Carol Ann Duffys anthology Mean Time Essay Example for Free

Carol Ann Duffys anthology Mean Time Essay Carol Ann Duffys anthology Mean Time is littered with references to the past. With the title Mean Time in its self referring to time in an ambiguous ways, like Greenwhich mean time, or time associated with angry emotions. The most common interpretation being that the characters represented in many of Mean Times poems as in between two states, past and present. The characters are trapped, escaping, or reminiscing about past times retrospectively from a present time. Much of there past is what is now influencing there present situation or state of mind and Duffy accentuates this factor by being explicit and drawing attention to language that would draw a conclusion to that notion. The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team is a 1960s quiz show between competing teams of school children who, representing their school and in school uniform, would answer general knowledge questions in front of an audience of school children. The individually competitive suggestion of the name of the show individual competition was emphasized in the education system of the 50s and 60s (it would not be unusual for a class to be sat in their rank order according to the last set of exams) and it precedes the change to a comprehensive system. This competitive tone, the sense of a hierarchy, is an important element in the poem. This poem questions the romantic view of the past forming a persona to there present as he characterises his children as his thick kids and his wife as stale. He ambiguously illustrates his past in that he want it back, The Captain. The captain is a symbol of his youth and past in that he wants it back but its so isolated and remote that he cant obtain it and only exists as memories in his mind. The comparison between the first six stanzass representing the past and the last stanza representing the present exhibits a barrier between the two. The constant music references mentioned within the poem to past artists and songs reflects the rich memories that are illustrated to the reader, by appealing to more senses, the eyes and hears. Duffys purpose for inclusion of these songs is not only that they are connected to the time period and create a richer spectacle but they clearly reveal the more desired time period of the character, showing him to feel nostalgia. We see the nostalgia form as he describes his family and current situation in the last stanza previously discussed. Carol Ann Duffys dramatic monologue The Suicide provides an intriguing insight into the forces of the past having an effect on a situation in the present. This poem establishes how the past and present are interconnectivly dependant on each other. This is explained as, without a past of experience and events that shape u as a person there can be no present effects. This notion is also reversed in that without a present the past would never be expressed fully either emotionally or physically with no results or effects seen from past causes. The poem title explicitly provides the reader with exactly what the context of the poem is. The reasons for this is possibly to engage the reader into how is Duffy going to describe the feelings of suicide appealing to our macabre sides of personality. It is commonly thought that language fails to describe many feelings especially that of suicide. The poem analyses the nature of suicidal impulse, by letting a would-be suicide talk to us in the moments before her death. It compares with The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team (The captain), as it is also a dramatic monologue but fails in comparison similarities to that poem. It does refer to the past like The Captain does, however not as explicitly. In The Suicide the reference to the past is, Kisses on a collar. Lies. Blood. The above is a strong reference to a past event of what implicitly seems to be infidelity by the partner. This is followed by short sharp sentences of Lies and Blood. These single emphasised words almost tell a complete story; the history of a relationship, written in lies. Lies that lead to blood (perhaps the blood of the suicide). There is a sense that the whole story is told in these few words. But this whole event can not be ignoring the fact that it was all triggered by a past event that is now influencing if not directly causing the present situation of suicide. The Good Teachers is one of Duffys explicit references to the past but written in present tense which instantly makes the reader form the opinion of reminiscence and living in the past letting past events form the future. We believe to be a male because of the hints to passion for female teachers, as he reveals that you love Miss Pirie. It describes his memories of his life in school as a child but most significantly how he retrospectively looks back and regrets the tom foolery that took place then and how he wasted his time in school. This forms similar themes to End of innocence about regret of the past and wants to escape it. The short sentences in the last stanza can be symbolic of time and how it speedily passed by to leave him where he is now which we never quite find out. Again a barrier is formed between the past and the present by the line But theres the wall you climb. The wall denoting the barrier between past and present and shows how the two are separate. The context before the wall line is about the past, the context of the poem after the wall line is about the present. This structure reinforces the separation of the past and present. Also this show how the past forms a barrier that forms the future and weather or not you accomplish successfully by getting over or around the barrier will have an impact on your life to come. The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team, The Suicide and The Good Teachers all portray the past, but in separate ways. In The Captain the past is seen as a rich rejoicing memory, with dignity and pride at the forefront of it where the past was contrasted to the future to reinforce how commendable the past was. The nostalgia was accentuated by the language and references to his current situation of him having a stale wife and thick kids. The suicide depicts the past consuming the character and a direct cause for her present situation. The language illustrates a dyer situation and forms the opinion that suicide is not chosen, it happens when pain exceeds resources for coping with pain. It fails to by the inadequacy of language and context fully describe the emotion and direct feeling of suicide caused from the past events. It only refers to four words to describe the past, kisses on a collar. This is a classic example of the notion that the past is represented as irretrievable and irreplaceable. Also that not being able to alter the mistakes made in life will undoubtedly form the situation of present and which is suicide in this case but also that those events will characterise you for the future. The Good Teachers forms a view of the past being one of regret and wanting to escape from it. This also, like The Captain and The Suicide, forms a barrier separating the past and present by language and contrasting stanzas.

The Challenges In Implementing Erp Systems

The Challenges In Implementing Erp Systems ERP is the process of integrating all the business functions and processes in an organization to achieve numerous benefits. First, a single point of data entry helps to reduce data redundancy while saving employees time in entering data, thereby reducing labour and overhead costs. Second, the centralization of information, decision-making, and control leads to increases in efficiencies of operations and productivity, as well as coordination between departments, divisions, regions, and even countries. This is especially true for multinational corporations (MNC), in which global integration could result in better communications and coordination around the world. The global sourcing and distribution of parts and services could also provide appropriate benchmarks for operations around the world. Third, the sharing of a centralized database provides business managers with accurate and up-to-date information to make well informed business decisions. Further, it reduces data redundancy while improving data integrity at the same time. Fourth, functional integration will consolidate all sorts of data, such as financial, manufacturing, and sales, to take advantage of bulk discounts. ERP is especially important for companies who are intimately connected to their vendors and customers, and who used electronic data interchange (EDI) to process sales transactions electronically. Therefore, the implementation of ERP is exceptionally beneficial to businesses such as manufacturing plants that mass-produce products with little changes. Nevertheless, the revolutionary and innovative ERP software system quickly expands into other business areas such as finance and retailing. ERP also provides companies with a competitive advantage over their competitors. But despite these several benefits, there are also certain challenges faced by ERP, especially during the implementation phase. Some of the challenges faced during the implementation of an ERP system are explained in the following sections. Typically ERP systems are very costly, take a lot of time to implement and have a risk associated with implementation, and also affect the job profiles of many employees. Thus the three major dimensions involved are money, time and people involvement. In addition, there is also a requirement to re-engineer existing business practices to match the needs of the new ERP system. AN ERP IMPLEMENTATION PLAN The following flowchart depicts several activities that must be performed before implementing an ERP system. Step 1: Managers must conduct a feasibility study of the current situation to assess the organizations needs by analyzing the availability of hardware, software, databases, and in-house computer expertise, and make the decision to implement ERP where integration is essential. They must also set goals for improvement and establish objectives for the implementation, and calculate the break-even points and benefits to be received from this expensive IT investment. Step 2: The second major activity involves educating and recruiting end users to be involved throughout the implementation process. Step 3: Managers form a project team or steering committee that consists of experts from all functional areas to lead the project. Step 4: After a decision is made to implement ERP, a team of system consultants will be hired to evaluate the appropriateness of implementing an ERP system, and to help select the best enterprise software provider and the best approach to implementing ERP. In most situations, the consultant team also recommends the modules that are best suited to the companys operations (manufacturing, financial, human resources, logistics, forecasting, etc.), system configurations, and Business-to-Business applications such as supply-chain management, customer relationship management, e-procurement, and e-marketplace. Step 5: Adequate employee and manager training must be provided to all business, stakeholders, including managers, end users, customers, and vendors, before the system is implemented. Such training is usually customized and can be provided by either internal or outside trainers. Step 6: The system installation process will address issues such as software configuration, hardware acquisition, and software testing. Step 7: Data and information in the databases must be converted to the format used in the new ERP system and servers and networks need to be upgraded. A post implementation review is recommended to ensure that all business objectives established during the planning phase are achieved. Needed modifications are tackled during this phase too. Issues Faced while Implementing an ERP Although issues faced while implementing an ERP are numerous, but this report classifies them majorly into selection related issues, technical issues, psychological issues, organisational change related issues and time and cost related problems. Selecting an appropriate ERP The first and foremost challenge faced by many organisations is deciding what sort of an ERP system they should select to implement. The managers must decide on the size, type and scope of the ERP system they actually require and how to choose the best solution amongst the existing hundreds of systems in the market. This selection problem arises for all businesses without exception and should be considered as seriously as possible for the reason that ERP system choice defines a companys strategy for at least the following 6 to 10 years and, no doubt, has a major impact on the future success of the entire business. To decide on the implementation of a successful ERP program, the managers should have an in-depth understanding of the organisations current business processes, organisational structure, culture, work environment and financial and economic strength. Due to enormous impact on the competitive advantage of the company, top management must consider the strategic implications of implementing an ERP solution keeping in mind the size of the company and the modules installed. Management must ponder about several topics like:- à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Does the ERP system strengthen the companys competitive position? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ How does ERP affect the organizational structure and the culture? What is the scope of the ERP implementation only a few functional units or the entire organization? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Are there any alternatives that meet the companys needs better than an ERP system? à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ If it is a multinational corporation, the management should be concerned about whether it would be better to roll the system out globally or restrict it to certain regional units? Only when all these points have been taken care of, can an ERP system be selected for further implementation. Technical Issues Once the appropriate ERP is selected, the arduous task of implementation has only begun. The next part of implementation issues are related to the technical aspects of the project both hardware and software. These issues include the existing servers and workstations to be updated and new and modern ones to be ordered, purchased, and replaced. The internal network also has to be analyzed and modernized if required; the speed and bandwidth of the existing Internet access should be taken into consideration, along with possible technical concerns about the mobile devices being used. If these questions are underestimated, they can dramatically impact the overall result of the project and easily result in slow performance in the first few weeks, or in some cases months of ERP implementation hence resulting in a slackening of the existing pace of business. However the situation has been changed during the last few years, and plenty of software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications that have shown up on the market now allow the cost and headache of hardware problems to be minimized. More specifically, ERP systems need a Graphical User Interface at the front end, and are based on a client-server technology. They require the ability to access and share data across all applications across different platforms. Some servers and equipment might have a need to be custom built, and that can also cause a time lag in ERP implementation. In short, it can be said that the unique hardware and software needs of an ERP system, along with the continued use of pre existing applications in an organisation can prove to be tricky and are a major consideration while implementing an ERP. Data quality and consistency issues This issue is common in companies that are implementing ERP for the first time and transferring their legacy data into the new system from Excel spreadsheets, manual records, or old disparate applications. Basically, the question is that old data that have been used and stored for years can for many reasons appear approximate or even incorrect in the new ERP system. Integration of data from other older systems with the new ERP system is a major concern while implementing the system. A particular company might have accounting and finance systems operating on different mainframes (say IBM 370 architecture), MRP systems on a high end VAX, and a logistics system on an AS 400. The legacy systems of this company might be coded in COBOL. Thus, the implementation of a new ERP system for such a company needs to be done very carefully and requires technical judgement for the implementation of this new system. People related Psychological Issues This is the most difficult type of issue to resolve. These are the questions and issues that originate from the aspect of human nature that never accepts any change without seeing the visible advantages of it. People-related issues such as corporate philosophy and leadership style can play an important role in the ERP implementation process. Research has concluded that active top management support and commitment are essential to the success of any system implementation. Frequently, executive councils and steering committees consisting of top managers are developed to plan and manage the IT initiatives. Employees can be quite wary of any kind of change in the business processes, particularly during periods of economic downturn. Ill-trained employees who fight the changes in the business process tend to be poor performers. Therefore, to increase the chance of a successful ERP implementation and to reduce users resistance to change, employees, especially those who are very knowledgeable with the operations, must be involved in all stages of the implementation process. Employees must also be educated about the ERP installation. Such educational endeavours should include a concise introduction to the basic concepts and architecture of ERP systems, including actual screen shots of the function modules. During these training sessions, it is important to discuss the managerial issues involved and to build a basic understanding of the integration concepts prior to the actual installation of the ERP system. Further, any Business-to- Business initiatives, reengineering projects, alliances, an d the introduction of new technologies should also be addressed. Project managers must take charge of the implementation process at all times. They must oversee the reengineering of the key business processes, reassign job responsibilities, restructure the organizations chart, and redefine work relationships. Further, they must also learn how to manage the software vendors and any outside consultants. Employees working on an ERP implementation project put in long hours (as much as 20 hours per day) including seven-day weeks and even holidays. Even though the experience is valuable for their career growth, the stress of implementation coupled with regular job duties could decrease their morale rapidly. Leadership from upper management and support and caring acts of project leaders would certainly boost the morale of the team members. Other strategies, such as taking the employees on field trips, could help reduce the stress and improve the morale. Organisational Changes ERP implementation brings significant changes into a companys conventional business model and the day-to day practices it has been using for years or even decades. ERP implementation requires organizations to reengineer their key business processes in fundamental ways, revamping old ways of conducting business, redefining job responsibilities, and restructuring the organization. For major multinational corporations (MNC), the ERP systems must be customized to address global issues where different countries have different ways of doing business, and to incorporate country-specific business practices pertaining to accounting, tax requirements, environmental regulations, human resources, manufacturing, and currency conversion into the integrated systems. While integrating the information systems across various countries, three types of misfits (relating to data, process, and output) can occur due to incompatibilities between software functionality and organizational requirements as well as differences in cultural and regulatory environments. The unique context of each country in which an organization operates must be carefully included into the traditionally Western-biased business practices inherent in the ERP systems. Implementation Cost and Time Implementation Cost: Even though the price of prewritten software is cheap compared with in-house development, the total cost of implementation could be three to five times the purchase price of the software. The implementation costs would increase as the degree of customization increases. After training the selected employees, strategies such as bonus programs, company perks, salary increases, continual training and education, and appeals to company loyalty work to retain them. Other intangible strategies such as flexible work hours, telecommuting options, and opportunities to work with leading-edge technologies are also being used. Implementation Time: ERP systems come in modular fashion and do not have to be implemented entirely at once. ERP packages are very general and need to be configured to a specific type of business and may follow a phase-in approach with one module implemented at a time. Some of the most commonly installed modules are sales and distribution (SD), materials management (MM), production and planning, (PP), and finance and controlling (FI) modules. The length of implementation is affected by the number of modules being implemented, the scope of the implementation, the extent of customization, and the number of interfaces with other applications. The more the number of units, the longer the implementation time. Further as the scope of implementation grows from a single business unit to multiple units spread out globally, the duration of implementation increases. Conclusion An ERP implementation is a huge commitment from the organization, causing millions of dollars and can take up to several years to complete. However, when it is integrated successfully, the benefits can be enormous. A well-designed and properly integrated ERP system allows the most updated information to be shared among various business functions, thereby resulting in tremendous cost savings and increased efficiency. When making the implementation decision, management must considered fundamental issues such as the organizations readiness for a dramatic change, the degree of integration, key business processes to be implemented, older applications to be included, and whether or not new hardware needs to be acquired. In order to increase the chance of user acceptance, employees must be consulted and be involved in all stages of the implementation process. Providing proper education and appropriate training are also two important strategies to increase the end user acceptance rate. The o rganization is also going through a drastic change, with changes in the way businesses are conducted, the organization being restructured, and job responsibilities being redefined. And finally, the cost and time of implementation of an ERP system also are a major challenge faced during the implementation process.

Final Solutions by Benjamin Valentino

Final Solutions by Benjamin Valentino This research paper discusses the main problem of â€Å"Final Solutions† by Benjamin Valentino. It also considers theories of mass killing origin. The stimulus for mass killing usually initiates from a relatively little groupings of forceful leaders and is often realized without any approval of society. When the average American is asked to name the conventional reasons for genocide and mass killing he is certain to indicate ethnic enmity or accuse the contradictory society. But in Final Solutions: Mass Killing and Genocide in the 20th Century (Cornell University Press), author Benjamin A. Valentino claims that ethnic harassment and the dysfunction of out society are unequal elucidation. Though Valentino considers these elements as factors, he notices that pervasive intentional cruelty is typically stimulated by small minorities of military or political leaders, their intentions and plans are realized without the approval of the community. There is something strangely tender about Benjamin Valentino’s book, on the wholly distenderless topic of genocide and mass killing in the twentieth century. If the Valentino is right about the crucial role of relatively small ethnic or military groupings in the cruelest offences of the twentieth century, then genocide/mass killing may appear not to be the secret it would seem. And if its nature can be seen in lucid terms that refer to a wide range of examples, then maybe something can be carried out to avert it. This is, first of all, the real aim of all genocide scientists. By the way, they care about the pragmatic consequences of their work in stopping the killing as they are with its purely scientific value (Miller). Summing up all phenomena connected with human activity especially genocide all over the world in the twentieth and nineteenth century – one can surely feel blue and disappointed. Though in a sarcastic manner, Valentino has evaded this partially by incl uding in his work what he calls mass killing, or the intentional killing of a massive number of noncombatants (Valentino). You are surely interested how massive these killings are? Here Valentino gives the definite figure of at least fifty thousand intentional deaths over the course of five or fewer years, though if his theory is proved to work, he claims, this figure should reduce as well (Valentino). The main point is not in definite number (and one of the cunnings of the UN’s Genocide Convention is that it does not require any researches revealed in specific numbers on a genocide studying). The main point is to understand how the mass killing of guiltless, defenseless people becomes the policy of some states. Valentino is surely not the only scientist who researches the causes of genocide/mass killing origin. His profound studying, nevertheless, allows him to make some rather well-reasoned and sensible refutation of earlier explanations such as social segmentation and raw governmental power. Opposing the plural society theory that Leo Kuper and others have suggested to explain genocide, for instance, he shows us that in Cambodia trespassers and sufferers belong to the same social and ethnic layers, and that many sufferers, actually, referred to dominant ethnic groups (Valentino). Similarly, Valentino catches reader’s attention by describing such examples as French behaviou in Algeria to refute the mind that genocide/mass killing depends on government. He appoints that democracy stimulates and gives a push to violence. He is also uncertain of scapegoating as the main motivating reason, quoting Michael Mann’s recent research of Holocaust offenders as evidence that private comp laints were rarely necessary to sketch behavior. Considering these researches, Valentino says they have strong intuitive appeal they are simply too common to serve as accurate indicators of this relatively rare kind of violence (Valentino). The author next opposes another overall presumption concerning the reason of genocide/mass killing: that it is sought after and supported by the major part of the society. Most scientists, I believe, won’t argue with the author in the chapter The Perpetrators and the Public,(Valentino) which views such classic works in this area as Christopher Browning’s â€Å"Ordinary Men†(compared very graciously with Daniel Goldhagen’s critically different consequences for the same grouping of men); the despotic individualism experiments of psychologists Stanley Milgram and Philip Zimbardo; and explores of what makes warriors readily risk their lives for things that don’t influence them in a direct way (Miller). Valentino as sumes that the course of mass killing lies in situational elements and the plans of relatively small but forceful groups, but not in wide public backing and deep-seated ideological odium. This is well proved by the chapter’s variable number of evidences. Actually, this chapter could be titled as a representation of the wide range of scientists theories about the question what makes people kill. But the main question is why people kill each other. In order to answer this, during the left three quarters of the book, the author provides thorough studying of the specific situations, goals, and conditions that lead political and/or military leaders to embark upon a policy of genocide/mass killing (Valentino). In chapter three, the author, defines six main courses of mass killing and genocide: communist, ethnic, territorial, counterguerrilla, terrorist, and imperialist (Miller). Considering communist, ethnic, and counterguerrilla mass murdering as the most dominant and fatal, his work then dedicates chapter to each reason. Moreover, as regards the common examples of ethnic genocide such as Armenia, the Holocaust, and Rwanda. Valentino devotes the whole chapter to the Soviet Union, China, and Cambodia, as well as the guerrillas’ mass murders in Guatemala and Afghanistan. In addition to this, in order to give profound reasoning, he finishes every chapter by studying duties t hat were much less cruel and never turned into genocidal such as Cuba, South Africa, and the Philippines during its counter revolt against the Huk rebellion of 1947-1953 (Miller). The outcome of all these examples, some of which could make up deserving abstracts for university or school teaching, is that, with the exclusion of Cambodia, genocide/mass killing is rarely a policy of first resort (Valentino). It is better to say that it is a deliberate and expedient strategy chosen to reach a definite goal. The Fascists made several attempts to vanish Jews from their captured territories, including compulsory emigration and deportation. In some time this methods were substituted by extirpation. The famous soviet ruler Stalin released the famine in Ukrainian. He did it by keeping to the policy of agricultural collectivization. And the author describes a parallel process with reference to the Guatemalan regime’s increasing violence against its village people considering the villag es population rising for the riot. The average reader is not familiar with Guatemalan example, but historians claim and approve the accuracy of the stated events. The main point of the book is that the leaders exploit genocide/mass killing in order to achieve their political or ethnical goals. Valentino contends that, assassinating innocent people in wide numbers is clarified as a tactical step based on a lucid vision of the end outcome. Indeed, Valentino leads us beyond the limits of what prompts people to kill other people, to the more important question of what moves their leaders to command them to act this way. It is an insuperable, profound and, of course, significant argument. Nevertheless, like most arguments it assumes some examples that cannot be brought into correlation with the author’s six motivational range. View, for instance, the often fatal behavior of the soldiers who act in accordance with the command of Bosnian Muslim Naser Ori in the Serb villages surroun ding Srebrenica. Now on trial in The Hague for war crimes, Ori was operating without the authority of the Bosnian leadership in Sarajevo and very much in response to the aggression of the Bosnian Serb army (which was receiving aid and directives not only from their civilian leadership in Pale, but from Belgrade itself) (Miller). Valentino may contradict that Ori’s deeds, as those of similar insurgents will never achieve the level of mass killing that is appropriate in their opinion. Moreover these rebels act only in accordance with their leader policy and views. They did, nevertheless, intimidate the Bosnian Serb people near Srebrenica. Similarly, the Guatemalan villagers intimidated by their own authorities. And despite that the Bosnian Serbs certainly did not need any additional motivation for their clearly conceived program of ethnic cleansing and genocide, Ori’s actions were, we know now, on their minds when they entered Srebrenica in July 2005 (Miller). Valentino’s research is not limited by the seven motives definition, it goes deeper. It does, nevertheless, point out that profound and deep reasons such as vengeance or simply terror, can also stir up cases of genocide/mass killing, especially when a current government is absent or does not have the real power. I have mentioned this because Valentino’s proofs can sometimes seem abundantly positive in effort to describe policies that forecast and avert genocide/mass killing. I understand that author tries to consider genocide not as something scheduled, but rather as the thoroughly chosen tools to reach goals that are desired for the state or certain group. Surely Valentino’s work is based on the investigation of others. Though his sources belong to scientific ones and his work is fully footnoted, his conclusions are based on impressive mixture of investigations that were carried out during the past half century, but not on any original reviews, original works, o r other investigation programs. For instance in chapter three he considers some rather intuitional causes that make genocide/mass killing more likely, including: the higher the priority that communist leaders assign to the radical transformation of society; the more rapidly ethnic cleansing is carried out; and the greater the physical capabilities for mass killing possessed by the perpetrators (Valentino). Similar example can be referred to the author’s believe the Holocaust was unique because each of the millions of lives it extinguished was unique, never to lived again â€Å"(Valentino). I cannot agree with this statement because every person in our world is unique. And one will not become unique only for the reason of being killed during the Holocaust. According to Nazi world view the Jews belonged to the lowest group of the human rung hierarchy. Actually the Hitler’s ideology regarding conceived of Jewish people was carried through the ages. Fascists were afraid o f their Aryan blood being contaminated. Valentino’s book has prospered in providing readers not only with a reasonable interpretation for genocide/mass killing, but also with many valuable proposals for what we should do to prevent it. Benjamin A. Valentino thinks that ethnic enmity or harassment, anti-democratic policy of government in community do not influence mass killing and genocide that is generally accepted. He affirms that the stimulus for mass killing usually initiates from a relatively little groupings of forceful leaders and is often realized without any approval of society. Mass killing, to the author’s mind, is a savage political or martial plan worked out to achieve leaders most significant goals. Leaders use this technique to overcome menace to their power, and resolve their most complicated problems. Valentino does not confine his research to mass killing aimed against ethnic groups. He characterizes mass killing as the intentional killing of 50,000 or more innocent people during five years. The book concentrates on three kinds of mass killing: communist mass killings like the ones carried out in the Soviet Union, China, and Cambodia; ethnic genocides as in Armenia, Nazi Germany, and Rwanda; and counter-guerrilla campaigns including the brutal civil war in Guatemala and the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan (Miller). Valentino finishes the book by disputing that attempts to prevent mass killing should be aimed on disarmament and shifting from governing the leaders and small groups in charge of initiating and arranging the killing. As for me the main conclusion of this book has been the clear gospel truth in all times. The problem that I consider the main – is contradiction of society. There will always be those leaders, and small groups that are aimed to reach their personal goals. But these leaders are the children of society. But on the other hand people need somebody to manage them, that is why they agree to all leaders requirements. All in all, Valentino has r aised a very important problem that alarms people all over the world. The author sets very vivid and arresting examples that simply catch your attention. But one thing I can say with certain that this book was not written for the average reader. To develop one’s reasonable mind on this book one should be good at history, sociology and psychology. Bibliography Miller, P. â€Å"Final Solutions.† H-Genocide 14.09 (2005): 34-38 Valentino, Benjamin. Final Solutions: Mass Killing and Genocide in the 20-th Century. Cornwell University Press, 2004.

Communism vs Fascism Essay -- Communism Essays

The definition of communism is â€Å" a system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.† The definition of fascism is â€Å"A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, stringent socioeconomic controls, suppression of the opposition through terror and censorship, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.† Communism and Fascism are both forms of Totalitarianism, which is when the ruler has complete power over everyone. There is a fine line between the differences of Communism and Fascism, however these next three articles prove that there is a line and there is no gray space. People are either one side or the other, there is no in between, the goals and secular leading may be the same but the inner workings differ by a lot, Krupskaya, M ussolini, and Hitler explain the differences in their following articles.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Krupskaya’s was a communist and her article What a Communist Ought to be Like describes the standards, mind set, back ground, and just an overall idea of what communists are like. She sum’s up her article at the end of the paper which gives the main idea of what the whole article is on â€Å" Thus, in order to be a communist: (1) it is necessary to know what is bad about the capitalist system, where social development is h...

The Ethernet Essay -- essays research papers

Bob Metcalfe of the Xerox Corporation developed the first experimental Ethernet system in late 1972. The goal of the Ethernet was to interconnect the Xerox Alto Aloha Network. The experimental Ethernet was used to link Altos workstations, servers, and laser printers. Data transmission of the Ethernet was 2.94 Mbps. In 1973, Metcalfe changed the name to "Ethernet," to make it clear that the system could support any computer, and not just Altos, and to point out that his new network mechanisms had evolved well beyond the Aloha system. He chose to base the name on the word "ether" as a way of describing an essential feature of the system. The physical medium (cable) carries bits to all stations, much the same way that the old "luminiferous ether" was once thought to propagate electromagnetic waves through space. The Ethernet is a LAN (Local Area Network) technology that uses a shared bus topology, and Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detection access. It consists of a single, long cable, named the bus, to which computers, or sometimes referred to as workstations, are attached. Ethernet signals are transmitted serially, one bit at a time, over the bus and are received by every attached station. Data in the Ethernet is transmitted in the form of a frame, or packet. The frame consists of a set of bits organized into several fields. These fields include address fields, a variable size data field that carries from 46 to 1,500 bytes of data, and an error checking field that checks the integrity of the bits in the frame to make sure that the frame has arrived intact. The first two fields in the frame carry 48-bit addresses, called the destination and source addresses. The Destination Address contains the physical address of the station to which the frame is being sent. Any signal sent across the shared network reaches all attached workstations. However, communication doesn’t usually involve all workstations. To allow direct communication between stations the addressing scheme is used. Each workstation is assigned a unique numeric value, called a physical address or media access control address (MAC address). Although sharing allows all workstations to receive a copy of a frame, the hardware of each workstation checks the address of each incoming frame to determine whether it should accept the frame. The Source Address contains... ... its simplest form, only hub devices connect directly to the tree bus, and each hub functions as the "root" of a tree of devices. This bus/star hybrid approach supports future expandability of the network much better than a bus (limited in the number of devices due to the broadcast traffic it generates) or a star (limited by the number of hub ports) alone. In a mesh topology each computer is connected to every other computer by separate cabling. This allows for superior redundancy and reliability, as well as ease of troubleshooting. This type of topology is expensive and difficult to install because of the amount of cabling required. The original Ethernet operated at 10 Mbps, a later version Fast Ethernet operates at 100 Mbps and the newest version Gigabit Ethernet operates at 1 Gbps. The Ethernet is the most popular physical layer LAN technology in use today. It is popular because it strikes a good balance between speed, cost and ease of installation. These benefits combined with wide acceptance in the computer marketplace and the ability to support virtually all-popular network protocols, make the Ethernet an ideal networking technology for most computer users today.

Innovation and Knowledge Essay -- History, Marx, Schumpeter, Kondratie

For centuries now the subject of innovation has given ground for much discussion and debate. In its wider context economic historians and sociologists have theorised and argued its contribution to economic growth and society in general, nevertheless, many have termed innovation as the ‘engine of growth.’ Therefore, to appreciate the extent of benefit that innovation can offer business this introduction begins with some of these theories. Famous names such as, Karl Marx, Joseph Schumpeter, and Nicolai Kondratieff respectively, which are seen by many as experts in their field have all, in their own manner, cited innovation and technological progress as the stimulus for economic growth. However, it was Marx who first realised that economic growth could be associated to innovation, and innovations and entrepreneurs were the drivers of technological progress. Given that one new innovation by an entrepreneur or inventor can open up a new profit stream which then persuades anot her of their kind to innovate, thus providing new wealth and increasing profits in the economy as a whole, which in turn drives growth. More recently Kondratieff using his ‘long-wave theory of innovation’ demonstrated how innovation was responsible for major eras of economic growth and technological development. He described this as a series of wave-like peaks and troughs each lasting between forty or fifty years, which span prosperity during peak periods of innovation and technological progress, and as this recedes a gradual recession into a trough of depression exists. For instance he observes over the la... ...sign training called the T-shaped designer a new way of design thinking by using design processes and methods to foster innovation and grow business – design is a way of thinking. The stem of the T is the depth of knowledge in their specialist subject while the horizontal cap of the T represents the breadth – their ability to make their method, skills and thinking work in a different context. This has led some American schools and university to change their approach to design schooling. In the United Kingdom new courses from centres of excellence are to be offered with a hands-on and multidisciplinary classes combining management studies, engineering, technology and design creativity. All this is positive for business and UK design as heading into the 21st century the need for innovative products will grow as global business becomes even greedier for new things.

Examine the importance of Act III, Scene V Essay

Examine the importance of Act III, Scene V. How would you direct the scene in order to emphasise your interpretation? Romeo and Juliet is a play of love and tragedy. It is a great play if directed properly and is easy for people to understand. This is why I am writing this essay on how I would direct one of the most important scenes, Act III, Scene V. I will explain the significance of this scene and how I would get across its meaning. To understand this scene you need to know a little about life of people in the 16th Century; for one thing the relationship between children and their parents was very different especially amongst the rich. The father of the family expected everyone to do what he said even if they disagreed. Also mothers didn’t usually know their children personally as they hired nurses to take care of them 24/7 and even with babies they hired a wet-nurse, which means the nurse had usually just had a child and would breast feed the family’s child. The mother and father had very little to do with their children. Even though they didn’t know their children they still arranged their marriages! The children had no say in the matter. A rich family would usually set up a marriage with another wealthy family. It was socially unacceptable for a rich person to marry a poor person. Once married the wife was expected to do whatever her husband said and never answer back. If she did the husband would usually get angry and sometimes physical. As well as thinking about the 16th Century behaviour I need to think about the relevance to a modern audience. I think a modern audience would relate to all the love and compassion in this scene. They would see the love Juliet has for Romeo and feel sorry for her because her father is forcing her to marry someone else. They will see the pain and suffering she is going through to get her father to cancel the wedding but he gets angry because they should do what he says and never answer back. The important thing when trying to direct the scene is to emphasise the part the modern audience would relate to. I would do this by making the scene very dramatic and make the actor playing Capulet push Juliet around as well as speaking very loudly, maybe even shouting. I would also have the actress playing Juliet cry and whimper, get down on her knees and make it look like she is begging. The other characters, Lady Capulet and the Nurse would be trying to hold back Capulet, but would cower away when he speaks to them. This should show the audience that Juliet is desperate and will demonstrate how aggressive Capulet can be. As well as thinking about the historical context and the contemporary relevance we need to consider the character development. In this scene we find things out about the Capulet family we never knew before. The characters seem to change, for example Juliet starts the scene very happy as she has just that night consummated her marriage to Romeo. This happiness is shown when she says, â€Å"Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate tree. Believe me love it was the nightingale. † This shows that she is happy and being romantic. As the scene continues she changes from being happy to suicidal because she is being forced to marry Parris. â€Å"If all else fail, myself have power to die. † This means if she cannot delay the marriage she will kill herself. Another character that changes is the Nurse, as in the beginning of the scene she helps Juliet hide Romeo when Lady Capulet walked in. She said, â€Å"Your lady mother is coming to your chamber. † This shows the nurse wants to help and gives Romeo time to escape through the window. The Nurse does try and stick up for Juliet against Capulet but backs down when he shouts at her. Right at the end of the scene the Nurse suddenly changes and says, â€Å"I think it best you married with the county. † The Nurse has now decided not to back Romeo and Juliet’s love and told Juliet to marry Parris and forget about Romeo. She does this because she realises that Juliet has no alternative. We also learn things about the characters. We learn that Capulet has a very short fuse and gets very angry as he expects his family to do whatever he says. He was outraged that Juliet answered back by saying she did not want to marry Parris. â€Å"Hang thee young baggage, disobedient wretch! † This proves how aggressive Capulet gets. Also, Capulet and Lady Capulet’s marriage is shown in a different light as we see that Lady Capulet doesn’t stand up against her husband and does what he says. â€Å"Here comes your father, tell him so yourself, and see how he will take it at your hands. † This illustrates that she will not speak against her husband and advises Juliet to tell him herself. All this is showing that Capulet runs the relationship. We also find out that Romeo and Juliet’s relationship is very immature as they keep changing their minds about important things, for example â€Å"Therefore stay get, thou need’st not to be gone. † This proves their immaturity and that they don’t understand the consequences of their actions. This scene is a turning point in the play as Juliet is distraught because she is being forced to marry Parris and feels everyone has abandoned her. She believes the only way out is to take her own life, so she turns to the Friar for help. This is significant because the Friar is the one who gives her the sleeping potion and tells her to take it the night before her marriage to Parris. Taking the sleeping potion eventually leads to the death of Romeo and Juliet. I think the end isn’t quite inevitable because you don’t know that Romeo wouldn’t get the message from Friar Lawrence and think that Juliet is dead, then take the poison when he sees her in the tomb. If everything went to plan, Romeo would have known she was just in a deep sleep and then live together outside the walls of Verona. However, the way this scene ends and some of the language in this scene makes a tragic end more likely. There is a lot said in this scene that would suggest the play would end in tragedy. As Juliet is told she will marry Parris, this complicates everything for Juliet as she already has a husband. It makes her feel suicidal because Romeo has been banished and now she has to marry Parris. On top of all that her mother and Nurse abandon her. â€Å"Talk not to me, for I’ll not speak a word. Do as though wilt, for I have done with thee. † This makes us believe something tragic will happen soon. We also believe that it will end in tragedy because of the way the play has been structured. The play starts with the prologue, which says, â€Å"The fearful passage of their death marked love†¦ † This states that it will end tragically. Juliet says, â€Å"Methinks I see thee now though art so low, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb. † The two lovers separate after saying things like this, which suggests they will never see each other again. This all points to the same thing, a tragic end. This also changes the tone of the play because in the scene before, the mood was very loving and happy as Romeo and Juliet got married. This mood stayed at the beginning of this scene. â€Å"Look love, what envious streaks do lace the severing clouds I yonder east. † This shows Romeo being romantic to the women he loves. The romance is also shown in the structure of the sentences by iambic pentameter. It makes the sentences flow and sound poetic. All this shows love and happiness. Then when Juliet’s mother enters the mood changes from happy and loving to despair and sorrow. Juliet’s starts to plead with her mother but she will not listen. When her father enters the mood becomes very dramatic, as Capulet was being very aggressive. This is shown by harsh, brutal language, â€Å"Or I will drag thee on a hurdle thither. Out you green – sickness carrion. † This shows his anger and aggression. The rhythm has also changed, it is now very sharp and snappy to show the anger he has towards her. We also see Juliet pleading to her father, â€Å"Good father, I beseech you on my knees, hear me with patience, but to speak a word. † She pleads and pleads. She is worried and full of despair. At the end she talks of killing herself, this is how much the mood has changed. Shakespeare has presented several forms of love in this scene and other themes, like fate. The forms of love presented in this scene are young love, which Romeo and Juliet have for each other. This kind of love has blinded them and all they think about is each other. They don’t think about their actions. Also we are shown the love between Juliet and the Nurse, which is like a mother and daughter love. The Nurse helps Juliet and tries to give the best advice she can. I think Shakespeare wants the audience to conclude that love is strong and that people should fight for love. He may also want them to realise how some families can disown their children just because they love, in their eyes, the wrong person. The other theme, fate is an important part, as if it was meant to be they would be fine and nothing would go wrong but things go terribly wrong for Romeo and Juliet. So it seems fate is against them or fate has already predetermined their deaths. If I was directing the production of Romeo and Juliet I would instruct the actors to play their parts dramatically and over state things of importance e. g. I would make the actors playing Romeo and Juliet be over affectionate to each other at the beginning of this scene. I would tell the audience about the 16th Century life and behaviour, so they would be able to understand the background better. I would explain that the father expected everyone to do what he said. Also I would explain about the wet-nurse and the bond between her and Juliet. I would do this by including it in the programme or through a narrator. In order to get a good response from the audience I would have to highlight the things they can relate to. I would ask the actress who played Juliet to emphasise her despair by getting on her knees to plead with her father. Also I would make Capulet shout and push Juliet around ensuring that the audience would feel sorry for her. This will demonstrate how angry Capulet gets and that Juliet is really upset because she doesn’t want to marry Parris. To make sure they know the mother won’t stick up for Juliet I would make the actress hide behind Capulet. For the Nurse, I would get her to stop Capulet from hitting Juliet, to show she tried to help, but he will push her away. I would also make them emphasise the parts, which indicate the play will end in tragedy by speaking louder. Act III, Scene V is a particularly important scene because the mood drastically changes from happiness to despair. This is because she is being forced to marry Parris and everyone abandons her. All this shows the audience that there is going to be a tragic end to the play.