Deceptive Advertising Essay - 1503 Words

Marketing Term Paper Deceptive Advertising Deceptive advertising has been around since the beginning of time and still prevalent today. Sometimes it is done unknowingly by an advertiser, however more often than not; it is done with the intent to mislead the consumer making deceptive advertising a relevant marketing ethics issue. Deceptive advertising is a growing trend among business in our society. This trend includes directly trying to deceive consumers into thinking that they are getting something great but in reality they are getting nothing. All age groups are targeted by deceptive advertising it is just a matter of how consumer savvy you are. Almost all companies are guilty of this crime, including Phillip Morris Tobacco, weight†¦show more content†¦Over the years the Federal Trade Commission has taken action against many business accused of engaging in deceptive advertising. If Federal Trade Commission investigators are convinced that an ad violates the law, they usually try to bring the violator in voluntary compliance. If that doesnt work, the Federal Trade Commission can issue a cease-and-desist order and bring a civil lawsuit on behalf of people, who have been harmed. Consumers often have the right to sue advertisers under the state consumer protection laws. For example, someone who buys a product in reliance on a deceptive ad might sue in small claims court for a refund or join others to sue for a huge sum in another court. Companies use different models for advertising. According to David Gardner (1975) there are three types of deceptive advertising. Fraudulent advertising which is an outright lie, false advertising which involves a claim-fact discrepancy, such as not disclosing all the conditions to receive a certain promotion or price, and misleading advertising which involves a claim-belief interaction (Assael, 1998). An example of claim-belief deception is the Warner-Lambert Listerine case. The label on the Listerine mouthwash bottle stated Kills Germs By Millions On Contact i mmediately followed by For General Oral Hygiene, Bad Breath, Colds and Resultant Sore Throats.Show MoreRelatedDeceptive Advertising1524 Words   |  7 PagesMarketing Term Paper Principles of Marketing MKT 2423 Angela Hanson Deceptive Advertising Deceptive advertising has been around since the beginning of time and still prevalent today. Sometimes it is done unknowingly by an advertiser, however more often than not; it is done with the intent to mislead the consumer making deceptive advertising a relevant marketing ethics issue. Deceptive advertising is a growing trend among business in our society. This trend includes directly trying to deceive consumersRead MoreEssay on Deceptive Advertising2477 Words   |  10 PagesDeceptive Advertising As a consumer in a world of constant advertising messages being flashed before my eyes, I am always wary of the truth of those messages that I see. It is terrible when consumers see an advertisement, whether it is in a magazine, television or any other medium, and they decide to make a purchase only to find out they are not getting what they originally planned or have to pay more than they had expected. Deceptive advertisements have been a problem since the early days ofRead MoreDeceptive Commercial Speech and Advertising Essay1035 Words   |  5 PagesDeceptive Commercial Speech and Advertising According to the commercial speech doctrine, only deceptive speech that is considered commercial may be regulated. General deceptive speech is not commercial, may not be regulated. When deciding what may and may not be regulated, it is important to understand the subtle differences in what is considered commercial and non commercial speech. An analyzation of false advertising would give further understanding to the notion of commercial speech and how itRead MoreA Brief Note On Misleading And Deceptive Advertising1472 Words   |  6 PagesFor the last two months I’ve covered the topic of â€Å"false and deceptive advertising†. This month I’ll move over to another topic†¦ â€Å"How to avoid making Marketing mistakes†. In the first few articles I wrote last year, I spent time laying out the process of developing a sound marketing plan. We all know it takes a significant amount of time and effort to put a plan together. A good marketing plan can help lau nch a new business or grow an existing one. It’s important to make sure you try to avoid theRead MoreIs Evidence Important For Advertising?1120 Words   |  5 PagesIs Evidence Important in Advertising? With the rise of technology and the widespread use of the internet in their everyday lives, consumers are currently being exposed to more advertisements each day than they were before. As people become more connected to goods and services through their computers and smartphones, ads are getting more facetime with the public. As advertising is gaining a larger foothold in our cultural consciousness, it is important to ask the question: Does it matter if advertisementsRead MoreEthical Issues Of Health Care Marketing1034 Words   |  5 Pagesmarket place. Therefore, competitive edge and gaining market share is key to an organizations success. False or deceptive representation in advertising is illegal under both federal and state law. The deception need not be intentional for the advertisement to be deemed misleading. For this reason, organizations must provide marketing materials in a truthful and non-misleading advertising approach. In summary to Quinn’s (2008) article, organizations need to be able to market and advertise theirRead More Marketing Ethics Essay663 Words   |  3 Pagesmanagers to utilize their moral values ethically are advertising, packaging and labeling, and global marketing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Advertising is the most criticized of all micro-marketing activities (McCarthy 643). What is considered as unfair or deceptive advertising is very difficult to pinpoint, because times have changed and continue to change on a day to day basis. What one person may consider unfair or deceptive may not be unfair or deceptive to another person. There are no clear cut guidelinesRead MoreEssay on Advertising Regulations857 Words   |  4 PagesAdvertising Regulation Abstract Advertising today comes in various forms of information such as television, newspaper, Internet, etc. With all these types of outlets of advertising, these regulations are put into place for the industry to follow on what can be put out there for the different type of audiences the advertising can affect. There are many types of advertising that these regulations pertain to for example tobacco and children. Currently, the market isRead MoreDeception in Advertising to the Society865 Words   |  3 Pagesmany forms that may include propaganda, dissimulation, distraction, concealment, camouflage and even self-deception (Carson, 2010). Advertising and Deception The most common form of deception is the use of misleading or false statements in commercial transactions. This is referred to as deceptive or false advertising. False advertising is any promotion or advertising, which misrepresents the characteristics, nature, geographic origin or quality of services, goods or commercial activities (Helmer,Read MoreMarketing Ethical Behavior And Government Regulation1128 Words   |  5 Pagesmarketing which can assist them in attracting new customers and investors. It can involve truth, accuracy and good taste in advertising and products that may damage health. In addition government regulation ensures that consumers and their rights are protected and to also clarify the responsibilities and rights of business. Government regulation includes deceptive and misleading advertising and implied conditions. Depicting why in marketing ethical behaviour and government regulation are important. Global

Throughout The Bible, Jesus Is Known For Eating With The

Throughout the bible, Jesus is known for eating with the marginalized people in the society. To save the sinners Jesus had to have contact with them. Through these meals, Jesus created a connection with the marginalized groups and spread the word of God. The last supper was the last meal that Jesus shared with his disciples before his crucifixion. In my essay, I will discuss the painting The Sacrament of the Last Supper by Salvador Dalà ­. I will discuss how the painting shows the divinity of Jesus, displays Jesus, and interprets the last supper. The Sacrament of the Last Supper by Salvador Dali is a large painting in the National Gallery of Art. In the painting there a twelve sided, windowpane. The larger windowpane is broken up into†¦show more content†¦The first man has brunette hair and is wearing a white cloak. He taller than the other two men. The next man’s is wearing a yellow cloak. Additionally, just like the second tallest man on the right of Jesus, a small portion of his neck is visible. The next man, the shortest of the three men, has white hair and is wearing a white cloak. He is in the same position as the shortest man on the right side of Jesus. His hands are visible and clasped. On the right side, the width, of the table there are two men. The first man has brunette hair, is wearing a white cloak, and has his head bowed. The second mad is also a brunette. He is wearing a white cloak. On the left side, the width, of the table there are two men. Both men are brunette and have their heads bowed. On the length of the table, with their backs to the viewer, there are two men. The two men are sitting with a large space between them. They are both wearing long white cloaks. On the table between these two men there are two small circular loaves of bread. On the opposite side of the table, in front of Jesus, there is a cup of red wine. To properly understand the painting, the viewer must understand what the painting is depicting. Matthew 26:17-30 describes the last supper Jesus shared with his disciples. The Gospel starts off with Jesus sitting at the table with his twelve disciples, just like the painting depicts. Jesus tells his disciples that one man will betray him.Show MoreRelatedChristianity And Buddhism : The Teachings Of Life, Death, And The Resurrection Of The Buddha887 Words   |  4 Pagesi. The religion founded by Christ in where He is Central to over twenty-one billion people is known as Christianity. It is the teachings of life, death, and the resurrection of Christ originating from Jerusalem in present- day Israel. Buddhism is a spiritually sought religion that focus on the teachings of the Buddha. The number of Buddhist world-wide has been estimated to be around three-hundred and fifty million, which is about six percent of the world’s population. This religion is concentratedRead MoreBenchm ark Assignment : Gospel Essentials1286 Words   |  6 Pagesworld view revolves around several major points, God, Humanity, Jesus, and Restoration. God â€Å"In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth† (Genesis 1:1). Per the Christian Bible God created the heaven and the earth in 7 days. Creating Adam and Eve on the 6th day and leaving the 7th as a day of rest. All throughout the Bible we hear God referred to as loving, kind, slow to anger, gracious, and good. All throughout the Bible are verses saying to fear God. â€Å"The biblical teaching that GodRead MoreChristianity, A Religion That Branched From Judaism And Formation Of The World965 Words   |  4 Pagespracticed throughout the world in many different ways. There were approximately 43,000 different denominations of Christianity in the world during the year 2012. However, the teachings are so similar because a denomination is a separate organization, which means they do not have to have different beliefs. Two- thirds of theses denominations are independent churches with the majority of them being in Africa. Christianity is based on their religious reading, The Holy Bible, and the teachings of Jesus ofRead MoreThe Seven Books in The Chronicles of Narnia1202 Words   |  5 Pagesthe stories and characters of Narnia do contain parallel biblical truths. Lewis’ The Magicians Nephew and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe both hold Christian allegory, revealing a variety of religious prophecies such as Christ creating earth, Jesus d ies for humanity’s sins, and temptation in the world. In both novels, Aslan represents the figure of Christ. The Magicians Nephew has Christian parallels, reflecting particular aspects of The Book of Genesis, such as the creation of earth and AslanRead MoreInnocence Of The Lamb By William Blake1705 Words   |  7 Pagesfrom his book Songs of Innocence published in 1789. â€Å"The Lamb† is also known as â€Å"Little Lamb† but better known by the former name. This poem is a didactic poem reflecting spirituality from a Christian point of view. â€Å"The Lamb† is a question and an answer type of poem and has a sense of innocence as the speaker is a child questioning a lamb’s existence. In â€Å"The Lamb† William Blake uses metaphor, symbolism and imagery to express Jesus Christ and His relationship with the world. The Begin, William BlakeRead More Passover and Easter Essay1324 Words   |  6 Pagesstory of Jesus’ resurrection is celebrated on a holiday known as Easter. The narration begins with Jesus being arrested for exclaiming that He was the Son of God. He was taken to the Roman governor, Pilate, who delivered Him to be crucified. The soldiers took Jesus away and cast a crown of thorns on His head and a reed on His right hand (Matt. 27:28-30). To Christians, the crown of thorns and the reed symbolizes Jesus’ Passion and reminds them of the soldier’s mockery to Him (Curtis). When Jesus arrivedRead MoreMythology And Christianity : Mythology948 Words   |  4 PagesMythology and Christianity Mythology is known for its artistic values of cultures well before the world we live in today. The stories that derive from these great folk tales set a scene in lives of people who worshipped their God’s and the items that they praised them for. Depending on the geographic location and the time of the myth, or at least what it could be traced to, the people would praise and worship different God’s for different reasons. Just like in our modern system of religion in thisRead MoreAbrahamic Religions : Judaism, Christianity, And Islam1407 Words   |  6 Pagesmentioned in the Hebrew Bible. These three religions are very closely unified because they share many common beliefs and thoughts, and they all rely on holy books or scriptures as a life-guided tool. While these religions do have a lot of the same beliefs, some are conflicting, which is what makes them their own unique religions. ​Christianity is the world’s most popular and practiced religion. Christianity arose in the city of Jerusalem in present-day Israel, where Jesus ministered and was laterRead MoreEssay Martin Luther King Jr. and Religion1673 Words   |  7 PagesMartin Luther King Jr. and Religion Throughout history our society has chose to recognize and remember certain individuals that have had a dramatic influence on our lives. Some of these individuals were of an evil nature, such as Hitler, but I would like to believe that the majority of the people we remember were the ones that had a positive influence on history, such as Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King Jr. I would like to reflect on the men who served a higher power that they called abbaRead MoreThe Between Moses And Jesus1719 Words   |  7 Pages Symmetry is the backbone to the bible. It provides a comforting lull to the reader and it proves time and again to be effective at subtlety emphasizing the important motifs of the stories. The balance in the bible is found, also, in the characters. The authors of the New Testament used symmetry to their advantage and placed Mosaic motifs along with the story of Jesus of Nazareth. In doing so, the parallel between Moses and Jesus is a dominant theme that makes the New Testament both slightly predictable

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 42-43 Free Essays

string(61) " the guard switched the television back on and stared at it\." CHAPTER 42 The Depository Bank of Zurich was a twenty-four-hour Geldschrank bank offering the full modern array of anonymous services in the tradition of the Swiss numbered account. Maintaining offices in Zurich, Kuala Lumpur, New York, and Paris, the bank had expanded its services in recent years to offer anonymous computer source code escrow services and faceless digitized backup. The bread and butter of its operation was by far its oldest and simplest offering – the anonyme Lager – blind drop services, otherwise known as anonymous safe-deposit boxes. We will write a custom essay sample on The Da Vinci Code Chapter 42-43 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Clients wishing to store anything from stock certificates to valuable paintings could deposit their belongings anonymously, through a series of high-tech veils of privacy, withdrawing items at any time, also in total anonymity. As Sophie pulled the taxi to a stop in front of their destination, Langdon gazed out at the building’s uncompromising architecture and sensed the Depository Bank of Zurich was a firm with little sense of humor. The building was a windowless rectangle that seemed to be forged entirely of dull steel. Resembling an enormous metal brick, the edifice sat back from the road with a fifteen-foot-tall, neon, equilateral cross glowing over its facade. Switzerland’s reputation for secrecy in banking had become one of the country’s most lucrative exports. Facilities like this had become controversial in the art community because they provided a perfect place for art thieves to hide stolen goods, for years if necessary, until the heat was off. Because deposits were protected from police inspection by privacy laws and were attached to numbered accounts rather than people’s names, thieves could rest easily knowing their stolen goods were safe and could never be traced to them. Sophie stopped the taxi at an imposing gate that blocked the bank’s driveway – a cement-lined ramp that descended beneath the building. A video camera overhead was aimed directly at them, and Langdon had the feeling that this camera, unlike those at the Louvre, was authentic. Sophie rolled down the window and surveyed the electronic podium on the driver’s side. An LCD screen provided directions in seven languages. Topping the list was English. INSERT KEY. Sophie took the gold laser-pocked key from her pocket and turned her attention back to the podium. Below the screen was a triangular hole. â€Å"Something tells me it will fit,† Langdon said. Sophie aligned the key’s triangular shaft with the hole and inserted it, sliding it in until the entire shaft had disappeared. This key apparently required no turning. Instantly, the gate began to swing open. Sophie took her foot off the brake and coasted down to a second gate and podium. Behind her, the first gate closed, trapping them like a ship in a lock. Langdon disliked the constricted sensation. Let’s hope this second gate works too. This second podium bore familiar directions. INSERT KEY. When Sophie inserted the key, the second gate immediately opened. Moments later they were winding down the ramp into the belly of the structure. The private garage was small and dim, with spaces for about a dozen cars. At the far end, Langdon spied the building’s main entrance. A red carpet stretched across the cement floor, welcoming visitors to a huge door that appeared to be forged of solid metal. Talk about mixed messages, Langdon thought. Welcome and keep out. Sophie pulled the taxi into a parking space near the entrance and killed the engine. â€Å"You’d better leave the gun here.† With pleasure, Langdon thought, sliding the pistol under the seat. Sophie and Langdon got out and walked up the red carpet toward the slab of steel. The door had no handle, but on the wall beside it was another triangular keyhole. No directions were posted this time. â€Å"Keeps out the slow learners,† Langdon said. Sophie laughed, looking nervous. â€Å"Here we go.† She stuck the key in the hole, and the door swung inward with a low hum. Exchanging glances, Sophie and Langdon entered. The door shut with a thud behind them. The foyer of the Depository Bank of Zurich employed as imposing a decor as any Langdon had ever seen. Where most banks were content with the usual polished marble and granite, this one had opted for wall-to-wall metal and rivets. Who’s their decorator? Langdon wondered. Allied Steel? Sophie looked equally intimidated as her eyes scanned the lobby. The gray metal was everywhere – the floor, walls, counters, doors, even the lobby chairs appeared to be fashioned of molded iron. Nonetheless, the effect was impressive. The message was clear: You are walking into a vault. A large man behind the counter glanced up as they entered. He turned off the small television he was watching and greeted them with a pleasant smile. Despite his enormous muscles and visible sidearm, his diction chimed with the polished courtesy of a Swiss bellhop. â€Å"Bonsoir,†he said. â€Å"How may I help you?† The dual-language greeting was the newest hospitality trick of the European host. It presumed nothing and opened the door for the guest to reply in whichever language was more comfortable. Sophie replied with neither. She simply laid the gold key on the counter in front of the man. The man glanced down and immediately stood straighter. â€Å"Of course. Your elevator is at the end of the hall. I will alert someone that you are on your way.† Sophie nodded and took her key back. â€Å"Which floor?† The man gave her an odd look. â€Å"Your key instructs the elevator which floor.† She smiled. â€Å"Ah, yes.† The guard watched as the two newcomers made their way to the elevators, inserted their key, boarded the lift, and disappeared. As soon as the door had closed, he grabbed the phone. He was not calling to alert anyone of their arrival; there was no need for that. A vault greeter already had been alerted automatically when the client’s key was inserted outside in the entry gate. Instead, the guard was calling the bank’s night manager. As the line rang, the guard switched the television back on and stared at it. You read "The Da Vinci Code Chapter 42-43" in category "Essay examples" The news story he had been watching was just ending. It didn’t matter. He got another look at the two faces on the television. The manager answered. â€Å"Oui?† â€Å"We have a situation down here.† â€Å"What’s happening?† the manager demanded. â€Å"The French police are tracking two fugitives tonight.† â€Å"So?† â€Å"Both of them just walked into our bank.† The manager cursed quietly. â€Å"Okay. I’ll contact Monsieur Vernet immediately.† The guard then hung up and placed a second call. This one to Interpol. Langdon was surprised to feel the elevator dropping rather than climbing. He had no idea how many floors they had descended beneath the Depository Bank of Zurich before the door finally opened. He didn’t care. He was happy to be out of the elevator. Displaying impressive alacrity, a host was already standing there to greet them. He was elderly and pleasant, wearing a neatly pressed flannel suit that made him look oddly out of place – an old-world banker in a high-tech world. â€Å"Bonsoir,†the man said. â€Å"Good evening. Would you be so kind as to follow me, s’il vous plait?† Without waiting for a response, he spun on his heel and strode briskly down a narrow metal corridor. Langdon walked with Sophie down a series of corridors, past several large rooms filled with blinking mainframe computers. â€Å"Voici,†their host said, arriving at a steel door and opening it for them. â€Å"Here you are.† Langdon and Sophie stepped into another world. The small room before them looked like a lavish sitting room at a fine hotel. Gone were the metal and rivets, replaced with oriental carpets, dark oak furniture, and cushioned chairs. On the broad desk in the middle of the room, two crystal glasses at beside an opened bottle of Perrier, its bubbles still fizzing. A pewter pot of coffee steamed beside it. Clockwork, Langdon thought. Leave it to the Swiss. The man gave a perceptive smile. â€Å"I sense this is your first visit to us?† Sophie hesitated and then nodded.† Understood. Keys are often passed on as inheritance, and our first-time users are invariably uncertain of the protocol.† He motioned to the table of drinks. â€Å"This room is yours as long as you care to use it.† â€Å"You say keys are sometimes inherited?† Sophie asked. â€Å"Indeed. Your key is like a Swiss numbered account, which are often willed through generations. On our gold accounts, the shortest safety-deposit box lease is fifty years. Paid in advance. So we see plenty of family turnover.† Langdon stared. â€Å"Did you say fifty years?† â€Å"At a minimum,† their host replied. â€Å"Of course, you can purchase much longer leases, but barring further arrangements, if there is no activity on an account for fifty years, the contents of that safe- deposit box are automatically destroyed. Shall I run through the process of accessing your box?† Sophie nodded. â€Å"Please.† Their host swept an arm across the luxurious salon. â€Å"This is your private viewing room. Once I leave the room, you may spend all the time you need in here to review and modify the contents of your safe-deposit box, which arrives†¦ over here.† He walked them to the far wall where a wide conveyor belt entered the room in a graceful curve, vaguely resembling a baggage claim carousel. â€Å"You insert your key in that slot there†¦ .† The man pointed to a large electronic podium facing the conveyor belt. The podium had a familiar triangular hole. â€Å"Once the computer confirms the markings on your key, you enter your account number, and your safe-deposit box will be retrieved robotically from the vault below for your inspection. When you are finished with your box, you place it back on the conveyor belt, insert your key again, and the process is reversed. Because everything is automated, your privacy is guaranteed, even from the staff of this bank. If you n eed anything at all, simply press the call button on the table in the center of the room.† Sophie was about to ask a question when a telephone rang. The man looked puzzled and embarrassed. â€Å"Excuse me, please.† He walked over to the phone, which was sitting on the table beside the coffee and Perrier. â€Å"Oui?† he answered. His brow furrowed as he listened to the caller. â€Å"Oui†¦oui†¦d’accord.† He hung up, and gave them an uneasy smile. â€Å"I’m sorry, I must leave you now. Make yourselves at home.† He moved quickly toward the door. â€Å"Excuse me,† Sophie called. â€Å"Could you clarify something before you go? You mentioned that we enter an account number?† The man paused at the door, looking pale. â€Å"But of course. Like most Swiss banks, our safe-deposit boxes are attached to a number, not a name. You have a key and a personal account number known only to you. Your key is only half of your identification. Your personal account number is the other half. Otherwise, if you lost your key, anyone could use it.† Sophie hesitated. â€Å"And if my benefactor gave me no account number?† The banker’s heart pounded. Then you obviously have no business here! He gave them a calm smile. â€Å"I will ask someone to help you. He will be in shortly.† Leaving, the banker closed the door behind him and twisted a heavy lock, sealing them inside. Across town, Collet was standing in the Gare du Nord train terminal when his phone rang. It was Fache. â€Å"Interpol got a tip,† he said. â€Å"Forget the train. Langdon and Neveu just walked into the Paris branch of the Depository Bank of Zurich. I want your men over there right away.† â€Å"Any leads yet on what Sauniere was trying to tell Agent Neveu and Robert Langdon?† Fache’s tone was cold. â€Å"If you arrest them, Lieutenant Collet, then I can ask them personally.† Collet took the hint. â€Å"Twenty-four Rue Haxo. Right away, Captain.† He hung up and radioed his men. CHAPTER 43 Andre Vernet – president of the Paris branch of the Depository Bank of Zurich – lived in a lavish flat above the bank. Despite his plush accommodations, he had always dreamed of owning a riverside apartment on L’lle Saint-Louis, where he could rub shoulders with the true cognoscenti, rather than here, where he simply met the filthy rich. When I retire, Vernet told himself, I will fill my cellar with rare Bordeaux, adorn my salon with a Fragonard and perhaps a Boucher, and spend my days hunting for antique furniture and rare books in the Quartier Latin. Tonight, Vernet had been awake only six and a half minutes. Even so, as he hurried through the bank’s underground corridor, he looked as if his personal tailor and hairdresser had polished him to a fine sheen. Impeccably dressed in a silk suit, Vernet sprayed some breath spray in his mouth and tightened his tie as he walked. No stranger to being awoken to attend to his international clients arriving from different time zones, Vernet modeled his sleep habits after the Maasai warriors – the African tribe famous for their ability to rise from the deepest sleep to a state of total battle readiness in a matter of seconds. Battle ready, Vernet thought, fearing the comparison might be uncharacteristically apt tonight. The arrival of a gold key client always required an extra flurry of attention, but the arrival of a gold key client who was wanted by the Judicial Police would be an extremely delicate matter. The bank had enough battles with law enforcement over the privacy rights of their clients without proof that some of them were criminals. Five minutes, Vernet told himself. I need these people out of my bank before the police arrive. If he moved quickly, this impending disaster could be deftly sidestepped. Vernet could tell the police that the fugitives in question had indeed walked into his bank as reported, but because they were not clients and had no account number, they were turned away. He wished the damned watchman had not called Interpol. Discretion was apparently not part of the vocabulary of a 15-euro-per-hour watchman. Stopping at the doorway, he took a deep breath and loosened his muscles. Then, forcing a balmy smile, he unlocked the door and swirled into the room like a warm breeze. â€Å"Good evening,† he said, his eyes finding his clients. â€Å"I am Andre Vernet. How can I be of serv – † The rest of the sentence lodged somewhere beneath his Adam’s apple. The woman before him was as unexpected a visitor as Vernet had ever had. â€Å"I’m sorry, do we know each other?† Sophie asked. She did not recognize the banker, but he for a moment looked as if he’d seen a ghost. â€Å"No†¦ ,† the bank president fumbled. â€Å"I don’t†¦ believe so. Our services are anonymous.† He exhaled and forced a calm smile. â€Å"My assistant tells me you have a gold key but no account number? Might I ask how you came by this key?† â€Å"My grandfather gave it to me,† Sophie replied, watching the man closely. His uneasiness seemed more evident now. â€Å"Really? Your grandfather gave you the key but failed to give you the account number?† â€Å"I don’t think he had time,† Sophie said. â€Å"He was murdered tonight.† Her words sent the man staggering backward. â€Å"Jacques Sauniere is dead?† he demanded, his eyes filling with horror. â€Å"But†¦ how?!† Now it was Sophie who reeled, numb with shock. â€Å"You knew my grandfather?† Banker Andre Vernet looked equally astounded, steadying himself by leaning on an end table. â€Å"Jacques and I were dear friends. When did this happen?† â€Å"Earlier this evening. Inside the Louvre.† Vernet walked to a deep leather chair and sank into it. â€Å"I need to ask you both a very important question.† He glanced up at Langdon and then back to Sophie. â€Å"Did either of you have anything to do with his death?† â€Å"No!† Sophie declared. â€Å"Absolutely not.† Vernet’s face was grim, and he paused, pondering. â€Å"Your pictures are being circulated by Interpol. This is how I recognized you. You’re wanted for a murder.† Sophie slumped. Fache ran an Interpol broadcast already? It seemed the captain was more motivated than Sophie had anticipated. She quickly told Vernet who Langdon was and what had happened inside the Louvre tonight. Vernet looked amazed. â€Å"And as your grandfather was dying, he left you a message telling you to find Mr. Langdon?† â€Å"Yes. And this key.† Sophie laid the gold key on the coffee table in front of Vernet, placing the Priory seal face down. Vernet glanced at the key but made no move to touch it. â€Å"He left you only this key? Nothing else? No slip of paper?† Sophie knew she had been in a hurry inside the Louvre, but she was certain she had seen nothing else behind Madonna of the Rocks. â€Å"No. Just the key.† Vernet gave a helpless sigh. â€Å"I’m afraid every key is electronically paired with a ten-digit account number that functions as a password. Without that number, your key is worthless.† Ten digits.Sophie reluctantly calculated the cryptographic odds. Over ten billion possible choices. Even if she could bring in DCPJ’s most powerful parallel processing computers, she still would need weeks to break the code. â€Å"Certainly, monsieur, considering the circumstances, you can help us.† â€Å"I’m sorry. I truly can do nothing. Clients select their own account numbers via a secure terminal, meaning account numbers are known only to the client and computer. This is one way we ensure anonymity. And the safety of our employees.† Sophie understood. Convenience stores did the same thing. EMPLOYEES DO NOT HAVE KEYS TO THE SAFE. This bank obviously did not want to risk someone stealing a key and then holding an employee hostage for the account number. Sophie sat down beside Langdon, glanced down at the key and then up at Vernet. â€Å"Do you have any idea what my grandfather is storing in your bank?† â€Å"None whatsoever. That is the definition of a Geldschrank bank.† â€Å"Monsieur Vernet,† she pressed,† our time tonight is short. I am going to be very direct if I may.† She reached out to the gold key and flipped it over, watching the man’s eyes as she revealed the Priory of Sion seal. â€Å"Does the symbol on this key mean anything to you?† Vernet glanced down at the fleur-de-lis seal and made no reaction. â€Å"No, but many of our clients emboss corporate logos or initials onto their keys.† Sophie sighed, still watching him carefully. â€Å"This seal is the symbol of a secret society known as the Priory of Sion.† Vernet again showed no reaction. â€Å"I know nothing of this. Your grandfather was a friend, but we spoke mostly of business.† The man adjusted his tie, looking nervous now. â€Å"Monsieur Vernet,† Sophie pressed, her tone firm. â€Å"My grandfather called me tonight and told me he and I were in grave danger. He said he had to give me something. He gave me a key to your bank. Now he is dead. Anything you can tell us would be helpful.† Vernet broke a sweat. â€Å"We need to get out of the building. I’m afraid the police will arrive shortly. My watchman felt obliged to call Interpol.† Sophie had feared as much. She took one last shot. â€Å"My grandfather said he needed to tell me the truth about my family. Does that mean anything to you?† â€Å"Mademoiselle, your family died in a car accident when you were young. I’m sorry. I know your grandfather loved you very much. He mentioned to me several times how much it pained him that you two had fallen out of touch.† Sophie was uncertain how to respond. Langdon asked,† Do the contents of this account have anything to do with the Sangreal?† Vernet gave him an odd look. â€Å"I have no idea what that is.† Just then, Vernet’s cell phone rang, and he snatched it off his belt. â€Å"Oui?† He listened a moment, his expression one of surprise and growing concern. â€Å"La police? Si rapidement?† He cursed, gave some quick directions in French, and said he would be up to the lobby in a minute. Hanging up the phone, he turned back to Sophie. â€Å"The police have responded far more quickly than usual. They are arriving as we speak.† Sophie had no intention of leaving empty-handed. â€Å"Tell them we came and went already. If they want to search the bank, demand a search warrant. That will take them time.† â€Å"Listen,† Vernet said,† Jacques was a friend, and my bank does not need this kind of press, so for those two reasons, I have no intention of allowing this arrest to be made on my premises. Give me a minute and I will see what I can do to help you leave the bank undetected. Beyond that, I cannot get involved.† He stood up and hurried for the door. â€Å"Stay here. I’ll make arrangements and be right back.† â€Å"But the safe-deposit box,† Sophie declared. â€Å"We can’t just leave.† â€Å"There’s nothing I can do,† Vernet said, hurrying out the door. â€Å"I’m sorry.† Sophie stared after him a moment, wondering if maybe the account number was buried in one of the countless letters and packages her grandfather had sent her over the years and which she had left unopened. Langdon stood suddenly, and Sophie sensed an unexpected glimmer of contentment in his eyes. â€Å"Robert? You’re smiling.† â€Å"Your grandfather was a genius.† â€Å"I’m sorry?† â€Å"Ten digits?† Sophie had no idea what he was talking about. â€Å"The account number,† he said, a familiar lopsided grin now craning his face. â€Å"I’m pretty sure he left it for us after all.† â€Å"Where?† Langdon produced the printout of the crime scene photo and spread it out on the coffee table. Sophie needed only to read the first line to know Langdon was correct. 13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5 O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint! P. S. Find Robert Langdon How to cite The Da Vinci Code Chapter 42-43, Essay examples

History and Background of Botswanas Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture free essay sample

I thank god for blessing my lectures and fellow students for making this module a success, otherwise without their support I would not have made it through with this module. The researcher consulted the Ministry of Youth Sport and Culture on the 26 April 2012 to search for information about the background of the ministry. The researcher used the website of the ministry through the internet and policy files. The researcher also used the Ministry of Home Affairs website. The Administration History is the structure and functioning of government, the interaction between society and government and the ideas about government in society. The administrative history gives brief highlights of the individual’s career and life or the organisation’s foundation, development and major programs. It also provides information such as organisation charts, timeline and lists of transitional heads of the organisation from the time of inception to the current stage. Before 2007, the following departments Sport and Recreation, Culture and Youth, National Museum and Art Gallery, Botswana National Archives and Records Services, Botswana National Library Services were under the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs. Due to the complaints from unsatisfied customers and of stakeholders on unattended issues of sports the ministry of Labour and Home Affairs was forced to split into two. In January 2007 a Presidential decree approved by the parliament was established to settle the issues of stakeholders calling for an independent ministry. The sport portfolio has been under the ministry of Labour and Home affairs for a very long time but really was merely broading the mandate of the custodian ministry, therefore issues relating to sport did not get sufficient attention. Sport department did not execute its role and the ministry had to split. The Ministry of Youth sports and culture was established in January 2007. It was envisaged that the new ministry would reflect on how delivery in these departments could be optimized and duplications removed. Whilst the economic impact of youth, sport and culture, has not yet been quantified, it is believed that the ministry could also leverage these entities to contribute towards the national priority of economic diversification. RELOCATION OF THE NEW MINISTRY The new ministry was then allocated their first offices at the Capitol building in the main mall. Thus Ministry was formed with the division of Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs and requisite number of employees from Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs was taken in the Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture as its initial staff. Immediately thereafter, it began its own recruitment of staff required for its proper functioning . It may be pointed out that a training division was set up to provide the necessary inputs in terms of induction into the new department for the recruited employees. Although the ministry was lead by the Permanent Secretary most posts were vacant, but the job had to be done. The ministry had to operate with the few staff members transferred from the divisions of the ministry of Labour and Home Affairs. As time went on a few posts were filled, such as Director Ministry Management, Deputy Director Ministry Management and Assistant Human Resources with newly appointed to existing staff to help the Permanent Secretary. The ministry struggled for a short while to recruit its own staff but survived the struggle with the help of temporarily appointed staff assisting in various offices of the ministry. It was one devastating crisis after another, first the ministry had no expenditure votes or budget, and there was a shortage of stationery and furniture. There was basically nothing to fall back on. As time went on the office space also became a little too crowded as more staff was being recruited, it was complete havoc but the ministry did not despair. The year went by as the ministry struggled. It was then in the following year (2008) that things got better, the ministry was relocated to yet another new offices in Old Naledi along Samora Machel Drive at Plot number 50626 when the staff felt that they were finally being recognized as a ministry. Expenditure votes ledger accounts were created and budgets were allocated to the ministry in the next financial year. The struggle slowly but surely declined, the staff worked effortlessly as the working conditions were in their favour because they had spacious offices and enough stationery to do their job. The Ministry of Youth Sport and Culture grew gradually as it operated with six different departments, namely Ministry Management, Department of Culture and Youth, National Museum and Art Gallery, Botswana National Library Services, Botswana National Archives and Records Services and finally Sport and Recreation. Step by step everything seemed to fall into place as the Ministry of Youth Sport and Culture had found its purpose. Some of the departments had to transfer to other ministries that suited their responsibility. In 2010 the department of National Museum and Art Gallery moving to the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism as it is a national treasure that attracted tourists. Some changed their names to accommodate the ever changing times, like the department of ministry management changed its name to the department of Corporate Services. In 2010 the department of Culture and Youth was then split into two to create yet other departments within ministry such as the department of Arts and Culture and the department of Youth. This was done so as to tackle different issues for instance the department of arts and culture focused on developing young Batswana artists and the department of youth focusing on youth affairs, development of youth policies and projects. Currently the ministry is operating with yet six departments after all changes made, namely corporate services, Botswana National Library services, department of Arts and Culture, Botswana National Archives and Records Services, Sport and Recreation and the department of Youth. MANDATE The Ministry of Youth Sports and Culture’s mandate is to empower youth, develop sport and recreation, promote culture and heritage to create wellness and competitiveness, identity, unity and pride for posterity and sustainable development. The Ministry of Youth Sport and Culture is charged with the responsibilities of implementing the Arts and Culture, National Library Services, Sport and Recreation and National Archives and Records Services missions. These departments have been operating independently under the leadership of Directors. It was established that some of their responsibilities overlapped, especially in areas of youth, information provision, and protection and promotion of Heritage. Relationships and interdependencies between departments in terms of process and customers are evident, in particular, in respect of; Preservation and promotion of culture and heritage (Arts and Culture, Youth, Sport and Recreation Archives and Records Services and Library) and Youth empowerment. MISSION MYSC exists to create an enabling environment for youth development, promotion of sport, preservation of culture and heritage through creative relevant, vibrant and attractive programmes. Ministry of Youth Sport Culture shall be a model of excellence in promoting sport, youth empowerment and cultural identity. OBJECTIVES OF THE MINISTRY Since its inception in 2007 the ministry has been able to achieve the following: -Ensuring youth have equal opportunities to resources and in particular, information communication Technology necessary. -Enabling the youth to access useful and relevant information on youth programs, education and employment opportunities, and e- government services. The ministry found t imperative to invest in the global libraries initiative now known as sesigo project. The ministry committed P48 million towards sesigo project to ensure that public libraries are information communication technology enabled. The ministry in collaboration with the private sector implemented projects aimed at identifying non sport talent . President’s Day celebrations are now used to identify talents in various district and localities in the fields of fine arts, mus ic, dance, theatre, drama poetry and comedy, with accompanying incentives to reward the best performers . These projects have been successful and praised by Botswana as it rewards talented ordinary Batswana and improve their standard of living. The ministry is still in the process of exploring ways to assist upcoming music artists to record their work. The Ministry implemented and run youth targeted projects and currently over 43,000 young people participate in the constituency tournaments and over 3000 youth projects have been sponsored by the ministry. Since the tournament of the ministry, sports codes started to do well in both regional and international competition latest being winning of gold medal in the 2010 common wealth games. The ministry is in the process of reorganizing sport administration structure in the country, in line with international trends, accelerate the outgoing process of facilities development throughout the country, establishing of the school of excellence, direct funding of national teams by the state and human resource development to ensure that the ministry and other sport structures are appropriately resourced with qualified personnel. So far two sports complex in Francistown and Lobatse have been constructed by the ministry. The ministry has also built three Records Centers, in Francistown, Gaborone and kanye to accommodate noncurrent records before they are selected to be archives and for permanent value. Even though the ministry has been able to achieve some of the mandates through its dedicated and hardworking staff since its formation in 2007, the ministry has been confronted with issues of employee attrition since 2008, losing highly experienced, skilled and competent employees to other organization. The attrition has been a serious issue of concern in the ministry. Currently it finds some of its Department operating without Directors and skeleton staff. Between 2007 and 2011 the ministry lost 210 employees to other departments. The Ministry of youth Sport and Culture perform its duties or functions through the following Departments. Â  The department of Corporate Services exists to efficiently and effectively coordinate and manage resources and performance, provide guidance information . This is done in collaboration with stakeholders. The following units fall under the Corporate Services. Accounts, Finance, Human Resource, Internal Audit, Legal Services, Ministerial Technical Unit, Ministerial Tender Committee, Office Operations, Planning, Reforms and supplies. Planning unit: project planning, project monitoring and evaluation, project financing, development of project and implementation policy. Finance: budgeting, accounts, receivables’ and payables. Planning unit: project planning, project monitoring and evaluation, project financing, development of projects and implementation policy. Legal Service: to provide legal service to the ministry and its departments, to assist in the interpretation of laws (statutes), to assist in the drafting and interpretation of memorandum of agreements/contracts prepared by other parties contracting with government, to prepare drafting instructions where new legislation or amendment to an existing legislation is to be drafted, to act as liaison officer in case of work that is related to the prosecution of either a criminal or civil matter. Procurement and supplies: office supplies and equipment, material management. Reforms: formulation of strategic/annual plans, coordination of reforms initiatives, facilitation of performance reviews and coordination of performance standards. Information Technology: Strategy/ planning, development of plans and strategies for use of information Technology in the ministry and its department, to develop and use appropriate tools for improving productivity in the business processes, and customer satisfaction of users of the ministry, Train users in making appropriate and effective use of technical tools in IT provided, responsible for initiating and implementing NDP10 IT projects in Headquarters and user departments. IT Management, Operational and Support: information communication and technology system development and support, planning and management of information technology, management of information systems and e-government. The Human resource division: manpower planning, training and development, personnel administration, recruitment and selection, health and safety, employee relations and management services. The Human Resource Management at the ministry of Youth Sports and Culture coordinates and monitors the implementation of human resource management and development of policies, strategies, rules and regulations. The division ensures that rules and regulations, human resource management and development policies are implemented as accepted by management. Rules and regulations should be cleared and interpreted to all employees ,so as to understand the laws that govern their services and what is expected from them in pursuing of the organization’s goals and objectives . The human resource division interprets ,terms and conditions of service to staff and advice the staff members on matters of Human resource management and development. Human resource division is one of the most important divisions in every department . Every organization that wants to achieve its goals and objectives through its dedicated, committed and loyal employees need to have a responsive, caring and effective Human resource division that ensures that employees are developed and equipped with skills needed to perform their jobs effectively. The department of Botswana National Archives and Records Services exist to provide an effective and efficient Records Management Services to government and to provide the same to the local authorities and Parastatals Organizations on advisory basis. In government this is done primarily through the Records Management Units, commonly known as Registries. Within this division the department is entrusted with the responsibilities of providing action officers with the right information at the right time and for the right purpose. We also advice and provide guidance on the creation, maintenance and use and finally disposal of records, i. e. records either going for destruction because they do not contain information of permanent value or records going for permanent preservation as archives. In 2009 the department of Botswana National Archives and Records Services decentralized the posts of all Records officers and redeploy them to their respective ministries and department. All the personal files of the affected officers were transferred from the host ministry and department. In 2010 the department implemented a pilot project of the computerization of records called the National Archives and Records Management computerized System (NARMS) in the department of corporate service, Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs, Department of Primary Education, Department of Water Affairs, Office of the President and Francistown Records Center. The system was implemented to change from the paper – based system to electronic system to manage information which is slow, labourious, and counter productive. NARMS is a computerized management information system that will provide the departments and clients with an efficient and productive service. NARMS will ensure the efficient and systematic control of creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records. (ISO 15489 – 1: 2001). The department through archives administration division further ensures the provision of research information {noncurrent records archives} to the general public through acquisition, preservation, control and conservation of archives for posterity. Other functions include reprographics, exhibitions, outreach programmes and oral history collection. Archives administration services are provided through the repository, search room, conservation unit, the microfilming unit and audio visual unit. The department of Arts and Culture promotes and preserves culture and to creates an enabling environment for the general public to participate in the cultural development of this country . The department coordinates cultural activities at national level. Cultural preservation instills a sense of pride and unity in the entire nation . The department is guided by the national policy on culture. The department of Youth is responsible for creation of an enabling environment for youth to participate in the development of the country . This department coordinates youth activities at national level . In this regard ,the department emphasizes the provision of excellent customer service and timely delivery. The ministry through the department of youth has been mandated to oversee the implementation of the National youth policy and the action plan for youth. With the assistance of the Botswana National Youth Council, they are the leading partners in youth development. The major functions of the department are as follows: -To develop and review policy in all matters related to youth affairs -To implement and monitor youth programmes and initiatives -To initiate research and keep information relating to youth issues up to date -To promote collaboration efforts amongst all youth NGOS and government of Botswana and any efforts within relevant government ministries. The department Sport and Recreation is charged with the responsibility of facilitating and ensuring the development and implementation of national policies and strategies on sport and recreation in the country . This department is therefore a government organization responsible for policy coordination ,direction and leadership ,sport education ,resource mobilization and appropriation ,networking ,coordination and collaboration ,sport facilities development and recreational leisure.

The Importance Of Family Essays - Letter To Khodorkovsky

The Importance Of Family The Importance of Family It has been said that It takes a village to raise a child. I guess the trick would be to find a village of people you would want to help you to raise your children. It would require a group of people with values and standards similar to your own. It is possible to find such a group in a church, if you belong to one, or among your friends, if you have a wide enough circle. However, an extended family is the village that has been responsible for the raising of children for generations in the past. My extended family includes my mother, two sisters and their families, my husband's parents, five brothers and their families. My daughters have four uncles, five aunts and twelve cousins living in California. An extended family, if you are lucky enough to have one, usually shares many values and is willing to help see that these values are passed on to the children. Some of the values my family holds in common include a strong work ethic, respect for other people, the value of education and modesty in dress and action. My father-in-law is a great example. He has had two careers and is still working. He retired after 20 years with the Air Force, earned a Master's Degree in education, taught school and worked in junior high school administration for 20 years and is now a Master Teacher. He supervises new teachers as they fulfill student teaching requirements for their credentials. He is also a successful (selling) artist with work in a cooperative gallery as well as an usher at the Sacramento Community Center Theater in his spare time. He has been married to the mother of his sons for 44 years. He passed on his values to those sons. They all have successful careers in technology, management or entertainment. Most have one or more degrees and a happy marriage. These values are being passed on to the grandchildren as well. They are expected to do th eir best in school and follow rules about the clothes they wear, where and how they spend their time and whom they spend it with. When my daughters complain about our rule that they are not allowed to date until they are 16, I tell them to call any of their cousins and check with them about what their rules are. There are several advantages for us, as parents, to maintaining close family relationships. There are the obvious advantages of built-in babysitters and people to ask for advice. Less obvious advantages include reinforcement, edification, perspective and a wide pool of life examples. Our extended family members share our standards and values and reinforce the lessons and rules we set for our children. My mother-in-law has a great sense of fashion. She has helped my daughters develop good judgment about dress and make-up. They are modest in the clothes they choose to wear. It is a relief, as a mother, to be spared a fight with them over what they call hoochie clothes. When they go to their grandparents' house after school on Thursday, my father-in-law, Papa to them, supervises their homework. They have to complete it before they are allowed to watch TV or play video games. He makes sure they do a thorough job of it as well. There is never any doubt where their priorities should lie. Much of the strength of our family relationships is based on an elusive concept called edification. Edification, in this context, is the building up of one person by another. When our daughters were growing up, we showed respect to their grandparents, aunts and uncles, and made it clear that they were to do the same. We demonstrated that their relatives had value in our lives. We often asked my in-laws for advice and let the girls know that we were doing this and following some of what we were told. We were asked for advice as well, so our daughters saw that our opinions were valuable to their grandparents. When the time came that our daughters started to challenge our authority and question our standards, we knew we could count on our relatives to reinforce us

Free Essays on UFOs

Argument: UFO’s The phenomenon UFO constitutes one of the topics more disputed of our times. Since in 1947 they were sighted for the first time by the civil pilot Kenneth Arnold near the mount Rainer, there are many persons of the entire world that assure to have seen UFO’s. There are people who declare to have seen them during the day, while others speak about the presence of strange lights in the midnight. Some they assure to have witnessed the landing of extraterrestrial ships and others, declare that they have been interviewed by extraterrestrials or that have been abdicated and carried on board of a ship in which they were submitted to rigorous scientific investigations. The public interest that awoke the UFO phenomenon prompted to the Air Force of the United States to undertake an exhaustive investigation directed by a special committee of the Columbia University. The conclusion to which the investigators arrived was negative, since they attributed the majority of the sightings to mental disorders or to "erroneous interpretations" of easily understandable phenomenon, for example, meteorological globes, meteorites, bands of birds or unusual reflections. But this investigation did not satisfy the public neither the most rigorous investigators. The report of the government affirmed that its main objective was to prevent the panic before the possibility of an extraterrestrial visit. On the other hand, there are documents that show that the Air Force diffused the rumor of the UFO’s to conceal the accidents of their own secret experimental ships. Though it is possible that many sightings are simple frauds, erroneous perceptions of natural phenomenon or screens that intend to hide you determined secret investigations, the certain thing nevertheless, is that numerous intelligent, mentally stable and even expert observers continue seeing them. Sufficient reports around this theme exist as to convince us that the deb... Free Essays on UFOs Free Essays on UFOs Argument: UFO’s The phenomenon UFO constitutes one of the topics more disputed of our times. Since in 1947 they were sighted for the first time by the civil pilot Kenneth Arnold near the mount Rainer, there are many persons of the entire world that assure to have seen UFO’s. There are people who declare to have seen them during the day, while others speak about the presence of strange lights in the midnight. Some they assure to have witnessed the landing of extraterrestrial ships and others, declare that they have been interviewed by extraterrestrials or that have been abdicated and carried on board of a ship in which they were submitted to rigorous scientific investigations. The public interest that awoke the UFO phenomenon prompted to the Air Force of the United States to undertake an exhaustive investigation directed by a special committee of the Columbia University. The conclusion to which the investigators arrived was negative, since they attributed the majority of the sightings to mental disorders or to "erroneous interpretations" of easily understandable phenomenon, for example, meteorological globes, meteorites, bands of birds or unusual reflections. But this investigation did not satisfy the public neither the most rigorous investigators. The report of the government affirmed that its main objective was to prevent the panic before the possibility of an extraterrestrial visit. On the other hand, there are documents that show that the Air Force diffused the rumor of the UFO’s to conceal the accidents of their own secret experimental ships. Though it is possible that many sightings are simple frauds, erroneous perceptions of natural phenomenon or screens that intend to hide you determined secret investigations, the certain thing nevertheless, is that numerous intelligent, mentally stable and even expert observers continue seeing them. Sufficient reports around this theme exist as to convince us that the deb...

Write a letter to Obama on the national defense authorization act and Research Paper

Write a letter to Obama on the national defense authorization act and how it is not constitutional - Research Paper Example Section 1021 and 1022 of the National Defense Authorization Act allow and grant authority to the counter-terrorism unit and the Armed forces to detain any individual (more so a United States citizen) who is suspected of being involved in terrorism. This section is against the first ten amendments of the US constitution which are in accordance with the Bill of Rights. The rights of the detained person are infringed upon and especially the rights to movement and liberty (www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights.html). The above information is also supported by the American Civil liberties Union (ACLU) whose main aim and objective is protection of individual’s human rights and liberties according to the US constitution. This human rights group has been in the forefront to support in supporting the constitution and where the constitution is breached it has also to complain and demand for an amendment (www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html). According to the courthouse news service which reports on all court activities (http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/05/16/46550.htm), on the 16th of May 2012, a US District court Judge Katherine Forrest passed a ruling blocking the implementation of this statute. According to her ruling, the Act was contrary to the first and the fifth amendment of the United States Constitution and therefore did not protect the citizens of US against unlawful detention by the military on suspicion of being involved in terroristic acts. Judge has taken an oath to rule governed by the constitution and hence anything that is against the constitution should not be put to action. The constitution is a powerful tool and protector of the citizens of US and therefore any Act or declaration going against it is deemed as unfriendly and threatening the security offered by the constitution.

GRID (Clustered) SAN computing standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

GRID (Clustered) SAN computing standards - Essay Example 2. A storage system which consists of network elements such as storage devices, computer systems, servers, control software (such as server administration and site server) that will communicate over the network. Storage networks are distinguished from other forms of network storage devices simply by their low-level access method they use and is very similar to such network devices as ATA, disk drives and SCSI hardware. Inside a storage network, the server will issue a request for specific blocks of data and this device on the storage network will then send requests across the network. In the clustered GRID infrastructure would be a series of SAN devices that would then integrate as part of the larger network in order to share the storage capabilities inside the GRID. As such, each device would then be added to the larger network that can be used by other networked devices such as a computer workstation. An example of this computing infrastructure, courtesy of Force10, shows how this cluster/GRID computing network is positioned to utilized these storage devices GRID computing is the transformation of a computer infrastructure into an integrated Virtual Organisation that allows for dynamic collaboration and the ability to share resources from anywhere in the world. This sharing provides users with an unprecedented amount of computing power, especially for those in the field of scientific investigation and collaboration in which the needs of the computer power cannot necessarily be handled by one such computer. Through integration inside the GRID of such supercomputers will enable users to access power without the need to purchase larger systems. GRID computing is based on three concepts as outlined by Reddy (2004) "as: Virtualization: severing the hard-coded association of resources to systems Resource Allocation and Management: dynamically allocating resources on demand, and managing them and finally, Provisioning: configuring resources whenever and wherever needed." (Reddy, 2004) Kalzar Amin, Gregor von Laszewski and Armin R. Mikler Kalzar, et al describe the term Grid computing as commonly referred "to a distributed infrastructure that promotes large scale resource sharing in a dynamic institutional "virtual organisation" (VO). A computational Grid forms a closed network of a large number of pooled resources providing standardized, reliable, specialized and pervasive access to high-end computational resources." Typically, in order to establish a computational Grid, several institutions pool their resources such as computational cycles, specialized software, database servers, network bandwidth, and people. As a result of this "pooling" global policies will be set for the virtual organisation which will in an essence identify each of the participating entities' roles and responsibilities, much like in a LAN server networking scenario. Each of the site institution administrators, who are generally trained as network administrators will then enforce these policies at the domain level. The GRID administrators will then provide each of the GRID users their appropriate credentials and through these credentials will the users access

Understanding the Meaning, Ideologies, and Contexts of the films Argo Research Paper

Understanding the Meaning, Ideologies, and Contexts of the films Argo and Babel - Research Paper Example Film context entails the setting of a film. Other scholars refer to it as the situation, circumstances in which a film is set or scripted (Coleman, 2011). Film context involves the time frame of the film, the historic background and the geographical location of the poem. According to scholars, the ideologies of any film are those values that we get from a film that enable us to be better humans. They are the socio-economic, cultural and political values or ideas that we share with the film (Lewis, 2013). These idea or values inspire us and enable us to clean the world from the moral and political decays to make it a better ground for dwelling. If you watch a film and it inspires you to act, then you have gained ideologies in a film. This paper thus seeks to analyze the ideology, context and the meaning of the movies; Babel and Argo. Babel is a three plot American film screened in Africa, Morocco, Japan and America-Mexico. The initial plot is in Mexico. However the three are well connected such that the story line flows from one country to another (Shaw, 2011). In Morocco, in the desert, we meet Abdullah. Abdullah is a farmer who keeps his herd in the desert and has two sons; Ahmed and Yussef plus a daughter. He is constantly bothered by jackals in the desert that prey after his herd. He thus buys a gun from his neighbor Hassan. The gun is high powered. He plans to drive away the jackals with the gun. He gives the gun to his boys while out in the field herding. The boys always competing aim at rocks, trees and cars then compete in shooting. Ahmed aims at a tourist bus and shoots (Shaw, 2011). The bullet hits an American, Suzan, who together with her husband, Richard are on the country for a holiday. America is quick to brand that as an act of terror and therefore asks the Moroccan government to arrest the culprits. Police officers then come after the family of Abdulla and an open fire leads to Yussef

Interlaminar Fracture Major Failure in Polymer Composites

Interlaminar Fracture Major Failure in Polymer Composites Composites considered new class of materials produced that are strong, not easily corroded, and have low densities. Polymer matrix composites can further be developed to get better mechanical strength and other necessary properties. Polymer Composite materials are heterogeneous in content and an-isotropic in their mechanical behavior. If compared to metallic material, fracture toughness characterization of polymer composite are new and in the process of development.   Fracture may be describe as the mechanical split of a solid owing to the function of stress. Fractures of engineering material are classify as brittle or ductile fractures [18]. Brittle fractures absorb small amount of energy, while ductile fractures absorb high amount of energy, and are generally categorized by fracture which the surface is flat. Fracture toughness is associated with the sum of the energy needed to create fracture on the surfaces. For material which is brittle, such as glass the energy needed for fracture is commonly the elemental surface energy of the material [18]. For structural alloys materials at room temperature more energy is needed for fracture because plastic deformation exist in the fracture process. The function of fracture mechanics concepts has classify and quantified the main parameters that influence structural integrity [18]. These parameters comprise the range and magnitude of the stresses applied, the shape, size, and crack orientation, fracture to ughness of the material and the propagation rate of the existing cracks [18]. The fracture resistance is expressed in terms of the stress intensity factor, K and strain energy release rate is expressed in term of, G. The energy released during speedy crack propagation is an elemental material properties which not influenced by size of the part [18]. According to ASTM standard, stress intensity factor, K can be expressed as: (1) Where KI, the Mode I crucial stress intensity factor, f (g) is the dimensionless specimen geometry and loading condition factor, and the a is the preliminary crack length. The chosen size of the specimen must have small scale plasticity around the tip of the crack. One of the basic principles of fracture mechanics, the unstable fracture exist when the stress intensity factor, K at the crack tip achieve a critical value, KC [18]. The Higher the amount of fracture toughness, the greater the intensity of stress needed to develop crack propagation and the resistance of material also become greater to brittle fracture. Critical stress intensity factor can be determined by using a laboratory experiment, the limiting value being KIC / KIIC / KIIIC [18]. Fracture not only applied in metallic materials it can also applied brittle materials such as ceramics, glass and polymers. Polymer composite materials usually indicate a mixture of brittle and ductile failure processes. There a few fracture modes in polymer composites failure such as fiber breaking, intralaminar fracture or matrix cracking, matrix-fiber debonding, fiber pullout, interlaminar fracture or delamination, and etc [19]. In the polymer composite system, the matrix or resin absorbs energy in tearing, on the other hand the fibers break or damaged by brittle cleavage [20]. Factors that control the toughness in fiber reinforced composites are, the cracks deflection due to twisting or tilting movement near the fiber and debonding between fibers and matrix. Interlaminar fracture major failure in polymer composites. Its development hugely weaken the stiffness of a composite structure, which can lead to the failure during service [21] and also it hugely affected the performance of laminated composite. The interlaminar performance is determined by weakness under both shear and tensile stresses. If discontinuities exist in the material the effect of the interlaminar stress to the overall performance become more significant. This delamination and their growth can be classified by the way load is applied and the strain energy release rate, G. Delamination can be categorized in Mode I tensile, Mode II shear, Mode III tearing and shear, or it also can be loaded in combination of between these modes. Critical strain energy release rate, GC at which the delamination started to begins to extend vary significantly depending on the mode of loading [22]. Classification of delamination resistance has attract the interest researchers, hence, it result in the development of many different test methods. According to ASTM D 5528 standard which equivalent to ISO 15024 recommends using Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) method for measuring the Mode I fracture toughness GIC of polymer composites. Next, the usage of End Notch Flexure (ENF) test for Mode II fracture toughness GIIC common method used among researchers. For Mode III fracture toughness GIIIC, Ratcliffe J [23], suggested using the Edge Crack Torsion Test (ECT). However, for Mixed-Mode bending (MMB) will follow the ASTM D6671 standard which can measure fracture toughness across a wide range of combinations of Mode I and Mode II loading.

Death of a Salesman Essay -- Arthur Miller Exposes Willy Loman

â€Å"Death of a Salesman† written by Arthur Miller in 1948 attempts to give the audience an unusual glimpse into the mind of a Willy Loman, a mercurial 60-year-old salesman, who through his endeavor to be â€Å"worth something†, finds himself struggling to endure the competitive capitalist world in which he is engulfed. Arthur Miller uses various theatrical techniques to gradually strip the protagonist down one layer at a time, each layer revealing another truth about his distorted past. By doing this, Miller succeeds in finally exposing a reasonable justification for Willy’s current state of mind. These techniques are essential to the play, as it is only through this development that Willy can realistically be driven to motives of suicide. The very first section of the first scene, already defines the basis of Willy’s character for the rest of the play. The stage directions on page 8 identify him as being an exhausted aging man, whose work seems to be wearing him down. â€Å"†¦lets his burden down†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Miller, 8). Although this makes Willy appear uninteresting, he soon contrasts this characteristic when he shows an optimistic determination towards his own failures. â€Å"I’ll start out in the morning. Maybe I’ll feel better in the morning.† (Miller, 9) Another aspect of Willy that makes him more interesting to the audience is his already visible complexity of layers: â€Å"I have such thoughts, I have such strange thoughts.† (Miller, 9) This of course leads the audience on to wondering what exactly is taking place in a man’s head to make him say such a thing, evoking a mild fascination in Willy’s character. Another character that is developed almost immed iately within the first two pages of the play is Linda. Again the stage directions on page 8 introdu... ...me period without using artificial â€Å"memorable speech†. This conveyance of realism to the audience is vital for Willy’s motives to seem plausible, and for Willy to be believed in as a character. On the other hand however, â€Å"Death of a Salesman† offers the audience another aspect of the play in which the inner mind of a character is symbolically represented in an expressionistic way on stage. Arthur Miller however succeeds in combining theses seemingly contradictory techniques, by conveying a sense of realism in the way the protagonist’s mind is portrayed, creates what sets it aside from anything alike it. Work Cited Miller, Arthur. Death of a Salesman. U.K.: Penguin, 2013. Works Consulted Bloom, Harold. Arthur Miller. New York: Chelsea, 2008. Griffin, Alice. Understanding Arthur Miller. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1996.