Modern Family Essays

Modern Family Essays Modern Family Essay Modern Family Essay Each and every person is born into a family. The family is an arena in which virtually the entire range of human experience can take place. Warfare, love, violence, tenderness, honesty, deceit, private property, communal sharing, power manipulation, egalitarian decision making- all can be found within the setting of a family. In society, wherever people may look, the issue of family life is always being portrayed. Most movies and television shows like the famous TV show â€Å"Seventh Heaven,† try to represent the ideal perfect family. But in reality we all know that the media family life is nothing like our own. In this essay the focus point is the way children, parents, and family life are presented within a televised family, and if they are being portrayed accurately, if social issues which affect them dealt with, and if media represents the changing face of the three. First of all, during the time children are in front of a television, one of the things children often see is a reflection of themselves. How children see people their age is important, because it helps shape how young people view themselves and their place in the world around them. Most television shows do not portray children accurately. Most children shown on television are motivated most often by peer relationships and romance, and least often by school related or religious issues. Yes, issues on romance are more entertaining than school-related issues, but romance is not the only issue that real children have to deal with in there live. Personally, more family sitcoms should have more episodes on children characters tying to get good grades and more of an education, and spend less time on romances issues. This is because if children watch more shows on children working hard to get good grades, it might motivate the young viewers to do the same. Another fact that television does not do is deal with import social issues. In today’s society many children go through a lot of different experiences while becoming a teenager. These children are presented with many issues such as substance abuse, and domestic violence that they have not ever been thought. Most children watch family sitcoms to get some advice on growing up and becoming a teenager. These children hope to relate to what the television character is going through. Some shows actually do present issues that teens go though. For example, television show Seventh Heaven had an episode of a girl being in a gang. It dealt with the issue of drugs, violence and weapons. The episode was about the girl getting in the gang. In order for the girl to be excepted in the gang the members of the group already beat her to see if she was strong enough to be a part of their violent group. This episode was very educational because it had to deal with a real issue that many teens have to go though in everyday life. Furthermore, a common myth about the American family is that the dad is the breadwinner in the house and that some of the moms are just housewives. That mom’s can have it all and everyone is just peaceful and honest. Many parents work and also have a family life also. Many television shows tend to miss that issue. On television whenever an issue comes up at work there is always a babysitter there to take care of the children. This is a problem for real people. Work and family life have a habit of intertwining. You will never see this happening on television because of the nature of the television world. The majority of the prime-time characters are male, and few of them appear to have family obligations. Parents are insufficient, and working mothers are still quite unusual. Family responsibilities rarely come up at work, and when they do, they are easily met. Television has not changed face since the old times. It has some catching up to do when it comes to the issue of gender roles, which play an important part in how work and family issues are portrayed. TV women, unlike TV men, are still mostly defined by their family relationships. When women characters do have work and family conflicts, it is usually because work is affecting their primary role at home. Lastly, the way family life is viewed in the media is the third issue that is being presented. Today, popular sitcoms of the day have became the arena for acting out the struggles, fears, aspirations and the contradiction in our lives, and above all, those of our families. But the television producers that make these sitcoms about are family lives have a hard time matching television families to normal real life families. For example, the Fox network delivered the show Married with Children. A sitcom that is suggestive of the reaction to feminism. The show features a working class, dysfunctional family who is trapped by their narrow lives, long standing complaints and by insults that leave the experiences into self-parody. Yes, many families in society are dysfunctional but not as bad as this show. Also there are no signs of affection used in any of the episodes. Obviously, the question of family life being portrayed accurately is answered. The funny thing about televised families is that it changed face but in a bad way. As time passes situations involved in the show get worse and worse. In the 1950s shows like Leave it to Beaver was on the air. This show was the type of show that we wished are family was like. It was about a family who had no problems involved in their life. Whenever there was a problem there was an answer that immediately was found. In this show the father had the final word, and whatever he agreed on went. The mother stayed home to take care of the house, while the father went to work. Television has always been a site of struggle for the family, giving us what we would like to believe but measure against lived experiences. On the Cosby Show the issue of racism was never involved. Also this show gives the example of Father knowing best. But not all-family sitcoms are dysfunctional. Sitcoms such as Seventh Heaven, and Full House produce many values of a loving family. In conclusion, this essay focused on the way children, parents and family issues are presented within a media family, and also if they are being portrayed accurately, if social issues which affect family life dealt with, and if media represents the changing face of the family. As we know TV entertains us, but it also shapes our view of the real world. Views of what are important and what needs to be changed. Showing how families cope with their own problems lets viewers knows that they are not alone in their struggles and can offer them hope for solutions.

Micropachycephalosaurus - Facts and Figuress

Micropachycephalosaurus - Facts and Figuress Name: Micropachycephalosaurus (Greek for tiny thick-headed lizard); pronounced MY-cro-PACK-ee-SEFF-ah-low-SORE-us Habitat: Woodlands of Asia Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (80-70 million years ago) Size and Weight: About two feet long and 5-10 pounds Diet: Plants Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; bipedal posture; unusually thick skull    About Micropachycephalosaurus The nine-syllable name Micropachycephalosaurus may sound like a mouthful, but its not so bad if you break it down into its constituent Greek roots: micro, pachy, cephalo, and saurus. That translates into tiny thick-headed lizard, and fittingly, Micropachycephalosaurus seems to have been the smallest of all the known pachycephalosaurs (otherwise known as bone-headed dinosaurs). For the record, one of the dinosaurs with the shortest given namesMeiwas also bite-sized; make of that what you will! But hold the Jurassic phone: despite its imposing name, Micropachycephalosaurus may turn out not to have been a pachycephalosaur at all, but a very small (and very basal) ceratopsian, or horned, frilled dinosaur. In 2011, paleontologists closely examined the bone-headed dinosaur family tree and were unable to find a convincing place for this multisyllabic dinosaur; they also re-examined the original fossil specimen of Micropachycephalosaurus, and were unable to confirm the existence of a thickened skull (that part of the skeleton was missing from the museum collection). What if, despite this recent classification, Micropachycephalosaurus is re-re-assigned as a true bonehead? Well, because this dinosaur has been reconstructed from a single, incomplete fossil discovered in China (by the famous paleontologist Dong Zhiming), the possibility looms that it may one day be downgradedthat is, paleontologists will agree that its another type of pachycephalosaur entirely. (The skulls of pachycephalosaurs changed as these dinosaurs aged, meaning that a juvenile of a given genus is often incorrectly assigned to a new genus). If Micropachycephalosaurus winds up losing its place in the dinosaur record books, some other multisyllabic dinosaur (possibly Opisthocoelicaudia) will rise up to assume the worlds longest name title.

Fawaz Alhokair Group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Fawaz Alhokair Group - Essay Example Currently, it has 10,000 employees working in Saudi and abroad. Company has experienced significant increases in gross profit, a corresponding net profit increase, and in operating income for the fiscal period ending March 2013, as shown in Table 1 below Table 1. Income increases, Fiscal Year 2013* Comparative increases in income Item 2012 2013 % increase Net profit SR447.38M SR619.69M 38% Gross profit SR789.98M SR1,130.37M 43% Operating Income SR439.28M SR583.93 32.9% *12 months period Company considers these increases are due to their business strategies of new stores opening, introduction of new concepts and brands, international expansion and acquisition of the Nesk Trading Projects, LLC. Sales totaling SR1.899bn in 2009 increased by 2%; Revenue in KSA market increased by 34.6% in 2013, while international market revenue increased by 186% in 2013. For 2014, sales is expected to reach SR2,925bn. Management believes it is able to draw and keep competent workforce because of its cor porate culture, and these trained employees are experienced in adapting to swift fashion transformation of the retail market in the Kingdom. Out of its 10,000 employees, 33% are Saudis. The company represents famous international brand products and is acknowledged as a leader in fashion retail businesses in Saudi Arabia. ... any has continued to supply the market with new and fresh products in its stores conveniently located on major commercial centers and shopping centers. Furthermore, the grandiose product display excites the customers to the store and into the product. This marketing strategy has allowed the company to be on top of competition and to be abreast on fashion trends. The various brands it carries in its collection are aimed to target the middle bracket segment of the population thus creating a large base of operation. It has a competitive advantage of being able to offer lower cost pricing because of the economies of scale in bulk products purchase, lease rentals, combined attributes of manpower quality, committed management and a fully integrated logistics model. The low cost approach and the ability to source competitively priced products enabled Alkohair to gain an edge over its competitors. The low cost policy is one of the reasons for the success of the company. The fashion retail se gment of the company sets a competitive advantage seeing that it can choose prime locations and get better rental deals since the real estate segment of Alkohair is the largest shopping mall developers in KSA. Alkohair works with a demographic structure that allows them to offer higher quality and more fashionable products. However successful the company is, it is still confronted by problems related to the internal environment shown as: 1. Constant changes in fashion. These are the sensitive characteristics of the fashion industry. Fashion has a short life cycle since the designs that are popular in one season loses its attractiveness in the next season. This turns out to be a problem because company has to be aware of the fashion trends all the time. 2. Poor performance of brands. Not all

Summary of two articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summary of two articles - Essay Example The authors note the fact that what has in fact happened under the modern construct of cultural development is a mass standardization. Whereas before no unifying cultural interpretation existed, a false construct has been born out of this void and integrates with the individual on nearly every level of daily life. Moreover, this â€Å"false† form of culture, as the authors describes it, was originally born out of the supposed needs of the consumer (Horkheimer 1972). Such a process in and of itself is not inherently bad; however, the fact of the matter was that in order for the â€Å"needs† of the consumer to be met, a type of stereotypicalization and least common denominator had to be found. It is this process of the false culture seeking to find the least common denominator that the author’s claim is the greatest single reason why our current cultural interpretation is so misinformed, warped, and non-indicative of what would otherwise likely naturally exist in i ts place. The second article which will herein be reviewed is entitled, â€Å"Cultural Consumption as Manipulation†. This article deals with the more sinister ways in which the false ideas of culture that continue to be manifest to the individual are in fact highly developed tools which can affect a number of ulterior goals upon the consumer. As has been noted in the analysis, governments and corporations can both make ample use of culture as a platform to affect the given needs that they feel would best benefit their own particular interests in a given matter. As a means of discussing such a research interest, the authors break the ultimate question down into an analysis of both contemporary and past cultural historians and the means by which they have understood the unique paradigm that has grown and currently manifests itself within the global system of cultural interpretation. By analyzing both past representations as well as current realities of cultural conveyance, the authors seek to draw a level of inference upon the way that individuals embrace, identify with, and ultimately create a false reality within the constructs of the cultural material they are being fed on a daily basis. In short, what the authors present is something of a self fulfilling prophecy that takes place regardless of the particular cultural paradigm that is being studied. For instance, if one is met with the understanding and eventuality that what they are seeing, hearing, and otherwise experiencing is in fact a type of cultural reality, they are all the more likely to reflect this understanding back to the media and to the culture by closely mirroring the behavior that has been learned. In this way types of socio-cultural and psychological factors of mimicry and mirroring of what has been integrated into the mind of the collective consciousness is in fact what drives the interpretation and derivation of culture within the context of the given article’s point of view. Although this view is perhaps more cynical of the two articles that have been reviewed within this short analysis, the fact of the matter is that there is no clear divorce between culture, perception, and its exhibition within reality. Although the method by which this information is presented to the reader is disquieting, due in large part to the fact that the reader beings to see and understand the level of mirroring that takes place within the current system and within his/her

David Hilbert Biography Essay Example for Free

David Hilbert Biography Essay David Hilbert was born in Koenigsberg, East Prussia, on January 23, 1862. He was a great leader and spokesperson of mathematics in the early 20th century, he was a Christian. Like most great German mathematicians, Hilbert was a product of Gà ¶ttingen University, at that moment the world’s mathematical center, and he spent much of his working life there. His formative years were spent at Kà ¶nigsberg University where he developed fruitful scientific exchange with his fellow mathematicians Adolf Hurwitz and Hermann Minkowski. At the University of Koenigsberg, Hilbert studied under Lindemann for his doctorate, which he earned in 1885. One of his friends there was Hermann Minkowski, who was also a doctoral student. In 1884, Adolf Hurwitz was appointed to Koenigsberg University and became friends with Hilbert, which was a very significant factor in Hilbert’s mathematical development. David Hilbert was a member of staff at Koenigsberg from 1886-1895, being the Privatdozent until 1892. He was then an Extraordinary Professor for one year before becoming a full professor in 1893. His calculus examination led him to invent â€Å"Hilbert space,† considered to be among the primary concepts of functional analysis as well as modern mathematical physics. He founded fields such as modern logic and met mathematics. In 1899, David Hilbert published his book – The Foundations of Geometry – in which he described a set of axioms that eliminated the flaws from Euclidean geometry. In the same year, American mathematician Robert L. Moore also published a set of axioms for Euclidean geometry at age 19. While some axioms in both systems were similar, there was a feature about the axioms that were different. Hilbert’s axioms were theorems from Robert Moore’s and Moore’s axioms were proved as theorems from David Hilbert’s. David Hilbert developed a program to axiomatize mathematics. With his attempt to achieve his goal, he began a â€Å"formalist school† of mathematics, which opposed the â€Å"Intuitionism† of Brouw er and Kronecker. Meanwhile, Hilbert was expanding his contributions to math in various directions partial differential equations, mathematical physics, and calculus of variations. He knew that he could not achieve this by himself. In 1900, Hilbert gave a massive homework assignment to all mathematicians across the world. He did this when he presented a lecture, entitled â€Å"mathematical  problems† before Paris International Congress of 1900. Hilbert proposed 23 mathematics problems to whose solutions he thought the 20th century mathematicians ought to devote themselves. These mathematics problems are now known as Hilbert’s problems and many of them remain unsolved today. Many Christians believe different things when it comes to mathematics, for example some believe that math is an incredible testimony to God’s faithfulness, while others believe it is anti-Christian. I can help others connected by raising awareness of the different beliefs. This is important to us as Christians because it opens our eyes to reality and how we should look at things through a Christian standpoint.

Internet Censorship Essay -- Short Stories Technology Papers

Internet Censorship Max walks into the classroom five minutes late, his shirt untucked and hardly buttoned. He sits down a few desks away from Ben who had arrived five minutes early and was waiting patiently for class to start. Although the boys seemed completely opposite, Ben the more conservative and shy one, while Max, a little more rebellious and mischievous, they were best friends and did most everything together. A few weeks into their fifth grade year, the teacher announced that they would begin doing reports on their favorite animal. They knew that this was the first year they were able to use the computer lab in the library and the idea of being able to use the internet excited them. Mrs. Howard sent the class to the library for the next period so they could start researching information about their animals. Some of the kids wandered around the second floor looking for books pertaining to their projects and some chose to start their search on the internet. Max and Ben went to the computer lab, found an open computer and began to browse different search engines looking for information about their animals. Max became bored with this idea and began searching sites of his own interest. Finally he found one that appealed most to him. â€Å"Hey Ben come look at this!† Max said. â€Å"What is it?† Ben rolled his chair over to Max’s computer screen and looked at what Max had pulled up. â€Å"Max, you’re going to get in trouble, you better get that off there.† â€Å"No way man, this is awesome†¦let’s look at some more.† The site that Max had clicked on was a pornographic web page containing many obscene pictures Aof naked women and other adult content. Although Ben felt unco... ...e room they see their 7 year old daughter Katie playing around on the computer. They noticed that the screen had a big caption in the middle stating that the site wasn’t able to be accessed. Curious to know what the blocked site was, Mr. Miller clicked the â€Å"Back† button and saw â€Å"Take a Wild Ride in Barbie Land† in big purple letters. Right away he knew that Barbie wasn’t referring to the actual doll and was relieved to know his daughter would never get to see the contents of that site. He looked at his wife and sighed, â€Å"Thank God we decided to install NetNanny onto our computer. You never know what these kids could have gotten into if we weren’t around.† â€Å"I agree honey. Now all we have to do is convince all those other parents and teachers to feel the same way about installing them at school. Hopefully we can get our plan to work.†

3 Entrepreneurship Similarities and Differences Essay

The Entrepreneurs that I am comparing and contrasting are Elon Musk, Sir Richard Branson, and Jim Garlend. The difference in character traits between these men is rather easy to point out. Elon’s main goal was to change the world and had the ability to convince people he was going to do so. Richard was intrigued by adventure, and beating the system which led to his first experience behind bars for tax evasion. While Jims motivation was leaning towards helping people lives. He wanted to personally make a positive impact on society. I personally can relate to Jim’s need to impact society. I find that helping people motivates me more than anything else in this world. It’s imperative for me to seek out a profession that will directly involve helping the society to help me to be passionate about what I do for the rest of my life. See more: Satirical essay about drugs Ask yourself, are you following your passion? If the answer is no, I suggest think deeper to find out what you are going to do with this life you have? A few more differences between these men are their education levels and skill sets. Elon was a student for a few years of his life and was be considered genus growing up. On the other hand Richard was dyslexic, and he struggled to get by in school. Differences in skill sets between these men were phenomenally different. Jim had an excellent way of communicating to his employees. Elon could teach himself almost everything by reading, and literally knowing more about a certain subject than his professors did. Richard was great at delegating work to employees; therefore, can be a strong asset in the business world. A few comparisons between Elon, Richard, and Jim are that they take risks. Elon and Richard became nearly bankrupt a few times from the risks they took. These visionaries made their dreams a reality, so they went be on the storming stage to the acting stage. They were motivated by self-worth. Have you ever been proud of something you created, which accomplished the goal you wanted it to? That’s exactly what these men strived to reach. I think a common thought process they all shared was the ability to see into a system and see that they could do it better or provide more value to the customer. This systematic thinking gave them courage to see the bright side of things. They knew some way that things would work out which lead them to share optimism as a characteristic. One of the same things that makes them different also units them, it’s their eagerness to make an impact on the world around them. Elon’s goal was literally to change the way the world operated, and progressively move forward with innovating new products. Richard wanted to make an impact on each industry that they entered with Virgin’s way of doing things by providing entertainment. Jim’s main goal was to changes lives by providing opportunity for his workers to excel in.

Administrative Theories in Public Administration Essay

I have never thought that administrative theories in Public Administration has been established back in 1800 with theorist who have discovered or developed and now has been part of the system of the Philippine government. The earliest contributors to our understanding of management theory included practicing managers as well as social scientist. More recent theorist has tended to be academic or management consultants. The early theorist can be divided into 2 main groups – the practicing managers such, as Taylors and Fayol and the social scientists, such as Mayo and Mc Gregor. Meet the Mr. Taylor, the theorist of Scientific Management. Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915), one of the early practical manager-theorist, born in Boston, Massachusetts, spent the greater part of his life working on the problems of achieving greater efficiency on the shop-floor where he manages. The solution he came up with was based directly on his own experience at work, initially as a shop floor worker and later as a manager. He pioneers scientific management which includes: The systematic study of the relationships between and tasks to redesign the work for higher efficiency. Taylor sought to reduce the time a worker spent on each task by optimizing the way the task was done. Scientific Management Theory Organizations were seeking ways to better satisfy customer needs Machinery was changing the way goods were produced Managers had to increase the efficiency of the worker-task mix According to him, there are 4 Principles to increase efficiency that are: a. Study the way the job is performed now and determine new ways to do it. Gather detailed, time and motion information; try different methods to see which is best b. Codify the method into rules – Teach to all workers c. Select workers whose skills match the rules set in step2 d. Establish a fair level of performance and pay for higher performance – Workers should benefit from higher output But, Taylor recognizes that the measures he was proposing would appear to be more than just a new method – they would be revolutionary. He stated that the outset that â€Å"scientific management† would require a complete mental revolution on the part of management and workers. Henry Fayol (1841-1924) – father of modern management theory He divided industrial into 6 groups: technical, commercial, financial, security, accounting & managerial And formulated the 14 Principles of management which we are using it every day in our daily activities, allow me to enumerate them and somehow expand a little. Division of Labor – allows for job specialization, Authority and responsibility – Fayol noted firms can have too much specialization leading to poor quality and worker involvement. Unity of command – employees should have one boss. Line of authority – a clear chain from top to bottom of the firm. Centralization – the degree to which authority rests at the very top. Unity of direction – one plan of action to guide the organization. Equity – treat all employees fairly in justice and respect. Order – each employee is put where they have the most value. Initiative – encourages innovation. Discipline – obedient, applied, respectful employees needed. Remuneration of Personnel – The payment system contributes to the success. Stability of nature – long term employment is important. General interest over personal interest – the organization takes precedence over the individual. Esprit de corps – share enthusiasm or devotion to the organization. I have added here some of the theorist I researched which I consider to be worth sharing. Mary Parker – an influential leader in early managerial theory. a. Suggested workers help in analyzing their jobs for improvements b. The worker knows the best way to improve the job c. If workers have the knowledge of the task, then they should control the task. The Hawthorne Studies It appears that the workers enjoyed the attention they received as part of the study and were more productive. Contingency Theory – Assumes there is no one best way to manage The environment impact the organization and managers must be flexible to react to environmental changes The way the organization is designed, control systems selected, depend on the environment Conclusion As management theories evolved in centuries, the principles and ideas were never changed yet it has been a guiding value to those who are in public nor private service and to those who are employed and business people. It’s amazing how they have passed on to many generations of people who wanted to learn and use the theories. The theories have been explicit in explanations and user-friendly, though there are theorists who have presented different thoughts on the earlier theorist but if we examine deeply, it’s all the same, only presented in different design. Before I end, I would just like to emphasize the last part of the theories because it speaks about our relationship with the environment and how we will relate environmental, Technological environments change rapidly so must managers.

Essay Sample on the Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard

Essay Sample on the Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard Empire of the Sun by J.G. Ballard deals with many issues that help shape humans. Ballard presents many issues which help shape humans to think and act, especially the character Jim. The maturation of Jim is a major importance because he is able to adapt to different surroundings and also to different people. Jim’s maturation lasts through the entire book and takes a long time because he is constantly changing his attitude and environment. Jim is a British boy living in Shanghai, he is rich and is used to servants doing things for him but then ends up in concentration camps were he has to care for himself. For Jim this would have been a big change that would have been difficult to adapt to, especially someone who is used to servants and coolies doing everything for you. Another hard change for him would have been not having his parents around and because of this was not taken care of and also had to basically be slave for everyone in the camp. Having to run around for everyone else is very demanding on a person especially if they are starving and having malnutrition problems. This makes the reader feel empathy for Jim and makes you hope that better things will come for him. While Jim slaved for Basie, we feel empathy for Jim because he is wasting his energy while Basie just relaxes and watches Jim tire himself out, in this part of the book I felt deeply for Jim because he isn’t realising that he is just about killing himself just to make a friend that doesn’t actually like him but is just using him. For me this was depressing because you wouldn’t think someone could be that shameless in using a 8 year old kid as your slave and then faking to be his friend, Basie even tried to sell Jim but this didn’t seem to affect Jim. While Jim is in Longhua Camp it makes you think what you would do in Jim’s place because some conflicts really get you thinking if you would do that if you had to live. I would find it hard to fake that someone is still alive when they are dead just in order to get food, but likes Jim’s maturation in the mind you find ways of bypassing thoughts like this and just do what is necessary for staying alive. In this situation the environment does shape people to think and act differently. While Jim was in the Olympic Stadium we really get to know all the feelings of all the characters, especially Jim’s feelings for Mr Maxted. This situation is quite emotional for Jim and is basically the only time he cries, so from this we learn that Jim is becoming more mature and is having strong relationships with certain people. This situation seemed to show the more mature Jim that was forming strong bonds with people. The Olympic Stadium defiantly made humans think and act. Ballard has done a great job in making humans think and act differently through different environments that also shape characters personalities.

USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Pearl Harbor

USS Oklahoma (BB-37) at Pearl Harbor    USS Oklahoma (BB-37) was the second and final ship of the Nevada-class of battleship constructed for the US Navy. This class was the first to incorporate the Standard-type design characteristics which would guide American battleship construction in the years around  World War I (1914-1918). Entering service in 1916, Oklahoma remained in home waters the following year after the United States entered the conflict. It later sailed for Europe in August 1918 to serve with Battleship Division 6. In the years after the war, Oklahoma operated in both the Atlantic and Pacific and took part in routine training exercises. Moored along Pearl Harbors Battleship Row on December 7, 1941, when the  Japanese attacked, it quickly sustained three torpedo hits and began to roll to port. These were followed by two additional torpedo strikes causing Oklahoma to capsize. In the months after the attack, the US Navy worked to right and salvage the battleship. While the hull was righted and refloated, the decision was made to abandon further repairs and decommission the ship in 1944. Design After moving forward with construction of five classes of dreadnought battleships (South Carolina, Delaware, Florida, Wyoming, and New York), the US Navy decided that future designs should possess a set of common tactical and operational characteristics. This would ensure that these ships could operate together in combat as well as would simplify logistics. Dubbed the Standard-type, the next five classes utilized oil-fired boilers instead of coal, eliminated amidships turrets, and employed an â€Å"all or nothing† armor scheme. Of these changes, the shift to oil was made with the goal of increasing the vessel’s range as the US Navy felt that would be critical in any potential naval conflict with Japan. The new all or nothing armor approach called for critical areas of the ship, such as magazines and engineering, to be heavily protected while less vital spaces were left unarmored. Also, Standard-type battleships were to have a minimum top speed of 21 knots and a tactical turn radius of 700 yards.    The principles of the Standard-type were first employed in the Nevada-class which consisted of USS Nevada (BB-36) and USS Oklahoma (BB-37). While earlier American battleships had featured turrets located fore, aft, and amidships, the Nevada-class design placed the armament at the bow and stern and was first to include the use of triple turrets. Mounting a total of ten 14-inch guns, the types armament was located in four turrets (two twin and two triple) with five guns at each end of the ship. This main battery was supported by a secondary battery of twenty-one 5 in. guns. For propulsion, designers elected to conduct an experiment and gave Nevada new Curtis turbines while Oklahoma received more traditional triple-expansion steam engines. Construction Assigned to New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, NJ, construction of Oklahoma commenced on October 26, 1912. Work moved forward over the next year and a half and on March 23, 1914, the new battleship slid into the Delaware River with Lorena J. Cruce, daughter of Oklahoma Governor Lee Cruce, serving as sponsor. While fitting out, a fire erupted aboard Oklahoma on the night of July 19, 1915.   Burning the areas under the forward turrets, it was later ruled an accident. The fire delayed the vessels completion and it was not commissioned until May 2, 1916. Departing port with Captain Roger Welles in command, Oklahoma moved through a routine shakedown cruise. USS Oklahoma  (BB-37) Overview Nation:  United StatesType:  BattleshipShipyard:  New York  Shipbuilding Company, Camden, NJLaid Down:  October 26, 1912Launched:  March 23, 1914Commissioned:  May 2, 1916Fate:  Sunk December 7, 1941 Specifications (as built) Displacement:  27,500 tonsLength:  583 ft.Beam:  95 ft., 6  in.Draft:  28 ft., 6 in.Propulsion:  12 Babcock Wilcox oil-fired boilers, vertical triple expansion steam engines, 2 propellersSpeed:  20.5 knotsComplement:  864 men Armament 10 Ãâ€" 14 in. gun (2 Ãâ€" 3, 2 Ãâ€" 2 superfiring)21 Ãâ€" 5 in. guns2  Ãƒâ€"  3 in. anti-aircraft guns2 or 4 Ãâ€" 21 in. torpedo tubes World War I Operating along the East Coast, Oklahoma conducted routine peacetime training until the US entry into World War I in April 1917. As the new battleship utilized oil fuel which was in short supply in Britain, it was retained in home waters later that year when Battleship Division 9 departed to reinforce Admiral Sir David Beattys Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow. Based at Norfolk, Oklahoma trained with the Atlantic Fleet until August 1918 when it sailed for Ireland as part of Rear Admiral Thomas Rodgers Battleship Division 6. Arriving later that month, the squadron was joined by USS Utah (BB-31). Sailing from Berehaven Bay, the American battleships aided in escorting convoys and continued training in nearby Bantry Bay. With the end of the war, Oklahoma steamed to Portland, England where it rendezvoused with Nevada and USS Arizona (BB-39). This combined force then sorted and escorted President Woodrow Wilson, aboard the liner George Washington, into Brest, France. This done,  Oklahoma departed Europe for New York City on December 14. Interwar Service Rejoining the Atlantic Fleet, Oklahoma spent the winter of 1919 in the Caribbean conducting drills off the coast of Cuba. In June, the battleship sailed for Brest as part of another escort for Wilson. Back in home waters the following month, it operated with the Atlantic Fleet for the next two years before departing for exercises in the Pacific in 1921. Training off the west coast of South America, Oklahoma represented the US Navy at centennial celebrations in Peru. Transferred to the Pacific Fleet, the battleship took part in a training cruise to New Zealand and Australia in 1925. This voyage included stops in Hawaii and Samoa.   Two years later, Oklahoma received orders to join the Scouting Force in the Atlantic. In the fall of 1927, Oklahoma entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard for an extensive modernization. This saw the addition of an aircraft catapult, eight 5 guns, anti-torpedo bulges, and additional armor. Completed in July 1929, Oklahoma departed the yard and joined the Scouting Fleet for maneuvers in the Caribbean before receiving orders to return to the Pacific. Remaining there for six years, it then conducted a midshipmen training cruise to northern Europe in 1936.   This was interrupted in July with the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. Moving south, Oklahoma evacuated American citizens from Bilbao as well as transported other refugees to France and Gibraltar. Steaming home that fall, the battleship reached the West Coast in October. Pearl Harbor Shifted to Pearl Harbor in December 1940, Oklahoma operated from Hawaiian waters over the next year. On December 7, 1941, it was moored outboard of USS Maryland (BB-46) along Battleship Row when the Japanese attack commenced. In the early phases of fighting, Oklahoma sustained three torpedo hits and began capsizing to port. As the ship began to roll, it received two more torpedo hits. Within twelve minutes of the attacks start, Oklahoma had rolled over only stopping when its masts struck the harbor bottom. Though many of the battleships crew transferred to Maryland and aided in defending against the Japanese, 429 were killed in the sinking.    Remaining in place over the next several months, the task of salvaging Oklahoma fell to Captain F.H. Whitaker. Beginning work in July 1942, the salvage team attached twenty-one derricks to the wreck which were connected to winches on nearby Ford Island. In March 1943, efforts began to right the ship. These succeeded and in June cofferdams were placed to allow basic repairs to the battleships hull. Re-floated, the hull moved to Dry Dock No. 2 where the bulk of Oklahomas machinery and armament were removed. Later moored in Pearl Harbor, the US Navy elected to abandon salvaging efforts and on September 1, 1944, decommissioned the battleship. Two years later, it was sold to  Moore Drydock Company of Oakland, CA. Departing Pearl Harbor in 1947, Oklahomas hull was lost at sea during a storm approximately 500 miles from Hawaii on May 17.

Free Trade For Developing Countries Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Free Trade For Developing Countries - Essay Example Before delving into the arguments concerning free trade in developing countries, it is important to define what exactly free trade is. Free trade refers to unrestricted international trade. In other words, it is trade free from barriers such as subsidies, tariffs, quotas as well as NTB’s (Non-Tariff Barriers) (Neale, 2010). Thus, free trade is based on the principles of free markets and prices under free trade are determined by demand and supply. Furthermore, the principles of Comparative Advantage, as laid down by David Ricardo, govern free trade (Victor, 2002). Free trade assumes perfect information between buyers and sellers and free movement of labor and capital. The arguments that tilt in favor of free trade for developing countries are based on economic, social and moral grounds. This is best illustrated by the case of Jordan and U.S. Jordan is categorized as a developing nation with a limited local market and surrounded by various other developing economies, thus limiti ng opportunities for its market growth (Victor, 2002). Without exports, there is limited potential for market growth for the country. However, if it enters into free trade agreements with developed nations such as the U.S, it can enjoy access to a much larger market which shall lead to greater utilization of the Jordan’s potential source of comparative advantage than without trade where resources would lay idle (Victor, 2002). To this end, free trade encourages a fuller utilization of a developing country’s resources than would otherwise be possible. Research conducted by Frankel and Romer are suggestive of the fact that free trade brings about a rise in income or GDP whether it is within the region nor international (Victor, 2002). Countries that have large domestic markets tend to support large interregional trade, and thus have higher income levels compared to small countries. These researchers have justified free trade for developing countries on the grounds that t he â€Å"exports† component of trade proves to be an engine of growth for the country (Victor, 2002). By gaining access to foreign markets, such countries can benefit from increased efficiency due to optimal size of the plant and gains from economies of scale that cannot be reaped from their local markets (Victor, 2002). The theory pertaining to international trade suggests that specialization ought to be done by countries in which they have a comparative advantage compared to their partners in trade. The Factor-Endowment theory proposed by the Heckscher-Ohlin (H-O) model incorporates the theory of comparative advantage (Victor, 2002). However, a potential disadvantage of this model is that it simplistically assumes that all countries have similar production technologies as well as similar customer tastes and preferences (Victor, 2002). Although true for nations at the same level of economic development or those enjoying similar cultural, religious affiliations, this assumpti on does not hold true for majority of the cases (Victor, 2002). The assumptions certainly do not hold true for trade between developed and developing nations. In case of developing countries, the concept of free markets is often aborted when forces such as corruption, bribery, uncertainty, lack of transparency and lack of opportunities can hamper productivity (Victor, 2002). However, to this end the H-O model, which forms the basis of free trade, has been reformed to

Long-Term Stability of Clay Slopes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Long-Term Stability of Clay Slopes - Essay Example In order to describe "the long term stability of clay slopes", this paper will look at factors that make slopes become unstable overtime; the measurement of the instability; impact of long-term stability; and the prevention of instability of clay slopes. To begin with, long term stability of clay slopes is influenced by several causes which as are embedded in two major factors. These main factors, according to Price (1984) and Ritter (1986, p 121) are shear stress and shear strength. Shear stress refers to the forces that cause movement of materials down slope while shear strength is the force that resists materials from moving down the slope. These forces oppose each other in the sense that, while shear stress wants movement of material to commence, shears strength refuses. This means that movement will only occur when shear stress exceeds shear strength. Otherwise, like Sparks (1964, p 56) puts it, in uniform material, shear stress and shear strength may remain comparatively uniform. It is worth noting that shear stress has several intricate components that make it provoke movement of material down slope. Ritter (1986, p 121) outlines material internal friction characteristics; material normal stress and material normal cohesion as factors that determine stability of shear stress. Any drop or increase in these factors may alter shear stress. Internal friction is further broken down into plane friction (produced when one grain of soil slides past another) and interlocking friction (which originates when particles are required to move upwards and over one another. Secondly, Ritter (1986, p.122) further states that effective normal stress has the capacity to hold the material together, thereby increasing internal resistance to shear. It acts perpendicular to a shear surface and is absorbed by the underlying slab at the point of contact between grains. It should also be noted that some of the shear surface is usually occupied by openings which are filled with air or water. And since pore pressure exists in these interstitial spaces, it tends to support part of the normal stress. Thirdly, Ritter (1986, p.123) further states that clay soils have cohesion, which comes as a result of ions and water by clay minerals, thereby creating a binding structure among particles. Unfortunately though, cohesion decreases with increased water acquisition in the soil material. Clay cohesive strength very much depends on attractive forces between the particles and the lubricating action of the interstitial liquid. The more the clay acquires water, the more the slope becomes unstable. However, it should be noted that the rate at which the slope gains more water and the water drains away determines the time the slope should become unstable. For example, fast gaining and slow draining of water on a particular slope will make the slope fail very fast. On the other hand, slow gaining and fast draining of water will make the slope remain stable for some time. Where clay soils remains in an undisturbed normal cohesive strength, long-term slope stability will be evident. Sparks (1964, p 57) agrees with the above statement and adds that cohesive strength increases with depth thereby exceeding shear stress, hence surface mantle (slope material) is the one to be more unstable. As more water is added , cohesion decreases and when all pores are filled, any further input of water results in complete