Explain Internet and distributed application services Essay

Explain Internet and distributed application services - Essay Example Different forms of clusters exist and each has its failures, and advantages that paper intends to examine. Introduction The term cluster is used in the computer technology to refer to a group of loosely coupled computers that are configured to work as a unit. Every node often operates as a complete unit as opposed to the operations of a tightly coupled multiprocessing system. Clustered computers usually have independent CPU, I/O, and memory (Englander, 2003). Clustered computers may constitute multiple processing systems. A computer in a cluster refers to a node (Englander, 2003). The main aim of clustering computers is to make the users to see them as single machines, which they are not in the actual sense. There are the main reasons for clustering computers; however, each reason has its challenges and better share of benefits. The main advantages of clustering include increasing the computing power of computers by combining the individual power of each computer. Notably, a computer has the power to process data independently (Englander, 2003). ... Fundamentally, clustering is a significant practice in computer technology since it is a sure way of increasing or designing highly performing computer systems. The processing problem including parallel processing units can be solved by breaking the problem into subtasks and then distributing them to different or parallel processing units among the nodes thereby solving the problem in parallel (Englander, 2003). Clustering also intends to create fault tolerant systems because each computer with the cluster is able to operate alone without the assistance from other computers within the cluster (Englander, 2003). Therefore, a node failure will not lead to standstill operational since the entire cluster will not be closed. The software controlling the entire cluster is capable of switching processes to other nodes within the cluster in a process referred to failover. Therefore, failures of certain nodes, the failed nodes’ processes can be switched to other functional nodes within the system; this switching will facilitate the continuation of processes that were running on the failed node or computer (Englander, 2003). Nonetheless, a cluster that has never experienced any form of failure can be designed and this is often advantageous for systems that process critical applications. Clusters are also vital in creating high available systems where computers within the cluster can be distributed geographically over a wide area (Englander, 2003). Therefore, users can access the closest computer system with the cluster. In most cases, this phenomenon creates a natural balancing of loads among different or series of computer nodes

Jewish Festivals in Israel Essay Example for Free

Jewish Festivals in Israel Essay Jewish festivals are the days celebrated by Jews. Some Jewish festivals happen on the same date every year, while others move around within a range of dates. Here we have provided the dates of the Jewish religious holidays for calendar year 2009. All Jewish holidays begin in the evening after the sunset. Judaism is believed to be one of the worlds oldest religions. Jews believe there is one God who created and rules the world. Judaism believes that people have freewill and are responsible for the choices made. The Torah is the primary scripture of Judaism. Torah means teaching, is Gods revealed instructions to the Jewish People. Why is the Jewish Calendar a Lunisolar Calendar? (Lunisolar = follows the cycle of the moon I.E. lunar, and sun I.E. solar) Background and History The Jewish calendar is primarily lunar, with each month beginning on the new moon, when the first sliver of moon becomes visible after the dark of the moon. In ancient times, the new months used to be determined by observation. When people observed the new moon, they would notify the Sanhedrin. When the Sanhedrin heard testimony from two independent, reliable eyewitnesses that the new moon occurred on a certain date, they would declare the rosh chodesh (first of the month) and send out messengers to tell people when the month began. Who originally obtained the exclusive authority to fix the date for Jewish festivals prior to the establishment of the Jewish calendar? Before the establishment of a Jewish calendar, the identification and designation of Rosh Hodesh (new moon in Hebrew) for a given month was critical in fixing the dates for Jewish festivals for that month. The Jewish high court in Judea, known as the Sanhedrin, based in Jerusalem during Temple times, retained its centralized and exclusive authority for fixing the date of Rosh Hodesh as well as for adding an extra month when it deemed necessary, based on the condition of crops at the end of the 12th month. The Sanhedrin based its authority on the fact that if it didnt have the exclusive authority to fix new moon dates, then different Jewish communities would potentially celebrate festivals on different days. A new month on the Jewish calendar begins with the molad, (pronounced moh-LAHD). Molad is a Hebrew word meaning birth, and refers to what we call the new moon in English. The molad for the month of Tishri (the month that starts with Rosh Hashanah) is the most important one for calendar calculations, and is referred to as Molad Tishri.

meat packing industry Essays -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rights and responsibilities in the meatpacking industry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the early twentieth century, at the height of the progressive movement, â€Å"Muckrakers† had uncovered many scandals and wrong doings in America, but none as big the scandals of Americas meatpacking industry. Rights and responsibilities were blatantly ignored by the industry in an attempt to turn out as much profit as possible. The meat packers did not care if poor working conditions led to sickness and death. They also did not care if the spoiled meat they sold was killing people. The following paper will discuss the many ways that rights and responsibilities were not being fulfilled by the meat packing industry.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  At the turn of the twentieth century â€Å"Muckraking† had become a very popular practice. This was where â€Å"muckrakers† would bring major problems to the publics attention. One of the most powerful pieces done by a muckraker was the book â€Å"The Jungle†, by Upton Sinclair. The book was written to show the horrible working and living conditions in the packing towns of Chicago, but what caused a major controversy was the filth that was going into Americas meat. As Sinclair later said in an interview about the book â€Å"I aimed at the publics heart and by accident hit them in the stomach.†# The meat packing industry took no responsibility for producing safe and sanitary meat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One reason for this problem was that there was no real inspection of the meat. A quote from â€Å"The Jungle† tells of a government inspector checking the hogs for Tuberculosis, â€Å"This government inspector did not have a manner of a man who was worked to death; he was apparently not haunted by a fear that the hog might get by before he had finished his testing. If you were a sociable person, he was quite willing to enter into conversation with you and to explain the deadly nature of the ptomaines which are found in tubercular pork; and while he was talking with you you could hardly be so ungrateful to notice that a dozen carcasses were passing him untouched.†# This obviously led to tubercular meat being processed in the packing house. Another problem was the incredible lack of sanitation and the use of spoiled meat, another quote from â€Å"The Jungle† tells of how dirty it was in these plants â€Å"There would be meat stored in gre... ... government inspection of meat products. The Pure Food and Drug act also passed after the Meat inspection Act of 1906. The packers denied the charges and opposed the bills to no avail. These bills protected the publics right to safe sanitary meat.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion it is obvious to see that rights and responsibilities were not carried out by the meatpacking industry. They were greed driven business men who â€Å"poisoned for profit† as president Roosevelt said. The meatpackers had a right to make their product but did not take the responsibility to do it in a manner that was safe to the consumer. Thanks to people like Upton Sinclair and Theodore Roosevelt, the meat industry today takes the responsibility to make a safe quality product of the public. Bibliography 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Corey, Lewis, Meat and Men: A study of Monopoly, Unionism and Food Policy (New York: The Viking Press, 1985). 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sinclair, Upton, The Jungle, (New York: Bantam Books,1906). 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Divine, Breen, Fredrickson, Williams, eds., America Past and Present Volume II: since 1865 sixth edition (New York: Longman 2002).

Minority Marketing

There are various environmental factors that must be considered in the designing of the marketing strategy.   The microenvironment, as part of the company’s marketing environment, consists of factors that directly impact the company and its ability to serve.   The macroenvironment, on the other hand, includes the larger societal and cultural forces that affect the microenvironment (Multicultural Marketing). Another name for minority marketing is multicultural marketing, which entails communication with diverse cultures or market segments that belong to diverse backgrounds as well as settings.   Cultures determine how members of society think, feel, and act (Haralambos and Holborn, 1995).   Hence, culture also determines the tastes of people in products that they would actually purchase. As a matter of fact, cultural values of a society are reflected in the members’ views of organizations, products, services, and other environmental entities.   Therefore, it is essential for a company planning to market to minorities to gain an understanding of the culture of the minorities in question.   Only by understanding the culture and values of the minorities may the organization be able to provide its targeted consumers with the products and services they would eventually buy. Through advertising and public relations with segmented media, an organization may come into contact with any diverse group that it wants to target through its marketing strategy.   By placing an ad or article in the language of a minority group, the company may easily get its message across.   Experts indicate that it makes very good business sense to include the people of color, different age groups, genders, in addition to people with disabilities, in advertisements as  well as other marketing materials.   This strategy allows for powerful, nonverbal communication which goes deep into the mind of the consumer (Multicultural Marketing). It is also essential for organizations to take into account the meaning of differing cultural universes (Dr. Michael Hurd).   As an example, the American Motor Corporation named its product, the â€Å"Matador,† only to realize later that to Puerto Ricans, the word means â€Å"killer.†Ã‚   Another example revealing the significance of understanding cultural universes has to do with ethics. In this case, a 30-second advertising spot proved to be an expensive error on the part of Doubletree Hotels Corporation, seeing that it was deemed as offensive to the Arab community, portraying the staff of the hotel wearing Arab-style clothing and bowing to guests.   This ad segment was interpreted as the staff worshipping or imploring visitors.   As the majority of Arabs worship the one true God, the ad was seen to ridicule them (International Business Customs). Organizations cannot assume that all people of the nation would have the same cultural values.   Rather, it is ethical to take into account the societal and religious practices as well as beliefs of the people that the organization targets in its marketing strategy as potential customers.   After all, the marketing mix is meant to satisfy customers.   Therefore, it is of the essence for the organization to analyze the what, where, when, and how of consumer behavior.   The social factor is very important in the consumer’s decision to make a purchase.   This factor is influenced by opinion leaders, the consumer’s family, reference groups, culture and social class. Understanding different cultures helps an organization to produce that which a particular market segment demands.   Given that Chinese Americans have a strong preference for communicating in their native language, a company that wants to target Chinese Americans may  want to write the name of its product on marketing literature in both English and Chinese.   According to research, the Hispanics too have a preference to communicate in their own language.   Sixty eight percent of Hispanics in Houston indicated that they prefer to watch Spanish language television.   Hence, an organization that wants to target Hispanic Americans may want to spend more of its marketing funds on ads that would be run on Spanish language television (Qaddumi, 1999). Back in 1998, research further revealed that given the Chinese emphasis on new technology, at least 72.1% of Chinese American families have access to computes and at least 53% have access to the Internet.   Hence, it is easy to target Chinese American consumers through Internet marketing (Chinese American, 1998).   What is more, a majority of Hispanic Americans indicated that food coupons had a great influence on their purchasing decisions. Once again, marketing research based on minorities as the target consumers of an organization, can work wonders for the organization.   Every minority group has differing needs with relevance to its cultural practices.   An organization that includes ethical considerations with special reference to minority groups, is more likely to satisfy its target consumers with its marketing approach, seeing that this organization is not bound to ridicule its consumers instead of pleasing them. One very successful organization targeting minorities through its media campaigns is Southwest Airlines.   The fourth largest major airline in the United States especially targets African Americans as well as Hispanics.   The result? – Today, Southwest Airlines is a model organization that everybody would like to study in terms of marketing strategy. References â€Å"Chinese American Social Behavior Index.† (1998, Jan 24). Asian Trends. Online. Internet. 26 Jul. 2001. Churchill, Richard. (2001, April 2). â€Å"Southwest Airlines Powering a Sales Liftoff – Southwest Airlines Co. advertising targets African-Americans.† Brandweek. â€Å"Dr. Michael Hurd on Effective Therapy.† Dr. Hurd’s Website. Online. Internet. 25 Jul. 2001. Haralambos, Michael, and Holborn, Martin. (1995). Sociology—Themes and Perspectives. 4th ed. London: Collins Educational. â€Å"International Business Customs† Eglobal Greetings. Online. Internet. 21 Jun. 2001. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Multicultural Marketing.† About the Human Internet. Online. Internet. 25 Jul. 2001. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Qaddumi, Thora. (1999, September 15). â€Å"’Impact’: Houston Hispanic market is ripe for Marketing.† Houston Business Journal. Online. Internet. 25 Jul. 2001.

Android and iPhone

Over the past decade, electronic companies such as Samsung and Apple has collaborated with mobile phone carriers, and researched the average consumer that could find many ways to improve the mobile phone. The outcome to this research has born the smartphone. Previously, these smartphones has provided instant access to communication entertainment, internet access, news, calendar, social media, and etc. These smartphones has effect a radical change in the path of modern technology. In 2007, Apple began to be the biggest smartphone to be released. To be the most popular smartphone many companies attempt to imitate the unbeatable features. Although, when technology is involved Google has been coping to keep up with the Iphone to advance the Android software. Partly, Google's android software has become the dominant smartphone that's not manufactured by Apple. For this reason, Android phones are just great as an IPhones. The similarities and differences of between Apple's phones and Android phones. The similarity between the Iphone and Androids phones is the shape of the phone. For example, most of the models has a similar shape like the Iphone by its rectangular and rounded corners shape. Nowadays, you might have seen many of theses Android phones such as, Samsungs and HTC Evo that has the exact shape. Iphone and Android phones has been noticed for their touch screens. Even though there was many disputes about who had the original design structure but the companies continue to manufacture the use of the basic structure for their smartphone. Also, Android and Iphone has authorize an 3G, 4G, and Wifi connection. Most of the modern smartphones has similar downloadable applications and app store. For example, they both have similar notification center, allowing users to view their log of missed calls, text messages, and other notification from the apps. Furthermore, Android and Iphones aren't able to last a day without it being charged but when Apple had invented Iphone 5, they made it convenient for the phone to function up to 3 days without charging it even if you have many apps installed, despite of other phones which can only last for 8 hours. Regards to the two smartphones has shown a way to navigate and search for places to locate your destination. Whoever, you choose either of them will give you the best quality of GPS and navigators. However, both of the smartphones has different type of ways of how it's functioned. The Iphones provide more apps than android phones. Iphones has outreach Android by thousands of apps, more updated, and faster when talking about the speed usage of the apps. For example, the apps on the IPhone has greater quality than the Android. Moreover, IPhone apps doesn't crash as often as an Android. For example, since I been using the IPhone 6S Plus, their have been no crash that I know. Although, when I had the LG 10 before I started having issues with my apps having crashes so, I felt it was normal thing. Although, Androids given users to download whatever apps from any source. Also, Androids apps storage is less precise to software developer. Their software display are way to different. For example, the Androids are known for giving their user a way to customize the theme of the phone keyboard meanwhile IPhone are known for the simple display and easy to use. Android phones have more carrier than Iphones so, it makes them easier to find and it has many phones to choose from. Moreover, Androids has larger screens than Iphone. For example, the Galaxy note has a 5.3†³ screen although the Iphone has 3.5†³ screen. Even though some android phones have bigger screen it could be sometime difficult to use because of how big the screen is fabricated. IPhone are easy to be hold in one hand, in any size you choose. The App Store are more organized than the Play Store. Over the years, Play Store has surely improved by making it easy to navigate but Apple's App Store has made it more favorable. The Apple Store is more straightforward by categories and popular on charts, even the Play Store. However, people will have their personal opinion of how they feel difference between the App Store and the Play Store. iPhones has more paid apps than the Android, but they also have shorter ads. The Apple's apps are free and paid than a Android. Although, Apple's users will be considering to spend money on apps than Google's users. This shows that the apps for IPhone are less filled with ads. For example, the new iPhone XS Max has adjusted to pay some money for a few of the apps for free than on an Android. In conclusion, the IPhone and Android seem to be similar but has many different ways seen between the two smartphone. Both smartphones has lure different crowd of people based on what they believe should be on a smartphone, either they choose an IPhone simple display and high quality apps or Android customize and many variety of apps. The smartphone has developed for many years, which will continue to buy smartphone that people prefer. This will lead to new features, screens, more capacity, and more evolution of the smartphone. Eventually, the development of the smartphone will bring more advancement to modern technology.

Overcoming Writers Block With Freewriting

Overcoming Writer's Block With Freewriting Heres how writing without rules can help us overcome writers block. If the prospect of having to write makes you uneasy, consider how one student has learned to cope with the problem: When I hear the word compose, I go berserk. How can I make something out of nothing? Thats not to imply that I have nothing upstairs, just no special talent for organizing thoughts and putting them down on paper. So instead of composing, I simply jot, jot, jot and scribble, scribble, scribble. Then I try to make sense of it all. This practice of jotting and scribbling is called freewriting- that is, writing without rules. If you find yourself searching for a writing topic, start by jotting down the first thoughts that come to mind, no matter how trivial or disconnected they may appear. If you already have at least a general idea of what you will be writing about, put down your first thoughts on that subject. How to Freewrite For five minutes, write non-stop: dont lift your fingers from the keyboard or your pen from the page. Just keep writing. Dont stop to ponder or make corrections or look up a words meaning in the dictionary. Just keep writing. While you are freewriting, forget the rules of formal English. Because you are writing only for yourself at this point, you dont have to worry about sentence structures, spelling or punctuation, organization or clear connections. (All those things will come later.) If you find yourself stuck for something to say, just keep repeating the last word you have written, or write, Im stuck, Im stuck until a fresh thought emerges. After a few minutes, the results may not look pretty, but you will have started writing. Using Your Freewriting What should you do with your freewriting? Well, eventually youll delete it or toss it away. But first, read it over carefully to see if you can find a keyword or phrase or maybe even a sentence or two that can be developed into a longer piece of writing. Freewriting may not always give you specific material for a future essay, but it will help you get into the right frame of mind for writing. Practicing Freewriting Most people need to practice freewriting several times before theyre able to make it work for them effectively. So be patient. Try freewriting as a regular exercise, perhaps three or four times a week, until you find that you can write without rules comfortably and productively.

Free Essays on Personal Goals

Personal Strengths and Weaknesses Today, I am writing a paper about my personal strengths and weaknesses. I believe that everyone in this world is completely different from one another. Everyone has a different set of skills that are considered their strengths as well as a set of flaws that are considered to be their weaknesses. I have several strengths as well as several weaknesses. I am hoping that I can enhance my strengths and eliminate most of my weaknesses while attending the University of Phoenix. I believe that the first step in overcoming any weakness is admitting that there is a problem and confronting the weakness. I am here to tell you that I am doing that right now by writing this paper. I will also focus on my positive personal strengths that I strongly believe will help me to become successful in life, in both a personal environment as well as a professional career atmosphere. First, I would like to talk about what I believe are my personal strengths. My number one positive personal strength is the ability to be motivated toward my goals each and everyday. In addition, I am a strong willed fighter that never seems to give up no matter how rough the situation may become. I am a good friend to others and I care about other people’s feelings. I have a strong desire to succeed everyday in everything I do because that is just the way I am built. According to Linda Overstreet, â€Å"What we’ve discovered is that successful people absolutely believe that they have the ability to succeed. And will not entertain, think about, or talk about the possibilities that they’ll fail† (Overstreet 2005). I believe that I think this way as well. I am extremely lucky in that regard. I have been very blessed with many positive strengths. I have been told that these strengths are very valuable and for the most part cannot be taught. My positive personal strengths have enabled me to develop incredible friendships with many individua... Free Essays on Personal Goals Free Essays on Personal Goals Personal Strengths and Weaknesses Today, I am writing a paper about my personal strengths and weaknesses. I believe that everyone in this world is completely different from one another. Everyone has a different set of skills that are considered their strengths as well as a set of flaws that are considered to be their weaknesses. I have several strengths as well as several weaknesses. I am hoping that I can enhance my strengths and eliminate most of my weaknesses while attending the University of Phoenix. I believe that the first step in overcoming any weakness is admitting that there is a problem and confronting the weakness. I am here to tell you that I am doing that right now by writing this paper. I will also focus on my positive personal strengths that I strongly believe will help me to become successful in life, in both a personal environment as well as a professional career atmosphere. First, I would like to talk about what I believe are my personal strengths. My number one positive personal strength is the ability to be motivated toward my goals each and everyday. In addition, I am a strong willed fighter that never seems to give up no matter how rough the situation may become. I am a good friend to others and I care about other people’s feelings. I have a strong desire to succeed everyday in everything I do because that is just the way I am built. According to Linda Overstreet, â€Å"What we’ve discovered is that successful people absolutely believe that they have the ability to succeed. And will not entertain, think about, or talk about the possibilities that they’ll fail† (Overstreet 2005). I believe that I think this way as well. I am extremely lucky in that regard. I have been very blessed with many positive strengths. I have been told that these strengths are very valuable and for the most part cannot be taught. My positive personal strengths have enabled me to develop incredible friendships with many individua... Free Essays on Personal Goals My Personal Goals Ten years ago I heard an expression, â€Å"If you don’t have a plan, plan to fail†. Ten years later I was asked by my college professor to put my plan in writing. I thought to myself â€Å"I don’t have a plan, will I fail or have I already failed?† My answer was no! But without question, I have not accomplished all that I would have like to have accomplished by now. Therefore, I have come to realize that maybe I need to begin planning for life rather that for the next day. By planning for life I assume that I may begin to accomplish my over all goals much sooner than not having a plan. Beginning to brainstorm my life long goals inspires me to focus on my wants and needs and allows me to concentrate on what is really important to me. Although I have many endeavors that are important to me, the concentration of this paper will be to focus on the more important goals, such as education, career, and spirituality. Education My educational goals are long term yet attainable. My aggressive approach to obtaining a bachelor’s degree will be a feeling of personal fulfillment. I wish to achieve a bachelor degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix by 2006. I wish to complete each attempted course with a 3.5 or higher and perhaps graduate with honors. Along the path to my degree I will start a lifetime of strategic learning. I am determined to attend all class sessions and participate fully as an individual and as a team member. I will manage my time wisely and turn in all assignments on time. I wish to discover new skills and strengths I did not know existed and use them to build upon my weaknesses. By committing to build upon my weaknesses I will broaden my chances at becoming an honors student and it will open the doors to many career opportunities. I realize that the completion of my bachelor’s degree will deliver new opportunities, but my work isn’t ov er until I complete...

Taking Creative Control by Self-Publishing My Books

Taking Creative Control by Self-Publishing My Books How Self-Publishing Gave me the Creative Control I Needed Christina Hamlett is an award-winning author whose credits to date include 34 books, 161 plays, five optioned feature films, and hundreds of articles and interviews. She is also a script consultant for the movie industry and a professional ghostwriter. Read on to find out about her experience with traditional publishing and her decision to take creative control of her book into her own hands.Twenty-six years later, I still remember the unabashed giddiness I felt when my agent told me that my first novel, The Enchanter, was going to be published in hardcover. When the editor sent me a long questionnaire to fill out regarding the type of artwork I envisioned for the cover, I couldn’t have been more excited. I had definite ideas about the kind of â€Å"look† I wanted to fit the romantic time-travel storyline of a handsome young Merlin coming to modern-day Washington DC in order to recover the stolen Excalibur.Traditional publishing and a lack of creative controlYou can, th us, imagine how deflated I felt when the cover art arrived, and I had no say-so in requesting changes. Not only had the artists decided to leave off the two main characters but the sword they featured was clearly for one-handed French duelling and not Arthurian legend-making. Dratimus maximus.When, a few years later, I was contracted for four romantic suspense novels with HarperCollins, my assumption was that I’d actually get covers that reflected my input as the author. Not so. In fact, the third book – Hunter’s Heart – had to be hastily withdrawn and fixed in order to erase the heroine’s accidental mustache, a mistake that at least four people at HC failed to notice during production. If there’s architecture that’s significant to the setting, don’t force your designer to interpret what â€Å"a big house with a lot of trees† looks like. Is it Georgian Colonial? Craftsman? Cape Cod? French Provincial? Are the trees Oak? Palm? Evergreen? Willow? Your designer is not psychic.Respect your designer’s time. Having done book covers for my own clients, nothing is more infuriating than someone who keeps changing his/her mind.Remember to provide a design credit. While most authors do this on the back cover or acknowledgments page, my choice was to give Isabelle her own photo and bio at the end of the book. That placement was indeed well deserved!Just Say You’re Mine is available in paperback on Amazon US, Amazon UK, and Amazon Canada. Find out more on Christina's website!Have you gone through the process of both traditional publishing and self-publishing a book? Is full creative control something that matters to you? Leave your thoug hts, experiences, or any questions for Christina in the comments below.

Obesity and personal responsability Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Obesity and personal responsability - Thesis Example However, over the past few years, this move has not been much successful and hence the decision to encourage individuals towards taking personal responsibility for reducing obesity was taken up by the government. Based on this move of the government, this research paper is initiated and is aimed towards resolving answer to the research question which is as follows: Is obesity can be really termed as a personal responsibility of the individuals? The research paper will be validated if the government’s move towards redefining obesity as a personal responsibility can be evaluated to be successful. Finding Solution to the Research Question During the year 2004, the â€Å"Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act† was passed by the House of Representatives aiming towards prohibiting the lawsuits which are held by the restaurants and this would make the restaurants responsible for the obesity of their customers. After this act was passed, a representative from the Department of Health and Human Services insisted the government to include the factor of personal responsibility rather than bringing changes to the policies. The inclusion of the personal responsibility factor was then started to be initiated by the government through various inventiveness like that of launching various advertisement campaigns for encouraging people to be more mobile and suffer from less fatigue with lesser fatty foods. The government’s move towards the creation of healthy environment within the country was supported by various people as they were of the opinion that the motive was to encourage healthy options for appetite and not discouraging the freedom of selecting food. After the move of the government, various psychologists even indulged themselves in making the people learn the most effective techniques of changing their behavior towards consumption of healthy foods. But the success of these aspects is doubtful as evident from the lower percentage of people doing regular fitness exercise and they are merely involved in any structured activity. Since the government initiated the move towards inducing personal responsibility in obesity, is has been argued that the move cannot become successful. One important reason behind this is the people’s preferences for food based on the biological aspect inside their body. The biologically diverse pattern among the humans influences them to p refer certain food such as sweets to other foods such as spicy and vice versa with lots of other preferable choices (Sallis, â€Å"Obesity: Is personal responsibility the answer?†). There has been presence of various articles defining the people’s irresponsibility as the most vital reason of obesity since the government’s move towards either eradicating or reducing the same. With regards to these articles’ arguments, one might expect evidences of irresponsible nature of the people towards obesity. But the actual data reveals something opposite to the expectation. The following two figures explain the effectiveness of the government’s social move towards the aim of reducing obesity within the country. Figure 1: Trends in case of adolescent Figure 2: Trends in case of adults The above figures showing the trends in the movement of responsible nature

Denver Facility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Denver Facility - Essay Example In this case, the inventory management problem is a part of operations scheduling problem. The timing of activities has a direct impact on resources and on time loading. Denver does not take into account the fact that the majority of people have a productivity rate of probably 60-70 per cent of the time they allocate to an activity. Also, the department collected data on the number of trucks only paying no attention to the daily volume on Tuesdays and Friday. The consequences of these issues are work overload and poor service (Barnett 1996). Another problem is product shortage caused by inefficient production facilities and absence of advance notice and ordering system. Loading procedure of the polyols leads to "queues that impede other plant traffic" and absence of proper safety measures. For instance, excess capacity gives rise to low resource productivity, while inadequate capacity or means poor customer service. Decisions made in other areas have a direct impact the other area. Capacity decisions have a direct impact on system performance and on both resource utilization and customer service. It is important to note that organizations cannot operate without good capacity management.

Critical Reply Paper on Election Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Critical Reply Paper on Election - Essay Example The study is based on the idea that inferences made by people on the basis of facial expression and appearance have great value in deciding their voting behaviors. This is the main theory that is argued in the study. The article is trying to statistically prove this theory in the study. The theory is supported by psychological perspectives in the article. The results of the study confirmed the hypothesis that was given in the beginning of the research. The study proved that voting behaviors of people are directly influenced by the inference of competence by the facial expression of the candidates. The result was very substantial so there is no doubt that the results confirmed the hypothesis. This paper makes a conclusion that the political implications of the findings of the study are significant. It shows that how important it is to focus on the pictures of the candidates and how important it is to place them in a right manner. The findings also tell us the importance of marketing the candidate to the people. It is very important that majority of the voters should know the candidate and they should know about his agenda as one cannot leave his or her fate on inference of his or her competence by the voters. Proper knowledge should be provided to people and the good old fashioned way of elections should be followed. The findings related to facial expression and inference of competent may not change the whole structure of future political campaign but they will certainly add a few things to it.

How to Live Our Lives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to Live Our Lives - Essay Example In short, bear in mind that everything in this world is connected no matter how distant they may seem to be. And this life that we call, is in fact just a journey, probably a way to be better so make the most of each day to become better. Thich Nhat Hanh talked about karma, the process of living and dying. So it is a given that eventually, all will die. This is the natural order of things that we need to accept and need not to get depressed permanently. True, as human beings, we feel sorrow. They say, don’t make life complicated because the path on how to live a life is already spelled out. First, think that everything is connected and that death is part of life. Accept that all will eventually die and that we do not have to be grievously depressed on it. Instead, spend more time to be happy. But to be happy, we have to be healthy within our body and environment. So eat right and live the kind of life that will make you happy. We like to eat fast foods and drink soda. We reduced play to video games and no longer exercise. If we want to live a happy life, it is essential that we have first to be healthy. And to be healthy meant eating right and exercising. Eating right does not even mean eating less delicious foods. In fact it is eating the good foods such as fruits and vegetables. This is illustrated by Michael Pollan in his book The Omnivore’s dilemma: a natural history of four meals where he described that the source of our food is becoming a factory and is no longer grown the way it used to be. Worst, industrial farm factory and the use of GMOs are even packaged to be a better food source than organic farming (Pollan 15). So do not be surprised if many of us are getting fatter and sicker because many of us are lead to believe that the GMO foods are better than the natural food. And being

ACADEMIC RECOGNITION FOR CPD IN TENNIS COACHING MANAGEMENT Essay

ACADEMIC RECOGNITION FOR CPD IN TENNIS COACHING MANAGEMENT - Essay Example Extending the discussion in this particular regard, it can be affirmed that continuous learning is one of the imperative aspects, which is associated with an individual. It would be vital to mention that continuous learning in any particular domain not only enhances the skills along with the abilities of an individual but it also ensures the attainment of various goals that set by an individual in his/her lifetime in a comprehensive manner (AL-Busafi & et.al., 2013). The process of continuous learning also enhances the ability of an individual towards dealing with various challenges and problems that arise in his/her life. In this regard, the aspect of continuing/continuous professional development (CPD) will be quite significant to take into concern and discuss. Notably, CPD is an approach of any individual where he/she intends to enhance his/her ability, skills or knowledge with regard to gain noteworthy success in professional aspect. CPD also signifies the continuous ability of an individual to augment his/her skills and abilities in the professional domain altogether. The importance of CPD in various domain of professional periphery can also be signified from the aspect that it is visible in almost every professional domain throughout the globe. CPD is also considered as quite important as it is regarded as a structured approach of an individual towards gaining maximum and uninterrupted learning to develop himself or herself in becoming muc h competent towards various noteworthy practices. These practices often possess the capability towards leading individuals in their professional development by a considerable extent. CPD can be both formal/ structured as well as informal/self-directed based on the situation a person is in and the desire to conduct the same. In order to acquire a comprehensive understanding in

How to Live Our Lives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to Live Our Lives - Essay Example In short, bear in mind that everything in this world is connected no matter how distant they may seem to be. And this life that we call, is in fact just a journey, probably a way to be better so make the most of each day to become better. Thich Nhat Hanh talked about karma, the process of living and dying. So it is a given that eventually, all will die. This is the natural order of things that we need to accept and need not to get depressed permanently. True, as human beings, we feel sorrow. They say, don’t make life complicated because the path on how to live a life is already spelled out. First, think that everything is connected and that death is part of life. Accept that all will eventually die and that we do not have to be grievously depressed on it. Instead, spend more time to be happy. But to be happy, we have to be healthy within our body and environment. So eat right and live the kind of life that will make you happy. We like to eat fast foods and drink soda. We reduced play to video games and no longer exercise. If we want to live a happy life, it is essential that we have first to be healthy. And to be healthy meant eating right and exercising. Eating right does not even mean eating less delicious foods. In fact it is eating the good foods such as fruits and vegetables. This is illustrated by Michael Pollan in his book The Omnivore’s dilemma: a natural history of four meals where he described that the source of our food is becoming a factory and is no longer grown the way it used to be. Worst, industrial farm factory and the use of GMOs are even packaged to be a better food source than organic farming (Pollan 15). So do not be surprised if many of us are getting fatter and sicker because many of us are lead to believe that the GMO foods are better than the natural food. And being

Financial Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financial - Case Study Example However, this decision may not be free from the relative risks that investing in new markets and countries can carry. Various competitive forces may be at play and the firm has to strategically devise its strategies to effectively negotiate with the different risks that may arise after the investment is made. Joblot Plc’s decision to enter into Lazka may be one of the significant investment decisions that the firm has to make. However, this decision will involve a comprehensive analysis of the various important factors that will contribute towards assessing the impact of various risks. The possible sources of risks may include political risk, foreign exchange risk, market risk as well as other risks that may generally arise in due course. This report will provide a comprehensive overview of the generalized risks that Joblot Plc may face while investing into Lazka using the currency of Lazka. Further, this report will also present a set of recommendations to the Board in order to reduce these risks. Any investment that is made always carries different risks and investors have to compensate themselves in order to undertake such investment decisions. The risks, therefore, are often covered by charging the premium over an above certain rate offered by relatively risk-free investment opportunities. Such type of risks can arise due to various reasons including risks arising out of changes in the interest rates, risks arising out of changes in the rate of return offered by alternative securities, political risk etc. However, when a decision is made to make international investments, the overall scenario changes because investing internationally adds more risks to the investments and the extent of existing risks becomes more significant.

Ernie Davis Essay Example for Free

Ernie Davis Essay A three-time All-American halfback and 1961 Heisman Trophy winner, Ernie Davis would go on to win MVP title in both the Cotton Bowl and the Liberty Bowl, and was inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame in 1979. He was the first African American man to win the Heisman Trophy, and to be picked 1st overall in the NFL draft. His career was cut short when he was diagnosed with cancer in 1962. Athlete. American Football player. Ernie Davis was born on December 14, 1939 in New Salem, Pennsylvania, USA. He is the first African American man to win the Heisman Trophy and the first black athlete to be chosen 1st overall in the NFL Draft. A three-time All-American halfback and 1961 Heisman Trophy winner, Davis set yardage and scoring records at Syracuse University. He would go on to win MVP title in both the 1960 Cotton Bowl and the 1961 Liberty Bowl, and would be inducted into the College Football Hall Of Fame in 1979. His honors and accomplishments on the gridiron were matched only by his adversity off the field; As a black athlete playing many games in the south, he was the victim of racism on several occasions. The most publicized incident occurred when he was selected as the Cotton Bowl MVP in 1960. Davis was told by organizers that he would be allowed to accept his award at the post game banquet, and would immediately have to leave the segregated facility. Ernie refused to receive the award, and his entire team agreed to boycott the banquet. A man of firsts, Ernie Davis was the first African American man to win the Heisman Trophy, the first to join the prestigious Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity (a nationally recognized Jewish fraternity) and, in 1962, became the first African American player to be picked 1st overall in the NFL draft. Tragic Death Although the details are somewhat disputed, Davis contract was considered to be the most lucrative ever offered to an NFL rookie. His teammates and supporters looked forward to seeing Ernie sharing the backfield with the great Jim Brown, breaking countless records and leading the Cleveland Browns to a decade of victorious seasons. Those seasons would never come, however, as Ernie was diagnosed with acute monocytic leukemia during preparations for the 1962 College All Star Game. Although treatment had begun immediately, the disease would prove incurable and Ernie died on May 18, 1963 Having never played a professional football game. Both the House and the Senate eulogized him, and his wake was in The Neighborhood House in Elmira, New York, where more than 10,000 mourners paid their respects. Accolades from JFK His character and his athletic accomplishments caught the eye of John F. Kennedy, who had followed Ernies college career and made several attempts to meet the star. In 1963, when he heard Ernie would be honored by his high school with a school holiday, the president sent a telegram reading: Seldom has an athlete been more deserving of such a tribute. Your high standards of performance on the field and off the field, reflect the finest qualities of competition, sportsmanship and citizenship. The nation has bestowed upon you its highest awards for your athletic achievements. Its a privilege for me to address you tonight as an outstanding American, and as a worthy example of our youth. I salute you. Ernie Davis was the subject of the 2008 Universal Pictures film The Express, based on the non-fiction book Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express, by Robert C. Gallagher.

Training Needs Analysis (TNA) Cycle

Training Needs Analysis (TNA) Cycle Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is the first stage in the systemic training cycle and is also a process the training and human capital professionals undertake to identify any gaps in employee knowledge. The systemic training cycle comprises of the following stages: training design, training delivery, and evaluation). The basic of a basic structure for a modern effective and socially responsible training and development policy is the assessment of the gaps that exist between what the employee actually has and what they require in terms of skills, knowledge and attitudes in term of process. However, the nature and purpose of a TNA can have different meaning and perspectives depending upon the various people and organizations in the process, resulting in misunderstanding about expectations and what can be achieved. Boy dell (1976); one of the earliest writers about TNA, proposed a systematic approach to training needs that had its origins in analyzing requirement through a method based on organizational objectives. It is important that a training policy must provide the basic system and management guide for the people who are involved with the process of designing and developing training manuals within the organization-for example whether manuals must contain the training policy; whether manuals are course-specific or job-specific or departmental specific; who is responsible for designing and whether the media formats of manuals are printed, online, etc Boydell (1976, P.4) stated that A training need exits when the application of systematic training will serve to overcome a particular weakness. He also argued that, The identification of training need must therefore be resolved before training itself can be usefully undertaken. A TNA is an effective way to identify any gap between the skills a business need and those that employees have. It involves gathering information to locate areas where employees could improve the performance, Employee surveys, management observations, customer comment, company meeting and inspection can be utilized to collect this information, A TNA can assist in clarifying the objectives in training staff and this is invaluable for ensuring that money is spent on training that will enhance that achievement of the business objectives. Bartram and Gibson (1994) stated that, Analyzing training needs provides a focus and direction for investment on organization has to make in its people.Similarly, Bee and Bee (2003) asserted that business to close any performance gap. To carry out a TNA, you need to: Analyze your business goals and skills to meet these goals. Determine whether you are changing your products or business processes and what information or training employees will need to be effective in their job. Evaluate who you want to train and how best to reach them Establish how staff will best accept and integrate training and their preferred learning method Evaluate the training in place and decide what your company can and cannot provide in the way of in house training funding and time. Assess which consultants or training provides can fill these gaps. Take a decision on which type of training fits your needs best. Two political considerations influence TNAs were noted by Read (1994) They are: establishing who has ownership of the TNA will indicate whether the finding are ignored or implemented and the person who actually pas for it will indicate the real client, who is normally senior management. However, this systematic approach to TNA inclines to concentrate largely on organizational perspectives. Reid and Barrington (1999) recognized these perspectives, but asserted that these needs can occasionally conflict, e.g. long-term development for an individual and lack of promotion chances may be at variance with each other. It is important to assess kills gaps at all leers of the business. Learning and development are on-going and pro-active (Sloman, 2003). They should not have to wait for business needs and training objectives to be set before embarking on a program. Thus, individuals need to be more responsible for their own learning, rather than waiting for the organization to guide them. Seeking employee input can be particularly revealing as they are ore likely to experience the daily problems that arises when there is a skills gap. This makes them well placed to identify the skills and training they need in order to improve performance. The Meaning of TNA for Different Groups Potential conflicts between the organization managers and recipients about the ownership and purpose of TNA are unhelpful and counter-productive. Research was conducted among three separate groups to examine their understanding of TNA and identify similarities and differences, in order to help in resolving some of the misunderstandings. Passenger transport managers who had been recently queried about training needs; Training managers from other organizations and responsibility from TNA, and Training consultants who work independently and who predominantly design and deliver training based prior TNA investigations. Data collection involved the distribution of the different questionnaires about the purpose and process of conducting TNA to the three groups above. Most of the questions were similar across the groups with additional ones being directed to specific groups depending upon their background. Following u are individual interviews involving each of the groups. The facts were then studied using grounded theory (a method which involves developing a theory derived from the themes emerging from the data). It can be gathered form the table that there are both commonalities and some noticeable differences expressed that business needs were a dominant focus for all groups and that this should be constantly considered throughout the systematic training cycle. Conclusions and Recommendations The analysis revealed a number of findings to which recommendations have been made: Business needs emerged as the main focus of training needs analysis. These business need should be clearly communicated. From an individual perspective, the person may wish to learn different knowledge, skills, and attitudes atc, than those prescribed by the organization. It may be advisable to consider both sets of needs. The various people involved with the TNA process should be aware of their part in the whole process. This should involve clear communication about its purpose, the process and decisions about training will be made. Personnel involving with TNA should be aware of the expectations arising from those who are on the receiving end of the investigation. Often, genuine concerns were raised which were ignored because there are more important priorities, but if so, this should be communicated sensitively. A clear and transparent process will enhance trust in the process and the organization. It will also encourage those in human resource and other management positions to create a more democratic process. Defining Training According to Nadler (1984): Training is the organizational activity which aims to improve an employees performance. Education consists of activities designed to prepare employees for future jobs. Development is those learning activities designed to help the individual employee grow but which are not confined to a particular job. Nearly all companies provide training for their employees but there is a great variation in the amount of educational and developmental activities organized by firms. Training maybe defined as the attempt by an organization to change employees through the learning process so that they are able to execute their jobs as efficiently as possible. Training programmes must be designed to maximize learning. Training may or may not be conducted in a classroom. Learning can take place in a variety of situation, none of which requires a classroom. The Benefits of Training In general, the benefits of training outweigh its costs, even when those positive outcome cannot be evaluated in financial terms. Robert Steinbach (2004) says, Inadequate training leads to poor performance, angry customers and high turnover exactly the kind of problems that keep supervisors too busy to focus or training. Talk about a vicious circle! The advantages of effective training include: Training increases workers productivity Training increases workers job satisfaction Training keeps workers skills and knowledge up-to-date Training helps to motivate workers Training helps to increase worker productivity by improving their ability to do their current job. Learning organizations take proactive steps to retain employees knowledge within the organization. Training is a major financial investment for the employer and reasonable returns are expected. A systemic approach to training is the best way to ensure effective training. The steps to be followed in organizing a training programme are listed below: Identify Training Needs Set training Objectives Design the Training Programme Implement the Training Programme Evaluate the Training Programme Before organizing a training programme, a training needs analysis should be carried out. Timothy Ho Ha Yin (2003) describe a training needs as the gap between an actual situation and the desired situation. Situation may refer to job performance, knowledge, skills, behavior or attitudes. In other word, gap analysis indentifies the difference between what is actually happening and what was planned to happen. The training needs assessment is best conducted upfront, before training solutions are budgeted, designed and delivered. The output of the needs analysis will be a document that specifies why, why, what, who, when, where and how. The document should contain the following questions: Why do people need the training? What skills need imparting? Who needs the training? When will they need the new skills? Where may the training be conducted? How may the new skills be imparted? Thus training is needed when: Individual workers are facing difficulties in performing their jobs satisfactorily. New workers are hired. New technology and procedures are introduced. Individuals are transferred or promoted. A major change such as a merger takes place. In clarifying the purpose of the Training Needs Analysis (TNA), the following should be considered: At the organization level? At the project level for a specific project? or At the department level for specific employees? Your answers to these questions will decide: Who will conduct the Training Needs Analysis (TNA) How the Training Needs Analysis (TNA) will be conducted and What data sources will be used To carry out an analysis of the employees training needs, certain steps should be followed: Identify a performance problem Decide whether the problem is serious enough to justify action Identify the cause of the problem Produce alternative solutions to the problem Choose the best solution and implement Training Needs Analysis (TNA) must be carried out continuously as there is no short-cut to effective training and those involved in indentifying needs may: Require supervisors to prepare a report on the training needs of each and every worker reporting to them, especially new staff undergoing probation. Require all workers to periodically assess their own knowledge and skills and apply to attend training in areas in which they are weak. Require workers to evaluate the strengths and weakness of supervisors, so that appropriate training can be organized for and supervisors who are unable to effectively manage their sections well. The focus of these involved in organizing training must be the needs of the employees and the organization. To ensure only, relevant programmes are offered, some organizations utilize a competency approach whereby a careful analysis is conducted of each job grouping in the organization to identify the competencies heeded by employees at various levels in the job concerned. An example is shown below: Set Training Objectives As the main aim of training is to improve employees abilities and performance on the job, hence clear and specific objectives for each programme must be tabled. The objectives should be quantified as measurable objectives which are crucial in the evaluating process. They also act as a guideline to the trainee as what is expected of him/her. As Mager (1984) says If you know where you are going, you have a better chance of getting there. An ideal training programme objective comprises of three parts and includes a statement of: Terminal behavior Standards to be achieved Conditions of performance Training Needs Analysis Method Employee Performance Appraisal During the final part of the performance appraisal discussion, each workers manager discusses training and development needs. In general, the manager constructs an employee Performance Development Plan in collaboration with the employee being appraised. The Plan takes into consideration: the organizations strategies and plans agreed employee goals and targets the employees performance results the employees role description feedback from internal/external customers and stakeholders, and the employees state career aspirations Improvement Project To carry out this successfully, the performance consultant needs to be familiar in process improvement methods and employee motivation theory and practice. Examples of improvement projects include planned and structured attempts to decrease the incidence of product defects, increase sales volume and reduce the number of customer complaints. The causes of underperformance needs to be determined through a series of structured questions. Possible causes and solutions are discussed and training solutions identified, where appropriate. When training is identified as suitable solution, we recommend a training needs analysis questionnaire (with the suitable stakeholders) which will give you the information needed to the program design phase. An effective Training Needs Analysis questionnaire worksheet will cover at least the following areas: Training Needs Analysis Context: Project Sponsor Reason for Request Participant Roles Organizational Objectives Training Program Objectives Target Population Number of Participants Location Department Education/Experience Background Current Job Experience Current Performance vs Expected Performance Language/Cultural Differences Anticipated Attitudes Task Description Task Description Frequency Proficiency Performance Criteria Conditions Underpinning Knowledge Constructing a Training Calendar The main objective of this tool is to ensure that it needs to be tailored for your specific organizations real needs as many managers are not skilled in identifying which of their problems can be solved by training and which cannot. Make sure you engage in constructive communication about what their real problems are and which of them can be addressed through training. Consult your management team by studying which of the following areas required to be included in your training calendar: management, leadership and supervision skills soft skills, such as communication and conflict resolution environment, health and safety human resource processes, such as performance management business skills, such as strategy, planning and process improvement technical line and staff skills such as telephone etiquette and inventory management Data Sources In conducting a Training Needs Analysis (TNA), a number of factors have to be considered before selecting which data sources. These factors include: the amount of time you have available the human resources you have available the level of accuracy you require the reliability of each data source the accessibility of each data source The data sources that you have available may include: interviews/surveys with supervisors/managers interview/surveys with employees employee performance appraisal documents organizations strategic planning documents organization/department operational plans organization/department key performance indicators customer complaints critical incidents product/service quality data Techniques for Determining Specific Training Needs A number of practical methods can be used to gather data about employees performance. None of these methods can stand alone. Always use at least two. One of those that should be chosen should always be observation. Observation Interviews Questionnaires Job Descriptions The Difficulty Analysis Problem Solving Conference Appraisal Reviews Drive Pattern Identity Analysis of organizational Policy Whatever the method used to identify training needs, at least the following three points must be kept in view: These methods should be used in combination, that is, there should be no dependence on only one method. They may be used to identify training needs of each of the various groups of employees. They should be applied to individual employees since training needs vary with each employee. Sales Staff Training Needs Analysis Telecoms Malaysia, a major telecommunication provider, is hiring sales staff for its business. The skills included are important in our sales representatives who are dealing with customers directly, Thank you for your time completing this analysis. At Telecoms Malaysia we are examining our human resources needs and exploring what can be done to provide our employees with the resources and materials you need in order to do your job most effectively. Building sales competencies will be a critical strategy for growth and planning. Thank you for your time and energy in making Telecoms Malaysia the best it can be. In the questionnaire below, place a check mark in the column that reflects your current level of skill or ability for each skill listed. Rank your skills on a sliding scale, with 1 being poor or beginner-level skills and 5 being strong skills or more advanced experience in that area. Your responses will help us determine your current skill set, so we can plan the most effective training program to help you excel at your job. How to Use this Training Needs Analysis Questionnaire Whenever youre conducting a training needs analysis, youre looking to evaluate the current skills of your staff so you can figure out what areas they need the most training in. Having a proper training plan in place means that workers can work more productively and efficiently, because theyll have the skills they need to get the job done right. After distributing a training needs analysis questionnaire like the one above, you have to analyze the results. The first step of doing that is deciding which of the skills listed are the most important to your business. Mark them or highlight them. Then look at those most important skills and see which of them has the lowest ranking based on employee feedback (the most 1s and 2s for example). These should be your priority areas for employee training. Theyre the weakest skill sets in the most important areas for your company. Once youve taken care of training in those areas, you can decide if the questionnaire results show training in other, less important, areas is also worth pursuing.

The Important Message in Romero :: Movie Film Essays

The Important Message in Romero [1] Can film as a medium make any sense of History? Most of the time that seems not even to be the issue. So-called â€Å"historical† movies such as Pocahontas and Glory have been attacked for straying from the recorded facts of the events they portray in an attempt to tell a more attractive story. This practice has its roots in the movie-making process. Hollywood exists to make money, do not be fooled. Movies cost millions of dollars to film, print, release, and promote. Therefore, producers have little choice but to create movies that will appeal to as many moviegoers as possible in an effort to earn back the investment. To this end, moviemakers feel the need to take liberties with plot, characterizations, and historical accuracy to create a product that will sell. Hollywood favors drama and conflict, so when an historical story lacks one of these elements, it is often simply added for the sake of appeal. This practice falls under great scrutiny by those with a serious interest in the events that these movies portray. Because the better part of American viewers expect and demand stories told with the Hollywood spin, those films that attempt to stick doggedly to the facts generally do poorly in the box-office. [2] Many historical films, however, have found success while staying true to the facts. These films oftentimes come from producers, directors, and actors with a genuine concern for the events they deal with. Spike Lee certainly had a pointed interest in the making of Malcolm X, as did Tom Hanks in making Saving Private Ryan. Hanks’ emotional tie to the movie surfaced in his speech at the podium of the Oscars this past year when he urged Americans to support our veterans and reminded us of the gift they have given to our country. Passion such as Hanks’ from within the making of the movie can provide an energy and vibrance that appeals even more than cheap Hollywood tricks. Either way, the same dangers apply, because passion usually fosters strong opinions that create biases in recounting the facts. Biographies tend to radiate greatness; war movies tend to take sides; racial movies tend to invoke sympathy. The same passion that motivates these people to make hi storical movies can also lead to a perversion of the story’s historical facts.

Kate Chopin’s “Desiree’s Baby” Essay

Kate Chopin’s â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is a short story set in Louisiana in the late 1800’s. Slavery was still prominent in society, and the color of a person’s skin chose what caste he or she would occupy. Desiree has married Armand Aubigny, a wealthy bachelor. The origin of Desiree’s family is shrouded in mystery; she was found by her adoptive parents, the Valmonde’s, when she was young. Years later, Armand and Desiree have a son, whom they both adore. But after three months, their son has gotten darker in skin tone. Armand instantly recoils from both him and Desiree. His coldness towards them eventually leads Desiree to the bayou, their son in hand. After weeks of no contact from his wife, Armand burns all of her things, where he stumbles upon a letter from his mother. It reveals that he is the son of a slave woman. The major theme Chopin was using throughout â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is the impact society has on race. If a person was white, he or she was considered superior to other races. A white man could vote, own property, and run for council; though a white woman wouldn’t receive these rights until the 1960’s, she was still held in a higher position than a black woman or man. Blacks had little rights given to them, and it still took a hundred years before they were viewed as equals. Mixed children weren’t exactly rare; some white slave owners thought little of taking advantage of one of their black house-keepers or slaves. If the child had lighter skin, sometimes they were treated better. Such is the case with Armando. By the end of the story, Chopin drops a bomb that leaves her audience with a chill: Armand’s mother was African-American, meaning Armand was a slave’s son. It wasn’t Desiree who gave their son his dark skin, it was Armand. Armand was incredibly narrow-minded, as he no longer cares for either his wife or his child because he thought Desiree’s genes gave their son dark skin. Although intolerance towards blacks wasn’t exactly unpopular back in the 19th century, Armand takes it to a new level when he doesn’t attempt to stop Desiree from leaving. He was smitten with her from the moment he laid eyes on her, and yet at the thought of having a diluted bloodline, his adoration transformed into hatred. Chopin was making a point when she allowed the story to end the way it did. She is noted for writing about taboo topics that women normally didn’t breach, such as women’s role as subservient characters to the male-dominated society. Although she was just writing a short story, she also wanted to leave the reader with lasting emotions once the story ended. Desiree killed herself, as well as her son, because she couldn’t stand the repulsion Armand felt towards her. With ethnicity being the major theme of this short story, I have chosen that topic as my critical approach. It’s clear that Chopin was focusing more on the injustice served to blacks then any sort of injustice women were handed in 1800’s society.

The Odyssey as a Classic

Classic literature often provides insight to an ancient society, their values, and their beliefs. Many books that are considered classics today focus on ancient Rome and Greece. Revenge, hubris, and other themes, and the relation of this book to modern life, classifies the poem The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Fitzgerald, as a classic. For this reason, it is still read today. Classic themes of The Odyssey are a reason that it is a timeless tale. The concept of revenge is often shown throughout Odysseus’ journey. The reason Odysseus kills the suitors is to avenge their plunder of his abode. Odysseus kills Antinoos first since he was the leader of the suitors. Not only do mortals believe in revenge, the gods do too. They encourage Odysseus to take revenge, and Zeus even sends a thunderbolt down to signal the right time for Odysseus to strike. Another theme in the Odyssey is hubris. In most classic, the hero or protagonist demonstrates this quality. This was followed up on in The Odyssey, where Odysseus was the character who demonstrated hubris the most. After he blinded Polyphemos and successfully escaped, he screamed out his name to the monster, who did not know his real identity previous to this. This was a mistake caused by his excessive pride, because he wanted the Cyclops to know that he, Odysseus, was powerful enough to blind the son of Poseidon. Polyphemos then prayed to his father that Odysseus would have a long and difficult journey, which of course Poseidon honored. Lastly, the use of the loom in The Odyssey helps to make the poem a timeless classic. The loom is used multiple times by women throughout the story. It often demonstrates hearth and home. Penelope uses it to trick the suitors. She says that she must complete the shroud of Laertes before she chooses a new suitor. This makes the suitors respect Penelope since it displayed her kindness and honor. In reality, Penelope was really avoiding marriage by unweaving the shroud every night. Kirke also used the loom to lure Odysseus’ crew into her house and make it appeal to them. This constant use of the loom is a motif. The use of motifs makes a piece of literature a classic because they create a sense of continuity and security, and they get the reader to react. The themes of revenge and hubris, and the use of motifs allow The Odyssey to be a timeless classic. The relation of The Odyssey to modern life accounts for its continued appeal. The story of Odysseus’ journey can in many ways relate to the typical life of humans today. The story is life, but mythologized. For example, missing a loved one is something that often occurs today. In The Odyssey, Odysseus’ mother dies because she misses her son too much. Her story is told while Odysseus sees her in Hades. Second, individuals intervene in the matters of others. Other people provide their input of a problem today, while in the epic poem it was the gods. This intervening of the gods was a large part of the story. For example, if it wasn’t for Athena â€Å"erasing† the memories of the suitor’s deaths to their families, then the families would have attempted to assassinate Telemakhos and his father. Also, Odysseus’ journey would have been incredibly shorter if it weren’t for Poseidon intervening after Polyphemos prayed to him to make Odysseus’ journey longer. One of The Odyssey’s universal qualities is the relation of it to life today. Themes such as revenge, hubris, motifs, and reader-to-text connections are examples of universal qualities included in the poem The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Fitzgerald. These qualities classify this poem as a classic. 3000 years after it was published, it is still thriving. One of the oldest works of literature is still considered a timeless piece of literature today.

Johnny Cupcakes Essay

Johnny Cupcakes is a multi-million dollar clothing brand. The brand was founded in 2001 by Johnny Earle. One of Johnny’s acquired nicknames was Johnny cupcakes. He â€Å"thought it would be funny to make a couple random shirts that said ‘Johnny Cupcakes’ on them for the fun of it† (Earle, 2012). After massive interest in these shirts, he decided to continue to make more and change up the designs. In 2001, Johnny stated, â€Å"the band I was in, On Broken Wings, finally got signed to a record label and we began to tour full time† (Earle, 2012). This opened up Johnny and his t-shirts to a larger crowd of customers in different parts of the country. This boosted the brand’s popularity and Johnny decided to quit the band and focus all of his time, effort, and attention on his t-shirts. Johnny ended up going to trade shows in Las Vegas and eventually â€Å"ended up getting carried by shops in Japan, Europe, and Canada in addition to a few other US locations† (Earle, 2012). Johnny had a turning point moment at that very same trade show later on that year. He realized people didn’t like having the same things as others and that they enjoyed uniqueness. At this point Johnny made the decision to pull all his shirts from retail stores. Earle 2012 stated that he â€Å"decided to make all of his t-shirts limited edition and exclusive, only selling them through his website† and later on in his own retail stores. As the Johnny Cupcakes brand grew, Johnny opened up stores in Hull, MA; Boston, MA; Las Angeles, CA; and London, England. Johnny states that â€Å"Above all, I’ll continue to focus on enhancing my customers’ experiences through my stores, events, website, designs, and packaging. I will never ever sell my brand to investors for all the money in the world. I think you’ll find that things will only get more interesting from here†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Earle, 2012). The Johnny Cupcakes brand to some can be described as streetwear. Hundreds, 2011 defines streetwear as â€Å"a genre of contemporary apparel, united between sportswear and military looks, and is one that speaks to a spectrum of subcultures (skateboarding and hip-hop mostly).† Some of Johnny Cupcakes major competitors are also streetwear brands such as Us Versus Them, Reason, Benny Gold, Situationormal, Flying Coffin, Clot, Diamond, Fuct, Alife, The Hundreds, A Bathing Ape, Supreme, and Rebel8 among others. These companies not only produce unique designs and clothing, they have a fan base, and what some might call a cult following. They represent more than just a t-shirt. They differentiate themselves by their designs, material, limited edition collections, and the customer experience. Johnny Cupcakes top products are his limited edition t-shirts, but the company also sells sweatshirts, hats and accessories. One of the things that make JC stand out is their packaging. The suppl ies the company needs and uses are not just clothing/accessory based, but just as important is their packaging. Johnny Cupcakes uses bakery style boxes with their cupcake and crossbones logo on it. The company also uses specially made tissue paper to wrap the bought goodies up in. The tissue paper is also marked with the JC logo. The are two major external factors that greatly influence Johnny Cupcakes as a company and those are the economy and trends. Since Johnny Cupcakes offers â€Å"luxury† items (those items that consumers don’t need, but rather want), the economy can play a significant role in their profits. When times are tough, like in an economic recession, the majority of people watch their money more closely. These people may choose to only buy things out of necessity rather than splurge on things they want. Another big obstacle that JC has to stay on top of is the trends of their market. Clothing styles and designs come and go, therefore, Johnny Cupcakes needs to stay at the forefront of what their target market likes otherwise they could easily become extinct. One way JC battles these two external factors is making every shirt limited edition. The limited edition status gives the feel of exclusiveness. People not only crave exclusiveness, but will pay top dollar for it. â€Å"Because they’re collectibles and not just apparel, customers are willing to pay $60 for a Johnny Cupcakes shirt–and even stand in line for a new release like kids waiting for concert tickets† (Spaeder 2007). This exclusiveness plays off of our cultures social classes. Most Americans want to be in a better social class. Exclusiveness is a trait that is common in the highest of classes. The limited edition shirts not only sets the standards for someone’s social status, but also keeps inventory at a low, making sure the products that are produced are sold. Having limited edition shirts erases much of the risks and fears of the changing trends of JC’s market. Since there are only a handful of the shirts available, they are long gone befo re the design and style gets soggy. Also, this allows the company to be very flexible with the changing market. The two major internal factors that impact the organization are how they enhance the customer experience and their product packaging. These are two very important factors that help create the Johnny Cupcakes brand. They are part of the JC culture and without them, the brand wouldn’t be what it is today. Part of the customer experience lies in JC’s three retail store locations. â€Å"They’re set up just like bakeries, complete with glass display shelves, employees wearing aprons and the smell of vanilla frosting in the air† (Spaeder 2001). During big releases or setting up weekend pop-up stores, Johnny himself will be there to greet and talk with everyone of the customers that walk through his store. This again is part of the experience and connection he wants his fans to feel when they think of the Johnny Cupcakes brand. Johnny thinks â€Å"nice packaging sets an experience, a memory, or a safe-keeping that is sometimes just as important as the product it self. I’m a sucker for nice packaging† (Earle, 2012). When conducting a SWOT analysis of Johnny Cupcakes, some of the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats have already been discussed. JC’s major strengths are the exclusiveness it personifies by selling limited edition shirts and the customer experience it provides. One of its major weaknesses is the fact that it only has three retail stores and an online store. If it were to grow (and being a multi-million dollar business it has the resources to do this) it could reach more of a customer base and increase not only its fan following, but its sales as well. A huge opportunity that Johnny Cupcakes has is the fact that it has done several successful collaborations with other companies including Nickelodeon and Hello Kitty, which expands its customer and fan base. As with all companies, a threat is competition. If JC can stay authentic to its audience then it will overcome the competition. As stated earlier, since JC is a luxury brand, the economy and trends are another threat. Listening to their market will definitely help subdue these threats. One of Johnny Cupcakes biggest resources and assets are its customers. Johnny Cupcakes has not only been able to acquire customers, but also fans and audiences (which is much more powerful). The reason the JC brand has been able to do this is because of the experience a customer gets when going into a store or a pop-up shop. When a customer sees their Johnny Cupcakes shirt they remember an experience they had when purchasing the shirt. I personally have two JC shirts (one was given as a gift so I don’t have an experience to associate with that but my parents, who bought the shirt for me do). I do have a vivid recollection of an experience I had when purchasing my first Johnny Cupcakes t-shirt at a pop-up shop on Martha’s Vineyard. There was a line of people waiting at a small bakery for it to open its doors. Everyone was unsure of what the t-shirts would look like because the designs had not yet been released. Not knowing what shirts will be sold definitely gives a little sense of excitement and surprise; and being excited about a brand goes a long way with customer loyalty. The waiting fans were given diner-like menus to see what shirts would be available. This definitely embodies the Johnny Cupcakes culture and experience. Once the doors were open to the bakery only a few people were allowed in at a time. This also gave the impression of exclusiveness. The limited edition shirts available were all Martha’s Vineyard related. Not only is MV a huge tourist location, but being a resident of the island I had a sense of pride and being able to wear something relating to the island meant something to me, as I am sure it did to others, whether they were residents or tourists gaining a unique souvenir. After purchasing the shirt and leaving the bakery, I was greeting outside by Johnny Earle himself who not only took a picture with me, but also signed my shirt. My parents had a similar experience, telling me what a meaningful conversation they had with Johnny. Every time I pull out my JC t-shirt, I remember my unique experience of t-shirt buying. Johnny Cupcakes is a differentiation strategy user that sells an experience, along with his products. The way the business is run creates fans. JC leverages the company’s resources, the customer experience, to create fans and a following of the brand. There are a handful of such loyal fans that fly out to all his releases to be able to experience them and not miss out on any product or â€Å"show.† JC, on a smaller scale, reminds me of the cult following of The Grateful Dead. Deadheads knew each show was unique and didn’t want to miss out on any one of them. There are many Johnny Cupcakers who feel the same way. On March 24 of 2011, Johnny Cupcakes went international and opened up a store in London. Johnny had previously tested the waters in London by way of pop-up stores. His store in London was a huge hit, and he plans on a huge one-year celebration. Johnny opened up his store in London the same way he started is brand and opened up his other stores in the USA, with no investors, partnerships, or alliances. He started off small and threw his profits right back into his brand. One of the things Johnny Cupcakes prides itself on is not having to use investors or other companies to grow their brand. Part of this is what makes the brand who and what they are today. By staying authentic and listening to their market, Johnny Cupcakes will be continue to be successful in the years to come. With more years of success under his belt, Johnny may want to fur ther expand his brand in the global market. References Earle, J. (2012). Story. Retrieved from: http://www.johnnycupcakes.com Hundreds, B (2011). The 50 Greatest Streetwear Brands. Retrieved from: http://http://www.complex.com/style/2011/06/the-50-greatest-streetwear-brands Spaeder, K. (2007). By Popular Demand. Retrieved From: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/177912

Empathy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Empathy - Essay Example They are crucial in developing ideas and solutions, in problem solving, effective communication and avoiding or preventing conflicts. (p.119) The idealization of empathy was first explored from the artistic field, where empathy is described as the emotion that one feels when seeing a painting or portrait that is passionately moving or touching. Empathy is beyond knowing the facts. It deals with knowing the sentiments that go along with the facts. I recall a time when a friend of mine was having relationship problems, and she tried to confide her feelings to me. I found it difficult to understand and reach out to her emotions because I approached the matter in a rational and pragmatic way. I was more focused on finding effective results to put her out of the situation that I neglected the fact that her feelings were also another concern that needed to be dealt with. As a result, my friend became frustrated and hurt since she felt that I was not very concerned with how she felt, and that I was taking the issue rather coldly and aloofly. Perhaps, if I was more mindful and concerned with her emotional disposition, and reached out to her feelings instead of treating it rationally, we might have developed a better understanding of each other and her

Stem Cell Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Stem Cell Research - Essay Example This is precisely what makes them so promising: the ability and the developing technology to regenerate much-needed body parts. What makes stem cell research so problematic however is the fact that embryonic stem cells, those that come from human fetal tissue, are the best source of stem cells. More significantly, the embryo is destroyed when stem cells are harvested. On the other hand, there are good arguments in favor of stem cell research. Primary is the undeniable need for human organs, a need that is not met by simply relying on organ donation. Other sources for organs are needed. Animal-to-human transplants are highly problematic both scientifically and ethically, and hence cannot be the preferred solution. The shortage for human organs makes underhanded organ sales in the black market profitable and widespread. Further, there are patients who are suffering from neurological conditions that can be helped greatly by regenerative technology. If the above can be addressed using do nated fetal tissue, then there is a strong argument in favor of stem cell research because of the potential for promoting the greatest good for the greatest number. It should be noted however, that there are also strong moral reasons for arguing against stem cell research. The primary reason is the seeming devaluation of human life as indicated by the term â€Å"harvest†, in itself a loaded term, signifying an act that turns a human embryo into a commodity. Second, there is a significant degree of moral reprehensibility in the act of manipulating an entity that is already a potential human being, treating it as a means to achieve other ends. These two premises harp on the notion of intrinsic value, that certain acts have inherent moral worth, as opposed to the aforementioned argument in favor of stem cell research that focuses on the projected beneficial

How is the quality of life in Houston, Texas Annotated Bibliography

How is the quality of life in Houston, Texas - Annotated Bibliography Example Houston has a wide range of entertainment joints with quality of products. The products have subsidized prizes through sponsorship by major industries. The city has cultural events that promotes the residents and promote quality health by providing information on the pandemic diseases and how to handle the diseases. It also promotes women and children health care through the social events within the city. The inclusion on entertainments and sports within the city promote unity and a harmonious living that creates an atmosphere of love among the residents. Houston is a city with family atmosphere to behold. The article gives a statistical overview of the Houston indicating a population of 6.2 million. It also gives reveals that Houston has major industries that deal with energy, aerospace and defense and Bioscience. This is clear indicator of Houston being the best place for doing business. The statistics reveal a 6.4% unemployment rate, 3.8% job growth and 5% above the natural average on cost of living. Despite the percentage in unemployment rate, the statistics reveal a growing rate in people indulging in business hence self-employment becomes a key indicator for good life in Houston. Houston economy has a broad industrial base with several sectors including health care. The only city that is home to more big companies than Houston is New York City. Houston is also home to the world’s largest concentration of health care and research institutions known as Texas Medical Center and NASA’s Johnson Space Center, which has mission control center. The port of Houston is ranked as the first in the U S in international waterborne tonnage handling. Houston has a reward of life in diverse and affordable real estate. The real estate available varies from a modern loft downtown to a traditional single –family home in the woodlands. The greater part of

Business plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 1

Business plan - Essay Example The Encore Specialty Coffee shop is a substitute to other coffee shops because it offers its customers a refined and calmer environment. The cafà © does not have televisions or radios. There is subtle music that plays in the background. Also, the pictures of local musicians are displayed on the walls. The cafà © has overstuffed leather seats and sofas that are like a library. While it pays homage to past times, the cafà © is at the technological cutting edge because it has Wi-Fi and the most modern espresso machines. The Encore Specialty Coffee Shop measures its success based on whether its market share increases, leading to a rise in earnings. Currently, it has a local market share valued at  £40 million. Its success arises from the fact that it offers quality coffee and leverages on its small workforce. The cafà © selects the best coffee beans from the distributors in Middlesex. Encore enjoys larger profits because of its small size and, thus, lower overhead. Its management handpicks the baristas and offers them salaries that equal other chains. The research was aimed at determining the market size, competition, business opportunity and market analysis of the coffee industry in the UK. Several research tools were used. First, all the coffee cafes in Liverpool were profiled. Particulars that were studied included their size, the number of employees, and the array of products they offer. Other information that was collected included their annual revenue, business philosophy and anticipation for the future. A lot of traveling was done to different parts of the city. Questionnaires and interviews were created to get the most relevant information on the interviewees. They included the customers that frequented this coffee house, the employees, and the management. Questions regarding the products that were stocked other than coffee to carry out co-marketing were asked. The internet was used to

Occupational Health and Safety Hazard Material Management and Hazard Essay - 3

Occupational Health and Safety Hazard Material Management and Hazard Communications - Essay Example 74-79). OSHA regards a certain chemical as hazardous if can pose a health or physical hazard. A health hazard is one that can cause a chronic or acute health effect on someone. On the other hand, physical hazards may include compressed gasses, organic peroxides, combustible liquids, explosives, oxidizers, flammables, unstable chemicals and water reactive ones. Chemical importers and manufacturers have the obligation of evaluating chemicals in a bid to establish whether they pose health and physical hazards to people (Robinson & Bird, 2012, p. 74-79). The Hazard Communication Standard does not cover certain product categories. These are wood and wooden products, foods, cosmetics, drugs, and alcoholic beverages packaged and sold for personal consumption. Drugs that health care providers and pharmacies dispense for patient use are not included in the labeling requirement. This also applies to over-the-counter drugs not to forget those drugs that employees consume while at the workplace like aspirin or even first aid supplies. While wood and its products are exempt from the labeling requirements, wood dust is included since it is regarded as a hazardous chemical (Robinson & Bird, 2012, p.

Media changes Essay Example for Free

Media changes Essay Media changes the rules of how we can view the world. It lets us see that there are realities aside from the reality that we already know. The media shows, for instance, how tragic calamities like tsunamis and hurricanes could be. It also reveals that public school teachers in U. S. could also be violent and abusive towards their students. Now, if these realities didn’t come out of media, would we know that such injustices and inequalities still rampantly occur in human existence? Media also spreads bad influences like violence and pornography. However, these should not constitute the only basis for condemning media. Pornography and hostility already existed decades before media came out. Negligence of parents can’t be blamed for this violence. But it we want our children to view wholesome materials, then parents should initiate a move in monitoring their children’s activities and orient them what materials would be considered as garbage. Youtube. com is just one of the popular forms of media where the people visit to watch and upload videos. While some other sites have a team of reviewers to check on the videos beings submitted to their sites, YouTube o n the other hand is the free site where people can easily upload and access even the inappropriate ones. Inappropriate means videos containing obscene, violent, and offensive language. Kids 11-14 can say that there are videos with inappropriate content. Videos like Hentai (a Japanese pornographic animation) and Harry Potter Puppet Pals are examples of videos that have sexual, gory and foul content. These videos are obviously catchy to children. Indeed, children should never be deprived of their rights to be educated of ugly realities but posting violent and pornographic videos in a site where people, even the young ones, often â€Å"drop by† when they’re on the net could be dangerous. These videos might bring shock to these young, or they might think it is okay to show pornography. With all these issues, parents should guide their children on what they watch and, in some cases, what they upload. Some of these inappropriate videos can only be accessed when he/she registers and must not be a minor, but anybody could lie about the age. It is also advised that children below 18 should have parental guidance, but some parents are not aware that these sites exist. Some parents are not even familiar with the Internet. If children are guarded at home, the could always go to Internet cafes if they would insist or too curious to access these videos. This could still be possible since some cafe’s are very lenient when it comes to censorship. In our generation today, technology is changing and evolving every minute. Though measures are taken and warnings are given, improvement will only be realized with the virtue of responsibility. References Media Awareness Network (n. d. ) Violence in Media Entertainment. Retrieved October 12, 2008, from http://www. media-awareness. ca/english/issues/violence/violence_entertainment. cfm