How to lose your weight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to lose your weight - Essay Example We try sometimes to keep attending the gym or going for five laps around the field every day. But, how many times do we find ourselves missing due to many excuses and being tired? All these only show us how much we struggle to lose weight, by putting on the willpower, but many a times we are weakened by our programs and weaknesses. Everyone likes being lean, especially ladies. Being lean helps us to live healthily with less susceptibility to dangerous diseases such as obesity, high-blood pressure, heart attack and cardiac arrest among others. We, therefore, employ various practices to help us lose weight to achieve this state. However, some of the practices we employ have other effects on us, if we dont do them right. In this essay, our main focus will be on some practices we employ to help us lose weight and their possible effects on our health. One main reason people gain weight faster is the excess amounts of food they intake, especially the carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are rich in calories that can make us fat very fast. To help us avoid increasing weight due to excess intake of carbohydrates, we can kill our appetite to allow us take less food and eat appropriately. Adequate portions of food should be taken, and this should be balanced for a balanced diet. We should reduce the number of times they eat per day and get used to leaner diets. A lot of proteins should be included in every food portions one would server. In as much as this method works to help people lose weight, some people overdo it, which causes negative effects to their health. Instead of just reducing the quantities of food that they take, some people end up starving since they want to lose weight faster. Starving has negative effects that will leave one very weak and susceptible to many diseases still. Conditions such as ulcers may also come in when one starves too much. Some people also decline to take carbohydrates and any food portion with fat at all. This may also make one grow

Confrontational level Essay Example for Free

Confrontational level Essay Shown by Helens sheer lack of thought for her daughter Jo, she has no consideration for her feelings. She continually ensures the suppression of her daughter and at one stage has the audacity to express this on a confrontational level. I have to consider something far more important than your feelings.(Pg 1)  This is further confirmation of Helens severe disrespect and heartlessness towards her daughter. An attitude which stemmed from her initial rejection to motherhood and forthcoming child. She blames Jo for her divorce-her birth being the event that revealed Helens unfaithfulness to the husband she described as a retard. In my judgement, she has not learnt to handle her problems and take full responsibility for her immoral doings. This has proven very costly in both her and her daughters lives. Cathies mothers consideration for her can be described as the other end of the extreme. Her calm, quiet approach to the situation reveals how valuable she sees their relationship; enough not to be damaged in a way that Helen made possible.  The fact that Helen doesnt know much about her daughter and Cathies mother feels she knows her daughter is of significance in their relationship. Helens reaction to Jos personal drawings was one of shock, yet pleasant surprise. I didnt realise I had such a talented daughter.  This demonstrates not only the fact that she hasnt spent quality time learning and bonding with her daughter, but the sad reality that Helen hasnt desired to. Prior to the above quote, Helen implied that she expected her daughter to tell her everything about herself she has a right to know.  I thought you said you werent good at anything  Here, we see that Helen has just taken Jos word for the matter; she has simply accepted it and not bothered to know otherwise.  The fact that some daughters are able to talk to their mothers about boyfriends/relationships shows the closer friendship a mother and daughter can share. Helen didnt know whether or not Jo ad a boyfriend, and this mirrors the lack of confidence Jo has in Helen as a Mother, let alone a friend. Helen doesnt seem to possess A Mothers Fondness the built-in, unconditional, love and interest a Mother has in the welfare of their child. On the other hand, Cathies mother feels that she knows her child all too well. She is confident that her daughter wouldnt understand her if she showed she was angry:   I knew that she would not see my anger, as love for her  The Mothers maternal instincts lead her to believe something was not right when her daughter didnt arrive home on time. This shows that Cathie is respectful of her Mothers wishes to be home on time. Her mother is familiar with her character and feels she knows her. She says:  she would have poured to tell me if she was going away anywhere.  When each Mother-daughter relationship begins to encounter difficulty, the Mothers react differently. Cathies Mum blames herself for her daughters behaviour. She is fully aware of her parental responsibilities/duties. She knows that her actions have a deep impact on her daughter and their relationship status. I had failedit was my fault she was as she was. I had brought myself pain.  The Mother distinguishes the problem and wants to make amends to their estranged relationship. She does her best to prevent yet another hurtful row and keeps silent; praying it wont happen again.  Helen however, (as mentioned previously) doesnt spare a single thought for her daughters feelings. She quite willingly expresses her thoughts and emotions in a rude and obnoxious manner and openly declares that she is not responsible for her daughter or their situation.  Have I ever laid claim to being a proper mother.  This quote shows that she is not hypocritical about herself, which in a way is a good thing. However, there is nothing positive about Helens approach to motherhood. Unlike Cathies Mother who blames herself, Helen points her finger at Jo:  Its your fault In act__scene__, Helen attempts to justify her reasons for neglecting Jo.  QUOT   The way in which the daughters are portrayed in the text differ in that so much sympathy is evoked in the audience for Jo. She has had to live her life and grow up without a true Mother. She has not had someone to look up to, someone to show her love and be a backbone, especially during the time of adolescence. The atmosphere at the flat is one of hopelessness, tension and distress, which is why we feek sirr for her. SETTING ON STAGE In A Mothers Fondness we sympathise with the Mother as she cares so much for her daughter who feels as if she doesnt.  Despite the many differences in each mother-daughter relationship, there are also many similarities. One of which is the way both daughters use some form of escapism to avoid facing up to their problems. When Cathie learned that her mum had been everywhere looking for her, she asked her friend Elaine if she could stay and not return home. She had missed two busses and expected that her mum would be very upset with her. She would be furiousThis meant another row.  Elaine, I dont want to go home. Cant I stay here?  It is evident from this quote that Cathie would rather remain with her friend, away from home and the prospect of another argument with her mother. This teaches the audience that the disagreements she had with her mother were emotionally very damaging she couldnt bear another instance wherein she and her mother were on bad terms.  Unlike Cathie, Jo recites nursery rhymes for fun with Geoff. This can be read into and analysed in a psychological sense: the nursery rhymes bring her laughter, which aids in transporting her to the childhood she never enjoyed. You look like a spratt. Jack Spratt, whod eat no fat, his wife would eat no lean and so between then both, you see, they licked the platter clean. Did u enjoy that dramatic recitation? (pg51)  Her question at the end prompts a positive response from Geoff who doesnt want to deflate her cheerful mood. She encourages that he joins in, wanting someone to play with as it were.  You say one We can imagine that this was said with a happy expectant look upon her face. Geoff then proceeds to recite another rhyme and upon completion, she expresses how much she enjoyed it: I like that. Do you know any more?  Jo is keen that this playful, childlike interaction between them continues. She gets much more out of it than would any other average person. The fun factor and distraction nursery rhymes brought about were doing her good she was not dwelling upon thoughts of her broken family.  Both Jo and Cathie feel as though they are not receiving enough care and attention they want to feel loved. This is another similarity found in each relationship. During the car journey Cathie and her mother made home, they remained silent (as previously highlighted). Though most other teens resent the fact that in the same situation, their mums would talk endlessly about how worried they were and so on, Cathie would rather that was the case. I was angryshe was acting as if nothing had happenedShe simply didnt care about me  In any relationship, it is important that there is balance between certain factors. Cathie and her mum are at one end of the extreme maintaining their silence no fuss. This is the absolute opposite to Jo and Helen who are at the other end of the extreme.  In Jos case, she threatens to jump out of the window in order to determine whether or not Helen cares about her. She wants to hear someone does actually care for her. Her desperation and longing for love is made evident in her dramatic actions. Jo is aware that the concept of actions speaking louder than words is never going to be a reality for her. Therefore she resorts to grabbing any ounce of love Helen had to offer her even it was mere words. This attention seeking is to be expected from Jo, as Helen never really gave Jo a mothers love. We can be certain that a lack of communication is common within each relationship. Weve seen how Cathies mother found it difficult to express her upset to her daughter and visa versa. We also know that the effects of this were negative: Cathie felt that her mother didnt care for her, and her mother felt that Cathie hated her. The two of them are alike in that they pretend that everything is ok between them when there are clearly important issues to be tackled and discussed. It is important that each mother and daughter feel they can talk to each other on a mature and serious level. At times, we see Jo making attempts to do so. However, Helen does not respond to this very well and is constantly changing the subject showing her inability to listen to her daughter.

Economics Indicators :: essays papers

Economics Indicators Investments The Stock-Trak investment simulation program began on August 30th, which marked the first day that trading was allowed. A total available amount of $300,000 was used for investing. The objective of this assignment is to maximize the value of the portfolio through November 19th, which was the last day of the trading period. I began the process of choosing specific investments for my portfolio by taking an asset allocation questionnaire (appendix I). Since the objective was to maximize portfolio value, I made sure for each question asked that I chose the answer with the most risk. My reasoning being that having my money in risky investments will on average lead to a greater return than investments with lower risk. The objective did not mention risk tolerance, and I wanted a portfolio composition with a good chance of earning exceptional returns. After completing the survey, I ended up with an aggressive asset allocation plan (appendix II). This stated that 85% of my money should b e invested in stocks, while the remaining 15% of my money should be invested in bonds. I had several basic strategies that I felt would lead to my portfolio having high returns. First I felt that it was important to invest early on in the trading period so that I would not miss any positive returns the market might yield (I was fully invested by September 10th). Secondly I wanted to buy all my investments and hold them because I believe that this strategy will best maximize returns. Timing the market I felt was lucky and too complicated. Finally I wanted to make sure that I bought at least 25 separate assets, so that I could be properly diversified. I used the Wall Street Journal to pick my individual stocks. My personal strategy was to pick stocks that were at or near their 52 week low in price. I felt that corporations, especially those that were well known, at or near their 52 week low in price would gain momentum. Furthermore I made sure that I was choosing companies that were i n diverse industries. I also included some international companies as well as some relatively smaller firms to add to my portfolio. My strategy on buying bonds was to buy four bonds that had different maturity dates, and came from different issuers such as corporate and government bonds.

Conflict: Science against Religion Essay

Throughout the ages science and religion have struggled with one another. They both are constantly striving to gain the upper hand against the other. Within this struggle both are trying to assert the fact that their ideas are accurate and how the others ideas are inaccurate. Science yearns to answer the questions of how things happen through the means of solid facts. Religion, on the other hand, seeks to answer the question of why things occur and its thought process is grounded in faith. Some believe that the two views are not in turmoil with one another. This thought process is extremely skewed because these two belief systems contradict one another consistently and believers of each view then struggle to prove their perspective is correct. Science and religion, â€Å"do not have the same viewpoints about the nature of the world or agree about how truth is perceived or confined† (Neese, 2001). These two ideologies are at war with one another. The issues between the two cann ot be overlooked or brushed under the rug because there are too many opposing aspects. Because of this there is no way for these two ideologies to coexist harmoniously. When science and religion have overlapping topics that attempt to answer the same questions, conflict occurs between believers of each theory. A good example of this overlap is the Evolution theory. This theory has caused controversy from its beginnings in history. Evolution, as defined by Webster’s Dictionary, is â€Å"a theory that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations† (Webster, 2012). The placement of this theory in high school text books has been very controversial. Multiple court cases have been fought over the theory of evolution and its existence within public schools’ curriculum. There are cases dating back from 1968 up until present day arguing about whether this theory should be taught to students (Masamura & Mead, 2001). According to religion, God made all things. This is known as creationism. Within the creationism theory there is no margin for compromise. God made man and there is no other explanation in accordance with the creationism theory. The Theory of Evolution contradicts everything that religion is based on. The Bible says that God created the animals but he also created man. The Bible speaks nothing of God creating animals and they evolving into mankind, so the idea that religious parties could agree with the evolutionary theory and accept it is ludicrous. Regardless of whether it is acknowledged or not, science is deeming what religion believes as a lie. There is no way to avoid the turmoil that it causes by attempting to prove that God didn’t make man but instead we evolved from animals. Debates regarding where mankind comes from seems to elevate tempers and leads to arguments. History shows us that people have not agreed upon these two opinions and it has led to judicial action b ecause there could not be an agreement made about the subjects. These are not issues of the past but are still currently raging throughout society even today. It is absurd to think that the theory of creationism and the theory of evolution do not cross over into one another and create conflict. How could two views that are polar opposites possibly be agreed upon? It is a simple answer; they can and will not be agreed upon. Another argument that rages between science and religion is the argument about the approximate age of the Earth. Science believes that the Earth is billions of years old; meanwhile, religious groups believe that the Earth is approximately 10,000 years old. Scientists believe that the earth can be dated back over 4 billion years using a method of Argon-Argon dating (Robins, 2006). On the other hand religious groups use the Bible as a reference to date the earth. Science argues that their method of dating is accurate and they have found fossils that are millions of year old; yet, religion argues that â€Å"The Great Flood† trapped carbon around the fossils and therefore would negate the carbon dating process that is typically used when dating fossils (Fossil, 2011). There are drastic differences between the timeline that science has created and the one religion uses. Science relies on gathering evidence that allows a conclusion to be made about the Earth’s age; meanwhile, religion relies upon the Bible and declares nothing can be questioned because the Bible is absolute. The argument regarding the age of the Earth is definitely a continuing issue. These two viewpoints have no common ground and will continue to conflict one another. The question of why someone is a homosexual has plagued debates for years. This argument is very emotional for a lot of people. Science and religion both have very opposing views of this topic. Some scientists believe that homosexuality is linked to genetics and have been trying to locate the gene that causes someone’s homosexuality (Abrams, 2007). Yet, religious sects believe that homosexuality is a choice. Science is trying to prove that people do not choose to be gay but instead are born with the predisposition to like someone of the same gender. In religious groups this view is widely rejected because the Bible states that homosexuality is wrong, and God would not make someone more prone to â€Å"sin†. The debate regarding the origins of why someone lives the homosexual lifestyle has not fully been pinpointed in science yet but this still doesn’t calm the argument with religious groups. The fight over giving homosexuals the right to legally marry in the U.S. gives us a good example of how heated this debate actually is and how far it is from being resolved. Several states have voted to allow gay marriage while the majority of states still have not latched on to the idea due to religious backgrounds within the communities. Not as widely discussed but still a conflicting issue for science and religion is the iss ue of death. The belief in the hereafter, or lack thereof, is strongly debated among scientists and religious groups. Science does not prove or disprove the existence of anything occurring after death. Some scientists argue that the phenomenon of an out of body experience is simply the result of the brain continuing to work even though the body does not (Fitzpatrick, 2010). This discredits people’s stories of experiencing the hereafter and coming back from it. Religion gives a greater purpose in life and the ultimate goal is to spend eternity in the heavenly realm. By some scientists disregarding the possibility of a hereafter it adds to the tension that already exists between religion and science. Since science leaves for the possibility that nothing exists after we die, it doesn’t support the theory that religion does. In not supporting the idea of something existing after we die, it creates an invisible wall between science and religion and leaves room for argumentative discussions. One of the most overlooked conflicts between science and religion is the separation of the languages. There are multiple theories about how language developed and changed according to s cience. Most scientists will agree that they believe evolution played a large part in the diversity of languages. Science bases the evolution of multiple languages on people slightly changing their current dialect as they migrated to different regions. Many scientists believe that the first language was developed somewhere in Africa (Wade, 2011). Religion seeks a completely different approach to the development of the separate languages. Religion bases the changing of dialects to the event that occurred at the tower of Babel, as recorded by the Bible. The Bible says that people were joining together to build a tower to reach to heaven. God was displeased with this act so he separated the languages so the people could no longer understand one another; thus, stopping their ability to work together to build the tower (Genesis 11, KJV). These two counter ideas both answer the question of how languages evolved but in two extremely different ways. In no way are these two theologies coexisting seei ng that there are no similarities between their theories. People argue about the existing conflict between religion and science. Some argue for the presence of a conflict, while others argue that turmoil simply does not exist between the two. A man by the name of Stephen Jay Gould â€Å"referred to the non-overlapping magisterial of science and religion, with the former describing reality – what is – and the latter dealing with values – how we ought to act† (Fish, 2010). Gould argued in his book, â€Å"Rock of Ages†, â€Å"that science and religion can coexist because they occupy two separate spheres of the human experience. According to Gould, science and God are inherently divided and thus can easily co-exist in the human belief system. Science, he argues, answers questions of fact, while religion covers questions of morality† (Clark, n.d.). Many people have the same viewpoint as Gould or a similar one. This argument suggests that these two ideologies run parallel to one another, therefore there is no possible way for them to conflict. By making this kind of claim it is saying that there is a limit to what science can investigate and theorize about. If science and religion do not overlap as Gould and many others suggest, then it would box these two ideologies in and limit their topics of discussion. In reality, this can never occur. You cannot limit the topics in which both science and religion have opinions about, because this would be the only way for these two to have no overlapping viewpoints. This argument defines science and religion as being two separate entities that do not cross over into one another. This is not reality however. Whether it be creation, sexual preference, death, or the separation of languages; all of these things have obviously been delved into by both science and religion. The argument that these two approaches of doctrine exist parallel is unrealistic. If that were the case then that would mean that no topic discussed by science or religion has ever or will ever be of the same subject. As everyone knows, throughout history science and religion have undoubtedly had discussions about the same subject ma tter; thus, negating the whole basis for Gould’s argument and others who believe as he does. If logic is used and we look at both of these ways of thinking we see the drastic difference in their opinions. This leads to a dialogue about who is right and who is wrong. There is no middle ground with these conflicting views. â€Å"Science is based on verifiable facts, whereas religion rests on faith that is not amendable to verification† (Dias, 2010). These two thought processes show no similarities; therefore, they do not have common ground and cannot agree. The desire for knowledge will always be prevalent in the human race. With this obtained knowledge comes theory and with theory comes disputes. Here stems the disagreements between science and religion. The never ending feud about whose viewpoint is right is raging as strong today as it has been in the past. The conflicts encountered within these two ideologies have no end in the foreseeable future. Their methodologies keep these two polar opposites continually disputing with one another. If there is a way for science and religion to harmoniously exist with one another, society has yet to find it. There are utopian ideas that attempt to reconcile science and religions altercations but no attempt at calming this argument has been successful thus far. Albert Einstein said that â€Å"science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind,† (Neese, 2001). His statement is rather idealistic and unfortunately we do not currently live in a world where this way of thinking is widespread. No matter how good it would be for these two groups to coexist, it will never happen due to their drastically different views. Maybe in time things will progress but as for now the two remain at war with one another. References Abrams, M. (2007). BORN GAY?. Discover, 28: 58-83. Retrieved Friday, August 10, 2012 from EBSCOhost database. Clark, Josh. (n.d.) Can God and Science Co-exist? Retrieved from http://science.howstuff works.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/god-science-co-exist.htm. DIAS, P. (2010). Is Science Very Different from Religion? A Polanyian Perspective. Science & Christian Belief, 22(1), 43-55. â€Å"Evolution†. (2012). In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved August 28, 2012, from http://www. merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evolution. Fish, J. M. (2010). Science VS Religion DEBATE. Humanist,70(4), 27-31. Fitzpatrick,L. (2010). Is There Such a Things as Life After Death?. Time. Retrieved from http://www.Time.com. Fossil and Radiosiotope Dating. (2011). Retrieved August 28, 2012, from http://creationscience today.com/28-Carbon-14_Dating.html Helden, A.V. (1995). The Galileo Project. Retrieved from http://galileo.rice.edu/bio/narrative _7.html. Masamura,M. , Mead, L. (2001). Ten Major Court Cases About Evolution and Creationism. Retrieved from http://ncse.com/taking-action/ten-major-court-cases-evolution- Creationism. Neese, L. H. (2001). SCIENCE vs. RELIGION: The Challenge of Interpretation. USA Today Magazine, 130(2674), 70. Robins, M. (2006). How We Know Earth’s Age. Discover, 27(3), 22-23. Retrieved Friday, August 10, 2012 from EBSCOhost database. Wade, N. (2011). Phonetic Clues Hint Language is Africa – Born. New York Times, Retrieved from http://newyorktimes.com.

History of Tattoos in Australia

A tattoo is the permanent insertion of ink or other pigments below the skin using a sharp instrument, as a form of decorative form of body modification. The word tattoo is derived from the Tahitian term â€Å"tatua,† which means â€Å"to mark. † Since the dawn of time, tattoos have been used for all kinds of purposes. Tattoos have served as symbols of rights, symbols of rank or seniority, symbols of spirituality, devotion, religion, rewards for bravery and security. In ancient times, they were also used as symbols of punishment, slavery and conviction. However, over the past century, tattoos have been most frequently used as body art. The art of tattooing cannot be traced back to a specific time or place. One of the oldest tattoos however, was found to be engraved on the back of a well – preserved natural mummy of a man (now known as â€Å"Otzi the Iceman†) who was buried alive on the slopes of the Alps over 5000 years ago. However, research shows that if the skin rots after death, evidence of a tattoo completely disappears. This means that tattoos may have been around for longer than 5000 years, yet there’s no evidence to prove this. Numerous mummies that were excavated from the pyramids in Egypt have also been found to have tattoos. These tattoos however, were engraved near waists of the women who longed for children and were a symbol of their goddess of fertility. There has been evidence to suggest that in the past tattooing was done for medicinal purposes and that the pigments used in tattoos had some sort of healing effect. For example, societies in the Arctic believe tattoos have powers that can ward off illness or protect people from all types of harm. They believed diseases such as rheumatism were caused by an imbalance in their souls, caused by evil spirits. They thought that these evil spirits entered their bodies through their joints, so they tattooed designs on their joints in an attempt to block them out. Furthermore, ‘protective’ or ‘guardian’ tattoos could be used by these societies to save people from disasters at sea, help them on a journey through the unknown, or even guard against the death of a new born. The art of tattooing was also popular amongst Christian adherents (as many received the tattoo symbolising ‘the Stigmata of the Lord Jesus’) until the church edict forbade them on the pretext of some quotes in the Bible. The Old Testament law commanded the Israelites, â€Å"Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD† (Leviticus 19:28). This command from God is further explained in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 : â€Å"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body. † Therefore, the number of tattoos amongst Christian adherents significantly decreased. Tattoos have since then persisted in various parts of the world for various reasons and although tattoos have now become acceptable in contemporary societies, ‘tattoos are still condemned in God’s eyes. ’ In the Western world, tattooing has historically served as a brand of criminality or a sign of shame (as seen in â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† of Nathaniel Hawthorne. ) These branding mimicked those of the branding of slaves, the tattooing of prisoners of war in ancient Athens and the marking of the foreheads of French prisoners in the 18th and 19th centuries with letters signifying their punishment. Australia has a rich historical background in which the art of tattooing has a special place. Date back to almost 4,000 years, the Samoan and the Maori tribes displayed a wide range of tattoos on specific parts of their body. In fact, these tribes of Australia represent the major history of tattooing. The Samoan tribes used to cover their lower body completely with all-embracing tattoos, though these tattoos held no specific cultural significance beyond fashion. However, having a tattoo proved a statement that an individual could bear pain and those who didn’t have a tattoo were vulnerable to severe criticism from others as they were seen to be weak cowards. The average Samoan design could take as long as six months to complete. In order to complete the arduous task, a special tattooing shed was specifically built; only to be burned down at the completion of the tattoo. Special combs were utilised by Samoan tattoo artists to apply the designs. The combs would be dipped in ink and then tapped along the skin, so that the pointed teeth of the comb would puncture the surface and insert the ink. This extremely painful procedure posed several hygiene issues and usually led to several health problems, such as infections. While the Samoans covered their lower bodies with tattoos, the Maori of New Zealand covered their faces. This tattooing technique, called â€Å"moko† was unique to the Maori. Each man wore an individualised pattern as the design was based on his own particular facial features. The tattooing artist would study the man’s face and create a design that would accentuate them, in an attempt to make his appearance more dignified and forceful. The pattern would be carved into the skin with a bone chisel and the ink would be placed in the cuts to create the tattoo. The whole process, which took up to weeks to complete one face, was awfully painful and would consequently cause a lot of swelling. Maori women also had their faces tattooed, but it was limited to the lips and chin only. In Australia, the modern art of tattooing began when the European convicts were sent into exile here in the late 1700's, after Captain James Cook brought tattoos back to England as curiosities after encountering Tahitian tattoos when in the South Pacific in the 1760’s. To express diverse human emotions, the prisoners used to make tattoos by etching the black sediments of the oil lamps into their skin, forever recording their hopes, beliefs, loves and disappointments. At this time, tattoos became a way for convicts to make human statements about themselves. The positioning of a tattoo was also particularly significant as the most personal of messages were reserved for parts of the body that were usually covered up. For some convicts, tattoos were purely decorative, while others transcribed the dates of their trials, or dates when their sentences were up. Family trees and slogans and religious symbols were also quite common. The most popular tattoo however, was the anchor, which was a symbol of hope and loyalty, and was often attached to a loved one’s initials. The period between the First and Second World Wars has been dubbed the â€Å"Golden Age of Tattooing† as many servicemen in the army and navy tattooed themselves as acts of patriotism and nationalism. During this period, tattoos served as symbols of group identity, memorial dedications to home, girlfriends, wives, family and the wars themselves. These tattoos were almost exclusively a male practice and connoted a bond between men forged by patriotic and militaristic duty, and by necessary association, masculinity and power. A new form of street or ‘biker’ tattoo began to emerge after the Second World War. Instead of patriotic values, however, this new style of tattooing had embedded in it defiance, â€Å"a challenge to mainstream middle-class values as well as to the traditional form of patriotic and love-inspired working class tattoo† (DeMello 2000:67). This style of tattooing became synonymous with biker and prison convict subcultures, and continues relatively unchanged to this day. Although they began as an exclusive practice amongst males, they are now commonly found on women also. ‘Bikers’ were typically heavily tattooed with entire sleeves, legs, chests or backs covered in ink. Popular imagery included religious icons (Jesus Christ, crucifixes, the Virgin Mary), scales of justice, skulls, dragons, spiders, motorcycles, and biblical quotes. Specific tattoos identified the wearer as a member of a particular social group, gang or ethnicity. Throughout the several phases during the twentieth century, the tattoo industry was primarily underground and was relegated to the lower working classes. In the 1960’s, however, tattoos ‘fragmented’ and were used as important identity symbols for convicts, punks, bikers and many subcultures within society. This fragmentation ultimately lead to the ‘tattoo renaissance’ which lead tattoos to become popular culture icons in the 1980’s and 1990’s. With the â€Å"tattoo renaissance,† tattoos came to be seen as an anthropological, sociological and ethnographic phenomenon which changed society’s views of the human body. Punk tattoos of the 1970’s were part of a lexicon of highly visible signs and symbols of sub cultural identity. Inspired by the punk scene that emerged from the British punk scene in the early 1970’s, the punk subculture in Australia epitomised social marginalisation, hostile rebellion and protest. Punks manipulated their clothes, hairstyles and bodies as a form of self creation. Vividly and implicitly displayed in public, punk tattoos were the seeds of what would become mainstream tattoo practices. Nowadays, tattoos are â€Å"not just for bikers anymore† and are now the domain of the middle-class, educated and professionals. Many musicians, athletes, icons and role models now have tattoos, which has also been a contributing factor to their popularity. But most importantly, women now make up 50% of those who have tattoos, as opposed to the past, when it was rare for women to have a tattoo. Today, tattoos generally tend to avoid the â€Å"negative† imagery associated with many traditional prison, biker or punk styled tattoos. Studies show that tattoos worn by the â€Å"career-oriented† include a wide variety of symbols and styles, from the big and colourful, to the small and monochromatic, from Christian iconography to tribal or indigenous designs. Further research has revealed the most popular tattoo designs to be small crosses, butterflies, flowers, Celtic rings and arm and ankle bracelets These days, tattoos have become a large part of our popular culture. The demand for tattoos has grown rapidly, both amongst the rich and famous and within the general population as a whole. One in every seven adults today sports a tattoo as they have now become major fashion statement throughout society. The tattoo industry is growing tremendously, with an increased demand for tattoos, tattoo parlours, tattoo artists and tattoo supplies due to the recent acceptance of tattoos into mainstream culture.

40 Million Years of Dog Evolution

40 Million Years of Dog Evolution In many ways, the story of dog evolution follows the same plot line as the evolution of horses and elephants: a small, inoffensive, ancestral species gives rise, over the course of tens of millions of years, to the respectably sized descendants we know and love today. But there are two big differences in this case: first, dogs are carnivores, and the evolution of carnivores is a twisty, serpentine affair involving not only dogs, but prehistoric hyenas, bears, cats, and now-extinct mammals like creodonts and mesonychids. And second, of course, dog evolution took a sharp right turn about 15,000 years ago, when the first wolves were domesticated by early humans (see a gallery of prehistoric dog pictures). As far as paleontologists can tell, the very first carnivorous mammals evolved during the late Cretaceous period, about 75 million years ago (the half-pound Cimolestes, which lived high up in trees, being the most likely candidate). However, its more likely that every carnivorous animal alive today can trace its ancestry back to Miacis, a slightly bigger, weasel-like creature that lived about 55 million years ago, or 10 million years after the dinosaurs went extinct. Miacis was far from a fearsome killer, though: this tiny furball was also arboreal and feasted on insects and eggs as well as small animals. Before the Canids: Creodonts, Mesonychids, and Friends Modern dogs evolved from a line of carnivorous mammals called canids, after the characteristic shape of their teeth. Before (and alongside) the canids, though, there were such diverse families of predators as amphicyonids (the bear dogs, typified by Amphicyon, which seem to have been more closely related to bears than dogs), prehistoric hyenas (Ictitherium was the first of this group to live on the ground rather than in trees), and the marsupial dogs of South America and Australia. Although vaguely dog-like in appearance and behavior, these predators werent directly ancestral to modern canines. Even more fearsome than bear dogs and marsupial dogs were mesonychids and creodonts. The most famous mesonychids were the one-ton Andrewsarchus, the largest ground-dwelling carnivorous mammal that ever lived, and the smaller and more wolflike Mesonyx. Oddly enough, mesonychids were ancestral not to modern dogs or cats, but to prehistoric whales. The creodonts, on the other hand, left no living descendants; the most noteworthy members of this breed were Hyaenodon and the strikingly named Sarkastodon, the former of which looked (and behaved) like a wolf and the latter of which looked (and behaved) like a grizzly bear. The First Canids: Hesperocyon and the "Bone-Crushing Dogs" Paleontologists agree that the late Eocene (about 40 to 35 million years ago) Hesperocyon was directly ancestral to all later canids- and thus to the genus Canis, which branched off from a subfamily of canids about six million years ago. This western dog was only about the size of a small fox, but its inner-ear structure was characteristic of later dogs, and theres some evidence that it may have lived in communities, either high up in trees or in underground burrows. Hesperocyon is very well-represented in the fossil record; in fact, this was one of the most common mammals of prehistoric North America. Another group of early canids was the borophagines, or bone-crushing dogs, equipped with powerful jaws and teeth suitable for scavenging the carcasses of mammalian megafauna. The largest, most dangerous borophagines were the 100-pound Borophagus and the even bigger Epicyon; other genera included the earlier Tomarctus and Aelurodon, which were more reasonably sized. We cant say for sure, but theres some evidence that these bone-crushing dogs (which were also restricted to North America) hunted or scavenged in packs, like modern hyenas. The First True Dogs: Leptocyon, Eucyon, and the Dire Wolf Heres where things get a bit confusing. Shortly after the appearance of Hesperocyon 40 million years ago, Leptocyon arrived on the scene- not a brother, but more like a second cousin once removed. Leptocyon was the first true canine (that is, it belonged to the caninae subfamily of the canidae family), but a small and unobtrusive one, not much bigger than Hesperocyon itself. The immediate descendant of Leptocyon, Eucyon, had the good fortune to live at a time when both Eurasia and South America were accessible from North America- the first via the Bering land bridge, and the second thanks to the uncovering of central America. In North America, about six million years ago, populations of Eucyon evolved into the first members of the modern dog genus Canis, which spread to these other continents. But the tale doesnt end there. Although canines (including the first coyotes) continued to live in North America during the Pliocene epoch, the first plus-sized wolves evolved elsewhere, and re-invaded North America shortly before the ensuing Pleistocene (via that same Bering land bridge). The most famous of these canines was the Dire Wolf, Canis diris, which evolved from an old world wolf that colonized both North and South America (by the way, the Dire Wolf competed directly for prey with Smilodon, the saber-toothed tiger.) The end of the Pleistocene epoch witnessed the rise of human civilization around the world. As far as we can tell, the first domestication of the Gray Wolf occurred somewhere in Europe or Asia anywhere from 30,000 to 15,000 years ago. After 40 million years of evolution, the modern dog had finally made its debut!

Can We Actually Rewrite a Film

Can We Actually Rewrite a Film The term â€Å"rewrite† by definition is to write something again. Its purpose is to correct or improve a piece of writing or a written document. In the academic world, rewriting a piece of document is to write it in a different manner, alter its form and make it concise, amend or carry out necessary improvements. Hashtag: #RewriteAFilmIn5Words Rewrite Is Not Limited to Piece of Writing The term â€Å"rewrite† by definition is to write something again. Its purpose is to correct or improve a piece of writing or a written document. In the academic world, rewriting a piece of document is to write it in a different manner, alter its form and make it concise, amend or carry out necessary improvements. However, is this definition and academic form of â€Å"rewrite† applicable to film? LEARNING MORAL VALUES IN COLLEGE MOVIES In reality, the difference between a film and piece of writing such as books, articles, essays, and other written documents is their form. Films and written documents are actually mediums of communication where authors can transmit ideas to the audience. Moreover, if one would look closely, a film (except actual footage of real-life events of course) is nothing but a visual representation of a written story, images of scripted events, and ideas delivered in an explicit and more understandable form. The advantage, however, is that unlike paperbacks, films leaves nothing to the imagination and therefore complete and more accurate in terms audience comprehension. Therefore, when someone says #RewriteAFilmIn5Words, the person is actually asking you to write a concise five words description of the written ideas successfully transmitted by the film you saw. Now, how would you do that? Since the understanding of ideas transmitted through a film is highly dependent on viewer’s (reader’s for paperbacks) recall and interpretation, slight variation in the rewritten text is expected. However, the rewritten text must reflect the main ideas and objectives of the film otherwise; it is nothing but a deceptive piece of writing. Rewriting Is an Exact Science Rewriting a film is no different from rewriting an article, essay, and other written documents you read and understood. However, rewriting a concise version of an original document or film requires skills or the ability to restructure and write it in your own words without spoiling its main ideas and  objectives. If one would rewrite this article in 10 words, for example, the rewritten text will be something like â€Å"rewriting a film is possible but it must be exact†. Similarly, five words rewrite of the 1994 film â€Å"Shawshank Redemption† should be something like â€Å"Inmates redeemed through mutual respect† rather than simply â€Å"I have a black friend†. The reason is that although the film is undeniably about true friendship, the film’s main idea, and the objective is much more than having a black friend. In fact, the film is sharing some ideas regarding the possibility of imprisonment regardless of innocence, education, and color, friendship between men can flourish through mutual respect, the power of education and knowledge in reducing difficulties in life, the effect of long incarceration on the ability of ex-convicts to start a new life, and others. If there is no word limit, then the rewritten text for this film will be longer, detailed, and precise. WHAT IS THE WORST SONG IN THE WORLD? A film rewrite should be accurate and like a piece of writing, the rewritten text should be different in form, improved, concise but communicating similar ideas and achieving the same objectives as the original work. In practice, rewriting academic text requires a thorough knowledge of the original work, paper formatting, and content restructuring, paraphrasing technique, different writing styles, consistency, and precision. Now, can we actually rewrite a film? Yes! Just apply these skills and you can rewrite a film in any number of words.

Storytelling Improv Games to Improve Actor Skills

Storytelling Improv Games to Improve Actor Skills Most theater games are improv-based. Theyre intended to give actors an opportunity to expand and stretch their skills in a low-risk, no-stress, collegial situation. At the end of a session, however, actors will have improved their ability to imagine themselves in new situations and respond appropriately. Some improvisational exercises focus on a performers ability tell stories off-the-cuff. These activities are often stationary theater games, meaning the actors are not required to move about very much. With this in mind, a   story-telling improv game might not be as entertaining as other more physically dynamic games but is  still an excellent way to sharpen ones imagination. Here are a few easy-to-perform story-telling improv games, each one ideal for a class activity or a warm-up exercise at rehearsal: Story-story Known by many other names, Story-story is a circle game for all ages. Many ​grade school teachers use this as an in-class activity, but it can be just as fun for adult performers. The group of performers sits or stands in a circle. A moderator stands in the middle and provides a setting for the story. She then points to a person in the circle and he begins telling a story. After the first storyteller has described the beginning of the story, the moderator points to another person. The story continues on; the new person picks up from the last word and tries to continue the narrative. Every performer should get several turns to add to the story. Usually the moderator suggests when the story comes to a conclusion; however, more advanced performers will be able to conclude their story on their own. Best/Worst In this improv activity, one person creates an instant monologue, telling a story about an experience (either based upon real-life or based upon pure imagination). The person begins the story in a positive way, focusing on terrific events and circumstances. Then, someone rings a bell. Once the bell sound, the storyteller continues the story, but now only negative things occur in the plot. Each time the bell ring, the storyteller shifts the narrative back and forth, from the best events to the worst events. As the story progresses, the bell should ring more quickly. (Make that storyteller work for it!) Nouns From a Hat There are many improv games which involve slips of papers with random words, phrases or quotes written on them. Usually, these phrases have been invented by audience members. Nouns from a Hat is one of these types of games. Audience members (or the moderators) write nouns on a slip of paper. Proper nouns are acceptable. In fact, the stranger the noun, the more entertaining this improv will be. Once all of the nouns have been collected into a hat (or some other container), a scene begins between two improv performers. About every thirty seconds or so, as they establish their storyline, the performers will reach a point in their dialogue when they are about to say an important noun. Thats when they reach into the hat and grab a noun. The word is then incorporated into the scene, and the results can be wonderfully silly. For example: BILL: I went to the unemployment office today. They offered me a job as a... (reads noun from the hat) penguin.SALLY: Well, that doesnt sound too promising. Does it pay well?BILL: Two buckets of sardines a week.SALLY: Maybe you could work for my uncle. He owns a... (reads nouns from the hat) footprint.BILL: How can you run a business with a footprint?SALLY: Its a Sasquatch footprint. Oh yeah, its been a tourist attraction for years. Nouns from a Hat can involve more actors, as long as there are enough slips of paper. Or, in the same manner as Best/Worst, it can be delivered as an improvisational monologue.

Motivation as central to successful management Essay

Motivation as central to successful management - Essay Example Logically then, when utilizing qualitative methods, a hypothesis is not required prior to the data gathering phase as the researcher reaches their conclusions as the data is being collected. Quantitative research, on the other hand, is more involved with the gathering of empirical data, numbers and statistics. As quantitative analysis is more concrete in nature, as it deals with figures as opposed to words which can be interpreted, quantitative analysis is perceived to be more logical in nature. Also, when using this method, the researcher is generally categorized as an impartial observer as opposed to an active participant. Logically, with quantitative research the basic premise of the research needs to be defined prior to the data collection. Therefore, a hypothesis needs to be established prior to the commencement of data collection ("The qualitative", 2006). Due to the empirical foundations of quantitative research many people feel that it is more scientific in nature and therefore 'better'; however, this is not necessarily true. The main determinant in arriving upon a research methodology is the type of data collection method that best achieves the goals of the researcher. Each type has an appropriate use and more frequently researchers are combining the two techniques in order to gain better insight into the research topic. For the purpose of this research undertaking, however, it was determined that a qualitative approach better suited the aims and objectives to be achieved, in order to determine if motivation is central to successful management Types of Qualitative Research Methods Upon determining that qualitative research was the preferred method of research, the author needed to research the several methodologies available and select the one best suited to enable the author to research and analyse the effect of motivation on successful management. In the following paragraphs the various types of qualitative research methods evaluated and the strengths and weaknesses of each are presented and discussed. Secondary Research/Desk Research Secondary research is designed to provide the evaluation of experts which has been reviewed by other experts (Haley, 2003). This type of research, sometimes referred to as desk research, involves "systematically and objectively locating, evaluating, and synthesizing evidence in order to establish facts and draw conclusions concerning a set of events. Rather than collecting data, secondary data is used, that is, documents that are already in existence, published and unpublished" (Britton, 1996, p. 1). The use of secondary research allows for the analysis of a broad range of topics that can be thoroughly investigated and has proven to be credible. In addition, there are time limitations that may inhibit the ability of the researcher to conduct primary research and secondary research allows for analysis of a great amount of data in minimal time. According to Haley (2003) many researchers have opted to conduct secondary research as opposed to primary research. Procter (1993) asserts that "more generally, limited opportunities for conducting primary research

Why is New Mexico poor and what should be done about it Research Paper - 1

Why is New Mexico poor and what should be done about it - Research Paper Example Poverty is a factor that is present in nearly all corners of the world. New Mexico is one of the nations strongly affected and hit by poverty (Garcia, 2006). This country has the highest poverty levels in the world, with a 22 percent of poverty levels. According to reports, New Mexico has the highest number of children under poverty. This is the highest level in the United States of America. New Mexico belonged to the Spanish empire for over two centuries and also the independent Mexico for more than two and half decades before being conquered by the United States in the American-Mexican war, in 1846 (Melzer et al, 2011). After the United States moved to conquer this state, many of the New Mexicans looked forward to the day that it would become a state and part of the United States. This took long, more than sixty years before it became a state. By the time this state was becoming a state of the United States; other nations had already gained their statehood. This delay in acquiring statehood is one of the factors that are attributed to its high poverty levels. Despite efforts by the New Mexican leaders and residents to support their nation, there are some factors that led to the delay in the acquisition of statehood. The first factor that hampered early efforts was a common ignorance on the state and unfair suspicion about its citizens. The other states of the United States were against the acquisition of statehood of New Mexico because of the high population of the Native Americans and the Hispanics who were considered foreign in terms of language, culture and religion. The people in the other states questioned the Hispanics and the Native Americans loyalty, who had for long lived under the Mexican and Spanish rule (Melzer et al, 2011). Secondly, territorial politics hampered New Mexico’s opportunities of acquiring statehood. The government was dominated by a bunch of corrupt politicians and businessmen. After the other states realized this, they tried to prevent New Mexico from becoming state by criticizing it. According to Melzer et al (2011), this led to the delayed statehood of the nation, which later culminated to the high poverty levels within the nation. In addition, the national policies adopted hampered the nation’s progress towards attaining statehood. Most of the policies adopted within the political arena had nothing to do with the New Mexico, and this immensely affected the progress towards statehood. Another cause of the delayed statehood of New Mexico was the prolonged Indian wars, which were very costly. In addition, these wars perpetrated the region’s reputation as a region typified by violent and primitive people. While some of the United States defeated some Indian uprisings, some Native American soldiers such as Geronimo fought many United States troops till 1886. The prolonged nature of the fights consumed a lot of resources (Melzer et al, 2011). These resources would have been used in developme nt projects, which would have assisted in alleviating the present high poverty levels. By this time, New Mexico was under the claim of United States, Spain, Mexico and numerous Indian nations. The Indian-Mexican wars started as early as the end of the 16th century, when the Indians tried to go against Spanish rule. Later, the Indians came together to fight, kill, and chase Spanish colonists (Saragoza et al, 2012). The Indians continued to fight against the Spanish till when the United States army general, Kearny, promised the inhabitants of New Mexico that they would defeat the rebelling tribes once the country became a state and made part of United States. The United States forged with numerous strategies that would defeat the other Indian and Spanish tribes.

Exporting goods via airfreight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Exporting goods via airfreight - Essay Example The higher of the two rates is the class rate, which is the standard rate for all commodities moving from one destination to another. On the other hand is the commodity rate, sometimes referred to as a special rate because shippers receive it from carriers as a reward for either large-quality shipment or regular use. Recently, another rate known as a contract or negotiated rate has emerged. This rate is favorable to small businesses, which do not have the shipping volume required for the above two rates. Under contract rates, a carrier and shipper negotiate a rate for a specific service where the two parties finalize the terms of the service, rate and other variables in a contract. Exporting goods by means of airfreight has a substantial effect on international business. A range of cost components may reduce the high cost of goods associated with airfreight. Cost components refer to groupings of cost elements such as process costs, direct labor, materials among others. Different users define these cost components to match needs in their organizations. In other words, cost components vary from one location to another. People also select cost components as containing variable (proportional) and/or fixed costs (Sedgley & Jackiw, 2007). These cost components include inventory-holding costs, infrastructure costs, theft and damage costs, congestion costs and Speed and time costs. The business dictionary defines inventory cost as the cost that one incurs by holding goods in stock. This cost includes depreciation, warehousing, insurance, capital, taxation, shrinkage and obsolescence cost. It is usually expressed as a percentage of the inventory value, which is the determination of the cost of inventory that has not been sold at the ending of an accounting period. As one holds goods, their value may depreciate leading to losses. He would also be paying for their storage in a warehouse. The goods also need to be insured

The study in economic factors affecting on the value of Stock Exchange Literature review

The study in economic factors affecting on the value of Stock Exchange of Thailand Index (SET index) - Literature review Example Ross states that the theory predicts the returns on assets and the other risk factors. The theory allows determining the relationship between return of a portfolio and return of an asset. The theory has been applied to determine macroeconomic factors to determine stock through examining seven macroeconomic variables that are risk premium, industrial production, inflation, market return, consumption, and oil prices. The results depict a positive relation between macroeconomic variables and stock return. The fundamental concept in arbitrage pricing theory is the ‘law of one price’ that is, that the two assets cannot be sold  at different prices. The theory determines simpler version than the Capital Asset pricing model in which one operating system affects the returns. Arbitrage pricing theory determines investor’s preference towards risks. Azzez & Yonezawa (2006) study investigates the empirical evidence for the pricing of macroeconomic factors in the Japanese St ock market using APT model. The model determines pre- and post- bubble period of the stock market and determine the relationship between the macroeconomic factors and stock returns (Azeez & Yonezawa, 2006). The study of Zhu (2012) illustrates the impacts of macroeconomic factor (returns of the energy sector in Shanghai. The main objective of the study id to determine the influence of macroeconomic factors on the stock market, it focuses on the exchange rate, industrial production, bonds, exports, imports foreign reserve and the unemployment rate (Zhu, 2012). Quantitative methodology was adopted to conduct a study, and the data was gathered from secondary sources such as, National Bureau of Statistic of China, People’s Bank of China for a consecutive period of 2005-2011. Arbitrage Pricing Theory has been applied to determine the returns of assets and risks. The finding of the study reveals that the exchange rate, export, foreign reserves and the unemployment rate

Indonesia Development Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Indonesia Development - Case Study Example Another major reason is the widespread corruption existing there. Rise in public expenditure and widespread reforms in judicial systems and police service can be suggested as the major policy options for alleviating the current situation. More focus needs to be given to the health and education needs of poor. These need assistance from international organizations like World Bank. According to (Seers 1989, 485), development cannot be measured in terms of economic development alone. This is because for economic development Gross Domestic Product is used as the main indicator. This indicator is only an aggregation and hence in a country with significant poverty, a luxury item like car will be counted more than an essential commodity like food items. Hence, GDP can overestimate the level of development in a country (Seers 1989 486). Further, economic development need not always lead to human development. It involves development in terms of combination of social, economic and political development rather than economic development alone. Therefore, development needs to be measured in terms of a combination of economic and social terms. Based on the above definition of development, the current level of development in Indonesia is assessed. The major indicators of development used are economic and social indicators. For indicating economic development, the growth rate of GDP, inflation, money supply, foreign exports and imports and foreign investments are used. The main social indicators used are population growth rate, infant mortality rate, life expectancy, school participation rate, adult literacy rate and unemployment rate.Further, the reasons for the current level of development are also examined. Finally, the main policies to be adopted for improving the current level of development are suggested. How to implement these policies and what assistance is needed for the country to improve the situation are also examined. 2. Current Level of Indonesia's Development and its Reasons In terms of economic development, Indonesia achieved considerable growth since 1966 (Hill 2000, 11).From 1969 to 1997, there has been a rapid rise of about 150 percent rise in GDP in Indonesia. In this period, service sector has been following the economy's overall growth very closely (Hill 2000, 11).The main reasons for the sustained economic growth in this period have been suggested as high investment rates and thereby rapid technological transfer (Dick and Vincent 2002,354).Money supply growth and Inflation were all under control in this period(Hill 2000,30). At present, Indonesia has an economic growth of 4.2 percent, which is the highest in South East Asia though this was less than the GDP growth of 6.2 percent in 2008(Asian Development Outlook 2009,136). This decline might be due to the global financial crisis of 2008. Private and government consumption grew by 5.4 percent and 18.0 percent while investment declined slightly in 2009. Service sector has been the major contributor to GDP growth followed by industrial and agricultural sector in 2009.Inflation declined to 2.7 percent in 2009 from 12.7 percent and poverty incidence measured by the national poverty line declined to 14.7 percent in 2009 from 15.4 percent. Net foreign investment inflows are $3.5 trillion in 2009 and balance of payments recorded a surplus. The trends in foreign trade show that the

The study in economic factors affecting on the value of Stock Exchange Literature review

The study in economic factors affecting on the value of Stock Exchange of Thailand Index (SET index) - Literature review Example Ross states that the theory predicts the returns on assets and the other risk factors. The theory allows determining the relationship between return of a portfolio and return of an asset. The theory has been applied to determine macroeconomic factors to determine stock through examining seven macroeconomic variables that are risk premium, industrial production, inflation, market return, consumption, and oil prices. The results depict a positive relation between macroeconomic variables and stock return. The fundamental concept in arbitrage pricing theory is the ‘law of one price’ that is, that the two assets cannot be sold  at different prices. The theory determines simpler version than the Capital Asset pricing model in which one operating system affects the returns. Arbitrage pricing theory determines investor’s preference towards risks. Azzez & Yonezawa (2006) study investigates the empirical evidence for the pricing of macroeconomic factors in the Japanese St ock market using APT model. The model determines pre- and post- bubble period of the stock market and determine the relationship between the macroeconomic factors and stock returns (Azeez & Yonezawa, 2006). The study of Zhu (2012) illustrates the impacts of macroeconomic factor (returns of the energy sector in Shanghai. The main objective of the study id to determine the influence of macroeconomic factors on the stock market, it focuses on the exchange rate, industrial production, bonds, exports, imports foreign reserve and the unemployment rate (Zhu, 2012). Quantitative methodology was adopted to conduct a study, and the data was gathered from secondary sources such as, National Bureau of Statistic of China, People’s Bank of China for a consecutive period of 2005-2011. Arbitrage Pricing Theory has been applied to determine the returns of assets and risks. The finding of the study reveals that the exchange rate, export, foreign reserves and the unemployment rate

Capital Investment Decision Making Research Paper

Capital Investment Decision Making - Research Paper Example The institution must also decide on a payment and delivery modes of the van that would be cost-effective. Other decisions would include appropriate model of the van and urgency of acquiring the van (Cleverley, Cleverley & Song, 2011). Information for evaluation of the investment on the van shall include the institution’s financial capacity, inventory, and expected trends; a clear record of prospective patient’s physical locations to determine the urgency for acquiring the van; other vehicles available that have the ability to be converted to self-contained ambulances; and the institution’s capacity to maintain such form of capital investment. At the decision making process, there is a likelihood of several challenges (Klonowski, 2010). Conflict of interest among and between stakeholders and shareholders may slow down the decision making process. The participants at the decision-making forums would have divergent views regarding the subject that may make the decision making sluggish (Jackson, Sawyers, & Jenkins, 2009). Moreover, availability of the required information for evaluation of alternatives shall determine the pace of the decision-making process. If the information is not available readily, the process might be tedious and

Breathless Reaction Paper Essay Example for Free

Breathless Reaction Paper Essay Katherine Paler- Rivera According to the many articles and film history that I read, this is the first feature film directed by Jean- Luc Godard who was considered the influencial director that started the French New Wave. And based on our lectures, what makes the French New Wave famous was the technique like jumpcuts, shooting on location, using handheld cameras, loose narrative form or improvised dialogue. Godard also uses the history of cinema art and music. He also includes pictures in posters of famous artists like Picasso and Renoir women. The music in the soundtrack also includes Mozart’s clarinet concerto and French pop radio. The entire story started when the character of Michel Poiccard which Jean Paul Belmondo portrays, has stolen a car. While he was driving he passed by two hitch hikers and decides to decline for the thought they were far too ugly for him. Then suddenly, he realized that the cops was behind him. He hid on the side of the street. Thinking he got away he feels relieved. But suddenly a cop found him. He was shocked and unconsciously because of his instinct killed the cop. It was not shown how he shot the cop, it was suggested because the next scene, the cop falls down in the bushes. Then he runs away in an open field. In Paris, he called up somebody on the phone but no one is answering. Then he bought a newspaper from a boy in a bicyle, browse it a bit then head to an apartment employee asking for that somebody. He just took the keys when the man was not looking. Next scene he was inside the room. He just had a quick time in the wash room to freshen up. He was looking for money in the drawer but he was disappointed. He took a newspaper, read a bit then rubs in in his shoes. Then a some girl opens the door and let him in. The room was full of posters of girls. He was asking for money. While the girl was changing, Michel easily took the money in her wallet. Then in the next scene he was on the streets looking for a girl. It was Patricia Franchini who was portrayed by Jean Seberg. She was studying journalism whom he had met in Nice a few weeks earlier. She was selling New York Herald Tribune. Michel was having a conversation with him about what had happen in their stay in Nice, his women and their plans. He asks for a copy of the newspaper but return it once he realized it had no horoscope. They were planning to see each other on the same same street when the day ends. When they parted, he saw a newspaper stand, bought a copy. Patricia rushed through him and gave him a quick smack on the cheek. Right then and there I observed that these two were an item. In the building where he got inside, he was looking for a guy friend named Tolmachov.. They talked about certain guys common to them. Then his friend handed him an envelope which he was not please. He was given a certain phone number that he called. Then he bid goodbye. Two gentlemen came inside the building, the bigger man I knew was an inspector. He was asking for Michel or a certain other name. At first Tomalchov denied he saw Michel but they were busted when a girl passed by and the detective asked her if he saw Tomalchov with a man 5 minutes ago. He was also reminded that accessory of a murder is a crime. I find Michel’s character rude, proud, dishonest and self centered. He likes to have everything easy without trying to work on it. Examples are the cars he stolen, the man he beat up in the comfort room so he can have money. I don’t think the respect Patricia. He â€Å"uses† people and loves to use the word â€Å"louse†. He almost always has a cigarette on her mouth which makes me annoyed. Some critic said he made it sexy but I don’t find it appealing. As usual he always has a newspaper but I don’t think he paid for it. He wore sunglassed even if its late in the afternoon which I find truly absurd. Patricia’s character gets into my nerve. I hate movies that shows women they are like a â€Å"thing to be used†. I don’t like if someone used bad words to a woman. Good for him that he told the police about Michel. The background music also bores me. They keep on using it again and again. Except for the classical music they played when they were inside Patricia’s room. There was also this scene when Patricia was interviewing a man alongside other journalist. When she asked â€Å"What’s your greatest ambiton? † The man replied, â€Å" To become immortal and then die. † Patricia took off her sunglasses, think deeply and face the camera as if connecting to the viewers. In the scene where he called the cops about Michel, she even talked to him hear to heart. She love him that’s why she gave him away which made him furious. According to Wikipedia, â€Å"Godard envisaged Breathless as a reportage (documentary), and asked the Cinematographer Raoul Coutard to shoot the entire film on a hand- held camera, with next to no lighting. In order to shoot under low light levels, Coutard had to use liford HPS film, which was not available as motion picture film stock at the time. He therefore took 18 metre lengths of HPS film sold for 35mm still cameras and spliced them together to 120 metre rolls. During development he pushed the negative one stop from 400 ASA to 800 ASA. The size of the sprocket holes for motion picture film and the Cameflex camera was the only camera that would work for the film used. † â€Å"The production was filmed on location in Paris during the months of August and September in 1959, using an Eclair Cameflex. Almost the whole film had to be dubbed in post- production because of the noisiness of the Cameflex camera and because the Cameflex was incapable of synchronized sound. † â€Å"Filming began in August 17, 1959. Godard met his crew at the Notre Dame cafe near the Hotel de Suede and shot for two hours until he ran out of ideas. Coutard has stated that the film was virtually improvised on the spot, with Godard writing lines of dialogue in an exercise book that no one else was allowed to look at. Godard would give the lines to Belmondo and Seberg while having a few brief rehearsals on scenes involved, then filming them. No permission was received to shoot the filmin its various locations (mainly the side streets and boulevards of Paris) either, adding the spontaneous feel that Godard was aiming for. However all locations were picked out before shooting began and Assistant Director Pierre Rissient has described the shoot very organized. Actor Richard Balducci has stated that shooting days ranged from 15 minutes to 12 hours, depending on how many ideas Godard had that day. Producer Georges de Beauregard wrote a letter to the entire crew complaining about the erratic shooting schedule. Coutard claims that on a day that Godard had called in sick de Beauregard bumped into the director at a cafe and the two got into a fist fight. † â€Å"Godard shot most of the film chronologically, with the exception of the first sequence which was shot towards the end of the shoot. Filming at the Hotel de Suede for the lengthy bedroom scene between Michel and Patricia included minimal crew and no lights. This location was difficult to secure, but Godard was determined to shoot there after having lives at the hotel after returning from South America in the early 1950’s. Instead of renting a dolly with complicated and time- consuming tracks to lay, Godard and Coutard rented a wheelchair for the film that Godard often pushed himself. For certain street scenes Coutard would hide in a postal cart with a hole in it for the lens and stamped packages piled on top of Coutard. Shooting lasted 23 days and ended on September 12, 1959. The final scene where Michel is shot in the street was filmed on the rue Campagne- Premiere in Paris. † It left me hanging where Michel was shoot and Patricai catched up with the detective. Their dialogue had me thinking what was the meaning of their conversation especially the word â€Å"louse†. In my research it means a plural of â€Å"lice†, a wingless usually flattened blood sucking insect parasitic on warm- blooded animals or a person who has a nasty or unethical character underserving of respect. Michel for me is the big â€Å"louse†! Frankly speaking I was not really into the film. The very first time I watched it, it was all in French with no subtitles. I tried myself to be interested with it but I just found myself bored. Good thing our teacher shared a copy with subtitle. Being a student I was diligent in all the dialougues and scenes. I was carefully observing the techniques that I’ve learn in French New Wave. I find it fascinating that during that time, Godard was a young director who was thinking outside the box. I love the confidence and the guts he puts into his film. He was even part of the film. So I tried to know him more. His most influential innovations was to design shots that seem astonishingly flat. He is the most widely imitated director of the entire post war era.

The Performance Of The Foxconn Business Commerce Essay

The Performance Of The Foxconn Business Commerce Essay Foxconn Technology Group, a subsidiary of the Hon Hai Precision Industries Ltd. and is one of the worlds largest electronics manufacturers. It ranks 112th among Global Fortune 500 Companies. Currently, Foxconn has a workforce of 900,000 workers all over China. The company plans to expand its workforce to 1.3 million people by the end of 2011 (Culpan, 2010). It manufactures hardware for a prominent list of clients, including Apple, HP, Dell, Nokia and Nintendo. Despite the fall of profit margins over past few years, Foxconns business has been growing. This implies that Foxconn will keep lowering labor costs to maintain its dominance in the industry. The recent uproar in media about Foxconn has not been because of its huge workforce or its profits. Rather, it is the 17 young Foxconn employees who committed suicides between January and August 2010 that has brought into light the dilemma of frontline employees at Foxconn and other such factories. The suicide rate for China stands at 12 for every 100,000 people per year. With a workforce of 420,000 and 13 suicides this year, the suicide rate at Foxconn is approximately one-quarter the national average (Mimi, 2009). This paper will elaborate on what the media have reported and relate the data to employment relations. Wages and Working Hours Foxconn claims that it is compliant with local laws. But, research studies conducted by SACOM (Students Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior) have found that Foxconn has been a regular violator of labor laws. Many hidden facts relating to employment relations are discussed below. Workers were kept uninformed about wage increase plan When the suicide cases reached a climax in May, Foxconn apparently increased wages twice, but there was no formal announcement. Also, details about the conditions under which workers can benefit from this pay rise, like seniority or type of contract were not discussed. Basic wage is just slightly more than minimum wage and far below living wage The basic wage of frontline workers at Foxconn is only CNY 100 more than the minimum wage (SACOM, 2010). According to Foxconn management, the purpose of the wage increase plan was to stabilize the workforce. But the fact is that the basic wage was insufficient for workers to maintain decent living standards in Shenzhen. Also, basic wages in Tianjin, Wuhan and Kunshan lag far behind the standard wage, which makes it extremely difficult for workers to live in such expensive cities on such small incomes. Excessive overtime Marxism came into existence through Marxs observation a known writer and theorist who opposed capitalism while capitalism was in its infancy, his theory was named the Marxist theory. To Marx employment relation was a major way of understanding capitalism. He was like an opposition force for the employers, he disputed the divisions that were created in the industrial society through competition between the two classes (employers and the employees). He was of the idea that since employees had to do meaningless jobs it created low esteem, morale and low motivation amongst the employees. His approach created the thought that conflict will persist in the employment relations and no solution will be able to resolve it completely, and the only basic changes in the economy, such as overthrowing capitalism, will help in creating a socialist economy, however, China is already a socialist economy and state. One could argue that because China is a communist state, it operates on socialist values and employs Marxist philosophies in order to improve the wellbeing of the Chinese people. However, from the Foxconn example, we can see that this was not the case and this raises the question of if the Marxist theory really has any relevance in improving self esteem, when Foxconn has violated several Labor Laws . In any working environment, overtime work should not be more than 36 hours per month (article 41) (SACOM, 2010). For example, engineers at Integrated Digital Product Business Group (IDPBG) of Foxconn in Shenzhen, who were involved in production of the first generation iPad, worked whole weeks, including Sundays and had only one rest day every 13 days plus they did not even receive any overtime premium for weekends. There are other departments where workers work overtime for about 140 hours a month and have no day off at all. Deduction of overtime premium According to workers at Foxconn, calculation of working hours is incorrect. Foxconn uses Comprehensive Calculation of Working Hours System, which does not recognize monthly overtime beyond 80 hours (quote) and hence, workers are not paid for those hours.  Also, workers complained that the newly introduced overtime control is actually misleading in the sense that overtime does take place, but it is not recorded or paid as such. Apart from all this Foxconn employees are made to attend morning assemblies, end-of-work-shift assemblies and weekly meetings during which the management talks about expected deliverables, work targets and discipline, but they do not receive compensation for the time spent in these compulsory meetings that may consume up to one hour a day. Time spent in training is not fully paid either. As a result, workers do not earn more than before the June 2010 wage increase. Management A close analysis of the management practices and workers criticisms about the management at Foxconn is indicative of the fact that a military-style, punishment focused working management followed at the company for its workers is another factor that might have contributed to suicides at Foxconn. A culture of obedience is forced on workers from the first day of their employment. They are badly treated during recruitment procedures; they are not allowed to questions during their orientation trainings; they are punished for all kinds of misconduct, ranging from as big as not meeting their daily deliverables to as minute as taking too much time in bathroom. Reward system Workers are deprived of production bonus, which is given twice a year, if they have declined overtime work or taken sick leave. It seems that there are no set terms for a bonus; it is exclusively at the discretion of the management. All these factors reflect the authoritative nature of Foxconns management. Foxconns military-style corporate philosophy is also reflected in one of the sayings of Foxconns billionaire CEO Terry Guo democracy is the most inefficient thing in the world (Chang, 2010). This explains why Foxconn regime excludes any say by workers and why it is so anti-democratic. Trade Unions Theories kept evolving as the size and scope of businesses expanded, taking into consideration technology and the nature of work of the employees. One of the theories that came about was the pluralist theory, which acknowledged the complex situations such as conflict of interest between the management and the employees. It suggested that these kinds of complex situations could only be resolved through the involvement of government. However, because China is a communist state, trade unions struggle to exist and therefore pluralism cannot and wont be adopted. Investigations at Foxconn reveal that workers have no confidence that the state-run trade unions will defend their rights for very obvious reasons. First, these unions are usually silent on working conditions of the company. Instead, at the companys morale-boosting rallies, the union officials glorify Guos image and Foxconns corporate image by displaying portraits of Guo and singing his praises. Second, these trade unions consist of few young members and majorly of senior management officers. Apparently, the union members tend to please the management in order to secure their jobs. Last, the trade union committee is not democratically elected. This is indicative of the political power exercised by Foxconn and its higher management. Health and Safety Most of the workers are not aware of the damaging effects of chemicals they use and of the precautionary measures they must follow before working with dangerous materials on the factory floor. Many of them suffer from threat of occupational diseases. Under the increased pressure, 12.7 percent of workers experienced fainting spells, 24.1 percent of female workers had irregularities in their menstrual cycle and 47.9 percent of workers complained of mental stress. This clearly shows the lack of training for workers on occupational health and safety. Moreover, denying protective equipments and health examinations to workers shows managements informed negligence in following safety standards for workers. Relocation Plans Currently, Foxconn has a huge workforce of around 420,000 in Shenzhen plant alone. In the result of series of suicides, Foxconn announced its plan of relocating its production to central, western, and northern China, where labor is plentiful and official minimum wages are lower than in other areas. Workers were again uninformed of the details but anyway, they had no choice but either relocate or resign. A serious implication of this move is that the announced wage increase for the Longhua workers in Shenzhen will become irrelevant. Social Factors Though Foxconn offers accommodation for workers, but it is more like a prison to them. As a result of their low pay, most workers are forced to live in crowded factory halls. On average, each worker has a space of about two square metres. There is no social interaction among roommates because of their different backgrounds and shift timings. Social isolation in Foxconn is regarded as one of the chief causes of the suicides. A prison-like safety mesh is installed in every hall building in many facilities to prevent workers from jumping. This indicates that management is aware of the potential intentions of the workers. All the factors discussed above help us realize the physical, social and psychological agony workers at Foxconn go through each day. These factors highlight the underlying causes of the dilemma of workers at Foxconn and at other such companies. Illegal and unethical labor practices followed by Foxconn, lack of basic democratic rights for workers, monopolistic capitalist mode of production by translational corporations in global supply chains, lack of auditing by the government of the employment terms and practices followed by companies, discriminatory characteristic of Chinas urban household system, lack of government support are some of them. Conclusion The essence of all these traditional theories of management styles is that there exists a single, best approach to management, and the research was aimed at finding this best approach. One of the recognized theorists was Fredrick W. Taylor. His purpose and idea was to maximise efficiency, he believed that the principal object of management should be to ensure maximum prosperity for the employer, coupled with the maximum prosperity for each employee. He considered that the best approach was for the employee to fulfil optimum goals, which would result in higher wages for them, and managements gain will be higher productivity. Therefore the employee himself will work harder and try his level best to produce more since he is getting financial benefits for doing so, this was his differential piece-rate system. This clearly was not the case with Foxconn, as demonstrated by the evidence highlighted throughout the body of the paper. In the past few years, manufacturing facilities or so called sweatshops have started following labor laws but at the same time to make up for the loss, they have developed strategies to speed up the production in factories. As a result, production targets keep soaring and labor exploitation does not stop. Thus far Foxconn and its high-profile customers including Apple, HP, and Dell have failed to effectively address underlying labor issues at the Foxconn production facilities. But, Foxconn is not the only one to be responsible; these other big electronic brands, which place orders with Foxconn, are equally responsible for the tragedies. By threatening to shift their orders, they force their suppliers in China to lower wages, prolong working hours and intensify workloads and thus directly pressure the workers. Clearly, all these brands are making huge profit at the cost of the workers miserable lives. It is apparent that the grievances of the workers cannot be addressed by Chinese labor laws alone. It is required to reveal the actual working and living conditions of workers at Foxconn to gather public support for their struggle against their plight. Pleading companies to abstain themselves from violating labor laws is futile; instead, people must urge concerned organizations, consumers, investors, and the government to join the workers to pressure electronic factories to improve working conditions and employment relations in the electronics industry. Also, to fight for workers rights, effective trade unions must be formed by holding democratic elections in accordance with the Trade Union Law in China. Foxconn needs to reform its structure. There is a need to meet the political requirements, which calls for better wages, recognition of workers rights and the development of hi-tech industries that will create better living standards for workers. Foxconn must address communication gap between management and the labor and focus on employee satisfaction, rather than solely company profits. Workers must be kept informed about their rights, about the relocation plans well in advance, about any wage increase plans and be provided with the details of the terms and conditions followed for giving bonuses. These are just basics principles of employment relations, which Foxconn have not come close to meeting.

MapBot : An experiment in robotic mapping :: Robotics

Includes Source Code MapBot : An experiment in robotic mapping Abstract: Today Robots are often used to explore dangerous places where humans cannot go. However, what if there was a more easily available robot that could be used to explore places here on earth? This project is an attempt to build a very simple version of such a robot: a robot that follows a line, then creates a graph of the line on a computer. Exercises I did early in COSMOS gave me the backing I needed to attempt such an undertaking. I used basic line-following programs as the base, with a recording element thrown in. A C program was written to run on the computer and turn the data the robot collects into a graph. It took a lot of tweaking, but eventually I got a decently accurate representation of the line. Sadly, MapBot 2 though, I learned that if I want to graph another line, I would have to change the program all over again. With a little more work, I believe I could fix that, and the other problems plaguing this program as it stands. Also, I still believe that a personal MapBot is a viable idea, though I learned that it would require a lot of work. MapBot 3 Background/Purpose: There has always been a human drive to explore, to find out more about the world. Columbus sailed to America, and Cook to Australia, each driven by the promise of new uncharted territory. Recently this task of exploring new frontiers has been turned over to robots, as robots can explore locales that humans cannot. Robots have explored volcanoes, the planets in our solar system, and the deep sea—locations no person could survive. So far robots have been limited to exploring just such locations, those available exclusively to them, but I believe that there are earthly applications for exploring robots. Imagine, if you will, an inexpensive mapping robot. It operates very simply: simply set it down somewhere in the desired area, give it a set of bounds, and leave. The robot will send live data from the terrain to the user, creating a realtime map of the area. This map will be based on whatever data the robots sensors have collected; with add-ons, this could be anything from soil composition to topographic data. And when mapping is complete, the user simply returns to the robot and picks it up. Such a robot would be useful to many professions. Cartographers could create online maps that changed as the planet did. Field scientists could use them to take readings over a large swathe of terrain without taking any of their own time. With a camera attached, they could make a 3-dimensional

Laundry service Industry Essay

India has a huge market for laundry business which is yet to be tapped to its potential. However, with the coming up of a number of hospitals & hotels and even the Indian Railways turning to outsourcing of laundry activities, the industrial laundry sector in India is attracting foreign players. The hotel industry is witnessing a growing trend towards outsourcing its laundry. India is expected to add another 90,000 hotel rooms over the next five years, all of which are in the private sector, especially to meet the tourism demand. In 2010, 10 million people are expected to visit India. The Indian Railways run approximately 12,000 trains every day. The capacity is to carry 1. 4 Crore passengers/day. It employs around 17 lakh employees (10 lakh in Group C), including 10,000 officers. This presents a huge benefit to global players to quickly set up their laundries in India, and cater to the ever growing market. The healthcare industry, the upcoming and the existing, has started outsourcing laundry services. This sector which has been registering a growth of 9. 3% per annum between 2000 and 2009 is projected to grow by 15% per annum by 2013. Laundry services in India are classified into Industrial Laundry and Retail Laundry. Industrial laundry is in its infant stage with major demand coming from hospitals and hotels which have their in-house laundry. Retail laundry is a much organised market with some professionally managed companies catering to the retail needs. Overall, the laundry market in India is still untapped and unorganised. Industrial laundries generally require heavy capital investment in machinery and equipment for washing, spinning, ironing & drying besides land and property to set-up a laundry. Since laundry market in India is dominated by the small local laundry stores and local dhobis, they are not equipped to handle the huge capital requirement. Equipment for industrial laundry An industrial laundry would require equipment for: Washing Drying Ironing * The type of equipment to be purchased would be depend on the volumes that the laundry expects from potential clientele on a daily basis. Equipment for industrial laundries are available in different sizes with varying capacities. Equipment are available in the market for small, medium as well as large industrial laundries. Equipment for industrial laundries should optimise the washing system considering criteria such as: * Usage of appropriate washing machinery which would guarantee maximum efficiency with appropriate wash cycles, high spin capacity and minimum energy consumption * Drier equipment should assure proper drying in the least amount of time with minimum energy consumption * Flatwork ironers capable of absorbing the production of the driers to assure a high quality press * Automation of the laundry handling processes in order to save personnel costs and increase productivity Stages in industrial laundry An industrial laundry generally involves five stages namely: * Soiled Retrieval The linen collected usually is dropped down a laundry chute. Laundry workers collect the soiled linen, in reserved carts and transport it to the laundry facility. * Soil Sorting The retrieved linen is unloaded and sorted. Different items often require different washing formulas. Heavy or bio hazardous stains such as blood and faeces may require longer wash times and stronger formulas. Large institutions often use a production-line method for soil sorting, with several full-time employees assigned to the task. Since soiled linen may be contaminated with biohazards or sharp objects, employees involved in the sorting process are required to use personal protective equipment and standard safety precautions. * Washing The sorted linen is weighed according to the washing machine’s load limit. Certified washer operator loads and unloads the large washing machines, decides what is to be washed according to the laundry’s schedule and monitors the chemical levels in the water. Since modern tunnel washers monitor their own chemical levels and unload linen directly into the laundry’s clean area, the operator is required only to load the linen. Over the past 20 years, many industrial laundries have switched from conventional washers to tunnel washers, also called continuous-batch washers. Since tunnel washers don’t have to be stopped for loading and unloading of linen, they provide a more continuous flow of clean laundry. Higher-volume facilities which may process over 15,000kg of linen per day often rely heavily on tunnel washers * Processing The clean linen is dried, ironed and folded. Some items, such as towels and blankets, are put through a dryer until they are no longer damp, then sent to mechanical folders. Wet work items, such as sheets, are sent through steam-powered ironers which dry, press and fold them. Ironers use heavy steam-heated rollers to dry the linen while pressing out wrinkles. Some items, such as wash cloths, may be too small to be handled mechanically. These items must be packaged by hand. * Packaging & Distribution The processed linen is prepared for delivery. Individual orders are filled, based on the needs and requests of the laundry’s customers and sent to the laundry’s main distribution points and storage areas. Linen not used for orders is placed in storage areas, giving the facility a reserve of clean laundry. Trained delivery people transport the clean linen back to the customers. This is a skilled position, since the delivery person must have a thorough knowledge of both laundry operation and the principles of good customer service. In hospitals, delivery people must be familiar with patient relations, confidentiality policies. Large institutions will usually employ several full-time delivery people. Eco-friendly Chemicals Halide Chemicals has launched a new range of eco-friendly laundry chemicals. The complete professional range consists of 10 products in powder and liquid formulations. The Laundro Det and Boost-E is a powder detergent and booster; Laundro Mulse-E is a liquid emulsifier for F&B laundry; Laundro Bleach-O s a powder oxygen bleach for coloured and whites; Laundro Rinse is a liquid organic neutralising rinse; Laundro Complete is a powder all-in-one detergent and oxygen bleach for coloured and whites; Laundrokleen is a liquid all-in-one detergent for guest and domestic laundry; Laundro Soft is a liquid softener for towels and linen; Laundro Soft-N is a liquid 2-in-1 neutraliser and softener for towels and linen; Laundro Chlor-10 is a liquid chlorine bleach 10% for white linen and Laundro Rinse-C is a liquid neutralizing rinse after chlorine bleaching. The range is phosphate free. The base detergent is free from slurry based detergents and made from biodegradable surfactants. Haylide has used organic biodegradable acids in rinses & softeners in place of harmful, inorganic and traditional laundry rinses. The oxygen bleaches and all-in-one single shot formulations reduce cycles of bleach and rinse. The softener range with combination of cationic & water soluble silicones provide softest results. The emulsifier for F&B stains is biodegradable and utilises denatured ethanol in place of IPA as a natural solvent.