“El Sacramento Prohibido” Reaction Paper Essay

Doctrines, traditions, conventions, politics, taboos, these are some elements that are part of the everyday lives of people in the Philippine society. Usually when these are the topics or subjects, issues are commonly entailed. These are the central themes of Lester Andrada’s thesis production which he previewed last March 28, 2014 at the NCAS Alumni Plaza, or the garden area that looks like a small courtyard inside the NCAS building. â€Å"El Sacramento Prohibido† or â€Å"the Forbidden Sacrament† is a satirical production which utilized Absurdism and perhaps a slight hint of the stylings of the Theatre of Cruelty. The story of El Sacramento Prohibido (ESP) revolves around Dante, a young priest fresh out of the seminary who was assigned to the church at his hometown to be its new â€Å"kura† or reverend. Though he brandishes the aura of a straightforward virtuous young man, he bears a secret. Fr. Dante is homosexual, a fact that is controversial and technically against Christian doctrine. Dante was sent to a seminary in Manila by his parents who were both power hungry politicians who saw Dante only as a casualty that may tarnish their names. But even before leaving for the seminary, Dante has a lover, Abel, who was, during Dante’s absence, executed by Fr. Loreto, an old priest residing in San Idelfonso. Upon returning, Dante was attended to by a young altar server named Lermo. He was a thoughtful boy, who was the first to discover Dante’s secret during one of Dante’s moments of reminiscence when he accidentally kissed the boy while thinking of Abel whose whereabouts he has yet to find out. Eventually he shall know everything that happened in his hometown, all the misdeeds done by the church, by his own parents, and ultimately, the murder of his lover. Upon finding out the truth, Dante was  consumed by the darkness, and in the end he kills everyone including himself. In the afterlife, Dante is seen with Abel, together peacefully and happily in paradise. ESP has creatively utilized the production elements in the somewhat intimate setting. First off would be the set and props. ESP was the first production that I have seen using the garden area in NCAS, and it  was a very unique experience, though a setback of it may be that the audience capacity is very limited, and the audience area itself is not leveled since the back part of the audience area is lower than the front, meaning those at the back would have a hard time seeing anything. My favorite thing about the set is how they were able to maximize the structure of the NCAS building itself. The scenes where the undead were pounding on the windows of the NCAS staircase, it was very memorable and awesome. On the props, they were creative but not as accurate (visually) as the actual church paraphernalia like the chalice, and the placement of the podium. The costumes and makeup of the actors were nice, the prosthetics were impressive but can still maybe stepped up a notch. The music wa s creepy, and therefore appropriate. I found it remarkable the moments of live choral music performed by the other actors (the parts when Herzl was at the back of the audience and she was chanting), very beautiful. The lights could be improved especially the timing of when to turn the lights on or off, but the lights in general had been able to establish the mood of the scenes alongside the music. The film component was impressively done in terms of cinematography. The technical aspects of the production can still be improved, like with the projector, and the synchronization of the lights and sounds with the scene. The thing that makes me think of many things about ESP is the text itself. I grew up in a very religious environment. I know how many things worked, why some things are done, what some things meant, since these things were taught to me since I was a child. I found it hard not to comment on some of the technical aspects of the production, like the props (as I mentioned earlier) and also the text, on what the actors were saying. I really cannot blame the playwright since I heard that he was not a Catholic. I think what the playwright intended to depict is the undesirable characteristics and actions of the Church and how other people see it, and with that kind of perspective I think it had  done that part well. Though looking at it in retrospect, I think that perhaps had it been too accurate, it may be more offensive especially if they don’t know how to look at things with an artistic perspective, or just with an open mind. The text had tackled many issues in the Philippine  society. There’s the case of the LGBT, where they are seen as undesirable in society as portrayed by how Fr. Loreto and Mr. & Mrs. Barrameda had shunned Dante because of his homosexuality. Another issue is with the church, or I should rather say the church practitioners, which had done wrongs since the time of the Spanish colonization when they used the word of God to exploit and take advantage of the people, as depicted by how Fr. Loreto always demands payments for sermons and other things that shouldn’t even be given a price. This next one may not be that much of an issue but the harm that can be brought about by gossip, which was depicted by the three ladies who attend mass and then afterwards talk bad about other people. The last one I shall point at is the dirty politics which is rampant in the Philippines. It was depicted by Dante’s parents who buy votes in a desperate attempt to hold on to power. They even wanted to utilize Dante’s influence as a priest in order to make the people vote for them. The part which disappointed me was the fact that Dante had given in to the darkness, and also the fact that he killed Lermo, the innocent young boy who was always there to support him. But anyways, as a production, I think El Sacramento Prohibido is good and overall an enjoyable experience especially during the times when they break the fourth wall (well, at least for me, I’m okay with it), and also it wants to tell the audience not just a story but also a message of awareness about what is happening in society nowadays.

Scm at Cathay Pacific

â€Å"AVIATION SPARE PART SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT OPTIMISATION AT CATHAY PASIFIC AIRWAYS LIMITED† CASE STUDY GLOBAL LOGISTIC COURSE ASSIGNMENT Prof. Hiroshi Hoshino Umurbek Osorkhan 2EC12056R QBS 10th 5 November 2012 1 Company Overview Cathay Pacific Airways is an airline company founded on September 24th, 1946 by Roy Farrell and Sydney de Kantzow. Starting with a very limited schedule service, the company grew larger through multiple product innovations, technological investments such as the computerized reservation system and successful acquisitions.In 1986, Cathay Pacific went public and further expanded in Europe, North America, and China. The company employed over 25000 people worldwide, serviced over 43 destinations throughout Asia, Europe and North America, and carried more than 16. 7 million passengers in 2006. 1. Why is good supply chain management of spare parts so critical for an airline? Supply chain management has become one of the crucial competitive advantage in today`s organizations. Finding opportunities in supply chain can make companies unique and different from competition.Today more and more companies are trying to manage their supply chain in an effective and efficient manner in order to provide better services at lower cost. Unlike other industries, the aviation industry known as highly regulated1 industry and the aviation spare parts 2 are very complex3, large amounts of money are invested in spare parts inventory and this has increased over the years. Because of these large amounts of money involved, there is great interest in cost savings, and even savings of a few percents only constitute large cost savings in absolute terms.This case study shows us how Cathay Pacific Airways successfully manage their supply chain in an optimal manner, despite some circumstances. According to the case study there were several points that good supply chain management of spare parts so critical for commercial airline operators. We can briefly des cribe them as stringent industry regulations, turnaround time and lead time, large number and expensive parts. Firstly, managing supply chain in aviation industry was so complex and challenging for all operators, andCathay Pacific is no exception as reflected in the huge inventory carrying costs of US$350 million as of December 2005. In addition, dead and inactive stock made up 20% of Cathay Pacific’s annual supply chain expenses of US$250 million. Moreover, substantial resources are consumed with over 100 personnel in the inventory management department overseeing over 230,000 line items of aviation spare parts and over 600 supplier relationships. As I mentioned earlier aviation spare parts themselves were very complex and expensive.For instance in a single airplane there are over 1 million parts and components and the average cost of engine was $12 million. Another critical issue for the supply chain management in aviation industry was the tight regulation of the aviation i ndustry, which is regulated by international and local authorities such as the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Civil Aviation Department of the Government of the Hong Kong (CAD). Airlines operators have to comply with different statutory regulations.For instance, they have to complete the deferrable repairs within the stipulated timeframe, suppliers of aeroplane spare parts are required to possess special legal certifications and formal protocols, as well as issues of reliability and safety. 1 Because of safety issues the Aviation industry was regulated by international and local authorities such as FAA, EASA or some local regulatory bodies. 2 Spare parts are defined as components, assemblies, and equipment that are completely interchangeable with like items installed or in use, which are used, or can be used, to replace items removed during maintenance and overhaul. Joseph D. Patton, 1984) 3 There were over 1,000,000 part s in a single airplane. 2 Initially safety issues are crucial for all operators and supplier. It`s true that strict rules and tight regulations are necessary-they protect consumers, customer safety, environment and other things. However sometimes it causes some burdens on businesses. It always increases the cost of operations. Also turnaround time for repairs was highly critical and cost for flight delay was extremely huge. Customers might be upset or even shift to other airlines if delays caused them lose the connecting flights.Thus, the cost of aircraft delays was crucial element in engineering. Bargaining power of supplier, difficulty to forecast demand and harsh competitions were other important issues in aviation industry. As a result of tight aviation regulations airline companies, as a customer, were constrained in supplier selection. Spare parts solely supplied by only single dominated supplier as called OEM (original equipment supplier). The limited choice and high concentr ation of OEM`s limited airline operators` negotiation power.According to the M. Porter`s five force analysis aviation industry has low entrance barrier and it cause very intensive competition between airlines operators. A few decades ago flying with airline was very expensive for ordinary people but today everyone can benefit from this because airline ticket prices have constantly and significantly fallen. Finally, demand forecasting was very difficult. The forecast for spare parts is made based on maintenance information, scheduled maintenance plans and past usage patterns.Even so, the usage pattern of spare parts remained highly unpredictable because of the irregular behavior and the high level of demand variability of airplane spare parts for aircraft maintenance repair parts, which make the demand forecasting very challenging and tough to deal with. 2. Explain the financial impact of having higher inventory level of spare parts. It`s obvious successful supply chain management is focuses in an inventory and inventory control management.A common perception and experience is that supply chain management leads to cost savings, largely through minimizing inventory holding costs. As I mentioned before certain risks (delaying aircraft can lead huge cost) airline operators was needed to hold certain level of spare parts that could satisfy all possible demand of its aircraft. However, this was both financially and operationally impossible. Thus, managing balance between most effective inventory levels to hold onto relative to the responding service level is very important.According to the case study spare parts constituted a significant expense (total inventory value was $350 million in BS) in Cathay Pacific`s financial statement. Followings are several financial drawbacks of having higher inventory level of spare parts. ? It could increase the carrying inventory cost. High inventory increases the warehousing cost (facility, handling, etc. ), the investment cost (b orrowing and opportunity, etc. ) and holding cost (insurance, tax, obsolescence, etc. ) directly linked to the increase of inventory. It could also increase the labor cost.High inventory level conducts to inventory discrepancies, so lots of counting and recounting, tracking and tracing costs associated. It had negative impact on cash flow. More buy spare parts, components and assembles or any goods mean more consume cash only holding inventory. Moreover, holding high inventory levels always hide process inefficacies where inventory is made to cover malfunctions such as breakdowns, quality issue, long die exchange time even risks of mistakes. ? ? ? 3 3. How do you evaluate Cathay Pacific's logistics management?I was very impressed and fascinated with Cathay Pacific’s logistics management. Despite of existing challenges such as heavy regulations, dependence on OEM`s, large numbers and complexity of spare parts and supplier relations and so on Cathay Pacific was successfully man age their supply chain and made themselves different other airlines. As a result she has become a leading airline company in the world. Cathay Pacific handles all procurement and inventory management in-house whilst third party logistics service providers are employed for repair and logistics management.Through following successful procurement, inventory management, repair management, and logistics management Cathay Pacific could optimize their supply chain management of spare parts operation. ? Despite large scale of operations with thousands of suppliers and distributors cross functional teams at Cathay Pacific helped in gaining leverage on purchasing by applying a systematic process of reducing the cost of spare parts purchased from different vendors. The procurement process gave an edge to Cathay Pacific in monitoring, evaluating and managing relationships with suppliers to ensure operational effectiveness.With its implementation, the airline was able to leverage purchasing powe r across different divisions and negotiate favorable prices with the suppliers. Strategic sourcing also focused to consolidate the supplier’s database and chose the preferred ones. Through the finding following options Cathay Pacific successfully was handled the shortage. – Express Shipping: This situation happens when aircraft is grounded and could not take off due to the nonavailability of certain part. The system at Cathay Pacific generates an urgent AOG (Aircraft on Ground) order request and the parts are expressed shipped for same day delivery.The express shipping situation clearly shows the shortcomings of current purchasing practices and inventory management of Cathay Pacific. – Borrowing: The other method Cathay Pacific uses is of borrowing form other Airlines. Borrowing seems to be a good idea however Cathay Pacific cannot depend on this method as it cannot ensure the availability of parts as the parts required might not be available with other airline. Also borrowing might even be not possible as different airlines uses different aircraft models. Again it will be costly option for Cathay Pacific because other airline might charge a premium. Airline Technical Pool: The third option Cathay Pacific has for meeting shortage is by pool loan, Cathay Pacific has signed a contract with International technical pool which maintain network of 100 Airlines. With this use of this network Cathay Pacific can share spare parts when in need without a surcharge. Collaborating through this network is a good option for Cathay Pacific, however still it cannot ensure the availability of required parts. Cathay Pacific cannot rely completely on this option. Also it might me time consuming and costly to ship the part form different regions.Being part of this network Cathay Pacific also need to share their inventory with other Airlines which could create instability in their own system. – Internal Borrowing: The final option Cathay Pacific has is o f internal procurement, whenever a part is needed Cathay Pacific can borrow it form their Aircraft. This solution might make the part available in short term but it does not necessary solve the actual problem as they will still be requiring the part in future. Similar to the other options Cathay Pacific cannot rely on this option because it does not ensure the part availability when needed.In addition improving and introducing Ultramain information system, which enables Cathay Pacific`s technical log process and support the maintenance management afterwards was clearly helped to optimize their supply chain management of spare parts. Another successful supply chain optimization at Cathay Pacific was implementation of Aerochange system Development of a collaborated supply chain system to expand the sharing and exchange of information (Spare parts availability and suppliers list) with different airlines gave an advantage to Cathay Pacific to select a supplier from the huge database.Aft er its launch in 2000, technological advancement in Aeroxhange made this system capable of doing numerous tasks which helped the airlines to be more effective in their procurement. ? ? ? 4 ? E. g. : In 2001, Aeroxchange launched its e-procurement platform to integrate the partners for quote management and also it incorporated the service order management in 2005. Finally, Cathay Pacific was successfully outsourced to third-party logistics (3PL) companies to transport their parts to various repair houses across the globe.This outsourcing approach allowed Cathay Pacific to save costs and hence reduce financial risks. Assets required establish distribution centers and networks normally need a huge amount of money that encompasses financial risks and hence by outsourcing, this risk can be spread to 3PL partners. Also the perform of repair and logistics management activities Cathay Pacific pays millions of dollars. However outsourcing these activities will result in saving the capital wh ich can be spent on further expansion of the airline. . Any suggestion for the company to reduce the inventory cost while maintaining safe operation of aircrafts? Although Cathay pacific invested a lot of time and money to improve their procurement, there are still many rooms for the advancement in their processes. The history of Cathay pacific says that they have always tried to lock the deals with the airlines and individual suppliers to enhance their procurement process.On the other hand, one point that should have been taken into account was establishing strategic alliances with the suppliers or manufacturers (Boeing and Airbus) for the procurement activities. (According to the case study Cathay Pacific ) An alliance where manufacturers should focus on the materials management and help Cathay pacific to focus on core business activities. The integrated alliance with Boeing and airbus services will help to achieve greater transparency and efficiency in the resource operations.The se services are acquired by most of the big players in the market like Delta airlines and Singapore airlines where they succeeded in generating good revenues by focusing on their core activities. The other alternative for improvement is to reward the suppliers to suggest the cost saving ideas. This will help the airline to develop a sense of competition among suppliers for developing a sustainable and cost effective model for procurement which will eventually result in increasing the productivity of the fleet.Despite the Cathay Pacific`s efforts to manage their spare parts inventory in an optimal manner, they still encountered several circumstances. Dealing with spare part shortage they have offered express shipping. Definitely express shipping is a very costly option for Cathay Pacific and should be avoided by keeping the AOG parts in inventory. Finally outsourcing whole engineering division can be another suggestion to improve inventory cost. By this it could save enormous costs a nd risks. 5

The Homeless Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Homeless - Assignment Example In addition, homelessness can be caused by mental disorders, drug abuse and discrimination by the society due to certain reasons like sexual orientation. Some other people find themselves homeless owing to domestic violence, mortgage foreclosures, eviction by tenants and forced expulsion by government in order to set the land aside for other developments. The problem of homelessness was not existent in pre-historic times. Initially, human beings lived in traditional shelters such as caves, huts, and tents. Building these structures was easy and everyone could afford a dwelling because natural building materials were readily available and almost everyone knew how to build. However, during the modern times, the art of building became professional and expensive. Many individuals migrated to urban areas during the industrial revolution. Increased homelessness occurred because of higher land and house prices and strict housing codes. People who were unable to pay the exorbitant rental fees were evicted and, therefore, became homeless. Around 1500s, the homeless in England were punished because they were seen as unauthorized beggars. However, in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, they provided them with housing and training for jobs, instead of punishment in order to prevent them from over-relying on the state. The homeless people on the s treets in the United States increased after the American civil war (Bloom, 2005). More people were left homeless in the 1930s because of the Great Depression, which also resulted in increased poverty. In the 1970s, the homeless population increased due to de-institutionalization of people with mental illnesses. The psychiatric, outpatient, and social services that were promised to these people were not provided and, consequently, most of them ended up being homeless. In the 1980s, the number of homeless people increased

Increasing Of The Self-medication Level And Its Dangerous Essay - 1

Increasing Of The Self-medication Level And Its Dangerous - Essay Example The country has witnessed a situation in which people buy and consume drugs without a prescription from medical practitioners. The danger with this culture is that parents are adopting the culture oblivious of the future behavior that their children will adopt following the use of drugs over the counter. Gup highlights the dangerous approach that parents adopt and indicates that the system â€Å"devalues talking therapy† and consequently results into other approaches of treatment, which he calls self-medication and indicates that the society has made this approach â€Å"perfectly acceptable.† Based on Gup’s statement, the society engages in self-medication without assessing the dangers involved in their actions. In effect, children will adopt this practice as conventional or standard practice since their parents make it deeply rooted in a family setting. To highlight the dangers posed by this practice, drug dealing can be said to be a practice that originates fro m the self-medication that the American social practices. In this regard, the fact that drugs are sold without a prescription can make drug dealing become normal since self-medication is the order of the day. In effect, I agree with Gup when he indicates that his son’s behavior mirrored the society that the young people grow in whereby â€Å"Big Pharma itself prospers from the off-label uses of drugs, often not tested in children and not approved for the many uses to which they are put† (Gup). In this regard, it is evident that large pharmaceutical companies rake in billions of profits each year by selling drugs without proper regulatory measures in place. From this practice, youths who peddle drugs to society behave in a similar way to these pharmaceutical companies since they sell drugs that are illegal and are harmful to society. It is common knowledge that most behavior that humans adopt is learned from various settings.

Classification of Groups in Glee (Pilot) Assignment

Classification of Groups in Glee (Pilot) - Assignment Example For example, Phin’s mother is single but has a boyfriend who is friendly with her son and encourages him into realizing his potential. However, he separates from Phin’s mother leaving Phin to take of his mother alone. Eventually, he is forced to sell drugs in order to sustain his mother. In this group include teachers, trainers, and guitarists. One of the most notable characters in this category is Mr. Shu also known as Will. Through his determination and his belief in the school student’s he develops a choir and also helps some in unlocking their potential. For example, he helps Phin in realizing who he is and in embracing his singing abilities. He also helps in bringing together the choir as one and also makes them believe in themselves. Another notable adult is the principal whose command on other teachers is spectacular. Through his leadership, he is able to command everyone under him. He is also able to maintain law and order in the school. This group is made up of various students with the major ones being the singers and the dancers. The students are quite young and their interests are way different from the adult’s interests. However, one of the most notable aspects of this group is their talent either in basketball or in the choir. Some of them like Phin has dual talents meaning that they can sing as well as manage in other areas since Phil is also an important player. The only thing missing in this group is their love for education since they claim that they won’t make it past high school. However, from their enthusiasm, it is clear that most of these students are headed for bigger things than what they can see.  

None Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 27

None - Essay Example Specializing in a single field is thus very important. This will enable someone to become skilled and therefore will find ways to attract the majority of customers. Having a variety of product may make the buyer feel that they are of less quality compared to that one person with a specific product. Therefore, it is important for an individual to focus on one product (Wiid, 96). Specializing in a specific product is very important. This is because people that are familiar with your kind of work will always think of you when they find someone a specific type of service since they know that you so good at. This position is identifiable within a subculture where the people involved are so passionate about a specific act, an example is Dave Company. This is not just but a regular bar and a restaurant, but rather it is also a place with video game meant for the adults (Hague, 89). They have found a position where adults comfortable do take beer, play games without having to deal with cases of people running around with quarters or screaming children’s that they are competing with. It is important to identify a suitable geographical place to place a business. Later one is to identify what the people within the location really want. This will help one package their product and services so that they benefit the people. This will enable the business to receive the maximum profit within a short span of time. Creating effective communication among the buyers and the sellers is also important. This will help provide more insight to what the majority of people expect. One will also identify the major gaps within the business and sell them (Wiid, 100). Identifying the problems people within a geographical location do face is also important. This helps identify products that are most needed in the geographical area. Through consideration of such factors, one will be able to identify a suitable market. Brainstorming on how the problems

ISO 9000 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ISO 9000 - Essay Example It also checked compliance with standard documented procedures. The 2000 version was a game-changer as it introduced process management in companies. The 2000 version included the involvement of upper executives in quality delivery and improvement of the effectiveness through performance metrics. The 2008 version introduced clarifications to the requirements of the existing 2000 version. The new changes and clarifications aimed at improving consistency with earlier versions. The next version, 2015 version is under preparation. The standard undergoes auditing to improve, correct and prevent problems from arising. The auditing can be external (by an external independent body) or internal (by internal staff trained for the purpose). Auditing involves continuous review and assessment to ensure that the system is working. The 1994 auditing focuses on compliance while the 2000 version includes risks, status and importance Implementing ISO 9000 increases organization effectiveness, profits, promotes trade with other countries and makes marketing better. It also helps retain customers and improve satisfaction. In addition to improving employee motivation ISO 9000, reduces waste and increases company productivity. However, ISO 9000 faces various criticisms. Some criticize it for the large amount of money, paperwork and time needed for registration. Some view the standard as a failure especially if a company seeks certification before quality. Others accuse ISO standards of not gauging whether a company is following the right procedure for

How Most Parents in the United Arab Emirates Select Baby's Name Essay

How Most Parents in the United Arab Emirates Select Baby's Name - Essay Example When it comes to the naming of children according to character, most parents in the United Arab Emirates tend to pick soothing lively names that would go a long way in motivating their children. Such names include A’azz that is a male name meaning a person who is mighty and strong. Another female Arabic name is A‘ishah, which means a woman who is lively and superior (Al, 2001). Normally, parents in the UAE select such names in order to influence their children’s behavior and character. As far as the naming of children after famous businesspeople is concerned, it is important to note that many children have been named after Sunil  Baby, who is a renowned Financial Controller at IAL Container Line (UK) Ltd (Gulfnews, 2014). Although many trendy names are available in the modern era, the conservative United Arab Emirates strongly prohibits the adoption of such names especially western names that are considered foreign and ‘dirty’. It means that parents in the United Arab Emirates have to pick only from the available options, as going against the Arabian culture is considered a taboo. Additionally, the culture of naming children in the United Arab Emirates highly prohibits interchanging names in either gender. Therefore, parents in the country are only supposed to give their males children male Arabian names and the female children should also bear female Arabic names. Contrary names could attract disciplinary actions according to the Islamic laws (Al, 2001). Until recently, parents in the United Arab Emirates used to name their children after the prince and names that depicted the prophets but Saudi Arabia has banned over fifty names and the effect that is soon spiraling in the United Arab Emirates due to the similarity in cultures.

Phantom Time Theory Essay Example for Free

Phantom Time Theory Essay There are a few German scholars who believe that a 300 year time period was just written in the history books, without actually existing. The gap in history has been coined the Phantom Time Theory or Phantom Time Hypothesis. Although it is not a very widely accepted theory, there is a fair amount of evidence to back it up. Time itself has very many definitions, the historical records of the time don’t coincide, and astronomy and dendrochronology can’t definitively prove the theory wrong. What exactly is time? One of time’s many definitions is â€Å"the system of those sequential relations that any event has to any other, as past, present, or future; indefinite and continuous duration regarded as that in which events succeed one another,† (Time 784) Basically, this means the order of events occurred in relation to each other. Since there are numerous other definitions time is very subjective and who is to say that time even really exists. Different countries have different calendars and started counting years at other various times. For example, the Islam calendar started in the year we know as 622 AD. Niemitz asks â€Å"How was it possible to insert this phantom time into history? †(8), which has no easy answers. One might respond in a way as to say that we made a mistake when changing from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. If that were to be the case, then how would it have been a 300 year oversight? Maybe, the switch in calendars may just be a small part of the problem; could it have been the start of the falsified history? If so, then where else could the gap have come from? Most of the historical documents of the time seem to have either been falsified or just don’t exist. For example, Heribert Illig believes â€Å"†¦Charlemagne was a fictional character,† (Bellows 1). If Charlemagne was a made-up figure in history, than what else has been made up about that era? Maybe all of it has been fictionalized by some mass conspirators, or maybe certain documents of the time have just been translated incorrectly and certain historical feats did not actually happen. Also, there are large gaps in historical documents like â€Å"†¦the doctrine of faith, especially the gap in the evolution of theory and meaning of purgatory†¦,† (Bellows 3). With gaps in historical documents like this, it leaves a doubt in the mind of anybody that ponders the existence of this time period. If there are gaps in historical documents like this, then maybe there are gaps in the history itself, as well. John states in his narrative that â€Å"Often, historiography just consisted of archiving anything at all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (John 5). So, maybe most of the history as we think we know is nothing but false assumptions. But, this whole theory is built on the word maybe. Other scholars might give Illig more respect for his findings if he could come up with more specific answers that tell both sides of the story. Astronomy is neutral, for the most part, when it comes to the Phantom Time Theory. For example, Beaufort writes â€Å"Ultimate evidence against Illigs hypothesis, based solely on historical solar eclipses can possibly not be found,† (Beaufort 25). So, if solar eclipses can’t prove the theory wrong, then what can? Methods like Dendrochronology, carbon dating, might hold the answer. Unfortunately, â€Å"Despite of calibration a high degree†¦antique period typically up to +/-150 years,† (Beaufort 26). This leaves us once again with no definitive answer on the validity of the hypothesis. At the moment, there is no scientific way to prove the theory valid or invalid, but maybe, some day in the near or possibly distant future, there will be a way to accurately pinpoint the dates when certain historical events happened to put this talk of the theory being a â€Å"conspiracy† to bed. 300 years of our history may just have been thought up in someone’s head and written in the history books, or maybe it is true. There are a few things for certain though: time is very subjective and we could be living in any time period imaginable, depending on when you start counting years. Some historical documentation of the era has been proven to be forged, so we can never distinguish what has actually happened in history and what some writer of a history book just made it up. Lastly, astronomy and dendrochronology don’t give a definitive answer to the questions of when exactly these historical events happened. So, maybe this theory is just some wild thought a few German scholars had, but maybe, in the coming years more and more evidence to prove the theory valid may come out and these crazy scholars would look like geniuses.

J&K Outfitters Ltd. Essay Example for Free

JK Outfitters Ltd. Essay The organization I am going to talk about is JK Outfitters Ltd. I will be explaining the advantages and the disadvantages of using ratio analyse within the business, by the help of using the ratio analyse it will show the financial performance of the business as it can help the investors to gain the inside health of the company. Each ratio within the business plays a different prospective e.g. The stock turnover ratio shows you how quickly a company sells and replaces the stocks which are the goods and materials that a business holds for the purpose of resale. The advantage of using this stock turnover ratio will help the investors to make a decision on rather to invest in this business or no because it will show the health of the company. The other type of ratio I am going to talk about is the current ratio which provides the business amount of assets compared to its liabilities which shows the business ability to pay its debts. With the help of this ratio the investors get the idea of will they get their money back if they will invest in that business. On the other side ratio fails to address the potential of the company as they only offer inside to the business present situation as it won’t give the future prediction of the business. For example, if the company is about to merge and acquire large amount of capital the ratio will not reveal these new changes therefore ratios cannot be the only measurements investors use to assess companies value, because this numbers do not reveal other key information such as industry changes and economy forces. Another disadvantage I am going to talk about of using ratio is that some ratio might indicate the company is performing well while other indicates financial issues therefore investors need to assess multiple ratios to get the picture of the business stability which can help them to come to a conclusion rather to invest or not within that business. Ratios are beneficial to some parties however not to the other, such as a bank might not consider giving a help or interest to the companies’ book to market ratio however, the financial investors will evaluate its level of depth ratio to see if the company is worth of a loan.

Criteria for eco-hotel

Criteria for eco-hotel Introduction Tourism is one of the leading growth sectors of the global economy, bringing in billions of dollars annually in developing countries and transporting millions of people internationally. But the tourism industrys growth through the years has created an increasing amount of stress on the environment. Ecotourism is nature-oriented and environmentally focused and is growing rapidly. Ecotourism aside, many in the hotel industry have recognized the negative impact their business activities have on the environment and have taken action to alleviate those impacts. Environmentally responsible business practices dovetail well with the newfound popularity of ecotourism. They harmonize tourism and environmental sustainability. Eco-hotels are a name given to represent a hotel or an accommodation that has made the surroundings improvements to its structure so as to reduce its impact on the environment. This is known also known as green hotel which are environmentally-responsible accommodation that follow practices of green living. To be considered as environmentally responsible these hotels have to be certified as ‘green by an independent third-party or by the state they are located in. Traditionally, these hotels are qualified as Eco Hotels because of their location, their design inspired by the use of traditional building and the eco activities they offer. Chapter 1 Literature Review 1.0 Criteria for eco-hotel: An eco-hotel must as a rule meet the following criteria: Rely on the natural environment Environmental sustainability Should be able to safeguard the ecology Should sensitize people about the environmental training programs Should be able to bring intercultural exchange Should be able to increase the countrys revenue Maintaining the organization building by using non-hazardous cleaning agents and laundry detergent 100%organic cottonsheets, towels and mattresses Non-smoking atmosphere Renewable power sources like solar or wind energy Bulk natural soap and facilities as an alternative of individual packages to reduce waste Guest room and hotel lobby recycling bins Towel and sheet re-use (guests can tell housekeeping to leave these slightly used items to reduce water utilization) Energy-efficient lighting On-site transportation with green vehicles Serve natural and local-grown food Non-disposable dishware Offers a fresh-air exchange structure Gray water recycling, which can be used in the kitchen, bath and laundry water for garden and landscaping Newspaper recycling plan 1.1 Hotels having this Criteria Copenhagen: No.1 Green hotel in the World. Eco star: 1 Stars: 4 Location: Europe Country: Denmark Copenhagen Towers in line with the Green Building Standard is the first hotel in Denmark that has got linked with the UNs Global Compact. It has been considered that the building can saved about 1.373 tons of carbon dioxide annually and it has also been awarded the golden nail for being the most pioneering eco-friendly building. The Crowne Plaza Towers was constructed in 2009 using the most modern renewable and most sustainable resources. According to the president of Copenhagen Hotel Management, Sandeep Sander, the notion used by the hotel was to be more sustainable first to produce most of the energy used and to save as much energy as possible. â€Å"One of the key power saving initiatives is the mechanism of a groundwater based system, is based on the idea of recycling energy, and provides both heating and cooling to all 366 hotel rooms, the conference room section, kitchen, restaurant, and the ancillary office building.†Actions such as intelligence control of lightning and low-energy light sources have been taken to guarantee that the consumption is kept low. The majority of the part of the hotels IT infrastructure were used on foundation of energy saving and renewability. Managing director for Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, Allan L. Agerholm acknowledged: â€Å"The bikes invite the guests to move in new habits that benefits their personal health and wellbeing as well as the environment in general. The guests plainly provide the energy in the hotel. On one hand, the biking might represents an emblematic sustainable act. Yet on the other it also presents that the socio-eco-awareness now also apply for the service area.† The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen has used this new concept- green concept- for the interests of the hotel, its employees and the guests. the prominent Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong, the Hotel Nikko Hongkong occupies one of the citys choicest locations in Tsimshatsui EastISO 14001 plus other awards. Eco star: 2 Stars: 5 Location: Asia Country: Hong Kong In line with ISO 14001, Hotel Nikko Hong Kong has dedicated itself to the ecological shield. Its purpose has been to give environment-friendly services in their industry so as to be distinctive competitive as compared to others. Its aim is to provide good biodegradable services for its guests. It has also committed itself into taking appropriate techniques to stay away from pollution and towards the preservation of resources. To sponsor tourism marketing, Hotel Nikko has joined Friends of the Earths 2008-09 as a Saturn corporate member, the second highest contribution tier. The hotel management and staffs also helps to support environmental services to the guests so as to diminish wastage of natural resources and pollution done to the environment. To encourage its employees, the â€Å"Green Innovator Award† was the mechanism used to award the most innovative and convenient environment initiatives anticipated by the hotel. The concept used by Hotel Nikko Hong Kong is the 6R. Th e 6R concept consist of the following aspects: Reduce, Reuse, Replace, Repair, Refill and Recycle. The hotel has used this concept to control waste water organization. It is done in the safest way. The orchid- ECOTEL licensed by HVS Eco Services website has a wealth of good information Eco star: 3 Stars: 5 Location: Asia Country: India A tree always grows from its roots; every building needs a strong base The Orchid Hotel is found in Mumbai and it is Asias first qualified environmental friendly five-star hotel and it has been approved the ISO 14001. They just think in having a sustainable development which can build up an experience where: Deluxe need not disturb, Comfort need not compromise and Enjoyment need not be insensitive. The creation itself was designed particularly in such a way that is eco-friendly and even the resources used are sustainable and can be conserved. For the civil work, they have used: Cement They have opted for the PPC (Portland Pozzalana Cement) which hold 15-20% fly ash, as compared to OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement) Their internal partitions were built from wall panels made of compost waste and they can be reusable later. AAC (autoclaved aerated concrete) Water conservation by adopting the 6R theory Aerators/flow restrictors Sewage management plant Drip irrigation Drinking water treatment (aquazone) Rubber wood Medium thickness fibre wood Reused wood Triple glazed windows 1.2 Environmental Management In the 1980s and 1990s environment pressures has greatly affected the various industries and nowadays it has become such an important thing that it is not only affecting the outputs but even the inputs and process. Hotel industry has provided a major benefit to local and national economies; its growth has also put in danger the environment and socio-cultural area of where its developing. David Kirk (1981) argue that the hospitality sector is more affected as most hotels restaurant are situated near beauty and historic places where the need to protect is greater and even more vital. The addition of services to attract more tourists has already affected such places and thus more constrains crops up when building such facilities. Moreover tourists dont care about their action which contributes to the degradation of the environment. They expect to be pampered and dont pay attention to lashings of hot water, long time showers, and huge amount of supply of towels, copious food and more the need to be taken to the airport in limousines. We can say that nothing can be done to reduce the amount of waste without the help of the tourists, even if manager applies new ways of doing in the management of waste guests plays an important role. Environmental management is such a broad concept that it encloses aesthetic, cultural, ecological and social. There is a whole big work that should be done to educate people about the importance of a proper management of them. The hotel industry is one that consumes a lot of energy as a huge amount is to provide comfort and service to guest that are ready to pay for a unique treatment and entertainment. The amount of energy varies from Hotels due to their size and volume of guests. In the investigation of Paulina Bohdanowicz (2001) she finds out that Heating and air conditioning represent the highest energy consumption and is even consuming twice as catering which can be found at the second position. There is a wide misconception in the hotel industry about reduction of energy use. Tourism is not giving an important consideration to this aspect as there is no proper planning to directly influence the output of energy consumption. Local resources could be used like solar, wind, hydro these are excellent source of alternative energy as they have low impact over the environment. As tourism is a growing and evolving industry eco-(sustainable) tourism represent a currently small market but with time it may become the leading industry with millions of environmentalists and more consumers aware of environmental issues. Unfortunately more developers, planners believe that doing a sustainable development cost more and take more time. It will also provide less profits as more investment and less services will be available. It is true that green building offer many advantages like better economic opportunities, more comfort and convenience, better working and enhanced working environment, competitive advantage through the marketing and technology advancement, greater profits as building green cost less if it is correctly control and operated, offer an increase product and asset value as it represent the new era. The slogan â€Å"think globally, act locally† has been around in green politics for a long time but it is still very relevant. Problems are created at a local level through the business, leisure and activities provided by hotels. Robert F. Bruner (2004) clearly states that when you look around, it as if as economy has gone global, each one is copying on others ways of doing. These activities may result in effects on the environment at a local level and collectively at a national and global level therefore to change global trend one must change locally. Tourism objective is to offer service entertainment, comfort and luxury as well as a numerous range of services in an aggressive competitive market. There is a must to consume more energy to provide such services. The only way to control the production of such services is to get in close cooperation with all the stakeholders involved right at the beginning of the planning stage. 1.3 Some Important events in Environmental management: 1956: Clean Air Act; 1970: Department of Environment established; 1972: publication of â€Å"Limits to Growth†; 1973: formation of Green Party; 1974: Control of Pollution Act; 1987: Montreal Protocol (CFC emissions); 1987: Treaty of Rome; 1987: Bruntland Report (sustainable development); 1987: HM Inspectorate of Pollution; 1990: European Environmental Agency; 1990: White Paper on Environmental Strategy; 1992: Rio Earth Summit Conference; 1993: UK National Sustainability Plan. Environmental management was given more importance with the rise of health problem due to pollution from industries. Industries expanding themselves caused great damage to environment with the massive pollution they were doing. Without the interest of the highest level of an organization it is less likely that a company will involve itself in environmental management. Therefore to be able to do such thing there should be the participation of everyone in a company so that ideas develop flourish. The first step is to have a vision and to transform them into objective and targets with clear monitoring so as to have control and communication being done for everyone to go into the same direction. The next step is to conduct an environmental audit into the company so as to identify areas to be made targets. Environmental Management touches sector like purchasing policies, waste management and waste disposal in a company. A department should be created in order to fulfill those required task so as to enhance and to show a real endeavor towards environment protection. 1.4 Environmental management in the hospitality industry Not much interest was put in the hospitality sector until the creation of the International Hotels Environment Initiative, which was launched by the Prince of Wales. The first main objective was to create a manual on environmental management for hotels. The Hotel Catering Institutional Management Association (HCIMA) and the World Travel and Tourism Council have established an initiative on environmental management awareness. The programme, known as â€Å"Green Globe†, has as its main objective the aim to provide practical and low-cost means by which hospitality companies can follow rules to undertake environment improvements base on international guidelines. 1.5 Policies and Standards set for Eco-Hotels There are several places in the world whereby green hotels/ eco hotels are now being practiced. In most cases, by setting up several laws and regulations on hotel construction, government has forced the hotels builder in constructing eco-hotels. There are also several associations which are fighting for a more eco-friendly buildings and hotels. A few key building environmental assessment tools presently in use comprise of: Canada: LEED Canada / Green Globes China: GBAS India: Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) / GRIHA Japan: CASBEE United States: LEED / Living Building Challenge / Green Globes / Build it Green / NAHB NGBS / International Green Construction Code International Green Construction Code (IGCC) United Kingdom: BREEAM A few key building environmental assessment tools such as BREEAM (United Kingdom), and CASBEE (Japan) are a great help for the consumers in determining a structures aim and level of the environmental accomplishment. They reward credits for optional construction features which sustain green model in categories such as the site location and upholding of building site, conservation of water, etc. The stage of achievements are then determined through the number of credits. Governments have begun to command a reduction in the use of energy and emissions. In US in the construction industry, â€Å"Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design† also known as â€Å"LEED,† is being developed as a widely-accepted standard. The LEED certification has been modified by the U.S. Green Building Council to give facilities to all buildings to earn points in many categories, helping thus the hotel operators to be able to obtain certification for their existing services. They thus earn points by being sustainable in: The low energy use which reduces the release of air pollutants and greenhouse gases By reducing water consumption by 30% The use of recycle products to renovate. The use of innovative technologies that help in reducing energy usage thus achieving other types of sustainability. There is on about 1,200 LEED-certified buildings till the end of 2008, most of which are new instead of renovated buildings. The government also plays a very significant role in the industrys eco- environment, not only by creating environmental resources to help the industry. The government officials also shared their acquired experience on ecological work with the practitioners. According to the United Nations Environmental Program, 2001, the French Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environment along with some hotels has been sponsoring the making of teaching materials for environmental issues. The Hong Kong and French government also shows the importance of pursuing sustainable tourism by funding two cases. Referring to: Hotels environmental management systems (ISO 14001) by Wilco W. Chan and Kenny Ho we can see the chart with the different departments and its aims. Introduced in China during the year 2003 with the publication of China Hotel Associations standards for green hotels, it was targeted to build and develop 10,000 green hotels by 2010. In May 2007, URBN Hotels Resorts, a hotel situated in Shanghai, entered into an accord with Emissions Zero, a company which sells offsets greenhouse gas emissions. URBN plans was to calculate the hotel ‘s total amount of energy consumed, to then purchase credits in order to reduce its footprint by investing In the local green projects. In the islands where tourism industry is backbone for economic growth, due to the fear of losing developers, there is often a lack of regulations. Two examples are Barbados and Jamaica, whereby they utilize funds raised to coordinating the Plan for a Sustainable Tourism and the Tourism Product Development Company. They have developed curriculums concerning sustainable practices for the different hoteliers. The Government initiatives for examples such as Energy Conservation Building Code 2007 are mostly focused on how to preserve environment. A new code had been launched June 2007 clearly specified that only the energy performance requirements for all commercial buildings will constructed in India. 1.6 IPD Environment Code In February 2008 the IPD Environment Code, which was supposed to be a good practice global standard, has been launched. The Code was introduces in order to measure the environmental performance of corporate buildings. Its aim is to accurately assess, evaluate and deal with the environmental impacts of commercial buildings. The Code covers a broad array of building types which have as aims to: environmental plan creation Communicating a responsibility to the improvement of the environment. Create performance targets Environmental improvement plans Life cycle assessments United Nations (UN) has introduces an Agenda 21 which is connected to sustainable development, a blueprint of action. It is supposed to be taken internationally, on a national scale and locally by different types of organizations of the UN, governments, and major groups that is in every part in which the humans has an effect on the environment. A great number of organizations, due to the increasing interest in eco-building concepts, are now developing the different standards and rating systems which are encouraging the governments regulators as well as the construction professional in adopting eco-buildings with more conviction. There are also different codes being written which are now being adopted by the government in order to reduce the different environmental impacts of all the buildings. 1.7 Eco activities offered to tourists by Eco-Hotels Over the past years, the tourism industry has begun to promote and expand and some tourists adopted and supported the concept of ecotourism, especially in coastal and marine locations (Miller, 1991; Miller Auyong, 1991b; Grenier et al.,). Ecotourism dates to year 1965 when Hetzer required a reconsidering of cultural education in tourism context and promoted ecological tourism (eco-tourism). Today eco-tourism has become an international concept that makes up the principles of preservation, conservation and sustainable development. According to Valentine (1991) in the literature ecotourism is also recognised as ‘adventure tourism, nature-oriented tourism, alternative tourism, appropriate tourism, soft tourism, responsible tourism, ethical tourism, environment-friendly travel, green tourism, sustainable tourism, and nature tourism. The list could be extended with other alternatives like equality tourism, ethnic tourism, ‘cultural tourism, socio-ecological tourism, photo-saf ari tourism, dive tourism or surfing tourism. A tourist activity, a private venture or government service, and a guide for ethical conduct are some technical definitions given to ecotourism. For Hetzer (1965), responsible eco-tourism is assessed against four standards: Minimum environmental impact; Minimum impact on and maximum respect for host cultures; Maximum economic benefits to the host countrys grassroots; and Maximum recreational satisfaction to participating tourists. The Ecotourism Society, a non-profit organisation created in 1990 to serve tour operators, conservation professionals, protected area management specialists, researchers, and guides, among others, defines ecotourism as responsible travel that conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people. For example in Shanti Maurice hotel, along with the local inhabitant, use composting for waste reduction. However, there is not yet any standard method to quantify the amount of ecotourism. Bangs (1992) notes that, while generic tourism increases around 4% annually, ecotourism is growing at a rate of 30%. Lindberg (1991) stated that nature-based tourism contributed between $2 and $12 billion in 1988 to the economies of developing nations. According to Miller (1993), today, demand for travel shows greater deviation and magnitude than ever before, so making the tourism industry the biggest business on the earth. The increase in availability of public transport, car ownership, outbound travel, and new interests in nature based ecotourism, with the increased leisure time implies a promising future to marine eco-tourism. As a result more careful and detailed preparation and planning is necessary to accommodate the estimated arrival of tourists to coastal areas. But still ecotourism is often disadvantaged by limited access, lack of transport and poor resort facilities, including lodging facilities. It is essential to achieve a good balance between the development of leisure and the preservation of natural resources is to sustain the high quality of recreational activities. The concept of the 3s (sea, sand, sun) tourism is changing to more sustainable tourism activities. There are different eco hotels which offer different activities to tourists depending on their surrounding environment. Hereunder is a list of eco hotels of different eco star ratings and the eco activities they offer to the tourists. 3 star Eco hotels Leaves and Lizards Arenal Volcano Cabin Retreat(Central America-Costa Rica) Guests learn about consequences of deforestation and its effects on biodiversity, climate and water during their stay at Leaves and Lizards. Information is shared and discussed during guided tours, through casual conversations and written material in guests rooms. Activities available there to tourists are horse riding, white water rafting, zip lines (Tyrolean traverse) and canyoning. Admirals Inn-north (America- USA) Information of all the local environmentally-friendly activities that are in the area, including beach walking and hiking are given to guests. Al Tarfa Desert Sanctuary Lodge Spa- (Africa-Egypt) Al Tarfa is an adventure destination, offering daily activities such as guided walks in the desert, local community experiences, camel or horse rides inthedunes or 44 visits to local pharaonic, as well as Islamic ruins and natural hot springs. Other rewarding experiences can be arranged, including trips to theadjacent Oases, theWhite Desert Protected Area and theGilf Kebir National Park. Lake Manyara Tree Lodge- (Africa-Tanzania) This offers a number of specialist safaris as activities to guests. Ants Nest and Ants Hill- (South Africa) The aim of Ants Nest and Ants Hill is to provide a uniquely flexible safari experience Club Afrodit- (Europe-Turkey) This hotel provides various activities like morning gymnastics, nature walks, tennis, ping-pong, aerobics, basketball, volleyball, darts, water polo. Eco-Lodge Itororà ³- (South America-Brazil) Eco-Lodge Itororà ³ offers a range of activities from hiking tours to horseback riding and swimming in the crystal-clear natural pool. Ferme de Candeloup- (Europe-France) This eco hotel also acts as a Yoga centre .During the Winter, a forty minute drive brings guests to the nearest ski station, which is also just a short walk to the Spanish border. Whitewater rafting, horse riding and many other activities can also be pursued in the neighbourhood. For those of a more leisurely disposition, Candeloup is at the heart of the Juranà §on wine region, which begs to be explored. Finca del Buen Consejo- (South America-Ecuador) They offer activities in many of the local beautiful sites such as waterfall visits, mountain climbing, fly fishing, and pre Inca civilization ruins Hotel Planinka- (Europe-Slovenia) Activities organised by the hotel for the guests include mountain adventure park, paintball, hiking mountain biking, sledging, ice skating. Best Western Kamloops- (North America-Canada) In the area guests will find some of the finest golf courses in the country, horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking, fossil exploring, and Western Heritage visit. For more winter activities nearby is the excellent ski Sun Peaks Resort, which is quickly becoming one of the premier ski areas in the country. Hosteria Huechulafquen- (South America-Argentina) Guests can enjoy different excursions with diverse difficulty levels like horseback riding, trekking, mountain biking, long walks, kayaking, bird watching, scenery hiking, and the hotel specialises in catch and release fishing. Ibo Island Lodge, Quirimbas Archipelago- (Africa-Mozambique) Ibo Island Lodge provides turtle and hatching viewing opportunities to guests to the island. Iglu-Dorf- (Europe-Switzerland and Germany) Activities available there are snow show walking, igloo building and sculpting. Inkaterra Machu Picchu- (South America-Peru) Group eco-activities, such as bird watching or a guided orchid walk, are provided on their 12-acre grounds. Laguna del Lagarto Eco Lodge- (Central America-Costa Rica) The Lodge is operated in harmony with nature following extensive ecological guidelines. It is a perfect place for passionate bird-watchers and rain forest lovers. More than 10 km of well marked rainforest trails make birding and exploring easy, whether guests prefer to go alone or with a naturalist or birding guide. Matemo Island- (Africa-Mozambique) For guests who enjoy water sports, sailing, windsurfing, water skiing and banana boats, these activities are offered. Kayaks and snorkels are also available for guests to explore the islands clear waters. Rivertime resort and Ecolodge- (Asia-Laos) Rivertime resort and Ecolodge provide river tours to guests. And Tours most fascinating temples, monasteries, museums and many other sites of interest take guests to the city and local areas in the resorts minibus. Sosian Lodge-africa Kenya Sosian offers a huge range of activities including walking, horse-riding, camel safaris, game-drives, night-drives, fishing, bird-shooting, archery, tennis and swimming in the waterfalls behind the ranch house. 4 star Eco hotels Belvedere Bed Breakfast- (Europe-Italy) All sorts of activities, are provided at this hotel, like walking, trekking, mountaineering, cycling, skiing, snowboarding, snow shoeing or just relaxing surrounded by good food, wine and beautiful scenery. Brompton Lakes- (Europe-England) The site is directly on the Coast to Coast long distance footpath and ideally placed for walking, cycling and other outdoor activities. There is also a tennis court, free mountain bike hire and small rowing boats on the lakes. Cedar House Inn and Yurts- (North America-USA) Cedar House Inn and Yurts provide horseback riding, kayaking, canoeing, tubing down the Etowah or Chestatee Rivers and swimming in Dicks Creek. Mountain biking on rugged trails or road bike on the same mountainous route used by professional racers is also available. Chem chem- (Africa-Tanzania) Guests at Chem chem can experience unforgettable walking safaris and bird watching excursions. Cotton Tree Lodge- (Central America-Belize) All guest excursions are focused on the local environment and community. Guests visit waterfalls, caves, Mayan ruins, wildlife reserves, an

Influence Tactics Essay -- Rational Persuasion, Pressure Tactics

Rational persuasion has been found to be used in all three directions: upwards, downwards and laterally. (Yukl, & Falbe, 1990) Rational persuasion is used in all directions in organizations because it is relevant in most discussions. Another contingency affecting the use of rational persuasion is the objective of the influence attempt. (Yukl, Guinan, & Sottolano, 1995) Rational persuasion has been shown to be used most often to procure political support, resources, or approvals. Rational persuasion has been shown to be flexible and adaptable for the vast majority of situations involving influence. However, it is even more so relevant when attempting to obtain the desired results stated above. Personality Factors The use of rational persuasion, as an influence tactic, is also affected by the personality style of the influencer. Managers who score high on conscientiousness will be more likely to adopt upward influence tactics that involve rational persuasion. (Cable, & Judge, 2003) Rational persuasions are consistent with the practical, careful, thorough and organized disposition characterized by conscientious workers. Along with the direct effects of personality styles there is also an interaction between the personality traits of the influencer and the leadership style of the target superior. An individual that scores high on extraversion, and believes their leader is inspirational will be less likely to employ rational persuasion. Extraversion includes characteristics such as assertiveness, sociability, and energy. (Thoms, Moore, & Scott, 1996) Extraverts differ from some conscientious people, in that they tend to be more people focused rather than task focused. Rational persuasion focuses on the task and the reasoning t... ...nsultation tactics are, for the most part, a positive way to gain commitment of the target. Some peers or superiors, however, will use this tactic in an attempt to bring someone on board of a project simply to place blame on them if it fails. The two most effective influence tactics are rational persuasion and inspirational appeals. Inspirational appeals are the most effective when used by a superior influencing a subordinate. This type of tactic is unlikely to bring about negative actions by the target. They tend to appeal to the influencers positive emotions of enthusiasm and loyalty. Rational persuasion can be used in upward, lateral, or downward influence, and is a very versatile tactic. It has a low likelihood to cause negative reactions as well. It appeals to the intellectual and rationality side of the target, and doesn’t attack them on a personal level.

LAB REPORT :: essays research papers

Maury Matos  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1/14/02 AIM: Find out the mode of inheritance from crossing brown big eyed male and little eyed female, and to find out the fenotype and genotype of offspring. I took the F1 data and crossed it with another group to find the F2 data. Hypothesis: I think that the red eyes have dominant traits over brown eyes, and big eyes have dominant traits over little eyes. I got to this hypothesis because the F1 data proves that red big eyes are dominant because the offspring have big red eyes then the traits of red eyes and big eyes had to be homozygous dominant. Materials: 1. Flies 2. Vials 3. Fly food 4. Ether 5. Q-tip 6. Microscope Procedure: 1. Gather Materials. 2. Take empty vial and place all the flies in empty vial. 3. Put ether in vial to put them to sleep. 4. When they are asleep put them under a microscope to observe them. Data: Male  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Female Brown big eyes - 0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brown big eyes - 0 Brown little eyes - 0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brown little eyes - 0 Red big eyes - 134  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Red big eyes - 122 Red little eyes - 0  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Red little eyes - 0   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  AB  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ab  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  aB  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  ab ab  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  aAbB  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  aAbb  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  aabB  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  aabb (prediction) Male  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Female Brown eyeless – 12.5%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brown eyeless – 12.5% Brown big eyes – 12.5%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brown big eyes – 12.5% Red big eyes – 12.5%  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Red big eyes – 12.5% Red eyeless – 12.5 %  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Red eyeless – 12.5% (outcome) Male  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Female Brown eyeless - 35  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brown big eyes - 33 Brown big eyes - 29  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Brown eyeless - 25 Red big eyes - 32  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Red big eyes - 26 Red eyeless - 32  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Red eyeless - 28 Conclusion: My hypothesis was correct, because I crossed the F1 data and came with the outcome. I guessed that red eyes and big eyes had dominant traits. When flies are crossed they gotta have their parents genes and in this case the parents genes.

Biblical Foundations Essay

Curriculum development is establishing a plan of what a school is going to teach during a school year. The time frame of the curriculum can vary from a quarter to a semester to even being taught the entire school year. Wayne (2010) suggests that each individual’s personal biblical worldview impacts each person in their beliefs and opinions about curriculum development differently. The stance taken by this individual is that of trying to see things in the manner that God would want. God is all knowing and being all knowing, He knows what is best in all things at all times. The Bible says: â€Å"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together† (Colossians 1:16-17). Developing a curriculum is not to be taken lightly. Prayer, studying the word of God, and meditation must all be a part of the development. The role of teachers is to not only teach our students the curriculum that is set before them but to be a leader and a role model. Being a role model is a scary concept. Scary because it means that one is to not just use the words that they speak but they are to show it by the way they act and live their life. Christian teachers have a tremendous job to accomplish. They influence not only the other teachers around them but also the students that they are around every day. The curriculum that is being taught is of the utmost importance but the Christian witness that is being shown is of even more importance. The public school system does not make this easy for those who are Christians. Speaking the word of God is prohibited within this setting. Knowing this, as Christian teachers, being a deliberate Christian role model is of the utmost importance. Many might say that this is impossible but that is far from the truth. The Bible says: â€Å"With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible† (Matthew 19:26). The Bible also says: â€Å"†¦Everything is possible for him who believes† (Mark 9:23). Teachers are some of the most innovative and creative people. Christian teachers are to use this to their benefit. The God we serve is the one and only living God and through him, all things are possible. This makes the possibilities of being a good Christian role model limitless. The role of the learner today should be one of wanting to learn. Teachers can encourage this by using student-centered learning according to Blumberg (2008). This can be a very powerful way of getting the learner to want to learn. Student-centered learning does not have to be the entire focus of the class. The focus here could be put into place after the teacher has instructed the students. In a ninety minute class, the teacher is more than able to instruct the students, and then put them in student-centered learning. This helps the learner to focus on what they have learned and not on what the teacher is teaching according to Blumberg (2008). The approach here helps the learner to focus on what they need to be doing and less time on what is going on around them. In our society today, the biblical worldview is quickly being taken away while the modern worldview is silently creeping in to the minds of everyone. Scripture tells us: â€Å"†¦Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light† (2 Corinthians 11:14). We, as Christians, are becoming so conditioned to being politically correct that we are forgetting what is biblically correct. We sit back and think that if we just ignore what is going on, then it will just go away. Instead of that, things have gotten worse and even our young children and adults are beginning to believe that what is taking place is alright. No prayer in school, it is the holiday break not Christmas break, it is spring break not Easter. A worldview is what we develop because of what is going on around us. Many do not even realize that their worldview is being formed or altered. When asked what their worldview is, many cannot even explain it, let alone tell you where their view came from. Today’s Christian society needs to step up and take a stance on what needs to be taught within our public schools. Many in our Christian society have pulled their children out of the public school system to either put them into private Christian schools or to homeschool them. Although this is not wrong, it is not accurate either. The government of today has been shaped and is being shaped by the beliefs of many different religions. â€Å"The U. S. was the first western nation to be founded predominately by Protestants — not Roman Catholics. That fact alone expresses America’s willingness to experiment with the novel and a defiance of tradition. Its history includes the emergence of utopian experiments, religious fanaticism, and opening the door to such exotic religions as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Taoism. Such has been the winding road of religious evolution in America† (History of Religion in America). In trying to make the United States a place of religious freedom, our government has instead made the life of a Christian more difficult. The government’s role in our society should be that of making sure that our children are educated to the standard possible. Although religious viewpoints should be left up to the families of the children, the government still needs to maintain that our freedom is not taken away within the schools. There does need to be guidelines that need to be established but without the persecution of believers of Christ. The church needs to be very careful when getting involved with curriculum development outside of Christian schools. There are so many beliefs that are out there that if the church were to get too involved, the government could and has stepped in to tell us that all has to be taught or expressed. This is where the parents need to step up to the plate. Parents can become and should become a part of the school. Becoming a part of the Parent Teacher Organization is a good start. Getting to know the teachers and expressing to them the needs that should be better met for the students should be of the utmost important. Parents have the right to have a say in the development of the school curriculum. Done in the proper manner, parents can even have a powerful impact on the curriculum their children are taught. Being a part of the process instead of being a part of the problem is the best plan any parent should be a part of for their child. Teachers, learners, society, government, church and family all have an important role in developing curriculum. Each on has a specific role that affects each and every one of us. Teachers and learners work together every day. They get to know each other on a level that can and should encourage trust with one another. Society and government go hand in hand in expressing what the people of that particular area want. Church and families hold the values we want our children to have as well as the standards of life we want. The development of curriculum is to be held to a high standard. Each group that is listed above help to provide the high standard that our children deserve in the educational field.

Accounting Ch16 Ex

Ex 16. 2 (Basic Types of Manufacturing Costs) Into which of the three elements of manufacturing cost would each of the following be classified? a. Tubing used in manufacturing bicycles. b. Wages paid by an automobile manufacturer to employees who test-drive completed automobiles. c. Property taxes on machinery. d. Gold bullion used by a jewelry manufacturer. e. Wages of assembly-line workers who package frozen food. f. Salary of plant superintendent. g. Electricity used in factory operations. h. Salary of nurse in a factory first-aid station. Ex. 16. 3 (Product Costs and Period Costs)Indicate whether each of the following should be considered a product cost or a period cost. If you identify the item as a product cost, also indicate whether it is a direct or an indirect cost. For example, the answer to item 0 is â€Å"indirect product cost. † Begin with item a. 0. Property taxes on factory building. a. Cost of disposal of hazardous waste materials to a chemical plant. b. Amount s paid by a mobile home manufacturer to a subcontractor who installs plumbing in each mobile home. c. Depreciation on sales showroom fixtures. d. Salaries of security guards in an administrative office building. e.Salaries of factory security guards. f. Salaries of office workers in the credit department. g. Depreciation on the raw materials warehouse. h. Income taxes on a profitable manufacturing company. Ex. 16. 5 (Preparing a Schedule of the Cost of Finished Goods Manufactured) The accounting records of NuTronics, Inc. , include the following information for the year ended December 31, 2007. | Dec. 31| Jan. 1| Inventory of materials| $ 24,000| $ 20,000| Inventory of work in process| 8,000| 12,000| Inventory of finished goods| 90,000| 80,000| Direct materials used| 210,000| | Direct labor| 120,000| | Selling expenses| 170,000| |General and administrative expenses| 140,000| | Overhead is assigned to production at $192,000. a. Prepare a schedule of the cost of finished goods manufac tured. (Not all of the data given above are used in this schedule. ) b. Assume that the company manufactures a single product and that 20,000 units were completed during the year. What is the average per-unit cost manufacturing this product? Ex 16. 9 (Preparing an Income Statement Using the Cost of Finished Goods Manufactured) Mayville Company, a sole proprietorship, reports the following information pertaining to its operating activities: | Ending Balance| Beginning Balance|Materials Inventory| $ 20,000| $ 40,000| Work in Process Inventory| 29,000| 60,000| Finished Goods Inventory| 52,000| 42,000| During the year, the company purchased $30,000 of direct materials and incurred $21,000 of direct labor costs. Total manufacturing overhead for the year amounted to $18,000. Selling and administrative expenses amounted to $60,000, and the company’s annual sales amounted to $200,000. a. Prepare Mayville’s schedule of the cost of finished goods manufactured. b. Prepare Mayvill e’s income statement (ignore income taxes).

How and Why Is the Grotesque Used in Tennessee Williams’ a Streetcar Named Desire Essay

Throughout this semester, we were introduced to varying degrees of literary styles and themes. From the epiphanies discovered through American Realism, to the skepticism explored through Literary Modernism, to the conflicts of social conformity and individualism approached by a Post-Modernistic America and its writers. We have had the great opportunity of being exposed to individuals who questioned and pushed the boundaries of creativity and expression. Tennessee Williams was an author and playwright who balanced the enigmatic, macabre, and often cruel disintegration of his characters with a poetic grace. He became the keystone of a style that is known as Southern Gothic. A Streetcar Named Desire became the quintessential manifestation of the grotesque through the unraveling of the â€Å"Old South†. More specifically, his themes on the conflict between the â€Å"sensitive, non-conformist† individual against conventional society, the disintegration of the southern woman, and the divergence between southern gentiles and northern brutality to which all of Williams’ characters contributed to in some degree. The grotesque style of literature supplies the reader with a historical as well as social perspective. This provides a metaphorical reference to the â€Å"dying† South and the struggle to exist against the progressive ideals of the North, all the while, fraught with trying to keep the Southern identity and dignity intact. It is stated that â€Å"A common description (of the grotesque) has to do with causation: Southern grotesque is often said to be the literary aftermath of historical misfortune. (Presley 37). If we take into account the surrounding setting of the play, â€Å"†¦a two-story corner building on a street in New Orleans which is named Elysian Fields and runs between the L & N tracks and the river (Elysian Fields is a New Orleans street at the northern tip of the French Quarter, between the Louisville & Nashville railroad tracks and the Mississippi River. In Greek mythology the Elysian Fields are the abode of the blessed in the afterlife. ) The section is poor but, unlike corresponding sections in other American cities, it has a raffish charm† (Klinkowitz & Wallace 2187), the reader is thrust into the ensuing chaos before any of the characters are even introduced. Williams was very particular about each detail with regards to the style in which he was writing. The drama is not only a result of the surroundings, but is a symbiotic portrayal of the daily lives that exist within the grotesque. â€Å"The disorders are threefold: narcissism, familial conflict, and dream- like confusion†: (Presley 37). The Southern Gothic, grotesque style of writing can best be characterized by the profound ability of an author to evoke feelings of disgust while contrarily evoking feelings of compassion among his/her audience as well as between the characters within the work. These emotions are presented and contained within, what seems to be, a lost individual. This character may also display traits of incontinence due to physical or mental incapability. â€Å"Literature of the grotesque, according to the authoress, is distinguished by a moral or theological vision not usually associated with realistic works. Freaks appear in her fiction, she said, to reflect quite simply what man is like without God† (Presley 38). In keeping with the grotesque, Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire stretched the boundaries of this theme through the representation of the disintegration of the southern woman. By exploring the torrid longing of his character, Blanche Dubois, and her desires and fears. â€Å"Grotesque writers are â€Å"faced with the reality that they live in an age whose distortions function as indicators of how far man has drifted from his true image as a creature of God. In this vein, Williams explores the corruption of mankind, along with its difficulties in reconciling its primal nature with the rules of society: Blanche’s charm and beauty is overridden by her alcoholism, nymphomania, and general debauchery† (Presley, 1). Blanche DuBois provided the extreme case of what it is like to lose yourself. Blanche was â€Å"Deceptive, dishonest, fraudulent, permanently flawed, unable to face reality, Blanche is for all that thoroughly capable of commanding audience compassion, for her struggle and the crushing defeat she endures have the magnitude of tragedy. The inevitability of her doom, her refusal to back down in the face of it, and the essential humanity of the forces that drive her to it are the very heart of tragedy, No matter what evil she may have done, nor what villainies practiced, she is a human being trapped by the fates, making a human fight to escape and to survive with some shred of human dignity, in full recognition of her own fatal human weaknesses and increasing absence of hope† (Crandell 93). The obscure relevance to her deceptions are only a portion of why Blanche represents the grotesque. Her necessity to cling to the â€Å"old† southern ways (with a â€Å"death grip†) allows her to cling to her own sanity. She exudes narcissism to the fullest extent, but is unable to see the damage that it is causing to herself and the people around her. In the very first scene, Blanche describes the loss of Belle Reve. She goes on to embellish the loss as a personal encounter with death, to which she is the only witness to and the only effected party: â€Å"I, I, I, took the blows in my face and my body! All of those deaths! The long parade to the graveyard! Father, mother! Margaret, that dreadful way! So big with it, it couldn’t be put in a coffin! But I had to be burned like rubbish!†¦. And, oh, what gorgeous boxes they packed them away in! Unless you were there at the bed when they cried out, â€Å"Hold me! † you’d never suspect there was the struggle for breath and bleeding. You didn’t dream, but I saw! Saw! Saw!†¦. † (Williams 2193). This description was a faint cry for compassion or an attempt to restore the relationship with Stella, but through a premeditated state of self preservation. The grotesque narcissism with which she approaches the loss of the estate and their relatives only happened to her. It is this over dramatic perception that reinforces the author’s emphasis on the Southern Gothic or grotesque style apparent throughout his play. The culmination of the loss of Belle Reve, her husband’s suicide, and, later, her dismissal from her job, could have contributed to her current state. But it in the end, she chose not to face her demons, she opted to hide behind the ruse of entitlement associated with old Southern Society that proved to be her ultimate demise. â€Å"If there is any character in modern dramatic literature whose identity is bound up in such fantasies and sees erself as unique, special and entitled, it is Blanche DuBois, whose very name conjures up images of French, chivalric romances. Furthermore, it is clear that she identifies with the role of the â€Å"Southern Belle† and, in fact, retreats to memories of herself as â€Å"Southern Belle† when confronted with death and trauma. Ironically, from Blanche’s point of view, although the â€Å"Southern Belle† is fundamentally superior, she is also, simultaneously, a vulnerable, even fragile figure, in need of constant attention and care, dependant on others. (Ribkoff & Tyndall 327). The reason why the grotesque is so important to the decline of the Southern woman, and this particular character, is because there is this realization that there are no happy endings. Blanche is happy to wallow in her own self destructions and with this she is libel to take down everyone within her distinct vicinity. Blanche’s character is deprived of the one thing that she longs for which is love and by reaching for the facade of the Southern Belle, she does more damage because she is the complete antithe sis of the Southern Belle. There is also a lot of symbolism associated with Blanche’s decline. Throughout her short time at her sister’s apartment, it is evident that she was taking a lot of baths through the progression of the story. As more information gets divulged about what really happened in her past, it is almost as if she is trying to maintain that she is a Southern Belle. She is trying to convince herself that she is still clean or that she can wash away her past through her frequent bathing. There is also the issue of light. Blanche does her best to conceal herself from the light of reality by placing paper lanterns over lamps to soften the light â€Å"So, too, in A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche is described (in the same stage direction! ) as both attracted to and repulsed by light. On the one hand, she is described as moth-like in appearance. Comparable to the moth, she is strangely attracted to that which has the power to destroy her. On the other hand, â€Å"her delicate beauty must avoid a strong light†. To avoid it, she dresses naked light bulbs in paper lanterns, and when she goes out, with Mitch for example, it is always at night. † (Crandall 95). This pertains to her willingness to escape reality and is yet another way that Williams exhibits the grotesque through his writing. In further examination of Blanche, her dependency on men is another portrayal of the grotesque. She is constantly looking for and acquiring the affections of men and seems to feed upon the generous nature of Mitch, Stanley’s friend. Here we see the grotesque outlined in the form of female dependence on the male figures in their lives. At one point, Blanche rejects the union of her sister with that of the abusive Stanley Kowalski. She fantasizes about an alternative life with the financial support from Shep Huntleigh, but this still emphasizes a need for the support to exist from a male figure. Even though this wouldn’t be a stable situation for Stella, this would free her from her dependency on Stanley. This reiterates the progression from the old to the new south, but isn’t a source of stability for Stella. She still needs to rely on Stanley and in doing so we see the indignity of the human spirit due to sacrifice. It is also a theme of Williams’ that the removal of the simply â€Å"country† life, and into the throngs of a bustling city, create the setting for the grotesque situations that these characters find themselves in. Williams thought that in moving away from the country life, we are separating ourselves further from the life that God had intended us to live. There is a quiet simplicity that is associated with working the land in the country and in moving to the trappings of a large city, there is room for trouble. This is also apparent through the loss of Belle Reve. When Blanche falls into misfortune and loses the house, she is forced into a life of less prestige and honor. She loses her job as a teacher due to moral discrepancies, she is called on at the hotel that she is staying at by many men, and she is forced to move in with her sister in New Orleans. This transition represents a removal of all that is decent and good with humanity and confines us to the â€Å"cramped† quarters of a city where we lose ourselves. Stanley Kowalski’s character impresses upon the reader an animalistic quality that can only be implied to represent the conflict of the divergence between southern gentiles and northern brutality. â€Å"As much as Blanche is the representative of dreams, Stanley is the emissary of quotidian reality. His Napoleonic Code and the State of Louisiana are the realistic counterparts to Blanche’s more ephemeral Belle Reve. Whereas Blanche values civilization and its refinements-art, poetry, and music-Stanley indulges in more primitive pleasures-eating (bringing home meat from the kill); drinking, to the point of intoxication; and sleeping with women. He knows what his pleasures are and indulges them, often to excess. He enjoys life to the fullest-â€Å"be comfortable is his motto†. In his drunken paroxysms, he easily forgets himself, and becomes one with his buddies. He is, for the most part, spontaneous and unselfconscious† (Crandall 97). In the climax of the play, we bear witness to Stanley’s submission to the atavistic urges and northern brutality by the rape of Blanche. As the story progresses, Mitch (Stanley’s friend) exhibits how the loss of the Southern Gentile adds to the grotesque setting with which all of the characters exist in. At the end of the play, we are made aware that Blanche is being committed to an insane asylum. As the Doctor starts to take Blanche away, Mitch had an opportunity to intervene, but he didn’t. He felt a great deal of sympathy for Blanche, but chose to not act on those feelings and instead Blanche is committed. The reason that this is such an important example of the loss of the Southern gentile was because he had the opportunity to act and didn’t step up to defend Blanche. Southern gentiles are all about honor and dignity. With the loss of these important qualities within him, he has just let Blanche succumb to the darkness that has shrouded her since she arrived at Stella’s apartment. Even though Blanche didn’t see the hero within Mitch, they had a bond between them. They were both looking for love and for someone to take care of them. With him not coming to her rescue, the true Mitch is presented-a person who is devoid of the heroism that Blanche so desperately needed. On the conflict between the â€Å"sensitive, non-conformist† individual against conventional society, we have to re-examine Blanche Dubois. From the beginning of the play, we are well aware of Blanche’s â€Å"sensitive, non-conformist† characteristics. She is someone who was unwilling to uphold he civilities that should exist within each person. In her having tarnishing relations with a pupil of hers, she sacrifices the only thing that she had left- her dignity. â€Å"However defensive Blanche becomes, from the moment she enters the stage until the moment she leaves it, she is in search of direction and empathy or â€Å"kindness† of others in order to work through the traumas of the past and present. Ultimately, this search for understanding is he main reason she comes to New Orleans and not simply for a place to stay† (Ribkoff & Tyndall 327). The climax of the grotesque within this play seems to come as a result of Blanche’s sensitive, non-conformist attitude towards life. Her inability to accept responsibility for her current situation is the catalyst to the way that Stanley shows no tolerance for her. Stanley’s brutalities, along with his intolerance for Blanche’s current state of mind, clash to create the ultimately grotesque act of rape later in the play. â€Å"Many critics believe Stanley’s rape of Blanche precipitates her descent into madness. According to Mary Ann Corrigan, this descent is part of the overall trajectory of the play: â€Å"in each of the [play’s] 11 scenes Blanche moves inexorably closer to the disintegration of her mind and the total rejection of reality† (Humanit 334). After the disintegration of the world that Williams created in A Streetcar Named Desire, we are left with the overwhelming themes of the struggle for human affection, dignity, and resolve. Through this in-depth dissection of the characters, plot, and settings, emerge the themes that exemplify the Southern Gothic/grotesque style of writing.

The Pardoner’s Tale

In Flanders once there was a company Of youngsters haunting vice and ribaldry, Riot and gambling, stews and public-houses Where each with harp, guitar, or lute carouses, Dancing and dicing day and night, and bold To eat and drink far more than they can hold, Doing thereby the devil sacrifice Within that devil’s temple of cursed vice, Abominable in superfluity, With oaths so damnable in blasphemy That it’s a grisly thing to hear them swear. Our dear Lord’s body they will rend and tear. . . . It’s of three rioters I have to tell Who, long before the morning service bell, Were sitting in a tavern for a drink. And as they sat, they heard the hand-bell clink Before a coffin going to the grave; One of them called the little tavern-knave And said â€Å"Go and find out at once—look spry! — Whose corpse is in that coffin passing by; And see you get the name correctly too. † â€Å"Sir,† said the boy, â€Å"no need, I promise you; Two hours before you came here I was told. He was a friend of yours in days of old, And suddenly, last night, the man was slain, Upon his bench, face up, dead drunk again. There came a privy thief, they call him Death, Who kills us all round here, and in a breath He speared him through the heart, he never stirred. And then Death went his way without a word. He’s killed a thousand in the present plague, And, sir, it doesn’t do to be too vague If you should meet him; you had best be wary. Be on your guard with such an adversary, Be primed to meet him everywhere you go, That’s what my mother said. It’s all I know. † The publican joined in with, â€Å"By St. Mary, What the child says is right; you’d best be wary, This very year he killed, in a large village A mile away, man, woman, serf at tillage, Page in the household, children—all there were. Yes, I imagine that he lives round there. It’s well to be prepared in these alarms, He might do you dishonor. † â€Å"Huh, God’s arms! † The rioter said, â€Å"Is he so fierce to meet? I’ll search for him, by Jesus, street by street. God’s blessed bones! I’ll register a vow! Here, chaps! The three of us together now, Hold up your hands, like me, and we’ll be brothers In this affair, and each defend the others, And we will kill this traitor Death, I say! Away with him as he has made away With all our friends. God’s dignity! Tonight! † They made their bargain, swore with appetite, These three, to live and die for one another As brother-born might swear to his born brother. And up they started in their drunken rage And made towards this village which the page And publican had spoken of before. Many and grisly were the oaths they swore, Tearing Christ’s blessed body to a shred; â€Å"If we can only catch him, Death is dead! † When they had gone not fully half a mile, Just as they were about to cross a stile, They came upon a very poor old man Who humbly greeted them and thus began, â€Å"God look to you, my lords, and give you quiet! † To which the proudest of these men of riot Gave back the answer, â€Å"What, old fool? Give place! Why are you all wrapped up except your face? Why live so long? Isn’t it time to die? † The old, old fellow looked him in the eye And said, â€Å"Because I never yet have found, Though I have walked to India, searching round Village and city on my pilgrimage, One who would change his youth to have my age. And so my age is mine and must be still Upon me, for such time as God may will. â€Å"Not even Death, alas, will take my life; So, like a wretched prisoner at strife Within himself, I walk alone and wait About the earth, which is my mother’s gate, Knock-knocking with my staff from night to noon And crying, ‘Mother, open to me soon! Look at me, mother, won’t you let me in? See how I wither, flesh and blood and skin! Alas! When will these bones be laid to rest? Mother, I would exchange—for that were best— The wardrobe in my chamber, standing there So long, for yours! Aye, for a shirt of hair To wrap me in! ’ She has refused her grace, Whence comes the pallor of my withered face. â€Å"But it dishonored you when you began To speak so roughly, sir, to an old man, Unless he had injured you in word or deed. It says in holy writ, as you may read, ‘Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head And honor it. ’ And therefore be it said, ‘Do no more harm to an old man than you, Being now young, would have another do When you are old’—if you should live till then. And so may God be with you, gentlemen, For I must go whither I have to go. † â€Å"By God,† the gambler said, â€Å"you shan’t do so, You don’t get off so easy, by St. John! I heard you mention, just a moment gone, A certain traitor Death who singles out And kills the fine young fellows hereabout. And you’re his spy, by God! You wait a bit. Say where he is or you shall pay for it, By God and by the Holy Sacrament! I say you’ve joined together by consent To kill us younger folk, you thieving swine! † â€Å"Well, sirs,† he said, â€Å"if it be your design To find out Death, turn up this crooked way Towards that grove, I left him there today Under a tree, and there you’ll find him waiting. He isn’t one to hide for all your prating. You see that oak? He won’t be far to find. And God protect you that redeemed mankind, Aye, and amend you! † Thus that ancient man. At once the three young rioters began To run, and reached the tree, and there they found A pile of golden florins on the ground, New-coined, eight bushels of them as they thought. No longer was it Death those fellows sought, For they were all so thrilled to see the sight, The florins were so beautiful and bright, That down they sat beside the precious pile. The wickedest spoke first after a while. â€Å"Brothers,† he said, â€Å"you listen to what I say. I’m pretty sharp although I joke away. It’s clear that Fortune has bestowed this treasure To let us live in jollity and pleasure. Light come, light go! We’ll spend it as we ought. God’s precious dignity! Who would have thought This morning was to be our lucky day? â€Å"If one could only get the gold away, Back to my house, or else to yours, perhaps— For as you know, the gold is ours, chaps— We’d all be at the top of fortune, hey? But certainly it can’t be done by day. People would call us robbers—a strong gang, So our own property would make us hang. No, we must bring this treasure back by night Some prudent way, and keep it out of sight. And so as a solution I propose We draw for lots and see the way it goes; The one who draws the longest, lucky man, Shall run to town as quickly as he can To fetch us bread and wine—but keep things dark— While two remain in hiding here to mark Our heap of treasure. If there’s no delay, When night comes down we’ll carry it away, All three of us, wherever we have planned. † He gathered lots and hid them in his hand Bidding them draw for where the luck should fall. It fell upon the youngest of them all, And off he ran at once towards the town. As soon as he had gone the first sat down And thus began a parley with the other: â€Å"You know that you can trust me as a brother; Now let me tell you where your profit lies; You know our friend has gone to get supplies And here’s a lot of gold that is to be Divided equally among us three. Nevertheless, if I could shape things thus So that we shared it out—the two of us— Wouldn’t you take it as a friendly act? † â€Å"But how? † the other said. â€Å"He knows the fact That all the gold was left with me and you; What can we tell him? What are we to do? † â€Å"Is it a bargain,† said the first, â€Å"or no? For I can tell you in a word or so What’s to be done to bring the thing about. â€Å"Trust me,† the other said, â€Å"you needn’t doubt My word. I won’t betray you, I’ll be true. † â€Å"Well,† said his friend, â€Å"you see that we are two, And two are twice as powerful as one. Now look; when he comes back, get up i n fun To have a wrestle; then, as you attack, I’ll up and put my dagger through his back While you and he are struggling, as in game; Then draw your dagger too and do the same. Then all this money will be ours to spend, Divided equally of course, dear friend. Then we can gratify our lusts and fill The day with dicing at our own sweet will. † Thus these two miscreants agreed to slay The third and youngest, as you heard me say. The youngest, as he ran towards the town, Kept turning over, rolling up and down Within his heart the beauty of those bright New florins, saying, â€Å"Lord, to think I might Have all that treasure to myself alone! Could there be anyone beneath the throne Of God so happy as I then should be? † And so the Fiend, our common enemy, Was given power to put it in his thought That there was always poison to be bought, And that with poison he could kill his friends. To men in such a state the Devil sends Thoughts of this kind, and has a full permission To lure them on to sorrow and perdition; For this young man was utterly content To kill them both and never to repent. And on he ran, he had no thought to tarry, Came to the town, found an apothecary And said, â€Å"Sell me some poison if you will, I have a lot of rats I want to kill And there’s a polecat too about my yard That takes my chickens and it hits me hard; But I’ll get even, as is only right, With vermin that destroy a man by night. † The chemist answered, â€Å"I’ve a preparation Which you shall have, and by my soul’s salvation If any living creature eat or drink A mouthful, ere he has the time to think, Though he took less than makes a grain of wheat, You’ll see him fall down dying at your feet; Yes, die he must, and in so short a while You’d hardly have the time to walk a mile, The poison is so strong, you understand. † This cursed fellow grabbed into his hand The box of poison and away he ran Into a neighboring street, and found a man Who lent him three large bottles. He withdrew And deftly poured the poison into two. He kept the third one clean, as well he might, For his own drink, meaning to work all night Stacking the gold and carrying it away. And when this rioter, this devil’s clay, Had filled his bottles up with wine, all three, Back to rejoin his comrades sauntered he. Why make a sermon of it? Why waste breath? Exactly in the way they’d planned his death They fell on him and slew him, two to one. Then said the first of them when this was done, â€Å"Now for a drink. Sit down and let’s be merry, For later on there’ll be the corpse to bury. † And, as it happened, reaching for a sup, He took a bottle full of poison up And drank; and his companion, nothing loth, Drank from it also, and they perished both. There is, in Avicenna’s long relation Concerning poison and its operation, Trust me, no ghastlier section to transcend What these two wretches suffered at their end. Thus these two murderers received their due, So did the treacherous young poisoner too. . . . â€Å"One thing I should have mentioned in my tale, Dear people. I’ve some relics in my bale And pardons too, as full and fine, I hope, As any in England, given me by the Pope. If there be one among you that is willing To have my absolution for a shilling Devoutly given, come! and do not harden Your hearts but kneel in humbleness for pardon; Or else, receive my pardon as we go. You can renew it every town or so Always provided that you still renew Each time, and in good money, what is due. It is an honor to you to have found A pardoner with his credentials sound Who can absolve you as you ply the spur In any accident that may occur. For instance—we are all at Fortune’s beck— Your horse may throw you down and break your neck. What a security it is to all To have me here among you and at call With pardon for the lowly and the great When soul leaves body for the future state! And I advise our Host here to begin, The most enveloped of you all in sin. Come forward, Host, you shall be the first to pay, And kiss my holy relics right away. Only a groat. Come on, unbuckle your purse! † â€Å"No, no,† said he, â€Å"not I, and may the curse Of Christ descend upon me if I do! . . .† The Pardoner said nothing, not a word; He was so angry that he couldn’t speak. â€Å"Well,† said our Host, â€Å"if you’re for showing pique,   I’ll joke no more, not with an angry man. † The worthy Knight immediately began, Seeing the fun was getting rather rough, And said, â€Å"No more, we’ve all had quite enough. Now, Master Pardoner, perk up, look cheerly! And you, Sir Host, whom I esteem so dearly, I beg of you to kiss the Pardoner. â€Å"Come, Pardoner, draw nearer, my dear sir. Let’s laugh again and keep the ball in play. † They kissed, and we continued on our way. s