International Financial Accounting Bosch 2006 annual report Essay

International Financial Accounting Bosch 2006 annual report - Essay Example Its spare parts are available for all vehicles. Under automative technology, Bosch engineers develop and test product innovations for motor vehicle manufacturers in research centers around the world. Bosch products go into serial production for new vehicles produced by many different manufacturers around the world once they have undergone extensive testing and meet its strict quality requirements. Bosch has contributed significantly towards making driving safer, cleaner and more economical being one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of spare parts. (http://www.bosch.com/content/language2/html/3506.htm) Bosch is also a major producer and mahufacturer of home power tools, household appliances, garden tools and heating appliances. At the industry and trade Bosch provides communications services, power tools for professionals, sensors and foundry, security systems and packaging technology. The aim of this paper is analyse Bosch's 2005 annual report so as to assess the influence of institutional, cultural and external factors on the financial accounting and reporting system of Bosch. The rest of the paper is organised as follows: Section 2 provides an analysis of the the institutional, external and cultural influences on the financial reporting system, and a classification for the Accounting system, Section 3 looks at the extent to which Bosch is related to the international Accounting standards (IAS/IFRS) of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and Generally Accepted Accounting Principles GAAP of the US Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). 2. ANALYSIS OF THE INSTITUTIONAL, EXTERNAL AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON THE FINANCIAL REPORTING 2.1 Institutional Influences 2.1.1 Management Structure The management structure has got an important role to play in the type of accounting system used. In the words of Hermann Scholl: "Responsible corporate management is partly about striking the right balance - a balance between result focus and values such as responsibility, openness and trust, fairness, credibility,and cultural diversity. This is fundamental to long-term success." (extracted from Bosch Group Annual Report, 2005). According to the 2005 Annual Report the supervisory council is kept informed by the board of management throughout the year and give close attention at its meetings to business developments, corporate strategy, the financial situation, and investment plans. It receives briefings on and appraises the business environment, new engineering developments, and the competitive position of the individual divisions, quality issues and cost cutting measures. This has an influence on the system on the financial reporting system. Bosch announced in its 2005 annual report that it is adapting an IFRS based internal control system as from 2006 onwards. A monthly business report will be prepared and they explain that the system gives the board management a survey of developments on corporate, business sector, and division levels. Comparison is done via an actual-target comparison, which is based on the annual business plan. The business plan has a

Information technology Essay Example for Free

Information technology Essay Information means facts or knowledge provided or learned .OR it is Knowledge of communicating or receiving concerning a particular fact or circumstance, or rather, information is an answer to a question. I The concept that information is the message has different meaning. Technology means the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes .OR machinery developed from this. It is the making, modification, usage, and knowledge of , techniques, and methods of organization, in order to solve a problem, improve a pre-existing solution to a problem, achieve a goal, handle an applied input/output relation or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, including machinery, modifications, arrangements and procedures. Technologies significantly affect human as well as other l species ability to control and adapt to survive. Information technology (IT) means the use of computers and telecommunications for storing and sending informant. It is the application to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data, often in the context of a business or several other enterprise.The term is commonly used as a synonym for computers and computer networks, but it also encompasses other information distribution technologies such as television,e-mail and telephones. Several factories are associated with information technology, such as , telecommunication, ,insulator and computer services etc. Advantages of Information Technology Information technology refers to the study and development of a support-management based, computerized information system. The development is mainly observed in the form of dedicated software applications and a number of hardware programs. The advantages of IT include work place cost-effectiveness and essential globalization. Information Technology or IT mainly deals with computer applications. The common work environment today is totally dependent on computers. This has led to the need to develop and consistently upgrade dedicated computer software like project management software, for a number of related requirements. These include storage and protection of content, processing and transmitting of dedicated information and the secured retrieval of information, when and as required. IT promotes computing technology,  covering everything from installing applications to developing databases. Why is Information Technology Important All our work related applications are now completely automated, thanks to the IT sector. IT professionals are people involved in essential management of sensitive data, exclusive computer networking and systems-engineering. The advancement of the IT sector has resulted in automated: * Administration of entire systems. * Production and manipulation of sensitive information. * Cultural development and communication. * Streamlining of business processes and timely upgrades. Advantages of IT †¢ Globalization True globalization has come about only via this automated system. The creation of one interdependent system helps us to share information and end linguistic barriers across the continents. The collapse of geographic boundaries has made the world a global village. The technology has not only made communication cheaper, but also possible much quicker and round the clock. The wonders of text messages, email and auto-response, backed by computer security applications, have opened up scope for direct communication. †¢ Cost-effective Computerized, internet business processes have made many businesses turn to the Internet for increased productivity, greater profitability, clutter free working conditions and global clientà ¨le. It is mainly due to the IT industry that business have been able to make their processes more streamlined, thereby becoming more cost-effective and consequently more profitable. People are able to operate their businesses 247, even from remote locations only due to the advent of information technology. †¢ Communication Quick and effective communication is vital to any business anywhere in the world. Information technology gives an entrepreneur or business the tools, like email, video conferencing, SMS, etc., essential to communicate efficiently and effectively. to the business world, and information technology gives your company the resources it needs to communicate quickly and effectively. Not only do people connect faster with the help of information technology, but they are also able to identify like-minded individuals and extend help, while strengthening ties. †¢ Storing and Protecting Information IT provides a low-cost business options to store and maintain information that may be important from a business or service point of view. Virtual vaults and other such security systems not only store vital data but also allow control over the access to such information. IT security systems will also protect virtual data from being hacked or wiped out in case of any technical failure. †¢ Creation of New Jobs One of the biggest advantage of IT has been the creation of a whole new field of opportunity for skilled personnel leading to new and interesting jobs. Hardware and software developers, computer programmers, web designers, system analyst, the list of new jobs created could go on. IT has also been attributed to be the major cause of surge in the economies of certain Third World nations too. Things that were once done manually or by hand have now become easier and faster due to the advent of a computing technology. Our world today has changed a great deal with the aid of IT which has penetrated almost every aspect of our daily lives and society, from leisure to business. IT has become a part of our day-to-day lives through the evident use of PCs, Internet, cell phones, faxes, the list would seem endless. Let us hope that newer development in the field of IT can provide benefits to our future generations, just as it has greatly benefited ours.

Differences and Importance of IPPS, OPPS, MPFS and DMEPOS

Differences and Importance of IPPS, OPPS, MPFS and DMEPOS The inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) is a structure of payment that comprises the instances of diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) as acute care hospital inpatients. It is founded on resources that are employed to take care of recipients of Medicare in those groups. Each one DRG has a weight of payment allocated to it, founded on the standard cost of treating patients in that DRG. IPPS participates a significant function in deciding all costs of hospital as well as the costs of all tools for treating the patient all through a precise stay of inpatient (CMS. Gov, 2012). The outpatient prospective payment system (OPPS) on the other side is controlled for service groups of diverse outpatient as classifications of ambulatory payment (APCs). Outpatient services in every APC are alike in expressions of clinical aspects and entailed resources. The APC payment rate In addition, for every group is wage adjusted to rationalize differences of geographic and functional in the group to all services. Hospitals In this get a fixed sum for all services of outpatient founded on classifications of ambulatory payment. Medicare apart from this, employs it to repay physicians and additional health care providers for the items and services that are not division of prospective payment systems (Herbert, 2012). A Medicare physician fee schedule (MPFS) establishes the rates of payment for therapy and physician services that are founded on conversion factors, relative value units, and cost indices of geographic practice. Durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS) is recounted to reimbursement rates for these specific things to suppliers that make certain admission of a high-class of these things to the patients. It includes more than a small number of regulations of payment managing the delivery of DMEPOS things for beneficiaries of Medicare. It renders the process of competitive and authorization bidding, supplier enrollment, that have an force on suppliers payment made by the hospitals. It advances the capability of physicians to offer these things to their patients in an suitable manner. It make sure efficient supply of the required resources like health techniques, equipments, and technologies to the deprived at the right cost. There is most important divergence of recipients, provider groups, and their services offered for medical beneficiaries in these models, (CMS. Gov, 2012). OPPS and IPPS are executed for the similar provider i.e. health organizations and hospitals, nevertheless different in their recipients, who are out patients and inpatients correspondingly. DMEPOS and MPFS don’t comprise prospective payment systems and focus on supplier and physicians groups correspondingly. All these methods are structured to restrain on raise in health care services cost to the patients. It aids for the beneficiaries of medical to get quality and effective health care services at low down cost (Green Rowell, 2012). Hospitals With this are also confined to get a precise amount for their services, which they offer to the patients. Payment Expectations Both inpatient and outpatient prospective payment system methods of reimbursement are employed by Medicare to reimburse hospitals for outpatient and inpatient services, in addition to rehabilitation hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and home health services. It is anticipated from both providers that they ought to provide outpatient and inpatient services to the patients efficiently. It is as well anticipated that these hospitals for all time emphasize improving effectiveness and efficiency of care, while generating a results-oriented, patient-focused, market-driven environment (Zweifel, Breyer Kifmann, 2009). It is supposed to be noted down In this context, that in the instance that someone is not capable to recompense for hospitahealth services it is anticipated from the hospital that it offer the free of cost health services. It in addition have to serve a least amount number of beneficiaries of Medicare. Non-physician and physicians practitioners Under the MPFS, are remunerated that offer fundamental health services to beneficiaries of Medicare. For this group Payment expectation is to advance the quality of care for patients while eradicating barriers to thriving participation of physician. They ought to follow Medicare laws with this, consecutively to accomplish the medical beneficiaries expectation. It is essential for them In addition, to offer facilities of Medicare to the patients at decided prices with no any conflicts. It is as well presumed to non-physician and physicians practitioners that they construct of the majority of their knowledge and skills consecutively to offer patients health treatment (CMS. Gov, 2012). All hospital and physicians practitioners acquire a fixed sum for every patient and are accountable for making accessible all services for that patient above a assigned period. DMEPOS is employed for paying back suppliers of prosthetics, durable medical equipment, orthotics and supplies to the patients. Value based purchasing of health care services are Payment expectations for this provider that can offer additional transparency on quality and cost to make certain Medicare beneficiaries optimal care. Providers In addition, have to be additional spotlight to supply to CMS performance data, which is probable to have an effect on potential reimbursements to provider. There are financial penalties for those providers In condition of any infringement of CMS’ standards,who don’t meet up these standards (Mayes Berenson, 2006). It is as well anticipated from suppliers that they offer efficient supplies to the hospitals in considers ensuring the eminence of the patients health. Implication of a Case Mix Involving IPPS, OPPS and DMEPOS for A Small Hospital Implication of a case mix In a small hospital, concerning OPPS IPPS,and DMEPOS is to develop the hospital care quality and center on designing effectual improvement facilities of quality. Hospitals are a most important constituent of the delivery system of health care, which are required to implement and develop an important outcome on quality, costs and admission to care. Small hospitals can attain their payments in a appropriate way in the course of executing these methods. They might be capable to get diverse equipments and required resources at rational price all the way through suppliers (Chalfin Rizzo, 2011). It can facilitate them to offer healthcare services based on quality to the patients at a lower cost. They can obtain an appropriate amount for offering healthcare services to the outpatients and inpatients. It facilitates them to classify their services according the health regulations in an effectual way. It as well offers them equivalent opportunity to get growth since of security for payment of their services as indicated by fixed standards and sets. Hospitals of Small specialty and centers in concern of this, are obtaining the latest technology and equipment consecutively to draw high-end customers from commercial hospitals. DMEPOS can aid them to obtain these services with easiness at low down cost. These hospitals Apart from this, are proficient to administer their cash flow competently regarding their inventories and services. A fixed and proper amount of payment to the small health care providers employees can stimulate them to offer quality services to the beneficiaries of medical effectively (CMS. Gov, 2012). Small hospitals can acquire bonus payments for offering health professional shortage care. Consequently, a small hospital can associate these payment methods suitably in its operations. There possibly will be likelihood of risk to get lesser amount on the other hand, for their services since of the nature of illness of patients, high treatment cost involvement, or additional situational factors. It is since the fee is charged for the anticipated expenditure of caring for the patient. If the on the whole cost of care is additional than anticipated, the profit the hospital and doctor receive can be decreased. It can force growth of hospital in unconstructive manner. It relies on the equipped efficiency of the hospital that they can acquire additional profits by offering care at a lower-than-anticipated cost. Furthermore, there possibly will be a likelihood of less increase in standard payments for services of small hospital in novel reforms of these models of payment (Wachter, Goldman Hollander, 2005).

Comparing Adlerian Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Solution

It is my goal to become a school counselor in a local high school. As a school counselor, it is also important to try and understand the different experiences that children go through in order to get through to them. After studying the different counseling theories, I have discovered that each theory is valid and there are ideas and techniques that I would use out of each of them. However, there are some theories more than others that I would use to guide me daily as a school counselor. Modern day counseling is equipped with a wide variety of therapies, techniques and approaches. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast three approaches of therapy. Also in this essay the views of the person and the Therapeutic process will be discussed. The three models that are going to be compared are Adlerian, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Solution Focused Brief therapy (SFBT). This essay is going to highlight the similarities and differences of the models and their main fo cus, and how the three models will help the clients choose goals that best fit their environment and resources. The main goal of using these models is to help people. Adlerian Theory Key Concepts Alfred Adler was born in 1870. He published his first major psychology book, Understanding Human Nature, in 1959. Alder has a passionate concern for the common person and he was very outspoken about child-rearing practices, school reforms, and prejudices that resulted in conflict. Alder created 32 child guidance clinics in the Vienna public schools and began training teachers, social workers, physicians, and other professionals. Alder believes that where we are striving to go is more important than where we have come from. He saw humans as both the c... ...MA: Allyn & Bacon. Parker G, Roy K, Eyers K. Cognitive behavior therapy for depression? Choose horses for courses. Am J Psychiatry. 2003 May;160(5):825-34. Review. Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. T., & Wegner, D. M. (2010). Psychology. (2nd ed., p. 600). New York: Worth Pub. Seligman, L., & Reichenberg, L. W., (2010). Solution-focused brief therapy. In J. Johnston (Ed.), Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: systems, strategies, and skills.Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Sharon Howard a & Fran Thompson a pages 4-13. ... Young and Holdorf(2003)10. YOUNG, S. and HOLDORF, G. 2003. Using Solution Focused Brief Therapy in IndividualReferrals for Bullying. Educational Psychology in Practice, 19: 271–82. ... Stein, H. T., & Edwards, E. M., (1998), Classical Adlerian Theory and Practice. Retrieved December 11, 2013 from www.aldlerian.us/theoprac.htm Comparing Adlerian Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Solution It is my goal to become a school counselor in a local high school. As a school counselor, it is also important to try and understand the different experiences that children go through in order to get through to them. After studying the different counseling theories, I have discovered that each theory is valid and there are ideas and techniques that I would use out of each of them. However, there are some theories more than others that I would use to guide me daily as a school counselor. Modern day counseling is equipped with a wide variety of therapies, techniques and approaches. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast three approaches of therapy. Also in this essay the views of the person and the Therapeutic process will be discussed. The three models that are going to be compared are Adlerian, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Solution Focused Brief therapy (SFBT). This essay is going to highlight the similarities and differences of the models and their main fo cus, and how the three models will help the clients choose goals that best fit their environment and resources. The main goal of using these models is to help people. Adlerian Theory Key Concepts Alfred Adler was born in 1870. He published his first major psychology book, Understanding Human Nature, in 1959. Alder has a passionate concern for the common person and he was very outspoken about child-rearing practices, school reforms, and prejudices that resulted in conflict. Alder created 32 child guidance clinics in the Vienna public schools and began training teachers, social workers, physicians, and other professionals. Alder believes that where we are striving to go is more important than where we have come from. He saw humans as both the c... ...MA: Allyn & Bacon. Parker G, Roy K, Eyers K. Cognitive behavior therapy for depression? Choose horses for courses. Am J Psychiatry. 2003 May;160(5):825-34. Review. Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D. T., & Wegner, D. M. (2010). Psychology. (2nd ed., p. 600). New York: Worth Pub. Seligman, L., & Reichenberg, L. W., (2010). Solution-focused brief therapy. In J. Johnston (Ed.), Theories of counseling and psychotherapy: systems, strategies, and skills.Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education Sharon Howard a & Fran Thompson a pages 4-13. ... Young and Holdorf(2003)10. YOUNG, S. and HOLDORF, G. 2003. Using Solution Focused Brief Therapy in IndividualReferrals for Bullying. Educational Psychology in Practice, 19: 271–82. ... Stein, H. T., & Edwards, E. M., (1998), Classical Adlerian Theory and Practice. Retrieved December 11, 2013 from www.aldlerian.us/theoprac.htm

Intro

Liliana Lopez Caracoza Professor Garchow English 085 November, 13, 2012 Bill Maxwell, Start Snitching, St. Pettersburg Times, September 2007 In the article written by Bill Maxwell, he talks about the black to black violence in poor neighborhoods. He explains on more depth how many deaths have been placed in the last years. People do not contribute to the arrest of the murders, sometimes they are afraid to speak against gang members or other criminal members.Mr. Maxwell gave some facts about the deaths of blacks and he keeps adding people to his Wall of Black Death. A group in Tampa already organized a group called â€Å"don’t snitch†, all the people involved in the program relate to the death of a black relative that died. He gave great example and anecdotes about the crimes from black to black citizens and how the community needed to respond to the continued growing violence towards blacks.Robert Phansalkar, Stop Snitching’ Won’t Stop Crime, University of Wisconsin, 2007 The Article written by Robert Phansalkar, about the diverse communities that do not receive security help from the government. The article explain in detail most of the problems why they do not receive the help necessary, but it actually be helpful if he added statistics on his work.The movement by different rappers and media personalities did not help the growing violence in the most dangerous parts of the poor communities, which are the most dangerous. Gang violence is a part well explain in the article Stop Snitching’ Won’t Stop Crime. Police did not receive any information on the people the attackers and their victims, an example was the rapper Cameron Giles, which was part of the program and did not participate in investigations on his accident. In summary the program did not work.

The Dawn of the Therapeutic As essays

The Dawn of the Therapeutic As essays Usually no deeper than 5 feet, a hole would be dug into the ground and covered with a grate to confine a lunatic who had been established as a menace to society. In this dwelling a mentally-ill person would be placed, fed, and kept until death. This was one of the many household remedies that people of the early 18th century implored as means of suppression of a mad-person. From this treatment arose the development of the Traditional Asylum. In the Traditional Asylum, patients would be crowded into small facilities along with the homeless and criminals, where the mentally ill would endure brutal treatments and poor conditions in which the ill-person would corrupt in their own filth. Household treatments predating psychiatry and Traditional Asylums were developed for custodial purposes. Dismissing all hope of treatment, these treatments were simply performed and placed to remove mentally-ill individuals from the public domain. With the dawn of the Enlightenment, came a new type of asy lum, the Therapeutic Asylum. This asylum focused on the treatment and cure of the clinically insane through isolation from indecent environments, rigorously scheduled activities, and daily baths. Between the grotesque methods of suppression implemented in the household, the custodial beliefs of the Traditional Asylum, and the treatment focus of the therapeutic asylum, the therapeutic method stood as the best development in treatment for the insane. Psychiatric treatment endured many revolutions within the 18th and 19th century in England. In the early 18th century, the treatment of the insane was cruel and poor. Since psychiatry was not yet an official field in medicine, treatment of an individual with a mental disorder was often left to the family. Only when the individual became unmanageable were they sent to one of the few hospitals accepting mental patients where they were cared for by physicians. Often times, when such a measure was finally taken, it...

Free Essays on Media Influence On Sexuality

â€Å"What you see is†¦(influence of media)† In the United States, the media has a great amount of influence over human sexuality. Whether it is presented by means of television shows, magazines, advertisements, news, or even radio, the result is still the same. These sources of information all shape individuals and their thoughts on sex and sexuality. They help to define for people who they should and should not be attracted to sexually, how they should look in order to be sexually appealing, and general social interactions towards a sexual partner. Often times, young children look to the media for guidance on what is socially acceptable and what is not. From this, the media helps to shape our attitudes on what we like and what we do not. Television shows cast attractive people in their lead roles. Young children see that their parents and peers find these people attractive and therefore learn what an attractive person is supposed to look like. The same principle applies to magazine ads, and news cast members. Even through radio programs, such as Howard Sterns, we can receive vivid descriptions of what makes men and women attractive, and what makes them repulsive. Though throughout our lives, our opinions may change many times, we look to the media to layout a blue print for what makes a member of the opposite sex more appealing than another. On the opposite side, the media also influences how we see ourselves. Most young women, including myself, look to magazines, popular television shows, and advertisements as a source for the latest and greatest in fashion. The negative effect this media influence has on us comes in the form of self-imaging. For many men and women, the bodies seen in the media are unachievable or unrealistic by the general population. For a woman to look like a runway model, she would have to be a minimum of 5’9, wear a size 9 shoe, weight a maximum of 112 pounds, have a maximum 32† bust lin... Free Essays on Media Influence On Sexuality Free Essays on Media Influence On Sexuality â€Å"What you see is†¦(influence of media)† In the United States, the media has a great amount of influence over human sexuality. Whether it is presented by means of television shows, magazines, advertisements, news, or even radio, the result is still the same. These sources of information all shape individuals and their thoughts on sex and sexuality. They help to define for people who they should and should not be attracted to sexually, how they should look in order to be sexually appealing, and general social interactions towards a sexual partner. Often times, young children look to the media for guidance on what is socially acceptable and what is not. From this, the media helps to shape our attitudes on what we like and what we do not. Television shows cast attractive people in their lead roles. Young children see that their parents and peers find these people attractive and therefore learn what an attractive person is supposed to look like. The same principle applies to magazine ads, and news cast members. Even through radio programs, such as Howard Sterns, we can receive vivid descriptions of what makes men and women attractive, and what makes them repulsive. Though throughout our lives, our opinions may change many times, we look to the media to layout a blue print for what makes a member of the opposite sex more appealing than another. On the opposite side, the media also influences how we see ourselves. Most young women, including myself, look to magazines, popular television shows, and advertisements as a source for the latest and greatest in fashion. The negative effect this media influence has on us comes in the form of self-imaging. For many men and women, the bodies seen in the media are unachievable or unrealistic by the general population. For a woman to look like a runway model, she would have to be a minimum of 5’9, wear a size 9 shoe, weight a maximum of 112 pounds, have a maximum 32† bust lin...

Fire Essay Example

Fire Essay Example Fire Essay Fire Essay Essay Topic: To Build a Fire Name: Instructor: Course: Date: : Fire History of the Los Angeles Library There have been other central libraries within Los Angeles but the Los Angeles Central Library has had the longest staying power. Between 1875 and 1930, the building was at the center of several transformations from different locations, but the excellent architecture and planning ensure that the structure could tolerate floods, earthquakes and several arson attempts. Currently, its neighboring skyscrapers have eaten away at most of the library’s pools, lawns and other public spaces, they were unable swallow its miniature form out of downtown Los Angeles. These newly developed skyscrapers were erected thanks to the bought air rights above the library with the intention of exceeding height limitations and construct colossal buildings. The architect based his design of the Central Library on the design of the Nebraska State Capitol. The library was initially built in 1844 when the population of Los Angeles was fewer than 1,490 people, with a collection of donated volumes and some prized newspapers that were about 6 months old (Anthony 45). For many years, the city’s library remained a mobile achievement that migrated from donors’ location to a floor in City Hall. Some of the pioneer librarians that set the ground for the present state of the library include Mary Emily Foy, Mary Jones and Tessa Kelso who were all learned women that strengthened the role of education in the American society (Anthony 48). Initially, the Central Library was constructed in 1926 as a downtown Los Angeles tourist attraction site. It was constructed as the third largest communal library in the North America according to the volume of books and periodicals it contained. At first, simply called the Central Library, the structure was renamed the Los Angeles Central Library to commemorate the president of the Board of Library Commissioners, Rufus B. von KleinSmid. The main architect who was in charge of constructing the building, Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue intended the initial Los Angeles Central Library to imitate the structural fashion of prehistoric Egypt. The central tower was covered in a mosaic pyramid as well as other foreign aspects including snakes, extraterrestrial mosaics and sphinxes (Anthony 235). The Los Angeles Central Library is massive containing over 46,020 titles that are categorized exclusively as genealogy (Butler 19). The history and genealogy divisions are located in one wing for ease of research and access. Apart from this, the Central library also contains telephone directories, indexes and maps, newspapers on microfilm, city directories and census records. The library invested in a massive on-line database and specific items in the Electronic Neighborhood system that were accessible from members’ home computer for instance city directories. A large amount of the historical publications related to the San Fernando Valley that was under the Los Angeles Public Library system was delivered to the Central Library. The 1986 Central Library fire was one of the biggest library disasters that cost the stakeholders over $23 million in repairs and restocking of books (Isner 117). The fire was initially caused by an arsonist at around 10:50 am and the alarm bell was immediately triggered. This was followed by a quick evacuation of the staff and patrons within the building (Coates 38). When the first two fire companies showed up to the scene of the catastrophe, they assessed the situation and requested for more personnel and equipment. After seven hours of tough fire fighting, the flames were finally subdued by a combination of Los Angeles County Department and the city’s fire department. The hardworking members of the fire department were highly praised for their courage, valor, resolve and outstanding exertion in containing the fire that attacked the Los Angeles Central Library. No deaths or serious injuries were reported originating from the fire. Later, analysts estimated a loss of about $2.3 million to the building and about $21 million to its reading materials and equipment (Isner 26). More significantly, 83% of the entire worth of the building and publications were salvaged (Butler 67). There was a similar fire tragedy on September 3 within the same year that damaged the materials in the Music Department Reading Room (Butler 49). Reasons for the cause of the fire Various theories pointed toward a failed heroism act involving an arsonist who lit the fire and then failed to contain it. Instead, the flammable nature of the overwhelmed sixty-year-old building acted in a manner similar to a chimney starter. In a few moments, the ignited pages from the books became a moving barricade of flames that consumed very old books, newspapers and magazines. The fire was so scorching that it melted most of the steel ladders used to access books (Butler 15). The reasons for the fire disaster were numerous and interrelated in a way. First, the library had undergone a number of renovations. Therefore, the firefighters considered it a very cumbersome and precarious building. John Morris commented that despite the high risk of a fire occurring in most libraries, these structures were not installed with basic sprinklers tat would have stopped any fire immediately (Morris 78). This sprinkler technology had already been developed in the 1970s but it was not installed in the Los Angeles Central Library. Any fire outbreaks within the library would have to be dealt with using heavy hose stream that would obviously destroy most of the books. Sprinkler systems have the same ability to extinguish fires but their magnitude is negligible when compared to the destructive force of a fire hose (Morris 172). Besides the lack of sprinkler systems, the design of the building was vital in increasing the rate at which the fire spread (Coates 18). Inside the building held even more risks as only about 18% was visible and safe for the public. For any other materials that were not visible, a client had to issue a request slip and a clerk would recover the preferred material from the internal stacks. The internal stacks were tightly packed providing very slight headroom because of the internal stack design that was made up of several shelves that were six feet tall. Taking into consideration that the public area was roughly two floors together with the Science and Technology niche, the internal stacks were roughly six floors (Butler 423). The interior structural design of the library was a major cause of the prolonged fire. The multi-tiered stacks designed with vent openings between them were already assessed by fire protection experts as being precarious and risky elements. The efforts at traci ng the origin of the fire revealed that the gases and smoke from the fire rose up through the vents to the upper tiers. The extremely hot steel ladders and metal shelves made it even more difficult for firefighters to maneuver within the building (Coates 107). These flaws were noticed earlier in the usage of the building but obstacles such as the adoption of Proposition 13 policy and other minor issues created a common disinterest among the Los Angeles city officials who refused to finance the renovation. All these factors combined to create the perfect scenario for a major combustion to occur, as the library was filled to the maximum with flammable substances. However, in summary, the three major causes were narrowed down to ventilation complications, the over stacking of flammable material and absence of fire access points. The lack of ventilation created an oven-like environment that greatly increased the temperatures to about 2500 degrees Fahrenheit that stopped any firefighters from accessing the building (Isner 56). When questioned on the reason why there were no fire management equipment within their premises, the library administration responded by saying that false alarms would have activated sprinklers that would destroy the books. Despite this reason, the Fire Chief Donald Manning openly blamed the City Council and the library administration for paying no attention to twenty years of warnings that the ancient building was a fire risk (Mc Donald 45). The two major design errors that were mentioned as being responsible for the magnitude and destructiveness of the fire were the absence of sprinkler systems and outdated library stacks that rose through the building floors, setting the stage for increased burning in the event of a fire. On could not blame the failure of the alarm as the system worked accurately and summoned the firefighters immediately. With the amount f valuable material inside the library, it was difficult to understand why the city council and the library management failed to take training and gather more information on fire fighting, structural requirements and other safety measures. At least, the library management would have taken an assessment of the safety measures in other libraries such as Harvard that mounted barriers between floors. Damages caused About 18% of the total library’s holdings that could roughly translate into about 400,000 volumes were damaged with noteworthy smoke and water destruction done to the remaining works (Simmons 17). The library staff estimated a loss from the damage caused by water to about 700,000 copies while smoke damaged the rest of the remaining collection (Morris 22). The only section that was safely evacuated was the rare book collection besides a few significant collections that were destroyed. The biggest loss was awarded to the seismology collection that was destroyed by the flames. In the periodical section, the history, business and literature sections were destroyed. The fiction and non-fictional areas underwent minimum damage. Other collections that were destroyed include automobile repair manuals, cookbooks and art journals. Reports by various media houses indicated that the library faced a possible $150 million loss from the emergency fire, but the staff placed the loss to about $20million in building and volumes damage (Simmons 21). One contributory factor that greatly limited the losses from being larger was the acknowledgment and execution of salvage operations before the fire became uncontrollable. From the 1.4 million books that were kept in the library when the fire started, only about 352,000 were seriously damaged by fire and water (Morris 28). Some of the material that was destroyed included patents that were non-renewable such as the business community documents for innovations. Surprisingly, neither the building nor the books in it were covered by insurance. Changes caused by the fire By the late 1960s, it was apparent that the library was inadequate and insecure (Anthony 35). By that time, the book collections had doubled in number and the administration was facing possible environmental and electrical problems. It was evident that the library required a critical expansion, or relocation to a different location. In 1983, a plan was put into motion to enlarge and refurbish the library on its initial site because the city considered it a significant part of their history that would be preserved in the central part of the city. By 1985, an agreement and partnership among private and public stakeholders for financing had been developed. During the restoration process, care was taken to consider the compliance demands that were dictated by the Secretary of the interior department and those proposed by the domestic historic preservation interest groups. The other partners in the renovation process, Hardy Holzman Pieffer Associates duplicated design concepts from the ancient library for the modern wing, resulting in a consistent environment that amalgamated and considered does the old and the new generations. The Library was redesigned to reflect Los Angeles’ history and culture, as well as its prospects. The designers had the idea of incorporating technological innovations into the library making it easier for people to research for information. After the library fire of 1986, over 723,000 books were delivered to the freezer warehouse and were stored there for about two and a half years (Morris 16). This was the first step in the drying process that set new benchmarks, using a new procedure that took lesser time and produced better outcomes. In January, the last set of restored books was transported to the Los Angeles processing center indicating the end of the biggest book-drying project ever completed. Within four months, about 564,000 books that were damaged by water and smoke in the fire were processed in a complicated freeze-drying operation at California (Morris 17). Starting in September 1988, every week a consignment of books were delivered from the freezer warehouses to California, and then sent to the library. The drying process was running night and day and the project was completed before the 6-month deadline had reached (Morris 26). Measures installed to prevent future emergencies Since the emergency fire in 1986, the library established a sophisticated and financed â€Å"Save the Books† promotion, a system of dedicated volunteers, transformed corporate contribution for educational outreach, and a new comprehension of the importance of the physical surroundings. The most important change however was the increased relationship with other people’s experiences. The emergency fire attracted disaster and conservation experts from the Getty Conservation Institute and the Library of Congress to assist during the emergency. Their professional recommendations helped the library to maximize on the facilities in the new building to instill a different custom of operation. The Los Angeles Library sold its air rights to contractors in a bid to raise funds within their rehabilitation program. The money received from the sale of the rights was used to construct the U.S. Bank Tower (Library Tower) skyscraper. These efforts were made possible through the combined efforts of the mayor, Tom Bradley as well as personal and corporate contributions (Morris 66). The library was fitted with sprinklers and other disaster equipment and mitigation preparedness. The internal environment was also set up to maintain an appropriate temperature and humidity standards. The original building was renovated and refurbished to incorporate services needed to facilitate easier research demands by the patrons. The modern wing is the site of an impressive eight-story foyer that gives access to several separate departments that are rather welcoming and personal simultaneously. The improvements also included outdoor backyards having over foreign 160 trees of different specimens (Mc Donald 176). The public art program within Los Angeles allowed the library to commission art within the building and around the garden. The outdoor landscapers attempted to recreate a natural, spiritual and perhaps artistic setting that would contribute significantly toward improved intellectual activity and introspection in the middle of busy Los Angeles. Concerning security of the volumes and building, the management installed sophisticated book detection systems, video coverage and security officials to control the security standards within the library (Isner 187). Current state of the library The new renovated building was expanded to have a seating capacity of over 6 million people and could be accessed by over 21 million people within Los Angels and its surroundings. Currently, the library has changed its name from The Los Angeles Central Library to The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) but it is still being used by the city’s residents. Currently, the library is stocked with over six million copies making it is one of the largest publicly funded libraries globally. The system is administered by a Board of Library Commissioners that is directly chosen by the Los Angeles mayor. The new improved library had more advanced features and benefits for its members such as issuing free library cards to all interested California residents. Circulating books, periodicals, computer access and audiovisual materials are available to patrons. The Library’s Rare Books Department is located in its downtown Los Angeles location. There is an extensive selection of databases available to remote users who hold an LAPL library card. Examples include full-text databases of periodicals, business directories, and language learning tools. The library also revised their collections to include a stronger focus on regional content than most main city libraries. For instance, the library has a wide Californian collection and publications concerned with the history of western American. The rare book collection was reorganized to concentrate on expeditions and exploration, performing arts, costumes, natural history, patents, cooking and other important subjects to the Pacific countries. According to the New York Times (1989), the Los Angeles Central Library had resumed normal operations after three years of rigorous renovations and repairs to expand and make the library safer and more efficient in delivering services. The reopening will make available more books to the Los Angeles’ sixty-three branch libraries all of which depended on the Central Library to supply them with books. In the first floor lobby, renowned city artist, Rebee Petropoulos adorned the ceiling with an abundance of imagery, text and color. His creativity was to paint the ceiling with intertwined names of all Los Angeles novelists. The Thomas Bradley Wing was also extended and remodeled to increase it to eight stories. The reading rooms and stacks were aligned on either side of the walls. Enormous glazed terra cotta columns were designed toward one side. A report release by the American Library Association revealed that the general economic depression and high unemployment rates greatly affected the operation of major libraries including the Los Angels Public Library. For Los Angels Public Library, in 2011, there was a 10% increase in the library usage. The community within Los Angeles has also showed increased effort to provide financial support to maintain the library. For instance, they approved a $50 million budget specifically for the public library system (Mc Donald 126). Lessons learnt by the community An important lesson learnt was the importance of constant and adequate funding that was vital in keeping the library doors open. They realized that they should keep the library at the top of their priorities of public funding as well as public education. Community planners had been focusing on technology as the future of public education but this opinion was not shared by most of the community members. Even though all societies attempt to keep up with the technological changes, learners still needed an environment where they could access academic material and serene settings to understand their studies. A major allocation of the regional budget for the overhaul was awarded toward upgrading the technological systems, developing household delivery of library service and increasing the access points for the library patrons. These efforts have not driven away any patrons, and contrary to the predictions, even more people desire to access the library. However, even the Los Angeles Public Library took into consideration modern learning methods and systems such as the Internet. The community also realized the importance of maintaining a network of like-minded people in as far as the conservation of the library was concerned. To that extent, the community created the Bibliophiles organization that was responsible for acknowledging the contribution of people and groups who supported the maintenance of Central Library. Within the Bibliophiles organizations, members share information on the changes and decisions that concern the library. They also have annual meetings where all stakeholders are briefed on the library reports. These charitable trusts have contributed greatly in maintaining the library up to the present day (Mc Donald 336). Donations and current book stock After the reconstruction, the Los Angeles Public Library received numerous donations from different companies, individuals and groups to assist in restocking the lost academic material. The Photo Collection that was newly established within the library was a classical example of effective contribution by the community. The donors include media houses such as Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and Security Pacific Bank (164). Conclusion The major emergency fire that burst out in April 1986 at the Los Angeles Central Library was so taxing that it took most of the safety and recovery staff in the city to quell it. The total number of officials and equipment used included more than 340 firefighters and nearly all other sectors of the city departments before it was slowed down. The difficult firefight used sixty fire fighting firms, one arson unit, nine paramedic ambulances, three aircraft, four salvaging businesses, two emergency air units and more than forty police squadrons and support staff. Concerning the future activities, the library is investing in coming up with new programming chances. The library premises have increased by over 32% but the human resource department has difficulties in employing new workers. One of the urgent issues affecting library operation is preservation of books and other tangible publications. The task of maintain the condition of over 2 million holdings from disasters and standard agin g without employing the services of a conservation department is quite difficult. The role of a library extends beyond issuing access to books to the public. It is also a secure storage facility for a large part of the nation’s history, heritage and culture. In order to achieve the latter task, a library must be fully equipped to handle all types of catastrophes. Granted, the Central Library during its time was not fully equipped with sophisticated systems to handle the fire. However, the library administration was negligent in the way that they managed the building to an extent that any small accident would have set off an uncontrollable fire. Previous citation on violation of fire codes were enough warning that such a catastrophe was waiting to happen. The experience was however important in stressing the need for disaster recovery plans that include training personnel, investment in storage and secure equipment as well as the best methods of mitigating destruction. Work Cited Anthony, Donald F. â€Å"Fire Strikes the Los Angeles Central Library.† Fire Command. 1986. Print. Butler, Randall R. Disaster at the Los Angeles Central Library: Fire and Recovery. San Marino, CA: Society of California Archivists, 1991. Print. Coates, Margaret. â€Å"Huge Loss in Library Fire: Central Library, Los Angeles, USA.† Fire Prevention. 1987. Print. Isner, Michael S. Fire Investigation Report: Central Library Fire, Los Angeles, California, April 29, 1986. Quincy, Mass: National Fire Protection Association, 1986. Print. Mc Donald, Patrick. Measure L Library Funding Election Results: Los Angeles Voters Approve Plan to Reopen 73 Shuttered Libraries. Law Weekly. 2011. Retrieved from http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/03/measure_l_la_libraries.php Morris, John. â€Å"Saving the Books.† Disaster Recovery Journal. 2 (4). 1989. Print. Simmons, Alan. â€Å"L.A. Library Fire Threatens 150 Million in Books.† American Fire Journal. 1986. Print.

Strange Heaven by Lynn Coady Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Strange Heaven by Lynn Coady - Coursework Example And here adds to the hilarious, complicated life of the Joan his husband, Robert. Joan tries to keep the lid on, but she's no match for Robert's wild profanity. Facing all these dilemmas, anyone would wonder how she is trying to handle her dysfunctional family. Uncle Albert arrives to whisk her back to the bedlam of home and the booze-soaked social life that got Bridget into trouble in the first place. Uncle Albert, a kind man who saves his eloquent wrath for outsiders, springs Bridget from the hospital for Christmas. He was the only person who thought of Bridget and has concerns about her depression or maybe the only person who feels how tough was Bridget’s experience was. He’s the only person who sees the problem while everybody is working on their own dysfunctions. He was the only person who observed that she was changed. Byron, an acne-ridden geek with bizarre delusions of grandeur. As described by Coady, life on the ward is both a nightmare and laugh-out-loud funny experience. Byron seems to be annoying and arrogant, continues his desperate bids for Bridget’s attention. He explodes and have to be put in the quiet room where he'd sit cross-legged and howl like a hound.

The Ethics of Embryonic Stem Cell Research Essay

The Ethics of Embryonic Stem Cell Research - Essay Example However, the technology has had unethical, reprehensible and morally repugnant connotations in cases where it has been used for human reproduction. Cloning involves use of cells to produce or create an identical copy of the original. This owes its' tributes to the fact that stem cells can be influenced to develop to most of the 220 types of cells found in the human body such as the brain cells, blood cells, muscles, heart cells etc. since the development of antibodies research have taken practical inclination to this phenomena as a potential way to alleviate human suffering (221). The United States has long and proud history and record as a world-leading example towards advocacy for advances in sciences and medicine that improve human life. Simultaneously as the boundaries of science and knowledge are expanded, the United States leads the world as a proponent of maintaining the highest standards of moral ethics. In view of this bio cloning has both sides of positive contribution to scientific development in favor of man and adverse effects to human moral ethics. There is great potential hope and promise held by human stem cells for therapies development towards damaged organism regeneration. The ultimate result of this is healing people suffering from harsh diseases. Unlike the cases of using embryo as the source of the cell researchers have established other potential sources of diverse adult tissues. These include; umbilical cords discarder after babies are born, human placenta, bone marrow, fat, nerves, amniotic fluid, pulp of baby teethe and muscles. All these have been found to be a source of versatile stem cells. Such serious disease like childhood leukemia, juvenile, diabetes, Alzheimer's Parkinson, spinal cord injuries, heart diseases, multiple sclerosis, cancer, burns have found their cure (Hams, 35). The achievement made so far regards these diseases and methods used have not violated the moral ethics respect and dignity of the human person. Effects of bio cloning to moral ethics. Embryonic stem cell research is a leading controversy of a series of moral hazards. Embryonic stem cells exhibit indefinite replication ability in a culture dish offering unlimited generation for therapy, research and industrial application. Embryonic stem cell research refers to a mode of research where cells obtained from destroying human embryo at their late first week of age are used for therapeutical purpose, there are two sources of the embryo (Hams, 70 ). First embryos may be created from intro fertilization. The ethical use of intro fertilization is helping infertile couples to get a child. Fertilization is done outside the mother's womb. Not all embryos are planted in the womb and the remaining otherwise called leftovers are frozen and stored for future use. The surplus embryos of invitro fertilization may be used in any of the four methods named below: May be donated for research Many be donated to other infertile couples May be preserved at very low temperatures May be discarded In case of use for research, the entire embryo is destroyed to facilitate harvesting stem cell. This is

Trace Hamlet's growth throughout his major soliloquies, giving special Essay

Trace Hamlet's growth throughout his major soliloquies, giving special attention to how his decisions are influenced by conflicts with the Great Chain of Being - Essay Example The concept of the Great Chain of Being was an order in Shakespeare’s time and it’s also very much evident in his play Hamlet. With reference to Hamlet’s first soliloquy it is evident that Shakespeare believes that a woman is supposed to be loyal to her relations and to flirt or marry soon after being widowed is â€Å"unrighteous† or â€Å"wicked†. Also, she can be seen as representing the less human form, in that with the loss of her loving husband and with little she can turn to her son but she chooses to act lunatic rather than to cope with her loss. Hamlet cannot utter a word against his mother as he is bound in a chain of being according to which he cannot challenge or object to his mother. He is extremely disappointed with his mother for marrying his uncle so soon, and he repudiates his lover Ophelia in the harshest terms. His words often indicate his disgust with his mother and distrust of women in general. Ophelia is not higher to him and th at is why he is expressing his anguish to her, rather than to his mother. The concept of the Great chain plays a major role in this play, especially when Hamlet is indecisive about murdering his uncle, as Hamlet is pondering over the fact that whether he should risk position on the chain or play it safe. He thinks that if he pursues to avenge his father by murdering Claudius, he is faced with the dilemma that his act will take him to hell. Here, he fears to lose his position in the chain. But, in the other way, he is the only heir to his father and the responsibility falls on him. Furthermore, his father’s spirit has ordered him to take revenge, which he cannot deny as he is bound in the chain of being subordinate to his father. The most important of his soliloquies named as â€Å"to be or not to be† is the best example and explanation for the great chain of being. Here, Hamlet ponders whether it is nobler to stay alive and avenge his

Chekhov Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chekhov - Assignment Example 299). Byelikov is a protagonist of the story, â€Å"Man in a Case†. He was a teacher of classical language in a provincial school. To describe the character of Byelikov, the phrase out of the box would not be compatible but to call him a man in the box would be the most befitting phrase to describe his personality. In the story, Burkin narrates the tragic life and character of Byelikov to his colleague, Ivan Ivanovitch. And it is through his eyes that we get a gaze of the boxed man in the story, Byelikov. By nature Byelikov was solitary in temperament and was unsocial to a great extent. He was so irritating in his nature that his colleagues used to call him a spider and Burkin compared him to a hermit crab or snail and even to our pre-historic ancestors, who were contended being inside their respective dens (Chekhov, 2004, p. 299). His physical appearance was also symbolic that he always preferred to hide himself and his emotions from the outside world. Many people are introve rt but Byelikov’s nature was extraordinarily evident even through his body appearance (Chekhov, 2004, p. 300). Byelikov always put goloshes and a warm waded coat. He always carried an umbrella. His umbrella was always kept inside a case. He also kept his watch inside a case which was made of grey chamois leather.

Similarity and Relationship Satisfaction Research Proposal

Similarity and Relationship Satisfaction - Research Proposal Example These results reveal that majority of people view marriage as bondage that hinder their liberty or put extra responsibilities on them. Although marriage is meant to share responsibilities, ideas, happiness and grieves, and rear offspring, people view marriage quite the other way. This anti-marriage phenomenon seems to have erupted as a lack of understanding, a lack that demonstrates absence of similarity essential to sustain marriage relationship. While identification of the factors influencing marital satisfaction is of theoretical interest to social psychologists and potential practical value to clinical psychologists working with married couples, research in this area provided only minimal information about the specific characteristics of stable and/or happy marital relationships and has provided no coherent theory of marital satisfaction. Social psychological theories of love and marriage are, in general, based on the principle of similarity, i.e., that we tend to associate with others who reward us and not associate with those who don't (Walster and Walster, 1978). The theory of Complementarity proposed by Winch (1952) was based on Murray's theory of needs. The theory postulated that within a field of eligible (which necessitates a certain level of similarity) an individual will seek out the person who can offer maximum need-gratification. Specifically, Winch suggests that the need patterns of A will complementary, rather than similar to the need patterns of B. By complementary he means that the needs of A will be different in kind from those in B (Type I Complementarity) or they will be different in intensity (Type II Complementarity) from the needs that are met for B. in one of the first studies, (Winch, Ktsanes & Ktsanes, 1954) findings suggested that for a sample of married couples, individuals tend to select mates whose needs are complementary rather that similar to their own. Subsequently, Winch (1954) attempted to explore additional evidence of complementary needs while also taking into account the contradictory viewpoint of similarity of needs. By examining the correlations between husbands and wives, results showed husband-wife correlations were lower on average that the correlations of randomly paired dyads. Since these findings failed to support the idea of similarity, Winch argued that they supported Complementarity theory. There have been several studies that have tried to replicate Winch's findings, but most research has failed to do so. For example, Bowerman & Day (1956) attempted to replicate Winch's findings of need Complementarity of married couples. Sixty college couples who were engaged or going steadily filled out the Edwards Personal Preference Scale. Results suggest a pattern of similarity rather than complementary. Another study also attempted to address Winch's theory of complementary needs by examining data from standardized psychological tests, to determine whether married couples are characterized by Complementarity of needs, as well as to determine whether there is a positive relationship between the degree of Complementarity and marital happiness (Blazer, 1963). Fifty married couples who were emotionally well-adjusted (i.e. neither partner had history of mental illness) completed the Wallace Marital Happiness Scale and Edwards Personal Preference Scale. Results do not support the complementary nee

The impacts of European colonial activity in the region of the Middle Essay

The impacts of European colonial activity in the region of the Middle East - Essay Example The Middle East is one of the centres for colonial activities of Europe during the start of the 19th century. This activity persisted until the 20th century. Most of the Middle East countries opposed the colonization with great struggle, resistance and revolt.The European empire is not very efficient with achieving their goal of successfully colonizing most of the countries in the Middle East but there are some countries which were eventually conquered. This inefficiency might be the result of conflicts within the European Empire. Countries like Britain, France and Germany fight each other in order to colonize another country. These countries include Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Sudan (Held 2000, p.73). The colonization of the Middle East by Europe is actually part of the second wave which started during the second half of the 19th century. This era is considered as the â€Å"New Imperialism period†. The colonial activity persisted until the start of the decoloniz ation era. Moreover, the end of this era did not occur in most colonies until after World War II (Porter 1996, p.118). This second half of the 19th century was regarded as the shift from an unofficial control of empire using political, military and economic power into direct control, wherein it has also embarked cultural and social influence to its colonies. The Ottoman Empire was composed of the countries included in the Middle East today. Most of these countries were actually the target of European colonization after the Ottoman Empire was destabilized. ... To have an edge and possibility of defeating Europe, the Ottoman Empire should have improved itself in all aspects of its society. However, this is quite impossible since Europe have established this power for a long time since the start of its colonization (Armstrong 2000, pp.141). Because of the fall of the Ottoman Empire during that time, it became easier for Europe to conquer most of its territories. Colonization of countries in the Middle East, as well as other places in Asia such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, spread like a wildfire as the European invade these countries quickly (Porter 1996, p.92). The classic example of this colonization includes the colonization of Syria and Sudan. Sudan, even though part of the Middle East, is located in the continent of Africa. Today, it is known that most countries in Africa are categorized as poor. These countries actually try to combat and revive their heritage from the bad effects of colonial periods. European colonizers did not give enough help to their colonies with regards to adaptation to development and the use of modern technologies ((Mitropolitski 2004). European colonizers do not consider the welfare of its colonies but rather focus only on promoting their own benefit. They utilize the resources of its colonies which make them more developed while neglecting the basic needs of its colonies. In the end, it is the colony who suffers. Sudan has been easily colonized by Britain that time. It is because Sudan has a very diverse population. It is easy to colonize a country where there is a certain division in groups. Also, this British colony was surrounded not only by alliance forces but also by enemies to the colonizers. Because of this, Sudan has become

Chekhov Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chekhov - Assignment Example 299). Byelikov is a protagonist of the story, â€Å"Man in a Case†. He was a teacher of classical language in a provincial school. To describe the character of Byelikov, the phrase out of the box would not be compatible but to call him a man in the box would be the most befitting phrase to describe his personality. In the story, Burkin narrates the tragic life and character of Byelikov to his colleague, Ivan Ivanovitch. And it is through his eyes that we get a gaze of the boxed man in the story, Byelikov. By nature Byelikov was solitary in temperament and was unsocial to a great extent. He was so irritating in his nature that his colleagues used to call him a spider and Burkin compared him to a hermit crab or snail and even to our pre-historic ancestors, who were contended being inside their respective dens (Chekhov, 2004, p. 299). His physical appearance was also symbolic that he always preferred to hide himself and his emotions from the outside world. Many people are introve rt but Byelikov’s nature was extraordinarily evident even through his body appearance (Chekhov, 2004, p. 300). Byelikov always put goloshes and a warm waded coat. He always carried an umbrella. His umbrella was always kept inside a case. He also kept his watch inside a case which was made of grey chamois leather.

The impacts of European colonial activity in the region of the Middle Essay

The impacts of European colonial activity in the region of the Middle East - Essay Example The Middle East is one of the centres for colonial activities of Europe during the start of the 19th century. This activity persisted until the 20th century. Most of the Middle East countries opposed the colonization with great struggle, resistance and revolt.The European empire is not very efficient with achieving their goal of successfully colonizing most of the countries in the Middle East but there are some countries which were eventually conquered. This inefficiency might be the result of conflicts within the European Empire. Countries like Britain, France and Germany fight each other in order to colonize another country. These countries include Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Sudan (Held 2000, p.73). The colonization of the Middle East by Europe is actually part of the second wave which started during the second half of the 19th century. This era is considered as the â€Å"New Imperialism period†. The colonial activity persisted until the start of the decoloniz ation era. Moreover, the end of this era did not occur in most colonies until after World War II (Porter 1996, p.118). This second half of the 19th century was regarded as the shift from an unofficial control of empire using political, military and economic power into direct control, wherein it has also embarked cultural and social influence to its colonies. The Ottoman Empire was composed of the countries included in the Middle East today. Most of these countries were actually the target of European colonization after the Ottoman Empire was destabilized. ... To have an edge and possibility of defeating Europe, the Ottoman Empire should have improved itself in all aspects of its society. However, this is quite impossible since Europe have established this power for a long time since the start of its colonization (Armstrong 2000, pp.141). Because of the fall of the Ottoman Empire during that time, it became easier for Europe to conquer most of its territories. Colonization of countries in the Middle East, as well as other places in Asia such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, spread like a wildfire as the European invade these countries quickly (Porter 1996, p.92). The classic example of this colonization includes the colonization of Syria and Sudan. Sudan, even though part of the Middle East, is located in the continent of Africa. Today, it is known that most countries in Africa are categorized as poor. These countries actually try to combat and revive their heritage from the bad effects of colonial periods. European colonizers did not give enough help to their colonies with regards to adaptation to development and the use of modern technologies ((Mitropolitski 2004). European colonizers do not consider the welfare of its colonies but rather focus only on promoting their own benefit. They utilize the resources of its colonies which make them more developed while neglecting the basic needs of its colonies. In the end, it is the colony who suffers. Sudan has been easily colonized by Britain that time. It is because Sudan has a very diverse population. It is easy to colonize a country where there is a certain division in groups. Also, this British colony was surrounded not only by alliance forces but also by enemies to the colonizers. Because of this, Sudan has become

The Anatomy of Decisions Essay Example for Free

The Anatomy of Decisions Essay †¢ In the real world managers are paid to make decisions on a daily basis, on how your firm’s resources are controlled to meet goals that have been set by higher managers or by yourself. †¢ There are some essential characteristics that manager’s share when making a decision; they are usually made with someone else’s money and need to be justified, they build on one another, the outcome is important to other people, and they are also forgettable. †¢ Decisions with other people’s money: As a manager and not being a self-financed entrepreneur, your job is to make decisions with the money of others, therefore a justification has to be provided to the financers. I believe this puts a pressure on the managers to make sure they make the right decision, since they are not using their own money. That is the reason why managers tend to make their decisions based on instinctive judgment. Previous experiences can save managers from telling their shareholders that they lost money based on the rational and analytically defendable decision. †¢ Decisions that build on each other: Previous experience can be very influential at the time of making the right decision. Managers are asked to â€Å"do their homework† before making an important decision, therefore they look back into previous decisions that have led them to the actual one and analyze what would benefit the firm the most according to previous decisions. Each decision is taken as more information becomes available. †¢ Decisions that matter: Every decision made weather is a good one or a bad one is valid and it matters. Bad decisions are the ones that push managers and the world to become better and keep working to make the right decision on future opportunities, in other words bad decisions are ways to keep progressing. †¢ Decisions that will be forgotten: The way memory works is very beneficial to managers when a good decision has been made. â€Å"Hindsight bias is a tendency to believe that we predicted what actually occurred, when in fact we forecasted the opposite†. After a decision was made and the outcome is positive, managers tend to forget what would have happened if the wrong decision were made. When a bad decision is made and a project fails, partners and other managers who supported the failure decision will claim that they always knew the plan was going to fail. They will believe that they were right all along the way, but never actually tried to convince the other manager to over look at different options before making a decision. In conclusion to this chapter managers are told by different texts and books diverse ways to be great decision-making managers. However, the best decisions yet made, have been made not taking in consideration the characteristics taught to managers through texts. â€Å"The challenge as a manager is not to denying our instincts and following rational theories that cannot work in the real world, but by understanding the strengths and weaknesses of how we do make decisions and by learning to handle uncertainty†. Great managers focus on success and forget failures.

Food Choices And Meal Patterns In India Media Essay

Food Choices And Meal Patterns In India Media Essay The chapter will present the findings, in the form of themes and categories, which was seen from the analysis of the interviews with the participants. The themes are recurring instances of responses occurring across all the interviews and which are important and relevant to the research. The themes were carefully organized into over-arching relevant categories. The themes have also been separately discussed as sub-themes, which were based on the responses of the participants and listed in their own voice, so as to enable a better understanding of their thoughts, knowledge and responsiveness. Category I: Changes in Food choices and Meal patterns The themes and sub-themes talk about the changes in food choices and meal patterns that took place amongst the Indian students in Leeds Metropolitan University and understanding what it meant to them. Theme 1: Food choices and Meal patterns in India Sub-theme A: I had more different a type of Indian food earlier at home than it is here. Yes, there is quite a bit of difference in the type of food that I have here and that I am used to having in India. I donot get the traditional foods that I liked a lot but once in a while I do get Indian food here as well, which is as close to home that I can get. The consumption of food showed a great degree of variation from different regions of the country. They were also dependent on the types of sides that were eaten with the meals. Also, the fact that most of the students reported that, irrespective of where they came from in India, the choices available for them regarding traditional food, were more than they get here. I had rice for all the meals. Thats what people do there. Bread is not that common, may be occasionally, however the most common was rice, which we could have with any side. It was seen that rice was considered as not only the staple ingredient but also something that they could have with most of the side dishes. Due to certain religious beliefs that they grew up in, there was apparent absence of meat and meat products in the responses of some participants. My family had always eaten wheat for atleast one meal of the day. I guess it may be because of the fact that we lived in the North of the country and also that it was cheaper and easily available. The consumption of wheat by these participants was because it was less costly and also that it was easily available in the region. Also, wheat formed the dietary resemblance to the cultural associations of that region. Also, amongst the meat and meat products, chicken was seen as the acceptable option, even during the religious and cultural gatherings. The Indian diet consisted of heavily spiced dishes ranging from vegetables, meat or fish. Sub-theme B: We ate more regular meals and had a balanced diet All the participants said that they had a more regular meal pattern with 2-3 meals in a day and most of it was home cooked. They also brought up the idea of a proper meal, wherein they had food that was specific with that meal of the day. Before I came here, I used to have proper three meals in a day, but here I may only end up having two meals in a day. Also, here the meals are not balanced and quite irregular. The participants felt that the meals they have here were not similar to the ones they were used to having back home. The participants said they were used to having lavish and complete meals, which consisted of variety of dishes. I had a very good eating habit at home. I had a set meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, with occasional snacks in between them. Eating regularly, as I used to before is the key to keeping healthy. All the participants talked about the importance of having traditional meals atleast twice or thrice a day. They felt that the breakfast was one of the important meals of the day and that it results in healthy eating habit. It was also seen that they found proper afternoon snack and a filling dinner was healthy, with long term health benefits. Sub-theme C: When we were back home, we never used to eat out often, even though it was fun to eat out. I used to eat at home for most of the times in a week. May be once or twice, I would go out with my friends for dinner bit then that was also not that frequent. The participants talked about the fact that most of the times they preferred to eat at home and did not want to spend money or get worried about the quality and hygiene related with the food. Also, they felt that eating away from would mean going against the normal home cooked food. Also, they perceived junk food as something that was not a part of the meal and not to be healthy, even though it presents itself as an important aspect if the Indian culture and religious festivities. Theme 2: Food choices and Meal patterns in United Kingdom Sub-theme A: Foods that I eat here are very different from what I am used to. The participants showed signs of change in their eating habits after moving to Leeds Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. The participants said that they found it difficult to have breakfast, as they were used to back home and even if they did, it was more of ready to eat foods like cereals. There were less consumption of traditional Indian food items and more consumption of canned food items, fruit juice, cheese, snacks like sweets and chips. The meals usually consisted of food from other ethnic origins as well like Mexican, Continental, Italian, which were eaten at local restaurants in Leeds. The participants said that they had to plan towards their meals here and they felt that it was difficult to retain their traditional food habits because of the time constraints faced by the students. I have to plan my own meals here. But at home, it was my mom. My meals here are not consistent. I donot have time to cook the things that I am used to eat back home, as most of the traditional dishes require planning, energy and time, which is difficult here. So I eat whatever is easy to cook and less time consuming. The participants also said that, though most of the time they have non-traditional food, however during the weekend or holidays, they try to stick to traditional Indian food. They felt that for them Indian food enabled them to maintain their cultural associations. Sub-theme B: My eating habit is very irregular here. Most of the participants said that their eating patterns were irregular after they came to the United Kingdom. Most of them said that they never or rarely had time to have breakfast. They could only have a proper meal for dinner, wherein they could cook traditional Indian food for themselves. My food habits have changed after coming here. I skip meals as I donot get the time and energy to cook for me. Most of the times I am at the university and I eat whatever I get at that point of time. However, for dinner, I try to cook some traditional Indian food. It makes a difference to have dinner as a complete meal. The analysis of the responses shows that the participants had an irregular food pattern, which was mainly due to the pressures of the new life here and the lack of time to plan and prepare a complete meal. Also, it was reported that they found the local food not to their liking all the time and hence it resulted in skipping entire meals. Sub-theme C: I eat out a lot here, more than I used to in India. Here, I tend to eat out with my friends most of the times. Even when I am in the university, I would go to the vending machine and pick up something to eat. I also eat many snacks here like sweets, chips. It is even more than I used to at home. The participants talked about their habit of snacking of food items like sweets, chips etc as it was easily available to them and also that they cost-low. The inability by them to invest time towards cooking for themselves and at times resulting in them completely skipping or replacing their meals with snacks or fast-food options. The participants also perceived that the snacks they had in India were low in fat content and hence better than the ones here. I donot have time to go home and cook an Indian meal for myself. I usually gout to eat or do some takeaway. It is all about convenience for me and usually I donot have an alternative. The participants said that for them eating out or at restaurants in India were considered a luxury, however here they feel it as imperative because of its convenience and easy availability as compared to the traditional meals. They felt that a healthy Indian meal is one that would have less cream, oil and cooked at home. However, even though the participants were not extremely interested in eating non-traditional food, but also felt that there were wide range of options available here, something that they did not find easily in India. Category II: Factors affecting Food habits Theme 3: Food habits and perceptions regarding Food habits Sub-theme A: I wish I cooked at home so that I knew how to cook. There were interesting perceptions that were reported by the participants towards knowledge and cooking skills. Most of the women participants said that they did most of the cooking at home however; they found the same difficult here as they had busy schedules with lectures, university. Whereas, the men were unanimous in their response; they found cooking a meal difficult without any previous knowledge. I never took interest in cooking. I did not have to worry about how much to make and if it is healthy or not. After coming here, I tried to cook but it was not easy. Most of the times I would make something that is easy like ready to eat or frozen food. The differences in responses could be due to the traditional beliefs that are related to the role that a man and a women play in the Indian society. In most cases, the Indian meals were mostly enjoyed in the local Indian restaurant. The male participants talk about their lack of skills to prepare Indian meals that makes it difficult for them to have a traditional diet. Also, the female participants, even though most of them said that they had the required skills to cook, showed preference to non-traditional food habits, due to the lack of time needed to cook Indian meals as well as the limited availability of ingredients required to make a traditional meal. My eating habits have changed a lot here. I donot eat traditional Indian food anymore and at times I donot even cook. However, I feel if I knew how to cook, it would have helped. Sub-theme B: I find the food here very different from what I am used to. All the participants said that they found the food here as convenient food due to its easy availability and ease to prepare. However, they thought that these food were not important to be considered as a complete meal, as most of them were artificially prepared with preservatives in them. Some of the participants said, contrary to the general opinion, that they found the non-traditional food healthier than the ones they used to have at home in India. Even though I have eaten Indian food throughout my life, I find the options here like the sandwiches, soups, salads as healthier than the Indian counterparts. I find them to be light and fresh. I cook Indian food at times, but they are time consuming and tend to be oily and greasy, especially if I am going to a restaurant. But the non-traditional foods tend to be more nutritious because they are prepared in ways to preserve their nutritive value, with less oil and cream. The participants also described the opportunity staying away from home as a way to be more experimental in their food habits, breaking away from the traditional diet to try something new. I have always had Indian food. The fact that now I can actually try new things and to be adventurous with my food habits is a nice feeling. At times, I will make pasta, sandwich or Mexican and they taste good too. Sub-theme C: I find it difficult to always have a traditional diet here. Many students talked about factors that affected their traditional way of eating. One such was that of financial considerations, which greatly influenced food and eating habits during their stay in the United Kingdom. They found that the local food to be more reasonable as compared to the traditional Indian food. I donot spend much on food, tend to eat whatever is cheaper. I never ate beef in India, would never think about it, however after coming here, I got to know that it is difficult to always live by traditions. I decided to accept the change rather making it a problem. The participants described their accepting the change in their food habits as a way to be accustomed and accepted by the new culture here. Also, some of the participants talked about their exposure to the Western diet in India, which had played an important role towards them accepting the change in food habits that happened here. Sub-theme D: My diet has changed considerably with time that I am here. Certain participants said that the duration that they have been in the United Kingdom have resulted in changes to their dietary habits. For them, they felt that a reason to come here was the freedom of making choices regarding their eating habits, wherein they ate out often, which they felt as an enjoyable experience. I think my diet is more or less the same here but then it is not definitely the way it was in India. I live alone and hence to eat what is easier and faster to cook.

Riding Bikes and Raising Social Consciousness Essay example -- Persona

Riding Bikes and Raising Social Consciousness Instructor’s comment: This student invites his readers along for a bicycle ride, immersing us in the sights, smells, sounds, and physical sensations of a phenomenon unique to San Francisco. Along the way he educates us about the political and social significance of the ride—but in such a genial, inclusive way that we may not even realize right away that we’ve been taught a lesson in social consciousness-raising. crit’i cal mass’ n. 2: an amount necessary or sufficient to have a significant effect or to achieve a result. —Random House Webster’s College Dictionary On the last Friday of each month, Tom, an amiable Jesuit Brother who loves cycling, my best friend, Ron, a few awkward freshmen, and I would all meet at school around 5:00 p.m. We would all be dressed differently: me in my jean shorts, a ratty tee shirt, and my purple helmet; everyone else in a combination of blue jeans, sweaters, jackets, and red or white helmets. The colors of our helmets, clothing, and bicycles constituted at least a perfect rainbow. Wasting no time, we would begin our migration, a race against the fog and its pursuing damp chill, to dominate the streets of San Francisco for one night as a unit, a voice, a symbol, and a mass. On this one night of each month, cars become the minority, the police blocking the intersections to allow the steady flow of 1500 cyclists to flow continuously like a giant, fluid serpent, oozing around the skyscrapers. Fueled by whoops, shouts, high-fives, clanging bells, screeching whistles, rattling chains and fenders, and the mesmerizing, silent symphony of blinking red lights, we would pedal all over the city for our own personal reasons and causes, but also for the ... ...Golden Gate Park by the well-maintained Victorian houses of the Castro and Lower Haight. Once on Kennedy Drive in the park, the entire Mass was about half its original size, since many people had split off and gone home along the course of the ride. When we finally got to the Polo Field, everyone laid their bikes down on the damp grass. The sun had already set, but there was just enough light in the sky to give it a dark blue color. The temperature was moderate (in my opinion), but many were putting their jackets and sweaters back on, including Ron and Tom. The freshmen found us almost immediately. They said they had â€Å"had a blast† and managed to stay right at the front with the â€Å"hotshots.† Good for them. I, on the other hand, was glad to stay at the heart of the mass, where we were a part of something important and wonderful. We were a critical mass—a velo de force.

Because I could not stop for Death, by Emily Dickinson Essay -- Emily D

‘Because I could not stop for Death—,’ A Poem of Both Marriage and Death When thinking of both marriage and death, the word â€Å"eternity† comes to mind. Marriage is looked at as a symbol of eternal love, and death is looked at as a state of eternal rest. Also, Christians consider life after death as an eternal state. In â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death—,† Emily Dickinson portrays death by describing an eternal marriage. On the literal level, the speaker remembers a time where she was carried off and eloped with a man called Death and his partner in crime, Immortality. Not realizing that going with Death meant that she would have to leave this world and live with him in his house forever, she shows herself as being immature at that time. As she leaves to go with Death the speaker states, â€Å"We slowly drove—He knew no haste/And I had put away/My labor and my leisure too, /For his Civility--†. In these lines, she shows how she must leave her household to work for her new husband. On the way to Death’s house they â€Å"passed the school, where Children strove/At Recess—in the Ring—â€Å". The fact that she mentions the kids fighting and playing at recess also shows how she must leave her life of leisure for a life of work. She must go work for her husband Death at his household. The next quatrain is when the speaker finally realizes that she is leaving this world to join Death in his world. She states, â€Å"We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain—/We passed the Setting Sun—/Or rather—He passed Us—â€Å". The next lines also show how she is leaving her world into another, colder environment. The speaker says â€Å"The Dews drew quivering and chill—/For only Gossamer, my Gown—/My Tippet—only Tulle—â€Å". The gown and scarf that she had worn f... ...hyme scheme follows an ABCB pattern. By that I mean that the second and last lines of every quatrain rhyme. This makes the poem flow well but not as fast as a poem with an ABAB rhyme scheme. Another technique I noticed was that Dickinson capitalizes the first letter of some important words in the lines to make the reader emphasize them as he or she reads. For example in the line â€Å"We passed the school, where Children strove/At Recess—in the Ring—/We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain—/We passed the Setting Sun—/Or rather—He passed Us—,† the reader must emphasize the words that are capitalized to get the effect of a slower poem. This poem was a good example of what marrying Death would feel like. Since no one has really died and came back to tell us how it feels, Dickinson does a good job of showing death from the perspective of a dead person or immortal soul.

Beggining to Puck

In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck not only served as the solution to the lovers’ confusion but also as the root of lover’s magical mix-ups. The couples in the beginning struggle to find a way to be with each other so they run off to the woods. Puck and Oberon hear the situation and come up with a plan. The plan was suppose to help them instead it caused more problems. Puck mixes up the couples and causes a huge confusion. Oberon demands for Puck to resolve the mess he created. Puck tends to make a lot of trouble. Everything he does is all fun and games. When he messes up he does everything he can to fix it, because he does not mean to cause trouble. Puck is Oberon’s slave in a way In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck not only served as the solution to the lovers’ confusion but also as the root of lover’s magical mix-ups. The couples in the beginning struggle to find a way to be with each other so they run off to the woods. Puck and Oberon hear the situation and come up with a plan. The plan was suppose to help them instead it caused more problems. Puck mixes up the couples and causes a huge confusion. Oberon demands for Puck to resolve the mess he created. Puck tends to make a lot of trouble. Everything he does is all fun and games. When he messes up he does everything he can to fix it, because he does not mean to cause trouble. Puck is Oberon’s slave in a way In William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck not only served as the solution to the lovers’ confusion but also as the root of lover’s magical mix-ups. The couples in the beginning struggle to find a way to be with each other so they run off to the woods. Puck and Oberon hear the situation and come up with a plan. The plan was suppose to help them instead it caused more problems. Puck mixes up the couples and causes a huge confusion. Oberon demands for Puck to resolve the mess he created. Puck tends to make a lot of trouble. Everything he does is all fun and games. When he messes up he does everything he can to fix it, because he does not mean to cause trouble. Puck is Oberon’s slave in a way.

The Avengers: Disney’s Recipe for a Blockbuster Success

The Avengers â€Å"There was an idea called the avengers initiative, the idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more, see if they could work together when we needed them to. To fight the battles that we never could. † and â€Å"Until such time as the world ends, we will act as if it intends to spin on. † â€Å"The tesseract has awakened† bringing forth the forefront for the action/superhero genre in the form of Disney’s The Avengers written and directed by Joss Whedon.With planning years in the making, The Avengers needed a star-studded line-up and it far exceeded expectations with selections. Samuel L Jackson as Nick Fury, the leader of Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, better known as S. H. I. E. L. D. recruits the powerful, well known actors ;amp; comic book characters both on screen and off screen in Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banne r/The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and the â€Å"volatile, self-obsessed, doesn’t play well with others† Tony Stark/Ironman (Robert Downey Jr).Throw in Gwyneth Paltrow, Cobie Smulders, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddlestone and all you will need is a plot, script and some visuals to be guaranteed a success. Having a meticulously developed script disables viewers from allowing attention to drift away for even a moment in fear of missing one of the witty one-liners or references to a greater idea The Avengers empowers. â€Å"An ant has no corral with a boot. †Not to mention, the plot will disable washroom breaks as you will be immersed in the super heroic battles constantly taking place from the first minute to the last, you will forget you ever had to go to begin with. If still teetering to give The Avengers a go a budget of $220 million, mostly spent on visuals such as costumes, sound and special effects should be enough to aesthe tically please the eyes enough into going.From pin-point accuracy in detail in costumes, to loud booming, breathtaking explosives during battle sequences, The Avengers could easily be the best thing your eyes have ever seen. No matter who you are or what Earth you are from, I would bet my bottom dollar that you cannot watch The Avengers and walk away unsatisfied. With a star studded cast, a meticulous script and plot, and jaw-dropping visuals Disney has created a recipe for blockbuster success certain to burn out many DVD players in households worldwide.