Heroin and Pretty Good Book

Jude by Kate Morgenroth is a story about a fifteen year old named Jude. It’s a pretty good book about a kid who struggles in a drug and murder world. Jude’s mom abandoned him when he was young. His dad was drug dealer that mainly deal with heroin. Sadly his dad was murdered and he was a witness. He can’t go to the police or his life will be in danger. This is the story of a fifteen year old named Jude. When his dad dies of an overdose he is alone. Till his mom with open arms lets him in her life. The fact that his mom has a boyfriend didn’t make his stay easier. On top of that he is a police officer named Harry. Harry is a good guy but a stereotype towards Jude cause of his history with his dad. His mom thinks it would be best if he went to a private school. Jude didn’t like it and didn’t have many friends. One day a classmate dies of a overdose and Jude is the first person everyone looks at. Cause of his history with his dad he is held for trial for murder. Jude has a court date for his murder trial. Though innocent, he has no evidence to prove otherwise. His mom is worried and Harries trying to get the evidence to prove him not guilty. Jude is pretty much in his own world. This fifteen year old boy with a worried mother and died dad. All he can do is blame his dad for this horrible history he is left with. Then his mom’s boyfriend goes to his room to give him the news. He tries to explain the risky scheme he has came up with. Jude thought it was either the plan or jail so he decides to go through with it. The plan that Harry came up with was risky but it was all they got. He explains how he has to get his friend Anna elected for an anti-drug campaign that would clear his name and his history. He got news that he was going to be tried as an adult for his trail. It worried him that if the plan doesn’t work he could do up to 5 years. So he helps Harry on his plan to prove his innocents. It worked, he got Anna elected for the anti-drug campaign. When trail was up the biggest twist I have ever read. Harry double crossed him and got him sent to 5 years of hard labor. The plan was for finical gain towards the campaign and getting Jude out of the way. This story about a fifteen year old boy named Jude. About his drug, murder, and jail filled life. His life started with a dead drug dad and a mom that didn’t even want him. Now he is jail doing 5 years cause of his mother’s boyfriend. This is a story of a boy and his messed up world. This is probably the best book if u likes twist and action. I recommend this book to older teens like 15+ but a really good book.

Case16 Alarm Ringing: Nokia in 2010

Strategic Management Case Analysis Firm Analysis Roy L. Simerly Department of Management 3106 Bate East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858-4353 (252) 328-6632 (Work) (252) 328-4094 (Fax) [email  protected] ecu. edu Strategic Management Case Analysis Firm Analysis Abstract This is the second part of a two part series dealing with the complexities of case analysis in Strategic Management courses. One of the primary function of Strategic Management is to serve as a cap-stone course integrating the material students have accumulated throughout their course of study within a business school.There is a need for instruments that will provide the necessary integration and opportunity for application of acquired knowledge. There is also the reality that students do not remember all that they should from previous courses. Equally important is the necessity to impart the basics of Strategic Management as a discipline in its own right. It is the theoretical foundation of Strategic Manage ment that provides the rational for the integration. The purpose of this article is to provide an outline for analysis of a firm. I use this method at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.The only difference is that graduate students are expected to show more sophistication in their presentations. Strategic Management Case Analysis Firm Analysis This is the second of a two part series dealing with one approach to case analysis in Strategic Management classes. This paper takes the view that Strategic Management is a cap-stone course intended to integrate the material students have accumulated throughout their course of study within a business school. Strategic Management is, in fact, the only course that has as its stated purpose the integration and application of key management concepts.Normally, students are expected to have a working knowledge of the primary business management disciplines of accounting, economics, finance, marketing, and operations, when entering the course . When instructors present case analysis, it is usually as a three-step process progressing from economic, to industry, and finally, to company analysis. In doing so they face the challenge of creating a classroom experience that enables students to conceptualize the framework as an integrated whole. The challenges for the instructor are interesting to say the least.First, there is the need for the instructor to understand the intent of each of the primary business management disciplines, as well as what the student can be expected to accomplish. Second, there is the need for instruments that will provide the necessary integration and opportunity for application of acquired knowledge. Third, there is the reality that students do not always remember all that they should. This leaves a great deal to be accomplished within one semester. An equally important challenge is the necessity to impart the basics of Strategic Management as a discipline in its own right.It is the theoretical fou ndation of Strategic Management that provides the rational for the integration. More importantly, the students needs an understanding of ‘when’ to use ‘what’ techniques in the business world. Given these challenges, I use – among other classroom techniques – case analysis. Students are required to provide analysis and discussion for a number of short cases throughout the semester. All are taken from current publications such as, Business Week, Fortune, Forbes and The Economist. I find that text book cases do not provide the currency necessary.These cases are used to demonstrate the text theory under discussion, and to show the relevance of specific elements of the major written cases. I require two major written cases. The first is an analysis of an industry, and the second is an analysis of a firm within that industry. Both are essential to achieve the learning objectives for the course. The learning objective for the course is: to understand how the top manager (CEO) is responsible for ensuring the long term survival of the firm within its competitive environment.The learning objective for the written case analyses is: to arrive at a point where they can develop a sound business plan to ensure the survival of their chosen firm within its competitive environment. Also, to appreciate the complexities of collecting and understanding the relevance of the vast amount of information available. The learning objective for the industry analysis is: to determine the opportunities and threats that exist for firms within a competitive environment. They should be able to appreciate how the various forces operating in an industry create or limit the chances for survival.The learning objective for the firm analysis is: to determine the strengths and weaknesses of a firm; and, to determine the core competence that can be built on to establish a competitive advantage. The final step is to develop a business plan that will align the cap abilities of the firm with the requirements of the competitive environment. Students are required to work in teams to complete the two major case write-ups. They will later make a presentation of their findings. I require teams because the most difficult part of management is the management of human resources.By setting specific guidelines for students I make their grade contingent on their management abilities as well as their ability to complete the projects. Team size is limited to 3 or 4 members. They are free to choose their firm and its industry. I strongly suggest that they select a firm that has a production function. This makes it easier to see the four organizational functions being integrated. I also encourage them to select an industry that would be suitable for employment based on their particular interests, and primary area of concentration.For example, accounting majors are encouraged to examine an accounting firm. Finance majors are pointed toward the banking industr y. In the end, the students make choices based on group consensus and personal interests. However, a mixture of majors can be an advantage when working on the papers. The possible collaboration and integration of different perspectives is one advantage; another is the opportunity to work on a part of the papers that is relevant to their discipline. How firm’s performance is defined is left to the student. I must approve all choices prior to the student beginning work.In this way, I am sure that the projects are do-able. No two groups are allowed to do the same firm within the same class, but they can do different firms within the same industry. There are no ‘easy’ industries or firms. Each has its own challenges. A significant amount of time is spent covering analysis techniques, and the resources available, prior to the students starting on the projects. They are also encouraged to divide the work up into specific areas. For example, for the firm paper: do the f our functional areas first, then do the introduction and conclusion.This gives a reasonable balance to the work load. One common complaint about this approach to case writing is that a student working on one section of the paper will not learn about the other sections of the paper. Every approach to case writing has a limitation, but I think that this one is manageable. First, the intent is not to teach students about one particular industry. It is to teach them the relevance, and the techniques, of industry and firm analysis. Stressing this point early on is very important. It is important to note that I do not give the students too many specific directions.I want them to do their own research and make discoveries along the way. There is no one right answer. Correctness – if such exists – is a product of the logic used in the analysis. For example, two measures of economies of scale are required. It does not matter which measures are used, what matters is that the stu dent reasons through the problem and finds a means of justifying a position. If I give too much detail it limits the imagination of the student and prevents discoveries that could be significant. To help get the students oriented, I do provide complete ‘sample’ papers from a previous class.I am careful to ensure that the sample papers are on an industry and firm not currently being done. I do not have to worry about copying, or other forms of cheating. The papers must be up-to-date, which means significant recent citations in the bibliography. Additionally, I do provide the students with the opportunity of sending in parts of the project as they write. I then provide feedback to prevent them going off on tangents and wasting valuable time. Most students find this method beneficial as they work. I find the quality of the papers improves dramatically over the course of the semester.It is critical to stress that this is a business report, and not an English paper. Each pap er will take on significant proportions (30 to 50 pages) if just the required work is done. If focus is not maintained, the size becomes unmanageable. Assumptions and common knowledge are not accepted. Everything has to be proven in some manner, if just by an interview with a business person. Quantitative and qualitative analysis are required. I give a number of examples in class of how wrong ‘common knowledge’ can be. The firm paper analysis that follows has been adapted from the work of Wheelen & Hunger (2000)[1].Their model for the evaluation of firms has been evolving for over a decade, and represents one of the more concise approaches to firm analysis. This approach is compatible with a number of Strategic Management text and can easily be adapted to most situations. In addition, my own experiences in the business world have been incorporated. In what follows, I cover in some detail the outline for the firm paper. This outline is given to the students in its entire ty. FIRM PAPER OUTLINE This outline is only a guide. Each firm is unique, and you are responsible for adapting your paper to fit the circumstance.Form is important, but must not replace reason. Learning Objective: to determine the strengths and weaknesses of a firm; and, to determine the core competence that can be built on to establish a competitive advantage. Method: Firm analysis and the development of an abbreviated business plan to ensure long term survival within the competitive environment. Compare your firm to a better performing firm within the same industry, or to the industry trends that you created in the industry paper. Maintain your focus on the questions being asked. Provide conclusions for each section and sub-section.A decision matrix should be provided at the end of each section, and an overall matrix provided in the conclusion section. Where quantitative analysis is required, provide numbers expressed as ratios. Use five years of data to establish trends. Where qu alitative analysis is required, provide citations to support your arguments. Assumptions and common knowledge are not accepted. Continuity: I do read these papers! Be sure that if you make a declarative statement in one section, you do not contradict yourself in another. While it is a team project, I read it as the work of one person. Integrate the paper.Please number pages, and use section headings and sub-headings. Help is just a mouse-click away! I strongly encourage you to show me your work as you progress. I can, and will, save you hours of frustration if you will show me what you are doing. I. Current Situation A. Brief firm history. What industries and industry segments is your firm involved in, and what will be the focus of the paper? You can not do all of the industries or segments in one semester. Make a rational choice that aligns the firm paper with the industry paper. Provide a statement of the current position or situation of your firm within the industry (i. e. how go es it). How diversified is this firm? Related or unrelated (you may discuss this wherever you think most appropriate)? B. Strategic Posture. 1. What is the current mission? Did you have to deduce it, or was it stated. Is there a clear point B (an objective that we can quantify)? You should be concerned with both the quality of the mission statement, and its appropriateness for the competitive environment. You will be able to address this issue after you complete the firm analysis. 2. What is the current (Porter’s generic) strategy? Since you are only doing one segment, you are concerned with business-level strategy only.Is this strategy consistent with the mission, appropriate for the environmental context, being followed by management? Again, this is best answered after the analysis is complete. II. External Environment (Opportunities and Threats. ) This section is a restatement of some of your industry paper work. You restate your findings with respect to this specific firm . A. Socio-cultural. What general environmental factors among the socio-cultural, economic, political-legal, and technological forces are currently affecting both the firm and the industry in which it competes?Which present, current, or future threats or opportunities are important to your firm? B. Task Environment. Which of the five forces (Porter’s) in the immediate environment are currently affecting the level of competitive intensity within the industry? Which present current or future threats or opportunities important to your firm? III. Internal Environment (Strengths and Weaknesses) The only way to know if your firm is doing well is through comparison. Therefore, almost all of the elements that follow require the analysis of your firm and then a comparison to a better performing firm, or to industry standards.A. Management. The objective of the management function is to ensure the long-term survival of the firm within its competitive environment. Begin with your assess ment of how management has addressed this objective. 1. Board of Directors. The objective of the board is to provide oversight of the firm. Based on your observations is this board appropriate for the competitive environment of this organization? a. What is the board size and composition (averages for all firms is 74% external, with 14 members total). b. What are their skills? Do you have the four functional areas covered? c.Do they own a significant percentage of stock? Here you are testing elements of agency theory. d. What is their level of involvement in the oversight of the corporation? That is, what committees are they on? How often do they meet? 2. Top Management (usually only the CEO). The objective of management is to ensure the survival of the organization within its environment. Is management achieving that objective? a. What are top management's chief characteristics in terms of knowledge, skills, background, and management style? Is top management sufficiently skilled t o cope with likely future challenges?Has it established a systematic approach to the formulation, implementation, evaluation and control of strategic management? Is there a vision, clearly articulated, guiding corporate activities (i. e. , does this manager know where the organization is headed)? What is the degree of stock ownership, and is it appropriate? b. Organizational Structure. What is the present structure? Discuss decision making authority, degree of autonomy, team building, empowerment, etc. Is the structure appropriate for the competitive environment and consistent with the current strategy and mission? c. Culture.Is there a well defined or emerging culture composed of shared beliefs, expectations, and values? Is the culture a source of support or hindrance to achieving the mission/strategy of the corporation? B. Marketing The objective of the marketing function is to maximize market share. Are they achieving this objective? You should be able to provide a graph of marke t share change over time compared to another firm or the industry. What is the market share change of the firm in relation to market growth? Remember to use ratios, not raw numbers. How well is the corporation performing in terms of market position and marketing mix?You answer this by comparing the 4 P's to a better performing firm. 1. How well does your firm's product offering (product mix) compare to a better performing firm? 2. Is the firm's pricing appropriate? 3. Compare the place (distribution system) of the product offering. 4. Evaluate the promotional efforts of the firm. What is the payoff for the money spend on advertising? Is there a relationship between advertising and market share change? Provide a conclusion to this section. What trends do you see from analysis of their past performance? I suggest using a decision matrix.From your analysis, what are the strengths and weaknesses of this function? C. Operations/Production. This section will be revised for those teams doi ng a service firm. While the basic arguments are the same, the methods will be different. Consult with your instructor before beginning this section if you are doing a service organization. The objective of the operations function is to increase productivity. Are they achieving this objective? This is also the functional area where you can best evaluate whether your firm is following the logic of re-investing in itself (the logic of the managerial enterprise)? 1.In order to achieve improvements in productivity, the firm must be re-investing in itself. What is the trend in capital spending? What is the trend in productivity improvement? 2. In combination with the marketing section, has this firms emphasized product development, or diversification, for growth (the Chandler argument)? No longer required. 3. Operating leverage. How has the mix of people to capital changed over time – are fixed costs rising? What are the trends in costs per unit of labor, inventory control, etc.? 4. Research & Development. What return is the corporation receiving from its R&D investment?Is the firm technologically competent? How well does the firm's investment compare with similar corporations? What is the bang for the buck! Provide a conclusion to this section. I suggest using a decision matrix. From your analysis, what are the strengths and weaknesses of this function? D. Finance The objective of the finance function is to maximize shareholder wealth. Are they achieving this objective? I would prefer total returns to investors over time as the measure here. The data are available. 1. Remember to use at least five years of data for the most important factors. What trends do you see emerging from this analysis?Suggested ratios are contained in the text. 2. How well is the corporation performing compared to competition? 3. Capital Asset Pricing Model. (Class lecture notes) What is the cost of capital for this firm? What impact does this have on competitiveness? What does your analysis tell you about the probability that management will reinvest in the firm? 4. Debt to Equity policy and susceptibility to external forces, such as debt covenants, take-over attempts, etc. As lecture material points out, the capital structure decision is very important to the survival of the firm. Crunching of numbers is not the objective here.You are looking for significant trends that can impact the survivability of the firm. As you find negative trends that could effect other organizational functions, tell your team mates. What have they discovered? This section can not stand on its own, it has to be integrated into the overall paper. Provide a conclusion to this section. I suggest using a decision matrix. From your analysis, what are the strengths and weaknesses of this function? E. Human Resource Management. If applicable – i. e. , are unions involved? If so, you are concerned with the HRM function of the organization. F. Management Information Systems.If applica ble. Is you firm having problems with its MIS system? Readings from articles should give a clue. If no problem is noted, you do not have to include this section. IV. Critical Success Factors. From your industry paper, discuss how your firm is addressing these factors. Most of these factors (2 of 3) will lend themselves to quantitative analysis and comparison. V. Strategic Problem. From your analysis, what is THE strategic problem of this firm. This is only one paragraph and not a laundry list. Clue – your paragraph will begin: Management has failed to ensure the long-term survival of this firm because†¦.. VI.Strategic Alternatives. Provide appropriate strategic alternatives stated as strategies, not as elements of a strategy. Discuss the pro's and con's of each. The current strategy, if appropriate, could be one of the alternatives if the firm simply needs to improve the implementation of that strategy. VII. Recommendation. From your alternatives, what ONE strategy do yo u recommend, and why? This is only one or two paragraphs. VIII. Implementation. This is the section where most teams lose it. Remember that strategy is a pattern of actions and activities. A. Give SPECIFIC recommendations on how you would implement your strategic choice.Provide details addressing each of the four functional areas. B. Show how you are solving the weaknesses and building on the strengths of each functional area. C. What is the core competence of this organization? Can we build a sustainable competitive advantage within this industry? D. Include a basic pro forma for at least 5 years out to see the impact of your changes. Use your best guess on the numbers, indicating your assumptions. E. Conclude the paper with your prognosis for the firm. This is the grade sheet for the firm paper Case Name_________________________ Bibliography:Appendices, graphs, tables: Firm Business Segments: Strategy: Mission: Corporate ownership: Board of Directors: R: Type and Degree of Diversi fication: Capital investment related to performance: Social/Environmental programs: Growth rate of firm: Cost of Capital (CAPM): Take over target: Asset base compared to competitors: Historical financial data: S. W. O. T. : C. S. F. ‘s: Analysis of the functional areas: Management: Marketing: Operations: Finance: ———————– [1] Wheelen, T. L. & Hunger, J. D. 2000. Strategic Management. Upper Saddle River, N. J. U. S. A: Prentice Hall

Economic growth

Spending by the government on all nal goods and services. e. g. ages for government employees, the upkeep of military bases, the maintenance of Air Force One, the maintenance of roads and bridges This category includes government investments such as the maintenance/construction of roads. Does NOT include transfers of wealth such as Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment bene ts as they are already accounted for in Consumption. 14/ 31 Net exports: The di erence between total exports (to all other countries) and total imports (from all countries) to the U.S.. If this number is negative, the U. S. is importing more value than it is exporting, in what is called a trade de cit. If this number is positive, the U. S. is experiencing a trade surplus. Note that these values are in terms of the subject country's currency (U. S. dollars). We only consider net exports because 1) we do not want to double ount goods in the GDPs of other countries and 2) GDP is supposed to measure production i n the U. S.Splitting GDP – Factor Income Approach We can equivalently express this value in terms of how much agents in the U. S. receive for their goods or work. You can think of rms collecting revenue from the spending described in the national spending approach, and distributing it in the following way: Wages: Firms pay employees for their work Rent: Firms pay landowners and property owners rent Interest: Firms pay interest to the owners of the capital they are using Pro t: Any revenue that is left after the above payments are considered protThe sum of these yields GDP, as calculated using the factor income approach: Y = Wages + Rent + Interest + Prot 16/31 Equivalence of National Spending and Factor Income Approaches The sum of all the spending in the U. S. doesn't quite equal the sum of all payments to factors of production, so we need to make a few adjustments: Sales taxes aren't re ected in the factor income approach, so we need to add that The national spending approa ch considers production that occurs before the depreciation of capital (i. e. machines wearing down), so this must be considered when using the factor income approach. 17/31 Economic growth Spending by the government on all nal goods and services. e. g. ages for government employees, the upkeep of military bases, the maintenance of Air Force One, the maintenance of roads and bridges This category includes government investments such as the maintenance/construction of roads. Does NOT include transfers of wealth such as Social Security, Medicare, and unemployment bene ts as they are already accounted for in Consumption. 14/ 31 Net exports: The di erence between total exports (to all other countries) and total imports (from all countries) to the U.S.. If this number is negative, the U. S. is importing more value than it is exporting, in what is called a trade de cit. If this number is positive, the U. S. is experiencing a trade surplus. Note that these values are in terms of the subject country's currency (U. S. dollars). We only consider net exports because 1) we do not want to double ount goods in the GDPs of other countries and 2) GDP is supposed to measure production i n the U. S.Splitting GDP – Factor Income Approach We can equivalently express this value in terms of how much agents in the U. S. receive for their goods or work. You can think of rms collecting revenue from the spending described in the national spending approach, and distributing it in the following way: Wages: Firms pay employees for their work Rent: Firms pay landowners and property owners rent Interest: Firms pay interest to the owners of the capital they are using Pro t: Any revenue that is left after the above payments are considered protThe sum of these yields GDP, as calculated using the factor income approach: Y = Wages + Rent + Interest + Prot 16/31 Equivalence of National Spending and Factor Income Approaches The sum of all the spending in the U. S. doesn't quite equal the sum of all payments to factors of production, so we need to make a few adjustments: Sales taxes aren't re ected in the factor income approach, so we need to add that The national spending approa ch considers production that occurs before the depreciation of capital (i. e. machines wearing down), so this must be considered when using the factor income approach. 17/31

Australian national cinema is primarily government-supported, with Essay

Australian national cinema is primarily government-supported, with limited infrastructure and with a small population. Discuss k - Essay Example This inconsistency is evident from the box office results which showed that since 1995, the local box offices taken by homegrown has rarely gone beyond five percent. Ginnane (2009) suggests that the key to a successful film industry and ample percentage of the Australian box office (minimum of 10%) is the number of titles totaling to more than five million dollars box office every year. To attain this, it is fundamental for domestic filmmakers to uphold a trend of stable growth to bring about some measure of economic self sufficiency in the domestic film industry. Various issues are associated with developing, supporting and sustaining a national film industry. This essay will focus on these issues in the context of the Australian film industry. In order to develop a large scale national film production, a country needs to secure a secure domestic distribution base that has well developed exhibition circuits. Litwak (2003) suggested that the major impediment facing most filmmakers is how to secure distribution for their motion pictures. Without a secure distribution, the likelihood of a profitable return on investment in film production is nonexistent. O’Reagan (1996) argued that Australian cinema needs to interest different agents such as cinema marketers, producers and critics so as to translate the purposes and ends of the Australian films. Distributing films is one of the challenges that most filmmakers face once a film has been completed. Finding an audience locally and internationally can be resolved by a secure distribution. The objectives of the federal regulatory and financial support in Australia have always been strengthened by a cultural as well as a commercial mandate. Cones (2010) points out that in case a film successfully acquires a distributor, the producers makes every efforst to cooperate with the distributor to come up with the most favorable release pattern in all pertinent constraints. The scope of distribution progressively expands , adding theaters and cities to meet demand as the film meets is audience base. This means that a country needs to secure a domestic distribution base for developing, supporting and sustaining a national film industry. The second most important aspect in developing, supporting and sustaining a national film industry is to understand people viewing habits, the kind of movies that they want to view. The Marketing Branch of the Australian Film Commission (1999) highlighted that it did not find as much support for alternative films or specialist as it did few years ago. According to the commission, the younger generation who were used to start off being involved with those alternative films at the university level no longer frequented foreign movies any longer and they also preferred the bigger films. A survey conducted by Roy Morgan Research (2010) on Australian films, documentaries and fictional television revealed that fiction television viewership is driven by strong existing person al preferences and passive factors showing dependable repeat viewership. Most of the Australians experienced high levels of satisfaction with the Australian screen content nonetheless they did not enjoy screen content because of aspects related with badly written and unbelievable writing and also slow, boring and non entertainment across documentary formats, feature films and television fiction. O’ Reagan (1996) argued that Australian cinema- like those of other countries- is more effectively understood as a set of processes rather than as a fundamental

Comparing two records of a significant event in history Essay

Comparing two records of a significant event in history - Essay Example As such, Polybius is very aware of the time and place at which the events took place. Polybius journeyed to the site not long after the actual crossing of the Alps, and is more trustworthy than a modern day historian. The account is a prose form of chronology in that it just tells the story, like a story. It is not interspersed with facts- it is represented as all fact - which is typical of early histories. They did not have many other writers to reference, and the reader most likely wouldn't have been able to access the other books regardless. The only major discrepancy between Polybius' accounting and that of Livy is that Polybius mentioned they could see Italy from the pass and Livy stated they could not see Italy until they had started the descent. Titus Livy (59 BCE- 17 CE) is the author of the authorized version of the history of the Roman republic. His writings do betray that he knew little of military matters which would affect the believability of his account of the military operations of Hannibal.2 Again, there is no attempt to evaluate the sources of evidence and it is quite likely that he may have even used Polybius' writings as a possible reference. As he lived 100 years or so after Hannibal crossed the Alps, this accounting is more subject to inaccuracies due to the passage of time.

Canadian public economics policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Canadian public economics policy - Essay Example Government spending has been used to determine the size of a government because it constitutes a large part of GDP, such that increasing it will effectively increase GDP. Furthermore, because government spending increases inflation as a result of increased money supply; increases deficits by choosing not to increase revenues vis--vis spending; and increases debts by choosing to borrow funds to finance spending, it makes a logical measure of the size of government. While this observation is theoretically sound, the actual effect of government spending is inconsistent. First, with regard to tax breaks and subsidies, because of its varying effects on the behaviour of businesses, the effect of government spending varies as well. For example, Canada's Five Year $100 billion Tax Reduction Plan should lead to a decrease in the size of government. However, because it makes Canada's business climate more competitive, it may induce corporations and business owners to move operations to, or increase operations in Canada, leading to an increase in the size of government instead. Second, it will also have varying effects on other components of GDP. ... as pensions and loan guarantees that are not always accounted for, but nonetheless exists, government spending is rendered an unreliable measure of the size of government.(375 words) Question 2 A debt management policy utilizing government bonds indexed to inflation is one way governments illustrate credibility in fighting inflation by intentionally removing incentives to inflate. In this respect, the Canadian government is committed to fighting inflation because as part of its debt management policy, it issues security bonds, indexed to the country consumer price index (CPI). A government's credibility in fighting inflation through indexed bonds can be illustrated through the differences between conventional and indexed bonds. With regard to the use of conventional bonds, a government debt's real value decreases in accordance to increases in inflation because as borrower, it will only have to pay a particular amount, based on nominal terms, regardless of changes in a currency's purchasing power caused by inflation. Since government financing through bonds indicate an implied obligation to pay in the future, conventional, nominal bonds eventually decreases in real value as the purchasing power decreases through yearly inflation. While these risks can be reduced through setting nominal interest rates that forecast possible increases in inflation, they are not secured from its unexpected sharp rises or declines. Thus, if inflation increases sharply, governments will require fewer resources to pay for its bonds transferring the loss in real value to the bond holder. Contrary to conventional bonds, indexed bonds, by linking their nominal terms to inflation specifies a more stable value for bondholders because the burden caused by inflation is placed on the

The Element Nitrogen Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Element Nitrogen - Research Paper Example Nitrogen is the most abundant gaseous component of earth’s atmosphere constituting 78% by volume.It is colorless, odorless and commonly inert gas.Nitrogen is a gas at room temperature with density of 0.001165 grams /cc. Solid nitrogen lets at 63.35 K and has a boiling point of 77.35 K. It has a relatively low heat of fusion and heat of vaporization of 51.48 J /g and 2.7928 J /mole respectively. Solid nitrogen has specific heat close to water at 1.040 J / g 0 C. Nitrogen has two stable naturally occurring isotopes, 14N and 15N. The predominant isotope being 14N has 99.636% natural abundance. Other isotopes are also noted but are short lived and decay rapidly. Triple bonding in diatomic nitrogen N2 is one of the strongest. Nitrogen has electronegativity of 3.04 and has 5 valence electrons in its outer shell; therefore, nitrogen is commonly trivalent in most compounds. Nitrogen is also non-flammable, therefore, is not combustible. It also has considerably high first ionization an d second ionization energy. Compounds of Nitrogen Nitrogen is non-metallic element. It commonly forms oxide in its different oxidation state. Nitrous oxide (N2O), nitric oxide (NO), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) are the most common oxides formed by nitrogen. It also forms dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4), and dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) using its higher oxidation state.Nitrogen also forms hydride as ammonia (NH3). Nitrogen combines with Fluorine to form various fluorides like Nitrogen trifluoride (NF3), Dinitrogen tetrafluoride (N2F4), cis-difluorodiazine (N2F2) and trans-difluorodiazine (N2F2). Nitrogen chloride and Nitrogen iodide can also be formed; NCl3and NI3. Ammonia (NH3) Ammonia is a colorless gas with characteristic pungent odor. It has density of 0.86  kg/m3. It is soluble in water to form basic hydroxide NH4OH. Solubility is increased at lower temperatures. Ammonia has trace concentration in the atmosphere as result of decaying matter. Ammonia and ammonium salts are present in rainwater and some areas where volcanic activity is noted. Ammonia is also present in soil and seawater. It is also found in Pluto, Jupiter and Uranium. The ancient Greek, European alchemists and the romans have historical writings about nitrogen. In 1774,Joseph Priestley successfully isolated gaseous ammonia and he called it alkaline air. Nitric acid (HNO3) Nitric acid is a strong acid commonly called aqua fortis and spirit of nitre. It is also a common oxidizing agent in organic and inorganic chemistry. Anhydrous nitric acid has density of 1.512 g/cm3, melting point of -420C and boils at 830C. Nitric acid partially decomposes to nitrogen dioxide (N2O) at room temperature. Nitric acid has been known since antiquity and is commonly used in alchemy. Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) Nitrogen dioxide is a reddish gas at room temperature. It is primarily an intermediate in the synthesis of nitric acid and a major air pollutant. It has density of 2.62 g cm-3and boils at 21  Ã‚ °C. Nitric oxide ( NO) Also called nitorgen monoxide. It is a free radical and is unstable in normal conditions. It is a a byproduct of combustion of fuel oils and automobile engines. Nitric oxide is colorless and has denisty of 1.3402 g dm?3, melts at ?164  Ã‚ °C, and boils at ?152  Ã‚ °C. Solubility in water is 74 cm3 dm?3. Dinitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) Also called nitrogen peroxide. It is commonly found in equlibrium with NO2. It is known for its oxidizing power and corrosive properies. It is colorless gas with

Accounting Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Accounting Proposal - Essay Example The current revolution in the information technology industry has had an important impact on the accounting information systems (AIS).Traditional bookkeeping and accounting methods proved to consume more time and involved a lot of resources and in extension, led to high costs of production. Improvement in IT has led to the development of computers and thus facilitated the easy computerization of accounting (Prasad & Green, 2015). I intend to pursue an accounting project focussed on finding out effective and efficient ways through which small businesses can incorporate the usage of computerized accounting systems to reduce the accounting workload. My project will be titled â€Å"Integrating computerized accounting into small scale businesses.† The research study has a very broad scope. The project covers a variety of aspects that are useful in various ways to different people. It enables small scale businesses to find out the expectations of customers about tally accounting software. Moreover, it shows various reasons for selecting different accounting packages and also gives a representation of customer satisfaction after the usage of accounting software by the business. My project focuses on small businesses that do not see the need to incorporate computerized Accounting Information Systems because they are small and consequently will not benefit much. Computerized accounting information systems have caused the substitution of manual bookkeeping systems with digital ones. Manual processing of data is slow and prone to error, unlike computerized accounting (Prasad & Green, 2015). Improvements in technology have resulted in quicker ways of collecting, processing and retrieval of data. Automated accounting systems have taken over the functions of manual accounting systems. An example of such functions is the data input function. In manual accounting, the data capture happened together with the source documents

Geologic hazard project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Geologic hazard project - Essay Example Earthquakes are not isolated events as they occur in sequences. Most often, each series is dominated by an event with a larger magnitude than all others in the sequence. Smaller earthquakes and aftershocks may follow the main shock, sometimes several hours, months, or even several years later. Earthquakes are inevitable in many parts throughout the world. It can damage the infrastructure. It causes ground shaking, ground displacement, flooding and fire that can cause great damage to the people of the region affected. For example, when an earthquake occurred in the state of Washington, more than a billion dollars worth of buildings got destroyed. Roads and bridges in the region affected became inaccessible, water pressure fail and gas lines break and leak leading to fires spread that causes severe damage. Earthquakes cause Water level in the sea to rise suddenly, causing very high waves, several meters in height, which then flood the coastal areas. These possibly give rise to tsunamis, causing damage to coastal areas (Ammon). It is important to have earthquake knowledge and learn about how to minimize its effects. Its preparedness can reduce the number of the casualties, and the value of the properties destroyed. To understand earthquakes allows saving lives and to reduce damages, injuries. It also allows to build buildings more earthquakes resistant and find the locations that are more prone to earthquake. Earthquakes have been recorded throughout history for many years. Even before seismographs in early times, there are a record of mysterious ground shaking. It occurs when rocks break along an underground fault. The ground shaking causes vibrations through the earth. The magnitude of the shaking varies on how great the movement along the fault is. When plates shift, they create shockwaves that go through the earth.The shock

Production Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Production Management - Essay Example According to Hill (1991), ‘The production/operations management (POM) task is concerned with the transformation process which takes inputs and converts them into outputs, together with the various support functions closely associated with this basic task’ (cited Brown, 2000; p.7). Such transformation processes can be applied to three main categories, materials, customers and information. Brown (2000) describes that Production Management encompasses the most vital activities of production, beginning from and including, planning and design, production processes of goods and services, and also effective integration of marketing, finance, human resources management and strategy in order to enable a business to enter and compete with both new and existing markets. In other words, a business’s success and sustainability largely depend on the operational capabilities, including efficiency and quality. Production management is a comprehensive phenomenon including distinct and complex activities that need to be performed in order to achieve a firm’s goals. Besides the processes itself, there is a strategic aspect linked to the production management process, without which aligning production processes with the firm’s actual goals, tracking performance of the firm and its processes, and gaining profits become difficult or even impossible. The entire production management can be illustrated in the following manner: Each of these activities requires planning in great detail. The present discussion will be focused on production process in a normal readymade clothes manufacturing unit. Although the focus is on production process, it should be noted that production process is further dependent on the other functions, i.e. strategic planning and tactical planning. For instance, the raw materials required for the production process are procured from

How did the womens rights movement of the 19th century emerge out of Essay - 1

How did the womens rights movement of the 19th century emerge out of abolition activism - Essay Example These included the rights to vote, the right to vie for different offices and the right to be treated equal with the men irrespective of their gender. This led to the development of the women’s right movement, a movement that changed the political alignment and environment in the United States. The development of the women’s right movement began immediately after the abolition of the slave trade and most of the founding members were active freedom fighters in the abolitionist movement. In this paper, the impacts of the abolitionist movement and the manner in which it shaped the formation of the women’s right movement will be determined. The pioneer leaders of the Women’s right movement who previously served in the abolitionist movement will be discussed to show the connection between the two movements and how one inspired the other. The abolitionist movement played an essential role in inspiring the development of the women’s right and women suffrage movement of the 19th century. Women’s right movement was based on the principles and experience of the founding mothers who had witnessed the efforts of the abolitionist freedom fighters in their effort to achieve social justice (Maternal association 54). The need to improve human condition and remove the element of slavery within the society of the United States oiled the abolitionist freedom movement and this motivated the formation of other groups that agitated for the attainment of equal social justice for all irrespective of the color and race. The history of feminism in the United States can be better understood by investigating the connection between the women suffrage movement and the abolitionist movement. During the active years of the abolitionist movement before the end of the civil war, many women leaders participated as facilitators and spies for the men who were active in the movement

A Swimming Adventure Essay Example for Free

A Swimming Adventure Essay Awaking early, I decided to sit on the screened porch and watch the Florida sun come up. Within a very short time as I sat there, the sun peaked on the horizon as it gradually awakened from its night of slumber. The dew sparkled like diamonds as the suns rays tenderly caressed the grass. Off in the distance, I could hear the world spring to life as the birds began to sing a spectacular melody, growing louder and louder as each bird began to chirp in unison, like a choir singing in church on Sunday morning. A new day had dawned and I remember thinking how magnificent the birds song was and what a wonderful day it was going to be. Returning to my duties as a mom, I started making breakfast for my children, who would wake shortly wanting to eat. Within a few minutes, the wonderful aroma of the pancakes and bacon cooking on the stove gave way to the sound of pitter-pattering little feet as they hit the floor. My children Michael, Laura and Misty were awake and joined me in the kitchen. I seated the children; gave them their breakfast and told them that it was going to be a very hot day and if they ate all of their breakfast and cleaned up the toys, I would take them to the beach to go swimming. The children, bustling with excitement over the news, hurriedly ate their breakfast and started cleaning up their toys while I cleaned the kitchen. Around noon, the temperature was a blistering 95 degrees as we packed a cooler with sandwiches and drinks. We loaded the trunk with our chairs and headed off to the beach. On the way, we saw a black and white cat racing across the street chasing a gray mouse. We played a game called I Spy and sang songs to pass the time. Growing closer to the beach Michael spied a snake lying in the road, and asked, Why is the snake lying in the middle of the road mommy? The snake  was dead and not wanting to upset him, I replied, The snake is basking in the sun so it can get warm. It was not long before we had reached our destination. Anticipation filled the air as we found the perfect spot and unloaded the car. The children helped set up the chairs and then headed off to swim. Deciding to relax a few minutes, I took in the peaceful views that lay before me. The beach was covered with white sand and on each side of the swimming area were large boulders and rocks that had been piled up. There were several covered tables and a bathroom area. Many people were playing in the water while others were lying on their towels and blankets on the sandy beach. A volleyball game was taking place a few yards away and I remember thinking how hot it was as the glaring sun beat down on everyone. Watching the children playing in the surf, the waves from the shore looked fun and almost childlike as they crested and then crashed over one another. I could taste the salt in the air and watched little rainbows glisten through the prisms of the oceans spray. The warm ocean water toward the shore was covered with foam and bubbles from the rumbling waves as my children and other families played in the gritty sand of the Gulf. I watched the seagulls swoop  down as a child threw small pieces of bread up in the air. The sea gulls were white and gray and had a long orange beak. I remember thinking to myself, This is going to be a perfect day. The children are playing and laughing in the ocean and call out Come on mom, come and play. I start towards the water trying not to step on any of the tiny hermit crabs as they emerge from their sandy homes in search of scraps. I reached the water; no crabs injured and plunged head first into a two-foot wave coming to shore, hah! How refreshing. My children and I are swimming and playing together in the cool refreshing water. I lift them one by one tossing them slightly in the air and letting  go, I hear them shriek with delight as they plummet towards the water with a splash! This exciting activity is repeated several times until my arms give out and I am forced to take a break, much to the dismay of my children who are having a wonderful time. I stand there in about three feet of water when my children come up with another exciting game; they start swimming through my legs playing mommy is a bridge. I remember thinking boy! I wish I had their energy. After resting a few minutes I picked them up, placed them one at a time on my back and began to swim; we slowly swam under the blue water and up again and I could hear them giggle with excitement and say Do it again mommy, do it again. A short time later a commotion broke out interrupting our games, I struggled to hear what everyone was shouting about and saw people running to the waters edge and pointing about fifty feet from where the children and I were playing. Looking in the direction they were pointing, a  man with his daughter in tow yells, SHARK! without hesitation, I yelled to my son, Michael, get out of the water! I grabbed Laura and Misty and headed to shore. My adrenalin pumping we reached the shore incredibly fast, like a bolt of lightning streaking across the night sky. Only when we were safely on shore did we look back to see three fins just skimming the surface of the water. I stood there stunned and shocked watching the fins, wondering what kinds of sharks they were and very grateful that everyone was in one piece. A few minutes later, the fins disappeared beneath the surface and everyone was treated to a wondrous sight, there off in the distance, were three dolphins jumping high into the air and making a big splash as they entered the water. The dolphins took turns jumping and playing; sometimes they would jump in unison, as if dancers in a chorus line. As fast as they had appeared, the dolphins slipped beneath the waves and headed out to sea. I wondered if the dolphins laughed to themselves; thinking about how they had scared the two-legged creatures from the water  or if they were just as curious about us as we were of them. With the all clear, we headed back into the water and continued swimming and playing games. A short time later, the children became hungry so we decided to get something to eat and drink. The ham and cheese sandwich tasted good and the Pepsi was refreshing. As we ate, the children began to get goose bumps so I covered their shoulders with a blanket. Hours later, the sun setting, we gathered our belongings, packed up the car and ventured home. The children tired from a full day of fun and games fell asleep quickly. Not wanting to wake the children, I turned off the radio and listened to the hum of the motor as we made our way home. Later as I lay in bed I replayed the days events in my mind, from the stunning sunrise, the splendor of the birds as they sang, the laughter of they children as the played, the show of the dolphins, the beauty of the beach and the setting sun, I thanked God for all the wonderful gifts he had given me. THE END Graded and Corrected A+ paper The teacher wanted us to write an essay about something that happned in our lives. I scored a 94% on this essay due to poor punctuation, which has since been fixed.

Effects of the Environment on Organisms Primary Productivity

Effects of the Environment on Organisms Primary Productivity In this lab, samples of pond water were taken and measured using the Wrinkler and the Light and Dark bottle method in order to study the effects of the environment on primary productivity in organisms. The central purpose was to determine the effect of temperature on the amount of dissolved oxygen and photosyntehitic activity on primary productivity. The results from part A indicate that as temperature increases the amount of oxygen present decreases and the results from part B indicate that as the amount of photosynthetic activity increases the amount of oxygen present growths. For most organisms Oxygen is vital for cellular respiration. There is an abundance of oxygen in the atmosphere (about 200 milliliters of processes). Dissolved Oxygen is oxygen that is dissolved in water. In the aquatic environment there are only five to ten milliliters of DO in a liter of water. Dissolved Oxygen is required by all aquatic organisms. As water travels past an aquatic organisms gills (or other breathing apparatus), microscopic bubbles of oxygen gas in the water, called  (DO), are moved from the water to their blood.  At  low dissolved oxygen levels called hypoxia animal growth or reproduction can be damaged while the complete lack of oxygen called anoxia will kill animals. Also most algae, macrophytes, and any chemical reactions important for lakes require oxygen to survive. The Wrinkler method is used in this lab to measure the amount dissolved oxygen. The procedure includes the addition of alkaline iodine and magnanous sulfate to a water sample. From that manganous hydroxide is produced and upon acidification is changed to a manganese compound by oxygen in the sample. Immediately, the compound reacts with the iodine to release iodine which changes the water color to yellow. The amount of free iodine is equal to the amount of oxygen in the sample. The amount of iodine is measured by titration with sodium thiosulfate until the sample loses the yellowish color. The methods precision rate is 0.1 to 0.6%. The general question for part A of the lab involves the effect of temperature on dissolved oxygen . The hypothesis predicts that the relationship between temperature and dissolved oxygen will be an inverse relationship. So as the temperature increases the amount of dissolved oxygen will decrease. Five major gases that all have biological and physiochemical similar but differ in behavior and origin are dissolved in aquatic environments. The most important are nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. Oxygen takes up about 21% of the atmosphere and nitrogen 78%. Water vapor takes up to 3% in volume. Most gases follow Henrys law that states that at constant temperature the amount of gas absorbed by a given volume of liquid is proportional to the pressure in atmosphere that the gas exerts. An exception is Carbon dioxide which may combine with numerous cations while entering natural waters to become more abundant than what the principle of Henrys law dictates. It can be found in both combined and free states. The amount of atmospheric component can be found dissolved in an aquatic environment can be predicted with the following formula: C= K*P where C equals the concentration of the gas that is absorbed, K equals the solubility factor, and P equals the partial pressure of the gas. Temperature is one factor that can influence the amount of oxygen dissolved in water. Waters capability to hold oxygen lowers as water becomes warmer. Warmer water becomes saturated more easily with oxygen. This effect of temperature on DO results in a seasonal wavering of DO in a body of water. Wind also mixes oxygen into the water as it blows across the surface. Oxygen decrease can be so severe enough on windy nights to kill fish. Another factor that affects dissolved oxygen is photosynthetic activity. Aquatic plants are capable of producing more oxygen in bright light. So during night when photosynthesis cannot balance the loss of oxygen through decomposition and respiration, the amount of DO could gradually decrease. Also the amount of DO could differentiate with the lake depth. More oxygen is produced near the top of the lake which is most exposed so that photosynthetic activity can occur from the sunlight. Oxygen consumption is also great along the bottom of a lake, where sunke n  organic  matter accumulates and decomposes. The amount of DO is lowest before dawn when photosynthesis continues. In addition, Microbial processes consume oxygen as organic material decays. Waterfalls, rapids, and wave action all aerate water and increase oxygen concentration. Salinity is the content of dissolved salts in water. As temperature and salinity increase the solubility of oxygen in water decreases. Partial pressure of oxygen in the air above water also influences the amount of DO in water. At higher elevations, less oxygen is present because the air is less dense. Because the air is less dense, it contains less oxygen. Seasonal changes can affect the DO concentrations. Warmer temperatures during summer speed up the rates of photosynthesis and decomposition. When growing season comes to an end and all of the plants die, their decomposition results in heavy oxygen consumption. Also seasonal events, such as changes in lake water levels, volume of  inflows  and   outflows, and presence of ice cover, also cause natural variation in the amount of DO. The general question for part B of the lab is the effect of photosynthetic activity on primary productivity. The hypothesis states that as the amount of light increases the more oxygen will be consumed, showing a direct relationship between photosynthetic activity and primary productivity. Primary productivity is the rate at which plants and other photosynthetic organisms produce organic compounds in the ecosystem. Only organisms that have photosynthetic pigments can use sunlight to produce new organic compounds from inorganic substances. The basic equation of photosynthesis is: 6Co2+6H20à  C6H12O6+6O. This equation says that green plants consume carbon for carbohydrate production from the carbon dioxide in H20 or in air. A measure of oxygen production over time gives a method of finding the amount of carbon that has been bound in organic compounds over a period of time. For each millimeter of oxygen produced about .535 milligrams of carbon has been integrated. Primary productivity can be measured by the rate of sugar formation, the rate of oxygen production, and the amount of carbon dioxide used. Measuring dissolved oxygen can gauge primary productivity in an aquatic ecosystem because oxygen is one of the most easily measured products of both respiration and photosyn thesis. The method of measuring the rate of oxygen production is used in this lab. The light and dark bottle method is one method of measuring the rate of oxygen production. With this method, the DO concentrations of samples of lake, ocean, samples of laboratory algal cultures, or river water are measured and compared before and after incubation bottles in light and darkness. In the lab the light and dark bottle method is used to measure the amount of oxygen in The amount of oxygen that the organisms in the bottles are consuming is indicated by the difference between the measurement of DO in the initial and dark bottles. The biological processes of photosynthesis and respiration are occurring in the bottles exposed to light so the change over time in DO concentration from the initial concentration measures net productivity. Net productivity is the organic material that remains after photosynthetic organisms in an ecosystem have used some of these compounds for their cellular energy needs (cellular respiration). Gross productivity is the entire photosynthetic produc tion of organic compounds in an ecosystem. It is the difference over time between amount of DO in the light bottle and the dark bottle. Materials Pond water 2 Bulbs: Sylvania Gro-Lux F40/GRO/AQ/WS/RP 40W A8/8a Tank Masking tape Carolina Lab 12: Dissolved Oxygen and Aquatic Primary Productivity kit 8-station 74663DA Aluminum Foil Aquaculture aquarium pump MK1504 Thermometer Rubber bands Tank 2 dirt stones Methods Begin part A of the lab by filling three of the bottles with samples of water in the three different temperatures given. With the procedure given, determine the DO of each sample and record the values. Record the values with the class data and then enter the class means in the table. Graph both the lab group data and class data as a scatter plot and draw the line of best fit. Begin part B of the lab, on the first day get seven BOD (water sampling) bottles. Fill all the bottles with the algal or lake water sample given. The water samples in this experiment are from the Green Hope High School wetland. The alga was kept under light for 24 hours a day until January 3rd. The solution then was strained until microscopic colonies of algae were existent. On January 18th, the tank was drained and 20 liters of H2O was used to dilute the solution. For one week, 6 tubes of algal growth were administered to the solution Take caution not to leave air bubbles at the top of the bottles. Label the cap of each bottle with measuring tape. Mark the labels as follows: I ( for initial, D (for dark), 100%, 65%, 25%, 10%, and 2%. Determine the DO for the Initial bottle now. Record this value. Record the class Initial bottle mean. The Initial amount of DO is the DO that the water has to begin with. With aluminum foil, cover the Dark bottle so that no light can enter. No photosynt hesis can occur in this bottle therefore the process of respiration by all of the organisms present will be the only thing that changes the DO. Plastic window screens will stimulate the attenuation of natural light that occurs because of the depth in a body of water. Wrap screen layers around the bottles in the following patterns: 100% light- no screens. Wrap; 65% light- 1 screen layer; % 25 light- 3 screen layers; 10% light- 5 screen layers; and 2 % light- 8 screen layers Make sure to cover the bottoms of the bottles to keep light from entering there. Use clothespins or rubber bands to keep the screens in place. Put the bottles on their sides under the bank of lights. Make sure to turn the bottles so that the labels are facing down to keep from preventing light from getting to the contents. Leave the bottles overnight under constant illumination. On day two of part B, determine the DO in all the bottles that were under the lights. Record the DO of the Dark bottle. Calculate the respiration rate using the formula in the table. Record the other bottles in another table. Complete the calculations to determine the gross and net productivity in each bottle. Follow the Wrinkler method. Fill the water sampling bottle. Add eight drops of Manganous Sulfate Solution. Add eight drops of Alkaline Potassium Iodine Azide. Cap and mix the bottle. Allow the precipitate to settle. Use the 1.0 g spoon to add Sulfuric Acid Powder or 8 drops of Sulfuric Acid. Cap and mix until reagent and precipitate dissolve. Fill the test tube to the 20 mL line. Fill the titrator with Sodium Thiosulfate. Titrate until the sample color is pale yellow. Make sure to not disturb the titrator. Add 8 drops of starch indicator. Continue titration until blue color disappears and the solution is colorless. Read result in ppm Dissolved Oxygen. (College Board, 2001) Equations and Calculations L= Initial Bottle, L= Light Bottle, D= Dark Bottle L-I= Net Productivity I-D= Respiration L-D= Gross Productivity Average= Sum of the values from each group/# of groups Results This table showed the group and class average for par A of the lab. The class average is calculated from table 2. The data shows the dissolved oxygen concentration at the cold, room, and warm temperature. The graph shows class data from table 2. The line of best fit shows the decreasing overall trend in dissolved oxygen. As shown by the line as the temperature increase, the amount of DO decreases. This shows the group for part B of the lab. The DO, gross, and net productivity are shown. The gross productivity was found by calculating the DO of the light bottle minus the DO of the dork bottle. So the Gross Productivity of 0 screens and 100% light is 20.0-0.0 which equals 20.00. The Net productivity was found by calculating the light bottle minus the initial bottle. So the net productivity of 0 screens and 100% light is 20.00-8.2 which equals 11.8. The gross and net productivity must be calculated per day so the gross and net productivity calculated form the data had to be divided by two. The table shows the DO concentration of the class. The average DO is calculated by adding all eight of the groups DO and then dividing by eight. Class Gross Productivity Similar to the net productivity, the gross productivity was calculated for two days and needs to be for one day. Each gross productivity of each group was divided into two, and then the average of the eight groups gave the class average of gross productivity for each bottle. Graph 2 The graph shows that as the number of screens increased the DO decreased. Next, the net productivity was calculated from the DO values from chart 5. Because the DO was accumulated over a period of two days the net productivity must also be divided by two. Graph 3 The graph shows that the more screens there were the less DO was present. The screens obstructed light so the more screens there were the more light that was obstructed. The respiration rate was calculated by calculating The DO of the Initial bottle minus the DO of the Dark bottle. So the respiration rate for the group data was the original value of Initial dissolved oxygen divided by 2 minus the DO of the Dark bottle, so 8.2/2 is equal to 4.1-0.0 which is equal to 4.1. The results were accurate because the average was derived from four different groups for part A and eight different groups for part B, performing the same experiments. There was expression for variability because the temperature among the groups were not exactly the same and the sources of error may have led to unwanted variability. Conclusion The results from part A support the hypothesis predicting that the relationship between temperature and dissolved oxygen would be an inverse relationship. Graph 1 shows that as the temperature increases the amount of DO decreases. The results from part B prove the hypothesis which states that there is a direct relationship between the amount of light an organism receives and the amount dissolved oxygen present. Graphs 2 shows that the more screens there were to obstruct light, the less the net productivity of DO there was. The net productivity shows the change over time in DO concentration from the initial. The results proved to be accurate and effectively showed the effects of temperature and light on dissolved oxygen. An error that occurred in the lab was that the bulbs were placed parallel to the tray which caused the light intensity to be varied affecting the amount of DO. Also the bottles may have been shaken while being filled allowing additional oxygen to enter. A third error could have been that the Winkler test may not have been performed quickly enough which maybe have allowed the temperature to be changed in the warm and cold bottles. This maybe have affected the amount of DO present. Also the dark bottle may not have been covered completely allowing light to be absorbed. This would also have affected the amount of DO. The cap may not have been screwed on all the way allowing oxygen to leak, affecting the DO. One improvement could be to place the bottles parallel to the tray so that each bottle receives the same amount of light. Another improvement could be to allow the DO to only accumulate for one day rather than for two. One possible extension is to measure the amount of DO produced at various depths in a lake. Another extension is to measure the affect in dissolved oxygen production if algae is supplied with nitrates and/or phosphates. Work Cited Biology lab manual for students,  2001,  New York: College Board Campbell, N.A., Reece, J. B., Mitchell, L.G. (1999).  Biology (5th ed.). Menlo Park:  Benjamin/Cummings. Dissolved Oxygen. (2007, December 7).  Retrieved from Water on the Web website:  http://www.waterontheweb.org/under/waterquality/oxygen.htm Dissolved Oxygen Water Quality Test Kit. (n.d).  Retrieved from LaMOTTE COMPANY website:  http://www.lamotte.com/pages/common/pdf/instruct/7414.pdf The Flow of Energy: Primary Production to Higher Trophic Levels. (2008, October 31).  Retrieved from University of Michigan website:  http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globalchange1/current/lectures/kling/energyflow/energyflow.html

Early Developments Of Narrative Cinema Film

Early Developments Of Narrative Cinema Film Using either two short films from films silent period (pre 1929), or one short film and an extract from a longer film (both of which should also be pre 1929) discuss what they can tell us about the early developments of narrative cinema. Early development of narrative cinema pre 1929 (silent films) Films have changed a great deal since the earliest productions in the silent era of around 1898 to around 1929, when the development of sound was conceived. Many advances in film have enhanced the viewing pleasure, from the almost alien productions created nearly a hundred years ago, for example Georges Melies Voyage to the Moon (1902), to the familiar films of our generation, such as James Camerons Avatar. This essay will discuss the changes made from a visual and aesthetic cinema to a structured narrative cinema. Also how films may have evolved in both plot and story, and also how the development of the narrative form changed, in some respects, films viewing purpose and audiences expectations. Analyzing why films which contain narratives and the ability to derive tension from their audience overtook the medium most popular at the time, the cinema of attractions, will help us to understand how films viewing changed. By comparing two very different silent films, Rescued by Rover (directed by Lewin Fitzhamon 1905) and Broken Blossoms (directed by D .W. Griffith 1919) one would expect to see a great many differences, not only technological (such as the length of the films, and editing advancements) but also such things as character development, and characters emotional drives along with the variety of devices which drive the narrative forward. Comparing the entirety of Rescued by Rover with just a short scene from Broken Blossoms will enable us to select the clear advances in narrative structure and understand their development from the simple action and consequence format to the in-depth emotional build up created by films made later during the silent film era. The early 1900s saw change and growth, in both the production of short films and the demand. Thomas Elsaesser discusses this notion in his book Early Cinema: Space, Frame, Narrative suggesting that 1905 saw the production of many stable permanent theaters being set up as well as the film industry trying to knit developments together, such as the first full film reel and a number of film theaters allowing the exchange of films as a means of distribution. These and other developments, took place in order to try and produce a stable industry. The introduction of films containing narratives has played a significant role in the popularity and production of films. Short silent films shown just before and during the very early 1900s did not focus on the need to tell a story as much, maybe because the development of film only really began a decade before. However, on March 22, 1895, in Paris, France, the Socià ©tà © dEncouragement à   lIndustrie Nationale (National Society for the Promotion of Industry) gathered to watch a film depicting factory workers leaving for their dinner hour, which although may seem primitive to an audience of today, must have been an impressive show and indeed an exciting step forward from the kinetoscope. The film, screened and viewed in front of an audience, was an innovation created by brothers Louis Lumià ¨re (1864-1948) and Auguste Lumià ¨re (1862-1954). Loius Lumiere made many short films which included, LArroseur arrose, known in English as The Gardener and the Bad Boy, which unlike the pr evious films contained a comic narrative structure. Joel. W. Finler in his book Silent Cinema: before the coming of sound, states that although shot from a fixed camera position, the picture demonstrates a sophisticated use of the film frame, suggesting that the film had previous planning and each frame had been structured for both characters so that they would fit nicely, showing early attempts to add to the film aesthetically. Rescued by Rover was made in 1905. It was directed by Cecil Hepworth and Lewin Fizhamon and the Hepworth manufacturing company was the production company. The short film is about a baby who is kidnapped by an old woman, but luckily the family collie rescues the baby. The film is very easy to follow, containing a variety of simple shots all helping the viewer to follow the narrative. The first shot is of the baby and the dog sitting quietly together, then the mother is seen wheeling the baby up a path in her pram, a nasty old woman approaches the mother begging, but the mother walks on, ignoring the old woman. In the next shot the mother is distracted by another man talking to her. They both chat while sneakily the old woman steals her precious baby. This is a simple example of films early jump to the narrative structure. In narrative it is all the events, both explicitly presented and inferred that make the story, an example of this is provided in Rescued by Rover. Three shots are used to set up the plot,( the baby and dog together, the mother pushing the baby the baby is taken.) followed by another sixteen shots showing Rover tracking down the child, these sixteen shots are repeated twice more to show, (in reverse) the dog returning home and then again when rover takes the father with him, however a forth repeat of the sequence is not shown (the dog, the father and the baby returning home together) and instead a shot of the kidnapper returning to her room, followed by a shot of the reunited family is provided. The film assumes that the audience does not need to see the Father, baby and dog returning home, but that the audience is able to identify that this was happening while the shot of the beggar woman returning to her house was shown. The films ability to involve itself with the audience and coherently lay each relevant characters plight, initiates an emotional response, such as sympathy for the baby and sorrow for the mother when she loses her baby. Films like The Gardener and the Bad Boy and Rescued by Rover are clear examples of why the demand for narrative films grew. Bernard F Dick discusses narrative films advance in his book Anatomy of Film, Fifth edition, saying the narrative film came about when film makers discovered the medium could do more than just record whatever was in front of the camera. The next step was not only to capture it but to re-create it; to show what could or might be; in other words to tell a story. This suggests that films such as Rescued by Rover and The Gardener and the Bad Boy where successful experiments in the field of narrative cinema and led to much more in-depth narrative films. Broken Blossoms, the film directed by D W Griffith, stands proudly among the greats of the silent film era, and unlike Rescued by Rover, uses intertitles. Bernard. F.Dick, in Anatomy of Film, discusses this notion when commenting, Printed material that appeared on the screen periodically during the course of the movie, the intertitle was one of the ways in which the silent filmmaker supplemented the narrative or clarified the action; it is also a reminder of films early dependence on printed word. D.W.Griffith used intertitles for a variety of purposes, not just to reproduce dialogue and identify characters. One clear difference in the two films, Rescued by Rover and Broken Blossoms, is the ability to develop a much more in-depth relationship between the character and the viewer. Broken Blossoms, contains both a larger plot and story opening up to a wider range of audiences, because of its variety in characters (the poor lost girl with what seems like no hope, and the wandering Chinese man whose fame and respect are as nothing in a cruel foreign world.) Broken Blossoms also uses different advances in camera work: to better tell a story, such as the scene in which the poor girls ghastly father finds her sleeping in the Chinese mans bed, the scene cuts backwards and forwards from shots of the fathers face getting more and more angry, to the girl becoming more and more scared shot and the scene is edited correctly for convincing continuity, and the correct level of tension has been created. However D.W.Griffith has allowed for emotion to be displayed though characters actions as well, inste ad of only using Intertitles in the scene where the father discovers Lucy in the Chinese mans room, such as You! with a dirty chink! and Taint nothin wrong! Taint nothin wrong! I fell down in the doorway and it wasnt nothin wrong! Different shots are given to display the emotions of the father and Lucy, several close up shots of both Lucy and the father are provided. The tension is built up by the shots of their faces getting closer and closer until the audience is shown an extreme close up of their eyes, this serves to drive the plot and create emotional response from the viewers. From viewing early silent films and analyzing both Rescued by Rover and Broken Blossoms, one conclusion dominates above others: the progression narrative film has taken in film makers ability to tell a story, from a simple plot such as a dog saving a baby, to the elaborate plot of Broken Blossoms and its Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet-esc plot, filled with emotionally provoking moments. The development of a simple narrative working within a film has enabled us to make, and watch films with far more complex narratives. The simple narrative films of the past have paved the way for the future and the coming of sound and colour, bringing films to life with a vivid and beautifully developed mode of story telling.

Essay on Spirituality in the Works of Linda Brent, Toni Morrison, and Sapphire :: compare and contrast essay examples

Inclusive Spirituality in the Works of Linda Brent, Toni Morrison, and Sapphire - Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Song of Solomon, and Push      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What would it be like to be torn from your home and sent so far away you could never return? And what would it be like to have your history stripped from you, your name discarded, and your own religion replaced with one that had few, if any, ties to your previous life? When slaves were brought to America they were taken from all they had known and forced to live in a land of dark irony that, while promising life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, provided them with only misery. In a situation such as the one in which the slaves found themselves, many people would rely on their religion to help them survive. But would slaves be able to find spiritual comfort within the parameters of a religion that had been passed on to them from the slaveholders? In each of the three texts "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl," Song of Solomon, and Push, African-Americans struggle to find a spirituality that is responsive to their needs and that encompasses their experiences i n a way that the religion of the dominant culture does not.    Of the three texts to be examined, Linda Brent's Autobiography, "Incidents," most explicitly shows the inability of the dominant culture's religion to fulfill the needs of the minority. From the tone of her story, one realizes that Brent felt "true Christianity," if it could be found, might comfort the slaves and fulfill their needs. But Brent also felt that slavery created a paradox which made "true Christianity" impossible.    Many times in her text Brent points out the irony that, as slaveholders, the masters treat their slaves as property; yet, as Christians, they should treat them as humans. For example, Brent's mother's mistress promises that Brent and her siblings will "never suffer for any thing" (343). Brent assumes that this means they will be given their freedom when the mistress dies; however, they are not freed but passed along as property. Brent says that her mistress taught her the biblical principles that she should treat others as she would wish to be treated, and that she should adhere to the biblical commandment to "love thy neighbor as thyself," but then she pointedly adds, "But I was her slave, and I suppose she did not recognize me as her neighbor"(344).

Kurt Vonnegut - The Man and His Work :: Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut – The Man and His Work One of the best, most valuable aspects of reading multiple works by the same author is getting to know the author as a person. People don't identify with Gregor Samsa; they identify with Kafka. Witness the love exhibited by the many fans of Hemingway, a love for both the texts and the drama of the man. It's like that for me with Kurt Vonnegut, but it strikes me that he pulls it off in an entirely different way. Kafka's work is a reaction to his mental anguish, which is kind of like Vonnegut, who has dealt with the bulk of his personal hardships throughout his career, but those hardships are not his sole motivation. And, while he's lead an interesting life, it doesn't seem nearly as dramatic or romantic as Hemingway's. Plus, Vonnegut is much more overt than either of the two about his authorial involvement in his work. But what really forces Vonnegut to impose his presence on the text is his complete inability to remove himself at all from the act of communication at the core of any work of literature. He revels in that involvement. He has mentioned his desire, what he implies is a universal need of all human beings, for some "soul-deep fun." He uses this term as a synonym for greatness. And this has lead to some nasty comments in fiction workshops about stories that I've written: complaints of flat characters, cartoonish plotlines, non-directed criticism, overall pessimism and over-sentimentality for all things lowbrow. Needless to say, sometimes I feel, to varying degrees of pretension, like Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. was born on November 11, 1922, in Indianapolis, Indiana to Kurt Vonnegut, Sr. and Edith Lieber Vonnegut. He had an older brother named Bernard and an older sister named Alice. Kurt, Sr. was a well-known architect in the city and Edith was the daughter of a wealthy local family. The Vonneguts had been in Indianapolis for several generations, and were well-off, respected members of the community. Unlike the characters in most of his books, Vonnegut's early childhood was extremely privileged. It wasn't until the stock market crash of 1929 that he experienced the type of life that he would go on to write about in the future: the middle Middle Class. This was devastating to his family. According to Understanding Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. the depression moved in and made itself at home in the Vonnegut household.

Disc Evaluation

The Steadiness Style, as compared to the four major behavioral styles – dominant, interactive, and cautious styles – are known to be the most considerate and compassionate individuals when it comes to building relationships and being involved with other individuals. The Steadiness Styles are dependable people because individuals will be able to engage in an open and trusting conversation with them. They listen and empathize with other people. Moreover, the Steadiness Styles’ care and compassion for other people may be observed by their steadfastness as friends and their dedication and trustworthiness when it comes to their career.Due to this exceptional consideration of other people, and their cool and composed personality that makes them amicable and easy to talk to, they are also able to gain friends and acquaintances that will treat them in the same way that they do other people. This allows them to build solid relationships with other people. This characteris tic may be observed when you look at their personal belongings. Their valuing of other people is perceptible because they keep pictures of individuals who they care for. Being people-oriented, involvement with other people becomes their motivation to do. The Steadiness Styles are not comfortable with change.They cannot cope up with change as easily as other behavioral styles can. Changes and disorders strain them out making them perturbed. They are more inclined to be able to cope with change through a slow and premeditated transition. Change should be done gradually, with careful preparation, and little by little they will be able to get used to new situations and environments. This kind of attitude may be attributed to the Steadiness Styles’ never-ending quest for stability. In addition, these styles value equilibrium. When faced with conflicts and arguments, they choose to become agreeable to avoid dispute.Another dominant and observable quality of the Steadiness styles is their capability to work well within a group. They are dependable and trustworthy teammates who are accepting of their roles and duties as a part of team. Due to their stable and balanced nature, they approach work with orderliness through careful and thorough planning. They carry out even the most difficult plans because of their determination and passion for their vocation. Their ability to work well with a group may affect the way they make decisions because they always ask the opinions, proposals, and suggestions of other people.This is primarily because of their apprehensions regarding change and imbalance. Steadiness Styles: Strengths and Weaknesses Overall, the strengths of the Steadiness Styles are observed in their ability to listen intently and attentively to other people. This allows them to work well within a team because they are not set in their ways. They are genuinely concerned about other people making individuals feel valued and supported by them. Their ability to work with a team is also one of their strong points, especially when it is applied in the workplace.Teamwork is highly significant in organizations due to the amount of work being asked for and the variety and quantity of work assigned to employees. This reinforces another characteristic, which is reliability. Their listening skills and their being a team player makes them reliable individuals. Persistence and diligence is also one important character traits that make the Steadiness Styles’ personality impressive. Carrying out their roles and responsibilities is not enough. The Steadiness Styles are also skilled and motivated to follow-through. Another valuable strength of the Steadiness Styles is their ability to think logically.This is most significant in the workplace where the working environment is highly dependent on organization. They are good planners. They think things through before making decisions. One good thing about them being a good planner is that they are a ble to map out the entire process, outweigh the benefits and the risks, generalize or make conclusions, before carrying out the plan. And when they do carry out their carefully made plan, they do it with doggedness and resolve. Moreover, they look through the process entirely even after the plan is carried out completely.They are able to evaluate and assess the plan, the process of implementation, and the results concluded from the plan. This is also highly important in organizational teamwork. Although the strengths of the Steadiness Styles allow them to become valuable members of a team or to start meaningful relationships with other people, they also have weaknesses which may disrupt their way of life. These weaknesses are often rooted from their fear of change and instability. Because of this fear, the Steadiness Styles are not able to initiate goals or plans for the future, except for their personal aspirations of achieving stability and security.They are afraid of taking risks and the consequences that might arise from changes or from decisions. They always have to think it through for longer periods of time, and due to their strong bonds with other people, they always have to consult individuals before making decisions. This oversensitivity is a source of their failure to move forward or to explore new prospects and discover even greater opportunities and possibilities. Indecisiveness is one of their major weaknesses. Furthermore, the Steadiness Styles are unable to deal with relentless or persuasive change.They have to go through the process of thinking the situation through. After this, they would have to create a plan on how to go about the changes. Adapting to new situations and environments take time. This kind of attitude may hinder them from following trends, especially in the workplace. This does not permit them from going with the flow because they are always resistant of change. When Steadiness Styles are under stress, they tend to become comp liant and dependent individuals. They become passive because they do not want to get involved with conflicts.Therefore, the Steadiness Styles become in accord with people and situations even if they do not agree with other people’s opinions or ideas, or even the situation they are in. In this case, changes in relationships and environments are avoided by being submissive although suffering from discomfort. Their dependency to other people is also one of their weaknesses. Although it is not particularly harming to their way of life, the security that they get from gaining approval from other people is not permanent. They should be able to gain self-assurance and security from within, rather than from other people.Agree or Disagree? Reading the DISC Platinum Rule Assessment is a very stimulating experience. It allowed me to see who I am tangibly. Some people, including myself, are somewhat confused of who they are and are unable to understand why they behave or act in a particu lar way. The DISC Platinum Rule Assessment affirmed who I am as a person because I became aware of who I really am and why I do the things or act the way I do. As I was reading through the pages of the assessment, I began reminiscing significant parts of my life and amazingly enough, I found myself agreeing to everything that the assessment was explicating.There were some points in my life where I was hesitant of making decisions because I was afraid of what the consequences may be. Moreover, I find comfort in being involved with other people and I easily connect and build relationships with them. With this in mind, I would have to say that the DISC Platinum Rule Assessment was successful in mapping out my personality and also providing me with insights on how I can handle stressful situations and also how to help change my personality by turning my weaknesses into strengths.

Stalin: Movie Review

Yousef Khalil Modern World History Research Paper Stalin Hollywood seems to portray most of the historical movies it produces inaccurately in order for them to sell. Movie producers twist the original story and make up some facts, translated into scenes, which would attract the audience to a particular movie. But should we blame Hollywood, or the audience for being less aware of our history, and just pay to watch movies for the sake of entertainment, not caring on how historically inaccurate it is?The idea of historical events literally being rewritten for the sake of an almost fictional retelling is something that can be regarded as controversial, but the fact of the matter is that Hollywood and film writers will always be able to take a historical story and spice it up simply for the sake of creating drama and subsequent revenue as a result. These films often contain the â€Å"based on a true story† message, but as long as it is not actually classed as a factual film, there is essentially nothing wrong with taking a historical event an re-telling it for the sake of a film.Not every event in history contained enough drama to be made into a film, but as long as the general basis of the event had the potential to create drama. Hollywood will always be able to take the story and make it into a blockbuster masterpiece just as they have done in the past and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future. As long as they continue to do so, the concept is something that will continue to be shrouded in controversy from both historical enthusiasts and film critics alike. Stalin (1992) was the movie of my choice that I think has the closest historically accurate content than any other movie.Narrated by Stalin's daughter Svetlana, this begins with Stalin joining Lenin and the Bolsheviks in their fight against the government, eventually setting up their own government themselves. Most of his biography is well known to us, however this movie brings out the chara cter of Stalin as a psycho villain who did not trust a single person, not even his associates, and took extreme measures to exterminate all of them. His ego and paranoia alienated him from his friends and his family, even to the point where his wife Nadya (Julia Ormond) commits suicide and young Svetlana hates him.But in the end, he does not change, and this leads to his downfall and death. This movie really wasn’t a cinema film, but a television movie that wasn’t going to play neither in theaters nor around the world, which might count for something. This film would have been ruined by a big studio production. There is no way to â€Å"Hollywoodize† Josef Stalin. He was perhaps the worst and most brutal tyrant of the 20th century. Estimates range from 20-40 million deaths he was responsible for (Rummel, 2006) He was in no way a nice man. In him there was not an ounce of decency, only a vast void of feeling that Robert Duvall conveyed very well.The film itself al most seemed hollow or lifeless at times, and generally moved slowly. Passer's meticulous method pays off, however, with powerful performances from Plowright, Schell, and Ormond complimenting Duvall's brilliance. My whole point is Duvall is â€Å"Stalin’s† embodiment. This film is historically excellent. What most reviewers seem hung up on are accents, make-up and costumes. Most comment that it is historically inaccurate but give nothing very specific. The film is a broad overview of the life of Stalin and could never include every element of his life.All the important historical is there: the Revolution, the power struggle between Trotsky and Stalin, Stalin's rise to power, The great famines, The Great Purges and WWII. The film gives great insight into Stalin and the paranoia that he experienced and how that paranoia influenced the way he ruled over the Soviet Union. Many of the other characters were somewhat glossed over, but the film is essentially about Stalin and w hat made him tick, not about the intricate backgrounds of other revolutionaries and supporters. If the viewers don't come away from the film thinking what a bastard Stalin was, then they simply missed the point.The way that he treated his family, friends and so-called counterrevolutionaries is illustrated correctly in this film. The end of the film brings up a very important question that I think many previous reviewers had difficulty with. Fact: under Stalin the Soviet Union industrialized to levels never seen before. With industrialization, this could enable the USSR to compete in the world on par with the US. It would also lead to the development of a nuclear and hydrogen bomb, on par with the US (Brainerd, 2002). The film brings up the critical question of whether or not Stalin was necessary for the USSR.That is a powerful and thought provoking question that one carries away from this film. Any film that lingers in the viewers mind and makes them think has merit. Is it a perfect film? No. Is it historically inaccurate to merit throwing it away? Absolutely not. Robert Duvall does an excellent and convincing job of portraying a monster. But this is one of the rare biopics that offers fewer opinions and more facts. Over three hours long, the movie covers the dictator's life from his exile in Siberia, when he took the name Stalin, up to his death in 1953.It does not try to feature the then world politics and even contemporary Russia as a whole, nor does it waste further screen time on the social reaction to Stalin's policies too much. It features Stalin and only Stalin. It focuses exclusively on his personal life (naturally, since the movie is narrated by his daughter Svetlana) and his take on the fellow comrades of the party. The filmmakers remain more-or-less true to the facts, giving neither imaginative shock moments nor just plain history. Stalin’s wife committed suicide, which made me think whether that affected him psychologically later on.It is h ard to know what effect did the death of Stalin’s wife had on him. Clearly the film needed an overarching plot structure to attempt an explanation of a complex man. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get inside Stalin's head. If anything, the man was driven by hatred and little else, a hatred that is difficult to articulate, but which was at least admirably displayed in the film. The portrayals of Stalin's wife and some of his associates were less convincing. This is the fault of the script or the direction or both, not the actors.For example, Stalin's second wife Nadya was not quite the principled heroine seen here who apparently took her own life because she saw no other escape from the evil that her husband was bringing to the country. The real Nadya brought some of her own problems to her marriage and these contributed to her death. (Marsolais, 2010) Bukharin, wretched in his final weeks, may have been the best of them but that was saying little. He was not quite the nobl e, tragic ‘swan' portrayed. He was prone to hysterics, about his own problems primarily. The suffering millions could suffer as long as he was approved of.During his final imprisonment, Bukharin wrote to Stalin offering to do anything, put his name to anything, if only Stalin would be his â€Å"friend† again. (Marsolais, 2010) Stalin takes all the heat and deserves plenty, but many of the rest of the people around him seem like innocents, fooled by him, finding out too late that they were caught up in his evil and were either corrupted or destroyed by it. But Stalin, like Hitler and any other dictator, was only possible because those around him saw advantage for themselves in supporting him. If there's a problem with this film it's that it lets some of Stalin's minions off the hook.It settles for extremes: Stalin and his chiefs of secret police on the one hand, and the good or loyal but naive on the other. But the only innocents were the people of the former Soviet Unio n, those far from power whose lives were destroyed according to the requirements of a command economy. So many deaths and so many slaves were required from every walk of life, like so many tons of iron, to meet quotas. They are acknowledged in the film's dedication. Those around Stalin, however, were all up to their elbows in blood just as he was, obsessed with their own positions, Bukharin, Zinoviev, and Kamenev included.This is perhaps something to bear in mind in watching a generally excellent and historically accurate film. When evaluating Stalin, I think of it in comparison to Nixon, another biopic with similar scope and ambition. And, quite honestly, this film comes out streets ahead, for one single reason: it tries to explain what Stalin was, but not ‘why’ he was like it. There is no feeble psychoanalysis, no looking inside his mind, and no needless and questionable reconstructions of his own self-reflections. What you see in this movie is the director's interpre tation of what you might have seen if you'd followed Stalin around.He gives you the dots. You can then join them by drawing your own conclusions. It works because Duvall is fantastic at Stalin, both in terms of appearance, voice characterization, and his general manner. Having read about Stalin for some years, I had no trouble accepting that the man on the screen was the ‘Man of Steel'. The film is essentially reconstructed from the diaries of Stalin's daughter, Nadya, and therefore some aspects are historically questionable. But as historic epics go it follows the research and convention thinking quite closely; it doesn't digress into wild peculation like Stone, and doesn't propagandize either. It does make the error of dichotomizing characters into ‘good' and ‘bad' – Bukharin, for example, is portrayed as something of a great man in this film, then again, that seems to be the standard modus operandi of historical films these days. The biggest problem anyon e making a film about a tyrant will face, is exactly how much they know (or don't know) about the atrocities their regimes commit, and to what extent do they get involved: do they sit, aloof, like Hitler at Bertchesgarten. Or do they lead slaughter brigades like Amin?Stalin seems to be quite detached from it all, even when on a train travelling through the freezing, starving villages of the steppes. A rabid paranoia about being overthrown, a distrust of others, and a fierce, almost inhumane determination to meet goals were at the core of Stalin's despotism. People meant little to Stalin: they were expendable, disposable and unreliable, even his wife and children, and this idea comes through loud and clear in this well put together and quite entertaining biographical epic. Stalin appeals as a protagonist in the first years of his Soviet leadership.The film portrays him as an outcast, but one who is a firm follower of Lenin and communism. One event after another pushes him up the Sovi et leadership ladder, until he becomes the â€Å"feared leader of Russia. † What truly stirs the emotions of the viewer is how he betrays his friends and family in his fight for leadership. He purges the nation of anti-Stalinist politicians, executing many of his best friends cold-heartedly in the process. In the end, Stalin is a monumental device of terror, the funeral scene at the conclusion of the film drips with irony.Stalin appeals as a protagonist in the first years of his Soviet leadership. The film portrays him as an outcast, but one who is a firm follower of Lenin and communism. One event after another pushes him up the Soviet leadership ladder, until he becomes the â€Å"feared leader of Russia. † What truly stirs the emotions of the viewer is how he betrays his friends and family in his fight for leadership. He purges the nation of anti-Stalinistic politicians, executing many of his best friends cold-heartedly in the process. In the end, Stalin is a monument al device of terror.Works Cited: Brainerd, Elizabeth. Reassessing the standard of living in the Soviet Union: an analysis using archival and anthropometric data. London: Centre for Economic Policy Research, 2006. â€Å"How Many Did Stalin Really Murder? † The Distributed Republic. 09 Dec. 2010 ;lt;http://www. distributedrepublic. net/archives/2006/05/01/how-many-did-stalin-really-murder/;gt;. Marsolais, By Jesse. â€Å"Facing Up to Stalin – Magazine – The Atlantic. † The Atlantic — News and analysis on politics, business, culture, technology, national, international, and food – TheAtlantic. com. 09 Dec. 2010 ;lt;http://www. theatlantic. com/magazine/archive/2004/07/facing-up-to-stalin/3390/;gt;. Stalin: Movie Review Yousef Khalil Modern World History Research Paper Stalin Hollywood seems to portray most of the historical movies it produces inaccurately in order for them to sell. Movie producers twist the original story and make up some facts, translated into scenes, which would attract the audience to a particular movie. But should we blame Hollywood, or the audience for being less aware of our history, and just pay to watch movies for the sake of entertainment, not caring on how historically inaccurate it is?The idea of historical events literally being rewritten for the sake of an almost fictional retelling is something that can be regarded as controversial, but the fact of the matter is that Hollywood and film writers will always be able to take a historical story and spice it up simply for the sake of creating drama and subsequent revenue as a result. These films often contain the â€Å"based on a true story† message, but as long as it is not actually classed as a factual film, there is essentially nothing wrong with taking a historical event an re-telling it for the sake of a film.Not every event in history contained enough drama to be made into a film, but as long as the general basis of the event had the potential to create drama. Hollywood will always be able to take the story and make it into a blockbuster masterpiece just as they have done in the past and will continue to do so into the foreseeable future. As long as they continue to do so, the concept is something that will continue to be shrouded in controversy from both historical enthusiasts and film critics alike. Stalin (1992) was the movie of my choice that I think has the closest historically accurate content than any other movie.Narrated by Stalin's daughter Svetlana, this begins with Stalin joining Lenin and the Bolsheviks in their fight against the government, eventually setting up their own government themselves. Most of his biography is well known to us, however this movie brings out the chara cter of Stalin as a psycho villain who did not trust a single person, not even his associates, and took extreme measures to exterminate all of them. His ego and paranoia alienated him from his friends and his family, even to the point where his wife Nadya (Julia Ormond) commits suicide and young Svetlana hates him.But in the end, he does not change, and this leads to his downfall and death. This movie really wasn’t a cinema film, but a television movie that wasn’t going to play neither in theaters nor around the world, which might count for something. This film would have been ruined by a big studio production. There is no way to â€Å"Hollywoodize† Josef Stalin. He was perhaps the worst and most brutal tyrant of the 20th century. Estimates range from 20-40 million deaths he was responsible for (Rummel, 2006) He was in no way a nice man. In him there was not an ounce of decency, only a vast void of feeling that Robert Duvall conveyed very well.The film itself al most seemed hollow or lifeless at times, and generally moved slowly. Passer's meticulous method pays off, however, with powerful performances from Plowright, Schell, and Ormond complimenting Duvall's brilliance. My whole point is Duvall is â€Å"Stalin’s† embodiment. This film is historically excellent. What most reviewers seem hung up on are accents, make-up and costumes. Most comment that it is historically inaccurate but give nothing very specific. The film is a broad overview of the life of Stalin and could never include every element of his life.All the important historical is there: the Revolution, the power struggle between Trotsky and Stalin, Stalin's rise to power, The great famines, The Great Purges and WWII. The film gives great insight into Stalin and the paranoia that he experienced and how that paranoia influenced the way he ruled over the Soviet Union. Many of the other characters were somewhat glossed over, but the film is essentially about Stalin and w hat made him tick, not about the intricate backgrounds of other revolutionaries and supporters. If the viewers don't come away from the film thinking what a bastard Stalin was, then they simply missed the point.The way that he treated his family, friends and so-called counterrevolutionaries is illustrated correctly in this film. The end of the film brings up a very important question that I think many previous reviewers had difficulty with. Fact: under Stalin the Soviet Union industrialized to levels never seen before. With industrialization, this could enable the USSR to compete in the world on par with the US. It would also lead to the development of a nuclear and hydrogen bomb, on par with the US (Brainerd, 2002). The film brings up the critical question of whether or not Stalin was necessary for the USSR.That is a powerful and thought provoking question that one carries away from this film. Any film that lingers in the viewers mind and makes them think has merit. Is it a perfect film? No. Is it historically inaccurate to merit throwing it away? Absolutely not. Robert Duvall does an excellent and convincing job of portraying a monster. But this is one of the rare biopics that offers fewer opinions and more facts. Over three hours long, the movie covers the dictator's life from his exile in Siberia, when he took the name Stalin, up to his death in 1953.It does not try to feature the then world politics and even contemporary Russia as a whole, nor does it waste further screen time on the social reaction to Stalin's policies too much. It features Stalin and only Stalin. It focuses exclusively on his personal life (naturally, since the movie is narrated by his daughter Svetlana) and his take on the fellow comrades of the party. The filmmakers remain more-or-less true to the facts, giving neither imaginative shock moments nor just plain history. Stalin’s wife committed suicide, which made me think whether that affected him psychologically later on.It is h ard to know what effect did the death of Stalin’s wife had on him. Clearly the film needed an overarching plot structure to attempt an explanation of a complex man. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get inside Stalin's head. If anything, the man was driven by hatred and little else, a hatred that is difficult to articulate, but which was at least admirably displayed in the film. The portrayals of Stalin's wife and some of his associates were less convincing. This is the fault of the script or the direction or both, not the actors.For example, Stalin's second wife Nadya was not quite the principled heroine seen here who apparently took her own life because she saw no other escape from the evil that her husband was bringing to the country. The real Nadya brought some of her own problems to her marriage and these contributed to her death. (Marsolais, 2010) Bukharin, wretched in his final weeks, may have been the best of them but that was saying little. He was not quite the nobl e, tragic ‘swan' portrayed. He was prone to hysterics, about his own problems primarily. The suffering millions could suffer as long as he was approved of.During his final imprisonment, Bukharin wrote to Stalin offering to do anything, put his name to anything, if only Stalin would be his â€Å"friend† again. (Marsolais, 2010) Stalin takes all the heat and deserves plenty, but many of the rest of the people around him seem like innocents, fooled by him, finding out too late that they were caught up in his evil and were either corrupted or destroyed by it. But Stalin, like Hitler and any other dictator, was only possible because those around him saw advantage for themselves in supporting him. If there's a problem with this film it's that it lets some of Stalin's minions off the hook.It settles for extremes: Stalin and his chiefs of secret police on the one hand, and the good or loyal but naive on the other. But the only innocents were the people of the former Soviet Unio n, those far from power whose lives were destroyed according to the requirements of a command economy. So many deaths and so many slaves were required from every walk of life, like so many tons of iron, to meet quotas. They are acknowledged in the film's dedication. Those around Stalin, however, were all up to their elbows in blood just as he was, obsessed with their own positions, Bukharin, Zinoviev, and Kamenev included.This is perhaps something to bear in mind in watching a generally excellent and historically accurate film. When evaluating Stalin, I think of it in comparison to Nixon, another biopic with similar scope and ambition. And, quite honestly, this film comes out streets ahead, for one single reason: it tries to explain what Stalin was, but not ‘why’ he was like it. There is no feeble psychoanalysis, no looking inside his mind, and no needless and questionable reconstructions of his own self-reflections. What you see in this movie is the director's interpre tation of what you might have seen if you'd followed Stalin around.He gives you the dots. You can then join them by drawing your own conclusions. It works because Duvall is fantastic at Stalin, both in terms of appearance, voice characterization, and his general manner. Having read about Stalin for some years, I had no trouble accepting that the man on the screen was the ‘Man of Steel'. The film is essentially reconstructed from the diaries of Stalin's daughter, Nadya, and therefore some aspects are historically questionable. But as historic epics go it follows the research and convention thinking quite closely; it doesn't digress into wild peculation like Stone, and doesn't propagandize either. It does make the error of dichotomizing characters into ‘good' and ‘bad' – Bukharin, for example, is portrayed as something of a great man in this film, then again, that seems to be the standard modus operandi of historical films these days. The biggest problem anyon e making a film about a tyrant will face, is exactly how much they know (or don't know) about the atrocities their regimes commit, and to what extent do they get involved: do they sit, aloof, like Hitler at Bertchesgarten. Or do they lead slaughter brigades like Amin?Stalin seems to be quite detached from it all, even when on a train travelling through the freezing, starving villages of the steppes. A rabid paranoia about being overthrown, a distrust of others, and a fierce, almost inhumane determination to meet goals were at the core of Stalin's despotism. People meant little to Stalin: they were expendable, disposable and unreliable, even his wife and children, and this idea comes through loud and clear in this well put together and quite entertaining biographical epic. Stalin appeals as a protagonist in the first years of his Soviet leadership.The film portrays him as an outcast, but one who is a firm follower of Lenin and communism. One event after another pushes him up the Sovi et leadership ladder, until he becomes the â€Å"feared leader of Russia. † What truly stirs the emotions of the viewer is how he betrays his friends and family in his fight for leadership. He purges the nation of anti-Stalinist politicians, executing many of his best friends cold-heartedly in the process. In the end, Stalin is a monumental device of terror, the funeral scene at the conclusion of the film drips with irony.Stalin appeals as a protagonist in the first years of his Soviet leadership. The film portrays him as an outcast, but one who is a firm follower of Lenin and communism. One event after another pushes him up the Soviet leadership ladder, until he becomes the â€Å"feared leader of Russia. † What truly stirs the emotions of the viewer is how he betrays his friends and family in his fight for leadership. He purges the nation of anti-Stalinistic politicians, executing many of his best friends cold-heartedly in the process. In the end, Stalin is a monument al device of terror.Works Cited: Brainerd, Elizabeth. Reassessing the standard of living in the Soviet Union: an analysis using archival and anthropometric data. London: Centre for Economic Policy Research, 2006. â€Å"How Many Did Stalin Really Murder? † The Distributed Republic. 09 Dec. 2010 ;lt;http://www. distributedrepublic. net/archives/2006/05/01/how-many-did-stalin-really-murder/;gt;. Marsolais, By Jesse. â€Å"Facing Up to Stalin – Magazine – The Atlantic. † The Atlantic — News and analysis on politics, business, culture, technology, national, international, and food – TheAtlantic. com. 09 Dec. 2010 ;lt;http://www. theatlantic. com/magazine/archive/2004/07/facing-up-to-stalin/3390/;gt;.