Assessing The Capacity Planning For Bmw Business Essay

Assessing The Capacity Planning For Bmw Business Essay First of all, capacity refers to the upper limit or ceiling on the load that an operating unit can handle. And the load might be number of physical units produced or number of service produced. (Stevenson, 2009).According to Eng. Abdel Moniem shehata, he said that capacity is always something to manage. He added that capacity planning is not necessary to be time consuming or expensive. And any company will use the capacity planning depending on its tools and resources. According to BMW, the Company owns workers, machines, tools, engineering and materials and etc, and they have to use all this resources to maximize productivity and take full advantage of it to reach high capacity. When Mr. Abdel Moniem shehata was asked about the importance of capacity decisions towards BMW he said that the more capacity the more profit the company will gain and the expenses will be decreased as BMW involves manufacturing so it is important to set a capacity planning because the source of income of BMW comes from selling cars. However, Capacity is important because it deliver benefits and profits much more than what was expected. Mr. Abdel Moniem shehata said that capacity is very important as it affect and have impact on BMW as a Company and its cars. It also affects competitiveness and he said that he thinks that the most near competitors to BMW are Mercedes and Volkswagen as the three brands are Germany and the factories are located near to each other. On the other hand, the firm that has more capacity will have an advantage of delivery speed. He added that capacity decision affects the Operating costs by helping in minimizing operating cost. There are two different ways to measure capacity which are design capacity and effective capacity. The design capacity is the output rate while the effective capacity is the design capacity minus allowances. According to BMW Eng. Abdel Moniem shehata says about the ways BMW use to measure capacity, that at the beginning of any business a Feasibility study is very important to start with and study it very proper and ensure that it is right to reach the profit which the company needs. Afterward things that is essential for production comes after like machines, inventories, workers, engineering, and equipment all these kind of resources which will help in achieving high capacity. Then the budget of the production is putted which consists of income and outcome. Income like assets and expenses while outcome like revenue and profit that is received. Mainly BMW measures capacity by multiplying the number of machines or workers with the number of shift, with utilization and with efficiency. According to the determinants of effective capacity there are factors that influence capacity. The design of BMW is important including the shape and the size. Also the design can have influence on capacity. According to BMW it is important to produce cars with the same range other than different ones. He added that quality of the car is an important part in the determinants of effective capacity. As by increasing quality the capacity will increase as well. And other external factors like safety, purchasing decisions and inventory stocking decision, all these factors have a great impact on capacity. Any company or organization has a capacity formulation bases its capacity strategy on assumptions and prediction. Strategy formulation consists of 3 primary stages which are leading, following and tracking. Leading helps in building capacity in a hope of future demand increases. While following start building capacity when demand increases current capacity. Finally tracking keeps capacity to keep demand increase (Stevenson, 2009). However, BMW can measure the success of its new process by tracking how long it takes for one car to be built from the very beginning until its all done. If vehicles take different of times to be built then it is a sign of uneven flow of materials to the production line. Another way is looking at the number of vehicles that are returned for warranty work. This measurement looks at the final product. If suppliers are hurried to complete orders, they might reduce the quality of the products that they are supplying to BMW. Once those low quality parts are used in the manufacturing of a new car, the customer will find it unsatisfying and it will be returned back to be corrected. The capacity planning is done by the general manager and other people that are responsible for the materials and engineering as well. There are six steps of capacity planning. The first step is to Estimate the future capacity requirements, the second step is to evaluate existing capacity, the third step is identify alternatives, the fourth step is to conduct financial analysis, the fifth step is to assess key qualities issues, while the six step is to implement alternative chosen, finally, the six step is to monitor results.(Stevenson, 2009). But Eng. Abdel El Moneim said that BMW makes the capacity planning in 3 simple steps. The first step is determining service level requirements; as they categorize the work done by systems and quantify customers expectations for how those works get done. The second step is to analyze the current capacity which is important to analyze it to see how it is meeting customers needs. The third step is planning for the future, by forecasting BMWs future business activity and determining it. However, Implementing is important as it ensure that the available capacity will be enough even if any changes happened if the future. Finally, when coming to the evaluation of the capacity planning at BMW Mr. Abdel Moniem shehata said that Evaluations carried out to learn lessons that can be used to improve ongoing or future capacity planning efforts are of potentially greater value. Unfortunately, improvement-oriented evaluations are seldom carried out. This is a serious shortcoming of evaluation practice, since capacity-development efforts involve a great deal of experimentation, and managers need to know the results in order to sharpen or reformulate objectives and reorient their activities in appropriate ways. In conclusion, for any company to achieve a successful planning capacity is to set goals and define objectives.   The company must also ensure that the planning process is carefully recognized.   And if the company found any mistake in the plan or the plan is not working, it doesnt mean that the organization has to start the planning from the beginning but only to correct or improve the parts which include the mistake. BMW creates their capacity planning at least once a year and sometime every six months. Reference Page: Trading eBook. (2010). , AL: Scribd. Retrieved May 3, 2011, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/36253765/bmw-case. kern, H. (2008). , AL: Tech Republic. Retrieved May 3, 2011, from http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/10things/10-ways-to-build-a-solid-capacity-planning-effort/370 (2010). , AL: Carzy. Retrieved May 6, 2011, from http://carzy.co.in/blog/car-news/bmw-india-expand-capacity-8000-units-early-2011.html/

Errors and strategies in language acquisition

Errors and strategies in language acquisition Error Correction Why Correction is Necessary Correction is necessary. The argument that students just need to use the language and the rest will come by itself seems rather weak. Students come to us to teach them. If they want only conversation, they will probably inform us or, they might just go to a chat room on the Internet. Obviously students need to be corrected as part of the learning experience. However, students also need to be encouraged to use the language. It is true that correcting students while they are trying their best to use the language can often discourage them. The most satisfactory solution of all is make correction an activity. Correction can be used as a follow-up to any given class activity. However, correction sessions can be used as a valid activity in and of themselves. In other words, teachers can set up an activity during which each mistake (or a specific type of mistake) will be corrected. Students know that the activity is going to focus on correction, and accept that fact. However, these activit ies should be kept in balance with other, more free-form, activities which give students the opportunity to express themselves without having to worry about being corrected every other word. It is to S.P. Corder that Error Analysis owes its place as a scientific method in linguistics. As Rod Ellis cites (p. 48), it was not until the 1970s that EA became a recognized part of applied linguistics, a development that owed much to the work of Corder. Before Corder, linguists observed learners errors, divided them into categories, tried to see which ones were common and which were not, but not much attention was drawn to their role in second language acquisition. It was Corder who showed to whom information about errors would be helpful (teachers, researchers, and students) and how. There are many major concepts introduced by S. P. Corder in his article The significance of learners errors, among which we encounter the following: It is the learner who determines what the input is. The teacher can present a linguistic form, but this is not necessarily the input, but simply what is available to be learned. Keeping the above point in mind, learners needs should be considered when teachers/linguists plan their syllabuses. Before Corders work, syllabuses were based on theories and not so much on learners needs. Mager (1962) points out that the learners built-in syllabus is more efficient than the teachers syllabus. Corder adds that if such a built-in syllabus exists, then learners errors would confirm its existence and would be systematic. Corder introduced the distinction between systematic and non-systematic errors. Unsystematic errors occur in ones native language; Corder calls these mistakes and states that they are not significant to the process of language learning. He keeps the term errors for the systematic ones, which occur in a second language. Errors are significant in three ways: to the teacher: they show a students progress to the researcher: they show how a language is acquired, what strategies the learner uses. to the learner: he can learn from these errors. When a learner has made an error, the most efficient way to teach him the correct form is not by simply giving it to him, but by letting him discover it and test different hypotheses. (This is derived from Carrolls proposal (Carroll 1955, cited in Corder), who suggested that the learner should find the correct linguistic form by searching for it. Many errors are due to that the learner uses structures from his native language. Corder claims that possession of ones native language is facilitative. Errors in this case are not inhibitory, but rather evidence of ones learning strategies. The above insights played a significant role in linguistic research, and in particular in the approach linguists took towards errors. Here are some of the areas that were influenced by Corders work: STUDIES OF LEARNER ERRORS Corder introduced the distinction between errors (in competence) and mistakes (in performance). This distinction directed the attention of researchers of SLA to competence errors and provided for a more concentrated framework. Thus, in the 1970s researchers started examining learners competence errors and tried to explain them. We find studies such as Richardss A non-contrastive approach to error analysis (1971), where he identifies sources of competence errors; L1 transfer results in interference errors; incorrect (incomplete or over-generalized) application of language rules results in intralingual errors; construction of faulty hypotheses in L2 results in developmental errors. Not all researchers have agreed with the above distinction, such as Dulay and Burt (1974) who proposed the following three categories of errors: developmental, interference and unique. Stenson (1974) proposed another category, that of induced errors, which result from incorrect instruction of the language. As most research methods, error analysis has weaknesses (such as in methodology), but these do not diminish its importance in SLA research; this is why linguists such as Taylor (1986) reminded researchers of its importance and suggested ways to overcome these weaknesses. As mentioned previously, Corder noted to whom (or in which areas) the study of errors would be significant: to teachers, to researchers and to learners. In addition to studies concentrating on error categorization and analysis, various studies concentrated on these three different areas. In other words, research was conducted not only in order to understand errors per se, but also in order to use what is learned from error analysis and apply it to improve language competence. Such studies include Kroll and Schafers Error-Analysis and the Teaching of Composition, where the authors demonstrate how error analysis can be used to improve writing skills. They analyze possible sources of error in non-native-English writers, and attempt to provide a process approach to writing where the error analysis can help achieve better writing skills. These studies, among many others, show that thanks to Corders work, researchers recognized the importance of errors in SLA and started to examine them in order to achieve a better understanding of SLA processes, i.e. of how learners acquire an L2. STUDIES OF L1 INFLUENCE ON SLA Various researchers have concentrated on those errors which demonstrate the influence of ones native language to second language acquisition. Before Corders work, interference errors were regarded as inhibitory; it was Corder who pointed out that they can be facilitative and provide information about ones learning strategies (point 7, listed above). Claude Hagà ¨ge (1999) is a supporter of this concept and he mentions it in his book The child between two languages, dedicated to childrens language education. According to Hagà ¨ge, interference between L1 and L2 is observed in children as well as in adults. In adults it is more obvious and increases continuously, as a monolingual person gets older and the structures of his first language get stronger and impose themselves more and more on any other language the adult wishes to learn. In contrast, as regards children, interference features will not become permanent unless the child does not have sufficient exposure to L2. If there is sufficient exposure, then instead of reaching a point where they can no longer be corrected (as often happens with phonetics features), interference features can be easily eliminated. Hagà ¨ge stresses that there is no reason for worry if interference persists more than expected. The teacher should know that a child that is in the process of acquiring a second language will subconsciously invent structures influenced by knowledge he already possesses. These hypotheses he forms may constitute errors. These errors, though, are completely natural; we should not expect the child to acquire L2 structures immediately (p. 81). In addition to studies of L1 transfer in general, there have been numerous studies for specific language pairs. Thanh Ha Nguyen (1995) conducted a case study to demonstrate first language transfer in Vietnamese learners of English. He examined a particular language form, namely oral competence in English past tense making. He tried to determine the role of L1 transfer in the acquisition of this English linguistic feature as a function of age, time of exposure to English, and place and purpose of learning English. The influence of L1 on L2 was also examined by Lakkis and Malak (2000) who concentrated on the transfer of Arabic prepositional knowledge to English (by Arab students). Both positive and negative transfer were examined in order to help teachers identify problematic areas for Arab students and help them understand where transfer should be encouraged or avoided. In particular, they concluded that an instructor of English, whose native language is Arabic, can use the students L1 for structures that use equivalent prepositions in both languages. On the other hand, whenever there are verbs or expressions in the L1 and L2 that have different structures, that take prepositions, or that have no equivalent in one of the languages, instructors should point out these differences to their students. Not only was L1 influence examined according to language pair, but according to the type of speech produced (written vs. oral). Hagà ¨ge (p. 33) discusses the influence of L1 on accent; he notes that the ear acts like a filter, and after a critical age (which Hagà ¨ge claims is 11 years), it only accepts sounds that belong to ones native language. Hagà ¨ge discusses L1 transfer in order to convince readers that there is indeed a critical age for language acquisition, and in particular the acquisition of a native-like accent. He uses the example of the French language, which includes complex vowel sounds, to demonstrate that after a critical age, the acquisition of these sounds is not possible; thus, learners of a foreign language will only use the sounds existing in their native language when producing L2 sounds, which may often obstruct communication. STUDIES OF CORRECTIVE FEEDBACK Corder elaborated on Carrolls work to show that the most efficient way to teach a student the correct linguistic form is to let him test various hypotheses and eventually find the right form (point 6, listed above). In these steps, Hagà ¨ge points out the importance of self correction (p. 82-83). According to Hagà ¨ge, it is useful to always perform an error analysis based on written tests administered by the teacher, but without informing the student of the purpose of the test. On that basis, self-correction is preferable to correction by the teacher, especially if the latter is done in a severe or intimidating way. Self correction is even more efficient when it is done with the help of childrens classmates. According to teachers, the younger the children, the greater the cooperation among them and the less aggressive or intimidating the corrections. Hagà ¨ge dedicates a section in his book to the importance of treating errors in a positive way. In this section, titled The teache r as a good listener, he notes that it is useless, if not harmful, to treat errors as if they were diseases or pathological situations which must be eliminated, especially if this treatment becomes discouraging, as occurs when teachers lose their patience because of childrens numerous errors. This, of course, does not mean that corrections should be avoided; after all it is the teachers duty to teach the rules of the L2. But the correction of every error as soon as it occurs is not recommended. The justification that Hagà ¨ge offers is the following: the linguistic message that the child tries to produce is a sequence of elements which are interdependent; immediate corrections which interrupt this message tend to produce negative consequences, even to the less sensitive children; such consequences include anxiety, fear of making an error, the development of avoidance strategies, reduced motivation for participation in the classroom, lack of interest for learning, reduced will for s elf correction, and lack of trust towards the teacher. Esser (1984, cited in Hagà ¨ge) also made a similar point: repetitive and immediate corrections, he noted, may cause sensitive children to develop aggressive behavior towards their classmates or teacher. Thus, Hagà ¨ge concludes, correction must not be applied by the teacher unless errors obstruct communication. This is the main criterion for error correction (i.e. obstruction of communication) presented by Hagà ¨ge; however there have been studies which examined such criteria in greater detail, such as Freiermuths L2 Error Correction: Criteria and Techniques (1997). Freiermuth accepts Corders view (point 6) and proposes criteria for error correction in the classroom. These criteria are: exposure, seriousness, and students needs. In the case of exposure, Freiermuth claims that when a child creates language (for example, when he tries to express an idea by using a linguistic form he has not yet acquired), he will most likely make errors; correcting these errors will be ineffective because the learner is not aware of them. Thus, error correction would result in the acquisition of the correct form only if the learner has been previously exposed to that particular language form. As regards the seriousness criterion, Freiermuth claims that the teacher must determine the gravity of an error before deciding whether he should correct it or not. Here Freiermuth sets a criterion which agrees with that of Hagà ¨ges: the error, he states, must impede communication before it should be considered an error that necessitates correction. But what constitutes a serious error? Which errors are those which should not be corrected? As an examples of non-serious errors, Freiermuth mentions those errors which occur due to learners nervousness in the classroom, due to their stress or the pressure of having to produce accurately a linguistic form in the L2. These errors can occur even with familiar structures; in that case, they are not of serious nature and are similar to what Corder called mistakes. Here again we see Corders influence in error analysis, and in particular in the distinction between errors and mistakes. Freiermuth goes on to suggest a hierarchy of errors (accor ding to seriousness) to help teachers decide which errors should be corrected: Errors that significantly impair communication [are] at the top of the list, followed by errors that occur frequently, errors that reflect misunderstanding or incomplete acquisition of the current classroom focus, and errors that have a highly stigmatizing effect on the listeners. He also clarifies what can cause stigmatization: profound pronunciation errors, or errors of familiar forms. Another important criterion that must be considered by the teacher is individual students needs. The importance of this factor is mentioned in Corder, who in turn notes that this idea had been suggested previously by Carroll (1955, cited in Corder 1967) and Ferguson (1966, cited in Corder 1967). Each student is different and thus may react differently to error correction. We infer from Freiermuths claim that the teacher must perform two main tasks: first, assess some specific character traits of students, such as self-confidence and language acquisition capability. Freiermuth agrees with Walz (1982, cited in Freiermuth) that self-confident, capable students can profit from even minor corrections, while struggling students should receive correction only on major errors. This claim agrees with Esser and Hagà ¨ges claim that repetitive corrections are likely to decrease motivation; it is reasonable to accept that students who lack self-confidence will be stigmatized to a greater degree than confident students. The teachers second task, according to Freiermuth, is to listen to learners L2 utterances in order to determine where errors occur (i.e. which linguistic forms cause students difficulties), their frequency, and their gravity (according to the severity criteria mentioned above). Then the teacher can combine the outcome of these tasks and decide on correction techniques for individual students. A different approach to error correction was suggested by Porte (1993), who stressed the importance of self-correction. Porte refers to Corders distinction of errors and mistakes and points out that many students do not know the difference. It is important, Porte notes, that students know how to identify an error in order to avoid it in the future. She agrees with Corder that it is more efficient for learners to correct themselves than be corrected by the teacher, and goes on to suggest a four-step approach for self-correction. This approach consists of questions that the teacher provides to students. After writing an essay, students should read it four times, each time trying to answer the questions included in each of the four steps. Thus, in each re-reading task (each step) they concentrate on a different aspect of their essay. In brief, the first task asks them to highlight the verbs and check the tenses; in the second task students concentrate on prepositions; the third task req uires them to concentrate on nouns (spelling, agreement between subject and verb); finally in the fourth task students should try to correct potential personal mistakes. Porte also offers some clarification of what is meant by personal mistakes, in order to help the students identify them. The studies mentioned above are only a few examples that demonstrate how S. Pit Corders work influenced the area of error analysis in linguistics. The concepts that Corder introduced directed researchers attention to specific areas of error analysis; they helped linguists realize that although errors sometimes obstruct communication, they can often facilitate second language acquisition; also they played a significant role in training teachers and helping them identify and classify students errors, as well as helping them construct correction techniques. REFERENCES Corder, S. P. 1967. The significance of learners errors. International Review of Applied Linguistics 5: 161-9. Dulay, H., and Burt, M., Errors and strategies in child second language acquisition, TESOL Quarterly 8: 129-136, 1974. Ellis, R., The Study of Second Language Acquisition, Oxford University Press, 1994. Esser, U., Fremdsprachenpsychologische Betrachtungen zur Fehlerproblematic im Fremdsprachenunterricht, Deutsch als Fremdsprache, 4:151-159, 1984, (cited in Hagà ¨ge 1999). Freiermuth, M. R., L2 Error Correction: Criteria and Techniques, The Language Teacher Online 22.06, http://langue.hyper.chubu.ac.jp/jalt/pub/tlt/97/sep/freiermuth.html, 1997. Hagà ¨ge, C. Lenfant aux deux langues (The child between two languages), Greek translation, Polis editions, Athens 1999. (Original publication: Editions Odile Jacob, 1996). Kroll, Barry, and John C. Schafer. Error-Analysis and the Teaching of Composition, College Composition and Communication 29: 242-248, 1978 Lakkis, K. and Malak, M. A.. Understanding the Transfer of Prepositions. FORUM, Vol 38, No 3, July-September 2000. (Online edition: http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol38/no3/p26.htm) Mager, R.F. Preparing Instructional Objectives, Fearon Publishers, Palo Alto, CA 1962. Nguyen, Thanh Ha. First Language Transfer and Vietnamese Learners Oral Competence in English Past Tense Marking: A Case Study., Master of Education (TESOL) Research Essay, La Trobe University, Victoria, Australia1995. Porte, G. K., Mistakes, Errors, and Blank Checks, FORUM, Vol 31, No 2, p. 42, January-March 1993. (Online edition: http://exchanges.state.gov/forum/vols/vol31/no1/p42.htm) Richards, J., A non-contrastive approach to error analysis, English Language Teaching 25: 204-219, 1971. Stenson, N. Induced errors in Shumann and Stenson (eds.), 1974, cited in Ellis (p. 60). Taylor G., Errors and explanations, Applied Linguistics 7: 144-166, 1986.

Thoeries Of Evolution Essay -- essays research papers fc

Thoeries of Evolution   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Evolution is the process by which living organisms originated on earth and have changed their forms to adapt to the changing environment. The earliest known fossil organisms are the single-celled forms resembling modern bacteria; they date from about 3.4 billion years ago. Evolution has resulted in successive radiations of new types of organisms, many of which have become extinct, but some of which have developed into the present fauna and flora of the world (Wilson 17).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Evolution has been studied for nearly two centuries. One of the earliest evolutionists was Jean Baptiste de Lamarck, who argued that the patterns of resemblance found in various creatures arose through evolutionary modifications of a common lineage. Naturalists had already established that different animals are adapted to different modes of life and environmental conditions; Lamarck believed that environmental changes evoked in individual animals direct adaptive responses that could be passed on to their offspring as inheritable traits. This generalized hypothesis of evolution by acquired characteristics was not tested scientifically during Lamarck's lifetime. A successful explanation of evolutionary processes was proposed by Charles Darwin. His most famous book, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection (1859), is a landmark in human understanding of nature. Pointing to variability within species, Darwin observed that while offspring inherit a resemblance to their parents, they are not identical to them. He further noted that some of the differences between offspring and parents were not due soley to the environment but were themselves often inheritable. Animal breeders were often able to change the characteristics of domestic animals by selecting for reproduction those individuals with the most desirable qualities. Darwin reasoned that, in nature, individuals with qualities that made them better adjusted to their environments or gave them higher reproductive capacities would tend to leave more offspring; such individuals were said to have higher fitness. Because more individuals are born than survive to breed, constant winnowing of the less fit-a natural selection-should occur, leading to a population that is well adapted to the environment it inhabits. When environmental conditions change, po... ...le in the short term have broad tolerances, which may better enable them to survive extensive changes. Human beings are uniquely adapted in that they make and use tools and devices and invent and propogate procedures that give them extended control over their environments. Humans are significantly changing the environment itself. The effects are most complex and cannot be predicted, and yet like the likelihood is that evolutionary patterns in the future will reflect the influence of the human species(Microsoft96). Works Cited Ardrey, Robert. The Hunting Hypothesis: A Personal Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Concerning the Evolutionary Nature of Man. New York:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Antheneum, 1976. Encarta 96. Computer Software. Microsoft, 1995. Gribbon, John and Cherfas, Jeremy. The Monkey Puzzle: Reshaping the Evolutionary Tree. Philly: Pantheon, 1982. Reader, John. Missing links: The Hunt for Earliest Man. Boston: Little, 1981 Schwartz, Jeffery H. The Red Ape: Orang-Utans and Human Origins.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  San Francisco: Houghton, 1987. Wilson, Peter J. The Domestication of the Human Species. Oxford:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Yale, 1991.

Significants Of Soviet Unions First Atomic Bomb :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1949, the Soviet Union exploded their first atomic bomb. This event was so significant because it began the great arms race. The arms race in effect was the beginning of the Cold War. The events that led up to and followed the soviets first atomic bomb changed the United States of America forever. Everything from the fear of Russia launching a nuclear attach to paranoia of espionage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Julius and Ethel Rosenburg fired up the C.I.A.’s paranoia of espionage. They were both married and joined the Communist party in 1939. They later dropped out so they would be able to help their party in 1942. They did this so they could get jobs at U.S. Army Signal Corps. This is were they got their information that they gave to the Soviet Union. They apparently passed on classified info on the construction of the atomic bomb. Info that would have taken the Soviet Union many more years to learn on their own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The explosion of the first atomic bomb by Russia started an arms race between the Soviets and the United States. This was a time when the Soviets and Americans where trying to out due each other in the production of defensive or offensive weapons. Each one tried to come out with bigger bader weapons than what the other had. Most people blame the race on the U.S. but the threat of a Soviet attach was very real. Therefore the U.S. is intitled to outdo them any way they can.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The cold war was then brought about. The cold war reached its peak in the 1960’s, when an American U-2 spy plane got photos of Soviet missle sites in Cuba. When this was discovered. The fear of an nuclear war became feared. America was hanging by a sting on wheather or not they should act or not.

John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums Essay -- John Steinbeck The Chrysa

In John Steinbeck’s The Chrysanthemums, the reader is introduced to the seemingly timid and shy Elisa Allen. Elisa is routinely planting her yearly sets of Chrysanthemums, which appear to be the sole receptor of her caring and gentle touch, but all the while it is evident that â€Å"the chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy.† Her hidden eagerness seems not only out of place, but out of touch with her dry and wilted surroundings, of which her husband, Henry, abruptly interrupts her steady pace. Inquiring of dinner plans, he is quickly shuttered  out, so that Elisa can continue her work in the fenced in flower bed. This seems to be the only place on the ranch that belongs to her, and thus devoting the entirety of her time, and consideration, towards this lonely sandy square.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It isn’t long before another interruption comes cluttering up to country road toward the Allen Ranch. This time it comes in the form of a worn wagon, drawn by two mismatched horses, and a large rugged man sitting behind the reins. Elisa appears to be somewhat static as she introduces herself to the peddler, making it known that he is drawing her away from her duties. But the peddler, who is just trying to find something to fix-up for money, sparks a vigor in Elisa, and she suddenly gains interest in everything he says, as benign as it may be. This peddler, who merely altered Elisa’s routine, has immediately altered her life. The change in routine is the first in many years for her...

Multiple Governments and Intergovernmental Relationships Essay

Multiple Governments and Intergovernmental Relationships To be successful as a unified or United States, meaning a group with the same but often times different agendas, a few things had to become true. First the individual governments of these states had to feel that their best interests were represented within the united whole. Second that their powers within their borders would not be encroached upon too much, and lastly that the benefits of an overarching federal government would outweigh any loss they experienced. This is a delicate cooperation that we will explore more in depth hurricane Katrina as an example. Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina hit the golf coast on Monday August 29 2005, the eye of the storm hitting Sothern Louisiana, between New Orleans, and Gulfport Mississippi. This storm cause severer damage all along the cost, destroying homes, roads, and bridges as far as 12 miles in land (â€Å"Hurricane Katrina†, 2013). This author lived in northern Mississippi, a five-hour drive from the gulf coast, and lost power for days, as well as severe damage to his home, and the loss of seven 100+ year old trees. The worst damage though was within New Orleans Louisiana, where most of the city is below sea level and protected by an intercut system of levees, and sea walls. These levees broke and flooded most of the city, mixing with raw sewage and underground gasoline stores making a lethal cocktail, not fit for human habitation. As a result of this and a lack of proper cooperation within our government many people died. Cooperation In a catastrophe this large, no one-government entity can handle the issues alone. There must be cooperation at all levels of government. The local communities, which are affected probably, do not have any government infrastructure or resources to deal with the event. Next, the states are not necessarily equipped to handle these events. This would require stockpiles of resources just waiting for an event like this to take place. The Good The federal government and state governments knew this was going to be a hard storm, but must felt that it would not be any worse than the hundreds of hurricanes, which have hit the area prior. Still, the local communities prepared in the same way as before, issuing evacuation warnings, prepositioning National Guard, water and food around the suspected areas. The federal government also prepositioned the coastguard, and other resources around the affected area. These would have been efficient for a normal hurricane, but not for what happened (â€Å"Hurricane Katrina†, 2013). The Bad Unfortunately, the events that took place, with the gulf coast, the water surge, and the levees breaking in New Orleans were not predicted. The flooding made most of the region un-passable by normal modes of transportation. It took supplies, and resources far too long to reach the injured, and others in need. This was only compounded by poor decision-making and political finger pointing on the part of many and unfortunately, this resulted in further lost lives, and more injuries. How Could It Have Been Done Differently This is one of those difficult questions. Of course, hindsight is always twenty-twenty, but there is no reason, considering how chaotic something like a hurricane can be that any possible catastrophe should be ruled out. Before the Hurricane, officials actually stated that there was no way the levee system could be breached by the sea. This shows that there was a concern about it prior to the storm, yet it was ruled out as a possibility. Contingency planning was a failure here. There should be a contingency plan for anything no matter how possible. For example, the space shuttle had no less than 100 emergency landing sites throughout the world. This contingency plan did not have one plan with a backup plan it had a contingency plan and each contingency plan had another. No possible eventuality should ever be foolishly ruled out. The contingency plan for the hurricane should of included supplies, personnel, and equipment stationed inside the hurricane zone, in case there was difficulty getting into the area, which it was. Agencies such as FEMA, should have moved resources in, and protected them for the storm as opposed to station it on the outside of the area, and expecting an ability to move it in. Stationing the supplies and help outside the area shows that our government was hoping for a best-case scenario when they should have planned for the worst. Reference Hurricane Katrina. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/hurricane-katrina

Gender, Resistance, and Violence Essay

Most people in the capitalist west take it for granted that what they refer to as the Muslim world is recognized most for marginalization and mistreatment of women and girls (Arebi, 99). This belief runs so deep that some westerners are shocked at the sight of Muslim women travelling alone or freely dressed (El-Ghobashy, 110). While the grounds for this belief may have been less shaky centuries ago, women in the Arab world have been taking more active leadership at all levels, rising to become national leaders in such countries as Pakistan, Turkey and the former Yugoslavia (Caprioli & Boyer, 506). The West, and the relatively young Israel, have attacked the Arab world on numerous occasions and not surprisingly, their soldiers are currently occupying Iraq and Afghanistan. The occupying soldiers have been blamed for imposing curfews, sexual assault, beating and humiliating the locals, shooting and injuring parents and their children, and closing border crossings at will (Dubinsky, Krull, Lord, Mills & Rutherford, 16; Mbembe, 39). It is not surprising that a large percentage of Americans are suspicious of Muslims (Asad, 97). Predictably, men in the Middle East have dominated the counter-assault on occupying forces, using such tactics as guerilla attacks, landmines, bombs and suicide attacks. However, women have not taken the backseat they would have been expected to take a century ago (Massad, 469). In resistance to occupation forces and the consequent assault on their culture, thousands of Muslim women have welcomed extremist anti-West ideas and proceeded to attack the occupying soldiers (Crossette, 39). Granted that women attract less suspicion, they make choice suicide bombers. According to Asad (94), the life of an Arab is far cheaper than an Israeli’s, according to the Israelis. It is not odd that the latter kills Arabs in their hundreds for every one Israeli killed. Arab women have been direct and indirect victims of these attacks. It is to defend their people against Israeli- and Western-inspired attacks that more and more women have joined the combat ranks of extremist organizations. Arab women have also led aggressive resistance political campaigns to champion their causes with varying levels of success (Hasso, 90). Thousands of Arab women have sought high-level education in the west and have initiated campaigns of resistance against the attacks aimed at the Arabs. Bibliography Arebi, S. Gender Anthropology in the Middle East: The Politics of Muslim Women’s Misrepresentation. The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences, Vol. 8, No. 1, 1991: pp 91-108. Asad, T. Talal Asad on Suicide Bombing. Caprioli, M. & Boyer, M. Gender Violence, and International Crisis. Journal of Conflict Resolution, Vol. 45, No. 4, August 2001: pp 503-518. Crossette, B. Militancy: Living in a World Without Women. The New York Times, November 4, 2001. Dubinsky, K. , Krull, C. , Lord, S. , Mills, S. & Rutherford, S. (Eds). New World Coming: The Sixties and the Shaping of Global Consciousness. Toronto: Between the Lines, 2009. El-Ghobashy. Quandaries of Representation. Hasso, F. Resistance, Repression, and Gender Politics in Occupied Palestine and Jordan. Massad, J. Conceiving the Masculine: Gender and Palestinian Nationalism. Middle East Journal, Vol. 49, No. 3 (1995): pp 467-483. Mbembe, A. Necropolitics. Public Culture 15(1), 2003. Pp 11-40.