Stranger Than Fiction Lit Critical Appreciation Essay Example

Stranger Than Fiction Lit Critical Appreciation Paper Stranger Than Fiction is another original yet broadly appealing movie to add to Kaufmans list of Impeccable Cinematographic Creations. This is one movie where two distinctly different themes, Comedy and Tragedy, are intelligently mangled with, occasionally even bordering on the lines of melding with each other.The movie, briefly put, scripts the life of its protagonist- Harold Crick, a Chicago IRS auditor whose world comprises of nothing but facts and figures. He epitomizes every characteristic a person is required to possess for society to label them a drone. From the eerie extent of obsessing over the proscribed number of toothbrush strokes each session must receive, to his genius ability to mentally solve large multiplication problems, this fastidious male is unknowingly, in a skewed yet extraordinary manner, the perfect lead character for a story book.The realization that the British voice narrating the movie was intended for not only the audience, but in fact specifically at Har old also, appalls many. This interesting use of an omniscient narrator draws in audience related themes such as Determinism and Fate and more blatantly surfaces the existence of yet another character- Karen Eiffel.Harbouring a Sylvia Plath sort of disposition, this chain smoking recluse of an author is adamant to find the appropriate closure for the main character of her latest downbeat novel, who happens to be none other than Harold Crick. However, the plot gradually reaches its climax when Karen, so desperately trying to find inspiration for a tragic ending, is put in contrast with Harold, who is urgently trying to pinpoint the problem with the perceived hallucinations or voices in his head. With the wisdom and advice of literary professor Jules Hilbert, he eventually understands the book he is living in and most vitally, the possible ends he would eventually have to face.Determinism is greatly exemplified here, where any possibility of free will Harold originally had the right to was ruled invalid and denied. Most pertinent to him, of course, was the fact that death was inevitable and there was no other alternative but it. Hhis fate was controlled by the antecedent script of the book. This prevailing theme brings the film to an entirely deeper level, much different from the regular bland, brainless on-screen entertainment we are usually provided with these days.Harolds contiguous brush with death allowed his character to concentrate on the emotional essentials of life, as opposed to the usual mundane and routine aspects he previously focused on. Like any other movie, romance is a necessity and topping this one of with tasteful humor and a tinge of predictability, Harold falls in love with an alterative bohemian baker whom he was delegated to audit. She fits comfortably in the category of a political non-conformist who refuses to pay the income taxes she deems objectionable. Moreover, she finds Harold Crick the root cause of the wrong in America, which makes their growing love for each other an uncanny yet amusing watch.The cerebral notion of suspense the movie entails is what keeps any viewers eyes glued to the screen. Kaufmans design of Stranger Than Fiction never once provides a moment in time where questions about the plot stop popping up in ones mind despite the many hints apparent throughout the film. With the assistance of a respectable supporting cast, this movie does not steer off tangent from start to finish. Regardless of the somewhat abrupt ending, Stranger Than Fiction is in a odd and eccentric way a must-watch and by far one of Kaufmans greatest portrayal of clever cinematography.

Protestantism And Modernity Essay

Protestantism And Modernity Essay Protestantism And Modernity Essay Protestantism And Modernity Evangelical Pietism (conservative) Out of 17th century – lutherism Creeds and formal religion Feelings over rational thinking Changing human life – not examining it Sensing a purpose rather than analyzing it Experiencing the divine Spread out on international scale Francke and Spener in Holland Wesley in England Count Zinzendorf & Moravians in Bohemia Jonathon Edwards and American revivalists Absolute dependence on God The Oxford Movement (conservative) John Henry Newman (1801-90) Via Media Appeals to tradition Return to Anglican Book of Common Prayer Argues for the Apostolic succession & sacraments Conversions to Catholicism! The Biblical Movement (liberal) New Methods of Biblical Scholarship Linguistic, archaeological, historical Lower Criticism vs. higher criticism Threat to biblical faith? Julius Wellhausen (1844-1918) The Documentary Hypothesis OT Biblical scholarship – persuasive Liberal theologians – rethinking NT scholarship Gospels – contradictions? (John’s Gospel) Liberal foundational Scientific method Optimistic for Christianity’s future New forms of Christianity – Jesus of faith Fundamentalism and biblical inerrancy Social Concern (liberal) Industrial Revolution Renaissance Medieval monasticism â€Å"Reformers and Pietists† Dedication to God – everywhere ‘Holiness’ (Law & Wesley) for everyone Protestantism – openness to the world characteristic World is good – resources are good Common ideal – wealth shared Modernity and the industrial revolution nixed it! Catholics and Protestants: Defend the status quo or effect social change Christian values of social justice and conscience William Booth (1829-1912) – the Salvation Army Social Gospel – restructure society Major contributor to Christian diversity New period of Western Christianity Significant Individualization and interiorization â€Å"A walk, not a talk† Transnational and transconfessional Philipp Jacob Spener (1635-1705) and August Hermann Franke (1663-1727) Piety – prayer & Bible over dogma Called people: Life-changing spiritual awakening Separate from established churches Brethren Churches (Alexander Mack 1679-1735) State churches of Germany Organized a new denomination Persecutions American in 1729 The Moravians (Zinzendorf 1700-1760) Pietist tradition â€Å"Whoever has God in his head is an atheist.† New forms – worship and devotion Pluralism Methodists (John Wesley 1703-1791) Anglican Oxford University â€Å"Strangely warmed† Moravians America Sermons: Introduced rationalism Moral discourse Justification by faith through sanctification Holy Spirit Holiness and Pentecostal movements Christian perfection 3rd religious awakening in England French Revolution, Industrial Revolution and Methodism Methodism – England Pietism – Lutheranism Served the lower classes Liquor; slavery and war Free medicine Education Puritanism In America Influential Minority Elizabethan settlement [X] Response to religious divisions 1559 Acts of Supremacy and Uniformity Anglicanism [X] Simpler Church ritual – Calvinistic â€Å"Pure† form of early Church Forced to America Congregationalists Anti-episcopal Americas (Plymouth Rock) Biblicists – covenant theology God’s law – enforced by magistrates Moral purity Convincing conversion Practices and beliefs Sermon – hours, singing Theology – new Jerusalem (America) Role in final drama of world history Theocratic democracy Zealous Nationalism Covenant conformity Natives – convert or subdue Pequot natives Massacred Captain John Underhill Millennial Theocracy in New England â€Å"Save the world† Dualistic worldview – Book of Revelation (NT) Redemptive

Program development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Program development - Essay Example Delaune and Ladner (2006) averred that â€Å"community nursing uses a holistic approach that required both disease prevention and health promotion activities, including education and advocacy†. This paper aims to present to process of developing a program for health promotion and disease prevention focusing on the top three leading causes of death and chronic illness to women: heart illness, cancer and stroke over a three year period. After having identified the focus of this study and the objectives, the specific needs or health concerns of the population can be identified using social observation, interview and survey. This phase would enable the health care practitioners to identify factors that lead to higher susceptibility of women contracting the identified illnesses. The survey would include information on demographics, income, educational attainment, health records, housing condition, nutrition, and environmental indices, among other factors. The goals would identify priorities in focusing specific illnesses according to the given time frame. Since heart illness is the primary cause of deaths for women in the Untied States, the program should emphasize pertinent factors and issues relative to this disease. These factors should include causes and possible solutions, as well as needs of the community which could assist in the prevention of these illnesses. The most important aspect in this phase is setting up meetings with local authorities and health practitioners in the community level to discuss the proposed program, solicit advice, reaction, suggestions and prepare plans for the immersion phase. It is at this phase that actual observations, interview, survey, collection and collation of data, interpretation of results, and proposed recommendations would be undertaken. It is also here that findings would be reported to the committee that was originally met. Schedules for health education, promoting health care and prevention of

THe importance of the notion of the ideal body in contemporary culture Essay

THe importance of the notion of the ideal body in contemporary culture - Essay Example Art is believed to depict the events of its time and also anticipate the future events. Thus, art is viewed as a concept rather than a mere object portraying beauty. Capturing the complexity and beauty of the human body in forms of art, such as paintings, sculptures, or even in poems, has been the most interesting and sought after objective for artists from the known historical times. This is said to have attained its peak during the middle ages, including the Early and the High Renaissance, as evidenced by different types of portrayal of an ideal human body in various paintings and sculptures of ancient time. The most famous artists, both painters and sculptors, of this time known today are Giotto, Masaccio, Donatello, Leonardo Da Vinci, Giovanni Bellini, Christus Rex, and others. This period has evidenced rebirth of art and literature, rise of knowledge and intellect in many aspects. Artists during the Renaissance period had acquired technical knowledge of study of anatomy and had achieved new heights in sketching portrait, landscape, and mythological and religious paintings. While these explain the notion of ideal body in ancient art, the same has quite drastically transformed in contemporary art. Research and study on contemporary art are based on various media such as the magazines, television, video and photography besides paintings and sculptures. The base of contemporary art also seems to have changed to a great extent. The notion of ideal body and beauty in contemporary is that of outwardly beauty that incites sexuality and trend of fashion, unlike values or ethos of ancient art. In general, the Renaissance artists depicted joy in human beauty and pleasures of life in their paintings. They also tried to show different perspectives of things that they wanted to portray, which seemed to have descended from Giotto’s work. This art had much more meaning than beauty. Art informs life and produces

Wedding Photography Survey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wedding Photography Survey - Essay Example actice of wedding photography has developed and grown ever since the development of the pictorial art form by Joseph Nicà ©phore Nià ©pce, in 1826 (Baatz 27). An early photograph, in fact, recorded a decade after this was the 1840 wedding ceremony of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. The market for this endeavour is individuals who look forward to getting married. The venture strictly takes place during the period of the wedding, but not necessarily on the wedding day. The wedding photographers advertise themselves through various mediums such as television or mostly magazines (Baatz 45). A majority of photographers prefer to be paid prior to the service, but all expenses can be refunded if the client is not pleased with the work. Some of the equipments needed are lenses, wide-angle zoom, wide-to-telephoto zoom, image-stabilized telephoto zoom, camera body, flashes and accessories, light modifiers and a bag to hold it all among other items. A recent trend in the wedding photography field is the vintage effect. Photographers are now able to give pictures a vintage effect making the pictures appear as if they were from a different time period (the past) other than now (Baatz 98). Locations include the main wedding venue, parks (places with a lot of tress), as well as water sites. This depends with the preference of the couple. A survey carried out by the Photo District News (PDN), in 2009, confirmed that less bookings with a 6.5% plunge in wedding photography were experienced with a few less hours per week on the venture in 2009 than in 2008 (PDN 1). Wedding photographers who provide a la carte services have increased their costs by 1 ½%. The photographers who provide packages have increased their prices by 3%. The most fascinating part of it is that half of the photographers added a much higher priced package in 2009, by 40+%, and they seem to be photographers who want their incomes to increase every year. Half of the photographers added lower-priced packages that

The Pros And Cons Of Desalination

The Pros And Cons Of Desalination Desalination is a technological solution that some believe would provide ample supplies of additional water resources.   Discuss the pros and cons to this technological solution and whether or not you support it.   Less than 3% of the earths natural water is viable for human use and consumption. This brings light to the need for a solution to the quickly depleting resource in the rapid growth of population, industry, and increased overall use of water. What is desalination? Put simply, desalination is the conversion of seawater and or brackish water into consumable quality water. To elaborate, this process can be done through a few different methods depending on the location and need for quality, the main process being distillation and reverse osmosis (preferred method). Of the more than 7,500 desalination plants in operation worldwide, 60% are located in the Middle East. The worlds largest plant is in Saudi Arabia. In contrast, 12% of the worlds desalination capacity is in the Americas, with most of the plants located in the Caribbean and Florida. To date, there are currently 23 proposed desalination plants on the coast of California. With these facts in mind it is the responsibility of human kind to weigh the benefits and the consequences of this somewhat deceivingly simple solution. Pros: There is no doubt that an answer to the ongoing discussion of the potential exhaustion of water is indeed overdue. With that in mind, facts supporting the use of desalination as a good alternative remains to be seen. One factor supporting the use of desalination is that desalination can provide a backup water source and a partial solution to a growing problem. While some believe that the use of desalination plants can provide an infinite supply of water and make it possible to put an end to the depleting resource, in reality, as idealistic as this illusion may be, it is far from true. Another favorable point includes the idea that desalination can remove drug contaminated water and other substances such as arsenic and fluoride which is an ongoing issue in places such as Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. It should be noted however, that the use of desalination is not currently present in either place, and the likelihood of implementing a plant, anytime in the near future, is most lik ely unattainable due to topographical and economic limitations. Another supporting idea proposes that desalination may reduce the need to take additional water from the environment and, in some cases, offers the opportunity to return water to the environment. In some areas it is proposed that desalination facilities may help reduce the dependence of local water agencies on climate sensitive sources of supply. Furthermore, desalination is currently an efficient and reliable water source in use among military operations world wide including naval ships. It is also used on some cruise ships as a reliable source of potable water. Cons: Desalination is costly not only ecologically but economically. Desalination costs are subjective due to many factors, which include location and methodology, making comparisons complex and estimates vague. For example, Tampa Bay Floridas desalination plant ended up $48 million dollars over its original estimate and is still not in full working capacity due primarily to poor planning. Previous desalination plants have cost in upwards of an estimated $100-$150 million dollar range, just to start the facility, this does not include what it costs to run after it is already built. Although Costs have come down over the past decade, as technology has become more efficient, desalination still perpetuates a cost of approximately $500-$2,000 per acre foot of water (325,000 gallons), compared with approximately $250 per acre foot for water in urban Los Angeles, and $10 per acre foot paid to the federal government by farmers in the Sierra foothills, according to Haddad, the author of Rive rs of Gold: Designing Markets to Allocate Water in California (Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 2000). Furthermore, the assumption that desalination costs will continue to fall may be false, in fact future costs may actually increase. Another negative factor is that more energy is required to produce water from desalination than from any other water-supply or demand-management option in California, this in turn brings to light the concern of further dependence on fossil fuels. Conversely, it should be noted that the use of fossil fuels can and has been reduced in many facilities by using solar, wind and wave energy to power the facility. According to an executive summary by the pacific institute desalination can produce high-quality water however it may also introduce biological or chemical contaminants into our water supply this will weigh heavily on the design and location of the plant and should be monitored heavily by local government agencies to ensure consumer safety. Desalination produces highly concentrated salt brines that may also contain other chemical pollutants. More specifically, seawater contains approximately 35,000 parts per million of salt. During the reverse osmosis, water molecules are strained through membranes while the salt particles are retained by the membrane and result in a reject stream nearly twice as salty (70,000 ppm) as seawater. Safe disposal of this effluent presents a significant challenge. Additionally and perhaps of the most devastating of the negative aspects to this process is the Impingement and entrainment of marine organisms. This is among the most significant of the environm ental threats associated with seawater desalination. Impingement occurs when marine organisms are trapped against intake screens by the velocity and force of water flowing through them. The inevitable outcome of impinged organisms varies between intake designs as well as marine life species, age, and water conditions. Some resilient species may survive impingement and be returned to sea; however the 24-hour survival rate of less healthy and/or juvenile fish is potentially less than 15%. Entrainment happens when smaller organisms pass through an intake screen to the processing equipment. Organisms entrained into processing equipment are projected to have a mortality rate of 100%. The number of affected organisms will, of course, vary with the volume and velocity of feed-water as well as the mitigation measures developed to minimize impact. Lastly, the use of desalination is a concern because with its implementation and commercialization, the general public could potentially begin a m ore relaxed view of water use than they already do. Meaning, if people think that we have manufactured a solution to the need for conservation there will not be a need to be water use conscious e.g. the more we have the more we spend. This can lead to higher costs to the environment, more unnecessary development and less environmental consciousness. While desalination is what some have considered the holy grail of water scarcity issues, the reality seems quite the contrary. One of the most difficult factors being faced in light of desalination seems to be the idea that desalination has not been in use long enough to perpetuate actual evidence of overall environmental impacts. With that in mind, an environmental analysis conducted under CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) and NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) should consider the assessment of cumulative impacts not only of the proposed project but future projects (and existing facilities) in the area. These impacts would include the cumulative entrainment/impingement impacts, cumulative energy consumption, cumulative growth-related impacts, and cumulative wastewater urban runoff impacts. These factors are especially important in areas where pre-existing air quality, water quality and ecosystem health are already compromised. More specifically, developed areas wher e water use is higher and environmental impacts are considered / monitored, have the potential of being the proverbial guinea pig when it comes to testing the idea at max capacity. This information should also be part of heavy public education to ensure a full public understanding of its costs and benefits as part of most growing problems in the world come with the lack of education and understanding. Furthermore, there is little evidence that desal plants are any more or any less of an impact than other alternatives, not because they are incapable of causing issues but more because the potential issues have not been fully investigated. Primarily the concern is that the pressing issue and urgency may prematurely cause major environmental impacts (especially long term) to be overlooked or dismissed as something we can conquer at the time it becomes an issue. This vary idea is precisely the reason why most, if not all, environmental catastrophes currently exist. Question is, when is t he woops factor going to cause all parties involved to finally get a clue? In closing, the benefits and consequences of desalination are vast and seem to be vaguely understood. While on some levels desalination should be considered as a supplemental potable water source, many other alternatives which are far less costly economically and environmentally do exist. These alternatives include treating low-quality local water sources, encouraging regional water transfers, improving conservation and efficiency, accelerating wastewater recycling and reuse, implementing smart land-use planning and fixing leaks in already existing distribution pipes and plants. Furthermore a tax deductible option to home owners encouraging water wise appliances and repair allowances should be considered as an encouragement to fix what we already have. For example it is estimated that US Homes Leak 1 Trillion Gallons of Water Annually, which is said to be enough water to supply the entire state of Colorado for three years! Is desalination the answer? To me, it seems a desperate attem pt to band-aid a far larger and blaringly obvious issue. If we continue to use and waste, as a human species, regardless of the solutions we find, our existence will inevitably be self limiting.

Essay --

When we analyze a work, it is easy to judge the characters by the standards of our time, but this is not very fair to them. They do not follow our rules; they follow the standards of their societies. In addition, unless the characters’ thoughts are revealed to us in soliloquies or asides, we cannot tell if the person knows of his or her actions’ consequences. To determine if a character is â€Å"good† or â€Å"bad,† we must set a standard and evaluate it for each text we examine. We shall define â€Å"goodness† as performing actions whose outcomes are net positive, intended or not, and â€Å"badness† as the opposite. Through this lens we shall examine King Claudius of Hamlet, discovering that while Claudius might be a good King, he is definitely not a good person. When we first meet Claudius, he is holding court and giving a very long and eloquent speech with frequent use of the â€Å"royal we.† He begins by unifying himself with the audience in grief over â€Å"our dear brother’s death† (1.2.1) and then explains he will marry Queen Gertrude to both solidify his rule and bring â€Å"mirth to funeral† (1.2.12). However, it is odd that King Hamlet’s son, Hamlet, did not inherit the throne. Claudius explains, referring to his near marriage, that the nobles â€Å"have freely gone / With this affair along† (1.2.15-6), so it is likely that he convinced the nobles to vote for him as King instead of Hamlet, who was away. Instead of taking the crown by force, which Laertes and Fortinbras will later attempt, Claudius became King without any harm whatsoever, excepting the murder of King Hamlet. His ease with the royal court and the trust he places in the nobles are signs of his good Kingship, however much hidden blood there may be. Claudius is not just friendly with the nobles. ... ...m; the poisoned goblet makes Hamlet realize Claudius’s plan and results in Hamlet killing him with the same goblet. Although we quickly see through Claudius’s sham, his â€Å"bad† qualities might be the reason for his â€Å"good† Kingship. After all, a King who is ambitious, manipulative, and selfish would want to keep the throne, and since Claudius dislikes confrontation, he has evidently decided to remain in power by being a just and wise ruler. He might have had the wrong motivations and a terrible character, but royal policies were, on the whole, good for Denmark. But we must not forget his terrible choice; instead of giving up his sins’ rewards, he chooses to keep them and kill Hamlet to assure his crown. Make no mistake, Claudius was a bad person, but Denmark had experienced an extraordinary King, ended with poisoned drink in his throat and poisoned sword in his chest.

Moons of Our Solar System

â€Å"Genetically modified (GM) foods are food items that have had their DNA changed through genetic engineering. † (Mavis 2008). As the population of the world has continued to grow, the supply pressure of food has become more and more significant. With the development of Genetically Modified biotechnology, GM Foods have been come into our daily lives. Though GM foods can help to improve the quality of life, there are risks to complete trust in GM foods. What’s more important, a part of consumers still have doubts about the understanding towards GM food. The question† What attitudes does consumers have on purchasing genetically modified food? † is meaningful because that the issue about GM foods is becoming increasingly controversial. The controversies towards GM foods generally focus on environmental ethics, food security, poverty alleviation and environmental conservation. As customers are divided on their relative importance, some supporters claim that the GM technology can solve the problem of food crisis and poverty. They also consider that GM foods are beneficial to environment such as they can protect soil and water. However, opponents think that GM foods should have some potential threat to human health and they violate the rules of nature by mixing genes among different species. The purpose of this research is to gain a deep understand about the consumers’ attitudes towards purchasing GM foods and find out if most of consumers can accept GM foods. (Hutchison, 2004) Literature review In the last few years, many articles on the consumers’ attitudes toward GM food have appeared. There is a concise review of existing literature that evaluates consumers’ attitudes as following. Most of the information on European attitudes comes from a journal by Bredahl, Grunert, and Scholderer (2003). The article focuses on posted and answered four questions on European consumers’ attitudes towards the use of GM food. These four questions are: (1) how negative are consumer attitudes to the event â€Å"GM technology applied in food production†? (2) How do these negative attitudes affect the preference of consumer for GM products? (3) How deeply does these attitudes rooted in customers’ opinion? 4) Will the new information and experience change the customers’ attitudes? Bredahl, Grunert, and Scholderer (2003) believe that these four questions are central for understanding the consumers’ attitudes about GM food. The article use some tables to evaluate the consumers’ attitudes about genetic modification in food production in seven European countries which are the UK, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway , Italy and Sweden. The data shows that most of the customer have negative attitude towards GM food, the average support for GM foods is quite low. The national differences can also be showed through the table: the attitude is most positive in Italy, and is most negative in Germany and the Scandinavian countries, while Finland and the UK in a middle position. And the article also showed some other surveys to support this result, for example, the Eurobarometer surveys, which is a most well know one, have also shown that most of consumers do not like GM foods (Frewer & Shepherd, 1995 and Durant, Bauer & Gaskell, 1998European Commission, 1997, European Commission, 2000,) For the question how these negative attitudes affect the preference of consumer for GM foods, Bredahl, Grunert, and Scholderer (2003) have design a research about yoghurt. In general, consumers prefer the low-Fat yoghurt, but the yoghurt will become non-attractive consistency if they produced based on skimmed milk. Though using additives can improve this problem, many consumers don’t like additives. However, by using GM technology, the yoghurt can be enough consistency, fat-free and no additives. It provided a good basis for the consumer preferences. In the research, consumers inspected the three products which are normal yoghurt, additives yoghurt and labeled GM yoghurt and rank them according to preference. And they must explain the reason for the ranking. The result showed that most of consumer rank GM yoghurt to last choice. And the common reasons are that the GM technology is not familiar and not trustworthy, they don’t know if the product is healthy, and it harms nature. The conclusion is explicit: the attitude to GM food has a strong influence on the preference of consumers. The third question and the last question were researched in another study. Respondents were asked to take part in a taste test of eight cheeses. Two weeks later, they participated in another taste test which only provides two kinds of cheese. One cheese was the same taste as the one which obtain the highest preference in the first test and it was labeled â€Å"produced with genetically modified technology†; the other one was the some taste as the one which obtain a medium preference in the first test. The results showed that when the most popular cheese labeled genetically modified technology, the preference was reduced. So, the study shows the attitude on GM food is deeply rooted in consumers’ opinion and is not easily to change by experience. There are also some other important researches about consumers’ attitudes towards GM food. Hamstra (1995) evaluate the acceptance of consumers toward GM food through three studies of Dutch consumers. Product characteristics and consumer characteristics are included in these studies. In the first study, consumers participated in a face-to-face interview about their attitudes and willingness to buy nine different GM foods (Hamstra, 1991). Means-end chain theory was used in the second study to further research these aspects in some focus group discussions (Hamstra, 1993). The third study used the sample of consumers to evaluate the model which developed in the second study (Hamstra, 1995). As a result, the studies showed that perceived benefits have a greater impact on consumers’ attitudes than perceived risks and there is no link between attitudes and knowledge of the genetically modified technology. Kutznesof and Ritson (1996) investigated Irish and British consumers’ attitudes through focus group discussions. The results divided the consumers’ attitudes towards genetically modified foods into three types: â€Å"triers†, â€Å"undecided consumers† and â€Å"refusers'†. A large number of consumers were classified into the second group, and the rest of consumers were equally classified as refusing or accepting genetically modified foods. Through the research, Kutznesof and Ritson (1996) found that there are some factors can increase the acceptability of genetically modified foods such as perceived consumer-related benefits, price consciousness, increased product quality (especially the taste), and increased purity of products. They also found that the acceptability of consumers depends on the types of genetically modified foods: the genetically modified technology used on vegetables, fruits and dairy products can be more acceptable than eggs and meat. Some studies have analyzed consumers’ attitudes towards GM foods at a more broadly level. The attitudes of consumers have been proved to be more positive towards applying genetically modified technology to plants than to human genetic material or animals. Frewer, Hedderley, Howard & Shepherd, 1997) The study which completed by Cook and Moore (2002) indentifies the relative importance, nature and strength of influences on New Zealand consumers’ intentions towards purchasing genetically modified foods. The study used four methods to evaluate the consumers’ attitudes which are focus groups, the questionnaire, statistical methods and distribution. Results delivered questionnaires to 289 consumers and received 266. The respondents contain 171 females and 95 males. In the received questionnaires, 159 respondents had an intention or strong intention not to purchase GM foods, 27 respondents had an purchasing or a strong purchasing intention and 80 respondents had no intention to purchase GM foods. Through the analysis with â€Å"Ordered logit analysis† and â€Å"Marginal effects for the extended model† which related to self-identity, attitude, SN and PBC, Cook and Moore (2002) found that self-identity, attitude, SN and PBC can provide a positively influence on consumers’ attitude towards purchasing GM food. Males may more easily to feel in control over purchasing the food than females, on the contrary, females may easily to feel in control over not purchasing the genetically modified food. In addition, other related research shown that the New Zealand public may be slightly less against with purchasing GM food. A national survey about farmers’ attitudes found that 49% farmers not willing to purchase GM food and 12% farmers had positive attitudes to purchase (Cook et al. , 2000). Sallie and Michael, B (2004) choice modeling methods to analyze in what conditions the Australian consumers are willing to purchase GM food, and they also discuss these preferences in the report. The results of the report suggest that if there has a discount on the consumers’ favorite food, they will have an intention to purchase the genetically modified foods. The report also showed that genetically modified technology which used on animals seems to be more unacceptable to respondents than that use on plants, especially among female respondents. In addition, another condition which can influence the consumers’ attitudes for a certain type of food is age of the consumer; the results found that older people generally more accept of genetically modified technology than younger people. In conclusion, the above literature shows that most consumers have the negative attitudes towards purchasing genetically modified foods, and these negative attitudes are not easy to change that can affect the preference of consumers. Furthermore, some conditions such as age and sex of consumers, the species that be applied with GM technology and the discount of genetically modified foods can also effect the consumers’ attitudes. Methodology: The main method of this research is questionnaire which contains online questionnaire and a paper-based survey questionnaire. And the responds assumed to be truthfully. The online questionnaire will be designed on the official websites of large-scale supermarkets. And the links of questionnaire should also be sent to the email of the consumers who are the VIP or the regular consumer of these supermarkets. In addition, the questionnaire will not exceed 8 minutes. The questionnaire should contain open-ended questions and close-ended questions. The sample open-ended questions should be â€Å"Do you have a positive attitude or negative attitude towards purchasing genetically modified foods? Why? † and â€Å"How you access the knowledge about genetically modified technology†. On the other hand, the close-ended question must contain the sex and the age level of the respondents, the questions should be designed like â€Å"I have a intention to purchase foods produced using genetically modified technology (very strongly disagree, disagree, agree or very strongly agree)† â€Å"what do you think your family members’ or friends’ opinion would be when you purchasing genetically modified foods? (Extremely unfavorable, unfavorable, favorable or extremely favorable)† â€Å"Do you think your family members’ or friends’ opinion will change your attitudes towards purchasing genetically modified foods? Very strongly disagree, disagree, agree, or very strongly agree)†. These three questions are very important to understand the consumers’ attitudes towards purchasing genetically modified foods. The advantage of online questionnaire is that it is a less expensive way to investigate more people, and it can also invest igate the people who are at a far distance. Furthermore, the questionnaire can be quickly done and anonymity ensures more valuable responses. But there are also some drawbacks about online questionnaire that must be foreseen. For example, in general, the responds to online questionnaire are from younger people and the response rate should be limited because that not everyone can access to the website. All these conditions should be considered on the result of research. The paper-based survey questionnaire will be sent to the consumers in supermarkets. In order to attract the consumers, the people who accept investigate can get a small gift as an incentive that can increase the participate rate. The age of participate range should between twenties and sixties. And the details of paper questionnaire may be same as the online questionnaire. The drawback of paper-based survey is that poor handwriting may be appeared on the space of open-ended question and some of them cannot be identified accurately. Secondary research is also needed in order to assist the evaluation about results of questionnaire survey. The secondary sources can be found in three areas: sales report of a well-known company which produces genetically modified foods, customer database of this company and primary data. Newspapers, previous research reports, journal content, and government statistics could provide the primary data to secondary. The limitations of secondary research should also be considered during the process of research. For example, some secondary data may not be helpful to the research evaluation because that some data can be vague and general. On the other hand, the source of data must be checked in order to ensure the data is accurate. Moreover, the data maybe out of date. At last, the results of questionnaire and secondary research should be collect together to evaluate the respondents’ attitudes toward purchasing genetically modified foods and calculate if most of consumers can accept GM food. Conclusion: There should be two results of this research; one result is that most of consumers can accept genetically modified foods. It means as genetically modified technology becoming increasingly more oriented lifestyle, the consumers are increasingly familiar with the technology about genetically modified foods, more and more people can trust in GM food. The other result is that most of consumers cannot accept genetically modified foods, and the questionnaire can affect the reasons. It means people still have doubts about the safety and technology of genetically modified food. Genetically modified food is new technology products, though it still exist some problems, but with the development of science and technology, it will be more and more perfect. As long as follow the certain rules, life will be more superior with the healthy and orderly development of GM technology.

I.T and E Commerce of Hospitality Industry The WritePass Journal

I.T and E Commerce of Hospitality Industry Introduction I.T and E Commerce of Hospitality Industry IntroductionInformation Technology Trends in HospitalityHospitality Organizations the InternetLeicester Marriott  Full Service LodgingSelect Service LodgingExtended Stay LodgingTimeshareTechnologies used at Marriott Hotel DifficultyConclusions Recommendations BibliographyRelated Introduction Here is an attempt to understand and explain the information systems which are been used and how they are useful to the company and what are the drawbacks of those systems, and also how they can try to solve those problems. Hospitality Industry is a very fast growing industry. Every organisation wants to retain and also attract new customers. Information technology used by the hotel is very much important and plays a major role in providing a competitive edge over the competitors. Information Technology Trends in Hospitality Hotel Industry places a great emphasis on the provision of quality service to their customers/guest. There is a great demand for information from customers and hospitality service provider so hotel industry stared adopting computer based IT facilities to enhance its operational efficiency, control and reduce costs, and improve service quality (Camison, 2000; Cobanoglu et al., 2001; Siguaw and Enz, 1999; van Hoof et al., 1996).   By investing   in the IT benefits the hotel by enabling the guest to have a better experience, and also the hotel staff to work more efficiently and effectively to better assist customers. Hospitality Organizations the Internet Many prime hospitality organizations such as IHG group, Marriott International, Royal Caribbean, Jurys Inn, Hyatt International, Ritz Carlton, Hilton Hotel are using internet facilities over the years and have been taking advantage of the Internet opportunity by fully implementing the latest technological systems within their organisations. A new Internet-based procurement system which is considered flexible and user friendly has been implemented by IHG group.   According to the Vice President of purchasing, Steve Shamion, it is important that the system is user friendly for a chief engineer, chef, housekeeper, etc.   As soon as IHG succeeded 500 hotels, it was necessary to get rid of the manual system.   Their main aim was to provide a new Intranet system with a web-based provider. The goal was to implement an Intranet system with a new web-based provider.   The e-mail system is currently functioning efficiently as it alerts purchasing agents to contact suppliers in every case where corporate revises a product.   The new system has enabled the IHG group for excellent quality control.   In this respect, IHG claims that they are able to obtain high quality products at low costs via the Internet. Marriott Hotel and resort has chosen the same Internet provider for its new procurement system. They are analyzing the mechanics of the system as well as the concept of electronic purchasing and the advantages that could be realized by Hotel.   One of the key elements of this research involves the â€Å"user friendliness† of the system.   Another concern is the connection factor.   The system must be reliable in connecting without failure.   The content is another very important requirement.   The suppliers must be able to easily find products on the site.   As for the overall costs involved in the implementation of such a system, it is still unclear.   On a positive note, both IHG and Marriott believe that they will be able to quantify the new system’s effects right away.   By tracking every purchase over the web, this will allow them to record their progress.   In the long-term, as one of the first movers in the hospitality industry, the prediction i s that the overall impact will be positive. Leicester Marriott Marriotts operations can be grouped into the following five business segments: Full-service lodging 65% Select-service lodging 11% Extended-stay lodging   5% Timeshare   15% Synthetic fuel   4% Marriott operates under various different brand of hotel like   Full Service Lodging Marriott Hotels Resorts JW Marriott Hotels Resorts Renaissance Hotels Ritz-Carlton BULGARI Hotels Resorts Autograph Collection Hotels Resorts Edition Hotels Resorts Marriott Conference Centres Courtyard by Marriott Fairfield Inn by Marriott Spring Hill Suites by Marriott Marriott Executive Stay Residence Inn by Marriott Towne Place Suites by Marriott Marriott Executive Apartments Marriott Vacation Club International  (MVCI) Marriott Grand Residence Club The Residences at the Ritz-Carlton The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club Select Service Lodging Extended Stay Lodging Timeshare Leicester Marriott Hotel Overview 227 Bedrooms Mixx Restaurant Tanners Bar Atrium Lounge 21 dedicated meeting rooms Leisure Club facilities Wireless LAN in public areas Car park 280 onsite spaces Marriott International, Inc. is a leading global lodging company that shapes and enables its business through an ambitious program of improvements in technology.   In the beginning of late 1990s, Marriott realized that to be competitive   and lead the future lodging market, it had to upgrade and fully integrate two of its most crucial systems: the Marriott automated Reservation system for Hotel accommodations (MaRsHa) and Marriott’s Internet technology platform, Marriott.com.   These systems, combined with Marriott’s key business and inventory applications and marketing and loyalty programs, comprise a global technology infrastructure that facilitated more than 69.5 million new reservations in 2005, averaging over 190,000 per day, while maintaining availability of better than 99.99 percent.   The updated infrastructure enabled 100 percent growth in Marriott.com sales from 2003 to 2005, logged single-day sales records of nearly $14 million, and led the industry i n online hotel room’s sales. In fact, Marriott’s seamless multi-brand, multi-channel integration enables the company to offer the industry’s only global rate guarantee, the Look No Further ® Best Rate Guarantee, stating that Marriott guests will always get the lowest available rate when booking through any Marriott channel worldwide.   It is a remarkable success story, demonstrating how aligning investments in technology infrastructure with business vision and strategy can enable extraordinary business results and how Marriott leveraged its early investment in ecommerce to set new standards for the global lodging industry Technologies used at Marriott Hotel Company website Point Of Sale-Micros Property Management System-Opera Central Reservation System-Marsha SAP for accounting and Payroll Fire Panel Door locks CCTV Blue Cube -Time Clock (Employee attendance) Cetral Reservation System In todays fast-paced environment, business travellers have enough to be concerned about, without worrying about hotel accommodations. And, it takes more than just hotel rooms to win in the highly competitive lodging business. Professionals want the latest technology at their fingertips, from fax machines to Internet services. Central Reservation System is used to connect to the different hotels of the same group. Currently at Marriott a software called MARSHA is used. MARSHA (Marriotts Automated Reservation System for Hotel Accommodations), according to Rinaldi. MARSHA allows guests to call in at any property and have a reservation agent allocate and book reservations, he explains. The Marriott Rewards System [a point-accumulation program to earn special savings] is also kept on this system so that guests can tabulate their points. All major airlines and travel agencies link into MARSHA by T1 and 56-Kbps connections as well. Micros-Opera Micros-Opera is one of the famous providers of property based system in today’s hospitality industry. Its PMS interface has become a common one within the hotel industry and is used by many as a de facto standard. Consequently, many software vendors use this interface because it makes it more likely that their software will be able to connect to other vendors’ applications. Micros: MICROS 9700 HMS It is the most widely used point-of-sale solution system in the leisure and entertainment marketplace. Built on years of industry experience, the entire 9700 HMS product suite is technology independent, running on MS SQL, Oracle, and Multiple Windows platforms. All 9700 HMS modules are web-delivered and enterprise enabled, making them easy to use while reducing total cost of ownership. 9700 HMS has proven installations ranging from small, specialized operations to large enterprise configurations spanning multiple properties in large geographic areas. Whether you operate one restaurant or hundreds, 9700 HMS has the functionality to meet your needs. Problems with Micros 1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     When the systems crashes down then the checks has to be manually posted which is like duplication of work and time, there are even discrepancies sometimes and in that the company loses the revenue. 2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If there is a crash, it needs to be done by the help of a main server computer. But if the problem prevails there is a need to contact the vendor for his service. 3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The micros system sometimes get frozen which affect the overall performance of the server and the team. Difficulty Because Marriott involves representatives from every part of the company in all new initiatives from the very beginning, the company is spared many of the â€Å"growing pains† typically found when implementing large, global infrastructure projects.   The company’s business and marketing managers are technologically fluent and worked closely with the Information Resources and ecommerce departments throughout the process of upgrading and integrating the reservations system and Web presence.   There were, however, two key challenges Marriott faced in its MaRsHa and Marriott.com implementations: availability and scalability. Knowing that Marriott solutions have to be developed, implemented and rolled-out in a 24/7 global business environment, extra attention was paid to maintaining the reliability and availability of ongoing operations.   This was a critical factor in the MaRsHa upgrade, since the reservations system is literally the life’s blood of the company .   Marriott also upgraded both MaRsHa and Marriott.com with leading-edge scalability to support both current and future transaction volumes, and the systems have performed without data loss even as transactions have grown 400 percent over five years.   Marriott’s early commitment to high-performance processing, scalable storage and business continuity made the transition to an integrated reservations/Web solution error-free.Marriott also took great care in test and development before moving new functionality into the global production environment.   eMc’s advanced business continuity software supports the company’s robust testing capabilities, providing an up-to-date replicated copy of the MaRsHa production environment, which facilitates quality assurance, testing and development, without introducing any production performance degradation.   Marriott also creates business continuance volumes (BcVs) from the replicated production data, which are used by developers, for example, to test database applications without affecting either the production or main test systems.   The BcVs enable the creation of more robust development environments, better developer throughput, and the ability to go beyond normal functional testing to bring complex test environments to production and ultimately to market more quickly Conclusions Recommendations Now is the time for hospitality companies to take advantage of the opportunities available in creating a new value added customized online travel shopping experience for customers.   The ultimate trend calls for something comparable to the shopping-bot.   For those who are not familiar with the shop-bot concept, it is meant exclusively for online clothing shoppers who prefer to have a personal agent.   Similar to the shop-bot, the future of the Internet in the travel industry will provide a travel bot who will play the hand-holding travel agent for those that require the most guidance in arranging their travel plans.  Ã‚   This travel bot will create a custom experience that suits the particular customer needs offering a range of services including hotel rooms, restaurant tables, airline seats, and rental cars.   The travel bot will provide advice and recommendations as currently found on GDSs. It is important to take a look at how Internet technology will affect the future of the tourism industry.   Most IT tools are being utilized.   However, there is still much room for improvement in speed, reliability, and adaptation to new technologies.   It is crucial for companies to take advantage of the Internet before the competition.   A solid RD function is one of the elements in this process.   It is pertinent to study the customers and their businesses by encouraging them to fill out a customer’s profile form on the web. It is important to consider how technological drivers will influence changes.   Many traditional small and large players in the industry are having a difficult time adjusting to the changes involved in switching to a full IT based strategy.  Ã‚   This is mainly due to the extent to which the Internet changes how hospitality services and amenities are delivered.   It further alters the organizational structures within hospitality companies and modifies the interaction of the customer and service provider. The hospitality tourism internet future suggests a universal system where property management systems will eliminate the need for expensive on-site computer hardware/software.   The maintenance problems relating to breakdowns, backups, and upgrades will be resolved in an easy efficient manner.   The Internet will control all transactions involving credit card authorization, travel agent commissions, and point of sale transactions.   This will result in fewer problems, a decrease in staff and an increase in profits.   The typical hotel guest will have the option of selecting movies, games, software, shopping and information through voice communication and data/video, all available at a low cost. Future success for hospitality tourism companies depends upon their abilities to identify a target market and the strategic opportunities available for survival and growth.   If data is managed properly, the technology can assist hoteliers and restaurateurs in projecting the lifetime value of guests, creating increased loyalty, resulting in an increase in market share.   The process of mass production has never been accepted in the tourism industry; therefore customized services are a must for survival.   Today’s computer world allows for mass customization in pricing, location, and amenities to a more knowledge-based format.   In this case, marketing and IT departments must work closely toward a merger of core competencies.  Ã‚   The drive toward e-commerce success includes a plan to track surfing and consumption habits such as the buyers, payers, and the return visitors.   Independent consultants are available to provide this data efficiently and confidentially. It is crucial for hospitality tourism organizations to stay on top of the roles of the major online players that are posing a serious threat to the industry such as Travelocity, Priceline, Expedia, Yahoo, etc.   Their role in the future of hospitality tourism marketing is crucial to the survival of Hoteliers.   Hospitality tourism organizations might want to look into the potential of becoming one of the first movers to join the dot com craze.   The already established loyal customer base will allow hospitality tourism organizations to have an upper-hand over general online threats. The customized travel bot could provide the ultimate travel experience of a lifetime for customers in adding the most value, thus allowing first movers in the industry to gain an overall competitive advantage. Bibliography E-Commerce in Hospitality Tourism. 2011.  E-Commerce in Hospitality Tourism. [ONLINE] Available at:  http://gonzales.com.sg/techno.html. [Accessed 12 Feb 2011]. Marriott Internationals Accommodating Network Network Computing. 2011.  Marriott Internationals Accommodating Network Network Computing. [ONLINE] Available at:networkcomputing.com/909/909centerfoldtext.html. [Accessed 21 Feb 2011] Point of Sale Software Enterprise Information System. 2011.  Point of Sale Software Enterprise Information System. [ONLINE] Available at:  micros.com/. [Accessed 18 Feb 2011] Technology Jargon Buster 8/31/2005 Caterer Search. 2011.  Technology Jargon Buster 8/31/2005-CatererSearch  .[ONLINE]Available at :caterersearch.com/Articles/2005/08/31/302345/Technology-Jargon-Buster.htm. [Accessed 12 Feb 2011]marriot.com/ Marriott Global Source. 2011.  Marriott Global Source. [ONLINE] Available at:http://mgs.marriott.com/index.html. [Accessed 16 Feb 2011]

Free Essays on Lottery

â€Å"The Lottery† This twisted tale of a small farming community that is far from normal or peaceful. Jackson, continuously uses the setting to creates a mood of peacefulness and tranquility. This creates an image of a typical small farming community on a normal summer day. This setting foreshadows an ironic ending that is far from normal or peaceful. â€Å"The Lottery†, by Shirley Jackson, displays numerous examples of irony throughout the setting in telling the tale of a small town’s strange and brutal annual ritual. Shirley Jackson, begins her story by establishing the setting. She tells what time of day and what time of year the story takes place. It is important to focus on what a typical day is in this small town. The time of day is set in the morning and the time of year is early summer. School has just recently let out for summer break, and children are getting used to the newly found freedom and the prospect of all of the adventures to be had. Jackson describes the town as that of any normal rural community. She describes the grass as "richly green" and that "the flowers were blooming profusely". These descriptions of the surroundings give a picture of beauty and life in bloom. There is a serene feeling about the sleepy little town. This makes the audience feel comfortable about the surroundings as if there was nothing wrong in the town. In the first paragraph, Jackson describes the town in general. She puts in perspective the location of the town’s square "between the post office and the bank". This aides in visualizing what a small town this is, since everything seems to be centralized at or near the town square. This is also key in that the town square is the location for the remaining part of the story. She creates a comfortable atmosphere while describing the people of the town. The children are gathering together and breaking into "boisterous play". They are described as gathering rocks, which is a norma... Free Essays on Lottery Free Essays on Lottery â€Å"The Lottery† This twisted tale of a small farming community that is far from normal or peaceful. Jackson, continuously uses the setting to creates a mood of peacefulness and tranquility. This creates an image of a typical small farming community on a normal summer day. This setting foreshadows an ironic ending that is far from normal or peaceful. â€Å"The Lottery†, by Shirley Jackson, displays numerous examples of irony throughout the setting in telling the tale of a small town’s strange and brutal annual ritual. Shirley Jackson, begins her story by establishing the setting. She tells what time of day and what time of year the story takes place. It is important to focus on what a typical day is in this small town. The time of day is set in the morning and the time of year is early summer. School has just recently let out for summer break, and children are getting used to the newly found freedom and the prospect of all of the adventures to be had. Jackson describes the town as that of any normal rural community. She describes the grass as "richly green" and that "the flowers were blooming profusely". These descriptions of the surroundings give a picture of beauty and life in bloom. There is a serene feeling about the sleepy little town. This makes the audience feel comfortable about the surroundings as if there was nothing wrong in the town. In the first paragraph, Jackson describes the town in general. She puts in perspective the location of the town’s square "between the post office and the bank". This aides in visualizing what a small town this is, since everything seems to be centralized at or near the town square. This is also key in that the town square is the location for the remaining part of the story. She creates a comfortable atmosphere while describing the people of the town. The children are gathering together and breaking into "boisterous play". They are described as gathering rocks, which is a norma...

Health Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health - Article Example This issue can easily affect all 7 of the areas of health. Because it is a mental and emotional fear, it easily can have negative repercussions on the mental, emotional, and intellectual areas of health. The irrationality of this fear could also have repercussions on my physical, financial, social, and spiritual health. Because I might be afraid of being alone, I may not exercise unless I could do it with a group, which may not always be able to happen. I may have to spend money on helping my condition, which would have an effect on my financial health. My fear of being alone/ of my self could also cause me to try to always be with people, something my friends may not like. It however, could possibly have a positive impact on my spiritual health, as I may turn to the divine to try to help me with my condition. Autophobia, because it is a "phobia", or fear condition, it is hard to find exactly how many people are affected. I was unable to find exact numbers, however one website refereed to it as a "common, although often unspoken" phobia. I have found several different organizations that are involved with helping people deal with this phobia. One is CTRN(Change That's Right Now) Phobia Clinic.

Studying at the University of Colorado Denver Essay - 73

Studying at the University of Colorado Denver - Essay Example Being an international student at the University of Colorado Denver for the last few years, I have more to say to the international students rather than to the local students about this university. As said earlier, this university is one of the extremely diverse universities in America in which students from all parts of the world are studying. It should be noted that studies in a multicultural environment always bring more challenges; however, it brings more opportunities also. Majority of the modern business organizations are interested in keeping a diverse workforce in order to exploit the opportunities of globalization. Studies at the University of Colorado will definitely help students in their future to adapt to the multicultural environments in modern organizations. In other words, University of Colorado provides opportunities to the students to learn: how to behave in a diverse environment; possible challenges that are awaiting students in their future and do’s and don ’ts in a multicultural environment. The University of Colorado provides enough infrastructure facilities to students; both on and off the campus. Apart from having a beautiful natural landscape, Denver provides enough opportunities to the student community for their leisure time activities. Moreover, there are plenty of other resources also to help the students in their learning process. For example, Denver art museum, located at Denver, Colorado is one of the world-famous art museums. It provides art lovers enough items to enjoy and learn. Being an honors student with finance major at this university, I cannot avoid saying something about the honors programs. Students in honors programs in this university are getting enough opportunities to get involved in original research works and that also in the company of efficient CU Denver faculty members. Different scholarships are incorporated into different research project works.