Foundation and Empire 11. Bride And Groom

THE MULE Less is known of â€Å"The Mule† than of any character of comparable significance to Galactic history. Even the period of his greatest renown is known to us chiefly through the eyes of his antagonists and, principally, through those of a young bride†¦ Encyclopedia Galactica Bayta's first sight of Haven was entirely the contrary of spectacular. Her husband pointed it out – a dull star lost in the emptiness of the Galaxy's edge. It was past the last sparse clusters, to where straggling points of light gleamed lonely. And even among these it was poor and inconspicuous. Toran was quite aware that as the earliest prelude to married life, the Red Dwarf lacked impressiveness and his lips curled self-consciously. â€Å"I know, Bay – It isn't exactly a proper change, is it? I mean from the Foundation to this.† â€Å"A horrible change, Toran. I should never have married you.† And when his face looked momentarily hurt, before he caught himself, she said with her special â€Å"cozy† tone, â€Å"All right, silly. Now let your lower lip droop and give me that special dying-duck look – the one just before you're supposed to bury your head on my shoulder, while I stroke your hair full of static electricity. You were fishing for some drivel, weren't you? You were expecting me to say ‘I'd be happy anywhere with you, Toran!' or ‘The interstellar depths themselves would be home, my sweet, were you but with me!' Now you admit it.† She pointed a finger at him and snatched it away an instant before his teeth closed upon it. He said, â€Å"If I surrender, and admit you're right, will you prepare dinner?† She nodded contentedly. He smiled, and just looked at her. She wasn't beautiful on the grand scale to others – he admitted that – even if everybody did look twice. Her hair was dark and glossy, though straight, her mouth a bit wide – but her meticulous, close-textured eyebrows separated a white, unlined forehead from the warmest mahogany eyes ever filled with smiles. And behind a very sturdily-built and staunchly-defended facade of practical, unromantic, hard-headedness towards life, there was just that little pool of softness that would never show if you poked for it, but could be reached if you knew just how – and never let on that you were looking for it. Toran adjusted the controls unnecessarily and decided to relax. He was one interstellar jump, and then several milli-microparsecs â€Å"on the straight† before manipulation by hand was necessary. He leaned over backwards to look into the storeroom, where Bayta was juggling appropriate containers. There was quite a bit of smugness about his attitude towards Bayta – the satisfied awe that marks the triumph of someone who has been hovering at the edge of an inferiority complex for three years. After all he was a provincial – and not merely a provincial, but the son of a renegade Trader. And she was of the Foundation itself – and not merely that, but she could trace her ancestry back to Mallow. And with all that, a tiny quiver underneath. To take her back to Haven, with its rock-world and cave-cities was bad enough. To have her face the traditional hostility of Trader for Foundation – nomad for city dweller – was worse. Still – After supper, the last jump! Haven was an angry crimson blaze, and the second planet was a ruddy patch of light with atmosphere-blurred rim and a half-sphere of darkness. Bayta leaned over the large view table with its spidering of crisscross lines that centered Haven II neatly. She said gravely, â€Å"I wish I had met your father first. If he takes a dislike to me-â€Å" â€Å"Then,† said Toran matter-of-factly, â€Å"you would be the first pretty girl to inspire that in him. Before he lost his arm and stopped roving around the Galaxy, he – Well, if you ask him about it, he'll talk to you about it till your ears wear down to a nubbin. After a while I got to thinking that he was embroidering; because he never told the same story twice the same way-â€Å" Haven II was rushing up at them now. The landlocked sea wheeled ponderously below them, slate-gray in the lowering dimness and lost to sight, here and there, among the wispy clouds. Mountains jutted raggedly along the coast. The sea became wrinkled with nearness and, as it veered off past the horizon just at the end, there was one vanishing glimpse of shore-hugging ice fields. Toran grunted under the fierce deceleration, â€Å"Is your suit locked?† Bayta's plump face was round and ruddy in the incasing sponge-foam of the internally-heated, skin-clinging costume. The ship lowered crunchingly on the open field just short of the lifting of the plateau. They climbed out awkwardly into the solid darkness of the outer-galactic night, and Bayta gasped as the sudden cold bit, and the thin wind swirled emptily. Toran seized her elbow and nudged her into an awkward run over the smooth, packed ground towards the sparking of artificial light in the distance. The advancing guards met them halfway, and after a whispered exchange of words, they were taken onward. The wind and the cold disappeared when the gate of rock opened and then closed behind them. The warm interior, white with wall-light, was filled with an incongruous humming bustle. Men looked up from their desks, and Toran produced documents. They were waved onward after a short glance and Toran whispered to his wife, â€Å"Dad must have fixed up the preliminaries. The usual lapse here is about five hours.† They burst into the open and Bayta said suddenly, â€Å"Oh, my-â€Å" The cave city was in daylight – the white daylight of a young sun. Not that there was a sun, of course. What should have been the sky was lost in the unfocused glow of an over-all brilliance. And the warm air was properly thick and fragrant with greenery. Bayta said, â€Å"Why, Toran, it's beautiful.† Toran grinned with anxious delight. â€Å"Well, now, Bay, it isn't like anything on the Foundation, of course, but it's the biggest city on Haven II – twenty thousand people, you know – and you'll get to like it. No amusement palaces, I'm afraid, but no secret police either.† â€Å"Oh, Torie, it's just like a toy city. It's all white and pink – and so clean.† â€Å"Well-† Toran looked at the city with her. The houses were two stories high for the most part, and of the smooth vein rock indigenous to the region. The spires of the Foundation were missing, and the colossal community houses of the Old Kingdoms – but the smallness was there and the individuality; a relic of personal initiative in a Galaxy of mass life. He snapped to sudden attention. â€Å"Bay – There's Dad! Right there – where I'm pointing, silly. Don't you see him?† She did. It was just the impression of a large man, waving frantically, fingers spread wide as though groping wildly in air. The deep thunder of a drawn-out shout reached them. Bayta trailed her husband, rushing downwards over the close-cropped lawn. She caught sight of a smaller man, white-haired, almost lost to view behind the robust One-arm, who still waved and still shouted. Toran cried over his shoulder, â€Å"It's my father's half-brother. The one who's been to the Foundation. You know.† They met in the grass, laughing and incoherent, and Toran's father let out a final whoop for sheer joy. He hitched at his short jacket and adjusted the metal-chased belt that was his one concession to luxury. His eyes shifted from one of the youngsters to the other, and then he said, a little out of breath, â€Å"You picked a rotten day to return home, boy!† â€Å"What? Oh, it is Seldon's birthday, isn't it?† â€Å"It is. I had to rent a car to make the trip here, and dragoon Randu to drive it. Not a public vehicle to be had at gun's point.† His eyes were on Bayta now, and didn't leave. He spoke to her more softly, â€Å"I have the crystal of you right here – and it's good, but I can see the fellow who took it was an amateur.† He had the small cube of transparency out of his jacket pocket and in the light the laughing little face within sprang to vivid colored life as a miniature Bayta. â€Å"That one!† said Bayta. â€Å"Now I wonder why Toran should send that caricature. I'm surprised you let me come near you, sir.† â€Å"Are you now? Call me Fran. I'll have none of this fancy mess. For that, I think you can take my arm, and we'll go on to the car. Till now I never did think my boy knew what he was ever up to. I think I'll change that opinion. I think I'll have to change that opinion.† Toran said to his half uncle softly, â€Å"How is the old man these days? Does he still hound the women?† Randu puckered up all over his face when he smiled. â€Å"When he can, Toran, when he can. There are times when he remembers that his next birthday will be his sixtieth, and that disheartens him. But he shouts it down, this evil thought, and then he is himself. He is a Trader of the ancient type. But you, Toran. Where did you find such a pretty wife?† The young man chuckled and linked arms. â€Å"Do you want a three years' history at a gasp, uncle?† It was in the small living room of the home that Bayta struggled out of her traveling cloak and hood and shook her hair loose. She sat down, crossing her knees, and returned the appreciative stare of this large, ruddy man. She said, â€Å"I know what you're trying to estimate, and I'll help you; Age, twenty-four, height, five-four, weight, one-ten, educational specialty, history.† She noticed that he always crooked his stand so as to hide the missing arm. But now Fran leaned close and said, â€Å"Since you mention it – weight, one-twenty.† He laughed loudly at her flush. Then he said to the company in general, â€Å"You can always tell a woman's weight by her upper arm – with due experience, of course. Do you want a drink, Bay?† â€Å"Among other things,† she said, and they left together, while Toran busied himself at the book shelves to check for new additions. Fran returned alone and said, â€Å"She'll be down later.† He lowered himself heavily into the large comer chair and placed his stiff-jointed left leg on the stool before it. The laughter had left his red face, and Toran turned to face him. Fran said, â€Å"Well, you're home, boy, and I'm glad you are. I like your woman. She's no whining ninny.† â€Å"I married her,† said Toran simply. â€Å"Well, that's another thing altogether, boy.† His eyes darkened. â€Å"It's a foolish way to tie up the future. In my longer life, and more experienced, I never did such a thing.† Randu interrupted from the comer where he stood quietly. â€Å"Now Franssart, what comparisons are you making? Till your crash landing six years ago you were never in one spot long enough to establish residence requirements for marriage, And since then, who would have you?† The one-armed man jerked erect in his seat and replied hotly, â€Å"Many, you snowy dotard-â€Å" Toran said with hasty tact, â€Å"It's largely a legal formality, Dad. The situation has its conveniences.† â€Å"Mostly for the woman,† grumbled Fran. â€Å"And even if so,† agreed Randu, â€Å"it's up to the boy to decide. Marriage is an old custom among the Foundationers.† â€Å"The Foundationers are not fit models for an honest Trader,† smoldered Fran. Toran broke in again, â€Å"My wife is a Foundationer.† He looked from one to the other, and then said quietly, â€Å"She's coming.† The conversation took a general turn after the evening meal, which Fran had spiced with three tales of reminiscence composed of equal parts of blood, women, profits, and embroidery. The small televisor was on, and some classic drama was playing itself out in an unregarded whisper. Randu had hitched himself into a more comfortable position on the low couch and gazed past the slow smoke of his long pipe to where Bayta had knelt down upon the softness of the white fur mat brought back once long ago from a trade mission and now spread out only upon the most ceremonious occasions. â€Å"You have studied history, my girl?† he asked, pleasantly. Bayta nodded. â€Å"I was the despair of my teachers, but I learned a bit, eventually.† â€Å"A citation for scholarship,† put in Toran, smugly, â€Å"that's all!† â€Å"And what did you learn?† proceeded Randu, smoothly. â€Å"Everything? Now?† laughed the girl. The old man smiled gently. â€Å"Well then, what do you think of the Galactic situation?† â€Å"I think,† said Bayta, concisely, â€Å"that a Seldon crisis is pending – and that if it isn't then away with the Seldon plan altogether. It is a failure.† (â€Å"Whew,† muttered Fran, from his comer. â€Å"What a way to speak of Seldon.† But he said nothing aloud.) Randu sucked at his pipe speculatively. â€Å"Indeed? Why do you say that? I was to the Foundation, you know, in my younger days, and I, too, once thought great dramatic thoughts. But, now, why do you say that?† â€Å"Well,† Bayta's eyes misted with thought as she curled her bare toes into the white softness of the rug and nestled her little chin in one plump hand, â€Å"it seems to me that the whole essence of Seldon's plan was to create a world better than the ancient one of the Galactic Empire. It was failing apart, that world, three centuries ago, when Seldon first established the Foundation – and if history speaks truly, it was falling apart of the triple disease of inertia, despotism, and maldistribution of the goods of the universe.† Randu nodded slowly, while Toran gazed with proud, luminous eyes at his wife, and Fran in the comer clucked his tongue and carefully refilled his glass. Bayta said, â€Å"If the story of Seldon is true, he foresaw the complete collapse of the Empire through his Jaws of psychohistory, and was able to predict the necessary thirty thousand years of barbarism before the establishment of a new Second Empire to restore civilization and culture to humanity. It was the whole aim of his life-work to set up such conditions as would insure a speedier rejuvenation,† The deep voice of Fran burst out, â€Å"And that's why he established the two Foundations, honor be to his name.† â€Å"And that's why he established the two Foundations,† assented Bayta. â€Å"Our Foundation was a gathering of the scientists of the dying Empire intended to carry on the science and learning of man to new heights. And the Foundation was so situated in space and the historical environment was such that through the careful calculations of his genius, Seldon foresaw that in one thousand years, it would become a newer, greater Empire.† There was a reverent silence. The girl said softly, â€Å"It's an old story. You all know it. For almost three centuries every human being of the Foundation has known it. But I thought it would be appropriate to go through it – just quickly. Today is Seldon's birthday, you know, and even if I am of the Foundation, and you are of Haven, we have that in common-â€Å" She lit a cigarette slowly, and watched the glowing tip absently. â€Å"The laws of history are as absolute as the laws of physics, and if the probabilities of error are greater, it is only because history does not deal with as many humans as physics does atoms, so that individual variations count for more. Seldon predicted a series of crises through the thousand years of growth, each of which would force a new turning of our history into a pre-calculated path. It is those crises which direct us – and therefore a crisis must come now. â€Å"Now!† she repeated, forcefully. â€Å"It's almost a century since the last one, and in that century, every vice of the Empire has been repeated in the Foundation. Inertia! Our ruling class knows one law; no change. Despotism! They know one rule; force. Maldistribution! They know one desire; to hold what is theirs.† â€Å"While others starve!† roared Fran suddenly with a mighty blow of his fist upon the arm of his chair. â€Å"Girl, your words are pearls. The fat guts on their moneybags ruin the Foundation, while the brave Traders hide their poverty on dregs of worlds like Haven. It's a disgrace to Seldon, a casting of dirt in his face, a spewing in his beard.† He raised his arm high, and then his face lengthened. â€Å"If I had my other arm! If – once – they had listened to me!† â€Å"Dad,† said Toran, â€Å"take it easy.† â€Å"Take it easy. Take it easy,† his father mimicked savagely. â€Å"We'll live here and die here forever – and you say, take it easy.† â€Å"That's our modern Lathan Devers,† said Randu, gesturing with his pipe, â€Å"this Fran of ours. Devers died in the slave mines eighty years ago with your husband's great-grandfather, because he lacked wisdom and didn't lack heart-â€Å" â€Å"Yes, by the Galaxy, I'd do the same if I were he,† swore Fran. â€Å"Devers was the greatest Trader in history – greater than the overblown windbag, Mallow, the Foundationers worship. If the cutthroats who lord the Foundation killed him because he loved justice, the greater the blood-debt owed them.† â€Å"Go on, girl,† said Randu. â€Å"Go on, or, surely, he'll talk a the night and rave all the next day.† â€Å"There's nothing to go on about,† she said, with a sudden gloom. â€Å"There must be a crisis, but I don't know how to make one. The progressive forces on the Foundation are oppressed fearfully. You Traders may have the will, but you are hunted and disunited. If all the forces of good will in and out of the Foundation could combine-â€Å" Fran's laugh was a raucous jeer. â€Å"Listen to her, Randu, listen to her. In and out of the Foundation, she says. Girl, girl, there's no hope in the flab-sides of the Foundation. Among them some hold the whip and the rest are whipped dead whipped. Not enough spunk left in the whole rotten world to outface one good Trader.† Bayta's attempted interruptions broke feebly against the overwhelming wind. Toran leaned over and put a hand over her mouth. â€Å"Dad,† he said, coldly, â€Å"you've never been on the Foundation. You know nothing about it. I tell you that the underground there is brave and daring enough. I could tell you that Bayta was one of them-â€Å" â€Å"All right, boy, no offense. Now, where's the cause for anger?† He was genuinely perturbed. Toran drove on fervently, â€Å"The trouble with you, Dad, is that you've got a provincial outlook. You think because some hundred thousand Traders scurry into holes on an unwanted planet at the end of nowhere, that they're a great people. Of course, any tax collector from the Foundation that gets here never leaves again, but that's cheap heroism. What would you do if the Foundation sent a fleet?† â€Å"We'd blast them,† said Fran, sharply. â€Å"And get blasted – with the balance in their favor. You're outnumbered, outarmed, outorganized – and as soon as the Foundation thinks it worth its while, you'll realize that. So you had better seek your allies – on the Foundation itself, if you can.† â€Å"Randu, said Fran, looking at his brother like a great, helpless bull. Randu took his pipe away from his lips, â€Å"The boy's right, Fran. When you listen to the little thoughts deep inside you, you know he is. But they're uncomfortable thoughts, so you drown them out with that roar of yours. But they're still there. Toran, I'll tell you why I brought all this up.† He puffed thoughtfully awhile, then dipped his pipe into the neck of the tray, waited for the silent flash, and withdrew it clean. Slowly, he filled it again with precise tamps of his little finger. He said, â€Å"Your little suggestion of Foundation's interest in us, Toran, is to the point. There have been two recent visits lately – for tax purposes. The disturbing point is that the second visitor was accompanied by a light patrol ship. They landed in Gleiar City – giving us the miss for a change – and they never lifted off again, naturally. But now they'll surely be back. Your father is aware of all this, Toran, he really is. â€Å"Look at the stubborn rakehell. He knows Haven is in trouble, and he knows we're helpless, but he repeats his formulas. It warms and protects him. But once he's had his say, and roared his defiance, and feels he's discharged his duty as a man and a Bull Trader, why he's as reasonable as any of us.† â€Å"Any of who?† asked Bayta. He smiled at her. â€Å"We've formed a little group, Bayta – just in our city. We haven't done anything, yet. We haven't even managed to contact the other cities yet, but it's a start.† â€Å"But towards what?† Randu shook his head. â€Å"We don't know-yet. We hope for a miracle. We have decided that, as you say, a Seldon crisis must be at hand.† He gestured widely upwards. â€Å"The Galaxy is full of the chips and splinters of the broken Empire. The generals swarm. Do you suppose the time may come when one will grow bold?† Bayta considered, and shook her head decisively, so that the long straight hair with the single inward curl at the end swirled about her ears. â€Å"No, not a chance. There's not one of those generals who doesn't know that an attack on the Foundation is suicide. Bel Riose of the old Empire was a better man than any of them, and he attacked with the resources of a galaxy, and couldn't win against the Seldon Plan. Is there one general that doesn't know that?† â€Å"But what if we spur them on?† â€Å"Into where? Into an atomic furnace? With what could you possibly spur them?† â€Å"Well, there is one – a new one. In this past year or two, there has come word of a strange man whom they call the Mule.† â€Å"The Mule?† She considered. â€Å"Ever hear of him, Torie?† Toran shook his head. She said, â€Å"What about him?† â€Å"I don't know. But he wins victories at, they say, impossible odds. The rumors may be exaggerated, but it would be interesting, in any case, to become acquainted with him. Not every man with sufficient ability and sufficient ambition would believe in Hari Seldon and his laws of psychohistory. We could encourage that disbelief. He might attack.† â€Å"And the Foundation would win.† â€Å"Yes – but not necessarily easily. It might be a crisis, and we could take advantage of such a crisis to force a compromise with the despots of the Foundation. At the worst, they would forget us long enough to enable us to plan farther.† â€Å"What do you think, Torie?† Toran smiled feebly and pulled at a loose brown curl that fell over one eye. â€Å"The way he describes it, it can't hurt; but who is the Mule? What do you know of him, Randu?† â€Å"Nothing yet. For that, we could use you, Toran. And your wife, if she's willing. We've talked of this, your father and I. We've talked of this thoroughly.† â€Å"In what way, Randu? What do you want of us?† The young man cast a quick inquisitive look at his wife. â€Å"Have you had a honeymoon?† â€Å"Well†¦ yes†¦ if you can call the trip from the Foundation a honeymoon.† â€Å"How about a better one on Kalgan? It's semitropical beaches – water sports – bird hunting – quite the vacation spot. It's about seven thousand parsecs in-not too far.† â€Å"What's on Kalgan?† â€Å"The Mule! His men, at least. He took it last month, and without a battle, though Kalgan's warlord broadcast a threat to blow the planet to ionic dust before giving it up.† â€Å"Where's the warlord now?† â€Å"He isn't,† said Randu, with a shrug. â€Å"What do you say?† â€Å"But what are we to do?† â€Å"I don't know. Fran and I are old; we're provincial. The Traders of Haven are all essentially provincial. Even you say so. Our trading is of a very restricted sort, and we're not the Galaxy roamers our ancestors were, Shut up, Fran! But you two know the Galaxy. Bayta, especially, speaks with a nice Foundation accent. We merely wish whatever you can find out. If you can make contact†¦ but we wouldn't expect that. Suppose you two think it over. You can meet our entire group if you wish†¦ oh, not before next week. You ought to have some time to catch your breath.† There was a pause and then Fran roared, â€Å"Who wants; another drink? I mean, besides me?†

Kirk Patrick Samuda, Kirk Samuda, Hacking and Intrusion

I read an article written by Mr.. Mathew J. Schwartz, dated March 12. 2012, for Informational via darkening. Com, and ponder the strength of the subject matter discussed, I asked myself the question when does attack prevention begin? The question does present an abstract yet requires that careful thought be exercised when approaching information security breaches, and how to prevent attacks; a technological melancholy with very expensive associations.According to Mathew, â€Å"It Is very Important for companies to consider the smartest ways to first detect, block, and subsequently investigate employees with malicious motives†; joined to a vigorous external process that outlines preventative mechanisms that are designed and Implemented around an ERP that Is based on a review of hundreds of attacks. Hence the best way to identify, then possibly prevent an internal or external attack is to start with a security audit specifically created as a countermeasure; simply an attack prev ention program.For any information security audit to be effective, with the intent to prevent or educe attacks; it is absolutely necessary to be proactive and first create an insider threat program, that reinforces the fundamental purpose of the CIA triad which highlights information confidentiality, and how protection of company assets is most vital to the preservation of authorized restrictions and how information is accessed and disclosed. Never allow any type of attack. Successful or otherwise to go undocumented or wasted. If you experience an attack, learn from it,† For example, let us analyze an information security breach case of a financial corporation that caught n employee trying to steal very private company trading algorithms. Accountability and authenticity must immediately be exercised to ensure that the employee is held accountable and that company property is not violated; and that immediate verification with transitional trust were exercised for the purpose of data integrity and security authentication purposes. Upon identifying weaknesses within the security framework. An informed security team must Immediately exercise new security measures, policies and protocols that reinforce the prior, to explicitly watch for similar types of attacks. As a result of the ROR improved steps, another employee was caught subsequently trying to copy the It was very clear from Mathew Schwartz writings, that most insider attacks occur within a short period of time, especially when an employee conspires to steal intellectual property which normally occurs within 30 days.Fraud is usually an exception, because the monetary rewards normally lead to the perpetrator wanting to continue the attack indefinitely. Hence, it is very important once again to know that malicious employees are likely to launch an information security attack within 30 days of resigning or after they leave the company. As such, keep a close eye on departing or departed employees, track th eir movements prior to departure, by carefully monitoring their computer usage history file.Attack prevention analysis transcends beyond simple security audits that typically attempt to exhaust security protocols and mechanisms. What is fundamentally necessary, is that the security mindset of everyone involved with information and information security; to become profoundly aware of what an adversary is, how to identify vulnerabilities and threats, while exercising counter intuition as a prompt form of virtual defense against attacks. Conclusively, it is paramount for businesses to have in place effective security technology and use it.Identifying both internal and external vulnerabilities and threats is the responsibility of every employee. Most important, it is the primary responsibility of executive management to ensure that qualified security engineers are employed to collaborate with I. T in creating a centralized ERP that pinpoints signs of information infiltration and data exf oliation; which is basically an attack or intelligent threat that violates the security protocols of the system, and security policies of the company.

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Critical thinking - Essay Example This is because, all the three planets originated from tiny grains of dust, forming rocky pebbles. The fact that they developed from similar particles may point to the similarity of their mineral components, though their climate and atmosphere significantly defers. While beach sand, diamond, gold nuggets, water, fishbone, and emerald are minerals, wood and vitamin pills are not a mineral. The former are minerals because they are naturally formed chemical substances that have assumed atomic features. Wood is not a chemical substance but a composition of hard tissues, while vitamin pills not naturally formed. The approximated age of the rocks found in Delaware is 1.2 billion years (Thompson, 2008). This information is obtained through radioactive dating of rocks, as done by the Delaware Geological Survey. Paleocene, approximated to be 65.5 to 56 million years ago, had a cooler and remarkably dry climate. It is during this period that the continents continued their movement to their present positions. There were warm seas that surrounded the world and the modern plant species emerged. Animals started growing bigger during this period and they started occupying diverse niches. Dinosaurs got extinct, and mammals, birds, and reptiles flourished, whi le grass started to grow. Examples of rocks found during this period are the Mesozoic sedimentary

Should College Athletes Get Paid Research Paper

Should College Athletes Get Paid - Research Paper Example Therefore, they are potential candidates for endorsing and advertising products. It is thus justified to pay them especially noting that athletes have a limited time for fame. Although some critiques argue that it is difficult to determine how much to pay each player, a good mechanism can be devised. It is ironical that athletic organizers can be able to organize college athletics and fail to make a good payment scheme for the players. It is also important to note that most of the college athletes who get into college with scholarship are actually from low-income families. Additionally, most of them are particularly talented in athletics and not in books. Whereas their academically talented counterparts are in class making their future, college athletes are on the field practicing. Therefore, they can hardly get formal employment in the job sector. This makes it important to consider them for payment since athletics is their career. If they do not start to be paid in college, they wi ll hardly make it in life since other better talented athletes will come and replace them with time. However, it is strongly argued that paying college athletes will turn college athletics into businesses such as FIFA. Rich colleges will attract the best talents and other colleges will be denied a chance to nurture their own talents. However, it is worth noting that colleges, including college athletics cannot be run without rules, laws, and regulations. Therefore, efficient and effective control mechanisms can be used to regulate how colleges source for athletes. Figures and statistics show that not all college athletes make to professional teams. This is because college athletes are large in number and therefore, cannot fit in the national or... This essay declares that figures and statistics show that not all college athletes make to professional teams. This is because college athletes are large in number and therefore, cannot fit in the national or professional teams. Although few make it through, those who are not lucky end up in poverty. It is thus justified to pay them while they are still in college. This way, they will be able to save some money for their studies. If well paid, they can even have enough money to start good businesses when they leave college. Those who do not make it to professional teams will thus be able to establish their lives from college savings. It is true that many colleges do not make profits out of college athletes. This paper makes a conclusion that there is a lot of support for pay for college athletes. Since the athletes are the primary source of athletics money, they should then be paid. College athletes are potential candidates for endorsements and advertising products. It is thus justified to pay them especially noting that athletes have a limited time for fame. If they do not start to be paid in college, they will hardly make it in life since other better talented athletes will come and replace them with time. Athletes should be paid while in college. This way, they will be able to save some money for their studies. If well paid, they can even have enough money to start good businesses when they leave college.

Discuss or debate the Renaissance belief that harmoniously Essay

Discuss or debate the Renaissance belief that harmoniously proportioned buildings produce ideal Citizens - Essay Example The fanaticism and mysticism that are imprinted into the European mind brought about by the Middle Ages has been gradually debunked by the resurgence of rational thought of the period. Reason and not a blind following of the imposed doctrines by the church became the yardstick of the beauty, morality, and rightness of a principle or a thing. Rigid rationality and mathematical exactness has also been manifested in the artistic pursuits during this period. The beauty of balance and symmetry became evident in the artistic masterpieces that were produced herein. Having the notion that the ideal works of art should follow the strict logical and mathematical guidelines, artists in this era produced almost perfect symmetrical, proportional and balanced works of art. Renaissance architectural masterpieces were towering proofs of this artistic principle. According to Art History 361: Summary of the Renaissance: â€Å"A harmony of all parts with symmetry and order of geometric proportions and designs using Classical architectural elements† characterize Renaissance architecture. The intricacy of the designs during the medieval times was toned down to simplicity cleanness of design. Architectural beauty was a by-product of mathematical exactness. Claude Fayette Bragdon critically discussed the relation of the artist’s personal beliefs and lifestyle to his works, in his book The Beautiful Necessity. For him, â€Å"art is an expression of the self in terms of sense.† Art then is physical manifestation of one’s self—one’s ideology and tenets. Since art is a medium of expression, it subliminally evokes messages that create an effect in a person’s consciousness. Just as a writer can affect the psychological status and character of his reader, artists, such as architects, also can affect the psyche spectator of his magnum opus. If writers use meticulously chosen words, sentences, and paragraphs to evoke effective messages to influence his readers, we can also

Green Claims Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Green Claims - Essay Example The consumers consider them â€Å"as not made for them but for people from high class societies† (Klutz, 2009). According the research done by the United Nations Environmental Program in 2009, global market is not really ready for these products. This may be as a result of the consumers’ attitude towards these products. There are various false green claims being made by various companies around the world. These claims cannot be substantiate hence also misleading the consumers. On the other hand, products making green claims have turned to be a global trend where many companies in the world are adapting to this initiative. For green products to become main stream, they should firstly be bought at an affordable price as the rest of other products. The consumers also need to be aware of these products which can be achieved through advertisements, consumer education about green claims. A radical action should also be taken on companies and manufactures who give false green claims on products in the market. Rules and regulations should be set in relation to the green claim initiative. The U.S does not have a national body that oversees green certificates which makes it hard to enforce the Green Claim initiative programs (Sobha, 2008). As a result, U.S products are less competitive in the global market. In this case, it is difficult to examine the effectiveness of green technology in the states. A body independent body that focuses on green technology should be created to empower the Green Claim initiatives. Klutz M. (2009). Environmentally Conscious Materials Handling: New Jersey. John Wiley & Sons,

Administrative Law Rev Essay Example for Free

Administrative Law Rev Essay Freedom of Information Act 1982 is entirely in the interest of public who can have access to various documents of government of Victoria and its public agencies for verification or for any other useful purpose.   The sole objective of FOI Act is to bring awareness among public whether the functioning and operations of government are in order   and how public analyze the same. Section 22 provides about the charges to be paid for having access to specific documents.   The section provides technical details of payment of fee that is calculated with time that is taken for search of documents.    This is particularly due to the fact that   the time taken for search of documents may vary depending on the date of publication of document. This is also in order to reduce the payment of fee to be paid by public.   All sectors of public may not afford to pay high rate of fees for having access to government documents.   In view of such as these reasons, hourly rate and time taken for search of documents has been included in this section. The section also covers transcription (h)   and routine requests (g)   and in case of inspection of documents no charge shall be calculated (f) in pursuance of Section 8(1) or 11(1). Section 27 clearly states about reasons of refusal of documents by a Minister of state to that effect, applicant shall be informed about the reasons in writing.   This section is somewhat complicated with the fact that a minister or a government official is a servant of public and with that motive, public must be provided access to the documents which is the sole purpose of FOI Act. This section is likely to give rise to conflicts between and may bring a deep dissatisfaction to public. Some of the documents that contain health information are also restricted with the provisions of Health   Records Act 2001, which of these reasons are also to be stated to applicant.   Although there are clauses for applying of review of decisions, launch complain to Ombudsmen, it is both time consuming and   undecisive for applicants to move further with such grievances. Section 50 deals with applications for review which would be pending with Tribunal for decisions.   This may pertain to a request for document, charge made, decision for access, or any other specific request regarding information under FOI Act.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Tribunal in all respects has to deal with each individual case, giving its due importance of provisions along with genuine reasons. This section is in favor of public, as Tribunal shall reconsiders and reviews the decisions and grants permissions to public in various aspects that are relevant to FOI Act. The Tribunal may refuse the decision of Minister or agency and give an order in favor of public. Those issues or requests for documents which were not considered by Minister, are very well resolved at Tribunal by applicants. Section 51 states that an applicant may apply to Principal officer or Minister for review of decision, which was given in the deemed absence within 28 days   for review of decision or refusing to give access to health documents as per Section 36 of Health Records Act 2001. This section offers powers and opportunities to public   for   reconsideration of requests for having access to documents.   Applicants have to be excessively vigilant in deriving the maximum benefit from the government bodies and officials.  Ã‚  Ã‚   This section is both useful for public and for principal officers to check the veracity of facts in all respects. Section 51A  Ã‚  Ã‚   deals with conciliation of Health Service Commissioner   which state that issues that were deferring in Section 50 and 51 in the matters of health documents, may suitably be taken up by applicant with this section and apply for Health Service Commissioner’s decision.   In case Health Service Commissioner fails to conciliate a request, to that effect an notice in writing must be issued to both applicant and Principal Officer. This appears as a last resort for applicant as the decision of Health Service Commissioner is the final approach for an applicant. Conclusion The enactment of FOI is made with a view of regularizing the functioning and to increase the   working efficiency of governments.   Apart from this fact, the public are also provided an in-depth knowledge about information and working status of governments. Although there are many technicalities involved in FOI Act, each section, sub-section and clause, a significance of reason is attached to it for the benefit of both public and governing bodies.

Compare and Contrast how Aristophanes depicts Essay Example for Free

Compare and Contrast how Aristophanes depicts Essay Aristophanes and Euripides were poets in Athens during the Peloponnesian War. They had very different writing styles. Euripides was the older and he wrote Greek Tragedy and Comedy. He was one of the three important tragedy writers of the time, the others were Aeschylus an Scophocles. Euripides introduced new methods of handling the traditional myths, for example he used realism in his subject matter and was interested in the way women thought and how they acted. This is shown in his plays Hippolytus and The Trojan Women. Aristophanes wrote comedies in which inventive situations and colourful language were typical. His poems were mainly concerned with situation which was topical at that time. He satirized politicians and scholars and parodied his fellow poets. He used political and social fantasy a great deal as in the womens sex strike in Lysistrata. Aristophanes wrote two parodies which featured the tragic poet Euripides. These were The Poet and the Women and the Frogs. Euripides died before Aristophanes wrote the Frogs and so he was able to make the parody greater. Aristophenes wrote The Poet and the Women while Euripides was still alive and a respected and famous author. Aristophanes was unable to resist making fun of him in his play. He portrayed him as a man who was clumsy and in fear for his life, This day is to decide whether Euripides is to live or die. (Page 102). This was because Euripides was being threatened by the women of Athens who wanted to kill him because his plays showed the worst side of women, the women are meeting up at the Thesmorporia today and theyre going to condemn me to death for slandering them (Page 106). Euripides knew that the Thesmophoria, a religious festival for women, was going to happen soon and he wanted to send a spy to find out how the women were plotting his death. Euripides, with the help of his friend Agathon, therefore, persuaded his elderly relative Mnesilochus to dress up a woman, lend me a dress and a headband for my friend here? You cant pretend that you dont possess such things (Page 108), and attend the ceremony. Mnesilochus was discovered by the women who captured him and threatened to burn him as they believed him to be a spy for Euripides. Mnesilochis remembering one of Euripides plays sent a message A trick out of one of his own plays, The Palamedes. Chap wrote a message on an oarblade (Page 125). Euripides came to the rescue as a character out of that play showing courage he did not have, Thou lookst like Menelaos. (Page 133). In The Frogs, Euripides has been dead for some time and is portrayed as manipulative and greedy, besides, Euripides will be readier to sneak away with me, hes a much more slippery customer (Page 159). The storyline is about the God of Wine, Dionysus, who travels to the underworld to find a poet who will increase Athenian morale and lead them to victory in the Peloponnesian War. After first consulting the hero, Hercules, to find a way to Hades You could go via Rope and Gibbet: thats a very quick way, if you dont mind hanging around for a bit, to begin with (page 160), he sets off with his servant. He arrives in Hades only to find out that position of the best poet in Hades was in dispute, Oh, theres great goings on among the dead these days, great goings on. Civil war, you might call it (Page 185). Aeschylus the older Athenian poet, who wrote at least 50 years before Aristophanes, was being challenged by Euripides, Well then along comes Euripides and start showing off to all the fellers weve got down here cut-throats, highwaymen, murders, burglars, regular rough lot they are, (Page 185) Euripides had the support of the bandits, rogues and the worst men in general while Aeschylus had the sole support of Sophocles, hes sent a message: with this contest coming on, he says, hell stand by for third man if Aeschylus wins hell just go on as before, but if Euripides wins hell take him on himself.(Page 186). Sophocles was a friend of Aristophanes. Dionysus decided that even though Euripides had more support, it was Aeschylus chosen to restore Athens to its former glory, Well in my heart of hearts I have known all the time. No question about it, the man for me is (Page 210). Euripides in The Poet and The Woman is extremely comical especially when he is playing his own tragic heroes as they have heroic qualities which he lacks, other than loyalty which he shows when he tries to rescues Mnesilochus from his Scythian captor. However, Euripides in The Frogs is more sinister and has the ability to manipulate the bandits and rogues. He is therefore portrayed as a demagogue, who were people who played on peoples fears to increase their own political power. Aristophanes depicts Euripides in these ways because I believe that Euripides and Aristophanes were not friends but poetic rivals that respected each other even though they did not agree with each others type of poetry. A version of Ancient Greek professional courtesy. I also feel that the political and social situation at the time that Aristophanes was writing influenced the way in which he portrayed him. Euripides in The Poet and The Woman is a reflection of his Euripidess personality in real-life but has been distorted to make the make the play comical. His clumsiness and cowardliness have been exaggerated for this end. Euripides shows how cowardly he is because he sends Mnesilochus to the Thesmophoria and not himself. His clumsiness is shown through his use of the Deux Ex Machina which he uses to create the parody of Perseus but he cant control it, He must be coming to save me: he wouldnt have flown by just to pass the time of day. (Page 136), and he flies back and forth. However, Euripides does show loyalty to his friends by attempting to rescue Mnesilochus.

2014 Somerset Levels Floods: Causes and Future Strategies

2014 Somerset Levels Floods: Causes and Future Strategies Following the 2014 Somerset Levels floods, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles publicly apologised for the lack of dredging of the Levels and criticised the Environment Agencies management strategy. Examine the causes of the Somerset Levels floods, and evaluate the flood management solutions. During the autumn and winter of 2013 2014, an unusually high frequency of depressions moved across the Somerset Levels, causing both fluvial and pluvial flooding on a prodigious scale. The two main rivers which flow through the Levels, The River Tone and Parrett, burst their banks, spilling into the already heavily saturated flood plain. A major incident was declared and subsequently allowed the Somerset council to request financial, and physical, aid to the region (House of Commons, 2014).This essay highlights the key reasons the Somerset Levels flooded, as well as evaluating the main management solutions that were put forward during the peak of the flooding. The autumn to winter period saw a record-breaking Jet Stream, fuelled by a diving cold Polar Vortex across the United States. With this, brought powerful storms across the United Kingdom (MetOffice, 2014). As the Polar Vortex moved southward, it interacted with the Jet Stream. This caused powerful Jet Streaks to form, thus producing rapid cyclogenesis in the mid-Atlantic. This pattern lasted several months, exacerbating the flooding issues across the Somerset Levels. As the storms became more frequent, the water table filled up exponentially, as the majority of the soil inside in the Somerset Levels consists of clay and, further inland, peat (North Somerset Council, 2008). Every year the area experiences pluvial flooding due to its impermeable calcareous clays, which drains water very slowly (Soilscapes, n.d.). In places, parts of the rivers that run through the Levels sit above farmland, which allowed broken river banks to spill water onto the neighbouring fields. Combined with the waterlogged land, it makes the area incessantly prone to flooding (House of Commons, 2014). The flooding eventually became a serious threat to residents and farmland which coerced the government to initialise flood management in the area, introducing extensive dredging upon the main rivers (Hartwell-Naguib and Roberts, 2014). This process takes silt deposits out from the river bed to increase the volume of the river. There has been a divide amongst the government and the Environment Agency as to whether this is a feasible and financially secure approach to flood management. The Environment Agency rejects that dredging rivers is the most important approach, as Lord Smith, chairman of the EA, claims that dredging the rivers would only make a small difference and that other management solutions would need to be applied (Guardian, 2014). The Environment Agency (Environment Agency, 2014) retains the idea that dredging would only work on a short-term basis, and the silt on the riverbed would soon return and need to be dredged once again, adding to the growing financial cost. Dred ging also has a detrimental effect on the ecosystems that run within the river, as the UK Marine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) adds that dredging causes a range of potentially damaging environmental effects on our rivers (UK Marine, n.d.). These effects include the removal of certain species and poor quality of water for those species, primarily caused by suspended sediment after the dredging process (UK Marine, n.d.). Although there appears to be a strong basis of negativity towards the process of dredging, it can also reduce the time that flooding occurs due to the increase of water conveyance within the river (CIWEM, 2014). Another idea to limit river levels was to introduce natural filter strips; vegetation is introduced to the banks of rivers to slow down rain water from running into the river. This could in turn slow down the rise of river levels, and limit the amount of water that breaks the river bank (North Somerset Council, 2008). Another flood management solution that was recommended by the Environment Agency during the height of the floods was the use of high-capacity pumps from Holland. These pumps can drain up to 7.3 million tonnes of water each day out of the worst affected areas, into the River Sowey which then feeds into the River Parrett (CIWEM, 2014)(BBC News, 2014). The idea was to relieve pressure on the River Tone, as the surrounding areas were completely underwater. This system was highly effective at reducing water levels, however it unfortunately resulted in the displacement of water to other areas. This concluded in the areas, which previously were less affected, now being at a potential risk of flooding which caused a disposition in government. The government had been heavily criticised by the media, organisations and local residents for not acting sooner. The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) had warned the government that cuts to annual flood risk management had left a hole in financial investment in flood management across the UK, and in particular, Somerset (Hartwell-Naguib and Roberts, 2014). The Environment Agency also commented that the 10-15% cut in funding could overshadow the Somerset Levels as it’s not seen as a main threat (Alex Marshall, 2014). Responding to these concerns, the government have recently announced that a number of temporary flood defences and pumping sites will be made permanent by supporting farmers to manage flood risk better, to ensure all new developments in the area have suitable drainage systems. (Department for Environment, 2014). In summary the flood management solutions that were used to alleviate the Somerset floods came in far too late. The Somerset Levels are prone for flooding, yet only a small amount of preventative measures were put forward to protect those who were in potential danger. The dredging process has been the most popular form of flood management in the area, but due to its high cost and small effect on flood levels, it remains an issue as to whether it can continue as the main preventative system. A more permanent solution will need to be put forward that is both financially economic and suitable for the area, to ensure both residents and farmland are better protected. References: Environment Agency. (2014).Dredging and Flood Risk.Available: www.ourcityourriver.co.uk/downloads/Dredging Leaflet.pdf. Last accessed 07/12/2014. House of Commons. (2014).Winter Floods 2013/14.Available: www.parliament.uk/briefing-papers/SN06809.pdf. [Accessed 06/12/2014.] North Somerset Council. (2008).Strategic Flood Risk Assessment: Level 1.Available: https://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Environment/Planning_policy_and-research/researchandmonitoring/Documents/Level 1 study of North Somerset (pdf).pdf. [Accessed 06/12/2014.] Department for Environment. (2014).New action plan to protect Somerset from flooding.Available: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-action-plan-to-protect-somerset-from-flooding. [Accessed 30/11/2014.] BBC. (2014).What are the Somerset Levels?.Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-26080597. [Accessed 28/11/20.] BBC. (2014).UK floods: Somerset Levels Dutch pumps start work.Available: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-26167818. [Accessed 25/11/2014.] UK Marine. (n.d.).Dredging and disposal: Suspended sediments and turbidity.Available: http://www.ukmarinesac.org.uk/activities/ports/ph5_2_3.htm. [Accessed 27/11/2014.] Landis. (n.d.).Soilscapes.Available: http://www.landis.org.uk/soilscapes/. [Accessed 27/11/2014.] Meteorological Office. (2014).MetOffice.Available: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/interesting/2014-janwind. [Accessed 22/11/2014.] Hartwell-Naguib, S Roberts, N. (2014).Winter Floods 2013/14.Available: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/research/briefing-papers/SN06809/winter-floods-201314. [Accessed 24/11/2014.] CIWEM. (2014).Floods and Dredging a reality check.Available: http://www.ciwem.org/media/1035043/floods_and_dredging_-_a_reality_check.pdf. [Accessed 26/11/2014.] Alex Marshall. (2014).Environment Agency cuts: surviving the surgeon’s knife.Available: http://www.endsreport.com/41653/environment-agency-cuts-surviving-the-surgeons-knife. [Accessed 29/11/2014.] Guardian. (2014).Lord Smith: EA staff know 100 times more than any politician about flooding.Available: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/feb/10/lord-smith-ea-staff-know-100-times-more-on-flooding. [Accessed 30/11/2014.] Pointers: Structure your paragraphs! One point per paragraph. Make the essay flow. Every paragraph should link to the next. Theoretically you should be able to read it backwards and it’ll make sense. Point – make your point Evidence – give your evidence Explain – explain its relevance Link- link to the next paragraph Be careful with abbreviations. You can abbreviate only after you have written it in full once with the abbreviation after i.e. United Kingdom (UK). Then later you can use UK. Be careful not to be too chatty, be formal! You’re not talking to a friend. Don’t add new points in your conclusion paragraph. This is a summary of what you’ve already discussed. Summarise! Make sure your referencing everything! You can’t just know something, you have to prove how you know it and who it’s from. Try to use credited references from research papers/articles, don’t use Wikipedia or web pages, BBC news isn’t great either. Write all numbers in long hand, i.e. one hundred not 100. Remember 10% of your mark is in presentation. How does your uni want your essays presented? Font. Format etc.

The Rivalry between Germany and Britain Essay -- Papers world war one

The Rivalry between Germany and Britain The direct cause of the First World War, the spark that set it off in other words, was the assassination of the Austrian archduke Francis Ferdinand, who was heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, and his wife by a Serbian student in Sarajevo in June 1914. A month later Austria declared war against Serbia. This local warfare brought Russia, Germany and France straight into fight, and in the end got other European Powers such as Britain, and even Japan and America involved thus became a world wide armed conflict. There are many arguments that have been made among historians about grounds of such war. So many theories have been found, and discussed for decades. Yet the controversy has not seen its end and is still growing. Imperialism, militarism, rise of nationalism, and the alliance systems are often named as the major causes. However, when historians come to discuss militarism on this subject, their theme tends to be based around whether or not a sense of rivalry between Germany and Britain was one of the primary causes. The purpose of this paper is answering the essay question above by examining the Anglo-German relations before 1914, and its significance on outbreak of the war. Before start, it should be made clear what it is meant by the words "major cause" in the title above. Examiner's use of the word "major" can be vague. Does she mean the major cause as the factor that has direct and decisive impact upon the incident? If so, the answer to this question is no. The war did not arise originally from between Germany and Britain, and reason for them to join the war, on the surface, appeared to be alliances with the other countries involved. Yet, there is other interpretat... ...y of Europe 1815-1914`. Second Edition. Longman Group Limited. Berghahn, V.R.1987. `Modern Germany`, Society, economy and politics in the twentieth Century. Second Edition. Cambridge University Press. Joll, James. 1990.`Europe Since 1870`, An International History. Forth Edition. Penguin. Larr, Jon. `An Overview of World War 1`. http://members.aol.com/sniper43/worldwar1.html Layton, G.1995. `access to history`, From BISMARCK to HITLER: GERMANY 1890-1933. Hodder & Stoughton. Roberts, J.M.1989. `Europe 1880-1945`, A General History of Europe. Second Edition. Addison Wesley Longman Limited. Wolfson, R. and Laver, J. 1996.`Years of Change, Europe 1890-1945`. Second Edition. Hodder & Stoughton.

A Neural Network Primer :: Neural Network Primer Essays

A Neural Network Primer This paper gives the basics of the subject of neural networks. It is recommended for those new to the subject of neural networks and only assumes that the reader has a knowledge of basic algebra. Please feel free to distribute this paper as you wish but please distribute the entire paper without deletions and limit your corrections and additions to the space below the bottom line after the last paragraph of the original text. If you wish for your correction or modification to be changed in the body of the original text, please send your recommendation to one of my computer addresses above. A function is a mysterious black box with inputs and an output. ---------- X --->| | | Function |---> Z Y---->| | ---------- The above function has 2 inputs, X and Y, and one output, Z. Mysterious black boxes that take in inputs and produce an output are called "functions". Sometimes we don't know what goes on inside the function to produce the output from the inputs so that's why we call them "black boxes". X Y | Z ----------- 0 0 | 0 0 1 | 1 1 0 | 1 1 1 | 1 The above table maps out a possible function. It is called the "Or" function. Note that Z is zero when X and Y are both zero and Z is one whenever X "or" Y is a one. Mapping out a function in a table as is shown above is known as creating a "truth-table". X Y | Z ----------- 0 0 | 0 0 1 | 0 1 0 | 0 1 1 | 1 The function mapped out in the truth-table above is known as the "And" function. Note that Z equals 1 only when X "and" Y both equal 1. Note that the numerical values we have used so far for X, Y, and Z have been limited to only "0" and "1". When you only use two values like this you are using a "binary" or "boolean" number system. "Binary" and "boolean" basically mean "two values".

Net Present Value and Papa Geo

Papa Geo’s – Restaurant Budget Proposal For 2012 – 2017 BUSN-278 [Term] Professor[name] DeVry University ————————————————- Table of Contents Section| Title| Subsection| Title| Page Number| 1. 0| Executive summary| | | | 2. 0| Sales Forecast| | | | | | 2. 1| Sales Forecast| | | | 2. 2| Methods and Assumptions| | 3. 0| Capital Expenditure Budget| | | | 4. 0| Investment Analysis| | | | | | 4. 1| Cash flows| | | | 4. 2| NPV Analysis| | | | 4. 3| Rate of Return Calculations| | | 4. 4| Payback Period Calculations| | 5. 0| Pro Forma Financial Statements| | | | | | 5. 1| Pro Forma Income Statement| | | | 5. 2| Pro-Forma Cash flow Statement| | | | 5. 3| Pro-Forma Balance Sheets| | 6. 0| Works Cited| | | | 7. 0| Appendices| | | | | | 7. 1| Appendix 1: [description]| | | | 7. 2| Appendix 2: [description] etc| | * 1. 0 Executive Summary 1. 0 Executive Summary * * T his budget proposal is for the starting and running of a single location, sit-down Italian restaurant named Papa Geo’s.The restaurant would be located in Orlando, Florida and would majorly target middle to lower-middle class families with children, as well as adults and seniors, thus making it a friendly and family place. The major product and service provided by the restaurant would be Italian food served buffet style with an all-you-can-eat format with a lot of variety including a salad bar, pizza, several different types of pasta with three or four types of sauces, soup, desserts, and a self-serve soda bar. There would also be a gaming area within the restaurant with gaming machines installed which would be of interest to children.The business would provide wholesome and fresh food, in a simple format, with very good prices and is located in a densely populated area, all of which would help the restaurant to do well and establish itself as a popular and profitable business . * * * Also, provide a second paragraph which describes how the budget supports the company’s strategy. * * Finally, provide a third paragraph where you summarize the key points from your budget, including the planning horizon, the amount of up-front investment, the NPV, Payback and IRR of the project, as well as key figures from your income statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet. * Remember, this is not a thesis or introduction of what you will talk about – it contains the major, specific content of each section. The second and third paragraph should be written after you have completed all other sections of this template. * * As you complete sections of this template, please remove all italicized text in all sections of this template and replace it with your own or you will lose points! * * 2. 0 Sales Forecast 2. 0 Sales Forecast * * This section forecasts the sales of Papa Geo’s restaurant over a five-year period.Section 2. 1 gives the estimated sa les figures and a brief explanation on the changes in these figures over the planning period. * Section 2. 2 delves into the details of how this sales estimate has been arrived at, calculations involved and the methods and assumptions used in the process. * Overall, this section is useful is providing an estimate of how much the restaurant can make in sales, given its internal specifics and external environment. * 2. 1 Sales Forecast * * The yearly sales forecast for Papa Geo’s restaurant is given below.In $ | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Sales | 933,504. 00 | 1,555,840. 00 | 1,616,517. 76 | 1,679,561. 95 | 1,745,064. 87 | * My methods and assumptions for arriving at the sales figures in the table are detailed in section 2. 2 The sales figure estimated per my calculations is taken as the sale figure for Year 2. This is because the sales figure arrived at from the calculations cannot be assumed to be sales for Year 1 as the restaurant might not be able to reali ze its full potential and attract the estimated number of customers from day one itself.Also, teething problems with marketing, operations etc might not lead to optimum sales. Therefore, we will project only 60% of this figure as first year sales and use the estimated figure as the sales figure for Year 2. Over the planning period, starting from Year 2 onwards, sales are expected to grow at a rate of 3. 9% every year, in line with industry estimates of the average growth of the restaurant industry in the US (Source: Mintel International, cited in section 6. 0). * * 2. 2 Methods and Assumptions * According to the brief given on Papa Geo’s restaurant, there are about 10,000 families living within 15 minutes of the restaurant. Of these, between 3% and 5% are rich households (Phoenix marketing international, Wikipedia) and it is assumed that another 15% comprise of high income and upper middle class households. That leaves about 80% of the 10000 families in the area,that are the target market for the restaurant. * * According to a research paper (in restaurant. org), American families eat out about 4 times a week.However, considering that our target market comprises of mostly middle and lower income families, I’ve assumed that they eat out only about 2 times a week on an average. This means that, about 16000 families [(80%*10,000)*2] eat out in a week in that area in Ohio, Florida. * * In terms of competition, although it is mentioned that McDonalds, Taco Bell and Wendy’s operate in the area, we assume there are other small places that people might visit to eat out. Also, people might venture out beyond their areas to eat out.Keeping these in mind, we’ve assumed that these four places (Papa Geo’s, McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Wendy’s) will be able to capture only about 85% of these families. (16000*85%=13600/week). Of these four places, since the others are fast food and fast food restaurants generally command a larger footfall than other format restaurants we assume the following about their share in the pie of families: Taco Bell: 30%, McDonald’s: 30%, Wendy’s: 30% and Papa Geo’s: 10% * * i. e, Papa Geo’s can expect to capture 1360 (10%*13600) families per week.Since this is a family dining place, we make another assumption about the composition of the family. We assume that out of a family of 4, two are kids and two adults. Which means that about 2720 (1360*2) kids and 2720 adults (1360*2) will eat from Papa Geo’s per week. * * Given that a meal (including drinks) cost about $7, we make the following assumptions: * Adults visiting the restaurant will have meals (@ $7), on an average. * Kids visiting the restaurants with their families will make a bill of about $4 per head. Given this, we now estimate the weekly sales for adults and kids. Therefore, d * Sales from Adults per week: 2720*7 = 19040 * Sales from Kids per week: 2720*4 = 10880 * * Now, the total sal es (both adults and kids, as part of families) per week can be estimated at: 19040+10880 = $29920 * Therefore, average sales per year = 1,555,840 * The sales figure estimated by these calculations is taken as the sale figure for Year 2. This is because the sales figure arrived at from the calculations cannot be assumed to be sales for Year 1 as the restaurant might not be able to realize its full potential and attract the estimated number of customers from day one itself.Also, teething problems with marketing, operations etc might not lead to optimum sales. Therefore, we will project only 60% of this figure as first year sales, and use the estimated figure as the sales figure for Year 2. Over the planning period, starting from Year 2 onwards, sales are expected to grow at a rate of 3. 9% every year, in line with industry estimates of the average growth of the restaurant industry in the US (Source: Mintel International, cited in section 6. 0). * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 3. C apital Expenditure Budget 3. 0 Capital Expenditure Budget * * Capital Expenditure Budget: * Item| Cost| Quantity| Total cost| Source| Notes and Assumptions| Cost of registering a business| 300| | 300| ehow. com| Cost of registering includes: actual cost of registering ($70), legal fees and misc expenses (approx $230)| Renovation of facility| 15000| 1| 15000| Given| This includes all kinds of beautification etc that the restaurant needs to start operations| Soda fountain bar| 3621| 1| 3621| Soda-dispenser. om| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| 2 pizza ovens| 849| 2| 1698| ebay| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| salad and Pizza/dessert bar| 1450| 1| 1450| ebay| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| Commercial Refrigerator| 3529| 1| 3529| Coldtechcommercial. com| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| Cash Register| 170| 2| 340| ebay| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| Video game ve nding machine| | | | | |Type 1| 550| 2| 1100| ebay| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| Type 2| 750| 2| 1500| ebay| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| Laptop for management| 275| 1| 275| ebay| Laptop purchased with Warranty, Price quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| desk for mgmt| 25| 1| 25| ebay| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| Staff Microwave| 319| 1| 319| ebay| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| Staff cupboard| 100| 1| 100| Assumed| | taff refriferator| 700| 1| 700| ebay| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| Tables for the restaurant| 279| 20| 5580| tableschairsbarstools. com| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| Chairs for the restaurant| 55| 80| 4400| restaurant-services. com| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| Busing cart for restaurant| 50| 1| 50| ebay| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| Com mercial dishwasher| 2500| 1| 2500| ebay| Prices quoted may or may not be the same at later dates| Restaurant signage| 124| 1| 124| brightledsigns. om| Although this is a form of advertising, this wouldn't be considered as an operating cost given the long term (more than a year) nature of its use| Total|   |   | 42611| | | * * The above table provides an estimate of the capital budget required for Papa Geo’s restaurant. For each item, sources and assumptions used are explained towards the right side of the table. Other generic assumptions beyond those already mentioned are provided below: * Miscellaneous cooking and handling equipment cost will be considered operational expenses and will not be capitalized given the short term (less than a year) use of such assets.Cutlery, drinking cups etc would be considered to fall into the same category| * The total cost of registration is considered as capital expenditure due to its long term nature of use| * Any fixtures like lightin g etc are considered as operational expenses and will not be capitalizedThe total capital budget required is US$ 42,611. Major component of this budget are renovation and equipment costs, which is true of restaurant businesses. | * * * * 4. 0 Investment Analysis 4. 0 Investment Analysis * 4. 1 Cashflows * Year 1| Year 2| Year 3| Year 4| Year 5| Sources of Cash| | | | | | Total income (from food and vending machines)| 9,38,944 | 15,61,492 | 16,22,390 | 16,85,664 | 17,51,404 | | | | | | | Uses of Cash| | | | | | Cost of Food| 282880| 294195. 2| 305963. 008| 318201. 5283| 330929. 5895| depreciation on equipment| 3069. 2| 3069. 2| 3069. 2| 3069. 2| 3069. 2| Salaries| 348636| 362581. 44| 377084. 6976| 392168. 0855| 407854. 8089| employee benefits| 21887. 2| 22762. 688| 23673. 19552| 24620. 2334| 25604. 92827| utilities| 24000| 24000| 24000| 24000| 24000| credit card fees| 23,473. 60 | 39,037. 30 | 40,559. 76 | 42,141. 59 | 43,785. 11 | inventory holding costs| 2,347. 36 | 3,903. 73 | 4,0 55. 98 | 4,214. 16 | 4,378. 51 | advertising and marketing| 15,000| 10000| 10000| 10000| 10000| Rent| 630000| 630000| 630000| 630000| 630000| Insurance| 1000| 1000| 1000| 1000| 1000| interest| 13320| 13320| 13320| 13320| 13320| ncome – opex (for purposes of tax calculation)| (4,26,669)| 1,57,623 | 1,89,665 | 2,22,929 | 2,57,462 | Taxes| – | 42,558. 10 | 51,209. 42 | 60,190. 80 | 69,514. 82 | add back depreciation (non-cash expense)| 3069. 2| 3069. 2| 3069. 2| 3069. 2| 3069. 2| | | | | | | Net Cash Flows| (4,23,600)| 1,18,134 | 1,41,524 | 1,65,807 | 1,91,017 | * * * Highlights and Assumptions: * For this cash flow analysis, only operating activities are considered nd it is assumed that there are no investing and financing cash flows that may have material impact on the business * Average meal cost $4 in materials and labor, costs expected to increase about 4 percent a year — the same as increase in sales. From the sales forecast page, it is assumed that 1360 fami lies eat at the restaurant per week * Equipment cost depreciated over a 5 year period, on a straight line basis * Salaries assumed to grow at about 4 percent per year * Cost of benefits to increase at 4 percent – in proportion to salaries * Utility bills assumed to average out for the year and over the years * Given : 2. % of sales * 10% of following month's sales is given. For the whole year, assumed at 10% of the year's sales of food only. Vending machine sales not included * Assumed to be higher in the first year and then average out at lesser cost over the next 4 years * Rent assumed to be 15 dollars per sq foot * It is assumed that the entrepreneur take a 100k loan * Assumed tax rate to be 27 percent. Actual tax rate is slab-based and may vary * Includes all capex items except costs of registration and renovation expenses 4. 2 NPV Analysis * Interest rate| 15%| | | | | | | | | | |Year| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| Cash Flow| (4,23,600)| 1,18,134 | 1,41,524 | 1,65,807 | 1,91,017 | PV f actor| 100%| 87%| 76%| 66%| 57%| PV of cash flow| (4,23,600)| 1,02,725 | 1,07,013 | 1,09,021 | 1,09,214 | Cumulative PV| (4,23,600)| (3,20,875)| (2,13,863)| (1,04,842)| 4,373 | Net Present Value| 4,373 | | | | | * * Highlights and Assumptions: * As can be seen from the above table, the net present value for the project is positive which shows that the project should be pursued. Interest rate of 15% has been taken for calculation, assuming that the project would be financed with debt taken at the rate * 4. 3 Rate of Return * Cost of Capital| 6%| | | | | | | | | | | Year| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| | | | | | | Net Cash Flow| (4,23,600)| 1,18,134 | 1,41,524 | 1,65,807 | 1,91,017 | PV Factor| 100%| 94%| 89%| 84%| 79%| PV of net cash flow| (4,23,600)| 1,11,447 | 1,25,956 | 1,39,215 | 1,51,303 | Cumulative PV| (4,23,600)| (3,12,153)| (1,86,197)| (46,982)| 1,04,321 | Net present value| 1,04,321 | | | | | | | | | | IRR (Internal rate of return)| 15%| | | | | * * Highlights and Assumptions: * The projec t presents a rate of return on 15% which can said to be attractive, as against a cost of capital rate of 6% * 4. 4 Payback Period * Provide a screen shot of your Excel calculation of the payback period for this venture. * Year| 0| 1| 2| 3| 4| Cash Flow| (4,23,600)| 1,18,134 | 1,41,524 | 1,65,807 | 1,91,017 | Payback| NA| N/A| N/A| N/A| 2. 99| * * Highlights and Assumptions: * The project has a payback period of 2. 9 years, essentially it would pay back for itself in about three years’ time. * * 5. 0 Pro-Forma Financial Statements 5. 0 Pro-Forma Financial Statements * * In this section, the future financial statements of Papa Geo’s restaurant are presented based on certain assumed events and transactions. They are an active planning tool and tend to give an indication of the company’s performance in the future based on certain assumptions. * * Pro-Forma Income Statement | Year 1| Year 2| Year 3| Year 4| Year 5| |   |   |   |   |   |Total Sales| 938,944 | 1,561,492 | 1,622,390 | 1,685,664 | 1,751,404 | Total Variable costs| 657,337 | 699,718 | 727,663 | 756,725 | 786,948 | Contribution Margin| 281,607 | 861,774 | 894,727 | 928,938 | 964,456 | Total Fixed Costs| 708,276 | 704,152 | 705,062 | 706,009 | 706,994 | Total Income before Tax| (426,669)| 157,623 | 189,665 | 222,929 | 257,462 | Tax Expense| 0| 42558. 014| 51209. 41996| 60190. 80097| 69514. 82326| Net Income| (426,669)| 115,064 | 138,455 | 162,738 | 187,947 | * * Assumptions and Highlights: * This Pro Forma Income Sheet is prepared in Contribution format. A contribution income statement breaks costs down between variable costs and fixed costs. Contribution income statement is only an internal financial planning tool and cannot be assumed to reflect accounting norms or procedures like IFRS etc. * All sources for figures are the same as mentioned in Cash flow analysis (section 4. ) * Although salaries calculated are based on specifics given in the project description of Papa Ge o's, it is assumed that they will vary according to sales and that the company may hire or fire depending on business volumes * 5. 2 Pro-Forma Cash Flow Statement * Provide a screen shot of the cash flow statement and describe the impact of the budget on cash balances. * 5. 3 Pro-Forma Balance Sheets Provide a screen shot of your balance sheets, and describe key figures they contain. * 6. 0 Works Cited 6. 0 Works Cited Market Research portal: http://www. marketresearch. com/Mintel-International-Group-Ltd-v614/American-Families-Dining-6166418/ Restaurant. org: http://www. restaurant. org/tools/magazines/rusa/magarchive/year/article/? articleid=138 Wikipedia: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/American_upper_class Ehow. com Soda-dispenser. com Coldtechcommercial. com Ebay tableschairsbarstools. com restaurant-services. com brightledsigns. com * * * 7. 0 Appendices 7. 0 Appendices * * NOTE: Start this section at the top of a new page. This section of the budget proposal is where youâ€℠¢ll attach all of the supporting materials that you’ve referenced in the preparation of your plan, and that is too detailed or extensive to be included in the body of the report. Use this page to separate the appendices from the text in the body of your report. Make certain that you update the table of contents to include the title of each exhibit in the appendix and its page number. 7. 1 Appendix 1: [put a description here] 7. 2 Appendix 1: [put a description here] 7. 3 Appendix 1: [put a description here] * *

Macpherson Refrigeration Limited

Read the case, and answer the following questions:1.Search in the library (books on Operations Management or Production Management), to find the main components of the â€Å"Aggregate Production Planning† problem and briefly describe which are â€Å"pure strategies† and â€Å"mixed strategies† to solve this problem.The aggregate demand is the total demand for all products/services produced by a production facility without considering size, models, etc., usually there are significant seasonal variations. The objective of the Aggregate Production Plan is to manage production in order to meet the aggregate demand, matching capacity with demand fluctuations.The main components of APP are: external (Market Demand, Economic Conditions, Raw Material Availability and Competitors Behaviors) and internal (Production, Workforce Level, Inventory Level, Subcontracting, Backlog Policy, Physical Plant Capacity, Union Agreement, Capital Limit, among others).The mentioned compone nts can be modified to create production strategies which can be applied to this problem:Pure strategies: Considering one variable at a time to demand fluctuation: 1.Varying Workforce Level (Hiring or Firing). 2.Varying Production Rate (Overtime/Length of Work Hour) 3.Varying Inventory Level (High or Low).Mixed strategies: Considering two or more variables at a time to demand fluctuation: 1.Varying both Workforce Level and Inventory Level. 2. Varying both Production Rate and Inventory Level.2.Find the following parameters of the problem (specify the units involved):Productivity450 app/worker-year Expected for next year: 480 app/worker-year Regular Labour Cost$10.50/hr-worker Overtime Labour Cost1.5 times the regular hourly rate; $15.75/hr-worker Hiring Costs$1,800/worker Layoff Costs$1,200/worker Inventory Holding Costs$8/app-month Initial capacity13,000 app/month Beginning Inventory240 app3) What are the main advantages and disadvantages of each of the actions (page 2, item 6) avai lable to the company to meet demand? How can these actions be combined?1.Building inventory to meet peaks ïÆ' ¼Protection against unforeseen demand changes. ïÆ' ¼Inventory accumulation will be drawn down during peak demand periods. XIn periods of low demand, inventory would be accumulated and it would generate high holding costs.2.Using overtime ïÆ' ¼No inventory carrying costs. ïÆ' ¼Workforce held just to meet average monthly requirements. XExcessive overtime might lead to lower efficiency. XRestricted production might promote poor work habits and low morale.3.Hiring and laying off workers ïÆ' ¼The cheapest alternative. XUnion relations and employee morale could be adversely affected by frequent layoffs. X Hiring and training employees would be a problem (limited labour market).4) Replicate in an Excel spreadsheet, page 4 (Exhibit 1). It's not just to copy the spreadsheet, but to write down the formulas to incorporate the production flow balance. A similar flow balance can be obtained for workers.  There are also formulas to include all the costs involved. Although you may discuss these questions with your team, you must submit your work individually.

Discussion and Lab Questions Essay

Discussion Questions: Who is someone that you feel you have a positive relationship with? What role do you think openness and truthfulness have in making this relationship positive?- I think that I have a positive relationship with my high school coach because she is always there for me if I need something and she listens to what’s have to say. Even though she is older then I am, I feel like we are best friends and we understand each other. I think they have an effect on the relationship because without trust and being open with them, they maybe will not trust you and May have a hard time believing what you are saying. What effects do you think the various types of media (TV, Internet, newspapers, Facebook, etc†¦) have on your own life and your family? Do you think the overall effect is negative or positive? How can parents reduce the negative effects?-I think it has a big effect on the family because everyone is always on their phone and you never are able to have a family discussion on how things are doing. They are always focused on the internet, tv, phones, etc. 5.09 Lab Questions: 1.How can parents avoid temper tantrums?- Parents can avoid temper tantrums by having a plan for when they are put into this situation. 2.What are the A, B, Cs?- The A is attribute and that is what you would want your child to learn. The B is the behavior that you want your child to accommodate with what you have learned. C is the compassion that you want your child to compare with their behavior. 3.Do you think using consequences and following the ABC process will help shape a child’s behavior? Why or why not?- I do think that the ABC process with help as long as the consequence is related to what they did and will make a difference. The child will also realize that you are serious and will want the consequences to stop to change their behavior. 1.What are some of the reasons why people may not talk to babies as much  today as they used to?- They probably don’t talk to them as much because the parenting structures have changed and people now are much too busy. 2.Why do you think developing language skills is important for a child? – I think developing language skills is important because it affects their ability to make friends, be sociable and emotionally good people. 3.What are some of the ways that parents can encourage the development of language skills? – Parents can encourage the development of language skills by communicating with their child and listening to them so that they can practice and not feel as stressed when they talk to people.

De Stijl

De Stijl in Dutch means â€Å" The Style†, also known as neoplasticism, was a Dutch artistic movement founded in 1917. The movement was mainly about creating geometric abstract paintings. In a narrower sense, De Stijl was a term used refers to a body of work from 1917 to 1931 founded in Netherlands. De Stijl was also the name of the journal, which published by the Dutch painter, designer, writer, and critic Theo van Doesburg (1883 ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œ1931), propagating the group’s theories.Besides him, the principal members of De Stijl group include painters Piet Mondrian (1872–1944), Vilmos Huszar (1884–1960), and Bart van der leck (1876-1958), and the architects Gerrit Rietveld (1888–1964), Robert van’t Hoff (1887–1979), and J. J. P. Oud (1890–1963). The basic artistic philosophy of the group’s work was known as neoplasticism — â€Å"the new plastic art (or Nieuwe Beelding in Dutch). †In general, De Stijl used only straight horizontal and vertical lines and rectangular forms to proposed both in architecture and painring , the ultimate simplicity and abstraction. For example,the Red and Blue Chair designed by Gerrit Rietveld in 1917. They used limited colors like red, yellow, and blue as their formal vocabulary. And they had three primary values, black, white, and grey. Their works used opposition to avoid symmetry and attained aesthetic balance. This element of the movement embodies the second meaning of stijl: a post, jamb or support†. It was the best example of the constructive crossing joints, most commonly seen in carpentry. De Stijl was influenced by Cubist painting as well as by the mysticism and the ideas about â€Å"ideal† geometric forms in the neoplatonic philosophy of mathematician M. H. J. Schoenmaekers. This movement also influenced the Bauhaus style and the international style of architecture as well as clothing and interior design.However, different from Bauhaus, D e Stijl didn’t follow the general guidelines of an â€Å"ism† (Cubism, Futurism, Surrealism), nor did it held the principles of art schools like the Bauhaus. It was a collection of artworks and a joint enterprise. De Stijl completely rejected to use any concrete element. They advocated the use of pure geometric abstraction to express the pure spirit. They thought only to put aside specific description and details to avoid the individuality and specificity of an artwork, and then art could obtain the common human sense.

American Government And Rights

The individual freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment are widely regarded as essential to the maintenance of a democratic system. Specifically, the First Amendment states the â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances. The First Amendment freedoms protect the legitimacy of philosophical, political, and ethical pluralism.The concept of pluralism entails tolerance of diversity in social, political, and religious points of view, that is, acknowledgement that different judgments on these subjects all have a right to be held and advocated. Karen O’Connor, author of the book American Government: Continuity and Change states that students must be able to understand how the American government was able to develop so that they can understand how the Am erican government evolved over the years (O’Connor & Sabato, 2009).This paper looks at the different issues in the area of civil liberties encompassing women’s rights, affirmative action, and suffrage, at the same time, maintaining that these constitute vested rights of a higher order than economic or social values because civil liberties constitute the essence of the democratic political process itself. Constraints of Congress over bureaucracy The power relationships between Congress, interest groups, judiciary and bureaucracy were discussed in Chapter 12 of Politics in America by Thomas Dye, Tucker Gibson and Clay Robison.He outlined several checks employed by Congress in terms of the bureaucracy that include its function in confirming appointments, conducting committee hearings on programs in the implementation and formulation phases, oversight functions which come in the form of congressional inquiries on the operations of the civil services and more importantly Co ngress use of the power of the purse or its discretion on the allocation of appropriations in checking the bureaucracy.Other constraints of Congress over the bureaucracy is manifested in statutes that include â€Å"The Administrative Procedures Act of 1946† (APA) which mandates government instrumentalities to place proposed rules in the Federal Register, solicit comments, and hold hearings. In addition, the Freedom of Information Act of 1966 (FOIA) provides citizens a formal route for compelling agencies to give out information, with some broad exceptions. Interest groups serve as lobbying agents of bureaucracy and act as watchdogs of society for erring bureaucrats.Interest groups are called upon for their policy recommendations in congress and bureaucracy. The judiciary deliberates on cases dealing with alleged overstepping of authority and they can issue injunctions on programs of a particular government agency. Under the system, several safety nets were instituted to mitig ate potential abuses by the bureaucracy as stated in the Constitution. Reforms in the bureaucracy will succeed when it is implemented in a sustainable manner and with a good dose of political will. The latter is based on prioritizing the needs of the majority and that which is geared towards the common good.It is imperative that government officials regard themselves as public servants and not politicians; in this context they are transcending a myopic perception of their responsibility because they are primarily considering their constituents’ interest above anyone and anything else. The U. S. Constitution The U. S. Constitution has adopted an expanded meaning of the U. S. Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment to incorporate progressively more of the guarantees in the federal Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights limits the national government’s criminal law and trial procedures only in federal courts.Most crimes, however, are violations of state law, and most crimi nal trials are resolved at that level. It is only through the ambiguous phrase of the Fourteenth Amendment that â€Å"no State shall deny any person life, liberty or property without due process of law†¦Ã¢â‚¬  that the U. S. Constitution imposes any restriction on state criminal procedures. The Constitution creates factions among the three branches though the separation of powers. A faction running Congress may face a rival in control of the presidency and the executive branch. Controlling both might face a truculent judicial branch of holdovers from an earlier regime.The separation of powers and checks and balances assure that no one group will be able to dominate the national government. Conflicts or possible corroboration for dominance comes with the encroachment by one branch to another or with duplication of functions. The Constitution established a structure that the mutual relation by all the branches would keep them in their proper places. (Madison, The Federalist 51, Cigler, 1998 ). The creation of three different branches chosen in different ways at different times ensures that policy will be made through bargaining and compromise.Regardless of the separation embodied in the Constitution, the different branches will actually share powers. The checks and balances set up very little dependence between the branches. The permanent tenure of appointments in the Judiciary reinforces its independence from the other branches. The Constitution provides the deviation in the principle of equality to fortify the judiciary. It also admitted the weaker one posing threats or committing encroachments to other branches among the three. The lifetime term of magistrates destroys any possible dependence to the conferring authority.(Madison, The Federalist 51, Cigler 1998). The division into different departments of the legislature chosen in different ways and with different principles of action ensures a level playing field with the executive. Conflicts were expe cted to occur from time to time between the legislative and the executive. The division in the legislature is to balance the weight of its authority and fortify the executive’s (Madison, The Federalist 51, Cigler 1998). The separation of powers impedes the influence of those who have less by ensuring that if this group gains access to one branch, that branch will be checked by another branch.The Constitution provides that â€Å"influence to government should be proportionate to property (Hofstadter, The Founding Fathers: an Age of Realism, Cigler 1998). † If small landowners succeed in getting support from one branch, the other branch could demand for other checks and balances, a sufficient evidence of property ownership. Election policy The Constitution’s election policy ensures that the working class and others who have less, uniting as a majority, could not gain influence in the government.The Philadelphia Enterprise had no intention of extending liberties to those without properties (Hofstadter, The Founding Fathers: an Age of Realism, Cigler 1998). Only white males â€Å"with property and principle† were allowed to vote. The Constitution staggers elections to bring into the national government new issues as they arise over time. The necessary actions that often include bargaining and compromise have been addressed prior to elective officials seeking of new mandate. The staggering of elections makes it impossible for the masses to quickly and easily influence the government.The right to vote was not provided by the Constitution. The Convention was not interested to extend liberty to the ‘men without property in principle’ back home. The people they meant were in â€Å"consent of the people† (Hofstadter, The Founding Fathers: an Age of Realism, Cigler 1998) as the foundation of the government were actually the small landowners – men with small properties who were categorized as stakeholders proportionat e to their assets. The hard truth is, not just suffrage but all other rights were not mentioned and defined in the Constitution.According to statistics, only 54%, an alarmingly low number, of eligible voters cast their ballots in the last four decades of presidential election (Carleton, n. d. ). Apparent civilian apathy is happening especially among those from the low-income bracket and those belonging within the age bracket of 18-25 years old. Why don’t these people vote? The numbers of reasons cited are: â€Å"They feel ignored by politicians; they feel their vote doesn’t really count; and they say that they don’t get the kind of information they need to make an informed decision (Clinton, 2000).I will state three reasons why the people of America should vote: it is our privilege; it is our right; and it is a hallmark of our culture of representative democracy. Voting is a privilege because it is not everybody’s birthright to participate in the selecti on of a country’s leaders. Suffrage is being mandated by the laws of the land and conferred among its people; it can be constrained to some areas or to some part of the population. In fact in our history, this right is used to be reserved to the wealthy, white males of society. Thus, let us not forget that Martin Luther King Jr.marched from Selma to Montgomery Alabama, magnifying the voting issues, which led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. There were also the women suffrage fighters who suffered persecution and loathe until the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution has been ratified. In come countries, like Afghanistan, electorates will walk for days before reaching their precinct, some would even line up for hours in order to cast their votes. More than two centuries ago, our founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence setting us free from the British rule.â€Å"Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just power from the consent of the governmen t. † These are the words written and immortalized by the Thomas Jefferson, a former president and one of the founding fathers. The phrase â€Å"consent of the governed† marked the cornerstone of our democracy. When we vote, we acknowledgement the principles by which our sovereign state adheres to – we are demonstrating to the world that we live in a free nation and are proud of it. Women’s right movement In the aftermath of suffrage, white women’s racial attitudes ranged from intolerance to neglect to engagement.At one extreme, the resurgent Ku Klux Klan established a Women’s KKK, which in 1924 claimed a membership of a quarter million. More typical was the dismissal of race by younger radicals such as Alice Paul, the charismatic leader of the self-identified feminists, who had helped revive the U. S. suffrage movement. Borrowing the militant tactics of the British suffragettes, they had chained themselves to the White House fence and survive d hunger strikes in jail. This refusal to acknowledge racism recurred in the anti-Semitism of the women’s movement.Like African Americans, Jewish women had formed their own clubs in response to exclusion from white Christian organizations. Although Jewish women supported suffrage more often than other groups, the suffrage movement had ignored their cultural life when it scheduled conventions and parades on the Jewish Sabbath. Voting is an obligation because it is a direct participation to determine the welfare of the nation. During Elections, every voter is a statesman, carrying a personal responsibility of choosing the best persons to run the country. â€Å"It is the most powerful tool that we have . . . vote does everything . . . It wins wars. It loses wars.† say country artist Ronnie Dunn (Barbieri, n. d. ). The women’s right movement during the Progressive Era was concerned with women suffrage. In the 1800s women were becoming more educated, their roles were slowly shifting as society gradually adjusted to intellectual women who knew politics and other concerns previously under the male’s domain. This awakening period made most of these educated women question the norms, especially their lack of stand during elections. The movement at this time was focused on the right to vote, as the fighters believe that winning suffrage will just be the beginning of other women’s right in the society.It was also a struggle to prove that women can be just as good as men. In the 1960s, however, women’s right movements cover a broader scope. It was also called the liberation movement. Liberation in a sense that women were deemed as caged by the rules set by society. Gaining suffrage is not enough when a woman’s full potential as an individual is not met. Before the 1960s, women could not pursue a career, nor venture into affairs that were considered unfashionable for a lady, such as politics and business.Her main concern is the home, taking care of the family and always exuding that feminine grace and aura. The leaders of the movements rebelled against this painted picture of the woman, insisting that they have far greater substance to be considered as mere â€Å"beauty objects† and â€Å"sex objects† (Sawhney). At this time, the enlightened woman welcomed the arrival of the contraceptive pill, legalization of abortion and career life without the feeling of guilt. Male chauvinism was also deeply criticized. Affirmative Action There is perhaps a need to establish goals in affirmative action plans on that basis.It would be good to note that our organization undertakes recruitment efforts to ensure that underutilized minorities and women are represented in the applicant pool. The proper equal employment opportunity is the core concept that harmonizes the diversity and Affirmative Action efforts. It is a fact that management acknowledges that everyone must have that equal access to employment opportunities. It has been our long standing goal to prohibit discrimination based on different characteristics. If there are Affirmative Action policies, then the company can have clear guidelines on how this would best be implemented.We need to take concrete steps that are taken not only to eliminate employment discrimination but also to attempt to redress the effects of past discrimination. Indeed, the underlying motive for affirmative action is the principle of equal opportunity, which holds that all persons with equal abilities should have equal opportunities. Affirmative action programs differ widely to the extent to which they attempt to overturn discrimination (Encyclopedia of Small Business, p. 1). Some programs might simply institute reviews of the hiring process for women, minorities, and other affected groups.Other affirmative action programs might explicitly prefer members of affected groups. In such programs, minimum job requirements are used to create a pool of quali fied applicants from which members of affected groups are given preference. Affirmative action affects small businesses in two main ways. First, it prevents businesses with 15 or more employees from discriminating on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, and physical capability in practices relating to hiring, compensating, promoting, training, and firing employees.Second, it allows the state and federal governments to favor women-owned and minority-owned businesses when awarding contracts, and to reject bids from businesses that do not make good faith efforts to include minority-owned businesses among their subcontractors (para 2). The interpretation and implementation of affirmative action has been contested since its origins in the 1960s. A central issue of contention was the definition of discriminatory employment practices. The discriminatory employment practices as listed by the Department of Administration and Equal Opportunity (p.1) include: gender identi ty, sexual orientation, race discrimination, sex discrimination, sexual harassment, religious discrimination, national origin discrimination, disability discrimination, and retaliation. As the interpretation of positive discrimination evolved, employment practices that were not intentionally discriminatory but that nevertheless had a â€Å"disparate impact† on affected groups were considered a violation of affirmative action regulations (Encyclopedia of Small Business, section 2).Another central issue was whether members of affected groups could receive preferential treatment and, if so, the means by which they could be preferred. This issue is sometimes referred to as the debate over quotas. Nevertheless, even if people say that minorities now use Affirmative Action as a means to get promotions that they do not deserve, still, management can be more meticulous in taking all aspects into consideration. Everything being equal, people must not be rewarded because they fall into a certain class of people. That is not the original purpose of Affirmative Action.Conclusion Currently, the United States is the most powerful nation on earth. It wields great influence in the international scene as no other country can and this emerges because of the country’s wealth as well as its strategic global alliances. The government projects an image of international sentinel against the â€Å"bad boys,† the terrorist and the extremists. It also assumes within its control the task of defending the underdog against the supposed bullies, which are the nations ruled by tyrants or those that coddles communists and terrorists.One hundred years ago, the United States was just an emerging super power, while enjoying the growing wealth from its industrialist economy. As expected, there is a huge difference between the United States’ international standing in 1906 and today. As the US gains more wealth, it also earns more voice and authority in international af fairs. References Affirmative Action. Encyclopedia of Small Business. Retrieved Feb. 2, 2009 at: