Boeing 777 Finance Case Study Essay

Boeing is currently operating with the majority market share of the commercial sector of aircraft manufacturing. Frank Shrontz, our CEO, has recently stated his goal to increase the company’s return on equity from its current average of 12%. The following summary will delve into the most appealing project for the future of this firm: the 777 aircraft. The purpose of this new product is to maintain our competitive advantage in commercial airline production by completing a family of Boeing airplanes. The following net present value analysis will be used to determine the potential profitability of the 777 project. Our analysts concluded that a levered equity beta of 1.2939 was appropriate for the commercial division of Boeing. The levered equity beta was important to use due to its representation of the capital structure of Boeing and its value to the WACC calculation. This equity beta was calculated by removing the financial risk of four similar defense-oriented benchmark companies (over half of all revenues from their respective defense divisions). The Value Line betas of Lockheed, Northrop, Grumman, and McDonnell-Douglas were unlevered using the following formula U = (L) / (1+(1-t)(D/E)). The betas of these firms are important because by using the pure play approach, we can calculate an accurate equity beta for Boeing. Several adjustments must be made however, and those are discussed in the remainder of this paragraph. Once averaged, the Value Line betas equaled 0.4758. The next step required unlevering the total Boeing beta, which was found at 1.00. The formula used to unlever Boeing’s beta U = (1.00) / (1+(.66*.018)) = 0.9883. With the two betas we have calculated, Boeing’s unlevered commercial beta could be found. We found that the percentage of revenues derived from the defense division was 26%. The following formula provided the answer to Boeing’s commercial beta: U = (U-Boeing – (% defense)(U-Defense)) / (%commercial) = (0.9883 – (.26*.4758))/(.74) = 1.1683. After obtaining the unlevered commercial beta, our analysts then levered it by using the debt to equity ratio of 14%. The D/E ratio of 14% was chosen over the current 4% D/E ratio due to the additional financing needs in the future if the project were accepted. This yielded a levered equity commercial beta of 1.2939. The cost of equity of the project was then found using the equation: RE = rf + (market risk premium). Our team of analysts chose to use the long-term yield on treasury bonds in 1990 (8.82%) because it was similar to our investment horizon. The market risk premium is 5.4%. When these values are plugged into the previously stated SML equation, the cost of equity is (0.0882 + 1.2939*(.054)) = 15.81%. The return on equity for all-equity financing would be 15.13%. The only difference in the formula would be the use of the unlevered commercial beta 1.1683 instead of the levered commercial beta of 1.2939. This discrepancy between the two RE calculations makes sense because levering up increases the cost of equity. The weighted average cost of capital is then calculated with this equation: WACC = [RD * (1-t) * WD] + (RE * WE). The only new unknown is the cost of debt, which was 9.73%. The average yield to maturity of a AA-rated debt with 5 years to maturity is 9.73%–the cost of debt used in our analysts’ WACC calculation. Furthermore, a 34% tax rate and 14% weight of debt were used. WACC = [9.73% * 0.66 * 0.14] + (15.81% * 0.86) = 14.49% With all of the pieces of information our analysts gathered, the net present value (NPV) of all future cash flows could be found. Boeing has estimated the selling price of each 777 will be $130 million and includes adjustments for inflation over the time horizon of the project. After calculating the NPV over the 35-year project horizon, our analysts found it to be $1,736.34 million. Against our hurdle rate, the Boeing 777 project is very attractive. The key to this project being economically attractive is that the return outperforms inflation to provide real value to the firm. The sensitivity analysis provided reveals several gambles made by Boeing. They include the use of the highest estimated selling price per plane, units per year, rate of price increases, and market size among others. Even with all of the risks and estimations, Boeing should launch the 777 in October 1990 because the firm must not only stay competitive but keep their market share in the future. While the 777 project represents a huge risk with high levels of capital, it is a necessary risk since other firms are also completing their full product lines of airplanes. Also, the introduction of a derivative after 10 years and reduction in R&D costs could provide additional sales revenue and further affect the NPV of the project. While this project was certainly a gamble for Boeing in 1990, hindsight shows they made the right decision in creating the new 777. In October of 1990, right after the project was implemented, United Airlines placed a $28 billion order therefore â€Å"cementing the program Boeing was close to scrapping.† By March of 1994 they were already loaded down with 147 firm orders and 108 options with expectations of quickly increasing numbers. In June of 2008 it became evident that this aircraft had the differentiating ability to beat out its competitors. Headlines read â€Å"Boeing under intense pressure to increase production of top-selling fuel thrifty 777-300 ER†¦as airlines struggle with the soaring price of fuel.† In November of 2007 production of the 777 was sold out through 2012 and just 6 months later all remaining 2012 and 2013 slots were filled; the next available date for a new order was in 2014. Boeing officials stated they were â€Å"experiencing unprecedented demand† and were â€Å"producing at a rate of 7 [aircraft] monthly.† In November of 2011 the 777 became one of Boeing’s best-selling models, and on March 5, 2012 United Arab Emirates, the largest operator of the 777 with a fleet of 102, purchased Boeing’s 1000th 777, surpassing the numbers they forecast back in 1990.

Inequality in our Education System Essay

Education is vital to all individuals. It is the foundation of one’s development in order to achieve personal distinction. In addition, it also equips people the capacity to properly interact with other people. Education serves as a weapon for survival. It empowers one’s capacity and provides an edge in any endeavor that one wishes to get involved in. For example, in securing a job, a decent   and impressive educational attainment is one of the qualifications necessary in order to get hired.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Schools are designed to provide the adequate needs for attaining quality education. Schools should provide competent teachers, rigorous curriculum and modern facilities and equipments. But few   Americans are aware of the massive disparity and inequality that are consuming the educational system. Although it is not proper and ideal, the social status of an individual greatly affects the quality of education that one receives (Darling- Hammond, 2008, p. 208).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tracking, in the area of education, recognizes the gap between the low-income, minority students and their well-off peers. Ethnic and linguistic minority students coming from low-income background oftentimes only afford admission to general and vocational courses, thus decreasing their chance, if not totally depriving them from pursuing college education (Mehan and Hubbardm, 1999, n.p). Schools with high concentration of low-income and minority students receive fewer and poor quality learning resources than the other schools within the same district (Darling- Hammond, 2008, p. 208).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Along with medical assistance and social welfare, ideally the education sector should be alloted with a larger portion from the state budget and should be appropriately divided among all the schools. But ironically, educational fund in the United States has also been unequally distributed to all schools. 10% of the wealthiest school district in the most industrialized country spend 10 times more than the 10% least fortunate. The number of poor and minority students are definitely higher in the least funded schools, mostly located at the central cities and rural areas, which is lowly funded than the schools in the suburban districts. Recent study shows that Alabama, New Jersey, New York, Louisiana, and Texas and schools with higher ratio of students of non-White American descent receive fewer resources than schools serving a greater number of White Americans (Darling- Hammond, 2008, p. 208).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To address the issue of racism within the educational system, the idea of hidden curriculum was coined. Hidden curriculum pertains to the messages passed on by the organization or pedadogical institution apart from their public statements. The hidden curriculum is aimed to teach the students of school routines and to enable students in getting along in school and in the society in general. The messages in hidden curriculum may complement or contradict each other. In a way, it opens the minds of students to the possibility that some of the innate principles and natural laws enclosed within the democratic political system, may not at all times be practiced (Cornbleth. 2008, n.p).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Earlier studies proved that hidden curriculum conveyed in public and private schools were different. Public schools mainly focuses on academic classrooms with an emphasis on things like race, ethnicity, disability, and gender or sexual orientation as well as social class, politics, and culture (Cornbleth, 2008, n.p).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Over the years, we have overcome indecency caused by racism. As our culture succumbs to the tenets of globalization, people of different faces and races have been drawn closer towards each other. And this trend would ideally suggest equality among people born out of different ethnicities. The irregularities in our education systems rooted from unjust   policies have caused inequality in our schools.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Tracking, has kept the students separated from others based on their skin color and income. Tracking is therefore a form of racism, wherein students coming from different race and low-income background can never avail of the same oppurtunities, benefits and treatment that other students get. School funding policies branch from tracking, where schools serving more students who they believe are from inferior color and race, receive lesser funds than other schools. And last, hidden curriculum disposes messages that rationalized disparity among students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In any way, the school shall serve as an institution where values and culture formation is hastened. But if an important and delicate institution like schools inculcate disparity amongst the people, then students and the whole society will be deprived of the rights that everyone must equally enjoy. References Cornbleth, Catherine. (2008). Hidden Curriculum. Retrieved May 3 2008 from http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/1899/Curriculum-School-HIDDEN-CURRICULUM.html Darling-Hammond, Linda. (2001). Inequality in Teaching and Schooling: How Opportunity Is Rationed to Students of Color in America. In The Right Thing to Do, The Smart Thing to Do Enhancing Diversity in the Health Professions (pp. 208-233). National Academy. Mehan, Hugh and Lea Hubbard. (July 1999). Tracking â€Å"Untracking†: Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Educational Innovation. Retrived May 3 2008 from http://crede.berkeley.edu/research/tier/rb3.shtml

Employment in IT sphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Employment in IT sphere - Essay Example As the Internet is a constantly evolving entity, consumers will be impacted as well as there would be a perceived drop off in technological innovation for Firefox as they strive to replace a figurehead that had poured so much into the company. The issue would become at which point the line is divided between one’s own professional and public life. In the case of Mozilla, they lost a capable and qualified executive the effectively helped transform the company into what it is today. Were this behavior to continue for similar and like minded companies, such professionals would begin to think twice before speaking out on issues of importance to them, which in the end cannot be good for society as a whole.In most localities of the United States, employment is considered to be ‘at-will’, meaning that an employer is free to terminate the services of any employee at any time and for any reason, except for those specifically prohibited by law. Employers are free to termina te employment, as just stated, without the risk of incurring any legal liability for doing so. Similarly, the employment at-will doctrine means that an employee is free to leave their job at any time, for any reason, should they choose to do so. In addition, the at-will doctrine goes a step further and allows an employer to change the terms of an existing employment relationship at any time, without any overt consequences being levied against the employer.

Oaxaca Arts Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Oaxaca Arts Analysis - Term Paper Example The Oaxacan art identifies itself with the mountainous region in southern Mexico. Art was made, in the form of ceramics, carvings from wood and in textiles. Examples of some of the iconic pieces include Frida, Kahlo and the famous Zapotec themes. Mexican art is related to their cultural functions. The art is also themed according famous days in the Mexican calendar, for example, the day of the dead and other important days, since in Mexico art goes correlates with culture (Giordano, 1994). Ceramics Ceramic art is an integral part of the Oaxacan Art. The region has a type of clay that is black in color. This is the reason why the ceramics in Oaxacan Art are black in color. The color of the clay made the ceramic the perfect canvas for an artist to use their imaginations on since the color makes it possible for the use of a wide range of colors on the ceramics. The distinguishing feature of Oaxaca art is the black pottery painted with vibrant colors. The ceramics included pottery and ce ramic figurines. Another form of pottery that was common was green pottery, which was created by glazing. The final product was pottery with a glaze that was green. This is an illustration of Spanish persuasion in Oaxacan art since the Spanish settlers favored this method. The green poetry was commonly used for cooking and as utensils. The figurines created by ceramics included figures of the Virgin Mary, Frida, Kahlo. Figurines were also created for celebrations like the Day of the Dead and Zapotec (Ward, E. S., Ward, W. E., and Cleveland Institute of Art, 1986). Woodcarvings Oaxacan art is also renowned for its woodcarvings. These carvings are known as Alebrijes a term coined by a great Oaxacan artist Pedro Linares to describe his work that involved Paper Mache art. In the Oaxacan carvings, the trees commonly used by artists include the cider tree and an indigenous tree the Tzompantli but the favorite wood for the artists is the Copalillo wood. The carvings are usually carved into animal figures and shapes.  Ã‚  

Criminal justice Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Criminal justice - Research Paper Example It necessitates the placement of new cultural values that tend to focus on innovation and empowerment. Though much attention had been paid to the task of identifying the requisite changes, very little effort has been put into thinking as to how to lead these transformations. Thus, transformational leadership is of much relevance in the management of existing public safety environments. Transformational/Pseudo-Transformational Leadership It is important to understand the relevance of transformational leadership in the public safety environment, as the much needed changes can only be brought about by leaders who have a clear sense of direction, and a compelling vision as to what the system expects from the much coveted transformation and change (Rickards, 2005, p. 81). Everybody expects the things to change. Yet, there are only a few leaders who have the ability to convince and convey to the public safety personnel as to how do they stand to gain by extending meaningful contributions ( Rickards, 2005, p. 81). It is a fact supported by commonsensical observation that most of the public safety agencies today are overburdened, resource deficient and to some extent de-motivated. In that context a transformational approach to leadership is one that supports novel approaches centered on innovation and change. People employed in public safety settings do hesitate to embrace change because either they feel that it may not be appreciated by their superiors or are simply oblivious of the steps that usher in change. Thus a leader should not only be one who has a vision, but the one who is also able to translate that vision into pragmatic and realistic strategies that could easily be embraced and followed by others. A transformational leader guides by example (Rickards, 2005, p. 82). A transformational leader takes the initiative to embrace change, to bring change. Public safety settings are marked by serious and real life situations and challenges that can simply not be deal t through hollow lip service. Hence, a transformational leader is one who is not only able to establish the right degree of trust in the organizational framework, but also has the infectious humor and optimism that can generate confidence in the times marked by crisis and problems (Rickards, 2005, 82). Central to transformational leadership in any organizational environment is the ability to formulate, organize and communicate a vision. Yet, the fact that is mostly overlooked in this aspect of transformational leadership is that it is also endowed with the potential and opportunities to resort to unethical behavior and misconduct (Parry & Proctor-Thomson, 2002, p. 78). The problem with the contemporary public safety organizations is not that they lack transformational leadership, but rather the fact that the harbingers of this vision are mostly inflexible and harbor an absolutist approach towards things. The vision of this nature though may be effective in the short run, yet it by i ts very nature lacks consideration and sensitivity for many important things, and is hence less effective at promoting ethical conduct within organizations, thereby negatively impacting the levels of trust (Parry & Proctor-Thomson, 2002, p. 78). If a transformational leader turns egoistic in one’s aspirations, one may direct the organizational resources and efforts towards goals that may be deemed to be

Fast Retailing Group- Gaining an Edge through Continual Adaptation Essay

Fast Retailing Group- Gaining an Edge through Continual Adaptation - Essay Example According to the research findings, the progress of the Fast Retailing Group had been slow but consistent. This clothing concern grew from being a single store to being a regional chain and then to grow up to have an international presence. It would not be wrong to say that the Fast Retailing Group (FR) did face many setbacks and failures during this process. However, the amazing thing about this company is that its management learned and drew up lessons from these setbacks and failures and continually adapted the company to the ground level realities and challenges. The one big thing that differentiates Fast Retailing Group (FR) from other apparel chains is that it is a company that has a clear and precise vision and mission. The management and marketing practices of this company happen to be a direct outcome of this mission statement and vision. The ultimate goal of the fast retailing company since its current CEO Tadashi Yanai took over business had been to manufacture â€Å"grea t clothing† that satisfies the needs and preferences of a great variety of consumer segments. The move on the part of the Fast Retailing Group (FR) to diversify into a retail apparel chain was to a great extent motivated by the success achieved by many apparel retail chains in the West and the Asian markets. However, Tadashi Yanai was very practical in his vision in the sense that he made it a point to learn from the trends influencing the local markets. The company did make an effort to learn from the management and sales and marketing policies of the Western retail apparel chains. However, it does need to be mentioned that the Fast Retailing Group faced many setbacks during its expansion moves.

The Global Environment of Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Global Environment of Business - Essay Example With this concern, the brand adopted an important decision concerning setting higher prices for its broad array of products particularly in the European region in comparison with the US owing to the reason that the choices along with the preferences of the customers are quite dissimilar in the two business markets by a greater extent. In this similar context, one of the crucial factors that lead towards higher prices of lifestyle brands in Europe as compared to the US can be identified as the expensive operational costs. This can be justified with reference to the fact that Europe based customers are more trendy in nature than the US wherein Hilfiger had to raise its operational costs in order to comply with the requirements of the trendy European customers. Apart from the factor concerning higher operational costs, the other critical aspect which led to higher prices of Hilfiger products in Europe can be identified as the concentration of the retail market. In addition, the nature a s well as the preferences of the European customers can also be regarded as the other critical factors that led towards higher prices in the European region than compared to the US. ... rucial factors that led to higher prices in Europe as compared to the US, it can be affirmed that Hilfiger might experience certain major problems especially in Europe. In this similar background, one of the vital problems that Hilfiger might face is attracting along with retaining the customers from its targeted market segment, buying its different collection of products or brands. Furthermore, the other major problem that Hilfiger might encounter from having higher prices in the European region is decreased profitability along with productivity resulting in hindered customer satisfaction and lower retention rates over the long run period. This in turn might also hamper the growth of the company in terms of its market shares within the European region by a substantial extent and restrict its future growth prospects. To be mentioned in this context, the other problem that might be encountered by Hilfiger owing to its higher prices in Europe as compared to the US, is the inability to compete with its major rivalries and thereby accomplishing superior competitive position over its chief business market competitors in terms of weakening strategy in the area of brand positioning (Gitman & McDaniel, 2008). Question 2 It has been apparently observed that Hilfiger had to experience different national preferences while performing its operational functions in several nations throughout the globe applying a widely diversified strategic process. In order to effectively deal with various national preferences and facilitate the brand towards betterment, especially in the US, the CEO of the brand intended to adopt and follow the strategy of harmonising its European and the US collections focusing on increasing market share and customer satisfaction (Uclan, 2013). In this regard, the

Gay Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gay Marriage - Essay Example However, there are researchers who argue that it is not desirable to force homosexuals to engage in heterosexual marital affairs as this would ruin their personal and familial life. In this respect, Andrew Sullivan purports that â€Å"homosexual fathers and mothers who are encouraged in to heterosexual marriages subsequently find the charade and dishonesty too great to bear: spouses are betrayed, children are abandoned, families are broken and lives are ruined† (Persily). Thus, the proponents of gay marriage argue that it is better that homosexuals engage in gay marriage as they are unable to lead a normal heterosexual married life. They also argue that the homosexuality is not a mental illness and is an inherent character of humans which should be treated similarly as the case of heterosexuals. Both morality and religion condemn gay marriages; the concept of gay marriage is against the teachings of Christianity as it upholds that God has designed human beings as men and women to complement each other and marriage is the primary institution that unites both men and women.

According to the BBC, 'Britain is a surveillance society.' To what Essay

According to the BBC, 'Britain is a surveillance society.' To what extent does this compromise and conflict with people's right to privacy An Analysis - Essay Example Many critics were perplexed over the UK government wide usage of CCTV for surveillance as Britons always defending of their privacy at home. CCTV surveillance is concerned with social sorting. The surveillance system receives group and personal data so as to classify populations and people as per varying yardstick, to decide who should be targeted for suspicion, special treatment, inclusion, eligibility, and access etc. Oscar Gandy names it as the â€Å"panoptic sort† which is a discriminatory either fully or not automated technology. (Lyon 2003:20). The deployment of huge number of CCTV in Britain and its effect on civil liberties and on human rights, frequently is being debated across the nation. The main concern is that there exists no proper act or regulation concerning their use .The present UK’s coalition government has assured to initiate steps to address this issue and would look into plugging the existing holes like misuse of CCTV surveillance by authorities and to prevent human right abuses like invasion of individual’s privacy (Rowlinson 2008).... ( Wacks 2010:10). Prior to 1998, there were inconsistent and erratic voluntary Codes of Practices for the regulation of CCTV monitoring in Britain that were hardly adhered with. The legislation that regulates CCTV monitoring is of recent origin in the United Kingdom. The privacy issue was emphasised by the Human Rights Act, 1998. The truth is that there is even now no particular legal regime is existing to regulate CCTV which has probably resulted in the acknowledgement of United Kingdom as a CCTV surveillance hot spot. The only present regulations for regulating CCTV monitoring are to be seen in the common law on privacy, the Data Protection Act, 1998, the laws on criminal evidence which control the admissibility in court of info gathered by CCTV and under the provisions of breach of confidence. During recent times, the Information Commissioner issued both a Data Protection Code on Monitoring at Work and a specific CCTV Code of Practice which pinpoints specifically to the CCTV code and to camera surveillance activities. Recently, there has been an amendment in CCTV Code in the background of decision given in the contentious case namely Durant v. FSA. In this case, the Court of Appeal unpredictably shortened the broad interpretation of â€Å"personal data.† The camera surveillance in U.K had a serious impact due to verdict given in the Durant v. FSA where the Information Commissioner’s CCTV Code of Practice 2000 and the Data Protection Act, 1998 are applicable. Due to verdict given in the Durant case, the Data Protection Act is no more applicable to â€Å" basic CCTV systems† as they are not gathering â€Å" personal data â€Å" as regards to any citizen when they are able to focus on any individual or they are not intended despite images of

Owners Perspective During Preconstruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Owners Perspective During Preconstruction - Essay Example guidance of the architect/ during this phase maximizes the value added to the project such as, energy efficiency, space used, design, structural integrity, mechanical systems and market value. Construction project cost is a main worry for the owner, yet usually the estimating is carried out in too general a manner like sq. ft. costs or very late in design development phase. The benefits that the estimating process brings are likely to be missed if the estimator comes in at the last part of the design phase to execute an Engineers Estimate. These benefits consist of project feasibility, budget development, scope definition, realistic input to the VE as well as VA process, documents’ quality control, input to the designers as well as owners decision making course, format of the bid, clarity of scope, and projects’ bid-ability. The usual project usually overruns its cost estimation. Overruns are frequent on governmental as well as commercial projects, even when changes are considered. The reason this occurs is because estimating traditionally does not take into account the threat that the work will in point of fact cost less or more than offered by the most proficient estimate. In order to settle on a more suitable contingency, use of a quantitative risk assessment is encouraged. Nevertheless, risk assessment has been mainly ignored for larger projects as a part of the approximating process in addition to the development of the budget. Risk assessment is currently getting more popular; it is being talked and considered a lot more than it was in the past. Major projects, mainly those in the Design-Build or some using an optional delivery technique, the teams involved in design, building, and project controls work jointly developing the design, approximations, budgets, as well as schedules in juxtaposition with each other or concomitantly (Demkin 569). Incorporated cost along with plan risk assessments can thrive in this setting. Nevertheless, in spite of the

District Nurse Essay Example for Free

District Nurse Essay Who is a district nurse? A district nurse is a type of nurse that works in the community rather in the hospitals. They help by supporting and caring for the patients in care homes or residential homes. P1. Identify the forms of communication. Working in care is about communication and relationship .It is simply not possible to provide care without developing communication or relationship with the patients. That’s why it is important as a carer to know how to build a relationship with the patients. Communication is about much more than just conversation. There are three forms of communication they are: 1. Contexts. 2. Forms of communication. 3. Alternative forms of communication. M1. Describe the forms of communication. Today we will be looking at one of the forms of communication which is contexts. Some of the examples of contexts communication are: 1. One to one. 2. Groups. 3. Formal and informal. 4. With people using services. 5. Colleagues 6. Managers. One to one One-to-one in communicationis the act of an individual communicating with another. It is also called face to face communication. Groups. Group communication refers to communication between 3 or more individuals. Informal. Informal communication is less defined by strict measures and is characterized by colloquial language.The Antonym of informal is formal where formal communication is associated with the use of official medical/scientific language in documentation and to systematic policies and procedures. Both types of health information communication play important roles in shaping patient behaviour, ensuring patient safety and promoting the delivery of quality health. With people using services. It is good to have a fluent communication with the people using services and show them kindness so more people can come and use your service in a suitable way. Mangers. Every company has a manger and the work of the managers is to manage the company and make sure everything is running as expected. Managers mostly interact with their employers and see how far or how well they car doing the job. Colleagues. Colleagues are the people you work with let it be in a business area or other work places. Having a colleague is a good thing because you might feel more confident in talking to him.her. FORMS OF COMMUNICATION. This topic looks at forms of communication. There are many forms of communication that people around the world use to communicate with others. They are: 1. Verbal communication. 2. Non-verbal communication 3. Written communication. Verbal and non-verbal communication. Verbal communication refers to the way someone communicates by using words to present thoughts, ideas and feelings. Basically verbal communication is the ability to explain and show your ideas clearly through the spoken words. Unlike verbal communication, non-verbal communication refers to the messages people send out to express their thoughts and ideas without talking. There are many ways how non-verbal communications e.g. 1. Body language. 2. Facial expression. 3. Touch or contact. 4. Signs symbols and pictures. Body language. Body language is a type of non-verbal communication where by is the way to communicate by using your body instead of talking. For example the way someone sits or stands which is called posture can send messages. Head movement and hand movement might also indicate that you are sending or passing out a message. Facial expression. Facial expression refers to the way someone communicates by using his or her face. We can often tell how someone is feeling by looking at their face. For example if someone is happy there is a smile on her/his face. if someone is excited his/her eyes become wider. Touch or contact. Communicating through touch is another important nonverbal behavior. There has been a substantial amount of research on the importance of touch in infancy and early childhood. The deprivation of touch and contact impedes development. Touch can be used to communicate affection, familiarity, sympathy and other emotions. Signs, symbols and pictures. There are common signs and gestures that majority of people recognize without being taught. There are different types of signs that people and have a meaning. For example when waving to someone that means you are passing a message using signs. Symbols and pictures of all kind of different objects also communicate messages. Written communication. Written communication has great significance in today’s world. It is an innovative activity of the mind.. Speech came before writing. But writing is more unique and formal than speech. Effective writing involves careful choice of words, their organization in correct order in sentences formation as well as cohesive composition of sentences. Also, writing is more valid and reliable than speech. But while speech is spontaneous, writing causes delay and takes time as feedback is not immediate. Alternative forms of communication. There are many types of alternative forms of communication they are 1. Sign language. 2. Makaton. 3. Braille. 4. Technological aids. 5. Human aids. Sign language. As we said earlier sign language is the use of your body parts like facial expression, position, movement of the hands and arms. Sign language is mostly used by the disable people who have bad hearing problem. Makaton Language programme which uses signs and symbols to teach communication, language and literacy skills to people with communication and learning difficulties. It is designed to provide a means of communication to individuals who cannot communicate efficiently by speaking. Makaton has been effectively used with individuals who have cognitive impairments Braille. Braille is a system of writing for the blind consisting of raised dots that can be interpreted by touch, each dot or group of dots representing a letter, numeral, or punctuation mark Braille was devised in 1821 by Louise Braille, a Frenchman.. Technological aids. Basically a technological aid refers to the electronic aids people around the world use for communication. For examples mobile phones are used to pass messages from one person to another either by making calls or sending text messages. Computer is another technological aid that we use to do research and also for communication. Human aids. Human aids are special skilled people who help people communicate with each other. Examples are: 1. Interpreters. 2. Translators. 3. Signers. Interpreters and translators :.Interpreters are people who translate orally, while a translator interprets written text. Both interpreting and translation presuppose a certain love of language and deep knowledge of more than one tongue. The key skill of a very good translator is the ability to write well, to express him/her clearly in the target language. That is why professional translators almost always work in only one direction, translating only into their native language. Even bilingual individuals rarely can express themselves in a given subject equally well in two languages. And many excellent translators are far from being bilingual they may not be, and need not be, fluent speakers of the source language (the language of the original text being translated). The key skills of the translator are the ability to understand the source language and the culture of the country where the text originated, and, using a good library of dictionaries and reference materials, renders that material into the target language. An interpreter, on the other hand, has to be able to translate in both directions, without the use of any dictionaries, on the spot. .

Video Game To Movie Cross Media Film Studies Essay

Video Game To Movie Cross Media Film Studies Essay Following the Teaser Show the benefits, its about selling your service. If the service allows them to win money this should be clear, if its of a narrative experience then the teaser, should have that inherent embedded into it. Reeling Them In- You need to constantly appeal to your audience and give a sense that your service is worth spending more time in. This is where meticulous planning of phased releases of story fragments across the media channels comes into its own. To some extent this is no different from a series editor/writer who has to arc each episodes narrative to keep them coming back for more. 2.2.4 Breaking the Fourth Wall Usually seen as an ad or end credit sequence where the voice over tells you why it is worth your while to carry on somewhere else with them. Breaks the fourth wall but is a clear directive. 2.2.5 Parallel Dimension There is something on another platform running synchronous to the one you are watching. Such as watching football on TV, while listening to Radio 5, because I prefer a more in-depth commentary. Now of course there are many other parallel channels. Web, mobile and TV all running along with each other. I am more and more involved with parallels between real and virtual worlds. The techniques to draw audiences into these experiences are often inherent in the service such that if you are on one you can actually see the other one taking place. 2.2.6 On Their Own The expectation from the audience that there will be other media elsewhere drives their journey through the story. The technique here is the hardest to identify but it follows the same technique of designing a physical hunt. You hide things, dont give easy clues and then set the ground rules. They expect something on all platforms and this is where the term cross-media will eventually become redundant. All properties will have something on all platforms, the same way DVDs now all have extras. If they have enjoyed cross-media experiences from you before they will come back. It is about trust, being consistent and giving them a media world to play in. 2.3 Franchise A franchise is a property which involves characters, settings and trademarks of original media. This can be a film, a piece of literature a TV program or a video game. Generally, a whole series is made in a particular medium, and multiple sequels are often planned well in advance. The most famous franchise to use Cross-Media Narrative is the Star Wars Saga, since its creation in 1977 it still expands its universe to the present day (2010). It consists of 6 feature films, and has since been extended, to more films, radio films, books, comic books, Animated TV series and also Video Games. Star Wars is an epic science fiction franchise conceived by George Lucas. It is best known for its 6 feature films, this consisted of two trilogies, the original trilogy and then the prequel trilogy. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, by 20th Century Fox, and it became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, the film spawned two immediate sequels, released at three-year intervals. Sixteen years after the release of the first trilogys final film, the first in a new prequel trilogy of films was released, again released at three-year intervals, with the final film released on May 19, 2005. Other Media, in which the Star Wars film series has spawned, includes books, a TV series, video games, and comic books. All of this supplements to the film trilogies and comprises the Star Wars Expanded Universe, which is an umbrella term for officially licensed Star Wars material outside of the six feature films and keeps the franchise going in the interim between the film trilogies. In 2008, a 7th film was released to theaters, Star Wars: The Clone Wars and it was the first ever worldwide theatrical Star Wars film outside of the main trilogies. It was the franchises first animated film, and was created as an introduction to the TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a CGI animated series. Since the creation Star Wars in 1977, the franchise keeps on expanding and each type of media created still stays within the Star Wars timeline of events taking place anywhere from 25,000 years before Episode 1: The Phantom Menace to 140 years after Episode 6: Return of the Jedi. George Lucas retains artistic control over the Star Wars universe. For example, the death of central characters and similar changes in the status quo must first pass his screening before authors are given the go-ahead. In addition, Lucasfilm Licensing devotes efforts to ensure continuity between the works of various authors across companies. George Lucas has played a large role in the production of various television projects, usually serving as storywriter or executive producer, as mentioned in Pablo Hidalgos article From EU to Episode II: Aayla Secura. Star Wars has had a number of radio adaptations, such as A New Hope which was first broadcast on National public radio in 1981(StarWars.com 2010) Since the creation Star Wars in 1977, so many different types of media have been created, even now there is currently the idea of a Blu-ray release and 3D release of the trilogies, all of this keeps the Star Wars franchise alive. As you can see the Star Wars franchise is so huge and successful it is a prime example of how cross-media narrative is used and been effective. Other successful franchises are Indiana Jones, Batman, Superman, X-Men and others. Now is this purely for the viewers benefit or is it for financial profit for the studio. This is what I hope to find out. 3 Types of Cross-Media Currently the main types of cross-media are TV shows that have been made into films and also TV shows that have created webisodes. Also I will show films that have spawned video games and video game that have spawned films. I will cover all these topics in this section, giving examples of franchises that have expanded there universe, a quick example being how Batman has gone on to make films, video games, cartoons, TV series, comics etc. 3.1 TV Shows made into Films Now and then certain TV Shows, are that successful that Films are made from the series, a good example of this is Sex and the City, and also the series Police Squad which went on to make the Naked Gun Trilogy. Sex and the City Sex and the City is an American Television series. The original run of the show was broadcast on HBO from 1998 until 2004, for a total of ninety-four episodes. The show was set in New York City, and it focused on four American women, three of them in their mid-thirties and one in her forties. The series had multiple continuing story lines throughout episodes and seasons and it tackled socially relevant issues such as sexually transmitted diseases, safe sex, and promiscuity. It specifically examined the lives of big-city professional women in the late 1990s/early 2000s and how changing roles and expectations for women affected the characters. A feature film based on Sex and the City has been produced. The film originally was slated for production near the end of the broadcast series run in 2004, but the movie deal fell through at that time. The film was later released in 2008 and Michael Patrick King wrote and directed. The four lead actresses returned to reprise their roles, and Chris Noth signed to reprise his role as Mr. Big. The plot of the film revolves around the lives of the four main characters, four years after the time frame of the finale of the series. The films world premiere was in Londons Leicester Square in early May 2008. The film was released on May 28, 2008 in the UK and was released May 30, 2008 in the US with an unprecedented $55.7 million three-day gross. The debut made Sex and the City the top-opening R-rated romantic comedy of all time. Police Squad Police Squad! Was a comedy TV series which was first broadcast in 1982. The show was a spoof of police dramas, packed with visual gags and non sequiturs. Despite critical acclaim, the show was cancelled after just six episodes. However these 6 episodes were enough to gain a strong cult following through repeat broadcasts, and this led to the 1988 film version The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! And two further sequels. Many gags from the show were recycled for the films (Roger Ebert 1988). The film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! Performing well at the box office, grossing around $78,756,177 (Box Office Mojo (n, d)).It became a hit comedy, it became so popular that two sequels were created The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear in 1991 and Naked Gun 33à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å": The Final Insult in 1994. The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear was considered the most successful of the three, grossing around $86,930,411(Box Office Mojo (n, d)), while Naked Gun 33à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å": The Final Insult grossed $51,132,598 (Box Office Mojo (n, d)). Roger Ebert rated the first movie 3 1/2 out of four stars, and gave 3 stars to the two following films. The second film won a Golden Screen award for Best Picture. The creators stated this in a featurette for The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear. 3.2 Films made into Video Games Most films when being created also make video games to accommodate the film. The story is usually similar to the film, we see this in James Camerons Avatar, but this is not always the case as film such as the Indiana Jones franchise, the video games tend to have their own story, just set in the same fictional universe. Avatar James Camerons Avatar is an epic science fiction film. The film is set in the year 2154, when humans are mining a precious mineral called unobtanium on Pandora, a lush moon of gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system. The expansion of the mining colony threatens the continued existence of a local tribe of Navi, a sentient humanoid species indigenous to Pandora. The films title refers to the genetically engineered Navi-human hybrid bodies used by a team of researchers to interact with the natives of Pandora. Ubisoft Montreal was chosen by James Cameron to create an Avatar game for the film in 2007. The filmmakers and game developers collaborated heavily, and James Cameron decided to include some of Ubisofts vehicle and creature designs into the film. James Camerons Avatar: The Game was released on December 1, 2009, for most home video game consoles. James Camerons Avatar: The Game is 2009 is a 3rd person action video game. Speaking in an interview with MCV, It was announced by Ubisoft that it will be using the same technology as the film to be displayed in stereoscopic 3D (PSU 2009) Indiana Jones Indiana Jones is a fictional character in the Indiana Jones franchise. The characters full name is Dr. Henry Walton Indiana Jones, Jr and first appeared in Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981, is the first of four films, and pits Indiana Jones against the Nazis, who search for the Ark of the Covenant, in an attempt to make their army invincible. The film was to be followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom in 1984, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2008. Other than the films the Indiana Jones franchise has a TV series, novels, comics, video games, and other media. The character has appeared in many licensed video games the latest being Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings, which was released on June 9, 2009 Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings is the third in the series of original 3D Indiana Jones games, preceded by Indiana Jones and the Emperors Tomb, and Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine. 3.3 Video Games made into Films When certain video games become increasingly popular there has always been speculation about making that game into a film. This is has happened with many games, such as Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Hitman, Prince of Persia, and many others. The films may not always be true to the game but are usually a commercial success. One of the latest films that are under speculation to be made into a film is the PlayStation 3 game Uncharted. Tomb Raider Tomb Raider is a video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. Tomb Raider follows the exploits of Lara Croft, an English female archaeologist in search of ancient treasures kind of like Indiana Jones. It was originally released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn followed shortly thereafter for MS-DOS and PlayStation versions. Since the release of the original in 1996, the series developed into a lucrative franchise of related media, and Lara went on to become a major icon of the video game industry. The game was commercially and critically successful, and is considered widely influential according to Gamespots article 15 most influential games of all time Gamespot (n. d.). It spawned a number of sequels and a franchise of related media. Six games in the series were developed by Core Design, and the latest three by Crystal Dynamics. To date two movies, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, have been produced starring American actress Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a 2001 adventure film which was an adaptation from the Tomb Raider video game series, as it didnt follow the same story as in the game but instead had an entirely new story. A sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life was released in 2003. Hitman Hitman is a stealth game developed by Danish company IO Interactive, now a division of Square Enix. The game series has since expanded into a novel, Hitman: Enemy Within and in 2007 a film was released loosely based on the storyline of the games. IESB has confirmed that 20th Century Fox has hired writer Kyle Ward to pen the script for the sequel to Hitman (IESB 2009) . Adrian Askarieh, Daniel Alter and Chuck Gordon will return as producers. Introducing British actor David Hess and Timothy Olyphant will return as 47 in June of 2010. 3.4 Films made into TV shows When a film has become really popular, it is often made into a TV show, to keep the story and the films universe alive. Star Wars has done this, with creating the animated TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Also Terminator has done this, by creating Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. Star Wars Star Wars is an epic space opera franchise, best known for its 6 feature films; this consisted of two trilogies, the original trilogy and then the prequel trilogy. In 2008, Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released, and it was the first ever worldwide theatrical Star Wars film outside of the main trilogies. It was the franchises first animated film, and was intended as an introduction to the series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a 3D CGI animated series based on a previous 2D animated series of a similar name made in 2003. Star Wars: The Clone Wars is a 3D CGI animated television series. It is set in the fictional Star Wars Galaxy, during the same time period as the previous 2003 series. The show itself takes place from 22 BBY (Before the battle of Yavin) to 20 BBY. Each episode has a running time of 22 minutes, to fill a half-hour time slot. Season 2 premiered on October 2, 2009 and now Star Wars: The Clone Wars has been granted a third season, beginning in October 2010. Terminator The Terminator series is a science fiction franchise encompassing a series of films and ancillary media concerning battles between Skynets artificial intelligent machine network, and John Connors Resistance forces and the rest of the human race. The Terminator is the original film which was released in 1984. The film has been followed by three sequels. The franchise has evolved to one of the most successful franchises of all time (IGN 2006), which includes video games and a TV series. From the success of the franchise, a spin-off was created titled Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles with Lena Headey as Sarah Connor and Thomas Dekker as John Connor. The series, created by Josh Friedman, centers on Sarah and John after Terminator 2 as they try to live under the radar after the explosion at Cyberdyne. Summer Glau plays a female Terminator protecting the Connors. The series premiered on Sunday, January 13, 2008. Production for the series was provided by Terminator 2 and Terminator 3 producers and it consisted of 2 seasons. Season one with nine, 40 minute episodes, and Season two with twenty two, 40 minute episodes. The Terminator Franchise has had a measurable impact on popular culture, most notably James Camerons original films, The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The film franchise placed it at 17 on the top 25 greatest film franchises of all time by IGN and is also in the top 25 grossing franchises of all time. 3.5 TV Shows that have created Webisodes Many TV shows have made webisodes lately, these shows include, Heroes, Chuck, and The Office: An America Workplace. Heroes Heroes, is a science fiction TV drama series by Tim Kring that tells the stories of ordinary people who discover extraordinary abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the characters lives. The series emulates the aesthetic style and storytelling of Comic Books, using short, multi-episode story arcs that build upon a larger, more encompassing arc. Since its beginning there have now been 4 seasons and a number of webseries. The first Heroes webseries was released on July 14, 2008 between seasons 2 and 3, called Going Postal. It was a trilogy of online-only videos introducing Echo DeMille, a seemingly ordinary mailman with an extraordinary ability. On November 10, 2008 during Season 3, the second Heroes webseries, Destiny, was released. This webseries is a quadrilogy. A Month after the third Heroes webseries, The Recruit, was released on December 15, 2008. The Recruit introduces Rachel Mills, a marine who survives the explosion at Pinehearst. This follows the finale of volume three. Also in that month the fourth Heroes webseries, Hard Knox, was released. Hard Knox flashes back to 18 months ago, to a time when Matt Parkman knew the villain, Knox, before his abilities began to manifest. Following Hard Knox, Nowhere Man was released in April 2009, and it picked up where the third season leaves off, focusing on the life of Eric Doyle. Then on September 28, 2009, Slow Burn began airing alongside Season 4. It showed behind-the-scenes goings-on of the Sullivan Bros. Carnival as it follows the character of Lydia, revealing she has a pyrokinetic daughter named Amanda who she discovers is in trouble and tries to help. Chuck Chuck is an action-comedy television series created by Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak. The show centers around the main character Chuck Bartowski an average computer-whiz-next-door, who receives an encoded e-mail from an old college friend now working in the CIA; the message embeds the only remaining copy of the worlds greatest spy secrets into Chucks brain. It currently has 3 seasons, and 3 webseries. It has Chuck Versus the Webisodes, which consists of 5 Buy More training videos. Meet the Nerd Herders, which also contains 5 webisodes, each video contains staff from the Buy More, giving their thoughts on specific topics. The third webseries is Morgans Vlog, which is a video blog, it has 4 parts, but the first 3 parts, are Morgan and Chuck on making a movie end a lot quicker, and the fourth episodes is Morgans view on movie villains. The Office: An American Workplace The Office: An American Workplace is an adaptation of the BBC series, The Office a Mockumentary created by Ricky Gervais and Stephan Merchant, the series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. To simulate the look of an actual documentary, it is filmed in a single-camera setup, without a studio audience or any canned laughter. There has currently been 6 webseries, the first being The Accountants which aired between the second and third seasons. The webisodes follow the accountants Angela, Oscar, and Kevin as they try to find out who stole $3,000 from the books. Between the fourth and fifth seasons, the summer webisode series Kevins Loan was released in four weekly episodes, the first premiering on July 10, 2008. Then during the airing of the fifth season, the winter webisode series The Outburst was released in weekly episodes, the first premiering on November 20, 2008. At the conclusion of the fifth season, the summer webisode series Blackmail was released similarly to the previous two, in weekly episodes. During the sixth season, the webisode series Subtle Sexuality aired in its entirety on October 29, 2009. The series focuses on Kelly and Erin forming their own girl group, called Subtle Sexuality. The first two webisodes document the behind-the-scenes aspects and troubles of shooting the music video for their first single Male Prima Donna, while the third and final webisode is the music video itself, which features Ryan as a guest rapper and Andy singing the bridge. Also during the sixth season, the webisode series The Mentor aired in its entirety on March 4, 2010. Erin wants to be an accountant so Angela decides to train her. But, Erins relationship with Kelly turns bad when she spends too much time with Angela. Kelly and Ryan then interfere in Angela and Erins relationship. 4 Financial Successes After seeing how many games are made into films and films are made into games, I wanted to see if financially it is a success. Is it worth expanding the franchise if the financial profit is not there? 4.1 Game to Film Tomb Raider Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Budget $115,000,000 Gross Revenue $274,703,340 (Box Office Guru 2001) Tomb Raider debuted at number one with $48.2 million, giving Paramount its second-best debut and the fourth-highest debut of 2001. It beat the opening record for a film featuring a female protagonist, and it is currently the most successful video game adaptation to date, grossing $300,000,000 worldwide. Cradle of Life Budget $120,000,000 Gross Revenue $156,505,388 Despite its better review, Cradle of Life suffered a disappointing opening weekend, as it debuted in fourth place with a take of $21.7 million (Box Office Mojo 2003) a 55% drop from the originals opening gross of $47.7 million (Box Office Mojo 2001). The film finished with a domestic gross of only $65 million; therefore it had to rely on the foreign box office to make a profit. Its total earnings amounted to $156.5 million, which represented a loss of $118 million when compared to the success of the original; the loss nearly equals the cost of Cradle of Lifes budget alone. Figures for the Tomb Raider movies come from the weekend box office websites, box office mojo and box office guru. Hitman Hitman Budget $23,000,000 Gross Revenue $99,965,792 Hitman opened in 2,458 theaters in the United States and Canada, grossing $13,180,769 in its opening weekend, ranking fourth at the box office. As of July 2, 2008, the film has grossed $39,687,694 (Box Office Mojo (n, d) in the United States and Canada and $60,245,563 in other territories for a worldwide total of $99,933,257. The films DVD sales equal $27,858,148 in the US alone, putting the total profits for Hitman at around $128 million. The figures established from the box office data, on the website the-numbers.com 4.2 Film to Game Avatar James Camerons Avatar videogame has not been as successful as the film; Ubisoft has sold over 1.3 million copies of the game worldwide across all platforms (GamerLive.TV 2010). According to Michael Pachter, video game analyst for webush securities, Ubisoft shipped 2.5 million copies of the game at launch. He also believes that with Blu-ray and DVD releases of the movie there could be another push for the game at retail. But for the most part, the game has sold what its going to sell. He said the poor reviews that Ubisofts game received hurt hardcore gamer sales. 5 Receptions The reception of films and video games has always been vital, as reviews can determine whether a film or game can be successful. I looked at reviews and I also did some user tests, to see if they get involved or not with cross-media so they can try to feel every part of that universe. 5.1 Reviews I shall look at reviews of the two Tomb Raider Films, Hitman film and Avatar: The Game. Tomb Raider (Films) Lara Croft: Tomb Raider The film received generally negative reviews, with rotten tomatoes giving it an approval rating of 19%, with 27 out of 140 critics giving it a positive review all with an average rating of 3.9/10 (Rotten Tomatoes (n, d)). The general consensus is Angelina Jolie is perfect for the role of Lara Croft, but even she cant save the movie from a senseless plot and action sequences with no emotional impact. An unlikely positive review came from Roger Ebert who awarded the film three out of four stars and said, Lara Croft Tomb Raider elevates goofiness to an art form. Here is a movie so monumentally silly, yet so wondrous to look at, that only a churl could find fault. It was controversial for its many objectionable plots like an evil thing in a Hindu temple and breaking statues of a World heritage site. Cradle of Life Cradle of Life received slightly higher reviews than the original, with a 23% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 151 reviews (Rotten Tomatoes (n, d)) and a 43/100 rating on Metacritic (Metacritic (n, d)). It was described by Salon as a highly enjoyable summer thrill ride (Salon 2003). Roger Ebert gave the film 3 out of four stars, stating that the film was better than the first one, more assured, more entertaining..it uses imagination and exciting locations to give the movie the same kind of pulp adventure feeling we get from the Indiana Jones movies (Roger Ebert 2003). Cradle of Life was as heavily panned as its predecessor. Wesley Morris of the Boston Globe wrote, Its a bullet-riddled National Geographic special that produces a series of dumb, dismal shootouts that are so woefully choreographed theres reason to believe Debbie Allen may be behind them (boston.com (n, d)). Hitman (Film) The Hitman film has been almost universally panned by critics. The most common complaints are a lacking, often confusing plot, dry acting and extreme violence. On the film review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, Hitman has received a rating of 14% based on 98 reviews (Rotten Tomatoes (n, d)). However, film critic Roger Ebert gave it three stars out of four, saying Hitman stands right on the threshold between video games and art. On the wrong side of the threshold, but still, give it credit. On the Metacritic website, the film has received a Metascore of 35 out of 100 based on 22 reviews (Metacritic (n, d)). In 2009, Time listed the film on their list of top ten worst video games movies (Time (n, d)). Avatar (Video Game) Avatar: The Game has received mixed reception. It has been criticized for the games linear gameplay and said its controls are unintuitive and camera sloppy. The Wii version received mediocre scores mostly, having poor camera angling, frame rate and storytelling, but visuals and controls were spoken well of. The PC version garnered a Metascore of 65 on Metacritic (Metacritic (n, d)). On IGN, the game received a score of 5.9 for Wii, and 6.8 for the other consoles (IGN (n, d)). It got a 5.5 on Gamespot for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 versions, while it got a 4.0 for the PSP edition (Gamespot (n, d)). In contrast, according to Meant to be Seen (MTBS), the PC version fared much better with a rating of 8.2 out of 10. Its rationale is PC stereoscopic 3D displays are readily available. The reviewer of MTBS said In a year or two when S-3D gaming is much more common, I really think Avatar: The Game will be a regularly cited example that demonstrates how things should be done and what the artistic potential is behind good 3D gaming (MTBS 2009). Also, Gamesradar.com gave the Wii version a score of 7 out of 10, saying, Youll love that the forest world is lush and nicely realized, fun stealth-focused combat, and an overall a surprisingly decent movie tie-in. However, the site also said that, Youll hate heaps of ugly clipping; control frustrations hamper its stealthy nature, and its repetitive goals (Gamesradar 2009) Indiana Jones (Video Game) Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings has received average reviews from the critics, Metacritic gave it an average of 55% (Metacritic (n, d)) The most universal criticism of the Wii version is the poorly implemented and only partially responsive motion controls. IGN gave it a 5.0/10 praising its interface, graphic effects, amount of extras, interactive levels, and varied gameplay, but criticizing its stupidly implemented motion controls(IGN 2009). The Origin (A.V. Club) gave it an F, a 0 on the Metacritic scale, calling the motion controls inexcusable and stating the games best aspect was the inclusion of the point-and-click adventure Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, further adding it surpasses Staff of Kings in everything, but the Gamecube-like graphics. Gamespot gave it a 3.5/10, criticizing its terribly laid-out checkpoints, out-of-date visuals and atrocious, annoying motion controls (AV Club 2009). 5.2 User Test Next is my User test, I will first outline the test, then analyse the questionnaire. 5.2.1 Outline of test The test consists of a list of questions which will be about which films, games, TV shows, and webisodes, people have seen and if they have seen or played them, because they have seen or played the original game, film, TV show and webisodes, example if you have seen the Avatar film have you played the game. I will try to get 20 people to fill out the questionnaire, and I will then analyse the results. Appendix: 5.2.2 Analysis of Questionnaire After completing my testing, this was the list of my results from the questionnaire that were filled out. I list them in a table with a 1 representing you had seen or played the media, and a 0 representing that you havent. I made the table more visual by highlighting the majority people who had watched or played both types of media from the same franchise. I highlighted the people who had watched the most (more or equal to 7), in terms of 2 of the same franchise, and I also highlighted the franchises which had been seen or played the most (more or equal to 7) this gave me a cross section of which is cross-media works best and which age group it appeals to more. After completing the testing and analyses you can see that majority of the results point at TV shows who expand their franchise, and that it is mainly 22-24 year olds who who follow the franchise. The trend in the age range seems to be if they like a show, they will follow it in different media. I will compare this to reviews to see if it is coincidence or if the reviews are generally responsible for this kind of response. 5.3 Compare Reviews and User Test Comparing the reviews from section 5.1 I looked at with table of results I created I have come to the conclusion, that if the review is bad then more often than not the audience wont go to watch or play that medium. The only exception I came across was Tomb Raider, in which both film reviews were poor, an average of 3.1/10, it still did increasingly well at the box office. There is even talk o

Runway And Terminal 6 Developments Engineering Essay

Runway And Terminal 6 Developments Engineering Essay The problem that I have decided to research and gather a greater understanding of, is the expansion of Heathrow. This is a greatly debated topic at the moment, and something that comes under scrutiney from numerous people and parties. If this work is successful it would show people that real issues surrounding the very controversial expansion, and the solutions that the expansion will solve, and the new ones that it will create. The problem I am looking at is the likely impacts of Heathrows 3rd runway and terminal 6 developments. I am going to be looking specifically at the environmental, economic and social problems caused by the possible expansion. For my research, I looked at recent news articles, websites and documents released by the government, and other organizations that look into developments like this. I think that the answer that I found with this research was that the airport should not be allowed to expand, however, Stansted airport should. The answer that I have come up with is potentially possible. Assess the likely impacts of Heathrows 3rd runway and Terminal 6 developments. On the 16th December 2003, the British Government announced its intentions for the future of air travel in the UK. This included the 3rd runway at Heathrow, as well as the 6th Terminal. There has been considerable opposition to this development, especially from Environmental Groups, such as Greenpeace. This essay will assess the likely environmental, social and economic impacts of having the third runway, and whether some of the current imapcts of the airport will be resolved. Heathrow is the UKs biggest and busiest airport. It is also one of the busiest airports in the world. It is located in the Hillingdon Borough of London. The airport is about 14 miles west of Central London. The airport has very good access with two main roads near it, these being the M4 and the M5.  [1]   From the maps, we can see the airport is located to the west of the city. As the airport has East-West runways, there are tighter operating restrictions on when planes can arrive and depart. Most of the major European airports, such as Amsterdam and Charles-de-Gaulle, are located North of South of their respective cities. Amsterdam has runways in 5 different directions, meaning that planes can arrive and depart at most times of the day without disturbing anybody. Charles-de-Gaulle has East-West runways, but can operate more freely as there is no city in its way. These airports do not run the risk of arrivals and departures over peoples house at unsociable times. Heathrow has to clamp down its operations during the night so as not to disturb nearby residents. Heathrow is operating at about 99% capacity, while Amsterdam and Charles-de-Gaulle are operating at about 70% capacity. As both these airports have at least double the current number of runways at Heathrow, they are airports that could start taking business away from Heathrow and the UK.  [2]   The government issued some strict policies for the 3rd runway. Firstly, the third runway will operate at half its capacity when it opens, (scheduled in 2020), raising the total number of flights at Heathrow from 480,000 to 600,000 rather than the 702,000 that was inteded. Secondly, the total carbon emissions from UK aviation must fall below 2005 levels by 2050. And finally, aircraft using the third runway will have to meet strict greenhouse gas emissions standards. This is the toughest climate challenge for aviation in any country in the world.  [3]   There are numerous impacts that the 3rd runway and the Terminal 6 developments could have. I have broken these down into environmental, economical and sociable reasons. The environment could be hit hard by the 3rd runway and Terminal 6 developments. Firstly, surface runoff will be increased. Surface runoff occurs when the ground cannot soak up any more water, and the excess water ends up flowing across the top of the ground. At Heathrow, this problem will be escalated by the high amount of impenetrable surfaces, such as concrete and tarmac. This extra surface runoff could cause flooding, or depending on where it is directed (if at all), it could make the drainage system fill with silt. Flooding could then become a bigger problem, or, depending on the drainage system type, erosion could occur. The erosion would be more noticeable on a natural drain, such as a river or stream. Airports use large amounts of aviation fuel and, in the winter, large amounts of de-icing fluid. This, if ending up on the ground, could get into a water source, and start contaminating water. A problem noticed at airports other than Heathrow, such as airports in countries with a colder climate and that are more prone to snow and icy conditions, would be fluids ending up in the snow. They are not visible to the naked eye, but when the snow starts melting, they become a big problem, as they usually enter a water source through surface runoff. For Heathrows latest terminal building (Terminal 5), they have designed a SWOT system. SWOT stands for storm water outfall tunnel. All surface runoff water is pumped into a specially built reservoir, 2 kms away from the airport. Before the water is allowed into the reservoir, it is thoroughly cleaned. The system is helping to reduce the environmental impact of the airport as well. Some of the cleaned water is pumped back to Terminal 5 and used in the heating system and in toilet flushing.  [4]   The lack of vegetation will mean that there is more soil infiltration taking place. Water will be absorbed quicker into the soil, which means that it will become more saturated in a smaller amount of time. This means that surface runoff may be a bigger problem at the airport when it rains. The extra runway and terminal will cause lots of extra congestion around London. This is enhanced by the airports location on the M4, and very close to the M4/M25 intersection. Any accidents in and around the airport will have a knock on effect on the surrounding roads. If people are sitting in queues, then they are using fuel without moving anywhere. The increased passenger numbers through the airport will increase pollution from cars as people will have to get to the airport. Planes will still leave the airport at their scheduled time, whether passengers are onboard or not. This means that planes are still polluting the atmosphere, but with less people on board, and the people that are not on board, are still polluting the atmosphere by being in queues. After the construction phase of the airport, any habitats that have not already been destroyed will be severely affected. The surface runoff could temporarily destroy habitats. A lack of wildlife in the area would look bad on the airport, as airports try to encourage some sort of wildlife into the area. However, birds and planes do not mix very well, as was proved on 15th January 2009, with the River Hudson plane crash.  [5]  The airport would have a lack of vegetation around it, apart from grass, and a lack of vegetation reduces humidity. A lack of humidity may cause animals to leave the area. Figure Noise pollution will become another major issue. The animals around the airport eventually get used to the noise. Humans living around the airport have to get used to the sound of the airport, but they are never satisfied, despite the lower and lower noise regulations. Figure 1 shows the current (2008) noise levels (in decibels) around the airport.  [6]   Figure 2 Figure 2 shows the predicted noise levels in 2030, again measured in decibels. As you can see, the 57 decibel mark has moved much closer to the airport. This is due to planes becoming more powerful, and quieter. This means that they can climb higher out of the built up areas. When the plane is higher, the sound of the ground is reduced, and something that is good for the environment would be that the higher a plane goes, generally, the less fuel that is uses.  [7]   Figure 3Figure 3 shows the 57 decibel mark around the airport in 2030. This map has the added feature of showing the average daily usage of each projected departure route. The 3rd runway predicted departure routes do not merge with the existing runway depature routes, this could be due to the runway only serving short haul destinations.  [8]   Figure 4The use of bigger planes, such as the Airbus A380 will help the surrounding area. This plane can carry up to 800 people, with a 1000 people varient on the way. Encouraging the use of larger aircraft could be one way that Heathrow reduces its damaging effects on the environment. At the moment, Heathrow is cutting back on noise levels. However, this has been done by not letting older planes use the airport. The effects of the noise levels being cut down are slowing, however, as there are a very limited number of older planes that use the airport. Night flights have also been reduced, and there are only a number of planes that are allowed to land at night, due to noise restrictions. http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/44365000/gif/_44365809_heathrow_flight_paths416.gif Figure 4 shows the holding stacks used by Heathrow. These are currently situated at Bovingdon, Lambourne, Ockham and Biggin. The holding stacks are used to hold planes while they wait in line for their landing slot. With a 3rd runway only to be used for short haul flights, and at half capacity (initially), the airport could make use of the runway to get planes on the ground quicker. This means that planes are flying for less time, saving fuel and reducing pollution. This will obviously help the environment. At the end of a long haul flight, the aircraft weighs about the same as a plane that is about to start a short haul flight. As landing distances are always shorter than take off distances, the 3rd runway could be used to help get planes on the ground. It should be pointed out that the diagram is for the current two runway layout that the airport already possesses. This does not take into account any holding stacks that could be made by the new runway, or holding stacks that have to be moved or made nonexistent for the future. The airport could end up with its own microclimate due to the darker surfaces absorbing heat and releasing it slowly throughout the day. This could make the temperatures at the airport 1-2 °C warmer. As the air is warmer, it will be able to hold more moisture. Warm air rises until it reaches the dew point, and then it will start to form clouds. The clouds will eventually release the moisture as rain. The airport could be wetter by between 5 and 10%. The pollution around the airport will increase the effect of the clouds, as raindrops form around pollution. At the airport, there would be lots of pollution, and so lots of rain will be forming here. There will be less humidity around the airport (as mentioned earlier, due to the lack of vegetation). Even though there will be more rain, the airport will be hotter, so the moisture will be evaporated quicker. And as the prevailing wind direction is from the west, the clouds and rain could be moved over the main city of London. In microclimates, sometimes the wind is altered. At Heathrow, it depends on where you are, as to how the wind has been altered. The prevailing wind direction is from the west (heading east). A lot of the buildings at the airport are North-South facing (even more so when Terminal East is built), and so you will be protected from the wind more when you are between these buildings. There are going to be numerous social impacts of the airport being expanded. The residents of the area that Heathrow most directly affects (West London) are going to have noticeable impacts on their day to day life if/when the third runway are built. Firstly, the airport will be busier, meaning that the noise from the airport will start earlier, and may also be louder. The airport has a policy that no planes should land before 5 am, unless it is an emergency, however, British Airways have a flight from Honk Kong that lands at 4:30 am every morning.  [9]  This disrupts residents, and as a result, many suffer from lack of sleep. The sound from the planes taking off is heard all day long. Even in the areas that are not classed as noise affected, the plane noise is very loud, and pretty much constant. Residents complain that after one plane has gone out of ear shot, another plane enters, and the cycle starts all over again. Some residents health is going to be affected by the airport expansion, mainly because air pollution will increase. Asthma in young children is severely affected by air pollution. Apparently, Heathrow already breaks the EU regulations on nitrous oxide. Even more flights would mean that the levels of this gas would be greater than ever before. A lot of efforts to make airport noise quieter normally mean that more nitrous oxide is produced. Sipson, a village near the airport would have to be cleared for this 3rd runway. The village would lose about 700 homes, a church and eight grade II listed buildings and graveyard would have to be bulldozed to make way for the new transport links. The noise levels from the airport would be greater as there would be more flights. BAA has said that the noise levels would not exceed 2002 noise levels. However, in 2002, Concorde was still operational. The noise from just one Concorde flight every 4 hours is the equivalent of 120 flights, one every two minutes, spread of the same time period. Also, with the noise pollution, the diagram on page 3, showing the 57 decibel mark is a true diagram. However, noise annoyance does start at around 50 decibels. There are only 258,000 people living within the 57 decibel mark region, but there are over 2 million people living in the 50 decibel area.  [10]   Lastly, there are going to be economical impacts to do with the expansion. The government have outlined some figures on what the runway will bring to the economy, and what it will cost the economy. The figures are shown below: Generated user benefit + £9 Billion Producer benefit + £5 Billion Government revenue + £3 Billion Climate costs - £4.8 Billion Building costs - £6.8-7.6 Billion Tourism An undecided positive amount Other costs/benifits - £0.3 Billion Total net economic benefit + £5.1-5.9 Billion The terms in the above table are defined as: The Generated user benefits are the economic benefits to future passengers who will be taking a flight in the future, when flying is cheaper. The flying will be cheaper, as the more capacity an airport has, the cheaper the flights. The Producer Benefit and Government Revenue figures are benefits due to the extra revenue that the airports operators gain and the greater tax revenue the government gets, due to greater passenger numbers. Climate costs are an estimation of the cost of the damage caused by the additional emissions from the extra aircraft using Heathrow. Building costs are the estimated building costs of building the 3rd runway, and the extra infrastructure that it needs. Other costs and benefits are estimations of the damage caused by the extra noise pollution, and other costs that may not be documented. Tourism costs are a figure that is harder to define, mainly because the extra runway could be used in two ways. Tourists could come to the UK and boost the economy over he re, or people from Britain could be going abroad on holiday, meaning they boost the economy of other countries.  [11]   Figures of about  £30 Billion over 60 years have been forecasted, however, the initial figure has been released of around  £5.5 Billion over 60 years. BAA (the airport owner) has said that the runway could be worth as much as  £7 Billion a year. This is due to the current economic climate and the growth of air travel at the moment. When we come out of the recession, this figure will no doubt be massively increased. The extra money that would be created due to the runway would not be directly associated with the airport. The runway would create extra jobs, and mean that London becomes an even bigger international business location. The 6th Terminal has not been mentioned in these prices, but more jobs would be created in the process of this terminal being built, and being made operational. The airport would have to employ more staff to keep the Terminal functioning properly. The runway would manage to reduce delays and increase the frequency of flights. This means that people could be more productive (especially business people) as they would not be travelling for as long to foreign destinations. The average cost of a minute delay in a plane is  £23.40 (In 2005 prices). Taking into account the average plane delay time at Heathrow in 2005 and the cost of a delay, the total cost of delays to all the airlines operating at Heathrow was estimated to be more than  £185 million. The 3rd runway should help to reduce delays, meaning that money is not going to be spent on delayed planes. It should be mentioned here, that not all flights are delayed due to airport capacity. Sometimes passengers do not turn up for their flights, and their luggage needs to be unloaded, adding to the departure time, and effectively delaying planes. The weather can also mean that planes are delayed. Sometimes, airports are closed due to the weather. However, Heathrow airport is rar ely closed due to the weather. Destinations within the UK would be more easily accessible as well. The new runway and Terminal may allow extra destinations to be reached by the airport, reducing the need for transfers at airports outside of the UK. The delays in the runway being built are losing the UK economy an estimated  £900 million to  £1.1 billion each year.  [12]  This is a serious amount of money, and in the current economic climate (3rd quarter of 2009), could be money that would really help to boost the economy within the UK. This money would mostly be spent on jobs and tax meaning that many unemployed people in London and the surrounding area would find direct employment with the airport, and people further afield would be able to find jobs to do with the airport, but not necessarily at the airport. There are other alternatives to expanding the airport. These would eradicate the problems associated with the current site of the airport, and they would also enable the UK to increase its airport capacity. The new sites that have been considered include an airport in the Thames Estuary, Maplin sands, near Southend-on-sea in Essex and expanding Stansted. The planning and evaluation stage of Maplin sands didnt get going as there was a lack of public money for this project. Expanding Stansted airport has been another option that has been deeply explored. If Stansted had two runways, then it would have a higher passenger capacity per year than Heathrow does. Also, it would be able to have flights going during more hours of the day than Heathrow does, due to the operating restrictions surrounding each individual airport. There are plans for Stansted to have up to 4 runways, considerably increasing its passenger capacity, and making it the busiest airport in the world. The airport in the Thames Estuary would have virtually all its flights leaving over the North Sea, meaning that noise pollution would not affect anybody and the airports actions would have minimal impact on people if the airport was built in the estuary. Since the 1960s, 13 major cities have moved their main airports from inside the cities to the outskirts of the cities. These include Paris, Milan and New York. The most recent and noticeable airport move would be Hong Kong International airport. The government spent 6 years and $20 Billion on construction of an artificial island for the airport, building the new airport, and linking the airport to the city with a high speed bullet train. The main reasons for not moving Heathrow would be the money issues. The expansion has already had  £65 million spent on it, and the spending has to come to a stop. This is because the Labour party are the only party that are pushing forward for the expansion and there is not much point spending any more money if the airport will not be allowed to expand under a new government. If the government decide to move the airport, building the 6th terminal and 3rd runway would have been a waste of time and money. In conclusion, therefore, the Heathrow expansion does have numerous problems surrounding it. Some problems that the current airport has are solved, but these solutions mean that more problems will be caused. Some of the solutions for the airport as a whole are very promising, such as building a new airport, or expanding Stansted. However, these will inevitably bring new problems. In my opinion, the airport should not be closed down, nor should it be expanded. They should simply finish building the current Terminal East, and leave the airport as it is. Stansted should then be expanded and some of Heathrows daily flights moved there. Heathrow airport would then be able to carry on as it was, without having any extra problems created. As BAA own Stansted anyway, they would still be getting a greater income, but without having to expand Heathrow. There are lots of questions surrounding the expansion of Heathrow airport, and in my opinion, I do not think that the expansion should go ahead . The problems that it would solve would not counteract the problems that would be created.

Suppression of Women in The Yellow Wallpaper -- Yellow Wallpaper essay

Suppression of Women in The Yellow Wallpaper "The Yellow Wallpaper," by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, tells the story of a woman's descent into madness as a result of the "rest and ignore the problem cure" that is frequently prescribed to cure hysteria and nervous conditions in women. More importantly, the story is about control and attacks the role of women in society. The narrator of the story is symbolic for all women in the late 1800s, a prisoner of a confining society. Women are expected to bear children, keep house and do only as they are told. Since men are privileged enough to have education, they hold jobs and make all the decisions. Thus, women are cast into the prison of acquiescence because they live in a world dominated by men. Since men suppress women, John, the narrator's husband, is presumed to have control over the protagonist. Gilman, however, suggests otherwise. She implies that it is a combination of society's control as well as the woman's personal weakness that contribute to the suppressio n of women. These two factors result in the woman's inability to make her own decisions and voice opposition to men. John, the narrator's husband, represents society at large. Like society, John controls and determines much of what his wife should or should not do, leaving his wife incapable of making her own decisions. John's domineering nature can be accredited to the fact that John is male and also a "physician of high standing" (1). John is "practical in the extreme. He has no patience with faith, an intense horror of superstition, and he scoffs openly at any talk of thi... ...nd alarmed to see her behaving that way. She has to keep "creeping" over John, even in the end, and it shows that a woman is not much different from a man, in the aspect of being a self-governing individual. People need to have control over their own lives and the ability to make their own decisions, even women. People cannot always make assumptions for what is best for others. We have learned this from John: John demonstrates that the best way to help someone is to have the patience to really listen and find out what that person truly wants, not simply making assumptions about what is right when its not in the other's best personal interest. But until every woman is treated in this manner, she will be driven into her own world of insanity where she continues "creeping" over all who try to control her.

The Haitian Relationship With the Dominican Republic Essays -- Politic

The Haitian Relationship With the Dominican Republic The Haitian revolution had tremendous repercussions in the social, political and economic arenas of the world, but especially for the relationship with the neighboring nation of the Dominican Republic. In order to understand the development of the Dominican-Haitian relationship after the Haitian revolution one must examine how the two colonies of Hispanola dealt with each other before it. Throughout history there has been constant stress between the interactions of these nations, yet there is no easy explanation for what has caused it. In effect, it has been an accumulation of events which has allowed for the present relationship to evolve. By the 1780’s Saint Domingue’s had the largest amount of slaves in the Caribbean. This large amount of slaves can be greatly attributed to the nearly 30,000 Africans imported to the colony between 1785-1790 (Beckles 403) . This extraordinary amount of slaves allowed Saint Domingue emerge as one of the wealthiest colonies of its time, but it also made the island susceptible to a successful upheaval for the transplanted African communities. In 1789 Saint Domingue had approximately 8,000 plantations which produced crops for export which generated two fifths of Frances foreign trade, "a proportion rarely equalled in any colonial empire" (Beckles 403). The majority of crops being exported were coffee, and sugar although cotton, indigo were also part of this colonies economic prosperity. The majority of the nearly 500,000 slaves on the island, at the end of the eighteenth century endured some of the worst slave conditions in the Caribbean. These people were seen as disposable economic inputs in a colony driven by greed. Thus, they receive... ...nue to occur which has developed great tension between these neighboring nations. Works Cited Beckles, Dr. Hillary, Verene Shepherd. Caribbean Slave Society and Economy. The New Press, New York. New York, N.Y. 1991. Bethell, Leslie. The Cambridge History of Latin America Vol. III. Cambridge University Press, London, England. 1985. Logan, Rayford. Haiti And The Dominican Republic. Oxford University Press, New York, NY. 1968. http://www.uhhp.com/haitrev1.html http://caribbeansupersite.com/domrep/history.htm - Dominican History http://www.uhhp.com/haitrev1.html - Haitian Revolution http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/americas/Haiti.GIF Haitian Map (Large) http://caribbeansupersite.com/haiti/history.htm -Haitian History http://www.eurohost.com/imagesof/flags/anthems.html -National anthems of Haiti and Dominican Republic

Privacy In Demand Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Like most countries and especially the United States their inhabitants enjoy a certain level of privacy. People don’t generally want intimate information to be accessible to the public eye. In fact many people go to great lengths to hide everything about themselves. What exactly is the definition of privacy? Well, privacy is the expectation that confidential personal information disclosed in a private place will not be disclosed to third parties, when that disclosure would cause either embarassment or emotional distress to a person of reasonable sensitivities. This information includes facts, images (ex: photographs and videotapes), and disparaging opinions. When over zealous law enforcement officials demand access to telephone conversations, e-mail or other electronic communication they are violating the unwritten code of privacy. When organizations from the private sector purchase intimate information about medical records either for commercial purposes, or to challenge your insurance eligibility or employment suitability. Unfortunatly this is a common practice in the United States and it is wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  First of all, what does the government do to secure this private information? The answer is very little. There are bascially two different laws that effect privacy. These two laws are the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Freedom of Information act. At a first inspection the two laws seem to work against each other. In short the Privacy Act of 1974 keeps information in government records concerning individuals discreet. The Privacy Act of 1974 gives the individual the rights to see and copy files that the federal government maintains on him or her. It also gives the right to know who else has access to that information, and to request a change to any information that is not accurate. The most important part of this law is the fact that the government is not allowed to use any information for any purpose other than the one for which it was initially collected. This is important and will be addressed later on. The Freedom of Information Act is used mostly to pry open government files. It was designed to help individuals obtain information about the actions of government. The law proclaims that any citizen is to be given access to government records unless the disclosure involves litigation, the CIA, personal m... ... license from every state.† Basically this states that a mugshot data base will be created by virtually all non-criminals. This is a violation of privacy. When the DMV issued the driver’s license there was never any intent to create a mugshot from the information on the card. In 1992 The DPPA(Federal Drivers Privacy Protection Act) was created to make a nation mugshot database. This act authorized the sale of driver’s names, addresses, birthdates, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, digital signatures, and digital photographs to private companies for the purpose of making a registry of identifying information. Fortunatly, this act was ruled unconstitutional for it was in violation of the tenth amendment. However, before this act was ruled unconstitutional the state of South Carolina sold the complete contents of it driver’s license information for a mere five thousand dollars.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now with the introduction of the internet it is becoming increasingly difficult to control the publication of personal and private information. Any information that is collected should not be used for any other purpose except for what it was originally accepted.

Ethiopian Culture and History

Ethiopia – The Oldest Civilization The Great Blacks in Wax Museum The culture I decided to experience was the ancient culture of Ethiopia. The Great Blacks in Wax Museum introduced me to this most ancient but formally organized culture that still influences governing systems today. An intriguing fact about Ethiopia is that it is world’s oldest civilization and the founder of Egypt another old and great civilization. Ethiopian, also originally known as Sheba, history begins its existence around 10th century B. C. y Solomon’s first son, Melenik I, who the Queen of Sheba was the supposed to have mothered. Its documented history begins in the ancient city of Askum in about 2nd century AD, thus making it one of oldest independent African nations and one of the most ancient cultures in the entire world. The exhibit provided an excellent array of facts about Ethiopian life, history, culture, tradition and government. The display also showed a number of ancient Ethiopian artifacts as well as lifelike wax figures of some of Ethiopian rulers and leaders.The Ethiopian exhibit at the Great Blacks in Wax Museum displayed how this country and its culture is the world’s oldest civilization and it is responsible for many systems and values that are still continued throughout the world today. The artifacts in this exhibit were interesting and varied greatly in purpose and practical use. There were no artist or artisans noted in the exhibit. All the artifacts date back to the age of the history of the Ethiopians around 10th century B. C. Understanding the ancient history helps explained some of the artifacts in the exhibit.The spear was shown in many different areas of the display. The spear was an essential part of the history from the earliest historical days especially since there were many tribal wars within and from external opposition. It was used for a variety of uses including as a weapon in wartime as well as a tool to kill animals for consum ption. It was individually handcrafted of a two-part tool/weapon with a spear head (arrow-like from sharpen rock) and a shaft kept together with a sturdy vine to hold the parts together. It often had etchings, paint from berry dyes, or adornment of some kind.The spear is often shown and was used by the males in the villages and was proudly displayed in rituals including war dance, tribal dances to denote power and virility. It was a daily part of the Ethiopian life. Another artifact that was prevalent in the display was masks of a variety of materials, expressions, and sizes. The mask was an important part of the Ethiopian traditional and cultural rites and rituals. The masks were often used during celebrations including religious ones and part of medical rituals. The masks were handcrafted from fine wood and painted with paints made from dyes of berries and fruits.The masks were also used in wartime in confrontation with enemy warriors. The masks were used to celebrate joyous event s also. The masks is still crafted and used in traditional celebrations in Ethiopia today. There were many ancient instruments displayed in the exhibit. The instruments include an ancient guitar like instrument made form handcrafted wood, animal with vines for strumming. There were many different types of drums and bongo type instruments. These drums were made from handcrafted fine wood with animal skins pulled across the open wood tube and tied with vine or rope.These drums were used for a variety of uses included celebratory traditions, communicating across distance of danger, need, or information. Music and ceremonial dance were an everyday part of ancient Ethiopian and this musical tradition is still greatly part of Ethiopian culture. The Ethiopian cultures appreciation for intricate color, design and hand-dyed fabrics is prevalent in their ancient culture and their instruments were decorated and adorned as well. The original cultural attire today differ not much from their anci ent ancestors and may still be seen in Ethiopia’s heritage rich attire today.The Ethiopian exhibit provided an eye-opening insight into how its ancient systems, values, traditions, rituals and dress have shaped the current Ethiopia and many other world cultures. Egypt was a city founded by Askum (ancient Ethiopia). These ancient and great civilizations laid the cornerstone of many other past and current governments. The ancient Kemet, now Egypt was ruled by the Queen of Sheba. Her prosperity and governing were the foundation of the Greek, Roman, Hebrew, Phoenician and Indian civilization.One of Ethiopia’s most important contributions was that it had a systematic form of government and rule. Another famous woman ruler of the culture was Egypt’s Cleopatra. Though there was a period of Roman history were few women ruled with any true power, the strong Ethiopian women rulers help to set a pattern of women in government that has return to culture today. Ethiopian cul ture was responsible for many advancements in communication, commercial and architectural contributions that have affected all cultures throughout history.They were responsible for communication achievements such as being credited with the first alphabet system, the first use of chronology and history recording, and a development of a language that was more widely used than the Semitic and Aryan languages of ancient times. The ancient Ethiopians were commerce and industry masters in the art of navigation, the world’s first and most vast commercial trading system that did business with India, Persia, Arabia and Chaldea. It has been evidenced that Ethiopians sailors explores the Americas 2,000 years before Columbus. There artisans and developers of textile trade and smelting iron.They were early miners of silver, copper, gold and other raw minerals. The architectural achievements are legendary which include expert use of sandstone, limestone and granite in building construction . They are credited with the method of carving buildings and pyramids out of solid rock. They forged extensions over mountains and made the first arches, aqueducts and bridges long before the founding and rise of Rome or Greece. A wax figure of Imhotep, ca 2980 B. C. , a revolutionary architect, was the noted designer of the great step pyramid of Egypt was part of this exhibit.The advancements of this society in these areas are very much still part of Ethiopia’s history and culture but even more astounding critical to the development of multi-cultures and cross-cultures all over the world throughout mankind’s history and development. The ancient Ethiopian culture made some significant values and ideas in the area of philosophy and religion. The ancient Ethiopian culture was one of the foremost cultures that worshipped a Supreme being. They were mentioned in the Bible because they provided a place of refuge for Moses and Jesus Christ.Ethiopian (Askum) was one of the fir st African nations to adopt the then new religion of Christianity. This adoption of Christianity was significant in Christianity’s early history and a source of war confrontations with neighboring Islamic nations. In its history, Ethiopia is also noted for their protection of Christianity during the African invasion of Islamic Arabia. The wide spread popularity and acceptance of Christianity crosses multi-cultural lines and significantly affects the religious belief and lifestyle of millions of Christians even today.The Ethiopian exhibit at the Great Blacks in Wax museum was just a starting point of a long continuing rich and thriving history of African culture. The other exhibits were a direct link to this most ancient of civilizations. By observing the history of African and Black American culture and history, I reviewed many other cultures as well. Reviewing Ethiopia’s history and observing its artifacts made the rest of the museum experience more understandable. Th e ties of the Ethiopian culture – life, traditions, costumes, dress, government, architecture, commerce and industry are seen in most cultures history and present day life.The museum went on to show exhibits in the following areas of African-American and Black History: †¢ SlaveryEmancipationSlave Revolts †¢ The Underground RailroadJourney to freedomSharecropping Life †¢ Western FrontierCivil War ContributionsAbolition & Women’s Rights †¢ Black ReconstructionEducators, ScientistArtic Exploration †¢ Black Labor MovementMilitary LeadersFather of Black Nationalism †¢ Black Renaissance ManAfrican Freedom FightersRastafarians †¢ Modern Civil Rights Jim Crow EraSegregation LynchingBlack Women LegendsAthletes †¢ Space ExplorationBlvd. of Broken DreamsWriters and Poets Having observed all the exhibits the affects of the ancient Ethiopian value system, traditions were very evident in the development of multi-cultures especially in Africa, European and American history. The exhibits often made my heart heavy and even bought tears to my eyes, but I noted, that though struggle has always been part of Ethiopian and its ancestral history and urrent minority life and all cultural life; there is always hope and significant contributions throughout every culture. Through the exhibits, I observed that though much of man’s culture and history is hard to view and acknowledge, that there is a determination and drive to survive from that most ancient civilization that has carried through to this today in every culture.Struggle brings about significant change and adaptation in all cultures. It showed me that every culture is co-linked through history and shares many significant cultural anthropologic relationships despite what appears to be insurmountable differences when it is all said and done we are all the same and want what is good and right for our survival just as ancient Ethiopia wanted. ———â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ [pic] Page 2 Page 3