Archaeology and Land Snails A Practical Write-Up Essay Sample free essay sample

Land snails are used as an archeological methodological analysis of retracing the yesteryear and are an environmental method that can make full in the spreads of other methods. For illustration. pollen and macroscopic works affair survey show the general alteration of a big country and merely survive when waterlogged. Chalk lands are premier archeological landscapes utile for survey and land snail grounds can last in them where other grounds can non. Besides. as oppose to stand foring a big graduated table generalized country land snails indicate a local environment. This is because land snails. like many insects. make non travel far and when the environment alterations they do non accommodate. but alternatively ever necessitate a specific home ground or a little figure of suited home grounds. There are over 118 species of land snail and bullet in the British zoology and there have been merely a little figure of extinctions. This along with their rareness in version or alteration mea ns the modern snails can be studied and each of their different home ground penchants understood. We will write a custom essay sample on Archaeology and Land Snails: A Practical Write-Up Essay Sample or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page They are besides really sensitive to alter in land usage. All of these points mean that the presence of certain types of snail show a really specific environment which can be narrowed down by designation of these and used to demo a past environment. Snails are identified archaeologically by shell morphology because any soft tissue has been antecedently destroyed. Whilst most gatherings will incorporate a bulk of broken shells each one is improbable to keep over 30 types of snail species so designation of a little figure of these can shortly take to a general form of the figure and types that are within the sample being studied. Differences in the axis. vertex. coil. steeple. columella. oral cavity. lip and the overall form and color lead to the morphology of a preserved snail shell. Whilst many look similar subtle differences in these characteristics normally lead to a reasonably certain decision. However. some such as Ceciliodes acicula can be highly hard to place as it buries itself to over 2m under the land so can acquire confused in str atigraphic beds. The methodological analysiss for snail shell analysation start before designation nevertheless. and get down with extraction from the dirt. The extracted shells are originally separated into groups that are utile and are non utile. The archaeologically valuable stuffs are floated so sieved into different sized mesh’s. the residue of which is dried and so taken from the flots left over. This is the point at which the samples were viewed in practical survey. During the practical undertaken on the ditch in Wiltshire. Microscopes were used to see the snails which can be less than one millimeter. In the session a soft coppice was used to first divide the shells from the priceless residue so separately studied to seek for specifying characteristics within the shell in order to bespeak the species of snail. Once a species was identified the remainder of the sample was looked at to happen other of these species in order to find the Minimum Number ( MNI ) nowadays within the sample. Th is procedure was repeated for every bit many snail species as possible. From the practical the information recorded was altered so that each land snail represented a per centum of the overall site gathering for each given clip period. This graph looks at each species of mollusk and gives the sum that this makes up of the entire found. For illustration. the Trichia hispada species was found to do up 2. 82 % of the mollusk in the Early Neolithic gathering. 4. 34 % of the Late Neolithic and 4. 96 % of the Bronze Age gathering numbering at 113 of the species found across the three gatherings. The graph besides shows discreet mention to the home ground penchants of the mollusk with the Woodland species loosely on the left manus side taking into the interlineate snails ( that is the more flexible ) in the in-between whilst the Snails who colonise in Open land have been confined to the left manus side. The ground I have specified that they are loosely put in order is because of the pick to set some species in either the Woodland or Open land classs when they can last in other home grounds. This is strictly because harmonizing to many of my findings they are really much normally found in these countries. for illustration Punctium pygmaeum mollusk can be discriminatory to moisture so can populate in marsh countries. nevertheless they are normally found within the wet topographic points in forests. This is similar for a figure of the other species. some of which will be discussed subsequently in the essay. After discoursing the grouping methods applied in the first graph it is of import to notes that the 2nd graph is more interpretative of the home ground penchants specifically concentrating on the per centums of each of the type of species in all three of the periods found in each stratigraphic bed of the site. From the information found in the 2nd graph ( above ) it is conclusive that the Bronze Age consisted mostly of unfastened land species. Harmonizing to the first graph the Bronze Age was. in this country. dominated by Pupilla Muscorem ( 34. 83 % ) and Vallonia spp. ( 23. 01 % ) species of which are prone to open land proposing an environment made up of Fieldss and grazing lands. This information can be used to understand the lives and economic system of people populating in the country during the Bronze age. It is likely that the unfastened home ground was being used for agribusiness. More grounds for this than the species habitat can be determined from the morphology of the snail species. For illustration. the presence of Pomatia eigans which is a species tolerant/preferential to chalky dirt shows a likeliness of a chalk within the dirt. This means cultivation is likely and the presence of this snail could demo that the dirt should be tested for marks of this. The bronzy age grounds suggests a local alteration from the Late Neolithic period of which shade loving mollusk made up 70. 8 % of the gathering strongly proposing a forest country. For illustration. Carychium tridentatum species make up about 50 % of the Late Neolithic mollusk gathering which can normally be found in deep. stable foliage litter in forests. frequently under broadleaves with lasting foliage litter such as beech. It is of import to observe that it can besides populate wet topographic points which can include fens doing it intermediate to an extent nevertheless after research it is evident that the wet it craves is frequently that which is found outside forest. normally in dense flora which gives a more likely image of a wooded environment for Late Neolithic colonists than a fen of which is improbable to be inhabited. Local alteration is besides evident between the Early and Late Neolithic periods with the lowest stratigraphic bed of the ditch demoing a more assorted consequence. The gathering contains a important figure of both forest and unfastened land snails with merely about 5 % difference between the two every bit good as an 8 % sum of Cathol ic species nowadays. However. when looked at in concurrence with the first graph much of the Woodland implicative consequence is due to the high figure of Carychium tridentatum species found within the ditch which as antecedently mentioned can be seen as more intermediate due to its penchant for wet. As a consequence the information could propose ether a marshy unfastened land or a wooded country with heavy flora surrounding of which the mollusk could be populating. As quoted by J. Evans the marsh inclinations of the Carychium every bit good as the Cochlicopa is â€Å"characteristic but non confined† . A figure of Synathropic species were besides found and can be viewed on the graphs above. Synathropic snails are species that non merely penchant adult male inhabited environments but frequently depend on it. Cochlicopa lubrica and Discus rotundas are two Synathropic snail species that are shown on the first graph to stand for a per centum of each of the ditch beds. There were a sum of 133 Discus rotundas shells discovered in the Early and Late Neolithic beds and 33 Cochlicopa lubrica found across all three beds. This makes up merely a little per centum of each gathering so is non entirely adequate grounds to indicate to a human populated l=environment. However. it does add to the grounds in retracing a likely yesteryear landscape for each of these periods from snail shell grounds. Particularly so as Discus rotundas and Cochlicopa lubrica are thought to be the most common shell mollusks in modern twenty-four hours urbanised Ireland. Cochlicopa lubrica peculiarly colonised on lime howitzer walls constructed by adult male. In farther support of the thought of the presence and activity of adult male there are no anthropophobic species such as Trocholus sercieus nowadays in the information. The findings although ill-defined in some topographic points by and large conform in many ways with the clip period of which they are from. For illustration. during the early Neolithic in Britain extremist alterations took topographic point with the domestication of assorted workss and animate beings which meant that hunter gathers settled more for good and cleared land to bring forth their ain nutrient. Similarly this changed during the ulterior Neolithic between 3500 and 3300 BC when glade of land decreased and alternatively populations moved to countries that were of course agriculturally productive. These of class are general tendencies but to back up the decisions about the Wiltshire ditch that found: that the land was reaso nably pasteurized during the Early Neolithic period. became more Wooded During the latter portion of this Period and by the Bronze age where agribusiness was mature and human tools expanded pasteurised land returned one time once more. Bibliography Allen M. 2012. More about Landsnail Analysis: Mollusc Analysis. Allen Environmental Archaeology. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. themolluscs. com/index. php? option=com_content A ; task=view A ; id=35 ( 29/04/2012 ) Carter S. P. 1990. The Stratiphication and Taphonomy of shells in Calcareous Dirts: Deductions for Land Snail Analysis in Archaeology. Journal of Archaeological Science Davies P. 2008. Land and Freshwater Molluscs. Oxbow Books Evans J. 1972. Land snails in Archaeology. Oxbow. OxfordKerney M. P. 1999. Atlas of the land and fresh water Molluscs of Britain and Ireland. Harley Books Kerney M. P. and Cameron R. A. D. 1979. Land Snails of Britain and North West Europe. London: Harper Collins Regan E. and Anderson R. 2010. Land and Freshwater. Mollusc Ireland. National Museums Northern Ireland ——————————————–[ 1 ] . Allen M. 2012. More about Landsnail Analysis: Mollusc Analysis. Allen Environmental Archaeology. hypertext transfer protocol: //www. themolluscs. com/index. php? option=com_content A ; task=view A ; id=35 ( 29/04/2012 ) [ 2 ] . Evans J. 1972. Land snails in Archaeology. Oxbow. Oxford [ 3 ] . Evans J. 1972. Land snails in Archaeology. Oxbow. Oxford. page 99 [ 4 ] . Evans J. 1972. Land snails in Archaeology. Oxbow. Oxford.

Free Essays on The Importance Of Being Earnest - A Great Text

â€Å"A great text is full of important ideas and messages† The plays The Importance of Being Earnest, and An Ideal Husband, composed by Oscar Wilde, are both great texts, as they discuss the important messages of love, truth, social classes and the idea of Art over Nature. Whilst they were written during the Victorian era, modern audiences can still relate to the texts, through the eternal themes that are portrayed. In The Importance of Being Earnest, John Worthing adopts the name Ernest to win beautiful Gwendolen’s love. Unfortunately, Gwendolen’s love for John stems from her infatuation for the name Ernest. Meanwhile, Algernon, John’s friend, disguises himself as John’s fictitious brother Ernest, and falls madly in love with John’s ward Cecily. Chaos erupts when Cecily and Gwendolen discover they are both engaged to â€Å"Ernest Worthing†. The arrival of Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen’s mother and John’s Aunt, brings further disorder, as she tries to save her daughter from marrying â€Å"Ernest†. The Importance of Being Ernest was a watermark for its time, as it undermined the consensus of upper class society. The Importance of Being Earnest is a play of nonsense, and childish playfulness, and demands not to be taken seriously. Ironically, the play was a hit with London’s upper classes, even though it sought to destroy all the old, stagnant social expressions of the period. It is this fact that makes The Importance of Being Earnest such a great text: it rejected all the mundane conventions of its day. With this play, Wilde attempted to spread the ideas of looking at life from a different angle, and opening the shutters of Victorian society, and hence liberate individual expression. In The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde explores the themes of love, social classes and truth. Love is said to trivial and fun, as displayed in Gwendolen and Cecily’s fickle obsession with the name Ernest. When Gwendolen discovers ... Free Essays on The Importance Of Being Earnest - A Great Text Free Essays on The Importance Of Being Earnest - A Great Text â€Å"A great text is full of important ideas and messages† The plays The Importance of Being Earnest, and An Ideal Husband, composed by Oscar Wilde, are both great texts, as they discuss the important messages of love, truth, social classes and the idea of Art over Nature. Whilst they were written during the Victorian era, modern audiences can still relate to the texts, through the eternal themes that are portrayed. In The Importance of Being Earnest, John Worthing adopts the name Ernest to win beautiful Gwendolen’s love. Unfortunately, Gwendolen’s love for John stems from her infatuation for the name Ernest. Meanwhile, Algernon, John’s friend, disguises himself as John’s fictitious brother Ernest, and falls madly in love with John’s ward Cecily. Chaos erupts when Cecily and Gwendolen discover they are both engaged to â€Å"Ernest Worthing†. The arrival of Lady Bracknell, Gwendolen’s mother and John’s Aunt, brings further disorder, as she tries to save her daughter from marrying â€Å"Ernest†. The Importance of Being Ernest was a watermark for its time, as it undermined the consensus of upper class society. The Importance of Being Earnest is a play of nonsense, and childish playfulness, and demands not to be taken seriously. Ironically, the play was a hit with London’s upper classes, even though it sought to destroy all the old, stagnant social expressions of the period. It is this fact that makes The Importance of Being Earnest such a great text: it rejected all the mundane conventions of its day. With this play, Wilde attempted to spread the ideas of looking at life from a different angle, and opening the shutters of Victorian society, and hence liberate individual expression. In The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde explores the themes of love, social classes and truth. Love is said to trivial and fun, as displayed in Gwendolen and Cecily’s fickle obsession with the name Ernest. When Gwendolen discovers ...

Evaluate the role played by money in the united states presidential Essay

Evaluate the role played by money in the united states presidential election - Essay Example Increasing presidential election costs has made it more difficult for candidates to come up with threshold resources needed for them to be competitive at every stage. Therefore, as presidential election costs rise, there is shrinkage of the candidate pool, which narrows the spectrum of perspectives and views offered to Americans to just a few individuals with access to money and subsequent resources. Spending in the modern presidential elections, in the US, rather than being dominated by contributions from average Americans, is now dominated by a minority of wealthy donors and special interests; who have the financial clout to ensure their preferred message is amplified (Anschutz, 2013: p37). These groups and individuals use their wealth in order to influence public policy, especially by funding candidates who share similar values to them. Since most of these groups and individuals are reliant on US economic and financial policies to generate more wealth, they have gained an outsized role in US elections as they fund candidates whose policies resonate with their goals. However, these issues arising from the dominance of â€Å"big money† in US presidential elections are not only theoretical. Research has proven that since the opinions held by wealthy American groups and individuals have different priorities, money allows for skewed public policies through dominance of elec tions (Anschutz, 2013: p38). Americans aspiring to be president are today spending more time fundraising than ever before, which is necessary to keep up with their election rivals (Anschutz, 2013: p43). In addition, as with the backlash from ObamaCare, candidates who may offend special interest groups and wealthy individuals by deed or word face the risk of being outspent as the latter finance their rivals. This means that they have to raise and spend

Ryanair assignment ( new instructions to follow) Essay

Ryanair assignment ( new instructions to follow) - Essay Example However, before the airline looks further in different areas where services can be charged for, Ryanair needs to know the customer response to this strategy of charging for online check-ins. The impact of the economic crisis has hit all the carriers since 2008 which has prompted most low cost carriers to take stringent actions (Dunn, 2009). The low cost carriers thrive on the cost consciousness business passengers as people look for cheaper alternatives. Passengers become price sensitive, according to Ryanair while customer sentiment is focused on value, according to JetBlue. The smaller low cost carriers have closed shop while the larger ones can afford to charge for services, as they are the most sought after during such times. Airlines have started charging fees for additional baggage, for checked baggage or for bags that are heavy (Kahler, 2009). Ryanair admits that ancillary revenues made up 20% of its revenues in 2008 (Deprez, 2009). Ryanair does not have an impressive customer service record. Ryanair has been charged for fleecing money from its customers. While they may fly passengers even at  £ 1, passengers they do not offer refreshments for flight delays and nor do they provide a hotel for flight cancellations (HRIMD, 2007). Before deciding to charge for ancillary services, an airline has to take into account customer satisfaction, retention and loyalty. There is a difference between perceived quality and satisfaction. Perceived service quality is an attitude, an evaluation whereas satisfaction is a transaction specific measure (Baisya & Sarkar, 2004). Ryanair would have to decide on its objective based on whether they want customers that are ‘satisfied’ with their performance or they want to deliver the maximum level of ‘perceived’ service quality. Customer satisfaction has long-term benefits such as reduced failure costs and enhanced reputation of the airline. Personal service and going out of the way to serve the people in

Critical Thinking 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Critical Thinking 1 - Essay Example This factors in the environment, capacity and the choices made for the baby. 2-Should parents be given the opportunity to choose the specific physical and psychological characteristics of their children? Why or why not?   Parents should not be given the opportunity to choose the specific physical and psychological characteristic of their children as this prerogative will have serious set-backs when abused. First, it may be used for trivial matters like the purpose of aesthetics like being taller which was not present in the genes of both parents. Second, it will inadvertently alter the human species as it will be altering the genetic blueprints of babies which will be passed on to untold succeeding generations which were not there to begin with. Lastly, it would furtherly polarized society. As genetic engineering can remove the genes that causes diseases, such privilege will only be made available to those who can afford it while the rest of society, which is majority, will be furt herly degraded as prone to disease. Other privileges and advantage in life which is enhanced by superior genes will only be confined to those who have. Everybody should have an equal chance in life in a genetic level and parents cannot act like God even if they mean the best for their children.

Disney and Pixar: Partnership Agreement

Disney and Pixar: Partnership Agreement Introduction In January 2006, the US based media and entertainment company Walt Disney announced that it would acquire its animation partner Pixar for US$ 7.4 billion in stock. The deal was expected to be finalized by mid-2006. Disney had already been in partnership for producing and distributing animation films with Pixar since 1991. However, in January 2004, owing to differences with Disneys then CEO Michael Eisner, Pixar had announced that it would partner with another distribution company in 2006. But Robert Iger, who took over from Eisner on September 30, 2005, revived talks with Pixar and finally succeeded in acquiring it. Our project will examine the partnership agreement between Disney and Pixar and the incidents that led to the break-up of ties. We will discuss how the new CEO Robert Iger, who succeeded Michael Eisner, went on to re-establish ties with Pixar and Steve Jobs, who held 50.6% equity stake in Pixar. The questions we seek to answer through this case are: 1. Is there a synergy between Disney and Pixar? 2. Did Disney pay too much to acquire Pixar? 3. Is the Pixar acquisition in the best interest of Disneys shareholders? 4. Will the difference in corporate culture allow Disney and Pixar to work effectively together? 5. Will this acquisition be successful? History The Disney Story Walt Disney Animation Studios is the subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company. It was founded in 1934 when Walt Disney initiated the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which was Walt Disneys first feature length animation film. The move however started in 1937, when selected animators from the ‘shorts division were moved into the features division. Snow White was an unprecedented success when it was released in February 1938. It moved critics and audiences alike and is considered one of the true animation classics of all times. After, the viability of feature length animation was firmly established with the success of Snow White, WDAS would go on to make a series of critically acclaimed and successful animated features like Dumbo, Cinderella. They would also expand into new segments like live action features, television and theme parks. Since its founders death in 1966, The Walt Disney Company had narrowly survived takeover attempts by corporate raiders. Its shareholders Sid Bass and Roy E. Disney brought on Michael Eisner and former Warner Brothers chief Frank Wells to replace Ron W. Miller in 1984 and turn the company around. During the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s, Disney revitalized. Beginning with The Little Mermaid (1989), its flagship animation studio enjoyed a series of commercial and critical successes that helped reinvigorate the American animation industry. Disney also broadened its adult offerings in film when then Disney Studio Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg acquired Miramax Films in 1993. Disney acquired many other media sources, including ABC and ESPN. However, by this time, the competitive scenario changed again. Many new studios had risen up and were producing high quality animated features. Also there was significant tiredness and indifference from the audience who had had enough of Disneys storytelling and animation styles. The rise of new studios also increased demand for artists and stencillers, driving salaries up, causing the budgets of hand drawn animation features to inflate. The rise of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) was also eating into Disneys market share. Starting from 2000 onwards, massive layoffs had reduced staff to 600. Also the Studio decided to focus on CGI animation for future releases instead of the traditional animation methods to compete with Pixar, Dreamworks and Blue Sky Studios. This led to the shutdown of the Paris Studio in 2003 and the conversion of the Orlando Studio into a theme park attraction in 2004. Michael Eisner Story In 1976, the Chairman of Paramount Pictures, recruited Michael Eisner from ABC and made him president and CEO of the movie studio. During his tenure at Paramount, the studio turned out such hit films as Saturday Night Fever, Grease, the Star Trek film franchise, and Beverly Hills Cop, and hit TV shows such as Happy Days, Laverne Shirley, Cheers and Family Ties. Diller, the Chairman of Paramount, left in 1984, and Eisner expected to assume Dillers position as studio chief. But he was passed over. Eisner then lobbied for the position of CEO of The Walt Disney Company. Michael Eisner took over as CEO of the Walt Disney Company in 1984 and turned it into a media giant whose interests included movies, sports franchises, theme parks and television networks. During the early part of the 1990s, Eisner and his partners set out to plan The Disney Decade which was to feature new parks around the world, existing park expansions, new films, and new media investments. While some of the proposals did follow through, most did not. These included the Euro Disney Resort (now Disneyland Paris), Disney-MGM Studios (now Disneys Hollywood Studios), Disneys California Adventure Park, Disney-MGM Studios Paris (eventually opened in 2002 as Walt Disney Studios Park), and various film projects Frank Wells, COO of Walt Disney. died in a helicopter crash in 1994. When Jeffery Katzenberg was passed over for Wells post, he resigned and formed Dreamworks SKG with partners Steven Spielberg and David Geffen. Dreamworks would go on to become one of the biggest and most successful movie studios of all time and a big competitor to Disneys animation features. Instead, Eisner appointed Michael Ovitz, one of the founders of the Creative Artists Agency, to be President, with minimal involvement from Disneys board of directors, which included many influential and respected members. Ovitz lasted only 14 months and left Disney in December 1996 via a no fault termination with a severance package of $38 million in cash and 3 million stock options worth roughly $100 million at the time of Ovitzs departure. The Ovitz episode left a bad taste in the mouth and people were very disappointed with Eisners high handedness and autocratic style of working. By 2003, Disneys fortunes had flagged and Roy E. Disney, the son of Disney co-founder Roy O. Disney and nephew of Walt Disney, resigned from his positions as Disney vice chairman and chairman of Walt Disney Feature Animation, accusing Eisner of micromanagement, flops with the ABC television network, timidity in the theme park business, turning the Walt Disney Company into a rapacious, soul-less company, and refusing to establish a clear succession plan, as well as a string of box-office movie flops starting in the year 2000. On March 3, 2004, at Disneys annual shareholders meeting, a surprising and unprecedented 43% of Disneys shareholders, predominantly rallied by former board members Roy Disney and Stanley Gold, withheld their proxies to re-elect Eisner to the board. This effectively ended Eisners stint at Disney. On March 13, 2005, Eisner announced that he would step down as CEO one year before his contract expired. Eisners replacement was his longtime assistant, Robert Iger. The Pixar Story Pixar started in 1979 as the Graphics Group, a part of the Computer Division of Lucasfilm.It is based in Emeryville, California. It was launched with the hiring of Dr. Ed Catmull from the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), where he was in charge of the Computer Graphics Lab (CGL).. The team at Pixar under Dr. Catmull worked on creating Motion Doctor, which allowed traditional cel animators to use computer animation with minimal training. Initially, Pixar started off as a computer hardware company whose core product was the Pixar Image Computer, a system primarily sold to government agencies and the medical community. One of Pixar Image Computers biggest customers was Disney Studios. However, The Image Computer never sold well. In a bid to drive sales of the system, Pixar employee John Lasseter—who had long been creating short demonstration animations, such as Luxo Jr., to show off the devices capabilities—premiered his creations at SIGGRAPH, the computer graphics industrys largest convention, to great fanfare. This would begin Pixars journey into the world of animated feature films. Poor sales of Pixars computers threatened to bankrupt the company, And Lasseters animation department began producing computer-animated commercials for outside companies to bring in much needed revenue. Early successes included campaigns for Tropicana, Listerine, and LifeSavers. The team began working on film sequences produced by their parent, Lucasfilm or worked collectively with Industrial Light and Magic, ILM is another Lucasfilm company, on special effects. In 1986, Steve Jobs purchased Pixar from Lucas Films shortly after he left Apple Computer. Jobs paid $10 million as capital into the company. The newly independent company had 45 employees and was headed by Dr. Edwin Catmull, President, and Dr. Alvy Ray Smith, Executive Vice President and Director. Jobs served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pixar. Pixar has made 10 feature films beginning with Toy Story in 1995 and each one has achieved critical and commercial success. Pixar followed Toy Story with A Bugs Life in 1998, Toy Story 2 in 1999, Monsters, Inc. in 2001, Finding Nemo in 2003 (which is, to date, the most commercially successful Pixar film, grossing over $800 million worldwide), The Incredibles in 2004, Cars in 2006, Ratatouille in 2007, WALL-E in 2008, and Up in 2009 (the first Pixar film presented in Disney Digital 3-D). John Lasseter Story Lasseter was born in Hollywood, California. When he was in college., he heard of a new program at California Institute of the Arts and decided to leave his current college to follow his dream of becoming an animator.. Lasseter was taught by three members of Disneys Nine Old Men Eric Larson, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. On graduation in 1978 , Lasseter joined The Walt Disney Company, as a Jungle Cruise skipper at Disneyland in Anaheim. He later obtained a job as an animator at Walt Disney Feature Animation, Since the release of 101 Dalmatians in 1961, Lasseter felt WDFA had hit its creative peak and there was no innovation coming through in either the animation or the storytelling. In 1980 or 1981 he came across some video tapes from one of the then new computer-graphics conferences, and he experienced as a revelation.He saw the huge potential of this new technology in revitalizing the creative juices at WDFA. Lasseter realized that computers could be used to make movies with three dimensional backgrounds where traditionally animated characters could interact to add a new, visually stunning depth that had not been conceived before. During this time, Lasseter tried to sell his ideas to Disneys top bosses and he got the approval to do a short test film on the famous story Where the Wild things are. However,he unknowingly stepped on some of their direct superiors toes by circumventing them in their enthusiasm to get the project into motion. One of them, the animation administrator Ed Hansen disliked it so much that when Lasseter and Wilhite tried to sell the idea to him and Ron Miller, which they at that time were already aware of, they turned it down. A few minutes after the meeting, Lasseter was summoned by Hansen to his office, where John was told that his employment in the Walt Disney Studios had been terminated. While putting together a crew for the planned feature for Disney, he had made some contacts in the computer industry, among them Alvy Ray Smith and Ed Catmull at Lucasfilm Computer Graphics Group. After being fired, Lasseter visited a computer graphics conference at the Queen Mary in Long Beach, where he met and talked to Catmull again. Before the day was over, Lasseter had made a deal to work as an interface designer with Catmull and his colleagues on a project that resulted in their first computer animated short: The Adventures of Andrà © and Wally B. Lasseter oversaw all of Pixars films and associated projects as executive producer. He also personally directed Toy Story, A Bugs Life, Toy Story 2, and Cars. Lasseter has won two Academy Awards, for Animated Short Film (Tin Toy), as well as a Special Achievement Award (Toy Story). He was also nominated on four other occasions in the category of Animated Feature, for both Cars (2006) and Monsters, Inc. (2001), in the Original Screenplay category for Toy Story (1995) and in the Animated Short category for Luxo, Jr. (1986), while the short Knick Knack (1989) was selected by Director Terry Gilliam as one of the ten best animated films of all time. Corporate Culture at Pixar At most studios, a specialized development department generated new movie ideas. Pixar assembles cross-company teams for this purpose. Teams comprise directors, writers, artists and storyboard people who originate and refine ideas until they have the potential to become great films. Pixar believes in finding people who will work effectively together and ensures a healthy social dynamics in the team and this, they believe helps the team solve problems. Another important tenet in Pixar is the creation of a peer culture, where employees encourage people throughout the company to help each other produce their best work. At Pixar, daily animation work is shown in an incomplete state to the whole crew. This process helps people get over any embarrassment about sharing unfinished work, so they become even more creative. It enables creative leads to communicate important points to the entire crew at once. And sometimes a innovative piece of animation sparks others to raise their game. At Pixar, the belief is that, the most efficient way to resolve the numerous problems that arise in any complex project is to trust people to address difficulties directly, without having to get permission. So, everyone is given permission to communicate to anyone. Within Pixar, members of any department can approach anyone in another department to solve problems without having to go through proper channels. Managers understand they dont always have to be the first to know about something going on in their realm, and that its okay to walk into a meeting and be surprised. Special attention is given to craft a learning environment, this reinforces the mindset that everyone is learning and that its fun to learn together. â€Å"Pixar University† trains people in multiple skills as they advance in their careers. It also offers optional courses (screenplay writing, drawing, sculpting) so people from different disciplines can interact and appreciate what each other does. While many people dislike Post-Mortems of projects as they would rather discuss what went right than what went wrong and after investing extensive time on a project, theyd like to move on. So post-mortems at Pixar are structured to stimulate discussion. Pixar asks post mortem participants to list the top five things theyd do again and the top five things they wouldnt do. The positive-negative balance makes it a safer environment to explore every aspect of the project. Participants also bring in lots of performance data including metrics such as how often something had to be reworked. Data further stimulates discussions and challenges assumptions based on subjective impressions. Corporate Culture at Disney Under autocratic former CEO Michael Eisner, control rather than collaboration was the norm and unit heads became afraid or unable to make decisions. With Disney vying for a share of digital market, the timing of the upheaval could hardly have been worse. Fortunately, new chief executive Bob Iger is a completely different animal to Eisner and immediately set out to restore harmony. Achieving this involved transforming the culture rules almost beyond recognition. Unlike his predecessor, Iger: * Rules by consensus * Shows faith in his subordinates * And is willing to keep a low profile and let others take the plaudits. No longer shackled by central control, key players in the organization now enjoy greater freedom to call the shots. And while Eisner overtly pooh-poohed any ideas he did not like, Iger values and encourages the contributions of others. Consequently, during weekly meetings the dialogue no longer flows just one way. The CEO visits rank and file to show them that their efforts are appreciated and has made his office a more welcoming place. This might seems as trivial gestures to some but the effect on morale can be priceless. But perhaps Igers most significant attribute is the trust he places in his people to get the job done. In contrast, Eisner cramped the style of others by insisting on being involved in anything and everything. In time, Disney gained a reputation of being slow to react. But Iger tells his people to go for it and will only get involved when it is absolutely necessary. Igers back seat style of leadership has allowed scriptwriters more freedom and the studio chief greater decision making power. Disney and Pixar: The Partnership During the 90s there was an explosive growth in the use of CGI in animation and live action feature films. Soon CGI animation came to dominate special effects in both kinds of features. The barrier between animation and special effects were shattered and the enhancement of Hollywood films using CGI became second nature and often went unnoticed. In 1991, due to losses suffered from their computer hardware business, there was serious financial strife at Pixar. This resulted in substantial layoffs in their computer department. Pixar made a $26 million deal with Disney to produce three computer-animated feature films, the first of which was Toy Story. Despite this, the company was losing money and Steve Jobs was thinking about divesting his shares in Pixar. Only after confirming that Disney would distribute Toy Story for the 1995 holiday season did he decide to give it another chance. The film went on to gross more than $350 million worldwide. Disagreements started to crop up between Disney and Pixar from their next project together, Toy Story 2. Originally intended as a straight-to-video release (and thus not part of Pixars three-picture deal), the film was eventually upgraded to a theatrical release during production. Disney refused to consider this feature film as part of the three picture deal as demanded by Pixar. Pixars first five feature films have collectively grossed more than $2.5 billion, equivalent to the highest per-film average gross in the industry. Though profitable for both, Pixar later complained that the arrangement was not equitable. While Pixar was created and produced, and Disney only handled marketing and distribution, Profits and production costs were being split 50-50, and not only that, Disney exclusively owned all story and sequel rights and also collected a distribution fee. The lack of story and sequel rights was perhaps the most onerous aspect to Pixar and set the stage for a contentious relat ionship. The two companies attempted to reach a new agreement in early 2004. The new deal would be only for distribution, as Pixar intended to control production and own the resulting film properties themselves. The company also wanted to finance their films on their own and collect 100 percent of the profits, paying Disney only the 10 to 15 percent distribution fee. More importantly, as part of any distribution agreement with Disney, Pixar demanded control over films already in production under their old agreement, including The Incredibles and Cars. Disney considered these conditions unacceptable, but Pixar would not concede. Disagreements between Steve Jobs and then Disney Chairman and CEO Michael Eisner made the negotiations more difficult than they otherwise might have been. They broke down completely in mid-2004, with Jobs declaring that Pixar was actively seeking partners other than Disney. Pixar did not enter negotiations with other distributors. After a lengthy hiatus, negotiations between the two companies resumed following the departure of Eisner from Disney in September 2005. In preparation for potential fallout between Pixar and Disney, Jobs announced in late 2004 that Pixar would no longer release movies at the Disney-dictated November time frame, but during the more lucrative early summer months. This would also allow Pixar to release DVDs for their major releases during the Christmas shopping season. An added benefit of delaying Cars was to extend the time frame remaining on the Pixar-Disney contract to see how things would play out between the two companies. Acquisition by Disney Disney announced on January 24, 2006 that it had agreed to buy Pixar for approximately $7.4 billion in an all-stock deal. Following Pixar shareholder approval, the acquisition was completed May 5, 2006. The transaction catapulted Steve Jobs, who was the majority shareholder of Pixar with 50.1%, to Disneys largest individual shareholder with 7% and a new seat on its board of directors. Jobs new Disney holdings exceed holdings belonging to ex-CEO Michael Eisner, the previous top shareholder, who still held 1.7%; and Disney Director Emeritus Roy E. Disney, who held almost 1% of the corporations shares. As part of the deal, Pixar co-founder John Lasseter, by then Executive Vice President, became Chief Creative Officer (reporting to President and CEO Robert Iger and consulting with Disney Director Roy Disney) of both Pixar and the Walt Disney Animation Studios, as well as the Principal Creative Adviser at Walt Disney Imagineering, which designs and builds the companys theme parks. Catmull retained his position as President of Pixar, while also becoming President of Walt Disney Animation Studios, reporting to Bob Iger and Dick Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studio Entertainment. Steve Jobs position as Pixars Chairman and Chief Executive Officer was also removed, and instead he took a place on the Disney board of directors. Lasseter and Catmulls oversight of both the Disney and Pixar studios did not mean that the two studios were merging, however. In fact, additional conditions were laid out as part of the deal to ensure that Pixar remained a separate entity, a concern that analysts had had about the Disney deal.Some of those conditions were that Pixar HR policies would remain intact, including the lack of employment contracts. Also, the Pixar name was guaranteed to continue, and the studio would remain in its current Emeryville, California location with the Pixar sign. Finally, branding of films made post-merger would be Disney†¢Pixar (beginning with Cars). EXHIBITS Name of Feature Film Studio Total Gross 1 The Lion King(1994) Disney $783,841,776 2 Finding Nemo(2004) Disney/Pixar $864,625,978 3 Shrek(2001) Dreamworks $484,409,218 4 Monsters Inc(2001) Disney/Pixar $525,366,597 5 Toy Story 2(1999) Disney/Pixar $485,752,179 6 Aladdin(1992) Disney $504,050,219 7 Snow White(1937) Disney $184,925,486 8 Ice Age(2002) 20th Century Fox $383,257,136 9 Incredibles(2004) Pixar $631,442,092 10 The Little Mermaid(1989) Disney $183,355,863 Exhibit 1 : Top Grossing Animated Feature Films DIS 1-yr chart Exhibit 2 Disney Stock Price from Aug 06 to Jun 07 We start off our analysis using Porters Five Forces of Competition to understand Disneys situation in the industry and the rationale behind its actions. * Threat of New Entrants * Bargaining Power of Suppliers * Bargaining Power of Buyers * Threat of Substitutes * Rivalry among competing firms Threat of new entrants: CGI animation movie industry is a robust industry which is urdergoing a period of phenomenal growth. This is an attractive segment for movie studios to venture into as revenues from live action movies are falling while their budget rises ever higher. CGI animation movies are an interesting option for many movie studio to increase their toplines without hurting their bottomlines. In this regard, we have seen many established movie studios partner with independent animation studios from within and outside the United States in creating CGI animation movies. While, these movies have not been able to garner the critical or commercial acclaim of that of Pixar, the quality and quantity of such ‘outsourced CGI animation movies are increasing YoY and represent a significant threat to the market pull of existing players in the segment. So we would rate the threat of new entrants as high. Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Resources needed for making CGI animation are the technology behind the animation, the story and the animators. Pixar has been a pioneer in creating the technology for animation and with its acquisition, Disney has backward integrated with its supplier, hence reducing the uncertainty in its environment. Both Disney and Pixar have a large team of dedicated scriptwriters and animators, all of whom work under short or long term employment contracts, the loss of a few of the talent will not reduce the quality of the output of either Studios. However, scriptwriters in US are unionized and have in the past gone on strike against major studios to renegotiate revenue sharing agreements from movie revenue. The strike cost studios hundreds of millions of dollars in lost opportunities, movie shooting delays and cost overruns. So the employees cannot be taken for granted and Disney will have to strike a fine balancing act to please both it employees and shareholder s if it wants to get the best work of the employees. We would rate the bargaining power of suppliers as medium. Bargaining Power of Buyers: While in the past, almost the entire revenue receipts from movies came from the theatergoing public within the US, due to the effects of globalization and technology diffusion, the receipts can now be classified on basis of geography and the mode of delivery of content. Worldwide movie market outside United States have become big movie spinners for Hollywood movies, sometimes receipts from offshore markets exceed that of the US market. The important markets outside of US for Hollywood movies are: * Japan * United Kingdom * China * Europe Studios sells distribution rights of their movie to other studios, who are often better placed to reach out to these markets. Since Disney and Pixar have a large brand following and pull, they are better placed that most other studios to negotiate for more favourable distribution contracts. Since all movies made by Pixar till now have been movie spinners for everyone associated with it, Disney has considerable clout in negotiating for contracts. The mode of delivery of movie content can be classified into: * Theatrical Release * DVD Release * Internet Release * Satellite TV Release Other than a theatrical release, the release of DVDs and the Satellite TV rights of the movie are a significant revenue stream. The reasons stated earlier regarding Disney and Pixars unique brand placement help them negotiate the best contracts in both types of releases. Internet release is a new phenomenon and is not a significant enough part of the revenue to affect the dynamics. Overall, we would rate the bargaining power of buyers to be low. Threat of Substitute Products: A big threat facing movie studios in general is movie piracy. Piracy is causing a meltdown in both movie and the music industry causing many studios to fail and others to change their business model. Piracy initially started off with CDs and DVDs, but with the advent and diffusion of broadband internet, online piracy is on the rise. Piracy since the 80s has been the biggest threat to the survival of movie studios as they lose billions of dollars worth of revenue receipts because of it. Since CGI movies appeal to all demographics, live action as well as traditional animated movies can be thought of as substitute products. However, historical data suggests that there is considerable cross selling between these genres and it is unlikely that somebodys interest in a different genre is going to prevent him from watching CGI movies. Overall, We would rate the threat of substitute products as medium. Intensity of Competition among existing players: The existing players in the segment are very aggressive and spend a lot on advertising and media to promote their movies. Further consolidation within the industry looks unlikely in the short term future as most studios in the segment have backers with deep pockets. Looking into the future as the frequency of CGI movie releases by major studios increases, the intensity of competition and one upmanship between studios will rise inflating budgets and reducing margins. So, we would rate the intensity of competition between existing players as high. We will summarize the competitive scenario in this grid. Threat of New Entrants High Bargaining Power of Suppliers Medium Bargaining Power of Buyers Low Threat of Substitutes Medium Rivalry among competing firms High As you can see, Disney is functioning within a dynamic environment with a fairly high degree of uncertainty. We have tried to analyze the reasons behind Disneys acquisition by breaking down the reasons of why companies go for MA. Given below is a pictorial representation of the same, Reason 1: To Increase Market Power When a firms size, resources and capabilities increase, it increases its ability to compete. With the acquisition of Pixar, Disney gains access to Pixars pool of talented artists and creative and technical teams. These artists and content developers are big assets in this industry as good talent is hard to find and harder to replace. With the increase in resources, Disney Pixar combine can create more movies per year potentially resulting in a significant value addition to Disney. Reason 2: Horizontal Acquisition Companies go in for acquisitions of firms competing in the same marketspace for obtaining: * Cost Based Synergies * Revenue Based Synergies This is an obvious case of the latter. Pixars last six movies have reportedly earned more than $ 2.5/3.2 billion in total whereas Disneys last movie Chicken Little was only a moderate success. Disney plans to exploit Pixars creative and technical teams in combination with its well established and huge distribution system to increase its revenue. Disney in recent years have been unable to connect with its audience and hence create movies that ha

Waterland by Graham Swift Essay -- narrative, history, tom crick

History is the study of past events. In his novel Waterland, Graham Swift entwines the past with the present to create a cyclical rhythm, which flows through the narrative. The narrative explores the notion of temporality and explains that instead of time following a linear pattern, it is, in fact, a circle, which moves in into itself, representing the past, the present, and the future. Chapters often end in the middle of a sentence, then picked up at the beginning of the following chapter, suggesting not only the continuity of the story, but the course of history. This style reinforces the content of Waterland and embodies the theme of history being continuous. Waterland features a history teacher and narrator, Tom Crick, who has been urged to take an early retirement on account of his wife stealing a baby from Safeway, after god told her to (15). To try to understand the present, Tom takes a look into his past and decides to use his experiences as a history lesson, and instea d of using the syllabus completely, he begins telling his class—his-story. He does not believe in progression, man takes â€Å"one step forward, one step back† throughout history. Through Tom’s personal stories and the juxtaposition of the historical facts, the reader infers that the narrative of Waterland believes that history travels in circles. Swift uses specific symbols to also represent the cycle by which things occur in nature. At the center of the novel lies a river called the Ouse, which reinforces the circular movement of history. When the narrator describes the flow of the Ouse River he says, â€Å"So that while the Ouse flows to the sea, it flows in reality, like all rivers, only back to itself, to its own source; and that impression that a riv... ...-linear. What happens in the past does not stay in the past. Water comes back when land is reclaimed, eels reproduce via a circular journey, traits of parents are transferred to their children, and decisions affect the future. Throughout the novel, Tom explains how history â€Å"goes backwards as it goes forward. It loops. It takes detours,† and it does the same with his style of his narrative (155). The stories communicated by Tom shows how, â€Å"[History] repeats itself, how it goes back on itself, no matter how we try to straighten it out. How it twists and turns. How it goes in circles and brings us back to the same place† (162). The narrative embodies the circular progression of time showing that history is never gone, but rather, it manifests itself in the present and somehow repeats. Works Cited Swift, Graham. Waterland. New York: Vintage, 1992. Epub.

An Analysis of Tragic Love between Gatsby and Daisy

Many critics hold the view that Daisy is one of the causes that lead to the disillusion of Gatsby’s dream. They think Daisy is an as? set class miss, who has no thought, no sentiment, flimsiness and bored person. Unlike many critics, I don’t think Daisy is a fickle, shallow, and sardonic woman. I believe she is also a victim of that era. Zhou Jiaqiu has pointed out in the Half is an Angle; the Half is the Devil thatâ€Å"if we only regards Daisy as a material girl, we not on? ly humiliate the sacred love of Gatsby, but also influence the reputa? tion of the author.Because under the description of the writer, the leading lady is depicted as fullness and vivid character, a pathetic scorned wife whose husband leads a double life. She is both realis? tic and romantic, a half angle and a half devil. † Gatsby cheated and occupied Daisy by telling a lie, making Daisy believe he has the ability to take care of her, but actually he does not have. The evening before Daisy got married, she received Gatsby’s letter, and she cried out of heart, almost changed her mind of marrying Tom.But when Daisy really needed him, he couldn’t accompany her. From this point of view, Gatsby should feel sorry for Daisy. I think Daisy is a realistic girl. After she married Tom, al? though she kept her affluent life and social status of upper class, she had to endure her husband’s betray and abandon again and again. In the world of East Egg, alluring appearance serve to cover unattractive realities. The marriage of Tom and Daisy Buchanan seems menaced by a quiet desperation beneath its pleasant surface.Daisy’s tragedy lies in that she has the instinct of love, but she can submit to reality. She knew life is an illusion by control pains? takingly, but she still will live in illusion. Trapped in the contradic? tion, Daisy only made the gesture, so she lost the right to enjoy the real emotion. Faced with the pain of life, Daisy chose to hypnotize herself, just as her hope about her daughter—â€Å"I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful lit?

Sherlock Holmes vs the Da Vinci Code

Sherlock Holmes vs the Da Vinci Code Free Online Research Papers Since his inception in 1887 (Detective Fiction), Sherlock Holmes could arguably be considered the archetype that influenced all subsequent fictional detectives. Today, his influence is apparent in many works of detective literature, television, and criminal investigation. The premise of shows such as CSI and House, all have methods either used by or were inspired by Sherlock Holmes (Berg 446-452). Novels, such as the Harry Potter series and The Bourne Conspiracy series, to a certain degree, contain detective characteristics comparable to Holmes. However, one novel/series provides an abundance of evidence that would suggest Sherlock Holmes had an influence in the formation of its central character. I will discuss the similarities and differences represented in the novel, The Da Vinci Code and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories within the book Sherlock Holmes: The Major Stories with Contemporary Critical Essays. The Da Vinci Code is a mystery-detective fiction novel in which its main character, Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), is attempting to uncover a conspiracy against the Catholic Church – which was prompted by the death of a French curator. The similarities and differences between Robert Langdon and Holmes are evident throughout the novel [that] one can conclude that Holmes was a major, if not the sole influence of Robert Langdon. The most singular similarity between Robert Langdon and Sherlock Holmes is their superb deductive reasoning skills. In many of Doyle’s stories, he allows the readers (through the eyes of Dr. Watson) to witness Holmes’ ability to make inferences which ultimately lead to his conclusion. Conan Doyle made a habit of portraying Holmes’ ability when he is first introduced to either a potential client or Watson. One of many examples of this occurring can be found in A Study in Scarlett when Holmes and Watson are introduced to one another for the very first time. Having just come back from Afghanistan, Watson was â€Å"astonished† when Holmes was able to â€Å"perceive Watson was in Afghanistan.† Until Holmes later explained to Watson how he derived at the conclusion, Watson presumably was under the pretext that he (Holmes) was informed by someone (Doyle 29). This ability, these â€Å"train of thoughts,† as Holmes stated is not much different f rom Robert Langdon’s method of deduction. Langdon, throughout the novel, is constantly deriving a conclusion from either prior knowledge or his ability to link missing pieces of the puzzle together. This is evident when Langdon arrives at the crime scene and sees that the body of Jacques Sauniere has been â€Å"positioned† to mimic Da Vinci’s â€Å"The Vitruvian Man.† Similar to the way Holmes was able to derive that Watson recently came from Afghanistan by using â€Å"steps† (Doyle 29), Langdon uses â€Å"steps† in a more physical sense. He takes the following into consideration: One – Sauiere’s naked body, Two – the drawing of the Pentacle on his abdomen, Three – Sauniere positioning himself, and Four – the large circle that inscribed the body. With the revelation of the circle, which was kept from him till later, Langdon instantly comprehends that Sauniere wanted to create a life-size replica of â€Å"The Vitruvian Man† (Brown 44-45). Another similarity between Holmes and Langdon, on a broader scale, is their intelligence. To specify, aside from their extensive knowledge regarding their respective fields, both Holmes and Langdon have authored text on the subjects of â€Å"secret writings,† (Doyle 265) â€Å"Symbology of Secret Sects and â€Å"The Lost Language of Ideograms† (Brown 8). In the â€Å"Adventures of the Dancing Men,† Holmes is introduced to a set of markings, which at first glance â€Å"appeared to be a childish prank† (Doyle 251). Robert Langdon having been introduced to the crime scene and the puzzle, which he will later realize is an anagram, appears to be stumped. Although Sophie, the granddaughter of murdered curator and Langdon’s counterpart, has made a breakthrough with the first line of the puzzle – Fibonacci sequence, Langdon is unable to establish a direct correlation between Fibonacci and the remaining two lines of the anagram (Brown 43-48). A t this point, in both stories, the two detectives can only establish one absolute fact – the markings and the Fibonacci sequence play a vital role. Holmes is certain the markings has a â€Å"meaning† and is not gibberish, solely based off Mr. Cubitt stating his wife, Elsie, is â€Å"frightened to death at the sight of the markings† (Doyle 251-253). Likewise with Langdon, he discovers the importance of the Fibonacci sequence and its relationship with the remaining lines and â€Å"excitedly† states to a confused Sophie, â€Å"Fibonacci numbers only have meaning in their proper order. Otherwise they’re mathematical gibberish† (Brown 97). He further explains to Sophie that the Fibonacci sequence indicates how to decipher the remaining lines of the anagram (Brown 98). Contradicting what was said in the previous paragraph, in The Dancing Men, Fowler find â€Å"Holmes’ deciphering method contains contradictions.† He continues to state that â€Å"these contradictions are seemingly accurate but uncertain and puzzling† (Fowler 353). Although Holmes ultimately solves the puzzle, it is a moot point because two people were shot, one of which passed away. In comparing Holmes and Langdon, purely as detectives, one is likely going to choose Holmes. In many ways Holmes is the better detective, however based on story of The Dancing Men, Langdon is more skilled in the art of puzzles. A similarity that stems from their intelligence and in this particular case, their mastery of symbols/anagrams, is they are both considered to be â€Å"consultants†. Holmes, in A Study in Scarlet, states to Watson that â€Å"he is the only one in the world. I’m a consulting detective† (Doyle 29). Whereas â€Å"consulting detective† is Holmes’s profession, it is much different for Langdon. Langdon, by title, is a professor at Harvard University teaching Religious Symbology (Brown 7). The similarities lie within the context of A Study in Scarlet where Holmes further explains to Watson the description of his trade: â€Å"When they (government detectives) are at fault, they come to me and I manage to put them on the right scent. They lay all the evidence before me, and I am generally able, by the help of my knowledge of the history of crime, to set them straight.† This brief description to Watson encapsulates Langdon’s role in The Da Vinci Code, albeit he isn’t a detective by profession. The readers are made aware from the very first page that he, Robert Langdon, is in Paris to give a lecture – not solve a mystery. It only takes till the end of the chapter (merely 3-4 pages) for these â€Å"government officials† to request or in Langdon’s case â€Å"require his expertise in a private manner† (Brown 10). Similar to Holmes, not all of Langdon’s consulting advice in the novel is for the benefit of these â€Å"government officials.† For example, once Langdon is informed by Sophie Neveu that the French Judicial Police consider him to their prime suspect; his focus is to help or consult Sophie (Brown 64-67). One central difference between these Holmes and Langdon is their trust of women. Unlike Holmes, who has a Victorian distrust of women (Belsey 381-388); Langdon rather embraces his female counterpart – Sophie. On multiple occasions throughout the novel, it’s Sophie that is helping Langdon and at one point is saving him from the police (Brown130-131). Not just pertaining to the two detectives, but the â€Å"empowerment of women† is much more apparent in The Da Vinci Code. On his website, Dan Brown gives a statement regarding the â€Å"empowerment of women† in his novel: Two thousand years ago, we lived in a world of Gods and Goddesses. Today, we live in a world solely of Gods. Women in most cultures have been stripped of their spiritual power. The novel touches on questions of how and why this shift occurred†¦and on what lessons we might learn from it regarding our future. Although the quote is pertaining to â€Å"Spiritual Women,† it still nonetheless puts women on a figurative pedestal; one that would not be well received during Sherlock Holmes’ time. Earlier in the paragraph I stated that Sophie had saved Langdon multiple times. To expand on the notion of â€Å"women empowerment,† Langdon not only gets saved by Sophie, but frequently requires her assistances when solving a puzzle (Brown 197,300). In the examples cited for the prior sentence, Sophia is able to figure out the puzzle that these highly intelligent men (Langdon and Teabing) could not. But in my opinion, I feel that the strongest indicator of â€Å"women empowerment† is portrayed when Sophia and Langdon are at the Swiss Bank. The previous examples all pertained to the men, Langdon and Teabing, simply not knowing the answer to the puzzle to which Sophia did. However, when Sophia and Langdon are at the bank, Langdon presumed he had solved the mystery of the 10-digit account number. Though she did not realize the numbers were in the wrong order, Dan Brown emphasizes that it was â€Å"Langdon who typed in the first set of numbers.† Going further, Langdon believing the â€Å"correct† numbers are inputted, tells Sophia to press the ‘ENTER’ button. Sophia, acting more like a detective than her counterpart, realizes that she cannot rely on â€Å"coincidence that the same 10-digit number randomly rearranged form the Fibonacci sequence† (Brown 188). When comparing this to Sherlock Holmes, you can see on many different levels how the two contrast. First and foremost, Sherlock Holmes doesn’t have a female counterpart, he has Watson. Secondly, based on the readings we’ve done thus far, Watson has not been able to figure out a puzzle before Holmes (Fowler 354). The third and final point also happens to be the greatest contrast – there is not even a slight chance that someone of Holmesâ €™ caliber would be corrected by the likes of Watson (Fowler 354). Referring back to Holmes in The Red-Headed League and Six Napoleons, he is able to carefully observe the â€Å"knees of his (Mr. Wilson’s assistant) trousers† and â€Å"Mr. Lestrade’s peculiar way of smoking his cigar† (Adventure of Six Napoleon). Although Holmes makes parallel observations throughout all his cases, it is important to note the second example in particular. Not only did Sherlock Holmes have an effect on detective literature, he also played a â€Å"vital role in the modern crime detection.† In his article, Sherlock Holmes: Father of Scientific Crime Detection, Stanton O. Berg cites criminologist Ashton-Wolfe stating â€Å"Sherlock Holmes made a hobby out of studying the tobacco ash and realizing its importance, the police adopted this new idea† (Berg 446). O’Berg’s article continues to state that the â€Å"gun-powder markings or lack thereof on Lady Elsie’s face in The Dancing Men, provide valuable in formation because the first documented literature on powder markings was written five years after the introduction of Holmes† (Berg 452). The reference to the gun-powder markings is rather important because it further examples Holmes and Langdon’s detective skills. In â€Å"The Dancing Men,† apart from recognizing there was a third bullet, Holmes remarks that the â€Å"sense the smell plays a vital role in solving the case† (Doyle 261-262). Confident in his skills (and the testimonies of the servants), Holmes is able to deduct that at the â€Å"time of the firing, the window and door of the room had been open† and arrives at two conclusions: a third shooter was present at the time of firing and knows the identity of the shooter (Doyle 262–263). The sense of smells is extremely important in the case of Robert Langdon as well. Although the discovery is not as elaborate and in depth as Holmes, it is an integral component of a much larger p uzzle – without it, the case is unable to continue. Langdon, after learning Sophie has discovered a cruciform key left by her grandfather, is bewildered by the purpose of the key. With the key in hand, he begins to examine the key thoroughly – â€Å"bringing the key close to his eye.† The close proximity of the key to his nose enables him to faintly detect rubbing alcohol (Brown 153). Along with their detective skills, extensive knowledge of their respective fields of study, and how they are â€Å"consultants,† Holmes and Langdon have but another similarity. Whereas the previous similarities ties into the eventual conclusion of the mystery, this similarity pertains to their roles in their respective story. In their critical essay â€Å"The Speckled Band†: The Construction of Woman in a Popular Text of Empire, Hennessey and Mohan describe Holmes’s role in The Speckled Band as the protector or woman, specifically Helen Stoner. In the story, Holmes is sought by Helen Stoner – a soon-to-be wife who fears for her life with the recent death of her sister, Julia (Doyle 152-174). The main premise of Hennessey and Mohan’s essay cannot directly translate to The Da Vinci Code (2003) because simply put, times have changed. Although the premise may not follow, Holmes’s role as the â€Å"protector† can be depicted in The Da Vinci Code. Stated previously, Holmes is protecting Helen Stoner from her step-father Dr. Grimsby Roylott, who is the complete opposite of what Holmes represents (Doyle 389-390). The only similarity between Holmes and Roylott is they are relatively equal in strength (Doyle 162). In The Da Vinci Code, Robert Langdon plays the role of protector to Sophie Neveu. Since Sophie, unknowingly, happens to be the â€Å"secret† in which they are trying to uncover, Langdon’s role as protector is prominent. However unlike Holmes’s (hero) subtle comparison to Roylott (villain), Langdon’s archenemy proves to be a worthy opponent, Sir Leigh Teabing. Where brute strength happened to be the only similarity between Holmes and Roylott, but that is hardly the case with Langdon and Teabing (suffered from polio as a child). Their strengths herein lie within what they study. In other words, both are exceptionally intelligent (Brown 220-222). It can almost be fair to cal l Langdon and Teabing perfect enemies. In their explanation of the Holy Grail, Mary Magdalene, Da Vinci’s The Last Supper, and Jesus (Brown 223-262), Langdon and Teabing portrays equal knowledge upon the subject at hand often referring back to one another and even finishing each other’s sentence. So, with Langdon and Teabing being relative equals, it should come to no surprise that ultimately, it’s Teabing, Langdon needs to protect Sophie from (Brown 406). Sherlock Holmes could arguably be considered the archetype that influenced all subsequent fictional detectives. I have discussed similarities and differences from Robert Langdon, a detective fictional character that I have been inspired by Sherlock Holmes. WORK CITED Adventure of the Six Napoleons. 2009. 12 May 2009. Berg, Stanton O., â€Å"Sherlock Holmes: Father of Scientific Crime Detection.† The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, Police Science, Vol. 61, No. 3 (Sept., 1970). PP. 446-452 Brown, Dan. The Da Vinci Code. New York: Doubleday, 2003. Detective Fiction. 2009. 8 May 2009. Doyle, Arthur Conan. Sherlock Holmes: The Major Stories with Contemporary Critical Essays. A Study in Scarlet. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1994. P. 17-32 Doyle, Arthur Conan. Sherlock Holmes: The Major Stories with Contemporary Critical Essays. Ed. Alastair Fowler. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1994. P. 353-367 Doyle, Arthur Conan. Sherlock Holmes: The Major Stories with Contemporary Critical Essays. Ed. Catherine Belsey. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1994. P. 381-388 Doyle, Arthur Conan. Sherlock Holmes: The Major Stories with Contemporary Critical Essays. Ed. Rosemary Hennessey and Rajeswari Mohan. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1994. P. 389-401 The Da Vinci Code website. 12 May 2009. Doyle, Arthur Conan. Sherlock Holmes: The Major Stories with Contemporary Critical Essays. The Dancing Men. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 1994. 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Bullying Bullying and Facebook Pages Essay

Bullying Bullying and Facebook Pages Essay Bullying: Bullying and Facebook Pages Essay Bullying is a deliberate act to hurt someone physically, verbally or psychologically. Bullying is an issue of power. Bullying is when individuals or groups persistently over a period of time, behave in ways, which cause another person to feel hurt, physically or non-physically. Verbal bullying - such as name calling or put downs, Physical bullying - being punched Social bullying – playing nasty jokes Psychological bullying - you are given dirty looks Cyber bullying - Using technology (texting, calling, Facebook pages, chatrooms) Able to bully without the face-to-face confrontation Bullies can be anyone because they can hide behind technology becoming anonymous. This makes finding the bully very difficult. Cyber bullying is a major concern because technology is such a huge part of our lives. People find these things so serious the consequences can be as bad as suicide. What are some strategies to deal with: Bullying- Tell someone, walk away CONFLICT : Is Normal Occurs when people have opposing views on things and cannot appreciate the other person’s view. Can be resolved or made worse by how we handle ourselves during it. Often other people become involved in the conflict without needing to be. Cyber Bullying- block them, delete account, tell someone What are the effects of bullying on the victim and the bully? Bully- power, may feel guilty Victim- depression, feel alone What is bystander? Someone who witnesses the bullying but does not always report or tell anyone How does a bystander contribute to bullying? Sometimes when they don’t tell anyone of the bullying What can a bystander do to help reduce bullying? Tell someone and get help Participants Not treating people

Access X-Stream from Home Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Access X-Stream from Home - Essay Example The visual technology with rich animated graphics helps the learners to understand better. Teachers and students can discuss the lectures and suggestions on forums making a virtual learning environment. Students can participate online by uploading their suggestions on a particular topic and at the same time sharing the videos and suggestions with the peers. Evaluation of the students is also conducted by E learning, which is an added feature which is beneficial for the instructors. ‘Distance learning’ is the process to commence learning from a computing interface rather than face-to-face. The reason is the distance between the learner and the educator. It is the only possible way the learner has access to education. This approach existed long before the Internet in the form of correspondence courses indoor via television. The current technology has expanded its horizons, increased speed and efficiency. It also enabled many potential learners to access the distance educat ion programs. Furthermore, ‘Flexible learning’ is the learner’s preference of learning either in a traditional face-to-face approach or via another medium, TV, CD-ROM or distance learning all with equal standing in terms of course conclusion and gratitude. Before the advent of the web, this approach was available but technology has made it possible to manage and deliver these choices more efficiently to provide a broad range of learners. This technology also facilitates to learners who do not have access to the campuses and cannot attend classes. ‘Blended learning’ is the process of learning by compound and mandated modes of deliverance. Mandated is the key element and is not optional. This means that a component of a learning application need to be commence in digital forms other than face-to-face, i.e., World Wide Web, Compact Disc , remoteness, etc. Blended learning is often related to flexible deliverance of the presentation. Moreover, ‘Onl ine learning’ is almost certainly the most often used phrase when explaining ‘Online learning’. The core concept is the learning via World Wide Web. Online learning does not have a general definition other than access to learning via the Internet. X-Stream System X stream is a virtual learning environment with a sole purpose of enhancing learning techniques. It is a virtual learning environment that can be accessed via Internet. Every user is provided with credentials to ‘login’ to the virtual learning system. In fact, there are different protocols associated to accomplish a remote session. For instance, a user wants to connect X-stream from home, various computational processes are conducted in order to establish a remote session. Moreover, Internet connectivity is the prime requirement for establishing a session. Creating a Session When a user wants to connect to X-stream virtual learning environment, user open the web browser and enters ‘www .x-stream.com’, in order to access the website. The host accepts the request that is forwarded by hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP). However, due to strict security issues, HTTPS is deployed, abbreviated as ‘Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure’. Furthermore, after the arrival of the request, website is presented for the user’s web browser. Authorization and Authentication is required for getting access to the system. This procedure normally involves credentials including ‘User ID’ and ‘Password’. When the user authenticates him or her, permission is granted to access all the resources of the virtual learning web based system. However, the authentication server matches the

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

TAO - Essay Example Thus, being human, one should be able to adjust to the seasons of life, and should always be responsive to one’s place within the scope of life. When we experience the seasonal changes, the ups and downs of life, according to the principles of TAO (Reninger, 2011), we should be able to practice sincerity, spontaneity and naturalness in the issues that we are facing. TAO principles are based on truth which is interpreted as pure and sincere to its utmost degree, and being true in words and in deeds. It is my view that if one is not pure and sincere, how he can move others? For instance an insincere person may force himself to mourn, and may be able to resonate sadness, but will not gather sympathy. And when one forces himself to look loving, although he may smile, his effort will not create harmony. People around will sense the true feelings; true sadness does not need any sound or effort to encourage grief, one does not have to fake a smile to have harmonious relation. I think that when a man is truthful within himself, the true spirit will be manifested and be able to move external things. As a way of life, TAO creates relationships with one another. We are a part of a great nation, America that exercises political authority to every citizen within its sphere of domination. We partake on the principles the government creates to encourage peace, stability and harmony in the state. Therefore relationship roles imply the way of doing things beyond our own pattern because the government is the source of power and ease, and it becomes a conduit of economic strength. Belief in Taoism encourages us to cooperate with the political trend designed by America whose principles flow in the pattern of democracy and are subsequently crafted in the American