Bend It Like Beckham Essays

Bend It Like Beckham Essays Bend It Like Beckham Paper Bend It Like Beckham Paper In the film bend it like Beckham the film deals with many different cultural issues for example the film make reference to the English culture. It makes it seem like you can be really free as you have a tendency to be able to behave the way you want and for example mix with other races but you cant go out with anyone except your own race and religion yet eating is different, some things you cant do in other cultures. The film is about two girls who like and want to play football, which plays a very big part in English culture/society plus it shows how people of a different culture can be changed when they are open to the elements of English culture as you get an Asian girl playing and adoring football. The film also makes reference to religion. It focuses on the Indian religion that the main character jess follows, the film shows what types of things jess has to do differently because of her religion for instance wearing a sari to a wedding and cooking tradition foods and praying to a picture of a god on her wall in her house. This maybe easier for jess if she was in her own country with everyone doing the same things but for jess living in England under English society and culture she finds it hard to fit in and there is a conflict. The film also makes reference to the family of an English girl and the family of an Asian girl you can easily spot the similarities and differences with the 2 families. You can also see how the two families fit into different cultures. The Indian family seem to be a closer family than the British family of jewls as you meet a lot of the family in jesses culture but in jewls family you only meet her parents. Also the ways both children are treated in the two families are different yet the same due to the different cultures. The film deals with stereotyping also they are portrayed throughout the film. A stereotypical teenage girl is shown by jesses sister pinkie she wears makeup loves shopping slags off her mates all the stuff present teenage girls are believed to do. But this conflicts with the stereotypical view of an Indian teenage girl who should be; loving, respectful and follow the culture of an Indian girl. So there is a twist to the stereotyping of a girl. Also jewls the English girl breaks away from the stereotype she loves football something not associated with girls also she wants to wear sports cloths like a tom boy her mum finds this very bizarre. Next is the stereotype of a teenage boy jesses friends portrays this image as always playing football and messing about with there mates and girls. But again there is a twist as one of the lads turns out to be gay. A western family is also shown in the film by jewels family they are portrayed by being supportive to jewls but really the mom doesnt like her playing football she gets quite worried and upset about it, the farther clearly loves football like most male people do in a western family. The dad seems more encouraging towards jewls. They eat traditional food like fish and chips. Also jewls drinks in a pub something related to English culture. An Indian family is also stereotyped in the film jesses family is a typical Indian family, they are strict with the children even though they are quite old and they have arranged marriages, they cook and sometimes talk in traditional ways just like our view of a Indian family. Also homosexuality was bought up in the film but I dont think it was stereotyped, as the gay lad likes football and male things not a stereotypical view of a gay man as they are said to be more feminine. The film reflects conflict right the way through, there is family conflict when jess wants to play football but her mum and dad despise her playing football, also when jess has a big game on the same day as her sisters wedding jess wants to go but she also wants to stay at her sisters wedding and support her so there is a slight role conflict happening at hand. There is also relationship conflict when jess falls in love with the coach Joe but jewls also fancies him and when jewls finds out that jess has kissed him she falls out with her for betraying her trust. All these things add up to an inner conflict for jess should she play the role of a friend to jewls or the role of a lover to Joe. Also she will be thinking about playing football against her parents permission. So jess is going through a stressful and depressing time in her life. The film does reflect some things about our modern British society for example there is a lot more ethnic people aloud to play sports now where as before they mite have been kicked out like jesses dad it shows that in this day and age in a modern society all races are treated the same and not seen as a minority and are not alienated.  The film is about a teenage girl jessminda who loves David Beckham and football she dreams about playing football professionally but to start with she only plays in the park; until one day a girl from the local girls team jewls, noticed Jesss potential in football and asks her play for the team. Jess joins and everything is going great till her parents find out she is playing football, because of her culture her mom and dad bring an end to it and stop her playing football. She carries on playing behind their backs with her sister covering for her, but they find out she has been lying and jess gets into deep trouble. In the meantime jess is falling in love with the coach Joe and ends up kissing him causing her close friendship between her and jewels to end. They sort there problems out and on the day of a big game with a American scout coming to watch jess cannot play as it is her sisters wedding but her dad gives in and lets jess go in time for the second half she plays. At the end of the game the scout wants jewls and jess to go and play professionally in America jess really wants to go and her parents eventually allow her to go. They both go to America as friends and play football.

The Xinjiang Qanat System of the Turpan Oasis

The Xinjiang Qanat System of the Turpan Oasis The Xinjiang Qanat System is a remarkable feat of irrigation engineering skill, and it is considered one of the three great wonders of China, after the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) Great Wall and the Sui Dynasty (581–618 CE) Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The qanat (also known as a karez) system is a rich water source for the Turpan Oasis, tapping groundwater stored in the deep subsurface gravel layers of the Gobi belt. What makes this all the more interesting is the fact that scholars are still not agreed upon when the qanat system was built... and that begs the question of who built it. Climate of the Turpan The Turfan (or Turpan) basin, located to the east of the more famous Tarim Basin, is one of the driest areas in China, with a total precipitation of 15-25 millimeters (under one inch) per year, and an elevation about 160 meters (524 feet) below sea level. The average temperature of the basin is 32.7 degrees Celsius (90.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in July, but the winters are rather chilly, and in January the average temperatures are about 9.5 degrees C (49.6 degrees F), and can fall as low as -28 degrees C (18 degrees F). The Turfan Basis, while a desert, is much more hospitable than its southern neighbor, the harsh Taklamakan Desert. Wedged between the Taklamakan and the Tianshan Mountains, the Turfan was a much preferred, not to say feasible, route for travelers on the Silk Road: its oasis was a critical stopover. Irrigating the Turfan Theres no doubt that the oasis had a natural beginning. A total of 4,000 sq km (1,500 sq mi) of the Turfan Basin lies below sea level; the Turpan Oasis lies in the lowest part, at an elevation of 154 m (505 ft) below average sea level. The oasis is nestled at the foot of the Tianshan (Flaming or Heavenly) mountains, and from autumn to spring, water from snowmelt off the Tienshan rushes into Turpan, revitalizing the oasis naturally. But at some time in its past- scholars argue that occurred anywhere from 200 to 2,000 years ago- the residents of Turpan built a massive qanat system that reached into the water table and tapped the aquifer, in some cases up to 200 m (650 ft) below the surface. That system included over 5,000 km (3,100 mi) of underground tunnels and thousands of wells. Whether it was built as a result of an environmental disaster or merely insurance against one, the Xinjiang qanat system is evidence that the Turpan was a highly prized stop on the Silk Road. Qanats in the Deserts A qanat is a system of underground tunnels and wells that tap deeply buried aquifers in arid and semi-arid places. In brief, a well is dug into the aquifer, a horizontal tunnel is excavated from the well to a surface collection place and ventilation shafts are placed at intervals along the tunnel to provide maintenance access. Invented by the Persians in the 7th century BCE, qanat technology was spread by imperialism: outside of Persia by the 6th century BCE Achaemenid king Darius the Great; into Syria and Jordan by the Romans in the first and second century CE; into North Africa and Spain by the Islamic civilization in the 12th and 13th centuries CE; and finally into North and South America during the 16th century Spanish conquest. The only place in China where qanats exist at all is in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, in the Turfan basin on the far western edge of Chinas realm. Deserts make up 43 percent of Xinjiang province, oases only about 4.3 percent and the rest is mountains. In the 2nd century BCE, the international trade network called the Silk Road was dependent on a line of strategically situated oases wedged between the Tianshan Mountains and the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim and Turfan basins. Turpan was an important oasis in the eastern-most segment of the Silk Road, and, even today, more than 95 percent of the total population and almost all the agriculture, settlements and industries in Xinjiang are concentrated in the Turpan Oasis. The Size and Complexity of the Turpan Qanat System The Turpan qanat system includes at least 1,039 qanats (some sources suggest as many as 1,700), with underground channels stretching for a length of more than 5,000 kilometers, or about 3,100 miles. While there is no doubt that the origins of the Turpan Oasis were natural, there is also no doubt that the Xinjiang Qanat System was built to increase the available access to water. Whether the qanats were built as a result of climate change or to support a population increase or even provide year-round water is open to debate: probably a little of all those things. Estimates for the construction date of the qanats vary from the first century BCE to the 19th century CE. The system is so successful that grapes are grown in a region of what is essentially a continental desert- the earliest grapes in Turpan are from the Subeixi culture Yanghai tombs, with an  AMS radiocarbon date of about 300 BCE. What we know for sure is that in the 1950s, an intense increase in well irrigation was established in Turpan, over-exploiting the aquifer: since then the majority of the qanats have dried and become abandoned. Only 238 were functioning in 2009. The Karez Wells in Turpan were inscribed into UNESCOs Tentative List of World Heritage Sites in 2012. Sources Beck U, Wagner M, Li X, Durkin-Meisterernst D, and Tarasov PE. 2014. The invention of trousers and its likely affiliation with horseback riding and mobility: A case study of late 2nd millennium BC finds from Turfan in eastern Central Asia. Quaternary International 348:224-235. Chen T, Yao S, Merlin M, Mai H, Qiu Z, Hu Y, Wang B, Wang C, and Jiang H. 2014. Identification of Cannabis Fiber from the Astana Cemeteries, Xinjiang, China, with Reference to Its Unique Decorative Utilization. Economic Botany 68(1):59-66. Jiang H-E, Zhang Y, Là ¼ E, and Wang C. 2015. Archaeobotanical evidence of plant utilization in the ancient Turpan of Xinjiang, China: a case study at the Shengjindian cemetery. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 24(1):165-177. Luo L, Wang X, Guo H, Liu C, Liu J, Li L, Du X, and Qian G. 2014. Automated extraction of the archaeological tops of qanat shafts from VHR imagery in Google Earth. Remote Sensing 6(12):11956-11976. Luo L, Wang X, Liu J, Guo H, Lasaponara R, Ji W, an d Liu C. 2017. Uncovering the ancient canal-based tuntian agricultural landscape at Chinas northwestern frontiers. Journal of Cultural Heritage 23(Supplement):79-88. Tang Y-N, Li X, Yao Y-F, Ferguson DK, and Li C-S. 2014. Environmental Reconstruction of Tuyoq in the Fifth Century and Its Bearing on Buddhism in Turpan, Xinjiang, China. PLoS ONE 9(1):e86363.Wang S, and Zhao X. 2013. Re-evaluating the Silk Roads Qinghai Route using dendrochronology. Dendrochronologia 31(1):34-40.

Management Style Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management Style - Essay Example Currently, the management of the firm is focused on the creation of management structures that will enable the expansion of its core strength as a global technology, electronic and entertainment company. The current Chief Executive Officer is Kazuo Hirai. The responsibility of the C.E.O is to run the firm’s business operations globally. Sony Corporation is a design and production intensive firm. The founders of the firm provided the platform for the current design management style used by the current managers (Nagasawa, 2013). Design management style uses design, project management, supply chain techniques and strategy to control a firm’s creative processes. The style is suitable to Sony because it establishes a structure and organization for design. It also supports a culture of creativity. Design management is based on the objective of developing and maintaining a business environment where companies and organizations can achieve their mission and strategic goals through design (Chang, 2011). Sony uses this style because of its strategic advantages in the establishment and management of effective and efficient system. Design management covers all areas of a business. These range from operational and strategic activities to the discovery phases and implementation phases. The management style encompasses ong oing processes, strategies that facilitate innovation and business decision making. Most importantly, design management works in hand with operational, marketing and strategic management. Sony’s design management approach is focused on asset management. In this case, the firm highly values its assets, which range from its innovative products, human resources and projects (Borja, 2003). Design management approaches asset management with an objective of creating value. The style also approaches attitude management with an aim of adjusting employee’s mental attitudes (Nagasawa, 2013).

Introduction to Computing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Introduction to Computing - Essay Example A wireless network is defined as the type of telecommunication network whose nodes are interconnected without any wires and the remote transmission of information takes place by means of radio waves at the physical level. Wireless networking has helped the consumers get rid of bundles of cables and wires so that they can benefit from countless services of the internet without having stuck at one place because of wiring. Wireless networking has made possible quick and reliable file and internet connection sharing. To begin with wireless networking, the first thing needed is a â€Å"high speed internet connection at the place where you want to use wireless networking† such as digital subscriber line (DSL) or WI-FI (Software Reviews). Other requirements include wireless networking adapter or a PC card adapter, a modem and a network hub. In case of wide-ranging wireless networking, it is always sensible to use an HP Network Assistant â€Å"to validate your wired and wireless network settings† (Hewlett-Packard Development Company). Wireless networks are based on IEEE 802.11 standards which is a set of standards developed by IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) to carry ou t WLAN technology with specifications or protocols like 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n having frequency bandwidth of 2.4, 3.6 and 5 GHz. Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) enable a user to connect to a local area network through wireless networking, like a small network in a house or an office. As compared to conventional wired networks, the user just has to put on the computer system and enable the ‘connect to the network’ option to connect to the network. It is that simple. The user does not have to waste time in adjusting wires, cables and plugs. He can take the system he is working on anywhere he wants inside the house or inside the range of access points. Thus, setting up a WLAN saves time and money wasted on setting up cables. Computers inside WLAN can be

Examining Different Arguments Related to the Choice of a Career Essay Example for Free

Examining Different Arguments Related to the Choice of a Career Essay Assessment Part A: Critically Evaluating an Argument   Arts and Sciences (Advantage): Lots of flexibility in career choices: Logically Sound Arts and Sciences (Disadvantage): Leads to a career in food service Do you want fries with that? : Irrational Appeal Education (Advantage): The best way to make a difference in the world: Logically Sound Education (Disadvantage): Guaranteed low paying job: Shifting the Burden of Proof Nursing (Advantage): People always will need nurses: Logically Sound Nursing (Disadvantage): Too much schooling (according to Theo, the Law student): Shifting the Burden of Proof Information Systems and Technology (Advantage): No other degree concentration is as innovative (according to Grace): Shifting the Burden of Proof Information Systems and Technology (Disadvantage): Too limited in scope for much advancement in business situation (according to Ritesh): Logically Sound Business (Advantage): Infinite career options (according to Ritesh): Logically Sound Busi ness (Disadvantage): Boring work, stuck behind a desk all day: Shifting the Burden of Proof Health and Human Services (Advantage): All the benefits of Arts and Sciences, but vastly more focused and relevant: Oversimplifying Health and Human Services (Disadvantage): Job options are all in very un-creative fields. : Double Standard Assessment Part B: Articulating the Steps Involved in Evaluating an Argument Write out the two most compelling arguments you heard that affected your decision. Next, list one that you heard that had a big logical error in it, but which you still thought was important. In the IT field, thre is not only a lot of opportunities there, from web design, to business systems and technology. There is also a huge demand in that field. The pay range also starts off at a pretty good level. One ofthe arguments I heard is that since I would start at an entry level position, there is a good possibility that I would not get the hours that I am looking for. Were there any errors in truth with that argument? Describe what those errors were, and what made them errors. There were some errors in that truth. There might not be such a high demand in my area that I live in. If I were to live in a very desolate area with little businesses, there might not be as much opportunity as others may have. What about errors of validity? Remember, these are errors in reasoning – and theyre a little harder to understand! Tell me if there are any errors of validity in this argument. I didnt think that there were really any errors in the validity of the argument, however, there are some things that might not be considered valid by some. For instance, this field might not be for everyone. Some people might find some enjoyment in it, while others might not like it at all. Revise the argument so that it removes all errors. Restate it in a way that is logically sound. The field can be very promising, allowing you to have the opportunity to make good money. Also, most of the time, there are a high demand for employment, but it also depends on where you are looking for work. Take a look at all of what the job entails, because it might be for you, even though I enjoy it. Take a little more time on this one. What it was that led you to choose this degree concentration. Describe both about how you evaluated the arguments and also about what you valued most. I think that the most important point made in these arguments is which field I would enjoy the most. If I have a passion for technological services, then this is probably a good field for me. Also, if the pay scale is accurate, that is a great start at entry level.

Snow Storm Baby Essay -- Essays Papers

Snow Storm Baby The year was 1992; a cold December arctic wind had brought a chance of snow to the area. It was the weekend and time to relax after a long hard week at work. The weather service had predicted several inches of snow to blanket the region by the next day. Not to worry: it was the weekend and traveling was not a necessity. At the time, my wife Jeanne was pregnant with our soon-to-be daughter Tahlyn. We had waited eight long months for her to arrive, and finally her due date was getting closer and closer. The excitement grew stronger as the days went by. By Friday afternoon it had begun to snow and quickly several inches had accumulated. As the snow was falling, clean up quickly began. The neighborhood soon filled with children excited over the freshly fallen snow. Since all of the schools were closed, the children were assured enjoyment for several days. The sounds of the winter snowstorm were echoing throughout the town, from the snowplows in the distance, to the scraping of snow shovels that sounded like fingernails scratching a chalkboard. Neighbors were shoveling snow that had accumulated on their sidewalks and driveways. The snow that was predicted to be several inches by the end of the weekend quickly piled up to around eight inches by that evening. At times, the snow was falling so heavily you could hardly see the streetlights that glistened like beacons in a sea of snow. With the landscape draped in white, the trees hangi...

London Ambulance Service Failure

The London Ambulance fiasco ? The London Ambulance Service (LAS) Computer Aided Despatch (CAD) system failed dramatically on October 26th 1992 shortly after it was introduced: †¢ †¢ †¢ The system could not cope with the load placed on it by normal use; The response to emergency calls was several hours; Ambulance communications failed and ambulances were lost from the system. ? A series of errors were made in the procurement, design, implementation, and introduction of the system.  ©Ian Sommerville 2004 Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 1 London Ambulance Service ? ? Managed by South West Thames Regional Health Authority. Largest ambulance service in the world (LAS inquiry report) †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Covers geographical area of over 600 square miles Resident population of 6. 8 million people (greater during daytime, especially central London); Carries over 5,000 patients every day; 2,000-2,500 calls received daily, of which 1,3001,600 are emergency calls.  ©Ian Sommerville 2004 Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 2 Computer-aided despatch systems ? Provide one or more of the following: †¢ †¢ †¢ Call taking; Resource identification; Resource mobilisation; Ambulance resource management. CAD software & hardware; Gazetteer and mapping software; Communications interface (RIFS). Radio system; Mobile data terminals (MDTs); Automatic vehicle location system (AVLS). ? Consist of: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢  ©Ian Sommerville 2004 Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 3 T he manual system to be replaced ? Call taking †¢ Recorded on form; location identified in map book; forms sent to central collection point on conveyor belt; Form collected; passed onto resource allocator depending on region; duplicates identified. Resource allocator decides on which resource to be mobilised; recorded on form and passed to dispatcher; Dispatcher telephones relevant ambulance station, or passes mobilisation instructions to radio operator if ambulance already on road; ? Resource identification †¢ ? Resource mobilisation †¢ ? Whole process meant to take < 3 minutes. Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 4  ©Ian Sommerville 2004 Concept/design of the CAD system ? Existing systems dismissed as inadequate and impossible to modify to meet LAS’s needs †¢ Intended functionality â€Å"greater than available from any existing system†. To consist of Computer Aided Dispatch; Computer map display; Automatic Vehicle Location System (AVLS); Must integrate with existing MDTs and RIFS (Radio Interface System). Near 100% accuracy and reliability of technology; Absolute cooperation from all parties including CAC staff and ambulance crews. ? Desired system: †¢ †¢ ? Success dependent upon: †¢ †¢  ©Ian Sommerville 2004 Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 5 Problems: Procurement (i) ? Contract had to be put out to open tender †¢ Regulations emphasis is on best price; 35 companies expressed interest in providing all or part of the system †¢ Most raised concerns over the proposed timetable of less than 1 year until full implementation. ? Previous Arthur Andersen report largely ignored †¢ †¢ Recommended budget of ? 1. 5M and 19 month timetable for packaged solution. Both estimates to be significantly increased if packaged solution not available; Report never shown to new Director of S upport Services. ? Only 1 out of 17 proposals met all of the project team’s requirements, including budget of ? 1. 5M. Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 6 Ian Sommerville 2004 Problems: Procurement (ii) ? Successful consortium †¢ †¢ †¢ Apricot, Systems Options (SO), Datatrak; bid at ? 937k was ? 700k cheaper than the nearest bid; SO’s quote for the CAD development was only ? 35k †¢ Their previous development experience for the emergency services was only for administrative systems. Ambiguity over lead contractor. Systems manager: Career ambulance man, not an IT professional, already told that he was to make way for a properly qualified systems manager; Analyst: Contractor with 5 years experience working with LAS. ? 2 key members of evaluation team: †¢ †¢  ©Ian Sommerville 2004 Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 7 Problems: Project management ? Lead contractor responsible †¢ †¢ Meant to be SO, but they quickly became snowed under, so LAS became more responsible by default; No relevant experience at LAS or SO. ? ? Concerns raised at project meeting not followed-up. SO regularly late in delivering software †¢ Often also of suspect quality, with software changes put through ‘on the fly’. ? ? Formal, independent QA did not exist at any stage throughout the CAD system development. Meanwhile, various technical components of the system are failing regularly, and deadlines missed. Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 8  ©Ian Sommerville 2004 Problems: Human resources & training (i) ? ? ? ? ? Generally positive attitude to the introduction of new technology. Ambiguity over consultation of ambulance crews for development of original requirements. Circumstantial evidence of resistance by crews to Datatrak equipment, and deliberate misleading of the system. Large gap between when crews and CAC staff were trained and implementation of the system. Inability of the CAC and ambulance staff to appreciate each others’ role †¢ Exacerbated by separate training sessions. Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 9  ©Ian Sommerville 2004 Problems: Human resources & training (ii) ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Poor industrial relations. Management ‘fear of failure’. CAD system seen as solution to management’s desire to reduce ‘outdated’ working practices. System allocated nearest resource, regardless of originating station. System removed flexibility in resource allocation. Lack of voice contact exacerbated â€Å"them and us†. Technical problems reduced confidence in the system for ambulance crews and CAC staff.  ©Ian Sommerville 2004 Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 10 System problems Need for near perfect information †¢ Without accurate knowledge of vehicle locations and status, the system could not allocate optimum resources. There were numerous possible reasons for incorrect information being passed back to the system. Numerous technical problems with the system, including: †¢ Failure to identify all duplic ated calls; †¢ Lack of prioritisation of exception messages; †¢ Exception messages and awaiting attention queues scroll off top of screen. ? Poor interface between crews, MDTs & the system †¢ ? Unreliability, slowness and operator interface †¢  ©Ian Sommerville 2004 Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 11 Configuration changes ? Implementation of the system on 26 October involved a number of significant changes to CAC operation, in particular: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Re-configuring the control room; Installing more CAD terminals and RIFS screens; No paper backup system; Physically separating resource allocators from radio operators and exception rectifiers; Going ‘pan London’ rather than operating in 3 divisions; Using only the system proposed resource allocations; Allowing some call takers to allocate resources; Separate allocators for different call sources. Ian Sommerville 2004 Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 12 So, what happened? ? ? Changes to CAC operation made it extremely difficult for staff to intervene and correct the system. As a consequence, the system rapidly knew the correct location and status of fewer and fewer vehicles, leading to: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Po or, duplicated and delayed allocations; A build up of exception messages and the awaiting attention list; A slow up of the system as the messages and lists built up; An increased number of call backs and hence delays in telephone answering.  ©Ian Sommerville 2004 Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 13 Why did it fail? ? Technically, the system did not fail on October 26th †¢ †¢ Response times did become unacceptable, but overall the system did what it had been designed to do! Failed 3 weeks later due to a program error – this was a memory leak where allocated memory was not completely released. Management; Union; System manager; Government. ? It depends who you ask! †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢  ©Ian Sommerville 2004 Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 14 Lessons learned ? Inquiry report makes detailed recommendations for future development of the LAS CAD system, including: †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Focus on repairing reputation of CAD within the service; Increasing sense of ‘ownership’ for all stakeholders; They still believe that a technological solution is required; Development process must allow fully for consultation, quality assurance, testing, training; Management and staff must have total, demonstrable, confidence in the reliability of the system; Any new system should be introduced in a stepwise approach.  ©Ian Sommerville 2004 Software Engineering Case Studies Slide 15

Two Ultimate Decisions

In the next few years, I would have finished college and would soon need to earn a living to support myself and maybe the family I intend to have. Given this scenario, I will be deciding between two options: whether I would be maintaining my own business or if I would rather be employed by a big company. Having my own business sounds appealing. I would be working at my own hours and at my own pace. I have full control of my time. I can do whatever I would like to do. Nobody can tell me what I should accomplish first and what should I do last. All I have to do is to keep committed in making my business grow and expand. Whatever I do and however I do it, it will all be up to me. I decide if I wanted to start the day early, or if I should stay up late working. I determine my own hours. I pay my own wage. Maintaining a business is going to be a very challenging feat for me. I would be using my intellectual strength and my innate marketing talents to succeed. I can establish my own success. I will thrive because of my own hard work and nobody else’s. My achievements will be because I did so well and I made the right decisions. I will be responsible for whatever happens, and I only have myself to account for. Managing my own business means I could also be helping others. I will have the ability to employ people; and as my business gets bigger, more people will be needed so more people will be hired. I will be able to make a lot of people’s lives better, and I can undoubtedly contribute to the economy at that. Indeed, starting a business proposes to be a good decision at this point. However, the call of being a part of a much bigger company is deafening as well. If I decide to get a job with a corporation bigwig, I can be able to earn easily through the monthly wage they will be paying me. I would be able to utilize all my learning and my stuck knowledge. I will be a part of an institution and would carry its pride as well. I will be able to meet big and influential people; and even become friends with each of them. I will start as a normal employee aiming toward the top position of the company, and this sure mean a real test of wits and endurance. I will be engaging in a friendly and worthwhile competition with my fellow co-workers who are also aspiring to be a top-notch executive like me. And with proper strength and staying power, I believe I will be able to reach it. If I do my job well enough, I will be promoted in just a matter of several months. I will then be the head of my own department. I will be enjoying my job as I enjoy the company of my colleagues which are also my comrades. I can also become a mentor, thus I will be able to share and transfer my knowledge to my apprentices. As I leave my position to one of my subordinates, I will be going up the ladder into the executive world. I will have the ability to become one of the most respected people in the company; and I can do it the shortest time possible. Furthermore, I will make critical company decisions which could change the whole company. I will be instrumental in the company’s failure or success, and that is because I will become the best executive, a senior manager whose opinion is always sought and is well-considered. I will be a very powerful person both in and out of the corporate world. And because I have this ability to become powerful, being rich and famous will soon follow. I will become rich because I will be fully compensated by the company I belong to. And I will become famous because as I become the company’s leader, I would need to attend business conferences as well as business lunches and parties. Right now, working for a top company seems to be a good decision for me too. Considering each of these points, it is equally advantageous holding down a job and managing a business. Although it is possible to do both, I would still need to make a decision, as to which of the two should be my primary career path. Given the points and my own personality, I believe that I will be more productive if I start off as a regular employee in a regular position, and then slowly take myself towards the top, through diligence, perseverance, and hard work. The time that is going to be required to achieve this is going to be less in a company setup. A few years should be enough to hoist myself up the corporate ladder. Being in a part of a corporation does not require that much capital either. I would only need to invest in myself, and that is not going to be too much. The risks involved in a business are also unpredictable. A business is like a gamble, you win some and you lose some. You really cannot accurately forecast the feasibility of your business decision unless the market is virtually stable, and that doesn’t really happen. The market does change, and in a volatile manner at that. If one is in a corporate setup, on the other hand, things are more constant. One knows what he is up against, and being so, one can easily devise strategies as to how to overcome it. The corporate world may have its own share of politics, but that is part of the game. I am considering that just as one of the risks that come with any of my choices. At this point, I believe that my decision will be to work for the corporate bigwigs. Its benefits weigh far too heavy than the benefits of being in the business world.

The U.S. Environmental Movement

The U.S. Environmental Movement When did the U.S. environmental movement begin? Its hard to say for sure. Nobody held an organizing meeting and drew up a charter, so there is no absolute definitive answer to the question of when the environmental movement really began in the United States. Here are some important dates, in reverse chronological order: Earth Day April 22, 1970, the date of the first Earth Day celebration in the United States, is often cited as the start of the modern environmental movement. On that day, 20 million Americans filled parks and took to the streets in a nationwide teach-in and protest about critical environmental issues facing the United States and the world. It is probably around that time that environmental issues also truly became political issues. Silent Spring Many other people associate the beginning of the environmental movement with the 1962 publication of Rachel Carsons groundbreaking book, Silent Spring, which spelled out the dangers of the pesticide DDT. The book awakened many people in the United States and elsewhere to the potential environmental and health hazards of using powerful chemicals in agriculture and led to a ban on DDT. Up until that point, we understood that our activities could be harmful to the environment, but Rachel Carsons work suddenly made it clear to many of us that we were also harming our bodies in the process. Earlier, Olaus and Margeret Murie were early pioneers of conservation, using the burgeoning science of ecology to encourage the protection of public lands where functioning ecosystems could be preserved. Aldo Leopold, a forester who later laid the foundations of wildlife management, continued focusing ecological science on the quest for a more harmonious relationship with nature.   A First Environmental Crisis An important environmental concept, the idea that active engagement by people is necessary to protect the environment, probably first reached the general public at the very beginning of the 20th century. During the period 1900-1910, wildlife populations in North America were at an all-time low. Populations of beaver, white-tailed deer, Canada geese, wild turkey, and many duck species were almost extinct from market hunting and loss of habitat. These declines were obvious to the public, which largely lived in rural areas at the time. As a result, new conservation laws were enacted (for example, the Lacey Act), and the very first National Wildlife Refuge was created.  Ã‚   Still, others might point to May 28, 1892, as the day when the U.S. environmental movement began. That is the date of the first meeting of the Sierra Club, which was founded by noted preservationist John Muir and is generally acknowledged as the first environmental group in the United States. Muir and other early members of the Sierra Club were largely responsible for preserving the Yosemite Valley in California and persuading the federal government to establish Yosemite National Park. No matter what first sparked the U.S. environmental movement or when it actually began, its safe to say that environmentalism has become a powerful force in American culture and politics. Ongoing efforts to understand more clearly how we can use natural resources without depleting them, and enjoy natural beauty without destroying it, is inspiring many of us to take a more sustainable approach to the way we live and to tread a little more lightly on the planet. Edited by Frederic Beaudry.

Origins of the à in Spanish

Origins of the Ñ in Spanish The Spanish letter à ± is original with Spanish and has become one of its most distinctive written features. Where Did the Ñ Come From? As you could probably guess, the à ± came originally from the letter n. The à ± did not exist in the Latin alphabet and was the result of innovations about nine centuries ago. Beginning in about the 12th century, Spanish scribes (whose job it was to copy documents by hand) used the tilde placed over letters to indicate that a letter was doubled (so that, for example, nn became à ± and aa became ). How Is the Ñ Used Today? The popularity of the tilde for other letters eventually waned, and by the 14th century, the à ± was the only place it was used. Its origins can be seen in a word such as aà ±o (which means year), as it comes from the Latin word annus with a double n. As the phonetic nature of Spanish became solidified, the à ± came to be used for its sound, not just for words with an nn. A number of Spanish words, such as seà ±al and campaà ±a, that are English cognates use the à ± where English uses gn, such as in signal and campaign, respectively. The Spanish à ± has been copied by two other languages that are spoken by minorities in Spain. It is used in Euskara, the Basque language that is unrelated to Spanish, to represent approximately the same sound as it has in Spanish. It is also used in Galician, a language similar to Portuguese. (Portuguese uses nh to represent the same sound.) Additionally, three centuries of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines led to the adoption of many Spanish words in the national language, Tagalog (also known as Pilipino or Filipino). The à ± is among the letters that have been added to the traditional 20 letters of the language. And while the à ± isnt part of the English alphabet, it frequently is used by careful writers when using adopted words such as jalapeà ±o, pià ±a colada, or pià ±ata and in the spelling of personal and place names. In Portuguese, the tilde is placed over vowels to indicate that the sound is nasalized. That use of the tilde has no apparent direct connection with the use of the tilde in Spanish. The Rest of the Story After this article was published, this site received additional information from Robert L. Davis, associate professor of Spanish from the University of Oregon: Thanks for including the interesting page on the history of the à ±. In a few places you express uncertainty about some of the details of this history; below I offer the information you need to complete the story. The reason the tilde appears over an N (as in Latin ANNU Sp. aà ±o) and Portuguese vowels (Latin MANU Po. mo) is that scribes wrote a small letter N over the preceding letter in both cases, to save space in manuscripts (parchment was expensive). As the two languages developed phonetically away from Latin, the double N sound of Latin morphed into the current palatal nasal sound of the Ñ, and Portuguese N between vowels got deleted, leaving its nasal quality on the vowel. So readers and writers began to use the old spelling trick to indicate the new sounds that did not exist in Latin. (Its really nice the way you framed the Ñ as the only Spanish letter of Spanish origin!) Also of potential interest to your readers: The word tilde actually refers to both the squiggle over the Ñ as well as the accent mark used to mark phonetic stress (e.g., cafà ©). There is even the verb tildarse, which means, to be written with an accent mark, to stress, as in La palabra cafà © se tilda en la e.The unique character of the letter Ñ has led to its becoming a marker of Hispanic identity in recent years. There is now a generacià ³n Ñ, the children of Spanish-speaking parents in the U.S. (parallel to Generation X, etc.), a stylized Ñ is the logo of the Cervantes Institute (cervantes.es), and so forth.The squiggle under the à § in Portuguese and French has a similar origin as the à ±. It is called a cedille, meaning little Z. It comes from the diminutive of the Old Spanish name for the letter Z, ceda. It was used to represent the ts sound in Old Spanish, which no longer exists in the language. E.g., O.Sp. caà §a (katsa) Mod. Sp. caza (casa or catha).Restaurants in the U.S. now offer dishes made with a very spicy pepper, the habanero, which is frequently mispronounced and misspelled as habaà ±ero. Since the name comes from La Habana, the capital of Cuba, this pepper should not have Ñ. I think the name has been contaminated by jalapeà ±o, which of course is simply a pepper from Jalapa, Mexico.

Smoke Signal Film Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Smoke Signal Film Analysis - Essay Example The existence if this film completed the conception of Indians churning out their own stories a reality. Even so, will self-depiction by Native Americans within Hollywood finally, eventually take place again? American Indians inhabit a controversial position in the Hollywood thoughts. They would seemingly appear to be an element of America’s unusual myth. This falsehood glaringly seems to be overtly determined to twirl into realism. The last decade has observed more Indian themed movies launched with the participation of bona fide Indian actors than ever before. Additionally, whether modern Indian Smoke Signals is an outstanding incident still is debatable. However, time will only tell whether actors of Native American origins will eventually, absolutely, be granted the starring responsibilities to which they rightfully deserve. In the film Smoke Signal, Native Americans were classified into an assortment of the noble savage, the atrocious warrior, the faithful assistant, amid other subversive names (Morgan, 2010). It is evident that Native Americans stand in for a very minimal margin of the American population. The only way they are represented according to solid evidence is though the medium that is the media. The media such as television and movies have a certain primacy with which they represent this minority group of Native Americans. A major exit from the classic action against the Native Americans, Smoke Signal is a superficially human anecdote, superfluous with dissident political commentary (Morgan, 2010). The issue of Alcoholism in the film is brought out by Victor’s father who is an erratic alcoholic. Victor’s father in this scenario depicts parental desertion and alcoholism. Here, the movie sends up Indian cynics, who struggle with dysfunctions. Even more, Smoke Signals gallops on not present fathers and wondering fathers. As a clever way of settling his late father’s affairs, Victor goes down to Arizona and comes back wi th his ashes. Victor is depicted as very bitter at his father’s drinking and desertion. While in Arizona Victor realizes some truths about his father. In this context, Smoke Signals stresses the importance for bringing together between father and son. This movie, as a result, depicts Indians as down-and-out drunks, unseemly addicted to alcohol as they are to the unpleasantness at their batch in life. This film depends heavily on human correlation and salvation. Struggling with the crippling grief, Victor’s father takes to alcoholism and violence as way of escapisms from the challenges facing him. When he dies, Victor is put to the task of inheriting his father’s estate. But the crippling financial challenges combating his family do not allow him to travel to Arizona. But his friend bails him out his financial crisis by providing him with the money required to travel to Arizona. This point depicts that Native American were always looking after each other, incase of dire hardships (Morgan, 2010). Victor’s father abandonment is seen not as decision, but as something he was meant to do. In order to escape from guilt, Victor’s father then resorts to alcoholism. However, the abandonment of Victor’s father is much less important than his own acceptance of it. This is because Victor has is left no option but to continue with his daily existence. Conversely, the Indian reservation is cast in a fashion as if it existed in a time line where progress is