The eNotes Blog This Is Not My Hat Wins the 2013 CaldecottMedal

This Is Not My Hat Wins the 2013 CaldecottMedal A couple of years ago, I was going about my Sunday chores and listening to NPRs  Weekend Edition  with Scott Simon.   A writer of childrens books myself and a lover of childrens literature in general, my ears always perk up when Daniel Pinkwater comes on the show to discuss a new childrens book.   The one he selected for this program was I Want My Hat Back  by Jon Klassen. I was captivated by the deceptively simple story and delighted in Simon and Pinkwaters animated reading of the book and their descriptions of Klaussens illustrations.   It seemed to me to strike the right balance of humor and a bit of angst, just right for the 4-to-8 year old set.   (You can listen to that broadcast here.) Of course, I wasnt alone in my delight. Klaussens book went on to become a #1 New York Times bestseller, winning a place on its list of Best Books of 2011, and also nabbing the Theodore Geisel Honor (Dr. Seuss) that same year as well. This year, Klaussen followed his runaway hit with  This Is Not My Hat,  and again found popular and critical success, ultimately winning the Caldecott Award, the highest honor for an illustrated childrens book.   In this story, a tiny fish comes upon a round top hat which fits him perfectlyand all will be well, unless the enormous fish to whom it belongs wakes up. Hats and childrens books have a long history.   Here are some examples which you might also recall fondly: Curious George (Original Edition) by H.A. Rey   Caps for Sale  by Esphyr Slobodkina Madeline and the Bad Hat  by Ludwig Bemelmans Go, Dog, Go!  by P.D. Eastman

Inherit the Wind Essay

Inherit the Wind Essay Inherit the Wind Essay Movie Summary on the Movie Inherit the Wind Movies and films in general have been used to relay different kinds of information to different audiences in an attempt to ensure that people are able to get a certain message within which the producers and the makers of the film generally have in mind. It is a way of entertaining while at the same time, relay different kinds of information to the different people who might be in need of the same. It is not in line to indicate or assume the fact that a movie or film could be used for entertainment purposes only. The film inherit the wind was a piece of rather ingenious creation of Stanley Krame who was the overall director of the film. He sought to look into the misfortune of a science teacher (Bert Cates) who was charged and subsequently convicted of teaching the theory of evolution as according to Charles Darwin in Hillsboro located in Tennessee. This film covers more than the entertainment part of which most of the films are to cover and provides for a scenario whereby there are differences that exist whereby the freedom to inquire is generally challenged with the dogmatic thoughts which were present at that time. It goes on to accurately depict what used to happen during the early ages and time and subsequently look into the issues which dealt with the right to information and the subjects within which people were to teach and relay as information. In the film, the teacher is arrested while teaching in class and is subsequently convicted of the crime as the teaching on Darwin’s theory of evolution was not allowed. One of the major themes noticed in the plot of the movie is the right to information. There is clear depiction that the information within which people were supposed to have was limited as people were only able to have part of the information which was seen to be appropriate. The teacher was not allowed to relay this information as it was seen to be inappropriate for the audience which comprised of students in a class of history. The church, seen as the epicenter of the community was clearly unshaken when it came to the issue of which it considered the whole theory of evolution to be ungodly. The state on the other hand did not consider it to be so and thus the reason as to why there was a tussle between the two with a presidential candidate and a founder of ACLU. This therefore raises another important question which dealt with morality and the law. The church considered it to be immoral while the state was of a contrary opinion. Therefore while looking into the issue one would be forced to ask themselves whether what is morally accepted should just be the law or there should be some form of scrutiny done to establish what could amount to the law. The very nature of the fact that the church considered teaching of the theory to be immoral and did not want the children to be exposed to the same did not mean that the law necessarily advocated for the same. This was an issue which was considered to be quite weighty as different philosophers had different views on what constitutes law and whether what is generally accepted could be said to constitute law. Such were Aristotle who was a naturalist, Plato and others. The movie thus seeks to put into perspective the differing views which were present. writing company can provide you with a high-quality custom essay paper on any movie you need. Order custom essays written by professional writers.

Economic Issue Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Economic Issue - Assignment Example In other words, as competition increases in the market, the cost of labor becomes of essence. Considering that the discriminatory employers would go for particular employees who necessarily do not guarantee the least cost of labor, the result is that their business is likely to have higher labor costs as compared to businesses of non-discriminatory employers. Eventually, labor discrimination will decline as business which discriminate find it hard to operate in a competitive market where cost of labor plays a critical role. Employer discrimination may still persist despite efforts to break down barriers and introduce competition for two main reasons. First, it is almost impractical to create perfectly competitive markets. This is based evidenced by the decade long continuity of labor market discrimination in high-income countries. As regards to developing counties, monopolistic power is quite of essence, which permits indulgence in market discrimination. Secondly, even though competition lives on in virtually all markets, it is not by itself a sufficient reason for the elimination of discrimination. Therefore, market discrimination in a competitive market will still exists as long as all the employers have a taste for

Should education be regarded as a public good or merit good Essay

Should education be regarded as a public good or merit good - Essay Example It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace." (art.26 - Universal Declaration of Human Rights) This is a research paper to find out if education falls under public good or merit good. For this purpose it is important to define public good or merit good. A public good in economics can be defined as a good that is non-rival which means consumption of the good by one individual does not reduce the amount of the good available for consumption by others (Varian, 1992). The term public good is often used to refer to goods that are non-excludable which means that it is not possible to exclude individuals from the good's consumption. If we take an example of a sweet, if it is consumed by a person it is not available for another person. Where as fresh air and clean drinking water may be considered a public good as it is not generally possible to prevent people from breathing and drinking it (Wikipedia, 2007a). There are very few absolutely public goods, but common examples include law, parks, street-lighting, defence, traffic light, etc. The theory of public goods was first developed by the economist Paul A. Samuelson. In his classic paper The Pure Theory of Public Expenditure published in the year 1954 he defined a public good as follows: ...[goods] which all enjoy in common in the sense that each individual's consumption of such a good leads to no subtractions from any other individual's consumption of that good... (Samuelson, 387-389) In other words public goods are those products where, for any given output, consumption by additional consumers does not reduce the quantity consumed by existing consumers. Since there is no marginal cost involved in producing the public goods, it is commonly thought that they must be provided free of charge. In other words those who benefit less than the cost of using the public good will not use it which will lead to a loss of welfare. Public goods are mostly non-excludable, which means that if once provided anyone can use them, which when charged will lead to "free-riding". This is the reason that these goods will not be provided by free market. However, the public pays a price through the taxes paid to the government (ieg.ee, N.D.). A merit good is defined as a good that is under-consumed if provided by the market mechanism. The main reason for this is individuals take into consideration how the good benefits them as an individual. They do not consider the benefits that consumption generates for others in society. In pure economic terms, this is because the positive externalities of the good are not internalized by consumers. A merit good is a product that society values and judges that each and every individual should have it regardless of whether an individual wants it or not (Wikipedia, 2007b). Merit goods are products that are generally not distributed by means of the price system, but based on merit or need of the society. These goods can be supplied by free market, but not on the right quantity. They are provided by state as "good for you" (ieg.ee, N.D.). Should education be considered as a public good or a merit good Traditionally, in many parts of the world

Relational Calculus Essay Example for Free

Relational Calculus Essay Introduction Procedural Query language query specification involves giving a step by step process of obtaining the query result e.g., relational algebra usage calls for detailed knowledge of the operators involved difficult for the use of non-experts Declarative Query language query specification involves giving the logical conditions the results are required to satisfy easy for the use of non-experts Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM. 1 TRC – a declarative query language Tuple variable – associated with a relation ( called the range relation ) †¢ takes tuples from the range relation as its values †¢ t: tuple variable over relation r with scheme R(A,B,C ) t. A stands for value of column A etc TRC Query – basic form: { t1.Ai1, t2.Ai2,†¦tm.Aim | ÃŽ ¸ } predicate calculus expression involving tuple variables t1, t2,†¦, tm, tm+1,†¦,ts specifies the condition to be satisfied Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM. 2 An example TRC query student (rollNo, name, degree, year, sex, deptNo, advisor ) department (deptId, name, hod, phone ) Obtain the rollNo, name of all girl students in the Maths Dept (deptId = 2) {s.rollNo,s.name| student(s)^ s.sex=‘F’^ s.deptNo=2} attributes required in the result This predicate is true whenever value of s is a tuple from the student relation, false otherwise In general, if t is a tuple variable with range relation r, r( t ) is taken as a predicate which is true if and only if the value of t is a tuple in r Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM. 3 General form of the condition in TRC queries Atomic expressions are the following: 1. r ( t ) -true if t is a tuple in the relation instance r 2. t1. Ai t2 .Aj compOp is one of {, ≠¥, =, ≠  } 3. t.Ai c c is a constant of appropriate type Composite expressions: 1. Any atomic expression 2. F1 ∠§ F2 ,, F1 ∠¨ F2 ,  ¬ F1 where F1 and F2 are expressions 3. (∀t) (F), (âˆÆ't) (F) where F is an expression and t is a tuple variable Free Variables Bound Variables – quantified variables Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM. 4 Interpretation of the query in TRC All possible tuple assignments to the free variables in the query are considered. For any specific assignment, if the expression to the right of the vertical bar evaluates to true, that combination of tuple values would be used to produce a tuple in the result relation. While producing the result tuple, the values of the attributes for the corresponding tuple variables as specified on the left side of the vertical bar would be used. Note: The only free variables are the ones that appear to the left of the vertical bar Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM. 5 Example TRC queries Obtain the rollNo, name of all girl students in the Maths Dept {s.rollNo,s.name | student(s) ^ s.sex=‘F’ ^ (âˆÆ' d)(department(d) ^ d.name=‘Maths’ ^ d.deptId = s.deptNo)} s: free tuple variable d: existentially bound tuple variable Existentially or universally quantified tuple variables can be used on the RHS of the vertical bar to specify query conditions Attributes of free (or unbound ) tuple variables can be used on LHS of vertical bar to specify attributes required in the results Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM. 6 Example Relational Scheme student (rollNo, name, degree, year, sex, deptNo, advisor) department (deptId, name, hod, phone) professor (empId, name, sex, startYear, deptNo, phone) course (courseId, cname, credits, deptNo) enrollment (rollNo, courseId, sem, year, grade) teaching (empId, courseId, sem, year, classRoom) preRequisite (preReqCourse, courseID) Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM. 7 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Example queries in TRC (1/5) 1)Determine the departments that do not have any girl students student (rollNo, name, degree, year, sex, deptNo, advisor) department (deptId, name, hod, phone) {d.name|department(d) ^  ¬(âˆÆ' s)(student(s) ^ s.sex =‘F’ ^ s.deptNo = d.deptId) Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM. 8 Examples queries in TRC (2/5) Schema 2)Obtain the names of courses enrolled by student named Mahesh {c.name | course(c) ^ (âˆÆ's) (âˆÆ'e) ( student(s) ^ enrollment(e) ^ s.name = â€Å"Mahesh† ^ s.rollNo = e.rollNo ^ c.courseId = e.courseId } Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM. 9 Examples queries in TRC (3/5) Schema 3)Get the names of students who have scored ‘S’ in all subjects they have enrolled. Assume that every student is enrolled in at least one course. {s.name | student(s) ^ (∀e)(( enrollment(e) ^ e.rollNo = s.rollNo) → e.grade =‘S’)} person P with all S grades: for enrollment tuples not having her roll number, LHS is false for enrollment tuples having her roll number, LHS is true, RHS also true so the implication is true for all e tuples person Q with some non-S grades: for enrollment tuples not having her roll number, LHS is false for enrollment tuples having her roll number, LHS is true, but RHS is false for at least one tuple. So the implication is not true for at least one tuple. Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM. 10 Examples queries in TRC (4/5) Schema 4) Get the names of students who have taken at least one course taught by their advisor {s.name | student(s) ^ (âˆÆ'e)(âˆÆ't)(enrollment(e) ^ teaching(t) ^ e.courseId = t.courseId ^ e.rollNo = s.rollNo ^ t.empId = s.advisor} 5) Display the departments whose HODs are teaching at least one course in the current semester {d.name | department(d) ^(âˆÆ't)(teaching(t) ^ t.empid = d.hod ^ t.sem = ‘odd’ ^ t.year = ‘2008’)} Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM. 11 Examples queries in TRC (5/5) Schema 6)Determine the students who are enrolled for every course taught by Prof Ramanujam. Assume that Prof Ramanujam teaches at least one course. 1. {s.rollNo | student (s) ^ 2. (∀c)(course (c) ^ 3. ((âˆÆ't),(âˆÆ'p)( teaching(t) ^ professor(p) ^ 4. t.courseId = c.courseId ^ 5. p.name = â€Å"Ramanujam† ^ 6. p.empId = t.empId )) → 7. (âˆÆ'e) (enrollment(e) ^ 8. e.courseId = c.courseId ^ 9. e.rollNo = s.rollNo) 10. ) 11. } Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM. 12 Problem with unrestricted use of Negation What is the result of the query: {s.rollNo |  ¬ student(s)} ? Infinite answers !! Unsafe TRC expression : Any expression whose result uses â€Å"constants / values† that do not appear in the instances of any of the database relations. Unsafe expressions are to be avoided while specifying TRC queries. Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM. 13 Expressive power of TRC and Relational Algebra It can be shown that both Tuple Relational Calculus and Relational Algebra have the same expressive power A query can be formulated in (safe) TRC if and only if it can be formulated in RA Both can not be used to formulate queries involving transitive closure find all direct or indirect pre-requisites of a course find all subordinates of a specific employee etc. Prof P Sreenivasa Kumar, Department of CSE, IITM.

The Book of the City of Ladies Essays -- English Literature

The Book of the City of Ladies During the renaissance many different views of leadership surfaced. Christine de Pizan’s The Book of the City of Ladies, Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince, and William Shakespeare’s Richard III each present distinct views of what would make a good leader during the renaissance period. Shakespeare and Christine de Pizan’s views align most closely with Plato’s. Christine de Pizan’s view also aligns with Augustine’s medieval view of leadership. Machiavelli’s view, however, strays the farthest from Plato and Augustine. In The Book of the City of Ladies, Christine presents an allegorical city made up of great ladies from history. Allegorical characters Reason, Rectitude, and Justice guide Christine to the proper view of women by dispelling slanderous lies spread by men throughout history. As the leaders in Christine’s journey, Reason, Rectitude, and Justice represent characteristics that leaders should hold. Christine establishes Reason as the foundation of great leadership by saying through Reason, â€Å"I was commissioned, in the course of our common deliberation, to supply you with durable and pure mortar to lay the sturdy foundations and to raise the large walls† (12). Rectitude represents the benevolence leadership requires as she says, â€Å"I often visit the just and exhort them to do what is right, to give to each person what is his according to his capacity, to say and uphold the truth, to defend the rights of the poor and the innocent, not to hurt anyone through usurpation, to uphold the reputation of those unjustly accused† (12). Finally, Justice presents in the terminating qualities of truth and pure honor as she says, â€Å"I teach men and women of sound mind who want to belie... ...his work is completely opposite the ideal Augustine leader. Christine de Pizan, Niccollo Machiavelli, and William Shakespeare show several different forms of Renaissance leadership. Each writer expresses their version of leadership by giving examples of what a leader should and should not be. Shakespeare and Christine de Pizan’s leaders most closely fit the Platonic ideal of leadership by ruling through wisdom, being reluctant to lead, and promoting the idea of true virtues over shadows of virtue. The Augustine leadership ideal, characterized by a love for God and people, most closely resembles Christine de Pizan’s view as many of her leaders strive to please God in their leadership. Machiavelli’s radical idea of leadership resembles neither Plato nor Augustine as it promotes seeking power through less than virtuous methods for less than noble reasons.

Labour Disputes Case

Labour Disputes: A look at the TKM unrest Introduction: Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited (TKM) was a joint venture, established in 1997, between Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota), Japan’s largest car company and the second-largest car manufacturer in the world, and the Kirloskar Group of India. Toyota holds an 89% equity stake and while the Kirloskar Group holds the remaining 11%. Toyota has over 400 acres of land in its Bidadi plant and less than half of the land has been utilised so far even though its plant's capacity is about 60,000 units per annum. Toyota has invested nearly 15 billion INR in the plant. Some of its most famous brands such as Camry, Innova and Corolla are the end products of this plant. The plant had a total workforce of 2,378 out of which around 1,550 employees belonged to the Employee Union. Toyota's plant has witnessed labour unrest in 2001 and again in 2002 hitting the production of their vehicles leading to a ban of the strike by the Government. Below, we discuss the various reasons, which led to the clashes between the management and the employees of TKM. This highlights the growing number of instances of clashes between the employees and the management of companies in India, which is often guided by external parties such as trade unions and political parties. Aim: To understand †¢ The importance of HR policies adopted by the organization to prevent labor unrest at the workplace. †¢ The role of trade unions, political parties etc in upsetting the work culture in a company. The Issue: On January 08, 2006, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited (TKM) announced an indefinite lockout of its vehicle manufacturing plant at Bidadi located near Bangalore, Karnataka. The company claimed to have forced to resort to such a decision following a continuous strike by their employee union for third day in a row. The Toyota-Kirloskar union affiliated to the Center of Trade Union (CITU) Jan 9, 2006 demanded that the Government prosecute the management, which had declared an indefinite lockout of the local unit for violating a section of the Industrial dispute act . On January 06, 2006, the Employee Union went on strike with the demand to reinstate three dismissed employees, ten suspended employees, and improve the work condition at the plant. According to company sources, these employees were dismissed and suspended based on disciplinary issues. TKM declared that it would not rehire those employees culminating in the strike and lockout. The company said that the striking workers were threatening to blowup LPG gas cylinders in the company premises, obstructing the outward movement of manufactured vehicles, illegally stopping production, and manhandling other workers, who were not part of the Employee Union, to strike. The Employee Union said that these employees were dismissed because they were active members of the trade union and the company was unhappy with the union activities. They further added that the working environment at the plant was not conducive and the work hours were longer than the standard. The issue scaled further in the event of the Company representatives failing to appear before the Labor Commissioner on January 09, 2006 for dispute resolution with the union. The company reasoned that they feared adverse reactions from the aggressive union members. Though, the company appealed for two weeks time to appear before the Labor Commissioner so that situation could become stable, they were given time only till January 12, 2006. The Employee Union with the back up of CITU and other unions demanded the intervention of the state government to help resolve the dispute in their favor. TKM continued with partial production of vehicles with the help of non-unionized workers and the management staff who were specially trained for these kinds of emergencies. Irrespective of this, the company incurred huge production losses due to reduction in output by 60%. The Employee Union withdrew their strike following a Government Order on January 21, 2006, which was against the strike The Company lifted the lockout on January 21, 2006 stating that it was responding to the request from workers who eager to return to work. Aftermath: The unrest had other impacts as the Toyota spokesperson said that the company would rethink its recent decision to build a second car manufacturing plant in the state. These sorts of incidents will definitely hamper the Government’s efforts to bring in foreign direct investments to the country. This in turn would affect the growth rate, employability and GDP of the country. Discussion: Industrial disputes are costly and damaging to companies and employees alike. The policy formulations should be such that it is strong enough to avoid conflicts or resolve it successfully. Though it is not possible to avoid conflicts, a system can be built in, which guidelines a proper conflict resolution management. In the above case, a proper conflict resolution management system would have solved the issue well within the company rather than involving external parties and escalating the problem thereby resulting in huge production losses & wasted mandates. The HR policies and the top management support should be such as to minimise the chance of a grievance turning into dispute, there by avoiding the influence of external parties in disturbing the peaceful working environment. Either of the parties who participate in a conflict resolution procedure should come with an open mind, without any baggage that hampers the setting. They should be ready to trust each other and believe in the efforts taken by either of them in solving the dispute. The management must give the participating institution its right place in the managerial organisation of the undertaking and implementing the policies of the undertaking. The labour, on the other hand, must also whole heartedly co-operate with the management through its trade unions. A committee can be formed by the management with the whole hearted co-operation of the workers. The board can involve an equal amount of participation from the employees as well as the management. The board can meet at a timely interval and discuss grievances before them turning into disputes. Issues related to work hours, remuneration, productivity, etc can have a say in the board meetings. Policies are made for all the areas of an organisation at the top level which give impetus for growth, discipline, productivity of an industry or business. These policies act as management guidelines to the functional heads who can discharge their responsibilities with clarity. Policies cover the areas of human relations like: policies regarding motivation, morale, communication, leadership, styles, grievance procedure, disciplinary procedure employee counseling etc. These policies also cover the areas of industrial relations like Union recognition, union representation, collective bargaining, prevention and settlement of industrial disputes, participative management etc . Voices â€Å"Central trade unions are still relevant, mainly for the unorganised sector. Internal unions should not have a narrow view on this. They should be aware of the problems of their brothers†¦ † -AITUC national secretary D L Sachdev. â€Å"An ITI pass-out in TKM gets around Rs 15,000 a month, while outside the company he'll only make Rs 4,000 or so. Not just the money, but even in terms of facilities, we offer the best. † -K K Swamy, deputy managing director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor. â€Å"We have requested the government to intervene in the matter immediately and prohibit the lockout declared by the management which is illegal. The government should prosecute the management for violating labour laws and issue immediate relief to the dismissed employees such as reinstatement and payment of wages during the dismissed period. † -Meenakshi Sundaram, General Secretary, Centre of Indian Trade Union, Bangalore, in 2006. â€Å"How long can we put up with unruly behaviour? We would like to restore normalcy as soon as possible, but at the same time, we would not like to compromise on discipline. † -A. R Shankar, General Manager, Corporate Planning Division, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Private Limited, in 2006. There are another 11 people suspended by the management and we fear they may also be dismissed. We are officially supposed to work for eight hours but we are overworked sometimes. And we are treated in such a way, that we can’t even take a bathroom break when we want. † -R. Ravi, Union Joint Secretary, Toyota Kirloskar Motor Employees Unions, in 2006. Conclusion While India boasts the best in class labour irrespective of the colour of the collar, what worries the industry are the regulations in terms of access to this valuable resource. The trade unions are not favouring the demand of the industry to improve labour legislations. While trade unions are of opinion that it would result in labour mismanagement, the industry states that the labour reforms are essential considering the frequent situational changes in the business scenario. According to Management experts, the success story of the software industry indicates how far our country can achieve if not restricted by controls. Bibliography: Ramanathan, Kalyana. â€Å"India: Is Labour Trouble Resurfacing? † Rediff 06 August 2005. 01 March 2007. †¹http://www. rediff. com/money/2005/aug/06spec. tm†º â€Å"Essential Conditions in Successful Working of WPM† CiteMan Network 08 November 2006. 25 February 2007. †¹http://www. citeman. com/essential-conditions-in-successful-working-of-wpm†º â€Å"Industrial Disputes† Business Link 25 February 2007. †¹http://www. businesslink. gov. uk/bdotg/action/layer? r. l1=1073858787&topicId =1074045599&r. l2=1074207487&r. s=tl†º â€Å"Labour Unrest† CiteMan Network 05 April 2007. 26 February 2007. †¹http://www. citehr. com/25642-labour-unrest. html†º â€Å"Toyota Talks Fail† The Financial Express 17 January 2006. 27 February 2007. †¹http://www. financialexpress. com/fe_full_ story. php? content_id=114765†º

How Will Technology Influence Our Lives in Future Essay

Since times immemorial, scientists have invented thousands of technologies. Among them, television, wheel, mobile phone and computer have been of utmost benefit to us and have left a considerable impact on us. These have entirely revolutionized communication techniques, travelling ways and other aspects of human life. Today, our lives are much more cozier and technical compared to those in primitive times. Before speaking about the future, let us recount the various innovative technological wonders of the past which has made our lives today so comfortable. As mentioned above, the wheel is considered to be the greatest invention till date. Why? Can it even be considered as technology? The answer is definitely yes. Simply defined, technology is a man’s creation which can be implemented to make tasks easier. Imagine a world today without wheels! No cars and bikes to zap us around places, no conveyer belts in factories(resulting in heavy manual labour). Even to draw water out of the wells in some of our houses (we use pulleys which is derived from the wheel) would be a herculean task. Hard to imagine right? Communication technology is another major technological boon (bane in a very few ways). Remember the time of our ancestors where delivery of letters would take weeks, months even! Or before that, where messengers would travel on foot to convey messages. And now, where at the press of a button, any person in this whole wide world can be contacted. In a jiffy! Ok moving on. The world is so much advanced in technology as it is. Is there scope for more advancement in future? Of course there is! There is virtually no limit to advancement. So, what does the future hold for us in the technological aspect? I dare say anything because as I said, there is virtually no bounds within which technology can constrict itself. Already we have so many technological contraptions that are a blessing to people. The bionic limbs which make the handicapped as able as normal people. The time is not far where artificial life can be created. Robots helping the blind see, helping the lame to walk is not going to be just fiction in a few decades from now. Internet will find even larger application in future. I see advancement in our economical & social life. It’s reasonable to assume that as technology continues to accelerate, we can expect dramatic changes in the years and decades ahead. Most of us have come to take rapid technological improvement in the products and services we use for granted. But when technology has a broader impact on society and on the economy. In next 5-10 year there will be a big change in our earning style; where e-business will be a major part of our jobs. People will be earning 30-100% of their income from internet. These are not my statistics but from trusted sources from the economists from leading institutes. Saying this, it is apparent that technological advancement has become a boon to us. Or, HAS IT Is there a flip side to this that can affect us in an undesirable way? If you ask me, technology is a teo-edged sword to a certain extent. It has its cons. There are so many crimes happening these days. Some on such a large scale which is difficult to imagine. Technology has played a role in this aspect too. Internet crimes are increasing at an alarming rate. Burglars are making use of high-tech tools to break in, bank accounts are being hacked, people are being deceived online and the list goes on. This precisely is where the line should be drawn when it comes to technology. We should use it properly and with good intentions. For the good of the people. The â€Å"virtually no end† phrase holds good here also. When, at present times there is such misuse of technology, imagine what would happen in the future if not used properly? So there are no limits for the cons of technology also. Coming to â€Å"what should India do to stay ahead†. India has a low GDP and is not a world leader in terms of technology (though it is certainly up there). To get decent degrees, its students abroad where the degrees are reputable and valuable. To get to the top, I think there is a valuable lesson which can be learned from a region within our own country; Kerala. The GDP of Kerala is six times the national average, so they’re clearly doing something right. In Kerala, they encourage the education of women and offer better free healthcare and family planning. To improve their situation, India should probably reproduce this model across the country. Of course, there are other ways in which they could increase their GDP/capita, but this is probably the most appropriate. You’re probably wondering what that has to do with technology. I believe that if the GDP/capita increases sufficiently, there will be more interest in high-tech industry and consequently there will be more technological progress in India. This will inspire few of the players in the technology field from India to strive to be better than the other. The direct result of this will be India climbing two more rungs of the tech ladder. India should also improve the standards of the technical education being imparted in ALL INSTITUTES. Not only the IIT’s, NIT’s and IISc’s. The base for technical should be standardised. The students should be convinced that the education they will get in india is on par with foreign universities wth a high reputation. The budding engineers should be lured to work in india for the betterment of the country rather than loosing them to foreign lands. These are only few ways in which india can try and be ahead in the game. Much more simpler things like appreciation for the innovative minds that are working on technolgy can work wonders. Not only the government, but every citizen of india has a fair portion to contribute in helping india to be the world leader in technology. So lets do our bit.

Immortality in Shakespeares Sonnets Essays

Immortality in Shakespeares Sonnets Essays Immortality in Shakespeares Sonnets Paper Immortality in Shakespeares Sonnets Paper The idea of immortality will either fascinate or scare you; fascinate you in the way that something could stay the same forever or scare you because nothing lives forever. Shakespeare felt true love was eternal despite anything and beauty was everlasting through his words. He believed Time was the taker of all things, but if his words and love were powerful enough, they could defeat Time. Sonnets 65,104,108, and 116 demonstrate how he has defeated Time with imagery, love, and admiration. Shakespeare gives credit to Time in these four sonnets by displaying it’s ability to make things decay, fade, and die. He says right away, â€Å"Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea, but sad mortality o’ersways their power. † I imagine brass becoming rusty, stones perishing, the earth decaying, and the sea evaporating all with this first line. He then proposes a question we all might ask, â€Å"How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, whose action is no stronger than a flower? † (65) A flower is delicate in every way. If held by the petal the petal will tear, if shaken the petals will fall, if stepped on the flower will die. A tone of despair continues though out this short sonnet while he contemplates ways to defeat Time. â€Å"O, fearful meditation, where, alack, shall Time’s best jewel from Time’s chest lie hid? Or what strong hand can hold his swift foot back,† Shakespeare has compared beauty to a jewel which would compare just as equal because jewels are rare and beautiful. I felt imagery was brought out as well because I imagined a huge grandfather clock ticking, but inside the clock a little man trying to stop it and failing each second. Then in a moment of clarity and brilliance, Shakespeare finds a way to beat Time! He is reminded and content in knowing that his verses can preserve youth’s beauty. â€Å"That in black ink my love may still shine bright† The beauty of his beloved can last forever now because of the beautiful words he has written to describe her. This last verse is ironic because it’s saying black will shine bright. Black isn’t really a color that shines brightly which makes that closing verse more powerful. Nothing can take away his words, including Time because everyone will have read them and will remember it. Just as his words can defeat Time, his memory and true admiration cannot be taken away either. Sonnet 104 is absolutely wonderful because it’s about a man who is just thrown by his friend’s beauty no matter how much time has passed since the last time they were together. Right away he confesses his admiration, â€Å"To me, fair friend, you never can be old, for as you were when first your eye I eyed, such seems your beauty still. † He then uses fantastic season imagery when writing about all the seasons. â€Å"Three winters cold have from the forests shook three summers’ pride; .. † It just perfectly illustrates a summer tree with no more leaves and only branches. These verses definitely take you back to each season. Shakespeare goes on to argue in the next couplet, if youth’s beauty has gone away: Beauty will never amount to youth’s face, nor will anything in the future be more beautiful than he. Youth’s beauty is immortal against Time because they met in â€Å"beauty’s summer† which was the boys perfect state. Shakespeare is saying his beauty is immortal because it doesn’t matter how long it’s been or who else comes into this world; I have seen what real beauty is so nothing can or will ever compare. Now that Shakespeare has proved beauty to be immortal with words and memories, he must prove that love is also part of immortality. Sonnet 108 is also written to a boy whom I am not sure who he is. Despite who he is writing to, he declares his love to be everlasting and eternal. In fact, he’s not quite sure how to express himself anymore so that he does not sound repetitive. â€Å"What’s in the brain that ink may character which hath not figured to thee my true spirit? † However, as many times as he has declared his love, he feels he must just as it is required to pray everyday. Time had no affect on this love no matter the wrinkles or age. â€Å"So that eternal love in love’s fresh case weighs not the dust and injury of age, nor gives to necessary wrinkles place, . . . † Time may have literally taken away his flawless face and youth, but love is stronger than Time. Love sees things in the purest form and from the first time it began. In this sonnet, Shakespeare somewhat lives in the past when thinking and describing the boy’s beauty. Beauty has still remained immortal in this sonnet as does his love for never changing. Continuing on Love, Shakespeare executes the idea of love being immortal in sonnet 116. â€Å"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove. † Now, this poem is exactly what love being immortal is all about. From the first verse to the last verse, it remains incredibly powerful and true. Time stands no chance against a love like this. â€Å"O no, it is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken; . .† Love cannot be shaken or unchanged, once you love someone it can never go away. It’s as if its’ been permanently engraved in your heart and soul and there’s no going back. Shakespeare begins to beat Time down by saying even Love is greater than beauty and you. â€Å"Love’s not time’s fool, though rosy lips and cheeks within his bending sickle’s compass come: Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom. † Time continues everyday leaving everything behind . . . EXCEPT Love. Shakespeare is so persistent is this theory that he is willing to put even his own reputation on the line. â€Å"If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved. † An intense closing verse for someone who has so much riding on himself. If he believed wholeheartedly that Time could in no way defeat Love, it must be true. Shakespeare as usual does an excellent job illustrating imagery, passion, and complex ideas with his work. The sonnets I chose were chosen because they somewhat all linked. Shakespeare believed in immortality with beauty and love. He proved with these four sonnets, that Time surely was inevitable, but could be conquered. He preserves beauty and love with his sonnets making everything he’s seen and felt to be immortal until Time itself has finished.

Tiresias in Ovids Metamorphoses

Tiresias in Ovids Metamorphoses Tiresias was a mythological blind seer who plays a significant role in Greek tragedy involving the House of Thebes. Shakespeares comedy Midsummer Nights Dream, Boccaccios Decameron, Chaucers Canterbury Tales, the Thousand and One Arabian Nights, and Ovids Metamorphoses are among the most famous collections of stories in which one story surrounds another. The outer stories provide little more than a framework or rationale for the more interesting, frequently bawdy, shenanigans within. The frame of Ovids Metamorphoses is a history of events from the days of creation to Ovids present, but with a twist: All stories told must involve physical transformations (metamorphoses). Verifiably historical figures are limited to the emperors Julius and Augustus whose transformations are from mortals to gods. Other transformed figures come from Greco-Roman myth and legend. The House of Thebes Book Three of Ovids Metamorphoses relates the story of the House of Thebes but not in a straightforward chronological manner. Instead, there are digressions and inset stories. Members of the House of Thebes include: Cadmus: Cadmus created the sown men (Spartans) by sowing dragons teeth. He is the founder of Thebes.Oedipus: An oracle warned Oedipus parents that their baby would grow up to murder his father and marry his mother. The parents thought they had had their baby killed, but he was saved and lived to carry out the prophecy.Dionysus: Dionysus was a god who made mortals see things other than as they really were. In this way he caused one of his unbelievers to be torn apart by his own mother.Semele: Semele was the mother of Dionysus, but when she asked Zeus, her mate, to reveal himself in his full glory, it was too much for her and she burned up. Zeus snatched the unborn Dionysus and sewed him into his thigh. The Story of Tiresias One of the important peripheral figures in the House of Thebes legends is the blind seer Tiresias, whose  story, Ovid is introduced in Metamorphoses Book Three. Tiresias tale of woe and transformation began when he separated two mating snakes for no apparent reason. Instead of poisoning Tiresias with indignant viper venom, the snakes magically transformed him into a woman. Tiresias  wasnt too happy with their new transgendered metamorphoses  but lived as a woman for seven years before figuring out a technique that would either kill her or reverse the operation. Since striking the snakes had worked before, she tried it again. It worked, and he became a man again, but unfortunately, his life story came to the attention of two of the most contentious of the Olympians, Juno (Hera for the Greeks) and her husband Jupiter (Zeus for the Greeks). A Womans Pleasure Juno claimed she was doing little more than servicing Jupiter, while Jupiter claimed he wasnt getting enough bang for his buck, so to speak. Like a bolt of lightning, inspiration hit the thunder god. He would consult the one person who could resolve their argument. Only Tiresias knew both sides of the coupling argument. Tiresias didnt have much choice this time. He had to answer. Jupiter was right, he said. The pleasure woman derives from sex is greater. Juno was outraged. In her anger, she made the man blind, but Jupiter, gratified, rewarded Tiresias with the power of seeing the future. Other Legends of Tiresias Tiresias appears in the Oedipus legends and dramas, including Euripides Bacchae, and in Odysseus underworld adventure, but in Ovids Metamorphoses, he shares his gift in two additional, transformational stories, those of Narcissus and Echo, and Bacchus and Pentheus.

CBI cost method Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

CBI cost method - Research Paper Example On the other hand, activity-based costing apportions the costs incurred during manufacturing of a particular product or service based on the activities required during their production. It is crucial for managers to comprehend the merits and demerits of the two systems to satisfy the needs of their business operations. The budget presented entails schedules that raise various concerns leading to the recommendation that the company should switch to the activity-based costing system of accounting. The first concern is the quarterly budget that in my opinion requires further subdivision to generate quarters. Mainly, cycling takes place in temperate weather conditions. Buying materials for bicycle production for the start of sales hikes demand therefore, requires the producer to incur a quarter before the demand. Another concern regards accounts that remain uncollectable. The master budget for the company is not specific it its cash budget line. It closely refers to the uncollectable receivables. Variable factors in this context emanate from economic features among them limited sponsorship and carry the capacity to result in wrong accounts. From the budget, the company is setting aside a budget for 140 bikes inclusive of labour costs. It is appropriate to cut down on the level of production of extra p arts in the inventory. The method of distributing manufacturing overhead by activity-based costing (ABC) to products is efficient compared to the traditional method of costing. Precisely, activity-based costing assigns the right percentage of resources to particular products. While monitoring and allocating organizational costs to products and objects, activity-based costing remains a more sophisticated and logical method as opposed to the traditional costing system. It is possible to distribute overhead costs based on machine-hours as the only criteria in the traditional system of