Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Paglilitis Ni Mang Serapio Sa Mata Ni Aristotle - 1638 Words

Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio is a play written by Paul Dumol, currently an Economics professor at the University of Asia and the Pacific, during his high school years at Ateneo de Manila University. This play has been staged by countless theatre organizations already, producing myriad of interpretations and dramatizations. However, probably one thing has been constant in each of them since it was instilled in the text itself – that Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio is a tragedy. So with that, we can assume that Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio is not comedy. Before proving the claim that it is a tragedy, first, I would like to emphasize why it is not comedy. As a director in theatre and of this play, specifically, I received a lot of negative feedbacks†¦show more content†¦If its â€Å"magnitude† is to be considered, Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio possesses such for its complexity through absurdity is enough proof and its â€Å"seriousness† was obviously shown - then again the most distinct proof of its magnitude is what Aristotle termed as â€Å"universal significance†. This play was written more than 4 decades ago and still, its influence to readers and mere students is continuously affecting them – us. The fact that it is still alive means its message is never old, not only for the theatre people but also for the audience. Second, the Character. The development of emotions was previously discussed already. The argument stated only proved that the character supported the plot. The only contradicting part of Aristotle’s argument and Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio is the description on the protagonist. According to Aristotle, â€Å"The protagonist should be renowned and prosperous, so his change of fortune can be from good to bad.† Serapio, on the other hand, entered as someone who is definitely not â€Å"renowned and prosperous† but nevertheless, the aimed peripitea (a reversal of fortune; dramatic downfall) was still attained. In my interpretation, however, in Paglilitis ni Mang Serapio, it is not the protagonist who achieved this but the all the other characters especially the Unang Tagapagtanong. Yes, pity for Serapio’s fate was truly shown in the latter part but it was in

Monday, December 16, 2019

The Importance of Organizational Ethics Free Essays

In today’s world, it is all too prevalent to see more and more people hungry to gain success at an ever-increasing rate. Modern culture can and indeed is labelled ‘greedy’ and ‘thoughtless’. Through my relatively short time spent in business, I have encountered many of these types of people. We will write a custom essay sample on The Importance of Organizational Ethics or any similar topic only for you Order Now But who are they hungry for? Who benefits from their thoughtlessness, and why do they do what they do? More importantly, who is to blame when things don’t go according to plan? These are all questions asked constantly in the business domain, questions that often seem to include the word ‘ethics’ in their answer. Whether we look to consequentialism and always consider the outcome of a particular action, or conform to a more deontological form of ethical thinking and focus on always acting in a manner that seems ‘right’, I believe that a person cannot always be ‘ethical’, all of the time. If it were that easy, ethics would be a very small area of study. So what does the word ‘ethical’ mean? To me, it is to take into account every aspect involved in any given situation, peoples’ feelings, thoughts and well-being, both now and in the future, and act as best one can to achieve the most satisfactory outcome for all concerned. From my viewpoint, acting in an ethical manner comes from each and every individual, each having learned from the environment in which they have grown and developed. Should the judgement, therefore, always be left to the individual? This is certainly not the case, as more and more organisations in the business world develop codes of ethics that they expect each member to follow. This definition and management of ethics can be seen as a control-oriented position. This control paradigm for organisational ethics is largely concerned with extracting the best possible results for the organisation as a whole. When acting within a certain environment, be it local, national or global, the organisation must be seen to be ‘socially acceptable’. I believe this idea of control of the organisation’s self-interest together with maintaining a good standing in the public eye to be the main factor for preparing these ethical codes. Both of these can only be achieved through clearly defined codes of ethics from which individuals’ roles can conform through a manner of standardisation. However, through the enforcement of ethical codes, people revoke to a basic level of thinking, judgement and acting as identified in Lawrence Kohlberg’s pre-conventional level. When put simply, it allows little room for individual thought or expression, only rewarding good actions and punishing those that are bad. Can it be right to control tasks that involve ethical reasoning by individuals? This is certainly much different than, say, controlling how someone operates a particular machine. Conversely, the autonomy paradigm, present in some organisations’ ethical policies, is put in place to promote individual critique through their moral thought and judgement. It emphasises a feeling of a ‘moral community’, seen before in Kant’s work, and from which Kohlberg developed his post-conventional level, that allows people to apply their own reasoning to daily situations. As Durkheim suggests and with which I agree, individuals submit to the environment in which they work and how others have previously cast out norms and values. This applies to general situations and therefore the majority. At other times, in more complex situations, an individual would then be left to choose their own actions. McMahon identifies that the legitimacy of managerial authority lies within a contract or promise. An employee, therefore, willingly submits to the thoughts and ideals of the organisation when they sign the contract of employment. â€Å"That is, the exchange of labour for wages in which employment consists involves a promise on the part of employees to accept the directives of managers. To be sure, employees may be expected to use their own judgement in carrying out the tasks assigned to them. But if a managerial directive conflicts with an employee’s judgement, the directive must take precedence. Otherwise the employee is attempting to renege on a morally binding agreement† (McMahon, 1989). Whilst this in law is true, I feel that it should be left wholly to the individual’s own moral judgement. What is to say that those who have prepared the code of ethics for a particular organisation are better ‘ethically equipped’ to make the decisions for others? That is to say, why is a senior manager more ethically right than a lower employee? I don’t believe that as a rule he/she is, more they and others responsible for making the decisions would like to think they are. Yes they may have more experience in their particular industry or even technical and conceptual skills, but that does not make them better suited to exert their moral judgement over another individual’s. Once again, this control is clearly forcing employees back down to a Kohlbergian pre-conventional level. In such free-speaking times as we now live therefore, why do organisations attempt to dictate our thoughts and actions? As I earlier identified, the organisation does not want to be seen to be ‘socially unacceptable’ whilst simultaneously achieving the best possible results. Therefore, from where do the key decisions originate? Should it be left to the managers to ensure that employees follow an ethical code or should it be left to the individual’s judgement? In my view, autonomy is the generally the best approach as I am a firm believer in individual expression. We have moved from such times as to rule with an iron fist, we should go on from here and not regress. Do many organisations simply issue a code of ethics because it is the ‘done thing’, a reactive gesture rather than a proactive exercise? Is it the case that they are only acting merely not to appear unethical? This certainly is the case in many organisations in my opinion. What is left to examine is which organisation subscribes to which approach and for what reasons? I consider the major factor in this to be the issue of responsibility. The term responsible is â€Å"firstly, sometimes used to mean ‘trustworthy’ or ‘dependable’†¦ second, the term is used to mean ‘obligation’. Third, responsibility is sometimes used to indicate that an action or its consequences are attributable to a certain agent† (Velasquez, 1983). It is this third explanation that I shall focus on. Can corporations have moral responsibility? This is a question that certainly needs addressing here, and one that has been previously considered by Richard De George. He focused on collective responsibility as it related to organisations, and identified two views, the organisational view and the moralistic view. â€Å"The organisational view maintains that moral responsibility cannot properly be assigned either to a corporation, nor to the agents of a corporation when they act as corporate agents. As legal entities corporations can be legally restrained and can have legal responsibility. But they cannot logically be held morally responsible or have moral responsibility. For they are not moral agents or entities† (De George, 1981). His moralistic view, as he claims, is extremely outrageous. In essence, it states that organisations have moral immunity, whereby an individual could be morally condemned for their actions, they could not if they were pursuing the goals of their organisation. De George lists the example of morally condemning a murderer for their actions, but how â€Å"Murders Inc. cannot be faulted from a moral point of view for pursuing its goal, nor can its agents for doing what is necessary to achieve the organisation’s ends. Whilst this addresses the issue of whether organisations can be morally responsible, it does not answer the question. Therefore, we have to determine whether it is the organisation that acts, the management or the people. â€Å"Whenever organisations act, people act, and for every act of an organisation there are at least some acts of individuals such that if these individuals had not performed their acts, and no one else had, then the organisation would not have performed the act attributed to it† (Haworth, 1959). This quote, in my opinion begins to attribute responsibility wholly to individuals, and thus removes any need for a control-oriented approach. Since the organisation as an entity cannot be held responsible, why then should any body of people seek to control the moral judgement and actions of others? If I am likely to be held accountable for my actions, then I know I want to exert my own moral judgement before acting. Therefore, as it appears to me, it is the actions of the people (be it a manager or a cleaner) that are accountable, and consequently the people who are responsible! So why do some organisations take this control-oriented approach? I’m sure that with some it is simply to keep the power in their own hands; these people think they need to have power in order to be successful. However, I think a more pertinent reason as to why some organisations take this approach is to hide behind the organisation themselves. Many individuals within organisations are scared of the book stopping with them so they create a ‘code of ethics’ which, in terms of blame, is large enough to hide behind. Surely then, with the control-oriented approach the organisation should be responsible? On the contrary, with an organisation that employs the autonomous approach, each individual must be responsible for their own actions since they are solely attributable for every part of every move they make. In listing these two types of approaches and the degree of control that they attempt to possess, can it be said of any one organisation that it has successfully adopted a control-oriented or autonomous approach, and that there is no middle ground? I believe there to be a large scope for contention with any organisation that states outright it has employed one of the two approaches in its entirety. Perhaps the two approaches are simply styles of operating, maybe even ideal? Having looked into the two different styles, therefore, I think that to control someone’s moral and ethical thinking with the ultimate aim to enforce them to acting in a particular way is wrong. Each individual, unless impaired by disability, has the power to determine what is right for them in a certain situation and therefore should have the opportunity to act accordingly. A person should not be told what to think simply for the corporate ‘good’. â€Å"If we are to deter corporate wrongdoing and be assured that corporate members will comply with our moral and legal norms, our blame and punishment must travel beyond the corporate veil to lodge with those who knowingly bring about the corporation’s acts† (Velasquez, 1983). In conclusion, if we as individuals want the power to think and judge for ourselves then we must accept the consequences of our own actions. Organisations should give us this choice. How to cite The Importance of Organizational Ethics, Essay examples

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Education and Life Expectancy Components Human Development Index

Question: Discuss about the Comparing HDI and ISEW. Answer: Human Development Index (HDI) Growing realization of the failings of the conventional GNP and income as the primary indicators of economic progress has led to the development of alternative yardsticks. After the failure of GNP on an international scale, two alternative yardsticks for assessing economic progress have emerged - The Human Development Index (HDI) sponsored by UNDP and the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW) developed jointly by economist Herman Daly and theologian John Cobb, (Takhar-Lail Ghorbani (ed), 2014). HDI measured on a 0 to 1 scale for an economy, is aggregated using three indicators, say (Arthur, Waring, Coe Hedges (ed), 2012): Longevity, Knowledge and availability of resources required for a progressive nation. Longevity is the life expectancy of a citizen. Knowledge is measured by adult literacy. GDP is used for the availability of resources per person after purchasing power is adjusted. Since all three are taken as National Averages of the nation, inequality of wealth among the population is not considered. Although availability of resources for longer periods does indicate higher levels of Literacy and Longevity, (Arthur, Waring, Coe Hedges (ed), 2012). Controversial and wide disparities among the nations is seen when nations are ranked using GDP as the basis for HDI, (Grbich, 2012). Costa Rica is ranked 40th in a HDI table, whereas South Africa, having GDP 27% higher than Costa Rica, is ranked 57th in the same table. Despite having a lower GDP, Costa Rica boasts of 92% adult literacy rate, compared to 85% in South Africa. Similarly, Life Longevity in Costa Rica is 13 years longer than in South African. Similar disparities, says (Grbich, 2012), can be found when comparing Argentina, Chile, Poland, and Yugoslavia. Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW) The Daly-Cobb Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW) is comparatively a comprehensive indicator of a nations well-being, as it takes into account the average consumption of the nation along with its distribution and environmental degradation. Although it has been implemented in the USA so far, as per (Takhar-Lail Ghorbani (ed), 2014), it is progressively introducing adjustments for consumption and an index for distributional inequality. The authors have also taken in several environmental factors, including depletion of non-renewable resources, loss of wetlands, loss of farmland and costs of air and water pollution. To take the effect of long-term environmental damages, it also includes factors effecting global warming and damage to the ozone layer, (Takhar-Lail Ghorbani (ed), 2014). Based on this methodology, welfare per person in the USA has been found to increase by 42% between 1950 and 1976. But the decade from 1977 to 1986 saw a decline in the ISEW and it fell by over 12 percent in this period, showing a decline in individual welfare in the USA. The main weakness of ISEW is the dependence of this methodology on information which is recorded only in few advanced nations. Data on air and water pollution and the availability of non-renewable resources is available in a few developing countries only, (Grbich, 2012). A similar drawback is applicable to HDI, which faces lack of reliable data on life expectancy, which astonishingly, is collected once in a decade in many of the Third World countries, (Arthur, Waring, Coe Hedges (ed), 2012). References Arthur, J., Waring, M., Coe, R. and Hedges, L.V. (ed). (2012). Research Methods and Methodologies in Education. London: SAGE. Grbich, C. (2012). Qualitative Data Analysis: An Introduction. 2nd ed. London: SAGE. Takhar-Lail, A. and Ghorbani, A. (ed). (2014). Market Research Methodologies: Multi-Method and Qualitative Approaches. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Terry Fox Essays - Terry Fox, Fiction, Sport In Canada, Batman

Terry Fox Terry Fox In Canadian history there are many famous people. In my mind one really stands out among the rest. His name is Terry Fox and he is one of the greatest athlete to run on the face of this planet. Terry discovered he had cancer and then decided to run across Canada. He was a brave man who would take what the world through at him. Running across Canada was his way to show the world that he was not going out with out a fight. Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg Manitoba on July 28 1958 Terry was raised in port Coquintlam, British Columbia. He was very athletic from a young age. When he was in grade eight Terry was rated nineteen out of nineteen on his basketball team. For that first season he was on the court for approximately one minute. This did not affect Terry and did not let it get to him, fore just two years later Terry was the starring player on his team. By the time he graduated he became one of two athletes to receive the schools highest athletic award. Terry knew that aches and pains are common in athlete's lives. At the end of his first year of university there was a new pain in his knee. One morning Terry woke up to see that he could no longer stand up. A week later Terry found out that it was not just an ache he had a malignant tumor; his leg would have to be cut off six inches above the knee. Terry's doctor told him that he had a chance of living but the odds were fifty to seventy percent. He also said that he should be glad it happened now fore just 2 years ago the chance of living was fifteen percent. The night before his operation a former coach brought Terry a magazine featuring a man who ran a marathon after a similar operation. Terry didn't want to do something small if he was going to do something he was going to do it big. "I am competitive" Terry said, "I'm a dreamer. I like challenges. I don't give up. When I decided to do it, I knew it was going to be all out. There was no in between Terry's sixteen month follow up he saw all the young people suffering and getting weak by the disease. He never forgot what he saw and felt burdened to thoughts that died to run this marathon. He was one of the lucky one in three people to survive in the cancer clinics. Terry wrote asking for sponsorship" I could not leave knowing that these faces and feelings would still be here even though I would be set free of mine, somewhere the hurting must stop... and I was determined to take myself to the limit for these causes." Terry got back into sports and joins a wheelchair basketball team. He took on his new challenge as he usually had. Terry made himself strong by pushing his wheel chair. He would push himself along the sea wall of Stanley Park in Vancouver or find a steep mountain of a log road and would go to his hands bled. Two years after Terry stated his training to run, so nobody could see him he ran his first half-mile in the dark. For fifteen months of training and after running 3159 miles his stump was raw and bleeding. Terry ran 101 days everyday he ran 23 miles a day and only stopped for Christmas because his mother asked him. Terry was always determined. One day when his artificial leg broke he hitchhiked home and fixed his leg and ran another 5 miles. He told his mother about his journey to run across Canada his mother told him he was crazy but when she told his father he simple asked "When?" Terry received his sponsorship and on April 12 1980 he dipped his artificial leg in the Atlantic ocean of the coast of St. Johns Newfoundland, there he began to run the greatest Adventure of his life, "I loved it," Terry said. " I enjoyed myself so much and that was what other people couldn't realize. They thought I was going through a nightmare running all day long. People thought I was going through hell. Maybe I was partly, but still I was doing what I wanted and a dream was coming true and that, above everything else, made it all worthwhile to me. Even thought it was so difficult, there was

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

The Word of the Year for 2012

The Word of the Year for 2012 The Word of the Year for 2012 The Word of the Year for 2012 By Mark Nichol Each year, the major dictionary companies trot out their choice for Word of the Year and its runner-ups, based partly on search frequency and partly on staff consensus. Note that these words are selected not for their staying power Words of the Year often fade into obscurity but for the significance of their usage in a given year. Merriam-Webster’s 2012 Word of the Year is a toss-up between capitalism and socialism, reflecting the controversy and debates about universal health care and discussion about the comparative government systems in the United States and in much of Europe. These words are straightforward except that they’re not: Capitalism is fraught with negative connotations (and not just by those who oppose the system), and many Americans, as an unfortunately lingering artifact of the Red Menace of the mid-twentieth century, confuse socialism (the concept, not the word) with communism and fear both even though the US government system, like many European ones, is irrevocably infused with socialistic components. Dictionary.com’s choice is bluster, which means â€Å"loud, swaggering, often empty boasts, threats, or other comments† an appropriate term, considering the unusually contentious political climate in the United States over the last year. The American arm of the Oxford Dictionaries chose GIF (pronounced â€Å"jif† and standing for â€Å"graphics interchange format†), thanks to the ubiquity of GIFs, simple animations consisting of a looped series of images, employed to humorous effect but also in scientific models and other contexts. They’re not new, but their place in popular culture has recently been elevated by the ease with which they are created. The selection by editors at Oxford University Press’s UK headquarters is omnishambles, which denotes a thoroughly mismanaged situation notable for a chain of errors. The sense is similar to the American English acronyms fubar and snafu, which originated among service personnel inspired with an ironic nod toward the military’s propensity for describing bureaucratic phenomena with abbreviations. (For the record, fubar stands for â€Å"fouled up beyond all recognition,† and snafu is an acronym for â€Å"situation normal all fouled up† except that I’ve substituted fouled for another word starting with f, as do many others who cater to their own or others’ delicate sensibilities when they spell these terms out.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Coordinating vs. Subordinating ConjunctionsAmong vs. AmongstMood vs. Tense

Friday, November 22, 2019

Pulp Fiction Movie Quotes

Pulp Fiction Movie Quotes The story of Pulp Fiction centers around two hit men: Jules Winnfield, played by Samual L. Jackson, and Vincent Vega, played by John Travolta. The movie is both funny and cruel, but  what stands out about the most in Pulp Fiction is its power-packed dialogues. One reason its such a classic is because of its superb acting combined with brilliant dialogue delivery, and when you read Pulp Fiction movie quotes, you can almost hear the voices of the actors inside your head. So sit back and let these Pulp Fiction movie quotes strike a nostalgic chord in you. Jules Winnfield Oh, Im sorry! Did I break your concentration? The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brothers keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you. If my answers frighten you, then you should cease asking scary questions. Whether or not what we experienced was an According to Hoyle miracle is irrelevant. What is relevant is that I felt the touch of God. God got involved. Hamburgers. The cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast. Hey, thats Kool and the Gang. Well, the way they make shows is, they make one show. That shows called a pilot. Then they show that show to the people who make shows, and on the strength of that one show they decide if theyre going to make more shows. Some pilots get picked and become television programs. Some dont, become nothing. She starred in one of the ones that became nothing. Vincent Vega It breaks down like this: Its legal to buy it, its legal to own it, and, if youre the proprietor of a hash bar, its legal to sell it. Its illegal to carry it, but that doesnt really matter cause- get a load of this- if you get stopped by the cops in Amsterdam, its illegal for them to search you. I mean, thats a right the cops in Amsterdam dont have. Why didnt you say something, Marvin? Slipped your mind? You forgot to mention someones in the bathroom with a goddamn handcannon? Its like a wax museum with a pulse. Play with matches, you get burned. I dont mean any disrespect; I just dont like people barking orders at me. Now, if youll excuse me, Im going to go home and have a heart attack. Well, you gotta have an opinion! I mean, do you think that God came down from heaven and stopped the...  [he accidentally shoots Marvin] Oh man, I just shot Marvin in the face.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Media Ethics - Lawyers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media Ethics - Lawyers - Essay Example A novel tells of a kind and diligent lawyer, married with two children, who work tirelessly to put the evidence together to protect a house cleaner physically abused by his billionaire master. The lawyer shows so much kindness and cares to the client with an intention of helping her get justice. Due to the closeness, and the problem the lawyer is facing at home with the wife, the lawyer falls in love with the client and they engage in a sexual relationship. In the movie, Mr. Shawn exhibits a series of unethical activities through bribing the witness to lie to the court to set free individuals involved in crime. Most states have established clear rules that make bribing of witnesses or potential witnesses a crime against the state. For instance, in California, section 137(a) of the Penal Code emphasizes that an individual who offers, gives, or makes a promise of any form of bribe to a witness or another individual that is to be called upon to testify in relation to a given case, to convince them to a certain agreement or understanding commits a felony (National Council of State Legislators, 2015). Shawn bars the truth from the court from obtaining the truth and deceives the court to let an individual get away with a crime. Shawn’s actions go against the code of ethics that upholds honesty, as he tried to influence the decisions of the judge by attempting to bribe him. On the other hand, the lawyer in the novel also acted outside the code of ethics by engaging in a sexual relationship with the client.

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Sensory Perceptions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Sensory Perceptions - Essay Example A person’s knowledge will determine if he perceives information on people or things as accurate or inaccurate (Robinson, 1994). Perception refers to people’s sensory knowledge of the surrounding and entails both actions in reaction to stimuli or detection of environmental stimuli. Perceptual processes enable humans to acquire information about elements and properties of the surrounding, and also enable individuals to operate within their surroundings. The perceptual processes determine the accuracy or inaccuracy of a person’s sensory information. In addition, interpretation is created to divulge relationships, and meanings of people’s natural and cultural heritage, through involvement with landscapes and sites, artifacts, and objects. It also depicts how people perceive different circumstances through beliefs and thoughts. Interpretation helps people to believe whether sensory information is accurate or inaccurate (Robinson, 1994). The factors that may play a part in determining the accuracy of sensory information include reliability of observed facts, source of data and cognitive capacity, and the brain and interpretation of received data. The reliability of observed facts will play a role in determining if sensory information is accurate. Receiving sensory information through precise observations will give information and facts that are essential for accurate sensory perception or thinking connection. Also, source of data and cognitive capacity contributes to the accurateness of sensory information. The source of information or data should be got through the sense of touch, sight, smell, and hearing to acquire precise sensory information (Foster, 2000). An individual’s senses must be extremely sensitive to function like gauges, lenses, particle detectors, gauges, and amplifiers to nourish the brain to create accurate sensory perception of the received information. The brain and interpretation of received data also determines

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Suburb and United States Essay Example for Free

Suburb and United States Essay The Suburbanization of North America although not commonly realized, is indeed one of the most striking features of the 20th century. For North Americans this process has changed where we live and how we live. No longer is the city and countryside completely separate, rather for many of us, these two ideas have formed together into a new urban environment. More people today live in suburbs than cities, and these entities have continued to meld, amalgamate, separate, conjoin and coexist. Consequently, a study of Suburbia and its origins is often subjective. A common definition of a suburb is â€Å"a community within a commuting distance of a central city. † However, this statement doesn’t always hold true as someone who lives in Hamilton or Guelph and commutes to Toronto every day for work probably do not consider themselves residents of Toronto. Massive areas of continuous urban development like Megalopolis in the American north east and southern California are the result of the massive move towards suburbs. The question still remains as to whether suburbs will continue to work for us. The relative prosperity of North America and cheap oil of the 20th century are what allowed suburbia to happen. As for the question of whether Suburbia will continue to remain as the dominant form of living on this continent, only time shall tell. More importantly, it is important to understand the origins and magnitude of Suburbia up to this point in time if one is truly to be prepared for the possible challenges of the future. Although the automobile suburb did not come about to until the 1920s in North America it is important to understand the pre-existing conditions, history and factors that lead to the first ‘modern’ suburbs. Both the United States and Canada were founded as rural colonial hinterlands. Despite the importance of the early towns and cities, at the time of the American Revolution, only one in twenty citizens lived in an urban setting. Alas, the United States was a rural nation of farms, plantations and men living on the frontier. It was in this rural setting that the American mindset was born. Frederick Jackson Turner’s 1893 â€Å"Frontier Thesis† claims that the innovative and individualistic mindset of the archetypical American is a result of the nation’s experience on the western frontier. Consequently, one can see the appeal of the individualistic and country living experience that suburbs would later offer. Despite this rural ideal, the 19th century and industrial revolution witnessed a massive movement towards the industrial city. Much like the future development of suburbia, early industrial expansion was unplanned and chaotic. By 1890 there was 160,000 miles of railroad tracks in the United States and cities like Chicago and New York’s population were exploding as a result of natural increase and millions of immigrants arriving from Europe. These American industrial cities became overcrowded, dirty and miserable for most of the working class. The industrial American city began to resemble its English counterparts from across the Atlantic. Indeed the description of ‘Coketown’ from Charles Dickens’ Hard Times had become migrated across the ocean onto North American shores. The dissatisfaction that came from living in Industrial cities manifested itself in several ways. Firstly, it should be noted that most of these cities were walking cities and main means of transportation was walking from place to place for the poor. Consequently, everything from industry to residences was relatively close to each other and the central business district or CBD. The City Beautiful movement, Sir Ebenezer Howard’s Garden City movement and the creation of Central Park in New York are all examples of yearning for green space and connectedness with nature. These projects and ideas were not only concerned about aesthetics, but rather, they were concerned with promoting social order, civic virtue and increasing the quality of life. So it was that the country and nature would penetrate into the borders of urbanism during the mid to late 19th century. However, as certain technologies became available it would be the country that would begin to be breached by Urbanism. In actuality, the first suburbs were established well before the mass or rapid transit of the late 19th century. Wealthy merchants of the 18th century established the first suburbs in London when they built their second homes within a carriage ride from the city. â€Å"Soon many of these merchants were living permanently outside the cities where their businesses were located. They were creating the first true dormitory suburbs†¦small communities in a near-rural setting. † Horse car suburbs no further than a 30 to 40 minute carriage ride from city were available to the wealthier of citizens whom could afford the 15 to 25 cent round trip fares. Frank Sprague’s perfection of the electric street car in 1888 facilitated a massive suburban explosion of â€Å"streetcar† suburbs. Although considerably more compact in land usage as later suburbs will be seen to use, â€Å"street car† suburbs would lead the charge in centrifugal movement of cities. Established closely to rail lines these residences would provide detached housing that would be impossible for the middle class within the city. Unlike our modern suburbs of today, these developments had little in the way of services. Consequently, people went home to sleep and be with family, as the residents of these new ‘street car’ suburbs’ affairs were all but entirely within the city. There were positive and negative consequences to the massive suburban growth created by the street car. Firstly, the electric street car allowed for someone to live up to ten miles away from the city core and still get to their place of business within 30 minutes. Furthermore, factories like the steel plants in Gary Indiana could now be established outside the city core on ripe land or ‘greenfield sites. This suburbanization of industry â€Å"encompassed a progressively broader cross section of groups, with the result that there began to emerge a differentiation of suburban neighborhoods according to occupation and income. † The massive exodus of middle class citizens from the downtown area changed the way its space was utilized, focusing on non-residential uses of land. Some 80,000 new residenc es were built in Chicago from 1890 to 1920, this massive centrifugal movement of people created opportunities for commercial development along rail junctions. This ultimately had the effect of ending the simple city structure with a single focal point. Before the advent of the automobile era, these street car suburbs of the late 19th and early 20th century had a massive effect on shape and character of a city as the rail lines became the arteries for all commercial, residential and industrial development. The period of suburban infill starting in the 1920s was a result of the success of the internal combustion engine and the industrial processes pioneered by Henry Ford. The aforementioned desire to live the country life and escape the wretches of urbanism did continue into this new period. In fact, the versatility of the car or bus over rail would increase the numbers of people who would and could make a life in suburbia as opposed to the city. Two important components were necessary for the new automobile suburb. The first necessary component was the infrastructure, and chiefly among it, roads. The 1916 Federal Aid Roads Act had the design of making States build and maintain interurban highways, and the subsequent 1921 act helped to provide funds for integrating a long-distance network. Secondly, people needed affordable personal vehicles. Henry Ford’s assembly line production methods had the benefit of greatly improved productivity. Utilizing these methods and economies of scale, Ford was able to lower the price on the model T from 22 months’ average pay in 1909 to only 3 months’ pay by 1925. This had the effect of putting 27 million cars on the road by the end of the 1920s in the United States. The rise in investment for automobiles and roads was tremendous during the 1920s and 1930s, but also remarkable was the lack in investment in mass and rapid transit.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Fadia Faqirs Pillars of Salt and Leila al-Atrashs A Woman of Five Sea

Fadia Faqir's Pillars of Salt and Leila al-Atrash's A Woman of Five Seasons The portrayal of the Arab woman has always been through several different perceptions. Some believe that these women are weak, dependant and victims of a hyper patriarchal tradition and culture. They live their lives as if caged from one man to another. First it is their father and brothers and then their husbands and sons. It is true that Arab women do live within patriarchal traditions and cultures but the same can be said for majority of the women around the globe. A much more accurate perception can come only through the realization that what popular Western concepts conceive as women liberation and independence does not necessarily apply to every women around the world. One must understand the culture, religion and traditions and history of a people to know what their ideas regarding concepts such as liberation and independence are. In the west for example women were allowed to vote relatively recently compared to Muslim women who were allowed to vote over fourteen hundred years ago, the same could be said for owning businesses and property and the right to a career. One of the most popular beliefs in the Western world today regarding oppression is that women in Arabia are sexually controlled by their men. This has been brought about especially by the concept of the Hijab as being one of the channels to control women’s sexuality and freedom. It can be argued that in various cases this is true but one cannot commit such a grave injustice and put all Arab women under one umbrella and stamp them as sexually oppressed. The fact is that the Middle East is a region where many states, cultures and identities exist. The novels that we have read are a refl... ...nary’s removal to the government, is where her victory lies. Whereas the relationship between Maha and Harb is one of passion and love, Ihsan and Nadia are the complete opposite. Nadia hates how Ihsan looks at her as a woman always and never a person. She struggles to prove her capability of being an individual and forming an identity of her own that is separate and goes beyond Mrs. Natour. She proves that she can ‘think and feel’ for herself and by herself. In the West where we have women out on the streets rallying for equality between men and women, fighting in the armies, present in the workforce, these victories may seem minute. However if one pays close attention to social structures and social norms in different cultures one can realize that this challenging and questioning is as important and holds as much weight as getting equal wages for women in America.

Monday, November 11, 2019

“500 Days Of Summer” Film Essay

Non-verbal communication plays a key role in signifying the status of Tom and Summer’s relationship. Provide depth examples of how proxemics, eye contact, touch, and chronemics are articulated in the film. Interpersonal communication skills provide the tools to make a foundation for friendships and romantic relationships. Conflict and nonverbal communication are looked into with more depth in interpersonal relationships. In the movie 500 Days of Summer, audiences a lot of nonverbal communication. The movie shows characters Tom Hansen and Summer Finn during their attempts to build a relationship. Tom and Summer’s experiences shows issues such as conflicts within a romantic relationship, and nonverbal communication. In 500 Days of Summer, nonverbal communication signified a great deal between Tom and Summer. One example of nonverbal communication is when Tom reached to hold Summer’s hand in public, but Summer moved her hand quickly away from his, so that they wouldn’t hold hands. Not only was she letting him know she did not want to show affection in front of anyone, but she was stating her loss of interest in him romantically. However, moments such as this were evidence of mixed messages Summer usually showed to Tom. She did keep physical intimacy with him. However, she did not want to publicly establish a romantic relationship with him. Then again nonverbal messages are more easy to change and mean another than verbal meanings. A smile can express comfort or just being happy or smiling because someone else in smiling at you. Another example that of non verbal communication that showed, is when Tom and Summer went to the store and they were flirting with each other and playing the roles if they were all ready living together. The Proxemics in that chosen area gave them the opportunity so show more affection with each other. They had a depiction of the future they could have with one another. To go more into depth they were already a lot of problems that were going on between Tom and Summers relationship. There were many nonverbal cues between Tom and Summer. A lot of problems came in to play when one of them confused or  misinterpreted the others nonverbal communications. All in all, relationships are built upon building blocks of many subjects. In the movie 500 Days of Summer, one can see the nonverbal communication through out the whole movie. People will see Tom and Summer’s example of how relationships are able to form, as well as how relationships can be terminated from the non verbal communication skills with many other communication problems.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Denim Finishing Company Case Essay

Mrs. Kelsey Bowser using the ABC method decided to use the number of garments as the cost driver of the change-over costs. Nevertheless, I argue that this was not the best possible choice. I will try to defend my point using the following example. Let’s assume that Guess Who Jeans demands 600, not 500 garments per shipment. Although the number of garments changes, the total change-over costs would stay the same, because no additional retooling of the machine would be necessary. The whole change-over process takes 3 hours regarding if the number of garments is 200, 500 or 800. Furthermore, let’s strictly theoretically assume that the company is able to achieve some extra capacity and one batch is now composed of 150 garments instead of 100 garments. Still, although the total number of garments would vastly increase, the change-over costs would be altered only partially. The opportunity cost measured as a lost contribution margin would slightly increase, but the out-of-po cket costs would stay the same, as the wages of the employees and supplies costs will not change. Thus, it is clear that the number of garments is not the proper cost driver for the change-over costs. In my opinion the number of shipments would be a much better cost driver for the change-over costs. Regarding the number of garments or the number of batches Guess Who Jeans demands every shipment requires the change-over costs to be incurred twice. For instance, if 99 shipments were made, the total change-over costs would equal $351 * 198 = $69,498, because two change-overs ($702) would not have to be undertaken. Thus, the number of shipments clearly drives the analyzed costs. Unlikely the previous example with the number of garments per batch increasing to 150, the number of shipments fully ‘drives’ the change-over costs. Every time the number of shipments rises or falls, the change-over costs change by the full amount of the two per-changeover costs which properly reflect the real situation. Using such a cost driver may be problematic when the allocation of the chang e-over costs is analyzed. Nevertheless, I argue that those cost should be solely allocated to the propriety denim finishing. The demand for the stonewashing services exceeds the company’s capacity. Thus, if the Guess Who Jeans’ offer was declined, the company would use the whole capacity for stonewashing. However, if the offer was accepted the stonewashing processes would be somehow ‘interrupted’ by the propriety denim finishing. Each ‘interruption’, and therefore each shipment would require incurring the change-over costs twice. No factor connected with stonewashing ‘drives’ those costs. Regarding the number of batches or garments used in the stonewashing process each shipment necessitates the cost of $702. Therefore, I believe this cost should be associated with every shipment done by Guess Who Jeans. In Appendix A I present the product profitability analysis using the number of shipment as the cost driver. Moreover, Mrs. Kelsey Bowser claims that the change-over costs should be treated as product-sustaining costs. Nevertheless, I believe her opinion is wrong. I believe these costs should be on the batch level in the cost hierarchy. Hence, I believe the initial analysis undertaken by Mrs. Bowser was correct, although the cost driver she selected was improper. Product-sustaining level costs could be defined as ‘activities that are needed to support an entire product line but are not performed every time a new unit or batch of products is produced’ [Hilton 2010]. Although the first part of the definition applies to the change-over costs, it is clearly not the case when the second part of the definition is concerned. The change-over costs have to be incurred every time the shipments is delivered and the propriety denim finishing has to be done. Therefore, I believe these costs should be rather placed as the batch-level costs in the cost hierarchy. Batch-level costs are believed to ‘arise from activities performed once for each batch or lot of products’ [Zimmerman 2011]. Since the change-over costs need to be incurred every shipment, placing them at this level in the hierarchy seems reasonable. 2. It is clear that before accepting the proposal several nonfinancial issues have to be considered in order to make a reasonable decision. First, the management should think how accepting the Gues Who offer would affect the relations with the other clients. Since Guess Who requires the Denim Finishing Company not to offer the particular type of finish to other customers, it is very likely that relations with other firms will worsen. The Denim Finishing Company has been cooperating with many companies for a long time. Therefore, those companies may dislike the fact that the new client receives the special treatment, while such benefits could not be observed in their case, even though they have been the customers for ages. Consequently, the Denim Finishing Company’s reputation may shrink and furthermore the firm may lose some of its customers that it had long term relations established with. Accepting the Guess Who offer, as mentioned before, would require the Denim Finishing Company to offer the certain time of finish exclusively to Guess Who. Hence, the firm would be prohibited from providing other companies with this service. Before making the decision it should be analyzed if that could lead to potential losses in the future. For instance, although cooperating with Guess Who may be beneficial, the potential gains from offering that type of finish to other clients could be higher. If so, the Denim Finishing Company should rather provide the service to other firms. Naturally, before making such a decision it has to be determined if other firms would require the Denim Finishing Company to offer the service exclusively to them, like it is the case for Guess Who. Offering exclusive service to one company may result in other companies’ (not only potential clients as mentioned in the previous paragraph, but also current ones) demands for exclusive treatment. If other clients, especially those who have been cooperating with the Denim Finishing Company for a long time, realize that it is possible to receive such a special treatment, they would likely claim for it too, as it could give them a competitive advantage over other firms in their industry. Thus, the Denim Finishing Company would undoubtedly face a big problem. It theoretically could increase the prices for the firms that demand exclusive service, but it could lead to losing those clients. Accepting or declining the Guess Who offer may also result in potential conflicts within the firm that have to be considered. For instance, Bruce Farrand who is against the offer may be so determined in defending his point of view that if the offer is accepted, he will decide to terminate his employment. However, he might be so valuable for the company that the gains from the cooperation with Guess Who would not compensate for the value added by Mr. Farrand. Moreover, some other conflicts could arise in the company after deciding either. Before making the decision it would also be recommended to analyze the potential influence the service offered to Guess Who could have on the machine. Since providing the finish would require constant and often retooling of the machine, it could negatively affect the lifetime of the machine. What is more, it is possible that the quality of services done by the machine would shrink because of those often changes. Hence, the satisfaction among clients could diminish and the high cost of purchasing new machine would have to be incurred soon. It also cannot be forgotten that the current demand exceeds the firm’s capacity and some of its clients already use services provided by other companies. Thus, if the Denim Finishing Company’s has even less time for stonewashing, these clients can shift to competitors. Finally, it should be estimated what potential nonfinancial benefits could cooperating with Guess Who bring to the Denim Finishing Company. Guess Who is considered to be a company that offers innovative and premium products. Thus, being an important business partner of such a firm could have a positive impact on the Denim Finishing Company’s reputation. Consequently, it could attract new clients and encourage more companies to cooperate with the Denim Finishing Company. Moreover, successful cooperation with Guess Who Jeans could lead to extending the business relations with that company. For instance, it could outsource more of its production to the Denim Finishing Company. 3. If I were Tom Corcoran, I would undoubtedly have a few questions for the controller. First, I would ask about all the problems mentioned in the two previous questions. As mentioned before, I believe that Mrs. Bowser did not place the change-over costs at the right level in the cost hierarchy. Hence, I would like to get to know why she decided to treat them as product-sustaining costs, while there are a lot of arguments supporting the idea to treat them as batch-level costs. Furthermore, the cost driver chosen by Mrs. Bowser is highly doubtful. I would require the explanation how and to what extent in her opinion the number of garments ‘drives’ the change-over costs. Since I believe the number of garments is not the right cost driver, I would ask Mrs. Bowser for some other type of profitability analysis, such as the analysis presented in Appendix A. The analysis presented at the meeting by the controller could be misleading. Both Exhibit 3 and Exhibit 4 present data that is in my opinion inaccurate. Moreover, as it was analyzed in the second question accepting or declining the offer could lead to multiple nonfinancial outcomes that may play a significant role on the company’s profitability. Hence, I would ask if such factors have been analyzed and if so, what possible impact they may have. I also believe that Tom Corcoran would be most interested in the total profit his company would have under both scenarios. Analyses presented at the meeting, as valuable as they might be, do not contain such information. For instance, they do not include the facility-sustaining costs that the Denim Finishing Company has to incur. Hence, it would be recommended to present Tom Corcoran with the yearly profit the firm may earn. Moreover, I would ask Mrs. Bowser about the accuracy of her assumptions in Exhibit 4. She estimates that the costs of the proprietary process, as well as the price paid by Guess Who Jeans wi ll not change during the year. However, it may not necessarily be the case. The analysis relies on historical costs that may not be appropriate for the future estimations. Thus, I would like to know if Mrs. Bowser took that aspect into account. Another question would regard the overhead rates of the batch- and unit-level costs. The rates were estimated when only stonewashing was done. However, accepting the offer from Guess Who Jeans would require retaining from using the machine for 600 hours. This could likely result in different overhead costs and consequently different overhead rates. The batch-level utility cost can be particularly problematic. It is ‘driven’ by the machine hours and as previously mentioned the machine is not used for 3 hours before and 3 hours after the shipment. Furthermore, the case makes it unclear whether drying is also performed by the Unit #4. The per-garment utilities cost includes 3 hours for washing and 3 hours for drying. However, when the change-over is undertaken, the washing is not performed, because the machine cannot be used. Therefore, during the change-over the utilities cost is possibly lower. This is especially important for the opportunity cost analysis. Since the case is lacking information explaining the problem, if I were Tom Corcoran I would like to clarify it. Finally, I strongly believe that it would also be necessary to ask Mrs. Bowser about the facility-sustaining costs. Such costs are ignored in the controller’s analysis. Nevertheless, they still affect the company’s profitability. Hence, I would like to get to know how big those costs are. Moreover, the facility-sustaining costs could also be somehow influenced by the possible cooperation with Guess Who Jeans. For instance, the security or insurance costs could rise, since the service is supposed to be offered exclusively to that particular client. Therefore, the analysis of the capacity-sustaining costs would also be useful. To sum up, if I were Tom Corcoran I would have many doubts about the controller’s analysis. I would probably ask her to prepare yet another presentation that includes my suggestions. However, if I were to make the decision, I probably would accept the Guess Who Jeans’ offer. The analysis in the Appendix A, although it does not include nonfinancial factors and may not properly reflect all the costs, clearly shows that such a scenario leads to increased profits. 4. Activity-based costing is undoubtedly a useful tool that could help the management to make the optimal decision. It is much more accurate that the traditional costing systems. Distinguishing various activities and determining cost drivers relating to them helps to more precisely allocate the costs. Using one cost driver for all the amount of the overhead could create the situation where the indirect costs are not really ‘driven’ by the particular cost. For instance, although direct labor hours might to some extent determine the value of the overhead, the influence may only be partial, especially regarding certain products. Using various cost drivers for various activities largely eliminates this problem. What is more, selecting particular cost drivers for respective activities enables ‘taxing’ certain activities. This internal tax system gives an incentive to reduce certain costs and therefore improve the company’s efficiency. For instance, if machine labor hours are chosen as a driver for the production activity there is an impulse to lower the number of machine labor hours which consequently results in decreased value of overhead, lower costs and higher profits. Under Activity-Based Costing the share of costs allocated directly to the products increases. Thus, the company better understand where its overhead costs go to. It enables the firm to identify the products that are not profitable and undertake relevant actions, such as decreasing costs, raising the price or withdrawing the product. However, the cost hierarchy helps to make such decision regarding not only particular products, but also batches and product lines. This undoubtedly allows making decisions that are more profit-maximizing. Moreover, in the ABC the practical capacity is used. Therefore, it is possible to determine the unused capacity. Diminishing the unused capacity is definitely helpful in maximizing the profits of the company. Hence, Activity-Based Costing provides the management with the information necessary to make optimal decisions. To compare, the traditional costing systems do not give such a possibility. However, the ABC method also has some flaws that may result in making a non-optimal production decision. Some of those disadvantages could be observed in the previous questions. First, the system is believed to be complicated. As noticeable in the first question choosing the proper cost driver for the particular activity might be problematic. Selecting the wrong driver could lead to biased results and consequently the decision that is not profit-maximizing. Furthermore, trying to maintain the cost hierarchy may also be difficult, as shown in the example of Mrs. Bowser from the Denim Finish Company. The results when the costs were determined as the batch-level where completely different than when they were analyzed to be product-level. Thus, such easily made mistakes could result in a non-optimal decision. Furthermore, as it could be seen in the second question Activity-Based Costing does not include any nonfinancial measures. Thus, even though pure financial values may show that a particular decision is profit-maximizing, it might not necessarily be the case. Other factors, such as e.g. loss of reputation could actually result in decreased profits. Finally, the ABC method requires gathering data from the whole company, often through interviews. Hence, there is a relatively big possibility that collected data is not perfectly accurate. To sum up, the Activity-Based Costing method is quite reliable tool in making optimal production decisions, especially compared to the traditional costing systems. However, the system has to be carefully planned and implemented, because any mistakes could lead to inaccurate results. Choosing the wrong cost driver and improper assignment of the costs in the cost hierarchy may result in undesired errors. Furthermore, as useful as the ABC is, the management cannot rely solely on financial values provided by the method. Before making the decision all nonfinancial factors have to be considered. Only such a consideration combined with the information supplied by the properly designed and applied Activity-Based Costing system can lead to the optimal production decision. 5. The marginal costing analysis may undoubtedly be a useful tool in making an optimal decision. However, it has to be used carefully, because some of its suggestions may be misleading. This could also be observed in the analysis presented by Mrs. Bowser. The concerns are somehow parallel to the questions raised before. First, the marginal costing analysis does not include any nonfinancial factors. Hence, although the particular activity may seem profitable, it might not necessary be true. Second, the analysis is based on the historical, not the actual costs. The actual costs and price that Guess Who Jeans would be required to pay may differ over the time. Similarly, the application of the overhead depends on the estimates rather than the actual values. Thus, over or underabsorption may happen. Moreover, as mentioned before, after accepting the offer the overhead rates could change. Thus, the costs provided by the controller in the analysis might be inaccurate. As pointed out in the previous question the case is lacking the information about the possible decrease in the utilities costs during the change-overs. If that was true, the opportunity cost associated with the lost contribution margin on sales of 70,000 stonewashed garments would considerably increase. Considerably, the incremental profit from accepting the new offer would diminish. Another problem with Mrs. Bowser’s analysis, as well as with all the marginal costing analyses is that they do not include the costs that do not change with the unit volume. However, such costs could also influence the decision. Although the analysis presented by the controller shows that accepting the offer would be highly profitable, the figures would not look so vastly appealing if the amount of capacity-sustaining overhead was included in the Exhibit. Furthermore, the presented analysis is only a short-term one. Nevertheless, before making a strategic management the management also has to cons ider the long-term perspective. The analysis shows that in the certain year the incremental profits from accepting the Guess Who Jeans’ offer would equal some particular value. The analysis only includes one year though. In the following years the profits could be lower and thus declining the offer could actually be a better decision. For instance, imagine that Guess Who Jeans needs the propriety denim finishing services for its new products that are just to be introduced to the market. The client may expect the high demand for the new product in the first year. However, in the following years the demand for the product, and consequently for the Denim Finishing Company’s services may shrink. Finally, the marginal costing analysis includes only one-case scenario. It assumes that the projected and the actual number of shipments will be equal. However, it is not certain if that will happen. If some unexpected events happen the marginal costing analysis will not properly reflect the real situation. It cannot be forgotten that the marginal costing analysis is a simple and straightforward tool that can support the decision making. It is particularly useful when two products or divisions are to be compared. Moreover, it can give the management the basis for analyzing the opportunity cost of declining the Guess Who Jeans’ offer. However, the marginal costing analysis should be used carefully. I believe it should be treated as a supportive instrument for decision making rather than the major source of information. Hence, if the controller alter a few things, the analysis could help to make the optimal, profit-maximizing decision.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Assassin Bugs in the Garden

Assassin Bugs in the Garden Assassin bugs get their name from their predatory habits. Gardeners consider them beneficial insects because their voracious appetites for other bugs keep pests under control. All About Assassin Bugs Assassin bugs use piercing, sucking mouthparts to feed and have long, slender antennae. A short, three-segmented beak distinguishes Reduviids from other true bugs, which generally have beaks with four segments. Their heads are often tapered behind the eyes, so they look like they have a long neck. Reduviids vary in size, from just a few millimeters in length to over three centimeters. Some assassin bugs seem rather bland in brown or black, while others sport elaborate markings and brighter colors. The front legs of assassin bugs are designed for catching prey. When threatened, assassin bugs may inflict a painful bite, so be careful handling them. Classification of Assassin Bugs Kingdom – AnimaliaPhylum – ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – HemipteraFamily – Reduviidae The Assassin Bug Diet Most assassin bugs prey on other small invertebrates. A few parasitic Reduviids, like the well-known kissing bugs, suck the blood of vertebrates, including humans. The Assasin Bug Life Cycle Assassin bugs, like other Hemipterans, undergo incomplete metamorphosis with three stages- egg, nymph, and adult. The female lays clusters of eggs on plants. Wingless nymphs hatch from the eggs and molt several times to reach adulthood in about two months. Assassin bugs living in colder climates usually overwinter as adults. Special Adaptations and Defenses Toxins in the assassin bugs saliva paralyze its prey. Many have sticky hairs on their front legs, which help them grasp other insects. Some assassin bug nymphs camouflage themselves with debris, from dust bunnies to insect carcasses. Assassin bugs do whatever it takes to catch a meal. Many employ specialized behaviors or modified body parts designed to fool their prey. One termite-hunting species in Costa Rica uses the dead termite carcasses as bait to attract live ones, then pounces on the unsuspecting insect and eats it. Certain assassin bugs in southeast Asia will stick their hairy front legs in tree resin, and use it to attract bees. Range and Distribution of Assassin Bugs A cosmopolitan family of insects, assassin bugs live throughout the world. They are particularly diverse in the tropics. Scientists describe 6,600 distinct species, with over 100 types of assassin bugs living in North America.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Converting Numbers Into Words Using JavaScript

Converting Numbers Into Words Using JavaScript Lots of programming involves calculations with numbers, and  you can easily format numbers for display by adding commas, decimals, negative signs, and other appropriate characters depending on the kind of number it is. But youre not always presenting your results as part of a mathematical equation. The Web for the general user is more about words than it is about numbers, so sometimes a number displayed as a number isnt appropriate. In this case, you need the equivalent of the number in words, not in numerals. This is where you can  run into difficulties. How do you convert  the numeric  results of your calculations when you need the number displayed in words? Converting a number into words isnt exactly the most straightforward of tasks, but it can be done using JavaScript that isnt too complex. JavaScript to Convert Numbers Into Words If you want to be able to do these conversions on your site,  you will need a JavaScript code that can do the conversion for you. The simplest way to do this is to use the code below; just select the code and copy it into a file called toword.js. // Convert numbers to words// copyright 25th July 2006, by Stephen Chapman http://javascript.about.com// permission to use this Javascript on your web page is granted// provided that all of the code (including this copyright notice) is// used exactly as shown (you can change the numbering system if you wish) // American Numbering Systemvar th [,thousand,million, billion,trillion];// uncomment this line for English Number System// var th [,thousand,million, milliard,billion]; var dg [zero,one,two,three,four,five,six,seven,eight,nine]; var tn [ten,eleven,twelve,thirteen, fourteen,fifteen,sixteen,seventeen,eighteen,nineteen]; var tw [twenty,thirty,forty,fifty,sixty,seventy,eighty,ninety]; function toWords(s){s s.toString(); s s.replace(/[\, ]/g,); if (s ! parseFloat(s)) return not a number; var x s.indexOf(.); if (x -1) x s.length; if (x 15) return too big; var n s.split(); var str ; var sk 0; for (var i0; i x; i) {if((x-i)%32) {if (n[i] 1) {str tn[Number(n[i1])] ; i; sk1;}else if (n[i]!0) {str tw[n[i]-2] ;sk1;}} else if (n[i]!0) {str dg[n[i]] ; if ((x-i)%30) str hundred ;sk1;} if ((x-i)%31) {if (sk)str th[(x-i-1)/3] ;sk0;}} if (x ! s.length) {var y s.length; str point ; for (var ix1; istr.replace(/\s/g, );} Next,  link the script into the head of your page using the following code: var words toWords(num); The final step is to call the script to perform the conversion to words for you. To get a number converted to words you just need to call the function passing it the number you want to convert and the corresponding words will be returned. Numbers to Words Limitations Note that this function can convert numbers as big as 999,999,999,999,999 into words and  with as many decimal places as you like. If you try to convert a number bigger than that it will return too big. Numbers, commas, spaces, and a single period for the decimal point are the only acceptable characters that can be used for the number being converted. If it contains anything beyond these characters, it will return not a number. Negative Numbers If you want to convert negative numbers of currency values to words you should remove those symbols from the number first and convert those to words separately.

Saturday, November 2, 2019

The engineering industry in The Philippines and Cambodia Assignment

The engineering industry in The Philippines and Cambodia - Assignment Example This increase necessitated the increase of engineers to handle the large importation and technological development. Survey indicates that compared to other industries in the country, the Engineering and architectural industry occupies over 25% of the market share making it the leading industry in terms of growth and development (Philippines Statistics Authority, 2012). The demand for engineers in this country is very high due to the reasons mentioned above about their trends. The universities however are now able to almost meet the demand with them producing over 40,000 engineers every year which has ensure that the demand is met almost to the full capacity required which is a positive thing. The company is continuing to expand its manufacturing and hence continues demanding a lot of engineers. Engineers in Philippines are required most in the categories of mechanical engineering as well as electric and electronic engineering. The rest of the engineering specializations such as the metallurgical engineering, the material as well as the industrial engineering are also required though not in large numbers as such. Cambodia has for a long time been affected by poverty and civil war negatively affecting the development of the industries. The current situation of the country is that various development projects have started to be funded by institutions such as World Bank and hence demanding an influx of engineers. The engineering industry has therefore started being on the rise with the increase in demand of even students in their last year of engineering education. According to The Editor of The New Economy, (2012), the civil engineering has been among the most engineering departments with the highest demand and whose work is being seen at the moment. The civil engineers are rising to be involved in planning and development of dams, referral hospitals, and roads among other types of constructions. On the increase are the electric

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Globalization Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Globalization - Assignment Example cal entities in cargo carrying executed by automobile, sea, railway, river and ferry transportation; establishing obligations, rights and responsibilities of every participant in transportation. The parties to the contract also guaranteed to endorse synchronized tariff policy. These were implemented for the success of the GUAM Agreement. Collaboration in the field of transport in between Georgia and Ukraine has become increasingly better and it can be regarded as another success (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, â€Å"Relations between Georgia and Ukraine†). The main challenge has been that of the territory settlement between the member countries. The demilitarization of the conflict region and establishment of safety in these regions with the assistance of the multinational peacemaking services set out within UN or OSCE support for ensuring return of inhabitants and peaceful coexistence of communities have been the other challenge. Several measures are being taken to settle the conflicts in the territory of GUAM states to enhance the peace process so that trade activities can be carried out without any disturbances. This was done for proper integration among GUAM countries to maintain trade relationships (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Azerbaijan, â€Å"The Organization for Democracy and Economic Development – Guam†). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Azerbaijan. â€Å"The Organization for Democracy and Economic Development – Guam†. 2008. About GUAM. October 4, 2010.

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

The Effects of the English Language and Culture in Translating A Essay

The Effects of the English Language and Culture in Translating A Non-English Text into Film - Essay Example When a film is to be made in English that was previously in another language and in text format, there are a great number of considerations on how the language and the visual elements can be translated. Meaning in one language must be carefully translated so that not only the verbal language, but the visual language makes sense. Film is unique in that the cultural meanings that are implied through one language must be translated as well as the literature of the original language. Due in large part to colonialism and then to the Westernization of consumerism, the English language has become a part of most languages, English-isms emerging throughout the cultures as they become part of the globalized world. Homogenization creeps into cultures that had previously been very ‘other’ through interactions with the dominance of the English language in business, media, and in presence in the world as English speaking travelers have a dominant position in world travel. Creating Eng lish versions of pieces of work that are written in another language often means that the work itself becomes transformed by the differences between cultures. In dominance, sometimes, comes the arrogance of transformation rather than merely translation. Transforming a literary work takes the meaning from it that was specific to a culture and re-creating it to have meaning for another culture that may no longer hold the same key symbols or meanings that it did in its original form. In translating a piece of fiction into a second language visual experience there are a great many aspects of the work that must be taken into consideration. Coding the translated work so that it reflects both the audience and the language of origin is a difficult achievement. The nature of coding in a language supports cultural meanings of symbols, but in translations that are both visual and verbal that are trying to capture meaning from one cultural language into another the task can be daunting. In the example of the result of colonialism is the key to how to undertake a project that involves translation. Where in colonialism entire cultures were translated into new cultural patterns through the coercive influence of the colonizer, so to can a text be butchered by misunderstanding the meanings that are cultural relevant and stand apart from the Western mind and the English construction of a text to prepare it for film. In translating a text into a script and direction for a film, the numbers of factors that are relevant to the translation are deep and meaningful in relationship to culture and symbols. Translation includes more than just replacing words, but replacing the emotional and cultural context through which the work was expressing meaning. Language Coding In trying to determine the best approach to translating a text from its original language into a film, the cultural coding that exists within the language must be evaluated. The first thing that must be determined in tran slating a text in one language to that of another is if the film will be intended for a mixed language population. In other words, if the film is made for a location in which two languages are prevalent and the work is being translated from one language to the other, the coding will be different than if a text is from a geographically different culture than to the culture that the film will be intended as an audience. If a Chinese book is translated for an English audience it is very

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Human Resource Management In Absence At Work Management Essay

Human Resource Management In Absence At Work Management Essay Introduction Every organization has set a goals and objectives and to achieve that they have good quality as well as good quantity of human resource. Without this factors organization cannot achieve their goals. Thus these activities are arranged and manage by human resource management. The success of any organization depends upon effective management of human is resources. Human resource is backbone of any successful organization. Organization couldnt achieve their goals or objectives ignoring the effective human resource management. The effective human resource management advice to management team that how to optimize the current resources (Armstrong, 2006). I have chosen two peer-reviewed articles of Human resource management in absence at work. Journal 1: Source: Dunn, C., Wilkinson, A. (2002). Wish you were here: managing absence. Personnel Review, Volume 31(Issue 2), Page 228. Absence is the employee is not available for work when the work is available for that employee (Eggert, 2009). As this definition we can say that absence is unavailability of the employees when there is work for them. Sickness absence is a major public health problem that has important economic impact because of high insurance cost and lost productivity ( Roelen, Koopmans, Groothoff, 2009). Due to absence of the employees in work is costly to organisation because the organisation has to pay directly to absence employee as well replacement employee. So the expenses of the organisation on absence employee will be doubled. The impact of the absence into organisation is myriad. It includes reduced in production quality, job done by less experienced employee, loss of costumers due to failure to meet deadline. This journal explains how to manage absence of employee in organization. To curb absence into organization positive incentive plays major role to manage absence. Attendance bonus is common type of financial bonus. Disciplinary action is another technique to control absence in organisation. This is negative way to control absence into organisation which includes reduce annual leave, dismissal to poor attendance employee, deducting company sick-pay. The research was made in 1997 with seven companies which includes manufacturing sector (Prodco, Manuf), retail sector (Shopco, Superco and Foodco) and financial sectors (Consultco and Bankco). 50 interviews participate in total with semi-structure interview. Profit of Absence The significant of absence is related to cost. At Shopco implemented new rule that no payment of the first day of sickness to control one-day absence. Manufco, Prodco, Superco, Foodco, Consultco calculate cost of absence as measurement of size of the absence problem in organisation. The production manager emerged if the current rate of the absence 11 percentage reduce to 2 percentage it could be saved  £100000. Cost benefit is major factor to motivate reducing absence in to organisation. Monitoring Absence The method of monitoring absence in organisation is varied and every organisation uses different way to monitor absence. The organisation used absence report as key factor to identify absence pattern. Because of the absence pattern the line manager can predict who will be unavailable in the work. The most common method of monitoring absence in organisation was a combination of trigger review procedure, regular absence statistics and informal methods of monitoring. The nature of the organisation and the types of employee mix determine the method of monitoring absence. Controlling Absence Many companies used Return to work interview as a tool for controlling absence. The propose of return to work interview to identify the reason for the absence, welcome the employee back to work, ensure the employee is fit and fine to back to work (University, 2011). The research shows that return to work interview could be effective in increasing employee awareness of pressure to attend work. Every organisation did not take interview and interview could be informal as well. Defining responsibilities and ownership The line manager plays a vital role to manage absence in organisation. The line managers know the pattern of absence among their employee rather than HR department. It is hard to relay message to each and every employees by HR department. The line manager should take responsibilities to minimize absence in organisation. Discipline and the dynamics of line management discretion Discipline plays vital role to control absence in the organisation. The policies and procedure played a part in creating pressure to attend work. Human resource department only cannot minimize the rate of absence if the line manager did not take responsibilities in absence management. Journal 2: Source: Bennett, H. (2002). Employee commitment: the key to absence management in local government? Leadership and Organisational Development Journal, Volume 23(Issue 8), Page430. According to CBI (1999) in recent years employee absence at work culture is very grown in organisation. Absence at work is emerging problem for organisation in economically. IDE (1998) estimated that huge amount (around  £13bn) of economy went to useless due to absence at work. According to Ho (1997), the impact of the absenteeism into economic is myriad. It includes reduced in production quality because job done by less experienced employee, loss of costumers due to failure to meet deadline. This journal explains how absenteeism impact in local government in UK economy and employee commitment plays vital role to curl absence at work. Government Staff Commission for Northern Ireland conducted a research to measure and find out cause of absenteeism in local government. In this research, it took organisational commitment as a key factor to control in absenteeism and examines relationship between employee commitment and absence through three factors which are human resource managers, line managers and employees. The main cause of being absence at work is physical illness in local government and low job satisfaction in some cases. Marrow (1983) explained commitment as following The Strength of an individuals identification with and involvement in a particular organisation. Organisational commitment is effected by different factors such as morale, motivation, job satisfaction. There is bond attachment between organisational commitment and absence to curl absenteeism in local government. Comparative analysis Journal 1 explains how the absenteeism does negative impact in economy of the organisation whereas another journal explains the organisation commitment play a vital role to curl absenteeism in local government. Journal 1 explains to control absence in organisation it introduce attendance bonus and disciplinary actions. It means whoever achieves more attendance at work, they should be rewarded and who has a poor attendance at work without satisfactory reason they should be dismissal from their responsibilities. Critical analysis of the journals In journal 1 the writer suggest to avoid absence at work reduce annual leave, reduce pay scale of sick or injury leave. Accident or illness cannot be predicted but it happened. If employee gets illness or injury during organisation they will be compensated. But most of employee took sick leave for non-illness propose and took leave on Monday and Friday ( Barham Nasima, 2010). In journal 2 the writer organisation committed Conclusion After studying the two above journal, I would like to conclude absenteeism is growing negative culture in organisation and government body. Due to the absence at work, huge amount of money went to unnecessary expenses. In one research it estimated that the direct expense of absenteeism to UK economy in 2003 was  £11.6 Bn ( Barham Nasima, 2010). It makes negative impact to growth of economy in organisation as well as country. Sick leave is most common method to be absented at work because it will be paid. Sometimes employees get sick leave without sickness. The main factors for getting absence at work are job dissatisfaction, growing absence at work culture in organisation, to avoid pressure at work, getting paid without work. If employees in sick leave, the organisation has to pay them but if they are not genuinely sick, the organisation still has to pay those employee who take sick leave. And other thing due to absence at work, the organisation has to hire another person for that position. Because of this the organisation has to face various kinds of problems that includes has to pay extra to replacement employee, job done by less experienced employee so that production quality will be deducted and loss of costumers due to meet deadline. Organisational commitment plays vital role to curl absence at work.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Writitng of Ambrose Bierce Essay -- Papers Writing Style Amrbose B

The writing style of Ambrose Bierce can simply be described as bitter. Almost all of his stories had some sort of irony or plot twist that made his stories interesting. Events in his life have shaped his view on the world. This viewpoint extends into his writing when he looks at the bitter side of the world in most of his stories and also the aspect of death. In the stories An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge and A Watcher by the Dead, he uses irony and examines death. Along with his patented irony, Bierce uses death in many of his popular stories, possibly as a wish for himself. His lonely and tragic life caused him to be the bitter writer we know today. Ambrose Gwinett Bierce was born on June 24, 1842 in a log cabin in Meigs County, Ohio. He was the youngest of nine children and was born into a poor family with an odd father. Bierce did not enjoy his childhood and ended up hating his entire family except for one brother. His preference for aristocratic heroes probably came from his troubled childhood and class status. His future bitterness may have come from the difficulties he had when he was a child (Fadiman XI). Before he started his writing career Bierce served in the army during the Civil War, first as a drummer boy. By then end of the Civil War he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, being wounded only once in the war. There is no evidence that he agreed with the aims of the North, but there is some evidence that he sided more with the aristocratic planter culture of the South. While he was in the army, Bierce was considered a man that possessed qualities of leadership that promoted him through the ranks. Bierce joined the war at a very young age, and seeing the worst of mankind of that time could hav... ...his experiences with the elite of San Francisco. He always hated the way he was brought up and how he was poor as a child. Many of his stories use characters that are opposite of how his childhood in reality was, in order to create a false past. All of his stories used at least one of these aspects (Epstein 87-89) Ambrose Bierce can be considered one the greatest cynics of all time. It is obvious that the events in his life caused him to be the bitter, cynical person we see in his stories. In an article relating to how Ambrose Bierce started the cynical, ironic writing in America, Joseph Epstein says, â€Å"If the Civil War may be said to have put the blackening on Bierce’s outlook, his career in journalism supplied the polish (Epstein 86).† Every event in his life, from his troubled youth, to his Civil War experience, led him to the writer he is known as today.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Effects of Washington D.C Snipers

Effects of Washington D. C Snipers Two men that decide they want to take people’s lives into their own hands, can change the way American citizens live their everyday lives. This exact situation happened over a twenty-three day period, when John Muhammad and John Malvo went on a shooting spree in Washington D. C. John Allen Muhammad, a forty-one year old veteran expert marksman of the Persian Gulf War, was the main culprit of the crime. He was accompanied by John Lee Malvo, a seventeen year old Jamaican citizen. These two men killed ten people and wounded three others. The snipers had a strategic plan in shooting their victims. As appose to a random one day spree, they had a well thought out process of how to conduct this shooting. They cut a small hole out of the trunk of an old car. They used this hole to stick their gun out of and shoot people without getting caught, and without people knowing where the shooting was coming from. There were no particular people that they were trying to shoot. Everyone that was shot or wounded was random. They shot people picking their kids up from school, and people filling up with gas. This shooting scared people all over the community and throughout the nation. No one felt safe leaving their homes. Before the criminals were caught people were very cautious performing their everyday activities. Some people did not want to take their kids to school fearing that they, or their children might be in danger. The parents and children who did perform their everyday activities lived in fear every time Dial 2 they were in the open. This shooting also stopped people from wanting to get out of their car to fill up with gas. People also stopped going to the park, and even going out to run and exercise. People who had to walk to and from work were scared to go to their jobs in fear of being shot. Anytime people had to be out in the open, they felt as if they were a target. They were scared that somebody was always watching them through the scope of a rifle. Because the people did not know where the shooting was coming from, they did not know what warnings to look for. Once the shooters were caught, some of the tension was relieved. Even though some of the tension was relieved, some people still had the killings of innocent people in the back of their minds. Since someone had committed such an awful crime, they thought that someone else would commit this crime in a similar style. It took time before kids were out playing in the park again and people were back to their normal everyday activities. Because of this shooting, more cars are stopped and searched, because of small traffic violations to ensure the safety of others. More cameras have been put up throughout the city so cops can look at what happened after a crime has been committed, and hopefully bring the criminals to justice. During the time of big events, there are also more roads closed and blocked where all cars are stopped and questioned. Crimes like this also make it harder for the everyday citizen to buy a gun. It also makes people consider going and getting a concealed weapons license. Even today, five years later, people are still worried about crimes like this being committed. Some people feel as if they are a target every time they step out of their front door. Cops all over America have been trained to be able to spot suspicious behavior and know what to look for. The Government’s job is to make everyone feel safe, although this is not always possible because of similar situations from the past.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Impact of Radio in Law Enforcement Essay

I believe the largest impact on policing has been made by the simple invention of the two way radio which has in turn been expanded upon with cell phone and mobile internet capabilities. I had read this in textbooks concerning the evolution of policing, but reading this article certainly helped to confirm it. The advent of the car and of two-way wireless communications systems brought about what it called an â€Å"incident-driven† policing strategy that relied on random patrol and rapid response in radio-equipped patrol cars to prevent crime. However, research conducted in the latter part of the century on the impact of this strategy found it to be too costly in terms of the actual number of officers and vehicles that an agency would have to deploy to have a meaningful impact. Research also found that adopting this strategy contributed to the social distancing of the police from the community, with its consequent negative effect on an agency’s ability to not only prevent and detect crime but also on its ability to enforce the law and to maintain order. While the ability to communicate instantly over long distances is certainly a boon when it comes to coordinating efforts to detain criminals on the run, it has damaged the relationship the police have with the public. Crime typically happens in such a small window it is often rare that a police officer arrives in time to prevent its commission or at the very least its escalation. Not only that, the addition of the accessibility of the internet can make it painfully obvious the difference of the level of effort in some communities as opposed to others. Either way, it seems to be losing battles for law enforcement as budgets are cut yet more is asked of them while at the same time embellishment of negative incidents makes it more difficult for them to perform their duties in an increasingly more sensitive public environment. Being that funding is based on the surrounding areas and their ability to generate taxes, it seems we are on an inevitable course that will see justice served only to those with the means to fund its pursuit.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Arnolds Expedition to Quebec during the American Revolution

Arnolds Expedition to Quebec during the American Revolution Arnold Expedition - Conflict Dates: The Arnold Expedition took place from September to November 1775 during the American Revolution (1775-1783). Arnold Expedition - Army Commander: Colonel Benedict Arnold1,100 men Arnold Expedition - Background: Following their capture of Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775, Colonels Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen approached the Second Continental Congress with arguments in favor of invading Canada.   They felt this a prudent course as all of Quebec was held by around 600 regulars and intelligence indicated that the French-speaking population would be favorably inclined towards the Americans.   Additionally, they pointed out that Canada could serve as a platform for British operations down Lake Champlain and the Hudson Valley.   These arguments were initially rebuffed as Congress expressed concern over angering the residents of Quebec.   As the military situation shifted that summer, this decision was reversed and Congress directed Major General Philip Schuyler of New York to advance north via the Lake Champlain-Richelieu River corridor. Unhappy that he had not been chosen to lead the invasion, Arnold traveled north to Boston and met with General George Washington whose army was conducting a siege of the city.   During their meeting, Arnold proposed taking a second invasion force north via Maines Kennebec River, Lake Mà ©gantic, and Chaudià ¨re River.   This would then unite with Schuyler for a combined assault on Quebec City.   Corresponding with Schuyler, Washington obtained the New Yorkers agreement with Arnolds proposal and gave the colonel permission to commence planning the operation.   To transport the expedition, Reuben Colburn was contracted to build a fleet of bateaux (shallow draft boats) in Maine. Arnold Expedition - Preparations: For the expedition, Arnold selected a force of 750 volunteers which was divided into two battalions led by Lieutenant Colonels Roger Enos and Christopher Greene.   This was augmented by companies of riflemen led by Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Morgan.   Numbering around 1,100 men, Arnold expected his command to be able to cover the 180 miles from Fort Western (Augusta, ME) to Quebec in around twenty days.   This estimate was based on a rough map of the route developed by Captain  John Montresor in 1760/61.   Though Montresor was a skilled military engineer, his map lacked detail and possessed inaccuracies.   Having gathered supplies, Arnolds command moved to Newburyport, MA where it embarked for the Kennebec River on September 19.   Ascending the river, it arrived at Colburns home in Gardiner the next day. Coming ashore, Arnold was disappointed in the bateaux constructed by Colburns men.   Smaller than anticipated, they were also built from green wood as sufficient dried pine had not been available.   Briefly pausing to permit additional bateaux to be assembled, Arnold dispatched parties north to Forts Western and Halifax.   Moving upstream, the bulk of the expedition reached Fort Western by September 23.   Departing two days later, Morgans men took the lead while Colburn followed the expedition with a group of boatwrights to make repairs as necessary.   Though the force reached the last settlement on the Kennebec,  Norridgewock Falls, on October 2,  problems were already widespread as the green wood led to the bateaux leaking badly which in turn destroyed food and supplies.   Similarly, worsening weather caused health issues throughout the expedition.   Ã‚         Arnold Expedition - Trouble in the Wilderness: Forced to portage the bateaux around Norridgewock Falls, the expedition was delayed for a week due to the effort required to move the boats overland.   Pushing on, Arnold and his men entered the Dead River before arriving at the Great Carrying Place on October 11.   This portage around an unnavigable stretch of the river stretched for twelve miles and included an elevation gain of around 1,000 feet.   Progress continued to be slow and supplies became an increasing concern.   Returning to the river on October 16, the expedition, with Morgans men in the lead, battled heavy rains and a strong current as it pushed upstream.   A week later, disaster struck when several bateaux carrying provisions overturned.   Calling a council of war, Arnold decided to press on and dispatched a small force north to attempt to secure supplies in Canada.   Also, the sick and injured were sent south. Trailing behind Morgan, Greenes and Enos battalions increasingly suffered from a lack of provisions and were reduced to eating shoe leather and candle wax.   While Greenes men resolved to continue, Enos captains voted to turn back.   As a result, around 450 men departed the expedition.   Nearing the height of land, the weaknesses of Montresors maps became apparent and the lead elements of the column repeatedly became lost.   After several missteps, Arnold finally reached  Lake Mà ©gantic on October 27 and began descending the upper Chaudià ¨re a day later.   Having achieved this goal, a scout was sent back to Greene with directions through the region.   These proved inaccurate and a further two days were lost.    Arnold Expedition - Final Miles: Encountering the local population on October 30, Arnold distributed a letter from Washington asking them to assist the expedition.   Joined on the river by the bulk of his force the next day, he received food and care for his sick from those in the area.   Meeting Jacques Parent, a resident of Pointe-Levi, Arnold learned that the British were aware of his approach and had ordered all boats on the south bank of the St. Lawrence River to be destroyed.   Moving down the  Chaudià ¨re, the Americans arrived at Pointe-Levi, across from Quebec City, on November 9.   Of Arnolds original force of 1,100 men, around 600 remained.   Though he had believed the route to be around 180 miles, in actuality it had totaled approximately 350. Arnold Expedition - Aftermath: Concentrating his force at the mill of John Halstead, a New Jersey-born businessman, Arnold began making plans for crossing the St. Lawrence.   Purchasing canoes from the locals, the Americans crossed on the night of November 13/14 and were successful in evading two British warships in the river.   Approaching the city on November 14, Arnold demanded its garrison surrender.   Leading a force consisting of around 1,050 men, many of which were raw militia, Lieutenant Colonel Allen Maclean refused.   Short on supplies, with his men in poor condition, and lacking artillery, Arnold withdrew to  Pointe-aux-Trembles five days later to await reinforcements. On December 3, Brigadier General Richard Montgomery, who had replaced an ill Schuyler, arrived with around 300 men.   Though he had moved up Lake Champlain with a larger force and captured Fort St. Jean on the  Richelieu River, Montgomery had been forced to leave many of his men as garrisons at Montreal and elsewhere along the route north.   Assessing the situation, the two American commanders decided to assault Quebec City on the night of December 30/31.   Moving forward, they were repelled with heavy losses in the Battle of Quebec and Montgomery was killed.   Rallying the remaining troops, Arnold attempted to lay siege to the city. This proved increasingly ineffective as men began to depart with the expiration of their enlistments. Though he was reinforced, Arnold was compelled to retreat following the arrival of 4,000 British troops under Major General John Burgoyne. After being beaten at Trois-Rivià ¨res on June 8, 1776, the Americans were forced to retreat back into N ew York, ending the invasion of Canada.      Ã‚         Selected Sources: Arnold Expedition Historical SocietyArnolds Expedition to QuebecMaine Encyclopedia: Arnold Expedition