If customers are loyal, they tend to spread it to word of mouth allowing the companies not to spend too much on other promotional activities like television advertising. This, in time, reduces the acquisition cost for a business organization. ... This business level strategy is complemented by the functional strategies of quality, efficiency, and responsiveness to customer. The company has invested in quality by checking its signals in nationwide locations through its Test Men as well as having the largest coverage, clearer connections, and fewer dropped calls. Efficiency is also ensured through the employment of CDMA technology which functions better than its GSM counterpart. The company also proves its commitment to customer responsiveness through its consistent communication with clients offering them with the best plans that suit their calling habits. These strengths allow Verizon Wireless to have a competitive advantage in the wireless business. It should be noted that having a nationwide coverage is very hard to be replicated by another player since it will call for a massive outlay of investment in its part. As Verizon has already been operating in this nationwide network, it also enjoys economies of scale which drives down cost significantly. Weaknesses: Verizon Wireless churn rate is 0.87%. Through lower than its competitors, this still indicate that the company is not able to serve all of its clients and meet their requirements. The company should aim and strive to bring down the churn rate to 0% since these aggravated customers through word of mouth can ruin the image of the company which is detrimental in the long run Opportunities: The quality, efficiency, and customer responsiveness can be used by Verizon in order to allow it to go after its rival's customers. It should be noted that the company does not have the most number of subscribers. It can earn more clients through a more intensive

Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 20

Ethics - Essay Example This problem could have been solved with one word; accidently. If instead of ‘So there’s no need to worry†¦even if you leave it on a train’, the sentence read ‘So there’s no need to worry†¦even if you accidently leave it on a train’, the whole misunderstanding would have been avoided. While this incident was probably an oversight, one word can save litigation. Advertising should be straightforward, because consumers do not like to be tricked. It makes more business logic to keep the consumer’s trust. One word can keep this type of litigation out of the press. Then the consumer remembers the advertisement, not the litigation. Business brand and reputation should come first over misleading advertising. There is too much reputation to lose. Murdoch questioned whether he had made the right decision to set up the management and standards committee at a private summit in London on Wednesday with many of the senior Sun editorial executives and journalists who have spent more than a year on bail in relation to allegations of payments to police and public officials for stories. (O’Carroll and Greenslade 2013) It would be hard not to inform on myself and other colleagues if the allegations were true. My ethics of keeping a secret or protecting others would be compromised if under investigation by the police. The law would be more important than office ethics. Of course, my ethics would never allow for payments to police or public officials for stories, hacking into private emails, or other illegal activities. I would rather work for a more reputable business. Ethics should guide a person in their life work, not just in their personal

Verizon Wireless Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Verizon Wireless - Case Study Example These are its high quality nationwide wireless network, technological choice of CDMA instead of GSM, constant monitoring of its products and services, and provision of the best product to the customer through an automated software which analyzes customers' calling habits. The company's investment in building a system which takes into consideration the customer service capabilities and coverage has important implications on the company's long-term cost structure. Through these investments, the company is able to provide the best for its clients thereby minimizing churn. The case states that customer loyalty is very important as the acquisition of a customer totals to $300 to $400 each and it takes six to eight months before this cost of customer acquisition is recouped by a business organization. Thus, when a customer stays longer in a service provider, this will mean that the cost of acquisition is covered while the company will not be spending so much in order to acquire new ones. Loyalty also has important implications for a company. If customers are loyal, they tend to spread it to word of mouth allowing the companies not to spend too much on other promotional activities like television advertising. This, in time, reduces the acquisition cost for a business organization. ... This business level strategy is complemented by the functional strategies of quality, efficiency, and responsiveness to customer. The company has invested in quality by checking its signals in nationwide locations through its Test Men as well as having the largest coverage, clearer connections, and fewer dropped calls. Efficiency is also ensured through the employment of CDMA technology which functions better than its GSM counterpart. The company also proves its commitment to customer responsiveness through its consistent communication with clients offering them with the best plans that suit their calling habits. These strengths allow Verizon Wireless to have a competitive advantage in the wireless business. It should be noted that having a nationwide coverage is very hard to be replicated by another player since it will call for a massive outlay of investment in its part. As Verizon has already been operating in this nationwide network, it also enjoys economies of scale which drives down cost significantly. Weaknesses: Verizon Wireless churn rate is 0.87%. Through lower than its competitors, this still indicate that the company is not able to serve all of its clients and meet their requirements. The company should aim and strive to bring down the churn rate to 0% since these aggravated customers through word of mouth can ruin the image of the company which is detrimental in the long run Opportunities: The quality, efficiency, and customer responsiveness can be used by Verizon in order to allow it to go after its rival's customers. It should be noted that the company does not have the most number of subscribers. It can earn more clients through a more intensive

Supplier evaluationfor achieving long-term performance Essay

Supplier evaluationfor achieving long-term performance - Essay Example outside the business then it follows that the biggest opportunities for improvement in their cost position will also be found in that wider supply chain (Christopher, 2005). Having the right suppliers ultimately makes a significant difference to an organization’s future in reducing operational costs and improving the quality of its end products, whereas having the wrong suppliers can cause operational and financial problems (Zeydan, Colpan and Cobanoglu, 2011). This has led firms to focus on improving their supply chain by continuously evaluating the performances of their suppliers. To achieve this, firms are increasingly building collaborative relationships with partners in their supply chain in order to achieve efficiencies, flexibility, and a competitive advantage (Whipple, Lynch, and Nyaga 2009). Such a relationship which involves collaborative activities, such as information sharing, joint relationship effort, and dedicated investments leads to trust and commitment. Trust and commitment in turn lead to improved satisfaction and performance. Unlike a transactional relationship where there is only a simple exchange between buyer and supplier, where the supplier provides goods or services and the buyer provides money in payment, the collaborative approach that firms are adopting allows the buyer organization to seek to develop a long-term relationship with the supplier. The strategic view is that the buyer organization and the supplier share common interests, and both benefit from seeking ways of adding value in the supply chain. There is a win-win situation, where buyer, supplier and end-customer can all benefit (CIP, 2010). However, in order for the buyer to keep track of these relationships and assess the supplier performance, an evaluation process must be in place (Stueland, 2004). It is quite understandable why companies today turn to buyers to reduce costs because good buyers will reduce the overall costs suffered by their organization. In turn, this

Patterns of Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Patterns of Behaviour Essay To form a reaction the particles must collide in high speed. The faster the particles collide the more kinetic energy is produced. This produces a bigger reaction. There are five key variables that affect the rate of a reaction (in this case with a solid and a solution): Change in temperature An increase in heat energy within the particles leads to more kinetic energy. Therefore there is more collision of particles and it increases the rate of the reaction. When we decrease the amount of heat energy, this will evidently slow down the reaction. For example we slow down the process of our food rotting by placing it in a fridge or a freezer. Change in concentration The concentrations of acids are classed in molars, so 2m would quite a strong concentrated acid, 0. 5m would be a very dilute weak acid and 1m would be in between the two. Also, the more concentrated the acid, the more particles it contains, so there is more of a chance for collisions.   Change of particle size Increasing the surface area of the particles would lead to more collision. We do this by making the particles smaller. For instance peeling a large potato would not take as long as peeling four small potatoes; this is because the smaller potatoes have a larger surface area for you to peel. Pressure (for gases only) Increasing the pressure would bring particles closer together so there would be more of a chance for collision.   Catalyst A catalyst lowers the activation of energy required, consequently there being a faster reaction. The three variables we are choosing to show which effect the rate of reaction in our experiments are: Particle size Concentration   Temperature Pressure was inappropriate to use as a variable, because we were not using two gases and a catalyst was unsuitable to use for small tests like these. I think that the tests in changing the temperature will have the fastest times, as the hotter a solution is the more the particles will move and collide, thus the rate of carbon dioxide being produce will be faster. I also think that the large particles test will take the slowest amount of time because of the lack of surface area and the reverse will occur with the test with powered calcium carbonate. Plan We will be running a various number of experiments to prove what effects the rate of reaction with calcium carbonate (marble chips) and hydrochloric acid. The balanced equation for these reactants along with the products: Calcium carbonate + hydrochloric acid calcium chloride + carbon dioxide + water Ca Co + 2 HCl Ca Cl + Co + H O When experimenting with the effects of the particle size we will use three sizes: large marble chips, small marble chips and powered calcium carbonate. For the tests in concentration of acid we will use 2m, 1m and 0. 5m. We will use 50cc of hydrochloric acid in each test to guarantee precise results. Finally for the experiments with the changes of temperature we will be heating the acid using a bunsen burner for two temperatures: 30i and 40i , then leaving the acid at room temperature (around 22i ). We will measure the temperature accurately using a thermometer. These will be the only three things that we are going to vary, to explain what affects the rate of reaction. We will also only be testing one variable at a time. For example, in the test for concentration we will obviously be varying the concentration of the acid (0. 5, 1 and 2m) but we will be keeping the temperature and the particle size the same (room temp. and small marble chips). To tell us what actually affects the rate of reaction we will monitoring how fast carbon dioxide is given off. To find this out we will have a plastic basin containing water. A test tube measuring 10cc filled with water will be held upside down in the basin of water and a delivery tube will be attached to the beaker holding the acid and calcium carbonate and the other end will be positioned in the test tube in the water. We will use all the same apparatus to ensure everything is fairly tested and is accurate to the equipment we are using. As the acid reacts with the calcium carbonate, carbon dioxide is released. This will travel through the delivery tube and into the test tube. The test tube will fill up with carbon dioxides and the water will pushed out. We will be timing this with a stop clock. As the water descends to 1cc we will record the time, then at 2cc, again at 3cc and so forth. At the end of each experiment we should have 10 times recorded. For each factor, instead of just performing the experiment once, we will repeat it three times to provide us with a more accurate end result. In total we will be doing 27 tests to show what effects the rate of reaction. Diagram To make certain that this method is good enough and to certify that it worked properly we will carried out a trail experiment. We used all the average variables for fair testing. So the temperature was at room (22i ) the concentration not to strong or weak (1m) and the small marble chips. Trial experiment results 1 molar room temperature small marble chips Min/sec 1cc 1:41 2cc 3:15 3cc 4:46 4cc 6:13 5cc 7:35 6cc 9:03 7cc 10:34 8cc 11:56 9cc 13:27 10cc 14:33 The carbon dioxide was released very slowly in this test. It took over fourteen and a half minutes for it to finish and this would not be practical because of the limited time been given to conduct all our experiments. It took so long, because we had only put one small marble chip in. There were no more calcium carbonate particles to react with the acid particles, so this had a dramatic effect on the time. On In each test we do we will always place more particles than the amount we need, so there is excess calcium carbonate at the end to make sure it does not run out during the test. Because this was the first time we were trying the tests out we were a bit slow placing the bung on and maybe some of the carbon dioxide had escaped. To improve our main experiments to achieve accurate results we had to place the bung on as soon as we dropped in the calcium carbonate to make sure no carbon dioxide escaped. Results Concentration 0. 5 molar room temperature small marble chips 1st 2nd 3rd Average Temperature Room temperature 1molar small marble chips 1st 2nd 3rd AverageAnalysis On the concentration graph the average of the 0. 5m results was looked very different compared to the 1m and 2m averages. Because it took the longest time to reach 10cc of carbon dioxide, the gradient of the line of best fit sloped very gently. The release of carbon dioxide started off very slow at the being. It took 1:30 minutes to reach 1cc, then the rate quickened and in 2 minutes 5cc of carbon dioxide had been given off. On the graph the gradient in those two minutes steepened. The rate slowed down after that and the release of carbon dioxide was gradual and steady.

Review And History Of CDMA Computer Science Essay

Review And History Of CDMA Computer Science Essay CDMA technology was used many times ago at the time of world war-II by the English soldiers to stop German attempts at jamming transmissions. English soldiers decided to transmit signals over several frequencies, instead of one, making it difficult for the Germans to pick up the complete signal. CDMA has been used in many military applications, such as anti-jamming (because of the spread signal, it is difficult to jam or interfere with a CDMA signal), ranging (measuring the distance of the transmission to know when it will be received), and secure communications (the spread spectrum signal is very hard to detect). In 1949, Claude Shannon and Robert Pierce develop basic ideas of CDMA. In March 1992, the TIA (Telecommunications Industry Association) established the TR-45.5 subcommittee to develop a spread spectrum digital cellular standard. In July of 1993, the TIA gave its approval for the CDMA Technology standard. In September 1998, there were 16 million subscribers on CDMA systems worldwide. Now, 22 countries support CDMA. Verizon, used to be the largest carrier, is now second behind ATT, is using CDMA. Other Famous companies using CDMA are Sprint, Alltel in abroad, Tata indicom and Reliance InfoComm in India. 2. What is CDMA? Generally a fixed amount of frequency spectrum is allocated to a cellular system by the national regulator (e.g. in the United States, the Federal communication commission). Multiple-access techniques are then deployed so that many users can share the available spectrum in an efficient manner. Multiple access systems specify how signals from different sources can be combined efficiently for transmission over a given radio frequency band and then separated at the destination without mutual interference. The three basic multiple access methods currently in use in cellular systems are: A. Frequency division multiple access (FDMA) B. Time division multiple access (TDMA) C. Code division multiple access (CDMA) A. Frequency division multiple access (FDMA) The available bandwidth is splits into non-overlapping frequencies and these disjoint sub bands are dedicated to the different users on a continuous time basis. Channel bands behave as buffer zones to minimize interference between different users. B. Time division multiple access (TDMA) Each user has given the full spectral occupancy to the channel, but only for less time interval. Buffers zones are used as guard times inserted between the assigned time slots. This is done to decrease interference between users by permitting for time uncertainty that arises due to system inadequacies. C. Code division multiple access (CDMA) The main Drawback of FDMA and TDMA is that only one subscriber at a time is assigned to a channel. No other conversation can access this channel until the subscriber s call is finished or until that original call is handed off to a different channel by the system. The above drawback is overcome in this third technique. CDMA systems utilize the spread spectrum technique, whereby a spreading code (called a pseudo-random noise or PN code) is used to allow multiple users to share a block of frequency spectrum. Detailed Description of How CDMA work is explained below. 3. How CDMA works? With CDMA, unique digital codes, rather than separate radio frequencies or channels, are used to distinguish subscribers. The codes are used by both the mobile company and the base station, that codes are called pseudo-Random Code Sequences. CDMA is a spread spectrum technology, which means that it spreads the information contained in a particular signal of interest over a much greater bandwidth than the original signal. CDMA uses Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) technology. In DSSS technology, Signal is transmitted by adding random data-bits called chip. This addition is done by the direct sequence transmitters. Now signal contains both, a useful signal and a signal that appears to be interference (the chips) is transmitted. The receiver easily identifies the chips and subtracts them, leaving only the useful signal. This means that original signal is spread over several frequencies simultaneously. This can deliver secure communication such that the transmitted signal can not be detected or recognized easily by unwanted listeners. It can discard interference whether it is the unintentional interference by another user simultaneously trying to transmit through the channel, or the intentional interference trying to j am the transmission. In TDMA, the original call is transmitted at 9600 bps (9.6 kbps) but when put on the CDMA, the call is spread over a 1.23 Mbps bandwidth, so it can be transmitted at a higher speed. Unique codes are applied to the data bits that make up the telephone call for a particular user. The cellular telephone receiving the call takes off the data codes and the call is converted back to its original 9600 bps. The use of these data codes enables CDMA systems to differentiate data bits from many different calls in the cell. CDMA networks use a scheme called soft handoff, which minimizes signal breakup as a handset passes from one cell to another. The combination of digital and spread-spectrum modes supports several times as many signals per unit bandwidth as analog modes. CDMA is compatible with other cellular technologies, this allows for nationwide roaming. 4. Factors affecting CDMA functionality Although CDMA does not have some capacity limitation, no maximum number of calls per single, wide band-width channel is established. The number of calls that a channel can accommodate is based on 3 factors. A. Total bandwidth B. Geographical coverage C. Quality of sound ? The available bandwidth can be increased by decreasing the quality of sound or the area covered by network. ? Channels that primarily carry voice conversation do not use the extra capacity required to deliver CD-quality sound. So, more bandwidth is available to provide longer transmission distance or to accommodate more cellular calls. ? Suppose there are 2N users that only talk half of the time then they can be accommodated with the same average bandwidth as N users that talk all of the time. 5. Types of CDMA Some of the types of CDMA transmission are as under A. Composite CDMA/TDMA B. CDMA C. cdmaOne D. cdma2000 A. Composite CDMA/TDMA It is Wireless technology that uses both CDMA and TDMA. It is used for large-cell licensed band and small-cell unlicensed band applications. It uses CDMA between cells and TDMA within cells. B. CDMA CDMA is characterized by high capacity and small cell radius, employing spread-spectrum technology and a special coding scheme. C. cdmaOne cdmaOne is the first generation narrowband CDMA. It is also called IS-95. D. Cdma2000 This includes 1XRTT CDMA standard. That is designed to double current voice capacity and support always-on data transmission speeds 10 times faster than typically available today. 6. Advantages of CDMA A. Capacity: The capacity of CDMA currently is 8 to 10 times greater than AMPS which uses FDMA transmission (and predicted to be 20 to 40 times greater in future) and 4 to 5 times greater than GSM which uses TDMA transmission (with prediction of being up to 13 times greater). B. Best for in built system and micro-cell. As in CDMA transmission, we do not need SIM card it is best for in-built system and micro-cell. C. Improves the voice quality. CDMA systems use precise power control that is, the base station sends commands to every mobile phone currently involved in a call, turning down the power on the nearby ones, and increasing the power of those further away. The result is a nice; even noise level across the carrier, with lower overall power levels and no spiky interference. D. Improves the telephone traffic capacity. E. It also provides Call privacy. F. Easily planned and maintained in comparison with FDMA TDMA 7. Disadvantage of CDMA The only disadvantage of installing CDMA system is the cost of the base station with its complex communication equipments. A CDMA base station costs approximately $150,000, while a similar station for TDMA costs approximately $50,000. 8. Referenced Books A. Business Data Communication Fourth edition By Shelly Cashman Serwatka B. COMPUTER NETWORKS, 3rd Edition By Andrew S. Tanenbaum 9. Referenced websites A. www.scsite.com B. www.wikipedia.com C. www.wisegeek.com D. www.palowireless.com E. www.indiastudychannel.com

Richard Morris Hunt : Administration Building Chicago 1893 :: Architecture History

missing image Richard Morris Hunt: Administration Building, Chicago, 1893 This 11 by 14 inch photogravure of the great Administration Building at the Chicago World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 was taken from a set of 25 drawings of the exposition buildings. It was the main focus of the fair, and one of the masterpieces of its architect, Richard Morris Hunt (1827-1895). With its fine classical detailing and sweeping scale, this large building was integral to the "White City" concept of the fair. To this day it remains one of the most recognizable landmarks associated with the Columbian Exposition . The Administration Building was conceived by a board of architects led by Daniel Burnham as part of the scheme for the Court of Honor, the major public space at the fair. As director of architecture and construction for the entire Columbian Exposition, Burnham was responsible for selecting designers for all the major buildings. After much debate, this group of mostly east coast practitioners decided that all the major buildings were to be cast in a pristine and highly decorative classical style based on the architecture of Antiquity. Burnham assigned the task of designing the most prominent building to arguably the most prominent man of the group, the New York architect Richard Morris Hunt. By the time Hunt was selected to design the Administration Building, he was near the end of his distinguished career. The first American architect to attend the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Hunt had acquired the status of "dean of American architecture" (Stein 3). His reputation was supported by his large output of fine eclectic buildings such as the Breakers in Newport (1892-95) and Biltmore House in Asheville, North Carolina (1888-95), both estates for the wealthy Vanderbilt family. These two stylistically different buildings exhibit the quality of Hunt's architecture known as the "grand manner," where he achieved monumentality by combining different sources of classical architecture. This quality was what attracted the fair organizers, and it would be carried to its furthest expression in the Administration Building. As the focal point of the fair, the Administration Building had an important symbolic function. Although not intended for anything related to the fair other than housing offices, the picture shows that it was much larger than necessary for administration purposes. Its great size related to its function as triumphal gateway into the fair. The large majority of visitors arrived by train at the station located directly behind the Administration Building.

Mercantilism & economic school Essay

Mercantilism was a dominant economic school on Europe in XVI-XVIII century. The theory suggests that the global turnover of international trade is constant and the prosperity of a nation depends on the government ability to support a positive balance of trade with other nations. Mercantilism considers economic assets as a set of stock including gold, silver and trade value (bullion). The way for the government to increase the capital is to intervene into economy through the system of tariffs and restrictions aimed on increase of export and decrease of import. There are several basic flaws in mercantilism. The first one is that is assumes that the turnover of international trade is stable. Thus, in case one state constantly benefits and another one constantly misses from trade the trade would very soon stop because the missing state would either become bankrupt or stop trading, leaving the advantageous state without income so both nations would loose. The second gap of mercantilism is that it does not consider costs of trade race. In case nations start to compete in increasing their export and reducing import this will cause them produce even the goods which are cheaper to buy in other countries. So, in case one nation would specialize in producing one commodity and other nation would produce another commodity, they would both benefit from exchanging those commodities. The third disadvantage of mercantilism is that it does not take into account the influence of gold on the financial system. Endless accumulation of gold and silver ruined the financial system of Spain in the XVII century, as the nation suffered from enormous inflation. The entire branches of home economy were ruined resulting in dramatic reduce of export and collapse of mercantilist economy. Absolute Advantage Theory Originally proposed by Adam Smith, this theory relies on the ability of one nation to produce commodities with fewer costs and exchange those commodities to the ones other countries produce at lower costs. The need for less resources to produce a particular good results in its lower and attractive price on the international market and allows nations to specialize in production of some exact commodities both for home market and export thusly reviving global economy. The first flaw of the absolute advantage theory is that it reviews isolated commodities. It says â€Å"in case we produce A better than another nation and another nation produces B better than we, so we would exchange†, but it does not consider relative expenses of such production. In his famous example with wine and wool produced by Portugal and Scotland Ricardo proved that although Portugal produced both with fever relative costs, it would be more advantageous for Portugal to produce only wine and let England produce wool to exchange for wine with Portugal as the relative expenses of production of wool in England are lower than of wine. The second gap of the theory is that it excludes countries which have no absolute advantage in any commodity out of global economy thus reducing the global turnover and excluding workers and financial resources of that nation out of global economy. In case this theory is applied, economy would turn into a club of nations which have certain absolute advantage in comparison to all other nations. Comparative Advantages Theory Originally proposed by David Ricardo, this theory suggests that every nation would benefit from production and export of only those goods and commodities which are produced with lower marginal costs than in other countries. Given that all the goods can be produced inside one country with an absolute advantage, this country would still benefit from import of goods which are produced with lower marginal costs in the other countries. The first remarkable disadvantage of the theory is that in case every nation would hypothetically specialize in only one commodity this would result in elimination of competition in production of this commodity and let the producing nation speculate. The lack of both home and international competition would make nation strive to reduce costs in production of this commodity reducing its quality. Other countries which are economically dependent on the import of this commodity would not be able to combat such a development. The second disadvantage which is especially obvious in the modern economy is that the relative advantages theory does considers only the flow of goods, but not capitals, investments and debts. For example, producing debts costs nothing, so it would be absolutely economically advantageous to produce debts. Yet this gives an advantage only for a very short term, while soon the nation would face a huge demand for currency to pay for the assets, and as a result the export would be ruined while the import would boost devastating the economic grounds for prosperity. The third gap is that short-term advantages can turn into long-term disadvantages. Sometimes it can be necessary for a nation to launch new industries which would become effective in a long term, so it has to give up on the comparative advantage theory to make profits in future. The Theory of Factor Endowment This is a mathematical theory of international trade proposed by Heckscher-Ohlin. Further developing Ricardo’s comparative advantage theory Heckscher-Ohlin offered to predict patterns of commerce based on endowments of a trading region. Comparative advantages are determined by the country’s funds like land, labor and natural resources. Assuming that both countries have equal technological development, each of them would benefit from trading goods requiring inputs of endowments that are locally abundant. For example, in case a nation has much land but little labor it would benefit from agricultural production. The flaws of the theory are as follows. First is that the states do not initiate trade as themselves, which is usually done by firms and corporations, and those firms strive to increase their benefit but not to make use of the factor endowment Secondly, the theory would work well in the conditions of a perfect competition that no nation ever has. The trading partners are never fully informed of the endowment factor of their vis-a-vis making it hard for them to determine the benefits of application of their own endowments. Thirdly, as the theory considers only funds, it does not look at the technological development which is never completely equal between various countries, as well as the theory does not consider the influence of organizational and management factors that can make a nation effective in production of a particular commodity even if the nation comparatively lacks endowment. Bibliography 1. Ball, Donald; McCulloh, Wendel, Geringer, Michael; Frantz, Paul; Minor, Michael. (2003). International Business: The Challenge of Global Competition. McGraw-Hill/Irwin; 9 edition. 2. Mankiw, Gregory N. (2006). Principles of Economics. South-Western College Pub; 4 edition 3. Buchholz, Todd G. (2007) New Ideas from Dead Economists: An Introduction to Modern Economic Thought Plume; Rev Upd edition

The Great Gastby

Abstract As the spokesman of the â€Å"Jazz Age†, F. Scott Fitzgerald , referred to his own experience, wrote his masterpiece-The Great Gatsby. Through abundant symbols, Fitzgerald profoundly depicted the society of Jazz Age and successfully displayed the disillusionment of American Dream, which existed in the majority of American in 1920s. To describe the restlessness of the â€Å"lost generation† in the â€Å"roaring twenties†, the author created several typical tragic characters. This paper, based on some symbolic theories, focuses on how the author brought his attitude to the surface to reveal the theme.And by analyzing the symbolic meanings of some leading characters, it further probes into the failure of American Dream. Key words Symbolism; characters; American Dream; disillusionment 1 Introduction 1. 1 Plot and characters review Jay Gatsby, formerly Jake Gatz, is a successful bootlegger with desire of being accepted in the highest social circles of Long Is land. Once he has done this, Gatsby spares no effort to win back the love of his former girlfriend Daisy, now married to a boorish â€Å"old-money† millionaire, Tom Buchanan.Gatsby's obsession with Daisy and his pursuit of this unworthy dream results in disillusionment and, ultimately, tragedy. Sidelines observer Nick Carraway, recounts the whole story. 1. 2 The spokesman of the â€Å"Jazz Age† F. Scott Fitzgerald is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. He was both a representative of his era and a severe critic of society. In his short life, Fitzgerald experiences overnight fame and wealth in 1920s but suffers a lot in 1930s, which shares much resemblance with American society.Furthermore, with a lot of works describing the expectation and disilluionment of the American young generation, he gained irreplaceable position in the history of American literature and was often called the spokesman of â€Å"Jazz Age†. The Great Gatsby, for which he was known, is somewhat a reflection of his experience and his attitude towards the American Dream. The novel shows the anomie following the First World War. During the â€Å"roaring† 1920s, American society enjoyed unprecedented levels of prosperity as the economy soared.At the same time, Prohibition, the ban on the sale and manufacutre of alcohol as mandated by the 18th century, made many bootleggers millionaires and led to an increase in organized crime. Although Fitzgerald, like Nick Carraway in his novel, idolized the riches of the age, he was uncomfortable with the unlimited materialism and the lack of morality that went with it. The value of money was mostly exaggerated during that age. The connection of the â€Å"old money† and â€Å"new money† is presented in geographical symbols of the novel: East Egg is the place where the established aristocracy lived, and West Egg – â€Å"the self-made rich†.Using his narratorâ€⠀œNick, the author told about his views of American Dream – it was â€Å"originally about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness† . 2 Symbolism in characters In the Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald skillfully selected diffirent people, such as Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan, Tom Buchanan and Nick Carraway. This part will analyze the four main characters in detail and discuss their function in symbolism. 2. 1 Jay Gatsby Through the whole life of Gatsby we can see that he is the representative of the people who pursue the American dream.At first when Gatsby falls in love with Daisy, he is frustrated for the huge gap between their social status and wealth. Gatsby is a poor immigrant of low status but Daisy comes from an old wealthy American family. They belong to two totally different worlds under that condition where people all pursue money and material content. So their love is actually desperate and not realistic. He falls into great agony because he lost Daisy and he thinks they didn’t get married just because he is not rich enough.In Gatsby’s opinion, his dream of loving Daisy is ruined by the difference in their respective backgrounds, so he resorts to crime to make adequate money so as to impress Daisy and win her back. To some degree, he makes it. He gets the money he needs and then, through building up a large house and holding luxury parties and banquets, he successfully attracts Daisy’s attention. Daisy comes back to him, dating with him again. Gatsby is so happy to see that they finally return to their old days. But in fact, this is all his illusion, as their love is based on material possessions. He has lived not for himself, but for his dream, for his vision of the good life inspired by the beauty of a lovely rich girl. † The green light situated at the end of East Egg dock and visible from Gatsby’s West Egg lawn may be the best symbol of his unattainable dream. â€Å"He stretched out his arms tow ard the dark water in a curious way, and far as I was from him I could have sworm he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward—and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away, that might have been the end of a dock. In the end when Gatsby dies for the sake of Daisy, she just leaves him behind and goes to Europe with her husband to spend their holiday. Gatsby’s dream of a perfect Daisy and a happy life totally breaks up until now. The falling down of Gatsby’s dream represents the falling down of American Dream. Then why the dream fails in such a miserable way? First, Gatsby builds up an illusionary dream. He is fascinated with Daisy’s grace and charm, but blinds her shortcomings. â€Å"He gives Daisy an idealistic perfection that she cannot possess in reality† .Alhough later he comes to know that Daisy is not what she used to be and that she doesn’t love him, he cannot stop dreaming and continues to recall the old days. Gatsby’s dream is ruined by the unworthiness of its object, just as the American Dream in the 1920s is ruined by the unworthiness of its object—money and pleasure. Second, from the beginning he uses a wrong way to achieve his dream and this would inevitably lead to his dream’s coming into failure at last. He has made his fortune through racketeering and conducting suspicious business, regardless of the moral principles.The American dream of Gatsby corrupts as the unrestrained desire for money and pleasure surpasses those noble goals. More importantly, the sharp contrast between the ideal and the reality is due to result in the breakup of the dream. In some senses, Gatsby’s dream originated from the past, and made him sincerely persist. But when he was addicted into the past, he made efforts to find various possibilities in the future. He makes the historical past transform to the future in the vain hope.The green light representing his ideal fut ure, which also indicates the whole American ones, is unattainable. The American Dream destroys not only because of the profound social and historical reasons, but also being deeply concerned with the self-destructive characters of Gatsby. When Gatsby’s simple and naive characters are confronted with the cold society and moral decay of America, there will be no place for Gatsby to escape but die. In the end, the author wrote, â€Å"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us.It eluded us then, but that's no matter – tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther †¦ And one fine morning – So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past† . Gatsby goes back ceaselessly into the past because the future is far too cruel to imagine. This is the tragedy of Gatsby: he himself lives in the past and is making a beautiful but illusionary dream of the future, so do the Ame ricans. 2. 2 Daisy Buchanan Throughout the book, Daisy is described almost in a fairytale tone.She is the princess in the castle, the wonderful girl that every man dreams of possessing. She is beautiful and rich and innocent and pure in her whiteness. â€Å"She dressed in white, and had a little white roadster †¦Ã¢â‚¬  . But that whiteness is mixed with the yellow of gold and the unavoidable corruption that money brings. Just as Gatsby once comments after their reunion, â€Å"her voice is full of money. † . Her love for Gatsby is conditioned by his wealth. When she saw Gatsby’s fabulous pile of shirts, she could not help crying:† I’ve never seen such — such beautiful shirts before. . For Daisy, her love associated closely with stable and extravagant life. Daisy proves her real nature when she chooses Tom over Gatsby, then allows Gatsby to take the blame for killing Myrtle Wilson even though she herself was driving the car. Finally, rather tha n attend Gatsby’s funeral, Daisy and Tom move away, leaving no forwarding address. Daisy lived in â€Å"a material world without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing like air. † Actually, Daisy stands for youth, gold and status, which many young Americans regard as their dreams.Yet, the dream has already became a nightmare, as it generates those money-oriented and power-persuing minds. As a social satire, Daisy is also a reflection on moral decadence in modern Amercian society. It is concerned with the corruption of values and the decline of spiritual life. Since the Industry Revolution, Americans have fallen in , not only the way of life through which they seeking for more luxurious enjoyment, but also wealth and status at the expense of moral decay. As a consequence, American Dream has totally failed to bring any kind of fulfillment, either spiritual or material. . 3 Tom Buchanan Tom Buchnan, the dude form Yale, is a liar, a hypocrite, and a bully. Being born int o a wealthy family has made him a spoiled man. He hasn’t really worked his entire life and instead, spends his days in indulgence and ease. All Tom’s feelings and actions are self-directed. He has a shameless affair with Myrtle because it satisfies his needs. He flaunts their relationship in public for he is a careless man who isn’t bothered by the sufferings he causes. This also attributes to he and Daisy’s escape in a situation where they would have to face.Tom is the typical character of his class. His social attitudes are laced with racism and sexism, and he never ever considers trying to live up to the moral standard he supposed to. Tom is â€Å"a scion of the great robber barons of the Gilded Age who seize the land, gutted the forests, laid the railroads, and turned the cities into vast urban fortresses for the purpose of protecting their own moneyed interests† . He represents descendants of those early pioneers, frontiersman and later settle rs who attempted to transform the Virgin Land into a New World Garden.These later empire-builders of the post-Civil War period, who were eager to replace crops with machines, set aside morality as easily and quickly as they attempted to buy up civilization. 2. 4 Nick Caraway Although Nick is not the hero in the novel, his importance as the narrator and a functional character makes him almost as much a central figure as Gatsby. He is Gatsby’s neighbor, Daisy’s cousin once removed, Tom’s classmate in college and the sweetie of Daisy’s close fried, Jordan.He is a tie, who connects many contradictions and conflicts among characters, and a key figure in the complicated relaion net. Nick uses his curious eyes to view Gatsby’s actions and holds sympathy to suppose Gatsby’s thoughts. As a witness who â€Å"has strong flexibility and broad and various information† , he can observe Gatsby’s actions standing far from him and take a neutra l and calm viw to value the story. Using â€Å"I† as witness to narrative the story, Fitzgerald let readers feel things directly while hid himself behind the case.Nick resembles Fitzgerald in such aspects as age, family background, education record, literary interest, military experience and seeks of fortune. â€Å"If Gatsby represents one part of Fitzgerald’s personality, the flashy celebrity who pursued and praised wealth in order to impress the woman he loved, then Nick represents another part: the quiet, reflective Midwesterner adrift in the lurid East† . So this may fully explain why Nick senses, understands and sympathizes Gatsby. The similarities between Nick and Fitzgerald make Nick voice more than the author.As a moral symbol he is the embodiment of a hope for moral and spiritual growth. Functioning as Fitzgerald’s speaker in making his ultimate value judgements, Nick realizes that the fast-paced, fun-driven lifestyle of New York is grotesque and damaging; an ideal based on materialism rather than a fulfilment of American Dream. Knowing the truth of the East, Nick quickly goes back without any hesitation. At the end, Nick is the only person escaping from the illusory American Dream and unfolds this tragic story to us all. 3 ConclusionIn the Great Gatsby, by using symbolic images, F. Scott Fitzgerald reveals the contradiction and inner conflict of the characters as well as displays his intelligence and excellent writing skill. The entire story is about the effect brought by the roaring age of reshaping people’s value , causing the deterioration of morality and running after money even one undeserved. Gatsby deadly accumulated great wealth in illegal way to get Daisy’ love, but he didn’t recognize people’s ugly inward—greedy of money and mean of kindness, and finally he died with everything lost.References [1] F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby. Jiangsu:YiLing Press, 1997 [2] Miller James E. Jr. F. Scott Fitzgerald: His Art and Technique. New York: New York University Press, 2001 [3] Wang Qiong. The Narrative Technique in â€Å"The Great Gatsby† from the Point View of Narration. Shanghai:Journal of Huzhou Teachers College, 2004 [4] Garrett George. Fire and Freshness: A Matter of Style in the Great Gatsby. In Matthew J. Broccoli (Ed), 2002 [5] Ernest H. Lockridge ed. Twentieth century interpretations of The Great Gatsby: A Collection of Critical Essays.Prentice-Hall, 1968 [6] Leech Geoffrey N & Short Michael H. New Essays on the Great Gatsby. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1985 [7] Zhang Tianjing. the Deeply Moving America Tragedy–Analysis the Great Gatsby. Journal of Xianyang Normal University, 2004 [8] Zhao Hongwei. Disillusionment of Gatsby’s† American Dream† From the Perspective of Society–Analysis of â€Å"The Great Gatsby†. Journal of Harbin University, 2003 [9] Mizener Arthur ed. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Coll ection of Critical Essays, Englewood Cliffs. N. J: Prentice-Hall, 1963 The Great Gastby Chapter 7 1. Look up Trimalchio and decide whether that is an appropriate comparison for Gatsby. Trimalchio was the protagonist in Satyricon, by Petronius. He was a freedman who gained prestige and power through sheer tenacity and hard work. Once he attained his wealth, he enjoyed throwing lavish parties that were meant to impress his variety of guests. The comparison of Gatsby and Trimalchio is obvious. Both were newly rich, and trying to get the right attention. Fitzgerald's early version of Gatsby was actually titled â€Å"Trimalchio in West Egg†. 2.What has changed at Gatsby’s house? Why? Gatsby’s house becomes much quieter, and his parties come to an end because he no longer needed them to attract Daisy. 3. In chapter 1, Daisy and Jordan are lying on a couch. Find and compare the passage that this section repeats. 4. How do Gatsby and Daisy behave together? In the absence of Tom? With Tom around? While Tom is out of the room, Daisy kisses Gatsby on the lips and says she loves him. When Tom is around, Gatsby stares at Daisy with obvious passion and Daisy recklessly remarks, within earshot of Tom, that she loves Gatsby. . When is it that Tom realizes Daisy is in love with Gatsby? Why? After Daisy suggests they go to town, Tom witnesses a soft glance that passes between Daisy and Gatsby and can no longer deny the two of them are having an affair. 6. How does Gatsby characterize Daisy’s voice? What does that mean? How does that make sense to Nick? Gatsby says that her voice is â€Å"full of money† (-__-). For Gatsby, Daisy represents the wealth and elegance for which he has yearned all his life.It also shows that while Gatsby hesitates frequently, thinking before he speaks around these people because he was never really part of their world, Daisy, on the other hand, is free to do and say what she wishes, without worry, because she is so accustomed to living in this world. Nick realized that was the charm in her voice. 7. What does Tom learn about Wilson? What does Myrtle misinterpret? Tom learns that Wilson is trying to raise money to finance the move west that he has planned for him and his wife Myrtle.Myrtle is staring down from the windows above the garage at Jordan Baker, whom she seems to have mistaken for Daisy, her rival in love. 8. What is ironic about the music below the suite? 9. Describe the behavior of Tom, Gatsby, and Daisy. What is Nick’s attitude toward them? Tom and Gatsby have an argument, with Tom accusing Gatsby of lying about being an oxford man. When Gatsby successfully answers the question, Tom then explodes and asks him about his love affair with Daisy. Daisy tries and fails to quiet Tom.Nick remains a spectator of the scene and doesn’t say anything. 10. What is Gatsby’s insistence with Daisy? Why? How does this connect to earlier in the novel? Gatsby insists that Daisy never loved him, and not Tom, all these years. But when Daisy cannot honestly admit that ne ver loved Tom, Gatsby declares that Daisy is leaving Tom anyway. Gatsby does this because he realized that he was losing Daisy. 11. What does Nick realize about himself? How does it make him feel? Nick realizes that he that it is his 30th birthday.After Nick realizes it is his 30th birthday he acknowledges the fact that he has wasted too much of his time with people who do not actually care about anything other than wealth. He has spent a lot of his life on trivialities and sees that, all of a sudden, life is passing him by. His time with Nick, Jordan and the others has distracted him to the point where he loses focus of his own life and goals, thus, forgetting his own birthday. 12. Why does Myrtle Wilson die, according to Gatsby?How does this relate to her earlier misinterpretation? Because Daisy was driving and (accidentally? ) struck Myrtle. Myrtle saw Jordan Baker in the yellow car and thought she was Tom’s wife. She recognizes the yellow car as she’s running away and tries to speak to who she thinks is Jordan but it is in fact Daisy, the actual wife of Tom, who accidentally kills her. 13. What is the status of Daisy and Tom at the end of the chapter? Tom and Daisy have reconciled and it is obvious that they are going to stay together. 14.Compare Gatsby’s vigil at the end of the chapter with a similar moment earlier in the novel. Nick’s parting from Gatsby at the end of this chapter parallels his first sighting of Gatsby at the end of Chapter 1. In both cases, Gatsby stands alone in the moonlight pining for Daisy. In the earlier instance, he stretches his arms out toward the green light across the water, optimistic about the future. In this instance, he has made it past the green light, onto the lawn of Daisy’s house, but his dream is gone forever.

For the upcoming film based on the memoir Essay

Twelve Years a Slave (1853; sub-title: Narrative of Solomon Northup, a citizen of New-York, kidnapped in Washington city in 1841, and rescued in 1853, from a cotton plantation near the Red River in Louisiana), by Solomon Northup as told to David Wilson, is a memoir of a black man who was born free in New York state but kidnapped, sold into slavery and kept in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana before the American Civil War. He provided details of slave markets in Washington, DC, as well as describing at length cotton cultivation on major plantations in Louisiana. Published soon after Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Northup’s book sold 30,000 copies and was considered a bestseller.[1] It went through several editions in the nineteenth century. Supporting Stowe’s fictional narrative in detail, Northup’s first-hand account of his twelve years of bondage proved another bombshell[peacock term] in the nationalpolitical debate over slavery leading up to the Civil War, drawing endorsements from major Northern newspapers, anti-slavery organizations, and evangelical groups. After several editions in the 19th Century, the book fell into obscurity for nearly 100 years, until it was re-discovered by two Louisiana historians, Dr. Sue Eakin (Louisiana State University at Alexandria) and Dr. Joseph Logsdon (University of New Orleans).[2] In the early 1960’s they researched and retraced Solomon Northup’s journey[3] and co-edited a historically annotated version that was published by LSU Press in 1968. [4] A 2013 film based on the story and directed by Steve McQueen is scheduled for release by Fox Searchlight Pictures on October 18, 2013. Contents [hide] 1 Synopsis 2 Reception and historical value 3 Editions and adaptations 4 References 5 External links Synopsis[edit] In Upstate New York, black freeman Solomon Northup, a skilled carpenter and fiddler, is approached by two circus promoters who offer him a brief, high-paying job with their traveling circus. Without informing his wife, who is away at work in the next town, he travels with the strangers towards Washington DC in good spirits. One morning, he wakes to find himself drugged, bound, and in the cell of a slave pen. When Northup asserts his rights as a freeman, he is beaten and warned never again to mention his free life in New York. Transported by ship to New Orleans, Northup and other enslaved blacks contract smallpox and some die. In transit, Northup implores a sympathetic sailor to send a letter to his family. The letter arrives safely, but, lacking knowledge of his final destination, Northup’s family is unable to effect his rescue. Northup’s first owner is William Ford, a cotton planter on a bayou of the Red River, and he subsequently has several other owners during his twelve-year bondage. At times, his carpentry and other skills mean he is treated relatively well, but he also suffers extreme cruelty. On two occasions, he is attacked by a man who is to become his owner, John Tibeats, and finds himself unable to resist retaliating, for which he suffers great reprisals. Later he is sold to Edwin Epps, a notoriously cruel planter, who gives Northup the role of driver, requiring him to oversee the work of fellow slaves and punish them for undesirable behavior. Never, in almost 12 years, does he reveal his true history to a single slave or owner. Finally he confides his story in Samuel Bass, a white carpenter from Canada. Bass sends a letter to Northup’s wife, who calls on Henry Northup, a white attorney whose family once held and then freed Solomon Northup’s father. Henry Northup contacts New York state officials and the governor appoints him as an agent to travel to Louisiana and free Solomon Northup. He succeeds, and Solomon Northup leaves the plantation. After instigating a court case against the men who sold him into slavery, Northup is reunited with his family in New York. Reception and historical value[edit] Northup’s account describes the daily life of slaves at Bayou Boeuf in Louisiana, their diet and living conditions, the relationship between the master and slave, and the means that slave catchers had used to recapture runaways. Northup’s slave narrative has details similar to those of some other authors, such as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Ann Jacobs, or William Wells Brown, but he was unique in being kidnapped as a free man and sold into slavery. His book was a bestseller, rapidly selling 30,000 copies in the years before the American Civil War.[1] After additional printings in the 19th century, the book went out-of-print until 1968,[4] when historians Joseph Logsdon and Sue Eakin restored it to prominence. Dr. Eakin first discovered the story as a child growing up in Louisiana plantation country. Dr. Logsdon’s discovery occurred when a student from an old Louisiana family brought to class a copy of the original 1853 book that had been in her family for over a century. Together Logsdon and Eakin validated Solomon Northup’s tale by retracing his journey through Bayou Boeuf plantation country in central Louisiana where his bondage took place, through the slave sales records of New Orleans and Washington, D.C., and further documented his New York State origins, his father’s freeman’s decree, and the legal work which restored Northup’s freedom and prosecuted his abductors. In 1968, Eakin and Logsdon’s heavily footnoted edition of the original book was published by Louisiana State University Press, shedding new light on Northup’s story and establishing its historic significance. That book has been widely used by scholars and in classrooms for over fifty years and is still in print. In 1998 Logsdon received a call from scholars in upstate New York inviting him to participate in a search for Solomon’s grave, however bad weather prevented the search and Logsdon died the following June (1999). In 2007, Dr. Eakin completed development of an updated and expanded version that includes over 150 pages of new background material, maps, and photographs shortly before her death at age 90. In 2013, e-book and audiobook versions of her final definitive edition were released in her honor. With permission, scholars may use Eakin’s lifetime archives through The Sue Eakin Collection, LSU at Alexandria, La. The Joseph Logsdon Archives are available at the University of New Orleans. Historian Jesse Holland noted in a 2009 interview that he had relied on Northup’s memoir and detailed description of Washington in 1841 to identify the location of some slave markets. Holland has also researched the roles of ethnic African slaves as skilled laborers who helped build some of the important public buildings in Washington, including the Capitol and part of the original Executive Mansion.[5]