Unit 2 DB Introduction to American Court System Essay

Unit 2 DB Introduction to American Court System - Essay Example In other words, the Rules are purposeful in eliminating evidences that may lead to unfair prejudice against a party. One case that illustrates inadmissibility of character evidence in a criminal proceeding is the Greenberg v. Aetna Ins. Co., 427 Pa. 494, 235 A.2d 582 (1967) in which it was established that the plaintiff was erroneously permitted to testify that he had a a heroic record having served in the U.S. army during WWII (Pacode, N.d.). The admissibility of character evidence in respect of a rape victim as presented by a defendant is limited if the court case is for assault, intent to commit rape or rape. If the defendant seeks to use opinion or reputation evidence to show the sexual conduct of the rape victim, the character evidence remains inadmissible (Scott, 2000) as it may be inflammatory. The defendant, however, may only enjoy admissibility of character evidence if they intend to show specific instances of behaviour by a sex victim in proof of the claim that a party different from the defendant was the source of injury, semen or other physical evidence. Alternatively, the defendant may enjoy admissibility of character evidence to show that their sexual behaviour with the victim was consented to by both parties. In the two cases, the evidence is used solely to prove the defendant’s

Faster Fitness Inc. Case Study Analysis. Essay Example for Free

Faster Fitness Inc. Case Study Analysis. Essay This is bound to be a great breakthrough for faster fitness as a result of the introduction of Body Flex 100 and Body Flex 200. These brands have already commanded interest in many dealers whose orders in the recent trade show have even exceeded our production capability. Faster Fitness Inc. has the opportunity to exploit this new market for these machines that allow users a wide range of motions depending on the exercise performed. Body Flex 200 especially with its unique capabilities should be able to put Faster Fitness in the lead in exercise equipments in future. We have every reason to be sure of making good profits especially because we have a lot of advantages in the production of these machines. First of all, this new technology is patented to Faster Fitness. Patents are an advantage to the company as they protect the technology of the firm from being copied or adopted by other companies. A company that tries to use the technology without permission can be sued (Stim, 2007) under the United States law. This way, we are assured of market for as long as no superior technology overtakes us. The increasing market for home exercising machines in the United States is bound to provide the desired income given the unique capabilities of our machines which are specifically designed for home use. Resources required for the manufacturing of the machines are also available and what needs to be done is to organize for their supplies. Presence of a good workforce is also of great importance to the company. Though not enough at the moment it will work well with the few additions in the painting and finishing. There are challenges in that the production capacity is not adequate to meet the demand currently. The problem may not be solved until after a year due to the resources required upgrading the department. Inventory space is also very limited. The fact that staff needs training before the start of the project may delay production. Other details in this paper include quality control strategy selection, long range forecasts and profit estimates. It analyzes the whole production process for the production of BF100 and BF200 while analyzing profitability and efficiency in production through creating a production schedule. The production schedule helps in organizing the factors of production and ensures that the targets are met (Pinedo, 2005; McKay and Wier, 2004). Designing a production schedule is required in order to organize the production of the machines and also make sure that the customer’s needs are met. A production schedule according to Herrmann (2006) provides a guideline on the daily duties that should be performed so that no detail is left out in the process.   It also guides the employees in the daily duties as it provides for time taken to do each chore. Process and the production schedule. The process involves about seven processes divided into three departments. The machines parts components and other resources will have to pass through the various departments before they can be made into the final product ready for delivery. Production of the machines therefore follows the sequence shown below. The machine parts pass through the machining shop and welding shop for fabrication and welding. These two shops are in the machining and welding departments. They are then taken for finishing and painting before landing in the assembly, testing and packaging departments where they go through the final stage before reaching the consumer. Production of BF100 requires at least eleven hours (a total of 660 minutes) completing while BF200 will take twenty four hours (1440 minutes) due to its complexity and the additional leg press sub assembly. Consider that 300 hours are available for both machining and welding, 450 hours for painting and finishing and 150 hours of Assembly, testing and packaging. The schedule will be made to produce fifteen units of BF100 and fifteen units of BF200.   Out of the three hundred hours available for machining and welding per month, BF100 will take up one twenty hours (120) while B200 will take up 180 hours. Given that there are twelve hours of overtime per week then we can produce four more BF200 machines to make it 19 machines since they are more valuable to the company.

From All the Women Caught in a Flaring Light :: Gay Lesbian

From All the Women Caught in a Flaring Light Imagine a big room of women doing anything,playing cards, having a meeting, the rattle of paper or coffee cups or chairs pushed back,the loud and quiet murmur of their voices, women leaning their heads together. If we leaned in at the door and I said, Those women are mothers, you wouldn’t be surprised, except at me for pointing out the obvious fact. Women are mothers, aren’t they? So obvious. For My Daughter Who Is Not Mine When all the women in my life are mothers, what else can I aspire to be? Aren’t motherhood and womanhood so intricately interwoven so as to run into one another, to become one another? What kind of woman are you if you can’t add to the discussions in the doctor office waiting rooms about nursing this child or that through this malady or that? What kind of woman are you if you can’t re-tell the story of labor and delivery, recounting the hours, the pain, the excess or lack of your child’s hairiness over a church picnic while eating cold fried chicken and coleslaw? What kind of woman are you if you can’t feel the contradiction between the satisfaction of a job well done and the sorrow at a loss for being necessary when your child moves away from home? What else could I be but a mother? So, I am a mother, and yet am also not one, because I can tell these stories about my child with only partial knowledge. I am a non-biological mother of a child with tw o mothers, making my position ambiguous when I share my parenting stories publicly; though, at home, when Aedin calls out â€Å"Momma,† I’m all too happy to be the one she’s calling. The most common question we hear in public is â€Å"who’s the mother?† as people look back and forth between Rachel and me, obviously confused. It’s been asked matter-of-factly by doctors for their charts, shyly by new acquaintances out of curiosity, brazenly by total strangers out of nosiness, and sometimes not even spoken, but implied by a wide range of people knitting their brows in our direction in public places. When I’m out alone with Aedin, no one asks this question; I’m sure Rachel has the same experience. Now that Aedin is verbal, she answers based upon how the person asks it; since I’m her Momma and Rachel is her Mommy, she answers accordingly, but she only looks at them with confusion if they use an ambiguous word such as Mom or Mother.

Huntingtons Disease Essay -- essays research papers

Huntington's Disease Huntington's disease, also known as Huntington's chorea is a genetic disorder that usually shows up in someone in their thirties and forties, destroys the mind and body and leads to insanity and death within ten to twenty years. The disease works by degenerating the ganglia (a pair of nerve clusters deep in the brain that controls movement, thought, perception, and memory) and cortex by using energy incorrectly. The brain will starve the neurons (brain cells), and sometimes make them work harder than usual, causing extreme mental stress. The result is jerky, random, uncontrollable, rapid movement such as grimacing of the face, flailing of arms and legs, and other such movement. This is known as chorea. Huntington's chorea is hereditary and is caused by a recently discovered abnormal gene, IT15. IT stands for "interesting transcript" because of the fact that researchers have no idea what the gene does in the body. Huntington's disease is an inherited mutation that produces extra copies of a gene sequence (IT15) on the short arm of chromosome 4. A genetic base that exists in triplicate, CAG for short, is effected by Huntington's disease. In normal people, the gene has eleven to thirty-four of these, but, in a victim of Huntington's disease the gene exists from anywhere between thirty-five to one-hundred or more. The gene for the disease is dominant, giving children of victims of Huntington's disease a 50% chance of obtaining the disease. Several other symptoms of the disease exist other than chorea. High levels of lactic acid have been detected in patients of Huntington's disease as a bi- product of the brain cells working too hard. Also, up to six times above the normal level of an important brain brain protein, bFGF (or basic fibroblast growth factor) in areas of the brain effected by the chorea. This occurs from the problems on chromosome 4, where the gene for control of bFGF is also located. As of yet, there is no treatment for Huntington's disease. But with the discovery of the mutated genes that cause it, there is now a way of diagnosing if you will get it. This technique was discovered only recently and reported in the Journal of American Medical Association in April, 1993. Something that many people do not want to know. Because it can go two ways. Either you are extremely relieved because the test shows up negative,... ...d to get her Ph.D. In 1976 she moved to Washington to become executive director of the Congressional Commission for the control of Huntington's disease and it's Consequences. Once there, they discovered that Huntington's disease works by distroying the Ganglia. Then they decided that the best way to research Huntington's disease was at the level of the gene. They decided to loook for a "marker" (small identifiable piece of DNA) of where the faulty gene is located. This normally would yave taken 50 to 75 years to find. But, on a freak chance, they found it. it was the 12th marker that they tested. The discovery of the marker led to the discovery of the gene which won Wexler the Albert Lasker Public Service Award. The highest honor in American medicine. She also developed a test to accurately determine whether or not someone will get Huntington's disease. Wexler will not reveal if she, herself has taken the test because she does a multitude of genetic counciling, and does not want to sway her patients' decisions on whether or not to take the test. But, whether she tests positive or negative, Huntington's disease will live on. Unless scientists like Wexler can find a cure.

Harley Davidson Case Analysis

Case Analysis 2: Harley-davidson MKT 201:001 Long Island University Angel Pagan November 17, 2012 Case Analysis 2: Harley-Davidson This case focuses on the iconic motorcycle brand of Harley-Davidson. Harley-Davidson is an American motorcycle manufacturing company founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since Harley-Davidson was established in 1903, the manufacturer has experienced its ups and down. It especially encounters struggles like any other automobile industry during economic downturns. On the verge of bankruptcy around 1980, Harley-Davidson made a surprising comeback.This comeback was mainly a result of Harley-Davidson’s incorporation of customer services into its products, product differentiation through quality and design as well as focusing production on a consistently high level of quality. Today, the company’s annual worldwide sales total more than $4 billion worldwide and have an annual output of 200,000 motorcycles along 35 different models in seven product line s. With these results it is safe to say that Harley-Davidson dominates the U. S. motorcycle market and is also strong in Europe and Japan.Harley-Davidson does a very good job at differentiating its product. In fact, product differentiation is the main component of Harley-Davidson’s marketing strategy. They want to offer a motorcycle like no other motorcycle on the market at the highest quality. Harley-Davidson not only stresses its level of quality but its consistency of quality as well. Quality refers to the overall characteristic of a product that allows it to perform as expected in satisfying customer needs. Therefore quality can be used to differentiate products because not all products satisfy the needs of the consumer.Harley-Davidson offers many different lines of motorcycles including limited edition models as well as customization options. If the customer customizes the motorcycle then they should be getting exactly what they want at a high quality. Harley-Davidson em phasizes the consistency of quality as much as the level of quality because no matter how high the level of quality is, if it is not consistent then they will lose customers. For example, if you go to a restaurant that serves food the way you like it to be prepared only half of the time, it is likely that you will no longer go there.Then word spreads to others and they are less likely to go to that restaurant too. The same goes for Harley-Davidson. They want to ensure that every motorcycle has a high quality to keep the customers satisfied and bring forth even more customers. They also offer financing and insurance which helps differentiate them from competitors even more. Harley-Davidson believes that customer service is an important part of the product. They help differentiate their product by offering customers training, warrantees, guarantees, repairs and accessories.They want the customers to be comfortable with the employees and have a positive buying experience. Some dealers even take it a step further by offering a Rider’s Edge course. Since this course was offered at some dealerships, more than 150,000 people have graduated and earned a motorcycles license. This customer service section aims at the population of people who would like to buy a Harley-Davidson but do not know how to ride. They join these step-by-step courses with the employees and are on track to one day having their own Harley.They also offer a line of bikes for women and teach women how to ride bikes, pick them up, and assist them with any information they need in the buying process. They even have founded the Harley Owens Group in order to instill a sense of community amongst riders. There are over 1 million members. They have access to certain benefits, group rides, members only website, exclusive magazines, and a special customer service hotline. They even offer free tours at four of its factories, not to mention the museum.The Harley-Davidson museum is located in its headqu arters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The museum features exhibits from the company’s past products such as sample boats, bikes, snowmobiles and golf carts, to today’s models. They also highlight the company’s latest technologies, and inner workings of its new product development process. This museum may play a role in influencing how customers perceive the company and its products because they are able to see where the company has been, where they are, and where they want to be.It also gives the potential customers a chance to experience what it would be like to be a Harley-Davidson owner. They even offer a virtual ride bike so that people can almost get a first hand glance at what it is like to own a bike. Harley-Davidson has a very wide marketing mix. They have bikes that attract people of different sizes, styles, age, and gender. They offer a very good bike at a price of $6,999 for beginners. They offer a line exclusively for women with smaller bikes and a wide va riety of customizing products. They aim at creating a sense of individuality and freedom for the riders.As a rider gets more experienced they can trade their bike in for a more advanced one if they feel it is necessary. They also offer different styles of bikes for those who are experienced. They range from cruisers to choppers to sports bikes. In total there are seven product lines with 35 different models. Therefore the product depth is 7 and its length is 35. Below is a list going into greater detail about the marketing mix. If I had to invent a brand name for a line of luxury motorcycles I would call it the American Eagle.This brand name would especially appeal to the American market but would also be appealing worldwide. It implies a high American quality, which is luxurious and valuable and is consistent with the American lifestyle. Product †¢ The major product is heavy weight motorcycle of 750 cc for working out on heavy roads. †¢ A number of brands have been introd uced in its century of age, and each one was very integrated, well equipped and up to date with respect to technological advancements (Johnstone, 1995). The hallmark productions of the company assisted it to acquire eagle mark for itself. †¢ An excellent customer service is provided in case of any ambiguity, and customers are thoroughly guided for the upcoming brands. †¢ Deals in branded motor bikes and other limited sector of open market. †¢ Also deal in used bikes, there usable parts being repaired and introduced in the market at lower price range †¢ Spare part market has also got their name at the top of the list. †¢ Twin Cam engine is its major innovatory product. †¢ They also offer services for repairing. Revolution engine is also introduced on their innovation lists. Price †¢ Their prices are mostly maintained around a certain figure. †¢ The major revenue sector is heavy bikes along with spare parts. †¢ The company has been in crisi s for few years as its market share dropped by 43 (%) percent. †¢ The company is planning to eliminate its employees in the coming year for maintaining the company’s financial position (Wilson, 1993). †¢ During the time of crisis the vehicle prices were suddenly increased but now it’s being hoped that they will be regulated. Place The company has acquired 358,000 square foot plant in Kansas City for the production of Dyna Glide, Sportster, and V-Rod models. †¢ For assisting Latin American expansion n Assemly plant is located in Brazil. By establishing manufacturing units, a vast production was achieved (Margie, 2009). †¢ Harley Davidson is also moving forward to export bikes in India as well to increase its production and export sector as well. †¢ Harley Davidson also caters the motor bikes export in most parts of the world but it is not that much economical because of high custom duty for heavy machinery.Promotion †¢ Different marketing p olicies are being applied for the promotion of the company. †¢ Lucky draws are timely introduced, while promoting its political frame. †¢ Certain free services are announced for showing goodwill gestures on the new motor bikes sale. †¢ Some times fares are also arranged for bulk sales, especially when there is low sale time. †¢ Very attractive commercials are placed on different channels. †¢ Most of the magazines in U. S promote the company by its good coverage. References Pride, W. M.. , & Ferrell, O.C. , (2012). Foundations of Marketing. Pg. 77. Australia Mason, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning (2012, ). H-D1â„ ¢ Customization | Custom Motorcycles | Harley-Davidson USA. Retrieved. November 17, 2012, from http://www. harley-davidson. com/en_US/Content/Pages/H-D1_Customization/h-d1_cu stomization. html? locale=en_US&bmLocale=en_US (2011, March 8). Harley Davidson Marketing Mix | Marketing Mixx. Retrieved November 17, 2012, from http://marketingmixx. co m/marketing-basics/marketing-mix/159-harley-davidson-marketing-mix. html

Free Essays on Global Trends 2015

Global Trends 2015: Life After Pax Americana Global Trends 2015 paints a picture, which I believe to be congruent with Charles Kupchan’s article â€Å"Life After Pax Americana. Population increases are predicted to increase by over 1 billion, yet globalization – the use of technology to make the globe increasingly smaller – continues to integrate and connect the globe. After assessing the drivers and trends discussed throughout the dialogue, I feel over the course of the next decade a global landscape will emerge in which, â€Å"power and influence are more equally distributed across the globe† (Kupchan). Global demographic trends remain a factor. â€Å"The world population will increase by more than a billion by 2015, with 95 percent of that growth occurring in the developing world.† Yet in the developing-world urbanization will continue to boom, with approximatly 20-30 million of the world’s poorest people migrating to urban areas each year. These global trends will have lasting implications that will vary by state and region. Economically poorer states, or those with weak governance and infastructure, will encounter additional strains on their resources, infrastructures, and leadership. Many will attept to cope with the effects of globalization, and some will fail. At the same time, â€Å"some advanced and emerging market states – including key European and Asian allies – will be forced to reexamine longstanding political, social, and cultural precepts as they attempt to overcome the challenges of rapidly aging populations and declining workforce cohort s. In these and other cases, dem! ographic pressures will remain a potential source of stress and instability.† (Defense Intelligence Agency) In general, globalization is a positive force that will increase most of the world’s population’s standard of living, but for some, â€Å"globalization will exacerbate local and regional tensions, increase the prospects and capa... Free Essays on Global Trends 2015 Free Essays on Global Trends 2015 Global Trends 2015: Life After Pax Americana Global Trends 2015 paints a picture, which I believe to be congruent with Charles Kupchan’s article â€Å"Life After Pax Americana. Population increases are predicted to increase by over 1 billion, yet globalization – the use of technology to make the globe increasingly smaller – continues to integrate and connect the globe. After assessing the drivers and trends discussed throughout the dialogue, I feel over the course of the next decade a global landscape will emerge in which, â€Å"power and influence are more equally distributed across the globe† (Kupchan). Global demographic trends remain a factor. â€Å"The world population will increase by more than a billion by 2015, with 95 percent of that growth occurring in the developing world.† Yet in the developing-world urbanization will continue to boom, with approximatly 20-30 million of the world’s poorest people migrating to urban areas each year. These global trends will have lasting implications that will vary by state and region. Economically poorer states, or those with weak governance and infastructure, will encounter additional strains on their resources, infrastructures, and leadership. Many will attept to cope with the effects of globalization, and some will fail. At the same time, â€Å"some advanced and emerging market states – including key European and Asian allies – will be forced to reexamine longstanding political, social, and cultural precepts as they attempt to overcome the challenges of rapidly aging populations and declining workforce cohort s. In these and other cases, dem! ographic pressures will remain a potential source of stress and instability.† (Defense Intelligence Agency) In general, globalization is a positive force that will increase most of the world’s population’s standard of living, but for some, â€Å"globalization will exacerbate local and regional tensions, increase the prospects and capa...

War of the First Coalition in 1790s France

War of the First Coalition in 1790s France The French Revolution led to much of Europe going to war in the mid-1790s. Some belligerents wanted to put Louis XVI back on a throne, many had other agendas like gaining territory or, in the case of some in France, creating a French Republic. A coalition of European powers formed to fight France, but this ‘First Coalition’ was just one of seven which would be needed to bring peace to the majority of Europe. The early phase of that mammoth conflict, the war of the First Coalition, is also known as the French Revolutionary Wars, and they are often overlooked by the arrival of a certain Napoleon Bonaparte, who transformed them into his conflict. The Start of the French Revolutionary Wars By 1791 the French Revolution had transformed France and worked to tear down the powers of the old, nationally absolutist, regime. King Louis XVI was reduced to a form of house arrest. Part of his court hoped that a foreign, royalist army would march into France and restore the king, who had asked for help from abroad. But for many months the other states of Europe refused to help. Austria, Prussia, Russia and the Ottoman Empires had been involved in a series of power struggles in Eastern Europe and had been less worried about the French king than their own jostling for positions until Poland, stuck in the middle, followed France by declaring a new constitution. Austria now tried to form an alliance that would threaten France into submission and stops the eastern rivals from fighting. France and the revolution had thus been sheltered while it progressed but became a useful distraction with land which could be taken. On August 2nd, 1791 the King of Prussia and the Holy Roman Emperor seemed to declare an interest in war when they issued the Declaration of Pillnitz. However, Pillnitz was designed to frighten the French revolutionaries and support the French who supported the king, not start a war. Indeed, the text of the declaration was worded to make war, in theory, impossible. But the emigres, agitating for war, and the revolutionaries, who were both paranoid, took it the wrong way. An official Austro-Prussian alliance was only concluded in February 1792. The other Great Powers were now looking at French hungrily, but this did not automatically mean war. However the emigres - people who had fled France - were promising to return with foreign armies to restore the king, and while Austria turned them down, German princes humored them, upsetting the French and provoking a call for action. There were forces in France (the Girondins or Brissotins) who wanted to take pre-emptive action, hoping that war would enable them to oust the king and declare a republic: the king’s failure to surrender to constitutional monarchy left the door open for him to be replaced. Some monarchists supported the call for war in the hope foreign armies would march in and restore their king. (One opponent of the war was called Robespierre.) On April 20th France’s National Assembly declared war on Austria after the Emperor helpfully tried another careful threat. The result was Europe reacting and the formation of the First Coalition, which was first between Austria and Prussia but was then joined by Britain and Spain. It would take seven coalitions to permanently end the wars now started. The First Coalition was aimed less at ending the revolution and more on gaining territory, and the French less as exporting revolution than getting a republic. The Fall of the King The revolution had wrought havoc on the French forces, as many of the officers had fled the country. The French force was thus an amalgam of the remaining royal army, the patriotic rush of new men, and conscripts. When the Army of the North clashed with the Austrians at Lille they were easily defeated and it cost the French a commander, as Rochambeau quit in protest at the problems he faced. He fared better than General Dillon, who was lynched by his own men. Rochambeau was replaced by the French hero of the American Revolutionary War, Lafayette, but as violence erupted in Paris, he debated whether to march on it and install a new order and when the army wasn’t keen he fled to Austria. France organized four armies to form a defensive cordon. By mid-August, the main coalition army was invading mainland France. Led by Prussia’s Duke of Brunswick it had 80,000 men drawn from central Europe, it took fortresses such as Verdun and closed on Paris. The Army of the Centre seemed like little opposition, and there was a terror in Paris. This was largely due to the fear the Prussian army would flatten Paris and slaughter the residents, a fear caused largely by Brunswick’s promise to do just that if the king or his family were harmed or insulted. Unfortunately, Paris had done exactly that: the crowd had killed their way to the king and taken him prisoner and now feared retribution. Massive paranoia and a fear of traitors also fuelled the panic. It caused a massacre in the prisons and over a thousand dead. The Army of the North, now under Dumouriez had been focusing on Belgium, but marched down to aid the Centre and defend the Argonne; they were pushed back. The Prussian king (also present) gave orders and entered into a battle with the French at Valmy on September 20th, 1792. The French won, Brunswick being unable to commit his army against a larger and well defended French position and so fell back. A determined French effort might have shattered Brunswick, but none came; even so, he withdrew, and the hopes of the French monarchy went with him. A republic was established, in large part due to the war. The rest of the year saw a mixture of French successes and failures, but the revolutionary armies took Nice, Savoy, the Rhineland and in October, under Demouriez, Brussels, and Antwerp after swamping the Austrians at Jemappes. However, Valmy was the victory that would inspire French resolve over the next years. The coalition had moved half-heartedly, and the French had survived. This success left the government to hurriedly come up with some war aims: the so-called ‘Natural Frontiers’ and the idea of freeing oppressed peoples were adopted. This caused further alarm in the international world. 1793 France began 1793 in a belligerent mood, executing their old king and declaring war on Britain, Spain, Russia, the Holy Roman Empire, most of Italy and The United Provinces, despite roughly 75% of their commissioned officers having left the army. The influx of tens of thousands of passionate volunteers helped strengthen the remains of the royal army. However, the Holy Roman Empire decided to go on the offensive and France was now outnumbered; conscription followed, and areas of France rebelled as a result. Prince Frederick of Saxe-Coburg led the Austrians and Dumouriez rushed down from the Austrian Netherlands to fight but was defeated. Dumouriez knew he’d be accused of treason and had had enough, so he asked his army to march on Paris and when they refused fled to the coalition. The next General up - Dampierre - was killed in battle and the next - Custine - was defeated by the enemy and guillotined by the French. All along the borders coalition forces were closing in - f rom Spain, through the Rhineland. The British managed to occupy Toulon when it rebelled, seizing the Mediterranean fleet. France’s government now declared a ‘Levà ©e en Masse’, which basically mobilized/conscripted all adult males for the defense of the nation. There was uproar, rebellion and a flood of manpower, but both the Committee of Public Safety and the France they ruled had the resources to equip this army, the organization to run it, new tactics to make it effective, and it worked. It also started the first Total War and began the Terror. Now France had 500,000 soldiers in four main forces. Carnot, the Committee of Public Safety man behind the reforms was called the ‘organiser of Victory’ for his success, and he may have prioritized an attack in the north. Houchard was now commanding the Army of the North, and he used a mixture of old regime professionalism with sheer weight of conscript numbers, together with coalition mistakes which divided their forces and gave inadequate support, to force the coalition back, but he also fell to French guillotines after accusations doubting his effort: he was accused of not follow up victory quick enough. Jourdan was the next man up. He relieved the siege of Maubeuge and won the battle of Wattignies in October 1793, while Toulon was liberated thanks, in part, to an artillery officer called Napoleon Bonaparte. The rebel army in the Vendà ©e was broken, and the frontiers generally forced back east. By the end of the year the provinces were broken, Flanders cleared, France expanding, and Alsace liberated. The French army was proving fast, flexible, well supported and able to absorb more losses than the enemy, and could thus fight more often. 1794 In 1794 France reorganized armies and moved commanders about, but the successes kept coming. Victories at Tourcoing, Tournai, and Hooglede occurred before Jourdan once more took control, and the French were finally able to successfully cross the Sambre after many attempts, beating Austria at Fleurus, and by the end of June had thrown the allies out of Belgium and the Dutch Republic, taking Antwerp and Brussels. Centuries of Austrian involved in the region had been halted. Spanish forces were repelled and parts of Catalonia taken, the Rhineland was also taken, and the borders of France were now safe; parts of Genoa were now also French. The French soldiers were constantly boosted by patriotic propaganda and a huge number of texts sent out to them. France was still producing more soldiers and more equipment than its rivals, but they also executed 67 generals that year. However, the revolutionary government didn’t dare disband the armies and let these soldiers flood back into France to destabilize the nation, and neither could the faltering French finances support the armies on French soil. The solution was to carry the war abroad, ostensibly to safeguard the revolution, but also to get the glory and booty the government needed for support: the motives behind the French actions had already changed before Napoleon arrived. However, the success in 1794 had been partly due to war breaking out again in the east, as Austria, Prussia, and Russia sliced up a Poland fighting to survive; it lost and was taken off the map. Poland had in many ways helped France by distracting and dividing the coalition, and Prussia scaled -down war efforts in the west, happy with gains in the east. Meanwhile, Britain was sucking up French colonies, the French navy is unable to work at sea with a devastated officer corps. 1795 France was now able to capture more of the northwest coastline, and conquered and changed Holland into the new Batavian Republic (and took its fleet). Prussia, satisfied with Polish land, gave up and came to terms, as did a number of other nations, until only Austria and Britain remained at war with France. Landings designed to aid French rebels - such as at Quiberon - failed, and Jourdan’s attempts to invade Germany were frustrated, in no small part to a French commander following others and fleeing to the Austrians. At the end of the year, the government in France changed to the Directory and a new constitution. This government gave the executive - Five Directors - too little power over war, and they had to manage a legislature which continually preached spreading the revolution by force. While the Directors were, in many ways, keen on the war, their options were limited, and their control over their generals questionable. They planned a two front campaign: attack Britai n through Ireland, and Austria on land. A storm stopped the former, while the Franco-Austrian war in Germany went back and forth. 1796 The French forces were now split largely between operations in Italy and Germany, all aimed at Austria, the only major enemy left on the mainland. The Directory hoped Italy would provide plunder and land to be exchanged for territory in Germany, where Jourdan and Moreau (who both had priority) were fighting a new enemy commander: Archduke Charles of Austria; he had 90,000 men. The French force was disadvantaged as they lacked cash and supplies, and the target region had suffered several years of depredation by the armies. Jourdan and Moreau advanced into Germany, at which point Charles tried to force them apart before the Austrians united and attacked. Charles managed to defeat Jourdan first at Amberg in late August and again at Wà ¼rzberg in early September, and the French agreed an armistice having been pushed back to the Rhone. Moreau decided to follow suit. Charles’ campaign was marked by sending his surgeon over to assist a famed and injured French General. In Italy, Napoleon Bonaparte was given the command. He stormed through the region, winning battle after battle against armies who divided their forces. 1797 Napoleon secured control of northern Italy and fought his way close enough to Austria’s capital of Vienna to make them come to terms. Meanwhile, in Germany, without Archduke Charles - who had been sent to face Napoleon - the Austrians were pushed back by French forces before Napoleon had forced the peace in the south. Napoleon dictated the peace himself, and the Treaty of Campo Formio expanded the boundaries of France (they kept Belgium) and created new states (Lombardy joined the new Cisalpine Republic) and left the Rhineland for a conference to decide. Napoleon was now the most famous general in Europe. The only major French setback was a naval battle at Cape St. Vincent, where one Captain Horatio Nelson assisted a British victory over French and allied ships, which were notionally readying for an invasion of Britain. With Russia far away and pleading financial weakness, only Britain remained both at war and close to France.

My next level of writing Essay Example

My next level of writing Essay Example My next level of writing Essay My next level of writing Essay Name Course Instructor Date My next level of writing Writing is a key component of language. Writing is also instrumental in the expression of language. My learning experience has formed the basis of understanding writing and the key aspects it entails. I have also undergone through various basic levels of writing. The learning process through group discussions and assignments has developed my ability to express language through writing. The next level of writing will integrate these aspects in order to broaden my perspective in writing. The previous levels of writing have been a resource in the development of my writing skills. Every writing assignment was invaluable in sharpening my writing skills. Even though the experience in journal entry proved to be difficult at first, continued support from class discussions have assisted me in understanding various journal entries. In addition, I took the initiative to practice and read from other assignments through the internet and books. I am now conversant with writing in relation to journal entries. I have also improved on making various accounts for journal entries. The class quizzes are also a necessary intellectual challenge that has boosted my abilities in grammar and the application of various words in writing. Though I did not perform well in the initial sets of quizzes, the errors were corrected and the consecutive quizzes have marked considerable improvement. Class participation and discussion offer a distinct view from my writing experience. Participating in class helps me to correct my writing mistakes. This is because the instructor not only identifies the mistake I have made but also tells me why I am wrong. In addition, I am able to understand the concept further. Class participation also forms a system of support as the instructor identifies my strengths and weaknesses. Through this, I am able to work on my mistakes through reading and practice. The systematic approach undertaken in class participation also helps to have an extensive and detailed approach toward the learning process. The inclusive approach in classroom participation has also helped me in the learning process. Classroom activities have been essential in my writing development. I have been successful in sentence fluency. This is because of the practical classroom activities that encourage us to speak fluent English in order to improve fluency. I have also learnt to create proper sentence structures that can be applied in writing. The activities also aid in the process of sentence construction. With the improved sentence structure, my paragraphs are also well structured. These skills and activities should be carried forward to the next stage of writing in order to boost our writing capabilities. The next writing level should integrate classroom activities from previous stages particularly the use of voice and style. The use of dialogue to organize ideas is important in essay writing. The activities also help to show variations and the use of language relating to various environments. These environments are mainly formal and informal. Understanding the different environments and writing templates for both formal and informal arenas will be beneficial for college. This is because college courses require various formalities and understanding the difference in class will make it easy to integrate the current writing skills and methodologies. This is particularly essential for research papers and reports. Libraries are resourceful in helping students learn and conduct research. The assignments and quizzes required extensive research and the use of various books to expound on the designated work. In order for us to effectively and efficiently use the library, we were offered key library instructions. This is especially in relation to the presentation of the librarian. Without the assistance of the librarian, I would not have the ability to properly access reference books. The explanation on the various types of books and book sections has helped me in my research papers in ensuring that I have the appropriate sources. The approach of class activities and assignments integrated a system of collaboration among students. Therefore, we were able to review and asses the work done by peers. Reviewing the essays of peers also aids in correcting common mistakes and identify individual weaknesses. We have been able to work together and understand the various writing styles. We also work together to offer assistance in our areas of weakness. Through collaborative approach, we also undertake research and reading various books that are important in our writing course. In addition, we review previous topics and practice writing methodologies. We also undertake brief exercises in order to understand the next level of writing. Therefore, we are able to have before hand knowledge of the new topic and less constraints in understanding the concepts. In conclusion, the previous writing levels and classes have proven to be essential in my writing development. I have been able to improve my attitude towards writing and the various elements it entails. I am able to implement the writing fundamentals such as sentence structure, capitalization, paragraph structure, proofreading and self-editing to formulate an enticing writing piece. These elements will be instrumental in my next level of writing.

WRITE A PLAN HOW YOU WOULD POSITION YOURSELF FOR VICE PRESIDENT HUMAN Essay

WRITE A PLAN HOW YOU WOULD POSITION YOURSELF FOR VICE PRESIDENT HUMAN RESOURCE - Essay Example The Human Resources Department is tasked with specific functions to carry out its objectives. In order to perform these functions well, its personnel should possess the necessary qualifications, most especially, the person leading them – the vice president for human resources. It is in this regard that this essay is written to present a plan for the position of vice president for human resources in a particular organization. The plan would entail presenting the general scope of responsibilities and further detailing the specific roles and responsibilities of a vice president for human resources. In addition, the mission and vision of the department would be identified to present the focus or objective of the department and identify the department’s strategy to attain organizational goals. According to Wytenburg, â€Å"the Vice President of Human Resources/HR Director is responsible for establishing the company’s personnel base (employed and otherwise) and ensuring this base is adequate and appropriate to its strategic and operational needs. This role will often involve such things as career coaching and organizational development, leadership planning and development, and the planning and delivery of training and education.† As the Vice President for Human Resources, the scope of the responsibilities encompasses five functions: job organization and information, acquisition or recruitment of personnel, maintenance, development and research on human resources. The vice president is tasked to supervise, control, and direct the overall implementation of personnel policies while his or her managers and staff takes care of specialized personnel functions. The specific and technical duties of a vice president are complex and multifarious in terms of performing general management functions in relation to top management and to the human resources department personnel. The detailed responsibilities of the position require

Who are we to play God Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Who are we to play God - Dissertation Example The wonders of the universe and the miracle of life are becoming more known to our civilization now, more so than at any other point in human history. Developments in scientific reasoning and testing have allowed us to determine the underlying theory of many concepts. Technology has made this more efficient and facilitated some of the discoveries that have been made. In particular, one of the fields, which have been called into question due to a combination of religion, ethics, and politics, is in the field of biological engineering and manipulation.This is due to our high technological advancement in being able to accomplish meticulous processes as well as understanding the theory underlying complex biological processes. Stem cell research has been of high debate in this topic. Progressive society dictates that this is a normal step in treating medical disorders and learning more about how to manipulate biological mechanisms, however at what point does the progressive nature of scie nce override our morality and ethics? Although stem cell research has the possibility of sparking a new revolution in biomedical research, it is still important to recognize that there is a line where science and ethics meet, acknowledging that it is not a line that needs to be crossed. Stem cell research is a look into the future where diseases will be eradicated and a new biological science will develop, however there is controversy dealing with: the pros of research, the negative stigmata and ethical concerns of research, and the future of stem cell research as far as the benefits it can bring. Stem cells are a specific form of cell, which can be encoded to perform almost any function of a cell in the human body. They are hard to harvest due to the fact that as adults, there are very limited quantities of stem cells in the body because they have already differentiated, that is changed into the cell they were needed to function as. For scientists, finding an adequate supply of ste m cells was vital in order to keep the research alive therefore they turned to embryos. Embryos have extremely high counts of stem cells, especially in the early stages. This is due to the fact that as an embryo, the growth is occurring at an accelerated rate. Differentiation of different layers and the formation of all the different organ systems in the body requires a large supply of stem cells in order to serve their function in each of the different systems. The one drawback to the method of harvesting stem cells from human embryos is that usually the infant will not survive or there will be permanent biological damage, which could influence the biological development of the infant in a maladaptive way. Therefore, researchers turned to abortion clinics in order to use aborted fetuses to harvest these cells. This is why the topic of stem cell research is so closely tied to that of the debate of Roe vs. Wade, the argument of prochoice and prolife. Stem cell research in the United States has been extremely restricted by the government. There are only specific institutions and sites where this research can be conducted; federal funding of these projects is also limited. This stigma on stem cell research is having repercussions in the medical and biological research fields. Some scientists devote their life work to that of stem cell research, but are unable to pursue the research adequately here in the United States. Therefore, they leave the United States in order to pursue their research in countries where there are not as many restrictions on stem cell research. As a result, there is an increasingly dangerous hemorrhage in the scientific community as they leave to study in other countries. In addition, private companies have tried to take advantage of this situation by providing funding in these biomedical applications to keep scientists here (Brainard 22-25). However, there are movements in legislature, both state and federal, which are pushing for fewer li mitations in stem cell researc

Cost advantage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cost advantage - Essay Example Learning: Productivity improves as the process of learning to do a task attains peak level. It provides opportunities - from a complex machine center operation to even routine tasks like collecting stores or selecting a channel for distribution. It is one of the drivers behind the success of suggestion-box schemes, where employees with hands-on experience are rewarded for suggestions for improving efficiency. (your last name) 2 Capacity utilization: Resources of a firm in the form of different assets like men, machinery, money etc. are put to different levels of utilization. It is possible to improve the levels and achieve better balance in order to reduce fixed/variable costs per unit, with better volumes. Linkages: This explains the interrelationship between activities both within and without a firm. At the broadest level, the critical path method (CPM) or project evaluation and review techniques (PERT) can be seen as typical study of linkages in project planning operations. The id ea is to see that wastage and inefficiency is eliminated in completing different tasks that have dependencies. The Japanese inventory control system, just-in-time (JIT), is typical of the examples of deriving cost efficiencies of input supplies, a process in which even suppliers’ value activities are studied and improved upon to create win-win situation for both. Interrelationships: This is the process of identifying interrelationship of activities of the different units of a firm, which are amenable to improved efficiencies e.g., administration, recruitment/training or purchases. Integration: Popularly called backward and forward integration processes, this identifies activities upstream or downstream of the current operations with a view to locate opportunities for (your last name) 3 integration which would result in cost efficiencies/value addition or both. For example, a steel rerolling unit may examine setting up facilities for steel melting (backward) or end-product fab rication (forward). Timing: First-mover or late-mover advantages/disadvantages play a role in operational costs. First-movers gain brand advantage and enjoy premium prices but may be tied up with expensive/obsolete machinery or methods over a time; Late-movers learn from the mistakes of early-movers, employ more modern and efficient machines but have to fight entrenched players to gain market share. Also, market conditions and seasonal factors influence operations and underscore the importance of timing. Finally, a firm’s discretionary policies as per its objectives and goals, and institutional factors of agencies like the local/state/national governments and creditors, drive the cost advantage of a firm. Porter’s analysis also emphasizes the interplay of the different cost drivers and searches for scope for improved efficiencies, going beyond conventional cost accounting method. In other words, for gaining cost advantage, it is less important to know ‘how muchâ €™ an activity costs than ‘why so much’. 2. Analyzing and deciding steps The competitor enjoys an average price premium of 0.6% and lower costs of 0.5% on account of maintenance and scrap, resulting in net higher pre-tax margin of 5.1%, compared to my 4%. These cost benefits accrue to him due to the modern machinery employed by him. Since (your last name) 4 replacing my 30-year old machinery or charging higher prices is ruled out, I have to look for alternative ways to generate

North American Archaeology- The Middle Woodland Period in the eastern Essay

North American Archaeology- The Middle Woodland Period in the eastern United States - Essay Example The specific cultural traits that brought about the distinguishing difference as well as the explanations as to why the attributes were unsustainable to the late woodland people is discussed below in detail. What cultural traits are commonly used to define the Middle Woodland as a particularly progressive era in comparison to the Early Woodland? There are several cultural traits but all of which can be attributed to one cultural practice which was one of the most influential in this era and which made this middle woodland period experience immense cultural growth and cultural boom. There were widespread Hopewell practices with influence in the burial ceremonies, settlement, pottery, agriculture, ornament making using different materials among other practices. During the early woodland period, burying of the dead was not marked by making mounds on the burial sites but this was introduced during the middle woodland period as a sign of respect and to prevent people from occupying that l and. With the changes and improvements in the burial ceremony, there was introduction of mortuaries where bodies and bones of important people were stored awaiting proper burial in mass graves during special events in the community. This brought about status differences of the dead from the previous period and with it came social complexity (Sutton and Yohe, 289). There was marked improvement in the pottery making and the making of other ornaments in terms of materials being used. The early woodland period ornaments were made from stones and a few shells towards the end of the period. With the middle woodland period, stones were replaced with shells, copper, mica among other materials. This was accompanied by improvement in the skills of making these ornaments and even pottery. The other major cultural trait that indicates progress of this period compared to the previous period was in terms of settlement. Previously, settlements were scattered and not very complex. Concentration was also paid to the external of the settlements more than the internal but this changed. More concentration was paid to the internal of the settlement areas hence starting to decorate them. People started grouping themselves instead of living separately which brought about the issue of social complexity that had not been witnessed before. The grouping of the people started developments of centers and markets and even roads (Neusius and Gross, 477). What explanations have been given as to why the attributes that defined this era were apparently unsustainable among Late Woodland peoples? The late woodland period though expected to be even better in terms of cultural growth was below the middle woodland period. The main reason for this and which almost the root of all the other reasons is the settlement dispersion. Unlike in the middle woodland period where people settled together in large groups hence helping each other and freeing lands for agricultural use, this late period saw the po pulations disperse into different areas. This led to abandonment of some cultural practices like the ornament making, pottery and agricultural farming of subsistence foods like maize. The discovery and increase in horticulture also led to the change of the

Health Nutrition Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Health Nutrition - Research Paper Example In this paper, I conduct such an assessment using two methods- Diet History and Food Record. Specifically, I would be using a 7 day food record. There are actually four methods : 1) Diet History (DH), 2) Food Record (FR), 3) 24 hour recall and 4) Food Frequency Questionnaire. Although there have been significant literature regarding the comparison of the four methods such as that of Hopkins (2000) and Lubrok (2002) report on the appropriateness of using the four. Each method had its strengths and weaknesses. One of the most important issues is the degree to which the data can change temporally and spatially. Nonetheless, the study supports some of the earlier findings like that of the work of Buzzard et al (1996) where the use of more than method can complement the weakness of the others. That is, they can relate the consistency of the findings thereby making the researcher and the audience more confident in the findings. Why focus on only two methods The reason behind this is that DH and FR are the ones that are prominent and used extensively in the field. In an assessment study of what nutritionists recommend to use, Darwin et al (1998) found that DH and FR stands out above the rest. Nonetheless, most of the respondents favored DH better than FR because of the intensiveness of DH and because of the time span covered. FR usually takes a few days as compared to DH. In this study, I aim to compare Diet History with a 7 day Food Record thru a statistical report using a population of 41 respondents 19-41 years old. This study also provides an opportunity for me to better appreciate the use of these methods and gain some important insights in the process. Methodology Respondents For this study, data regarding food intake of from 41 respondents were obtained. To address the issue of biases regarding age, the respondents were chosen so as to provide a 19-41 age spectrum. Of the 41 respondents, 5 were males and 36 were females. Relevant anthropometrical data such as age, weight, height, Body Mass Index (BMI) and Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) were collected and compiled. Dietary assessment The data collection process involved the collection of the Diet History and the 7-day food record of the respondents. With a knowledge of the food intake, the total energy uptake (in kJ) and the total fiber (g) were determined along with the breakdown of the components comprising the total energy. The energy percentages included %protein, % fat, % carbohydrate and % alcohol. The fat category was further categorized into Polyunsaturated Fat (%PUFA), Monounsaturated (%MUFA) and saturated fatty acids (%SFA). All of this were determined so as to provide a complete picture of the fodd intake of the respondents. Data analysis In the past, statistical computations were conducted manually. With the advent of computers, such a tedious task has been automated. There are many statistical software currently available in the market but the most popular of which is the SPSS. I will be using the Version 14.0 for this study. For the purpose of consistency, all of the analysis was conducted using a statistical significance of 0.05. Using the Descriptive Statistics feature of SPSS, the mean and standard

North American Archaeology- The Middle Woodland Period in the eastern Essay

North American Archaeology- The Middle Woodland Period in the eastern United States - Essay Example The specific cultural traits that brought about the distinguishing difference as well as the explanations as to why the attributes were unsustainable to the late woodland people is discussed below in detail. What cultural traits are commonly used to define the Middle Woodland as a particularly progressive era in comparison to the Early Woodland? There are several cultural traits but all of which can be attributed to one cultural practice which was one of the most influential in this era and which made this middle woodland period experience immense cultural growth and cultural boom. There were widespread Hopewell practices with influence in the burial ceremonies, settlement, pottery, agriculture, ornament making using different materials among other practices. During the early woodland period, burying of the dead was not marked by making mounds on the burial sites but this was introduced during the middle woodland period as a sign of respect and to prevent people from occupying that l and. With the changes and improvements in the burial ceremony, there was introduction of mortuaries where bodies and bones of important people were stored awaiting proper burial in mass graves during special events in the community. This brought about status differences of the dead from the previous period and with it came social complexity (Sutton and Yohe, 289). There was marked improvement in the pottery making and the making of other ornaments in terms of materials being used. The early woodland period ornaments were made from stones and a few shells towards the end of the period. With the middle woodland period, stones were replaced with shells, copper, mica among other materials. This was accompanied by improvement in the skills of making these ornaments and even pottery. The other major cultural trait that indicates progress of this period compared to the previous period was in terms of settlement. Previously, settlements were scattered and not very complex. Concentration was also paid to the external of the settlements more than the internal but this changed. More concentration was paid to the internal of the settlement areas hence starting to decorate them. People started grouping themselves instead of living separately which brought about the issue of social complexity that had not been witnessed before. The grouping of the people started developments of centers and markets and even roads (Neusius and Gross, 477). What explanations have been given as to why the attributes that defined this era were apparently unsustainable among Late Woodland peoples? The late woodland period though expected to be even better in terms of cultural growth was below the middle woodland period. The main reason for this and which almost the root of all the other reasons is the settlement dispersion. Unlike in the middle woodland period where people settled together in large groups hence helping each other and freeing lands for agricultural use, this late period saw the po pulations disperse into different areas. This led to abandonment of some cultural practices like the ornament making, pottery and agricultural farming of subsistence foods like maize. The discovery and increase in horticulture also led to the change of the

State Court System In Indiana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

State Court System In Indiana - Essay Example The trial courts consists of (from the lowest to the highest level) city or town courts, it is county courts, superior courts and circuit courts (Indianacourts, 2009). City or town courts can be created by local ordinances meaning local law. They handle minor offenses, namely infractions, misdemeanors and city ordinances. Most commonly, this is where traffic matters are handled (Court Reference. 2009). Since city or town courts are not courts of record, their proceedings are not recorded. Hence any appeal from these courts to superior or circuit courts, they are trialed as if they are appearing for the first time at these higher courts. At present, there are 48 city courts and 27 town courts in Indiana with Avon, Carmel, Jamestown, and Plainfield as a few examples (Indianacourts, 2009). County courts handle contract (disagreements over written and oral agreements), tort (such as personal injury cases, perhaps from a car accident), and landlord/tenant cases where the damages do not ex ceed $10,000. Class D felonies, misdemeanor and infraction cases and violations of local ordinances are cases county courts hear. A small claims division is also available in county courts (Court Reference. 2009). Floyd, Madison, and Montgomery counties are the only Indiana counties that still have a county court system while the rest are upgraded to superior courts. Superior courts have general jurisdiction, and so all civil and criminal cases can be heard. Where no county court system exists minor offences and small claims are heard. The General Assembly divided Indiana into circuits, or areas based on county lines. Indiana has 92 counties, and 88 of these counties have their own circuit with their own circuit court. The remaining four small counties in southeastern Indiana (Dearborn, Jefferson, Ohio, and Switzerland counties) have been combined to form two circuits with two counties in each circuit. Circuit courts heard all civil and

International Trade and Finance Speech Essay Example for Free

International Trade and Finance Speech Essay This speech delivered by the Speaker of the House to a group of reporters surrounding the topics of international trade, foreign exchange rates, import surplus and how they each impact different constituencies. It will also explain why the government would not be able to restrict importation of goods from China, or if wanted to impose tariffs. The Economy and international Trade The United States was once the highest exporter in all the world. Today, the United States has a negative balance of trade, because of the fact that we now import more goods than we export goods. An example of an import would be oil. The oil that we have imported impacts our businesses and our consumers by making gasoline and other oil derivatives more expensive. This makes prices increase because consumers will have to pay for goods from the fact that the cost of driving will go up. This is a major reason why the government is trying to encourage the development of alternate forms of energy such as coal or natural gas. The goods that the United States imports are not always negative. American consumers have benefited greatly from the imports such as electronics or apparel that is made mostly in Asia. The cost of production for these goods are lower in China and most other Asian countries, making it much cheaper for Americans to buy these types of goods that are being manufactured overseas. The reality of international trade is that production will naturally shift to places where goods can be manufactured more efficiently and at a lower price. What the United States has to focus on is developing new technologies and products of higher quality. With a focus based on innovation and quality instead of labor costs. International trade has an impact on the country’s GDP, the financial markets, and importantly university students. The GDP of the United States becomes stronger when we export goods more than we import goods. If negative trade balances become consistent it can lead to deficits, which will in turn cause the government to borrow more. If the government borrows more this will have an impact on the financial markets which could in time make it more costly for the United States to cover all its deficits. We need to promote our exports in order to help the GDP and make our country more impressive to investors. A healthier economy will create enough employment for those needed, especially university graduates that will be trained for the field. The quotas and tariffs regarding the government’s choices has a direct impact on our trade and the relations that we have with other countries. Reducing tariffs and participating in free trade agreements helps our export businesses. This is a reason why our government has in the past worked for establishing trade agreements with countries as South Korea, Panama, and Colombia. When a free trade agreement takes place the trading partners will erase their quotas or tariffs against products from America, this makes it easier for us to send our products to those countries. Trade is a two way engagement, where both are finding a way to benefit, with consumers benefiting as well and our exports getting higher. Foreign exchange rates are the rates of one type of currency converted to another. Such as the rate for exchange between American dollars and Japan’s Yen which is 76 Yen per dollar. Some currencies are fixed with others. The rates of floating currency is determined by the supply and demand. An example is if the European demand for the dollar increases, the supply and demand relationship between them will cause the price to increase of the dollar in relation to the euro. There are many factors that affect exchange rates that include interest rates, unemployment, political instability, inflation, and GDP. When our GDP becomes higher and our exports become level with our imports, the stronger our currency will be and we will have a better overall financial health. There are some people that believe in protectionist policies that include restricting goods that are coming in from China and several other countries, including imposing tariffs that would increase costs for purchasing of goods in the United States. This kind of policy would be populist and fueled with the good intentions of trying to protect our American jobs, its actual consequences would be an elevating trade war with an opposite effect. History proves that when governments have attempted to restrict trade and enforced protectionist measures, other countries will attempt to retaliate and adopt similar policies. An example is the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which broke records by increasing tariffs on 25,000 goods which had an end effect of reducing imports and exports by 50% as trade partners began with similar style tariffs. This will translate into more unemployment as companies that will export their goods will see a drastic demand drop. Restricting imports from China woul d bring drastic measures from the Chinese government, and our companies would struggle as they would be unable to export goods to that part of the world. References Colander, D. C. (2010). Macroeconomics (8th Ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin International Trade, ISSN 0020-7810, 2011, Volume 45, Issue 1, p. 79 The Journal of Economics, ISSN 0895-3309, 2007, Volume 21, Issue 3, p. 105 Foreign Policy, ISSN 0015-7228, 11/2003, Issue 139, p. 20 The American Foreign Trade, ISSN 0002-8282, 12/1928, Volume 18, Issue 4, pp. 706 713

Aesthetically Pleasing Efficient Intelligent Building Skins Engineering Essay

Aesthetically Pleasing Efficient Intelligent Building Skins Engineering Essay Architecture is no longer static and unchangeable instead it is dynamic, responsive and conversant The idea that building skins reflect the skins of living organisms: properly designed, they breathe, change form, and adapt to variations in climate But can highly efficient intelligent skins still be aesthetically pleasing? A building becomes a chameleon which adapts. A properly equipped and responsively clothed building would monitor all internal and external variables, temperature, hygrometry and light levels, solar radiation etc, to determine the best energy equation given these conditions and modify the building and its internal systems accordingly. It is not too much to ask of a building to incorporate, in its fabric and its nervous system, the very basic vestiges of an adaptive capability. (Rogers 1978) The aim of this paper is to explore the notion of incorporating intelligence into a buildings faà §ade. The discussion about the energy efficiency of faà §ades has inspired many architects to no longer view the building envelope as static but as a dynamic being, that can adjust its shape, surface, function and interior spaces in real time in response to intelligent controls that monitor active feedback from the environment. Solar and wind energy, daylight, and water can be captured by buildings and reused efficiently. An Intelligent building is one that combines both active features and passive design strategies to provide maximum user comfort by using minimum energy. The intelligent faà §ade forms part of the intelligent building, it is what protects the inhabited interior whilst controlling exchanges between inside and outside at the envelope level. The plan being to respond effectively to changing climate conditions and inhabitant needs in order to improve functional performance. A buildings faà §ade doesnt just play a key role in the sustainability of a building; adding to both energy efficiency and the quality of the internal climate. It is also a fundamental part of the buildings aesthetic, adding to the structural outline and defining its visual impact on the urban surroundings. A faà §ade can only be described as intelligent when it makes use of natural renewable energy sources such as solar energy, airflows or ground heat to meet a buildings requirements in terms of heating, cooling and lighting. The idea that the fabric of a building can increase its interaction and response to external changes and internal demands with a prime objective of lowering the environmental load is an exciting concept. The facades almost become local, non-polluting energy suppliers to the building. The notion of intelligent building facades is not a new idea; however the implementation of high-tech skins has been slow. While fashionable and almost certainly advantageous, sceptical architects are afraid that operable components are magnets for value engineering or foresee them being stripped off their buildings in the future due to poor performance or poor maintenance. However, the rising cost of energy, latest environmental initiatives and the focus on the green propaganda has put great responsibility on architects and engineers to make continuous energy savings and this must be achieved through effective building design and clever management. Almost seven years after the European Union passed legislation requiring property owners to report on the energy performance of their buildings, a new round of tougher regulations is under way. Plans to revise the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in 2010 are expected to result in even tighter emissions targets for new buil dings. Gradually more and more architects are beginning to enjoy automating their facades rather than leaving energy-efficient functions to chance. Consequently, the crucial boundary connecting the interior environment and the elements is getting more consideration and consequently more animated. Most buildings today are equipped with increasingly advanced technologies, but few still seem to be utilizing the true potential that this green intelligence has to offer. The intention of this study is to take the idea of the intelligent skin much further and realize what could potentially be possible in the future. The paper will go on to describe the context within which the need for variability in building skin performance has arisen and demonstrate how such dynamic response mechanisms have been incorporated into the design and construction of three buildings; The GSW Headquarters in Berlin, by the architects Sauerbruch and Hutton 1999. The Debis Headquarters building, Berlin by The Renzo Piano Building Workshop in 1997 and the B4 and B6 office buildings in Berlin by Richard Rogers 1998. All three case studies are purpose built office buildings that were built around the same time frame and are in the same European climate, Germany. The climate in Berlin is known as continental. The summers are warmer than the UK and the winters colder. Summer temperatures can rise to 32 degrees centigrade while winter temperatures can drop to -15 degrees centigrade. After German reunification in 1990 Berlin was to become the gateway to the whole former Soviet Communist Empire as it was transformed into an economic epicentre by new investment from the West. A skyline of construction cranes rose over the city, citizens marvelled at the remarkable commitment to entwining a city separated for 50 years. Berlin bravely tried to reconcile its catastrophic past with a new visualization of the urban future. Potsdamer Platz has been the site of the extensive redevelopment, instigating all three of the buildings in the review. Because of this, the buildings should employ reasonably up to date technology and design, which can be effectively compared and critiqued in the study. Not only this, but through a growing trend, buildings that employ environmentally conscious technologies are still the exception in most of Europe today. However Mary Pepchinski explains why for many reasons Germany appears to be the leader Many German architects and engineers sincere ly care about the effect their buildings have on the environment, but others realise that new technologies will be profitable in 10 to 20 years time. Politically, Germanys powerful Green party also influences national environmental policies. (M, Pepchinski 1995:70) The overall purpose of this review is to determine whether functional and aesthetic value can be effectively combined in a single project while still managing to cut energy consumption. However to establish whether the buildings have aesthetic significance one must first determine the criteria for aesthetic judgement. Aesthetics examines our response to an object. Judgments of beauty are sensory, emotional and intellectual all at the same time. Viewer interpretations of beauty possess two concepts of value: aesthetics and taste. Aesthetics is the philosophical notion of beauty. Taste is a result of education and awareness of cultural values; therefore taste can be learned. Taste varies depending on class, cultural background, and education. According to Philosopher Immanuel Kant writing in 1790, beauty is objective and universal; thus certain things are beautiful to everyone. The contemporary view of beauty is not based on innate qualities, but rather on cultural specifics and individual interpretations. (Kant 1790) The criteria for assesing whether the buildings are aesthetically pleasing in this study will be based on two or more views, that of architects or journalists and my own personal opinion. Because judging aesthetics depends on individual interpretations, one is hard pressed to determine the answer, however if based on two views, both can be taken into account, and a conclusion come to. To asses whether the building meets the technological efficiency will be based on performance data or statistics and an engineers view. By also looking at whether or not post occupancy evaluation (POE) methods have been adopted at the as-built stage, involving the views about the buildings from the perspective of the people who use them. It could give vital information on building user perception assessing ease of use, controls, facilities and most importantly perceived visual appreciation. GSW Headquarters Berlin Sauerbruch Hutton Architects 1999 This landmark office tower is an exemplary example of sustainable architecture making use of energy-conserving features. It was the worlds first thermally flued tall building. The most important aspect of the low-energy concept is the highly transparent and dynamic high-rise faà §ade. Colourful orange and pink automated shading panels in the west double skin cavity manage solar heat gain and day lighting. These perforated metal shutters give the building its unique and ever varying appearance. They can be both pivoted and moved aside mechanically or individually by the user; therefore the composition of the entire west faà §ade depends on the habits of the occupants. This creates a distinctive ever-changing pattern causing the structure to come alive. Whilst elegant in simplicity, form and function, the design results from a highly technical discourse in which the engineering and architectural principles rely largely on each other. The design process involved a high level of collaboration between the architects and the engineers-Arup London. The multiple functioning envelope required the main elements of the building to be the result of excellent teamwork. To minimise heat loss both the East and West perimeter walls are designed as double skin facades. The West faà §ade acts as a solar flue, it has three layers; the inner layer consists of a double glazed aluminium curtain wall in which every second bay has an operable window. The vertical posts of this inner faà §ade carry cantilevering brackets to support the outer faà §ade this layer is single glazed and consists of 3.3m x1.8m laminated glass panels. Airflow within the inner and outer skins of the faà §ade can be regulated according to seasonal and weather conditions by da mpers at the top and bottom. Natural ventilation is brought in through the East double skin faà §ade. Fresh air enters the building, passes through the interior spaces, across specially designed corridor openings, and is extracted by the solar flue of the West faà §ade, which offers particularly good thermal insulation. The East faà §ade with its porous ventilation openings is like a smooth skin, where as the West faà §ade deep and separated into layers resembles a fur. (UME 2001:29). The reduced depth of the tower along with generously sized windows allows maximum day lighting, creating optimum conditions on the office floors making most artificial lighting redundant. The brief noted the building had to be a low-cost, socially sensitive structure, which addressed the historic urban context and street planning, but still provide a strong image as the headquarters of GSW. It also had to have functional quality in connecting new and old buildings whilst ensuring operational environmental efficiency. The overall aim for the mechanical design was to improve the buildings sustainability rating by achieving energy savings of 30-40% in comparison to an ordinary building. (www.arup.com) the structure is integrated in a three-dimensional composition, offering a working environment which is beneficial to team-working and customer-focused operations. In 1999 natural ventilation was reportedly used for 75% of the year and the building hardly saw the need to operate its air-conditioners. (NSG space modulation) In the Property EU Magazine M. Korteweg said The building is excellent in its passive control of energy consumption, with CO2 savings estimated to be 55% of equivalent air-conditioned buildings. (Korteweg, M) In my opinion the tall, slender 85 metre tall structure that is curved in shape adds an interesting addition to the urban skyline. The bright coloured red, pink and orange shutters on the West faà §ade are undoubtedly what makes this building stand out from the crowd. It looks like a radiant mosaic, very different from the silvery white East faà §ade. I consider colour to be a fantastic medium to address the senses. Colour is used actively in design as a means of generating atmospheric and distinctive buildings, and I think in this structure it works particularly well. It certainly looks the part but this buildings image is not just skin deep, it also plays the part in reducing emissions and saving energy. The fact that these vivid panels are not just decorative but also functional makes the building so much more fascinating. At night the exterior of the building is lit up, making it easily recognisable, even from a distance. Showing how functional and aesthetic value can be united fantastically in a lone project. In the Architectural Review magazine, James Russell describes the building as An array of energy saving strategies and staff amenities in a colourful, stylish package (Russell, JS 2000:156) Reunification put the site back at the centre of things, and the colourful new sun-shades on the west elevation energise the neighbourhood. (Russell, JS 2000:156) To sum up this sophisticated mix of bold good looks and intelligent features and to evaluate the success and failures, I would say that this building works astonishingly well on both levels. The building lives up to what the brief intended. The Debis Headquarters Berlin The Renzo Piano Building Workshop 1997 The Debis Tower was the first building in the initial stage of the huge Potsdamer Platz development, which was anticipated to give Berlin a new spirit. It is a pioneering energy-conserving design an exceptional example of environmentally progressive architecture celebrating design and technology. It comes across as being subtle and rather understated compared to some of the surrounding urban infrastructure. It has a certain graceful and distinguished modesty. The East facade of the tower is dominated by biscuit coloured terracotta cladding, horizontal and vertical terracotta slats create an accurately proportioned pattern, which expresses every floor and bay within an overall texture resembling a sort of skeletal skin. The building is technologically sophisticated; it has a highly effective curtain wall, which offers considerable advantages in terms of the preservation of energy, day lighting, user control and comfort. The interior skin consists of a visually delicate and subtle glass-breathing wall. It features double-pane operable windows, allow the individual inhabitants of the offices to adjust their own internal climates all year round by taking tempered air from the 700mm wide cavity for natural ventilation. The exterior faà §ade is made up of 12-mm thick, automated, pivoting, laminated glass louvers. The smallest amount of air exchange takes place through these louvers when closed. Allegedly the thermal devices designed for the faà §ade work so well that natural ventilation is used for around 60% of the year an exceptional percentage for a building in a northern climate. In addition, there is a 50% reduction in the energy consumption of the building and 70% reduction in the emission of car bon dioxide. (NSG, Space Modulation). Energy conservation was a significant aspect of the design policy for the building and the project was awarded funding from the European Union Joule II research programme to help finance the design of the facades. To create this environmentally sustainable building many factors had to be considered and contribute towards the design. One being water management. The building makes proficient use of the rainwater it collects, some of the rainwater is used to irrigate the surrounding landscape and vegetation of the building, some is used as water for toilets, and the excess is used to fill the nearby pond when the level drops. The building is accounted to save around 20,000 cubic metres of water a year. (Arch Review 1998) This building is very different from the first case study I looked at. It doesnt make a huge statement, clad in bright, bold colours and doesnt stand out significantly from its neighbours. I think it is delicate and rather subtle in the way it looks. A continuous rhythm of horizontal terracotta louvers interrupted by ever changing individually operable blinds, creating an interesting pattern. In the Architectural Record J.Russell gave his opinion of the building At some times of the day, the sun sparkles from the bevelled bottom edge of the pivoting glass panels; at others, it picks out elements between the glass walls: the vertical glass returns, the metal faà §ade-support structure, or the maintenance platforms. The terra-cotta elements dont move, but their raw-claw finish invites touch. The rhythms of open and closed cladding along with deepening and lightening shadows as the light changes through the day have their own sensuous appeal. (Russell 1998:135) To begin the process of discussing the successes and failures of the building, I am struggling to find a part of the buildings environmental aspects that can be described as a failure. Even tiny details seem to add to the sustainability of the design. The energy-saving approach of the facades combining terracotta and glass screens gives the building a visually rich texture and a highly practical purpose. The building has an innovative environmental approach and careful design detailing, making it an all round success. B4 B6 office buildings Berlin Richard Rogers 1998 Like the previous case study, these two office buildings were part of the much bigger master plan to redevelop the devastated Potsdamer Platz area of Berlin. In this dense urban context the aim was to produce innovative environments for businesses, which must be strikingly contemporary in appearance, and most significantly, utilized a low-energy servicing agenda with a high-quality user comfort. The faà §ades are made up of identical modules of which their basic identical construction can be varied by using different in-fills according to the orientation and performance requirement. This allows different parts of the building to perform in different ways, depending on its specific position. The materials used are clear and opaque glass panels, ceramic tile cladding, and external and internal blinds, a sophisticated mix, which allows the internal environments to be adjusted in response to the requirements of the occupants. The hollow core plan form of the office buildings is cut away gradually from roof level down flooding the atriums with natural light. The atriums are entirely naturally ventilated. In order to optimise the thermal conditions and airflow in the atrium computer simulations were conducted. Solar radiation contributes to the heating and thereby reduces energy consumption in the winter. The natural ventilation ensures that a comfortable climate prevails in the entrance area and the offices adjacent to the atrium throughout the year. A great deal of daylight enters the offices through glazing; this solar radiation is used to heat the fresh air from outside and naturally ventilates the offices. It was estimated that energy consumption in the office buildings would be 50% less than that generated by a conventionally air-conditioned building. When visiting this building what initially stood out to me was how much more high-tech it looked than the previous two case studies I had visited. The energy saving devices seem to stand out more and are what primarily make up the interesting, dynamic faà §ade. The building is made up of two blocks, symmetrical from the front. Similar to the GSW headquarters, brightly coloured solar shading blinds are used. In this case they are bright yellow, and feature at each end of the building almost acting as bookends. In terms of aesthetics, I think the building is visually interesting and fits in well with its surroundings. Kenneth Powell described the completed buildings as Striking expressions of the rise of an eco-architecture on a grand urban scale. (Kenneth Powell) The amalgamation of environmental technology and design in these three case studies seems to have created visually attractive and interesting facades that credit the surrounding city. However it has been argued that Design of such environmental screens has concentrated on technical developments with little appreciation that facades are the public face of architecture. (Moloney, J. 2007:461) this is a strong argument, which I cannot disagree with without taking every case into account. In the past environmentally aware buildings have sometimes been perceived as inept and unattractive. But times have changed. Technology and aesthetics should be able to run alongside each other in harmony. Architects are now beginning to use energy saving strategies to their advantage to create more unique, interesting facades. Solar shading devices can add a huge amount of visual interest to a building, creating an ever changing dynamic pattern, just like the buildings featured in this review. Climate change is undeniable. Therefore the demand for more efficient, next-generation adaptive systems for building facades is increasing. What has the future got in store for adaptive facades? New innovations in faà §ade design are primarily down to advanced technical developments in both computer technology and materials. The building envelope is a critical area of a buildings design, with the facade engineer playing a vital role in bringing the architects vision to life. New cladding materials and processing techniques are continually being developed in the search for better faà §ade performance, making the design and procurement of the building envelope a highly technical and complex process yet one that is still immensely creative. Various architects have presented performance-based prototypes as technological, social, and utopian solutions for the problems we face. Here are two examples: Adaptive faà §ade Fluidic muscle technology Prof Ir Kas Oosterhuis 2003 This was a competition, its aim being to come up with an innovative idea to create a faà §ade that has flexibility that will enable the occupants to have total control of the light levels in their immediate area, rather than have a centralised controller. Currently most solar shading devices have no facility for localised control and the whole faà §ade has to change at once and can usually only be set to fully open or fully closed. This system allows the building users in any part of the building to set their own preferred light levels. The muscles are made of silicon coated polyamide rubber with steel valves at each end, the shades are inflatable cushions made of polyester coated with hypalon and the whole assembly is joined by steel fixings. The structure is very lightweight meaning easy attachment to existing buildings with little disruption. It can therefore be used to enhance the aesthetics of a mundane building. The facade brings attention to the building by the way it moves, it makes the building appear as if its alive, as the skin pulsates and opens. Edge monkeys (theoretical idea) Stephen A. Gage and Will Thorne (British architect-academics) In an article published in the cyber journal Technoetic Arts Stephen A. Gage and Will Thorne describe a hypothetical fleet of small robots they call edge monkeys. Their function would be to patrol building facades, regulating energy usage and indoor conditions. Basic duties include closing unattended windows, checking thermostats, and adjusting blinds. But the machines would also gesture meaningfully to internal occupants when building users are clearly wasting energy. This sci-fi sounding scheme crystallizes the widespread concern informing many recent architectural projects. Today, activating a buildings skin is in fashion. From the robotecture labs at top architecture schools to interactive art installations. Aesthetics and technology are converging in unlikely places. Nonetheless, the mainstream drivers for interactive envelopes are sustainability and strict energy codes. Conclusion- At the conclusion of this review, I have gained an appreciation and better understanding of this new trend towards intelligent faà §ades. Although it is somewhat difficult to conclude this study, primarily because the outcome really depends on individual interpretations and taste. By comparing the views and opinions of more than one person, I feel an honest result has been achieved. Yet due to the lack of commonly accepted methods and relevant supporting data for technology, the assessment of the overall performance of the intelligent facades cannot be carried out. It remains difficult, if not impossible, to carry out a fair comparison between different case studies in terms of intelligence. The different examples show that there isnt only one intelligent faà §ade system but rather that depending on the case in order it is an individual solution according to the location and utilization of the building. As a result it proves difficult to compare the case studies in this report. How ever looking at them individually the environmental data and statistics collected all point to succesfull levels achieved. The facades seem to be doing their job by reacting intelligently to the climate and impoving internal conditions while still cutting energy consumption. The conclusion reached is that with the combination of these three elements: new technology, innovative materials and very good design, highly efficient intelligent skins can still be aesthetically pleasing. But do technically innovative buildings always come in such stylish packages? What twenty years ago was perceived as clumsy and unattractive eco-buildings and deterred architects from a design perspective is today an aesthetically interesting and multi faceted solution. In the design of new buildings, the sustainability aspect is particularly popular and the faà §ade returns to its initial purpose of representation: bold, transparent and sustainable architecture is implemented with minimal conflict as a general rule. Another thought is that intelligent facades are possibly perceived as being visually attractive because of their environmental advantages in a world where being green is in vogue. Or more philosophically, people are attracted to facades with moving parts because motion seems to herald change. Michael Fox an architect and robotics expert predicted Architectural environments will be increasingly smart and responsive and capable of complex behaviours. But one must question whether such promises have been realized? And what is needed to push the idea forward and turn the promise of extraordinarily intelligent faà §ades into a reality? Steps need to be taken to develop these products quickly. We are in the midst of global climate change, the way we think is changing and the way in which buildings are designed and made must also change. Adaptive, intelligent environmental strategies offer a critical contribution to the broad ambition of reversing environmental damage. Intelligent facades will, one day in the near future become a necessity/commonplace and that in time may hinder the obvious aesthetic merit of exemplar buildings like the ones shown in this report.

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Beltane Essay Beltane is the last of the three spring fertility festivals. Beltane is the second principal Celtic festival (the other being Samhain). Celebrated approximately halfway between spring equinox and the midsummer (Summer Solstice). Beltane traditionally marked the arrival if summer in ancient times. At Beltane the Pleiades star cluster rises just before sunrise on the morning horizon. The Pleiades is a cluster of seven closely placed stars, the seven sisters, in the constellation of Taurus, near his shoulder. When looking for the Pleiades with the naked eye, remember it looks like a tiny dipper-shaped pattern of six moderately bright star in the constellation of Taurus. It stands very low in the east-northeast sky for just a few minutes before sunrise. Beltane, and its counterpart Samhain, divide the year into its two primary seasons, winter (Dark Part) and summer (Light Part). As Samhain is about honouring Death, Beltane is about honouring Life. It is the time when the sun is fully released from his bondage of winter and able to rule over summer and life once again. It is a time of "no time" when the veils between the two worlds are at their thinnest. No time is when the two worlds intermingle and unite and the magic abounds! It is the time when the Faeries return from their winter respite, carefree and full of faery mischief and faery delight. On the night before Beltane, in times past, folks would place rowan branches at their windows and doors for protection, many otherworldly occurrences could transpire during this time of "no time". Traditionally on the Isle of Man, the youngest member of the family gathers primroses on the eve before Beltane and throws the flowers at the door of the home for protection. In Ireland it is believed that food left over from May Eve must not be eaten, but rather buried or left as an offering to the faery instead. Much like the tradition of leaving of whatever is not harvested from the fields on Samhain, food on the time of no time is treated with great care. When the veils are so thin it is an extremely magical time, it is said that the Queen of the Faeries rides out on her white horse. Roving about on Beltane eve She will try to entice people away to the Faeryland. Legend has it that if you sit beneath a tree on Beltane night, you may see the Faery Queen or hear the sound of Her horse's bells as She rides through the night.