Human Trafficking, The Modern Slavery Essay

Introduction Human trafficking is a big problem all around the world. Every year, thousands of men, women and children are kidnapped by traffickers, and forced into sexual exploitation and slavery. In this essay, I will talk about the causes of human trafficking and what effects it has on the victims, families, and society. Causes The cause of human trafficking is mainly the organized criminals that kidnap and abuse the victims. Their main purpose is to get rich by exploiting people. These people usually are cold-hearted and they do not have any morals or sense of social justice. Another reason that causes human trafficking is that governments in those countries are very weak, and they usually do not do anything to help or at least try to help. Therefore, the criminals have more chances of kidnapping people without worrying about getting caught easily. The final cause of human trafficking is that society has a lack of awareness of its dangers. Not many people really care about human trafficking as they do not know the dangers of it. There may be a lack of attention given to the problem in education and the media. Human trafficking happens all around the world, even in rich countries. The countries that I will be writing about are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Vietnam and the U.S.A. The Congo. Human trafficking is a very serious problem in the Congo. The human trafficking in the Congo is usually for forced prostitution and forced labor. The government there is very weak; they do not seem to show any evidence of punishing and prosecuting the human trafficking offenders, or in raising awareness to other people. According to one report, â€Å"Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), continued to abduct and forcibly recruit Congolese men, women, and children to bolster their ranks and serve as laborers, porters, domestics, combatants, and sex slaves. For example, between July 30 and August 2, 2010, a coalition including the LRA abducted 116 civilians from 13 villages, and subjected them to forced labor. Between January and September 2010, the LRA violently abducted more than 279 Congolese citizens, including 184 children† – Refworld. (http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,USDOS,,COD,,4e12ee8837,0.html ) The U.S.A. The USA is one of the richer countries with more protection and awareness of human trafficking, but of course, there are still people (mostly women and children) getting kidnapped and being involved in this horrible crime. Another report says, â€Å"According to the FBI, there are currently an estimated 293,000 American children at risk of being exploited and trafficked for sex. Forty percent of all human trafficking cases opened for investigation between January 2008 and June 2010 were for the sexual trafficking of a child. And while the term trafficking may conjure images of desperate illegal immigrants being forced into prostitution by human smugglers, 83 percent of victims in confirmed sex trafficking cases in this country were American citizens.† -Guest Blogger , October 6, 2012- (http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/10/06/971401/girls-human-trafficking-and-modern-slavery-in-america/?mobile=nc) Vietnam. There are also a number of victims of human trafficking in Vietnam. Women and men here are usually trafficked for forced labor and the construction of buildings, or as domestic servants. Many Vietnamese women are trafficked to Cambodia for sexual exploitation, where they become prostitutes and are often unable to escape. When they get older they are thrown out of the trafficking and left to look after themselves. In 2004, the police had estimated that more than 50,000 Vietnamese women and girls under the age of under 18 had been victims of human trafficking, and the number is getting higher every year. http://www.globalexchange.org/country/vietnam/trafficking Effects There are lots of effects on the victims of human trafficking, mostly psychological and physical problems. There will also be health effects on the victims. Psychological effects could be even worse than physical effects as the victims will suffer from lack of self-esteem, emotional disturbance, depression, and they could even be scarred for life. This problem could lead to suicide. Health effects are also very serious. The victims who are involved in sexual exploitation can easily be infected by diseases such as HIV/AIDS. These diseases can then be passed onto their future partners (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/effects-of-human-trafficking.html) The families of the victims of human trafficking will be affected. The families would be completely broken and it will also affect their whole life, losing one of their loved ones. The society would be affected as well. This generation, people do not really do anything to prevent human trafficking. They do not help. Therefore, people now will always think that it is not their problem, so they do not have to worry. The society is getting worse and worse, and more selfish. Conclusion This essay shows the causes and effects of human trafficking. Human trafficking happens everywhere in the world, mostly in poorer countries with weak governments that usually do not help decrease the amount of human trafficking in their country. Additionally, the effects of this crime on the victims involved could be very serious, leading to mental problems like depression or even suicide. References Causes http://www.caritas.org/activities/women_migration/caritas_migration_trafficking_and_women.html?cnt=431 http://ec.europa.eu/anti-trafficking/section.action?sectionId=90963548-0cf3-43e1-8e59-4bce1b03192d §ionType=LIST_ENTITIES_SQUARE_IMAGES Human Trafficking in Vietnam http://www.actionaid.org.uk/100191/human_trafficking.html http://www.globalexchange.org/country/vietnam/trafficking In USA http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/10/06/971401/girls-human-trafficking-and-modern-slavery-in-america/?mobile=nc http://www.today.com/id/22083762/site/todayshow/ns/today-today_news/t/sex-slaves-human-trafficking-america/#.UPod-R37iYk In Congo http://www.indexmundi.com/democratic_republic_of_the_congo/trafficking_in_persons.html Effects http://www.buzzle.com/articles/effects-of-human-trafficking.html

The Poem Because I Could Not Stop for Death Explained

Death Stops for No One Jaime Hayes Death Stops for No One The poem â€Å"Because I Could Not Stop for Death† by Emily Dickinson is an extended metaphor on death, comparing it to a journey with a polite gentleman in a carriage taking the speaker on a ride to eternity. Through unusual symbolism, personification and ironic metaphors Dickinson subjugates that death is an elusive yet subtle being. Dickinson portrays death as an optimistic endeavor while most people have a gruesome perspective of death. This poem’s setting mirrors the circumstances by which death approaches, and death seems kind and compassionate.This poem is written in six quatrains. They are broken up into when she first meets death, through their carriage ride observing different stages of life to death and ultimately, to eternity. These quatrains give the poem unity and make it easy to read and interpret. The cadence of this poem, which is sneakily undulating, is lulling and attractive; you can almost ima gine it being set to the clomping of the horses’ hooves. Although the conversation is set between the speaker and Death, the horses’ hooves always seem to be in the background.The first quatrain starts out with the speaker communicating in past tense about death being a kind gentleman coming to stop for her, implying that she is already dead. Death is personified and introduced as one of the leading character and is also the focus of the poem; â€Å"Because I could not stop for death/ He kindly stopped for me. † (Dickinson, 1863, 1-2) By endowing death with human characteristics it becomes less frightening to the speaker as well as the reader. The fact that he â€Å"kindly† stopped is both a reassurance that his arrival was not unpleasant and an expression of the poet’s wit.It is ironic in a humorous way that death is kind. The speaker could not stop for death, meaning she is not ready to die, but death came anyway. Here, it becomes clear that deat h is inescapable and arrives on its own time. Death stops being an end and becomes instead the beginning of eternal life. When Death stops for her, he is accompanied by Immortality inside their carriage; â€Å"The Carriage held but just Ourselves/And Immortality. † (Dickinson, 1863, 3-4) The carriage is a metaphor for the way in which we make our final passage into death; a mode of transportation to the afterlife.At the time the poem was written a man and a woman were typically escorted by a chaperone, in this poem, Immortality is their chaperone. Immortality is also the reward or reason for the two, the speaker and Death, coming together. If the promise of immortality did not exist, one would never go along willingly, nor would one welcome death without fear. Dickinson begins the second quatrain as death’s journey, which is a slow, forward movement, which can be seen through the writing; â€Å"We slowly drove – he knew no haste. (Dickinson, 1863, 5) The slow r ide emphasizes the seriousness and solemn nature of this carriage ride or perhaps implies a slow and painful death by a debilitating disease. A sense of tranquility is felt here, as though the speaker is well acquainted with the fact that this ride will be her last. The speaker does not resist this ride but instead gives up her labor and leisure and succumbs to death; â€Å"And I had put away/My labor and my leisure too/For his civility. † (Dickinson, 1863, p. 6-8)The cadence of the poem begins to speed up as Death, Immortality and the speaker continue on their journey; â€Å"We passed the School, where Children strove/At Recess – in the Ring-/We passed the Fields of Grazing Grain/We passed the Setting Sun. † (Dickinson, 1863, 9-12) All three of these images suggest different stages of life; the children in the school yard at recess depict the early stages of life, the fields of grazing grain represent the middle stages of life and adulthood, the setting of the sun is the final stage of life.She notices the daily routine that she is leaving behind, but continues not to fight with Death. In this quatrain, Dickinson uses an anaphora â€Å"We passed† in order to help the poem progress as well as tie it together to reinforce that the different stages of life are passing them by. Here, one can assume the trip takes a while, as it was light when the journey began and now the sun is setting and night begins. The poem slows back down again as the fourth quatrain begins and death seems to be setting in; â€Å"Or rather – He passed Us. † (Dickinson, 1863, 13) This line refers to the setting of the sun from the previous quatrain.This symbolizes the transition from life to death, the sun passes them referring to how she is beyond the concept of time and she descends into eternity. There is a reference to the change in temperature and how the speaker is not dressed appropriately for this change; â€Å"The Dews drew quivering and c hill-/For only Gossamer, my Gown/My Tippet – only Tulle. † (Dickinson, 1863, 14-16) This quatrain suggests not only the literal coldness that comes from not dressing appropriately, but also the emotional coldness that occurs when dealing with ones death.The only physical entities that hold value to the speaker anymore are now her Gossamer gown and her tippet made from tulle. The fifth quatrain describes the grave or tomb the carriage has arrived at, relating it to a house; â€Å"We passed before a House that seemed/A Swelling of the Ground/The Roof was scarcely visible/The Cornice in the Ground† (Dickinson, 1863, 17-20) The way the grave is being described implies a sense of comfort for the speaker. Metaphorically, cornice in the ground is the speaker’s coffin, or more specifically the molding around the coffins lid. Here, it is the only visible part of the house itself.The graves description and the fact that there is no door, only a roof, suggests that t here is no escape from death once she enters the house. The poem ends with what seems like the speaker looking back on her life from her final destination in eternity. Time suddenly loses meaning, hundreds of years feel no different than a day; â€Å"Since then – ‘tis Centuries – and yet/Feels shorter than the Day (Dickinson, 1863, 21-22) The setting shifts in this last quatrain when the reader finds out the place in the beginning of the poem is from long ago and the speaker is telling this story long into the afterlife.Immortality is the goal hinted at in the first quatrain where â€Å"Immortality† is the other occupant in the carriage, yet it is not until this quatrain that we see the speaker has obtained it. As the speaker is looking at the past events through an eternal looking glass, she says that life, like the â€Å"Horses’ Heads† that picked her up, leads toward â€Å"Eternity. † In this last quatrain death ceases to be what d eath is, an end, but instead becomes an eternal journey of immortality.By ending with the word â€Å"eternity† the poem itself performs this eternity trailing off into the infinite. It is shown through Dickinson’s use of unconventional metaphors that no matter what one thinks about life and how busy one may be; death is never too busy to stop for anyone. Dickinson’s feelings are expressed through unusual symbolism to the reader; comparing death to a carriage ride with a kind gentleman and immortality. It is through the promise of immortality that fear is removed and death not only becomes acceptable, but welcomed as well.

Arts history Essay

The word art lacks a satisfactorily definition of what it really means but it can be defined as he use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others to pass some information. The history of art may be regarded as an attempt to check out art throughout human history, investing through different cultures and their distinguishing features. It may date back to over a thousand years as the word history is not time defined. As the word it blurs in meaning then so is description of what is art and what is not. Art can be grouped into five major categories. This encompasses music, pottery, painting, sculpture and architecture. In ancient times this were done with a view to pass on some vital lessons and for aesthetic reasons. With changing times this has changed as some parties have learned to exploit people’s interest in art by using art commercially. Given the above explanation of the word art then looking at the history of art would mean looking at the history of visual arts of painting sculpture, music, pottery and architecture. Since medieval times representation of ideas perceived as art has played a central role in understanding works of art such as literature. There are many ways of representing art such as n, verbal, visual or musical, as being natural to human beings. . Two Greek grates Aristotle and Plato put their views on representation into perspective. While Aristotle traced representation, original and natural to man, Plato, on the other hand viewed representation with more caution. He recognized that literature is a representation of life, yet also believed that representations create worlds of illusion leading one away from the reality For Plato, representation, like contemporary media, intervenes between the viewer and the real, creating illusions which lead one away from â€Å"real things†. Plato was of the opinion that art representation need some form of control to measure the effect the work of art had on its recipients. (Gallery. 1998) It was Aristotle however who came up with a rather acceptable and definitive description of art representation. He believed that representation was about three main things. The what, the hoe and the means †¢ The object: The symbol being represented. †¢ Manner: The way the symbol is represented. †¢ Means: The material that is used to represent it. Myths are stories that explain why the world is the way it is. All cultures have them. Throughout history, artists have been inspired by myths and legends and have given them visual form. Sometimes these works of art are the only surviving record of what particular cultures believed and valued. But even where written records or oral traditions exist, art adds to our understanding of myths and legends. (Gallery. 1998) In early times, painting was a common way of life. As there was no clear cut way of communicating, painting presented an easy way to pass on into and ideas. In modern days paintings from the past like the Mona Lisa one still hold significant sentimental value. This was done quite a while ago. Simple materials form organic substances were used as the painting medium on walls and any other writing material that presented itself. This were later stored for the write purpose. In ancient Greece, several scribers and writers were known to put down their ideas using ink on scroll books. These were to be stored in porches that were strapped to their backs. Given the modern day description of the word art this practice can be traced as source or art in its own right. (D’Alleva. 2006) Carving can be described as shaping a hard substance to put across some information that the artist wants to put across. Carving was done mostly by the male part of society as much effort was put in. a sharp tool like a carving stone, mattock was instrumental in doing this depending on the malleability of the material. (Frazier, 1999). Carvings of people in war, a king and his subjects and so on used to be examples of how artists harmonized their thoughts into some useful creations. Some works of art done long ago still hold much regard to date. Such include sculptures of icons like leaders. This has been preserved in museums or even in streets in towns. The people who began this practice may have had different regards of doing it. Some may have had an interest in it or maybe just so because an opportunity to engage in the practice. For many though there had been no better means of presenting their ideas. Whatever the reason was for each of those involved, one artifact holds, that none of them did this to start their own line of art. While many may argue their case that these men and women defined art with their efforts, others may be simply dismissing this as another myth. (Gallery. 998) One role of art is to give visible or tangible form to ideas, philosophies, or feelings. This role can be revealing. It can work to heighten our most passionate and intimate yearnings. The Notice, Three Goddesses utilizes an expressive line in the folding layers of the marble cloth. Here, the use of an expressive line functions as an emotional guide for the observer to intuitively follow. (D’Alleva. 2006) The experience of art history, as conveyed by art museums, tends to be organized differently than that of textbooks due to the nature of collections and the institutions themselves. Rather than a full march through time, museums employ curators who assemble objects into exhibitions, often with unique commentary that is later reinterpreted by docents. This may be undertaken with the museum’s archivist. The result is often a strong emphasis on the history of media in conjunction with the history of culture. (D’Alleva. 2006) Such an emphasis on media is a natural outgrowth of the internal classification systems used in art museums, which usually include departments of painting, sculpture, decorative arts, and works on paper. Painting itself includes several media, such as oil painting, Tempera painting, watercolor. Sculpture can be divided into carving and casting. The decorative arts are perhaps the most diverse, as they include: textiles and needlework, which includes weaving and lace. Museums generally cannot collect full buildings, but they may acquire pieces of architectural ornamentation, which also fall under the decorative arts department. Works on paper includes photography and the book arts. (Barbara, 1991) Several myths have been coming up as to what is perceived to have been the right source and origin or even who performed it first. There might not be a perfect conclusive and elaborate explanation to this any time real soon given the uncertainty that even surrounds the meaning of the word on what is art what it is not. Without even knowing this then it proves hard to find out where it came from and what ways were used to represent it. One more reason to this is the fact that a different art can be traced to each different way of life. Given that each of the ancient civilizations had their own way of living then it proves hard going into the past looking for artifacts that were barely recalled. (Adams, 1996)

AT&T Introduction and Corporate Ethics Assignment

AT&T Introduction and Corporate Ethics - Assignment Example AT&T has consistently been providing its consumers with reliable, durable and most importantly creative products for more than a century. AT&T is popular as a principal provider of IP-based communications all over the world. Among all US wireless carriers, AT&T happens to offer the maximum international coverage and is the fastest network of mobile broadband in the US. AT&T phones function internationally. The number of the total broadband connections of AT&T also exceeds those of all other companies in the US. Presently, AT&T is making its way into the entertainment industry by expanding its video packages. AT&T is trying to include many prestigious TV services including AT&T DIRECTV. â€Å"It's part of our "three-screen" integration strategy to deliver services across the three screens people rely on most — the mobile device, the PC and the TV† (AT&T, 2011). The customer services provided by AT&T are remarkable. One of the most fundamental and essential the traditions of AT&T is innovation. Making use of its technology, in the year 1927, AT&T located its way to the first ever transatlantic phone call. The UNIX operating system developed by AT&T played a fundamental role in the development of the Internet. Many other operating systems like Linux that are presently in use worldwide were originally derived from the UNIX operating system. ... â€Å"Today, our mission is to connect people with their world, everywhere they live and work, and do it better than anyone else. We're fulfilling this vision by creating new solutions for consumers and businesses and by driving innovation in the communications and entertainment industry† (AT&T, 2011). AT&T’s Vision AT&T developed its network globally with a view to providing the networking specialists in the AT&T Labs with plenty of resources in order to make them better equipped for making the disparate systems function together. AT&T has become a standard for others to compare themselves within the capacity of the world’s most efficient, reliable and the fastest global network.     

Research about social Impact of Flooding, Building regulation of Case Study

Research about social Impact of Flooding, Building regulation of flooding at King's Lynn in the UK - Case Study Example 17). As a result, Colonel John Armstrong surveyed the river in 1724 and suggested for the construction of drainage works. However, John Smeaton opposed this idea suggesting that it was important for banks to be moved inwards in order to create a narrower and fast-flowing channel. The eastern part of the England Region, which is among the largest English regions, has a population of about 5.5 million people. It stretches from the northern fringe of London to the northern part of Norfolk coast. The region is includes counties of Suffolk, Norfolk, Cambridge shire, Hertford shire and Bedfordshire. The East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) has the primary responsibility for the spatial planning mainly at the regional level (Gardine & Matthews, 2002, p. 21). Housing development forms the main component of urban development as well as house allocation forecasts. The allocation forecasts are for local planning authorities and sub regions. The forecasts give an indication of areas that are likely to be hit by floods. These are likely to be constraint to growth but where there is large scale urban development, the floods are likely to cause an adverse effect. The coastal towns in Norfolk, Suffolk, Lincolnshire and Essex are battered when the sea waters surge into the streets. As a result, the floods cause devastating effects on people living in these areas. Emergency services always struggle to cope and many residents are displaced and forced to spend nights on rooftops as they await rescue. In addition, as the sea level rises, the lower part of Thames estuary is always at risk of flooding. Consequently, housing, industry and farmland are destroyed (Gardine & Matthews, 2002, p. 24). The floods have caused serious financial damage to people living in this are. Many houses and other property costing millions of euros are always destroyed in a single flood. For example, in the 2009 flood, it destroyed over a hundred buildings in Norfolk and Essex. These

White Collar Crime as a Non-Violent Type of Crime Assignment

White Collar Crime as a Non-Violent Type of Crime - Assignment Example Owing to its organizational nature, white collar crime requires an organizational approach towards mitigation. The text in this study will define through a proposal addressed to a financial institution how a Chief Risk Officer can strategize and implement measures to curb white collar crime within a financial institution. The text will highlight a risk strategy, overall organizational chart, software and technology, and finally the procedures and policies that will see to it that the institution’s finances are safe and transparent. Every organization requires measures that address threats or potential risks which may act as loopholes leading to white collar crime within or beyond the organization. The offered consultative measures feature governance that is sustainable, programs that manage risks, and compliance with the set measures that work to manage, monitor, identify, and remediate the entire organizing process in preventing the vicious. Access means that all organizational documentation and data has controlled exposure to affect both its security and privacy. This is because access to such crucial aspects of an organization means that modification and/or misuse of the same can enable the one possessing them to exercise whatever they wish. The set access controls should be designed to ensure that the right person accesses the information or documentation they need, only when they need it. This is important because unauthorized personnel cannot misuse such, and in case of any crime, then it is possible to narrow down to the few who have the access (Pontell & Geis, 2010). Again, security should go beyond the organization level, especially in cases where there is internet use. Most firms store or conduct their activities online, where it is known that virtual transactions and storages are prone to cracking and hacking. As such, there should be measures that comply with up-to-standard IT security to curb these risks.  Ã‚  

The great man theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The great man theory - Assignment Example The article takes a deeper look at the great man theory that puts it clear that a great leader is God given not man-made. It only provides two options; either one is born as leader or one is not born a leader. The history of the great man theory dates back to the 19th century, when great leaders seen at that time were in born heroes, for instance Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi and Alexander the Great. The theory had also focused on the highly quested positions in the army which were hereditary from father to son. This also led to the name, great man theory since no women were holding commanding positions. In the 1800s, military authoritative positions would paint the leadership skills of a man. With the assumption that the skills are inborn, the son of the leader was to take over since it was believed they had the same skills as their fathers. Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish writer, is credited for his move to popularize the theory in the 1840s. According to Thomas Carlyle, the history o f the world is nothing, but a bibliography of great men. He also believed that great leaders are those born with divine inspiration and proper characteristics to lead a group of people. The theory simply tends to separate leaders and followers. It gives the assumption that leaders differed from their followers. The theory portrays the fact that, in society different people posses different levels of intelligence, energy and moral strength, and in whatever way people are influenced to go, they are always led by the superior minded few. (Miller, Vandome & McBrewster, 2010). Back in the days, many leaders had the opportunity of having a chance of leadership through the birthright. This hindered the lesser in society in having the opportunity to be leaders. This brought up the assumption that leadership abilities are inherent. Proponents of this theory comprise of the world great leaders who came into power due to situational causes, for instance, John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Lee Lacocca. In another concept, a great leader always steps up regardless of their social status or location. A person with inborn leadership qualities will effect positive change in every place he or she goes. A person may not be a holder of an authoritative post but influences great masses to any direction he or she wishes. In deed, this is a description of a born leader according to the great man theory. Applications of this theory are visible in modern day management. Apart from government organizations, private company owners prefer to hand over their businesses to their sons after their retirement. They believe the leadership skills in them have been passed on to their sons. With this, one is able to see the long life of an organization, which has been led by one family for over 40 years. In some cases, the application of the inherent leadership posts may be difficult for offsprings but situational purposes make the shoes fit for them. Another application may be evident in co ntesting of parliamentary or presidential posts. In many instances, it has been

Ethical leadership in the modern business market Essay

Ethical leadership in the modern business market - Essay Example Although seeking to understand each and every aspect of the way that ethics have shifted and changed in the years that make up the XXI century would require a thesis length response, this brief analysis will seek to understanding and briefly enumerate upon the key differentials that have come to exist within ethics of the XXI century as opposed to those that existed earlier. Furthermore, the analysis will give a particular level of discussion with regards to the means by which the recent global financial collapse was ultimately precipitated and aided by the complete disregard for ethical standards. Perhaps the most salient and important aspect of ethics that have changed within the XXI century is the level to which ethics have come to be differentiated upon the terms of both personal and systemic. If one briefly considers the way that a large company handled business back before the turn of the XXI century they would come to note that the company placed a high degree of emphasis on honesty of the employees and/or shareholders as a fundamental requirement that might be espoused (Brenkert, 2010). However, namely missing from such an ethical interpretation of company needs would be the reciprocal understanding that it was the sworn duty of the form to exhibit such a level of ethical responsibility with regards to both the employees as well as the end consumer. In this way, ethical considerations of the previous era were more focused on profitability and how the company may wish to safeguard its assets, inclusive of employees, while completely disregarding the ethical responsibilit ies that management/leadership espoused with relation to the rest of the system (Cuillla, 2011). This should of course not be understood to mean that all firms during this time were disrespectful to the ethical considerations that they must necessarily espouse to the customer or to the shareholder/employee. Rather, the level of emphasis, as it exists today was not to such a highly evolved, regulated, and legislated mandate that it has subsequently reached within the past several decades. Says the textbook that was used for this class, â€Å"An organization is concerned with regulating the behavior and performance of its employees to ensure safe, uniform, and effective conduct in the performance of duties† (McLachlan, 2009). This level of ethical understanding of as a function of profitability is perhaps the single most important reality that must be considered with regards to the global economic collapse 2007/2008. Rather than the shareholders of the situation paying particul ar attention to the ethical ramifications of their actions, profitability was ultimately championed as the greater good in each and every situation. Although it is oftentimes been convenient for individuals to point to the upper management of firms such as Lehman Brothers, the reality of the situation is that middle management as well as the line employees of such institutions bore as much ethical culpability as those at the top. Due to the fact that they were fully aware of the situation was taken place and did absolutely nothing to bring these concerns to light, these individuals are ethically and morally culpable as well. Although it is not the determination of this particular analysis to shed blame with regards to global financial collapse of 2007/2008, it must be understood that an ethical interpretation of the event demands that all parties be analyzed in an unbiased manner. This shared form of responsibility has become a fundamental hallmark of the ethics of the

Monique and the Mango Rains Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Monique and the Mango Rains - Essay Example She did this by saving lives and giving hopes to people in a place where giving birth was risky (Holloway 78, 2007). Kris majors on exemplifying the passion of changing the lives of women facing poverty and unhappy marriages. In this essay, the obstacles faced by Malian Minianka women in achieving higher status, and relating gendered inequality to anthropological concepts such as marriage, economy, and reproductive health issues are aptly discussed. Part 2; Gender Norms and Stratification in Mali In gender norms in Mali, the local culture in which Monique was brought up had strict guidelines that guided women on how to handle themselves. For example, the society was against the idea of using birth control pills; thus, she had to this secretly. The issue of health inequality was the core factor that caused the obstacles experienced by women in this region. In gender stratification, it is established that it is responsible for the maternity-related deaths of 500 000 women annually. The mortality rate for women losing their lives during birth was about 1 in every 12 women. Kris writes on how the region has the highest maternal mortality rates and highest fertility in sub-Saharan Africa. It is estimated that less than 6% of women in their fertility season used contraception, and women that suffered genital ablation was above 96% in their childhood. 1 in 5 children born die immaturely before they reach their 5th birthday. Part 3; Marriage Marriage in this region was not gender sensitive since women were limited in doing certain jobs and denied credit for their hard work in the society. For example, Monique failed to get support from her husband and was trapped in an arranged marriage. They were forced to stay in a marriage despite the problems they encountered since annulment was not encouraged in marriages. Women that divorced their partners were snatched their children. The marriage system was gender insensitive since men were perceived in the society as low and had no value in the society. They were strained into marriages at an exceptionally tender age; hence, facing the challenges of giving birth. Part 4; Economy According to the Kris, the socio-political issues and instable economy was another factor that increased the obstacles women had to face in the society. Women’s economy was low to extent that they could not access proper medical services. For example, Monique suffered from severe mouth pains and was unable to access apt treatment on her dental pains. Women received exceptionally low salary despite the amount of work they did in division of labor. For example, Monique worked incessantly by edifying the community on health issues, but was paid a low salary unfortunately (Holloway 11, 2007). Women in this region also lacked recognition despite the efforts they enacted to the society, and were also not given time rest. There was the lack of running water, skilled and trained doctors, and lack of adequate medical equipments especially for emergencies. Part 5; Reproductive Health Issues The obstacle faced by Malian Minianka women is receiving quality and apt health care services to secure their health. The book recounts the story of a local health worker located at Nampossela in Mali. Women at this region faced the intricacy of accessing apt medication from the government and nongovernmental organizations. Kris shows how Monique offered health care services like prenatal consultations, health demonstrations freely (Holloway 78, 2007). Others included; assisting pregnant ladies in giving birth, administering vaccinations, and solving minor health predicament she had the ability to treat (Holloway 2007, 8). Monique and the Mango Rains highlights a

Doesn't need a topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Doesn't need a topic - Assignment Example This resulted in failure to attain social institutions reforms. The ideology of constitutionalism in Iran led to the transformation from a political imaginary to the social movement. However, the constitutionalism and transformation were obtained through certain discursive conditions, which brought about the emergence of a populist political movement. The movement unified an ensemble of forces with different demands, needs and aspirations. The increased contact with Europe had both positive and negative changes. The financial crisis in the 1870s rendered the Qajar regime to develop a policy of granting concessions to foreign companies and subjects. In 1872, the regime introduced the Reuter concession. The concession was granted to British subjects, Julius de Reuter, the seldom role to exploit all mines, collect the customs, build railways and the right to buy the needed land for a period of seventy-five years. The concession united forces and individuals whose positions and interests of power had been undermined by westernization (Gelvin, 2005). Iranian society opposed these measures by the Qajar regime since they reasoned that it was a real threat to the sovereignty of the country. The Tobacco concession was later granted to British companies. The concession granted the company the monopoly for the sale and marketing of tobacco for fifty years. This concession triggered extensive popular opposition from the Iranian elites. According to the opposition, the Tobacco concession was understood as a ‘selling out’ of the country and the ‘Islamic Millat’ to European, non-Muslim country. Tobacco movement was initiated by merchants with primary purposes of protesting against the complacency of clerics and the science in the face of â€Å"non-Muslim’s domination of Iran.† The cities such as Tabriz, Shiraz and Tehran developed the most prominent oppositions to the tobacco concession (Gelvin, 2005).

The Role of Tragedy in Early Greek Legacy Essay Example for Free

The Role of Tragedy in Early Greek Legacy Essay Tragedies have been a big and important part of Greek culture and history. Greek tragedies are dramas performed before a large audience, usually during festivities of gods, that narrate the story of a hero and all the unusual challenges and sufferings that he has to go through in order to achieve something or learn an important lesson. Tragedies usually have complex plots wherein disasters happen one after the other and their resolutions reveal important lessons or realizations. These dramas have apparently started around the 5th century BCE, a pivotal time in Greek history that also marked a lot of their other contributions like democracy. Thespis, known as the father of drama, introduced the idea of one actor acting on stage that started the flourishing of tragic dramas (â€Å"Greek Tragic Drama†). Later on, three masters of tragedy emerged namely Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. Many of the tragedies that have survived from their time were written by these men who made Greek tragedies a real part of literature. But tragedies are not merely stories popularized just to be performed before an audience. Tragedies serve as an important expression of culture and creativity of Greek society. They are well supported by the Greek society because tragedies serve as means of reminding the Greeks of the moral lessons values that their culture upholds and believes in. The arrival of tragedies was in Greece was a very significant timing in history because it was around the time when Greek culture gaining momentum and flourishing. The â€Å"great surge in creativity catalyzed the concept of the Greek tragedy† (Reed 1). It encouraged the creation of dramas with crucial themes by presenting them as one of the highlights of festivities. A tragedy usually â€Å"depicts the downfall of a noble hero or heroine, usually through some combination of hubris, fate, and the will of the gods† (â€Å"Tragedy: the Basics†). Heroes are great men and women but remains imperfect humans capable of doing good and committing mistakes. They are not totally good nor totally bad, but they are usually prominent or greater than other people around them. They are also packaged as people destined to experience big transformations in their lives. Tragedies became avenues for the creative minds of playwrights to let their imagination and talent out. In the Greek society, tragedies also function as â€Å"lessons in behavior† because of the way they incorporate moral teachings into the changes of the lives of the heroes (Reed 1). The trials, successes, failures, and losses that the heroes experience serve as effective teaching tools for the Greeks. Tragedies convey different realities and some of the most common themes they present are that â€Å"actions do not go unpunished, and the gods work in mysterious – an often ironic – ways† (Reed 2). Since the characters of tragedies are not always perfectly virtuous, they are given certain tasks that challenge and influence the actions they take in their lives. The twists in the plots also give constant reminder of the intertwined quality of human life and the power of the wills of the gods. Tragedies function as manifestations of the reality that life is never perfect for men. They also serve as reminders for Greeks of the different experiences that could possibly happen to a human person, giving them idea what path should one take and what should be avoided. Tragedies are very easy to appreciate despite having heavy themes because they deal with specific instances of life. They revolve around adventures in families, in battles, and in religion. Tragedies usually follow relationships of people with others and with their gods as guides for their plots. Divine presence in everything in this world is a very significant character of Greek culture and many tragedies highlight the importance of faith in ones daily life. Tragedies are very important to the Greek society because they give lessons about virtue and warnings how people should live their life morally by using immense disasters that complicate a heros life. It is not easy being a hero in a Greek tragedy although â€Å"the hero need not die at the end, but he or she must undergo a change in fortune† in order to understand and live out the the different virtues of the Greek society (â€Å"Tragedy: the Basics†). The goal of every tragedy is to make the audience see what may come out with good values and what are the probable tragic events for every mistake or wrong action. These are specific warnings or reminders about life, about the use of power, and about morality as a part of everyday life. â€Å"Greek tragedies speak volumes about the lives of those dwelling in this ancient society† (Reed 3). They are representations of what was the culture of Greece in its early years. Through their plots, their characters, and the ideals incorporated in their stories, tragedies are able to preserve the culture and beliefs that the Greeks have. Tragedies have a unique way of teaching and passing on knowledge to people through the presentations on the stage. The Greeks â€Å"responded so well to this approach because their core values are being addressed in a way that enables everyone to participate† (Reed 3). Performed art was very close to the hearts of this creative and rich nation. â€Å"Classic Greek drama was a community art, not a business venture† and the dramatists are regarded with high importance in their society (â€Å"Greek Tragic Drama†). Tragedies serve the effective purpose of educating people about examples of moral actions, cleansing of souls, and other related religious and virtuous beliefs. Another significance of these tragedies is that they bind the Greeks together as one society. Tragedies are affairs that serve as a â€Å"community gathering largely sponsored by the government†(Reed 1). Presentations usually take a form of contests and have emerged to become annual events in Ancient Greece. Large venues are allotted for them because â€Å"performance of tragedies fostered a sense of community amongst the Greek people†and every citizen in the society are expected to witness them. Therefore, performances of tragedies gather thousands of people together to performances that entertain and educate, effectively passing on of political and religious messages promoted in Greek culture. Although very entertaining and usually presented in festivals, tragedies were not intended only for entertainment purposes only for they also unit the Greeks as one community. â€Å"With so many individuals, ranging from prominent politicians to peasants, a tragedy was something all people could share† (Reed 3). In a theater where tragedies are performed, people from different classes, educated or not educated, men and women, are all given the chance to appreciate and witness the tragic dramas. And through these events, people learn more about the roles of their government, their communities, and their religion in their lives. Tragedies are considered very important and significant in Greek society. Indeed, they are capable of making people more responsible in their roles in their communities and more respectful of their gods. Greek tragedies are also expressions of devotion to their gods because they describe the important role that gods play in the lives of humans. Today, a lot of tragedies still prevails and recognized as some of the most important contributions of the Greek civilization to people. They were elaborately supported by the Greek society because of the benefits they were able to share in making their community educated, prosperous, and peaceful. Tragedies usually challenge ideas of too much pride, injustice, foolishness, and other human flaws. They encourage knowledge and moral living. Tragedies present frank and definite examples of what happen to people who question the powers of gods or the intentions of the government. Because of this, they are able to nurture a citizenship well aware of the purpose and significance of their culture. Works Cited â€Å"Greek Tragic Drama. † Memphis University School. n. d. Web. 20 July, 2010. Retrieved from http://faculty. musowls. org/Sheltont/Literature/HO(gtd). htm. Reed, Sloane. â€Å"The Critical Role Greek Tragedies Played in Greek Society. † Associated Content. com 13 Nov. 2008. Web. 20 July 2010. Retrieved from http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/1180307/the_critical_role_greek_tragedies_played_pg3. html? cat=37. â€Å"Tragedy: the Basics. † Grand Valley State University. 2008. Web. 20 July 2010. Retrieved

Save water Essay Example for Free

Save water Essay WATER SAVINGS PROTOCOL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Final Version 3.0 June 2009 Acknowledgements This document has been prepared by the Department of Sustainability and Environment in collaboration with Goulburn-Murray Water, the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project (NVIRP) with technical advice provided by Hydro Environmental. -i- TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction _______________________________________________________ 1 2. Purpose of this Document ___________________________________________ 2 3. Roles and Responsibilities ___________________________________________ 2 3.1. Project Proponent _____________________________________________________3 3.2. Water Corporation _____________________________________________________4 3.3. Resource Manager_____________________________________________________4 3.4. Minister for Water and Associated Departments ______________________________5 3.4.1. Department for Sustainability and Environment ______________________________ 5 3.5. Minister for Planning and Community Development and Associated Departments ____6 3.6. Minister for Environment and Associated Departments _________________________6 3. 6.1. Catchment Management Authorities (Environmental Managers) _________________ 6 3.7. Murray-Darling Basin Authority ___________________________________________7 4. High Level Process Diagram for Assessing Water Savings ________________ 7 ii 1. Introduction This document â€Å"Roles and Responsibilities† is part of the â€Å"Water Savings Protocol for the Quantification of Water Saving Projects† (the Protocol). The Protocol is a series of documents, which together, provides transparency, and consistency in the estimation and allocation of water savings derived from irrigation modernisation projects. It has been developed based on the key principles in the Draft Northern Region Sustainable Water Strategy and is applicable State-wide. The Protocol consists of: †¢ Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings †¢ Roles and Responsibilities †¢ Water Savings Audit Process The documents that make up the Protocol is shown in Figure 1. WATER SAVINGS PROTOCOL FOR THE QUANTIFICATION OF WATER SAVINGS FROM IRRIGATION MODERNISATION PROJECTS Explanatory Note from the Minister Technical Manual For Quantification of Water Savings Roles Responsibilities Water Savings Audit Process Figure 1: Water Savings Protocol documents The overall purpose of the Water Savings Protocol documents, including this document, is to: †¢ specify a reliable and repeatable process and method to estimate water savings from irrigation modernisation projects; -1- †¢ †¢ 2. provide the best estimate of water savings for inclusion in economic assessments of investments in irrigation modernisation projects; and establish a transparent process which can be readily audited and reported on to enable actual water savings to be converted to entitlements at an appropriate time. Purpose of this Document The purpose of this document is to set out the roles and responsibilities of the stakeholders involved in irrigation modernisation projects. The roles and responsibilities are specifically related to the accounting, reporting and auditing of associated water savings. These roles and responsibilities are consistent with Government Policies including the legislated roles and responsibilities of the various organisations in the Water Act 1989 and the Environmental Effects Act 1978. 3. Roles and Responsibilities The following sections outline the specific roles and responsibilities of the various organisations involved in water savings projects. These organisations include:i. the Project Proponent ii. the System Operator iii. the Minister for Water iv. the Department of Sustainability and Environment (the Department) v. Environmental Regulator (Minister for Planning) and Associated Departments vi. Minister for Environment and Associated Departments vii. Environmental Manager (Catchment Management Authority and/or Parks Victoria) viii. the Murray-Darling Basin Authority (in relation to Northern Victoria). The relationship between the above mentioned organisations and their involvement in water savings projects throughout Victoria can be seen schematically in Figure 2. -2- Minister for Environment and Climate Change Minister for Planning and Community Development Catchment Management Authorities Water Corporation Parks Victoria Minister for Water Resource Manager / System Operator Department of Sustainability and Environment Murray Darling Basin Authority Project Proponent Figure 2: Victorian Water Savings Projects – Key Organisations 3.1. Project Proponent The project proponent is the entity with the role of planning, designing and delivering the irrigation modernisation project including its various water savings interventions. The role of the Proponent is to: †¢ identify water saving opportunities. †¢ devise and develop the scope of projects in conjunction with the holder of the system operating water entitlement. †¢ seek all necessary approvals to works and endorsement of their associated water savings. †¢ identify potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures and consult with the appropriate environmental managers at a State and Federal level. †¢ quantify the volume of water savings to be generated by each intervention in accordance with the methodology outlined in the Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings. †¢ prior to implementing the annual works program, and at reasonable intervals throughout the season if requested by the System Operator, calculate the estimated interim water savings for the current/future irrigation season for the purpose for setting this water aside for future allocation. †¢ communicate to the System Operator, the planned annual works program and changes as they occur. †¢ implement works in accordance with the works program. -3- †¢ communicate any significant departures from the planned works program, as it is implemented, to the System Operator. †¢ notify the System Operator and the Executive Director of Water Entitlements and Strategies (within the Department) of the volumes of water that are expected to be set aside (Interim Savings) and transferred (Long Term Savings) as result of each intervention being implemented. †¢ calculate the actual water savings arising from the works in accordance with the Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings to determine both the interim and the long term water savings. †¢ report, as required, the projected interim and final water savings including any details of changes from the overall targeted volumes of water savings for the project or water savings intervention. †¢ arrange for an independent audit and report of the water savings utilising the independent auditor(s) awarded to the auditing of water savings by the independent panel in accordance with the Audit Process. †¢ advise the System Operator and Executive Director of Water Entitlements and Strategies (within the Department) on the outcomes of the water savings audit 3.2. Water Corporation The Water Corporation is responsible for assessing system losses on the longer term to ensure longevity of water savings realised through interventions associated with irrigation modernisation projects. The System Operator is to: †¢ ensure water delivery services can continue to be provided to water entitlement holders on the system. †¢ on the advice of the proponent, consult with system water users impacted by the agreed project works. †¢ provide water system asset information required to enable the Project Proponent to complete interim and long term water savings projections. †¢ apply to Minister for Water to amend/transfer part of the savings as water entitlement. †¢ operate and maintain the water delivery system in accordance with the agreed project objectives and ensure accountable water savings are sustainable and maintained in the long term. 3.3. Resource Manager The Resource Manager or Storage Operator, as defined in the relevant bulk entitlements, is responsible for managing and allocating the water resources in accordance with the bulk entitlements. This includes making and projecting seasonal determinations. The Resource Manager / Storage Operator is to: †¢ provide to the proponent, projections of annual water deliveries and allocations to enable the progressive calculation of interim water savings as the project is implemented. -4- †¢ manage and collect water delivery system flow (inflow and outflow) measurement data and make that data available t the Project Proponent. †¢ ensure provision of water related data to the Project Proponent and the Department is guaranteed through a quality assurance process. Where the data has been modified or filtered, provide both the raw and modified data including documentation of reasons for modification. †¢ at the start of each irrigation season, or progressively as agreed, set aside the amounts of water projected to be saved through the modernisation works. †¢ confirm the estimates of actual water savings provide by the Project Proponent and where necessary recommend an amendment to those savings for consideration by the Project Proponent. 3.4. Minister for Water and Associated Departments The Minister for Water is responsible for the water portfolio in the State of Victoria. The Minister oversees the policy direction with the support of the Department. The delivery of long term water savings and ensuring government water savings targets are met is a key responsibility of the Minister. The Minister for Water: †¢ has agreed to the Water Savings Framework and its associated Water Savings Protocols including its Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings and the Water Savings Audit Processes †¢ will, with the support of the Department, update the Protocol to ensure continual improvement and the use of the best technical basis available at the time. †¢ will, with the support of the Department, amend and transfer Bulk entitlements (Water Act 1989) to represent the long term water savings realised through the modernisation program. 3.4.1. Department for Sustainability and Environment The Department supports the Minister for Water in the administration of the water portfolio in Victoria with respect to water recovery. The Department will: †¢ support the Minister for Water in developing a Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings (Attachment 1) and the associated Audit Processes (Attachment 3). †¢ support the Minister for Water in amending and transferring bulk entitlements. †¢ recommend to the Minister for Water updates to the Protocols, particularity the Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings to ensure continual improvement and the use of the best technical basis available at the time. †¢ convene a meeting with the System Operator and the Project Proponent and Department a minimum of every 6 months to review the application of the Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings in Northern Victoria. -5- †¢ arrange for a Panel to establish a list of independent auditors which may be used to audit water savings estimates and related baseline data (both interim savings on annual basis and long term savings at the end of the water savings project). †¢ establish an agreed methodology for calculating the annual Long Term Cap Equivalent (LTCE) conversion factor to be used in long term water savings estimates. †¢ provide the Project Proponent (and System Operator if requested) with the Long Term Cap Equivalent conversion factors for particular years. 3.5. Minister for Planning and Community Development and Associated Departments The Minister for Planning and Community Development oversees the adherence of water savings projects to all relevant environmental legislation (both State and Federal). The Minister for Planning and Community Development will: †¢ assess environmental impacts of the works and measures proposed by the Project Proponent †¢ provided certain conditions are met, issue planning approvals for the works proposed by the Project Proponent (it should be noted that it is not the role of regulator to quantify the volume of water savings). 3.6. Minister for Environment and Associated Departments The Minister for Environment is responsible for management and mitigation of any undesirable impacts of the water savings project. The Minister for Environment has a responsibility to: †¢ work with environmental managers to consult on any potential environmental impact of works and seek multiple benefit projects †¢ provide advice to the Minister for Planning and Community Development on potential environmental impacts associated with works †¢ develop the principles for the planning and use of Requisite (Mitigating) Water to ensure net environmental gain to the project region. 3.6.1. Catchment Management Authorities (Environmental Managers) The Catchment Management Authorities (CMAs) have a charter to develop and oversee the implementation of Regional Catchment Strategies aimed at improving or at least maintaining catchment health and to, on behalf of the Minister for Environment, manage the environmental water entitlements. The role related to the environmental water entitlement includes: †¢ improving river and wetland health through the use of the Environmental Water Reserve and delivery of complementary works. †¢ working with the water savings Project Proponent to identify potential environmental impacts of the actions and potential mitigation measures proposed by the Project Proponent. -6- †¢ working with the Project Proponent and System Operator to seek multiple benefit projects and multiple project benefits. In instances where Parks Victoria is the owner or custodian of the land, the catchment responsibilities for the maintenance of catchment heath will be delivered through Parks Victoria. 3.7. Murray-Darling Basin Authority The Murray-Darling Basin Authority is responsible for integrated, sustainable management of water resources in the Murray-Darling Basin. Its role includes: †¢ ensuring appropriate water diversion accounting against the Murray-Darling Basin Cap on allowable annual diversions. †¢ developing and implementing of the Basin Management Plan which will be a strategic plan for the integrated and sustainable management of water resources in the Murray-Darling Basin. Details of the future role of the Authority in relation to water savings will be resolved as part of the Basin Plan. 4. High Level Process Diagram for Assessing Water Savings The quantification of water savings is undertaken in four separate stages or Phases of the water savings project, these phases are defined as follows: †¢ Phase 1: †¢ Phase 2: †¢ Phase 3: †¢ Phase 4: The initial â€Å"Business Case† long term estimates of water savings for the planned program of works The annual pre-works estimates of interim water savings to be set aside within the water savings account. The annual post-works measurement or verification of interim water savings able to be allocated from the water savings account. The end of program assessment of the overall long term water savings achieved through the modernisation program. Each of the Phases, and the steps which are required to quantify the water savings under these Phases, is described in detail within the Technical Manual for the Quantification of Water Savings. Figure 3 schematically describes the roles and responsibilities of the above mentioned organisations in estimating, measuring, verifying, and reporting water savings associated with irrigation system modernisation programs. The interactions between each of the Phases of reporting and the required information sharing are also provided within that diagram. -7- Figure 3: High level process flow for defining, capturing reporting Water Savings in Irrigation Modernisation Project -8-

Aldis Marketing Strategy

Aldis Marketing Strategy Aldi have made great strides in entering the UK grocery market. Please analyse Aldis current marketing strategy and provide recommendations for how Aldi can enhance their marketing strategy to gain a greater share of the UK Grocery Market. Introduction Marketing in simple terms can be described as offering a right product at a right place at the right time and with a right price. The Management Gurus emphasise on the four Ps of marketing which are often called the marketing mix. These four Ps are Product, Place, Price and Promotion. Marketing mix is an important tool to make an efficient marketing plan for a successful product offering. These four Ps of marketing mix can help achieving the business targets of sales, profit and consumer satisfaction. The essay examines marketing strategies of a German supermarket chain named Aldi, in the UK. The paper is divided in to four sections. The first section gives a brief history about Aldi. The second section talks about its position in the UK market. The third section analyses the marketing strategy of Aldi on the basis of the four Ps. The last section gives recommendations on marketing strategies for the future growth of the company in UK market. A brief history of Aldi Aldi, one of the worlds largest privately owned companies, is a grocery supermarket chain with a base in Germany. The name Aldi has come from the abbreviation of Albrecht (family name) Discount. The business started in 1913 with a food store in the town called Essen in Germany. By 1960s this family business was expanded to 300 stores in Germany and that is when the business was separated into two groups Aldi Nord (North) with a headquarter in Essen and Aldi Sà ¼d (South) with a headquarter in Mà ¼lheim an der Ruhr (Emsell, 2011). The business was separated over a disagreement on whether to sell cigarettes in the stores or not (Ruddick, 2012). These two organisations now operate independent to each other. On international levels, Aldi Nord operates in Portugal, Denmark, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Spain, and Poland. Aldi Sà ¼d is functional in Ireland, United Kingdom, Hungary, Switzerland, Australia, Austria and Slovenia and United States of America with over 8000 stor es in total (Aldi UK website, 2015). Aldi in the United Kingdom Taylor and Lee (2007) have stressed the adverse effects on the international buyer behaviour due to cultural disparities. KPMG (2014) states that the shopping culture in UK is associated with the quality and not necessarily with price. It further mentions that higher level of customer services is one of the main attributes of this culture. That is the reason why in spite of the dominance of the big four -Tesco, Sainsburys, ASDA and Morrisons MS and Waitrose have done huge investments in the grocery industry. However Aldi has not only managed to attract the customers in the UK by overcoming the hurdles but also has acquired a significant market share. Table 1- Market share of Supermarkets in the UK in March, 2015 Supermarket Market Share (In %) Tesco 28.4 ASDA 17.1 Sainsburys 16.4 Morrisons 10.9 The Co-operative 6.0 Aldi 5.3 Waitrose 5.1 Lidl 3.7 Iceland 2.1 Source: BBC, 2015 According to Wallop (2008), Aldi pledged to open one store every week in the UK with a target of opening 1500 stores in the country. Currently there are 500 Aldi stores in the UK (Aldi UK Website, 2015). Aldi has made its position in the top nine superstores of the country among Tesco, Sainsburys, Morrisons, ASDA, Waitrose, Lidl and Iceland. Aldi is now UKs sixth biggest grocery chain taking over Waitroses market share (BBC, 2015). The Marketing Strategies of Aldi Aldi is a discount supermarket chain and so cost control is in the culture of the business. The model of Aldis grocery retailing has remained unchanged since its initiation in Germany (Emsell, 2011). Price, Place and Product strategies The business philosophy of Aldi is to focus on indispensable investments and avoid the superfluous in order to give the customers maximum possible savings. According to Rudolph et al (2012, p-142), Aldis cost only add 13% to the procurement price, 2% each for logistics, rental, overheads and marketing plus about 5% for staff. Instead of extending its opening hours like other competitors in the UK, all Aldi stores function limited opening hours, which recently extended to 12 hours ( from 8am to 8pm). In contrast, many other competitor stores are available for shopping for 24 hours, 7 days and 365 days which seems an apparent strategic intention. One cannot see the add on services at any Aldi store, for example lottery terminals, childrens play area, photo booths, lavatory, dry cleaning services, currency exchanges, news agent, tobacco counters on entry and exit, a separate customer service counter or a coffee shop. The simple reason being that these facilities have its cost which wou ld add up to the end cost to the customer (Emsell, 2011). In a typical Aldi store, one can also observe three to seven employees to run the entire functioning of the store which is a different strategy to other supermarkets which have a high staffing level to provide high standards of customer service. The firm can achieve a low payroll to sales turnover ratio with such staffing level which can help the lower the prices. According to The Times 100 Business case studies (2010), the key idea that makes Aldis approach work is the concept of limited assortment. The Aldi store size is relatively small in comparison to the rival grocers with an average floor space of between 650 square meters to 1000 square meters. The usual Aldi store has a common layout with only four shopping aisles also the packaging and displaying products strategy at Aldi is cost effective. However the stores generally have a free parking space which attracts customers significantly. The case study further mentions that while selecting a location for store, Aldi takes in to consideration the population of the area which should be more then 30,000. Also the stores are always at the very good visibility from a main road and with good public transport connectivity. The sales philosophy of Aldi is very different to other leading grocers in the UK. As the branded products have less operating profit, Aldi has taken an approach to sell products which are equivalent to brands (Wood, 2011). A typical large Tesco or Sainsburys store stocks around 50,000 product lines, of which 50 per cent are their own brands (Voberda et al., 2011). The success key for any business is to attract the buyer which certainly depends largely on a competitive pricing. Being a discount retail chain, competitive pricing is at the core of Aldis philosophy. Aldi works on economies of scale. In simpler terms it means, buying products in large quantities so it gives leverage for bargaining for the best possible price which allows Aldi to sell at the most competitive prices. Currently every week Aldi comes with a different range of products on a Thursday for example bathroom accessories, garden furniture, kitchen and other household equipment. These products are different to the usual grocery items in the stores in terms of its availability. These products are limited in stock and not permanently available in the store. One can observe a great deal of excitement in the customers in the stores due to the scarcity and affordability of the products. To promote these product ranges, posters of the items are found in the stores for the upcoming week. Promotion Strategies According to the Times 100 Business Case studies (2010), one of the unique marketing strategies Aldi has adopted is the advertisements with brand comparisons. These adverts demonstrate that Aldi brands are of equal quality to well-established brands for example, Pampers diapers, Heinz tomato ketch up and Fairy Liquid. To prove this Aldi ran blind taste experiments amongst a section of shoppers. This experiment suggested that the majority of consumers that preferred the well-known brands also liked Aldi brands. These findings created the basis to Aldis most popular Like Brands campaign. The advertisements of the Like Brands provided the business with a stand to speak about its quality and most importantly its value for money. This campaign was effective in showing the customers how much more their money can fetch by shopping from Aldi with a slogan, Like brands. Only cheaper. The campaign provided a character to the Aldi products because the advertisements use humours which help to bu ild confidence and an emotional connection with target audiences. In addition, according to Times 100 Business Case studies (2010), Aldi prints around 1 million copies of brochures per week to distribute in the store as well as to customers living in surrounding areas. These brochures promote products with limited availability and seasonal and weekly offers available in stores. Another campaign of Aldi is swap and save. The newspaper adverts of Aldi promote the Aldi brands by showcasing the saving customers can have by swapping from the leading grocers to Aldi. This promotion is in the similar lines of Tescos big price drop campaign or Sainsburys brand match campaign. In this era of social media, it has become easy at the same time unavoidable to communicate directly with the targeted audience. One such online campaign of Aldi is Aldi Advocates. This particular promotion is for consumers who recommend Aldi to others because of its low prices compared to other brands. For example, the I Love Aldi campaign asked fans of the Aldi Facebook page, to send a virtual Aldi Valentines card to a Facebook friend, completing the sentence I love Aldi because This was encouraged by providing rewards of  £10 vouchers and a box of Aldi chocolates for their Valentine (Aldi UK Facebook Page, 2015). Recommendations The UK grocery industry is one of the most established and competitive globally, however dynamics of such industry change rapidly (KPMG, 2014). In spite of Aldis great stride in entering the UK grocery market and taking over a significant market share, one cannot deny the fact that the dynamics of ever changing business world can hurdle this growth. One can also not deny the fact that the competitors are also working towards increasing their market share and exploiting the resources. Though Aldi has managed to reach in to the competition with Waitrose, Cooperative and Morrisons, the market share of Tesco, ASDA and Sainsburys is comparatively very high (Table -1). Also Lidl and Poundland have a similar market strategy of discounted products as Aldi. In such cut throat competition it is challenging to not only enhance the market share but also merely maintaining it. Morgan et al., (2004) in their study have emphasised on product quality as one of the most important determinants of mark et share. Thirkell and Dau, (1998) revealed that quality and add on services have positive and high correlation with business performance. Thinking on the similar lines, one can recommend the quality enhancement to give a tougher competition to the leading supermarkets. However there is a risk associated with that approach as frequent changes in the business strategy can lead to loss of grip on the monitoring and controlling of the business. Businesses with a lack of clear strategy often face difficulties in customer targeting (Lancaster et al, 2002). However Aldi has a great scope in providing value added services. Facility of online shopping is one such value added service. Home delivery of the shopping items as well as click and collect services can be easily implemented in todays internet era as the other leading supermarkets are also offering such services. With plenty of options available, even with good quality and low prices, loyalty can be great issue of concern for a grocery firm. Various loyalty cards and point based reward system can be introduced to ensure the market share to be somewhat stable. UK being a culturally diverse country, a wide range of products such as Indian, Chinese, Caribbean grocery items should be added to attract more customers. The campaign of swap and save can be taken a step further by upgrading the software system. Currently it is showing the price difference on the newspapers and advertisements which should be reflected on the receipt after the shopping to inform the customers personally how much they have saved by shopping in Aldi. References Aldi UK Website (2015)  https://www.aldi.co.uk/ Aldi UK Facebook page (2015). Available at  https://www.facebook.com/AldiUK BBC (2015) Aldi overtakes Waitroses market share. BBC News dated 8th April, 2015. . [Online] Available at  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32218170 Emsell, P. (2011) Aldi The No Frills Retailer. University of Huddersfield. [Online] Available at  http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/12404/1/Microsoft_Word_Aldi_case_study_for_Bus_Strategy.pdf KPMG (2014) The Future of the Grocery Sector in the UK. [Online] Available at  http://www.kpmg.com/uk/en/issuesandinsights/articlespublications/newsreleases/pages/the-future-of-the-grocery-sector-in-the-uk.aspx Lancaster, G., Massingham, L. and Ashford, R. (2002) Essentials of Marketing. Fourth edition. New York: McGraw-Hill. Morgan, N., Kaleka, A., and Katsikeas, C. (2004). Antecedents of export venture performance: a theoretical model and empirical assessment. Journal of Marketing 68(1): 90- 108. Ruddick, G. (2012) Billionaire Aldi heir Berthold Albrecht dies at 58. The Telegraph, dated 7th December, 2012. [Online] Available at  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/9729434/Billionaire-Aldi-heir-Berthold-Albrecht-dies-at-58.html Rudolph, T., Schlegelmilch, B., Bauer, A., Franch, J. and Meise, J. (eds.) (2012) Diversity in European Marketing: Text and Cases. Germany: Springer Gabler. Voberda, H., Morgan, R., Reinmoeller, P., Hitt, M.A., Ireland, R.D., Hoskisson, R. (2011) Strategic Management: Competitiveness and Globalisation, South Western: Cengage Learning. Taylor, C.R. and Lee, D. (2007) Cross-cultural Buyer Behavior. Amsterdam: Elsevier. The Times 100 Business Case Studies (2010). Creating Value through the Market Mix. [Online] Available at  http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/aldi/creating-value-through-the-marketing-mix/introduction.html#axzz3gTvS06RA Thirkell, P. C., and Dau, R. (1998). Export performance: Success Determinants for New Zealand Manufacturing Exporters. European Journal of Marketing, 32(9/10): 813- 829. Wallop, H. (2008) Aldi pledges to open a new store every week. The Telegraph , dated 30th June, 2008. [Online] Available at  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/2792467/Aldi-pledges-to-open-a-new-store-every-week.html Wood, Z (2011) Aldi effect is back: spending squeeze lifts discounter into profit. The Guardian , [Online] Available at  http://www.theguardian.com/business/2011/oct/04/aldi-effect-back-discounter-profit

Concert Critique of Mozart and The Height of Classicism Essay -- Analy

Concert Critique of Mozart and The Height of Classicism   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On Sunday, December 07, 2003, I attended the Mozart and The Height of Classicism concert that was held in the Lincoln Theater of the New World Symphony orchestral academy. Conducted by Nicholas McGegan featuring pianist Robert Levin. There were two pieces of music during this concert, one of the movements was performed by the pianist alone as a solo, Mr. Robert Levin. The program’s title was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Chaconne from Idomeneo. The first piece was Concerto No. 24 in C minor for Piano and Orchestra, K. 491, Allegro, Larghetto, and Allegretto. The second piece was Symphony No. 36 in C major, K.425, â€Å"Linz†, Adagio-Allegro spiritoso, Andante, Menuetto-Trio, and Presto. This concert was unique in that the focus seemed to be as much on the instruments as in the music itself. As the pianist and conductor expressed the form of improvisation as Mozart did, which I will explain further on my critique.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The concert began promptly at 3pm, when the conductor Nicholas McGegan entered the stage with the full theater clapping, along all the members of the orchestra. All the men and women in the orchestra including the conductor were wearing all black suits. Prior to his entrance I noticed that the orchestra began to play, it was obvious that the concert had not begun, so I realized that they were just toning their instruments. This also, happened when we returned from intermission. Being my first time to an orchestra I first thought that they were playing around with the instruments. The Allegro part was very good. I found my self enjoying the most the beginnings and endings of the movements. It also sounded very happy, and bright. This one and Larghetto I enjoyed fully since it was the beginning of the concert. This was my first time attending an orchestral concert. I noticed how beautiful the music sounded and I began to appreciate it a lot more. I can admit that how great and enjoyable was, that I was in a bit of a shock. This was nothing compared to listening to a compact disc. I can say that my favorite instrument was the violin. The play it was played, and how beautifully it sounded, it was like nothing I’ve hear before. In this orchestra I noticed that most violinist were mostly women. I think that this was because women have more sensitivity, which seemed necessary to play the i... ...rs where the violins, viola, cello, flutes, bassoon, French horns and timpani played a bigger role. I’m not saying that this piano concerto was horrible but I just didn’t enjoy as much the piano’s performance in those two movements. It might have been the pianist interpretation, and exercise of improvisation. These two movements were the last performance of the pianist and once the second movement ended the piano was removed from the orchestra. Mr. Robert Levin received his applause once he finished and when he walked back from the curtains. Over all I did love the concert because it was the same style of classicism. The last two movements Menuetto-Trio and Presto were conducted by Nicholas McGegan. My favorite was definitely the last one, because it was so exciting, energetic and fast paced. The timpani as well as all the other instruments sounded great. The timpani in this movement played louder and more frequently that all the other movements, including th e previous piece. There was only one percussionist and he played two timpani. So finally, I’ll end by saying again that the concert was great, and very well performed. I look forward to attending the New World Symphony again.

Fossil Fuels Essay examples -- Energy, Environmental Essays, Natural R

Fossil Fuels Energy, whether it was sunlight or heat from a wood fire, has always been important to society. However, with the onset of the industrial revolution over 200 years ago, wood alone could no longer support the increasing energy demand. The world quickly turned to coal to satisfy its energy needs, and it has been reliant on fossil fuels ever since. Despite the inroads renewable and nuclear energies have made in recent decades, the vast majority of energy used by society still comes from the three main fossil fuels: petroleum, natural gas, and coal. As a result, it is important to know how these fuels were formed, the rates at which they are produced and consumed, and how much is economically recoverable for future use. The formation of petroleum and natural gas began hundreds of millions of years ago as energy from the sun in the form of light radiated toward the earth. Algae that were in the ocean during this time used the sun ¡Ã‚ ¯s radiant energy to produce energy of their own through the process of photosynthesis. Plankton, being unable to produce energy on its own, consumed algae to obtain energy. When the algae and plankton died, they fell to the ocean floor and accumulated in the mud. As accumulation continued, pressure and temperature were increased on the underlying layers of organic mud. When the pressure became great enough, the mud lithified into organic-rich shale that is referred to as the source rock. If this source rock is exposed to temperatures between 80 ¢Ã‚ ªC and 160 ¢Ã‚ ªC, the organic matter forms into oil. Natural gas will form if the source rock is exposed to temperatures between 80 ¢Ã‚ ªC and 225 ¢Ã‚ ªC(Marshak 431-2). The  ¡Ã‚ °gas window ¡Ã‚ ± overlaps the  ¡Ã‚ °oil window ¡Ã‚ ±, which means the formation of oil and ... ... which is having a tremendous impact on the environment. By burning these fossil fuels, the US releases five billion metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere each year(Ristinsen 333). This number will increase in the coming years, which will significantly affect the global climate of the future. Despite the limited amount of petroleum and natural gas, the addition of shale oil and tar sands to our energy reserves will increase the longevity of fossil fuel use in society. Alternative sources of energy must become more widely used, or else the earth will become uninhabitable due to the effects of global warming sooner than the fossil fuel reserves can be depleted. Works Cited Marshak, Stephen. Earth: Portrait of a Planet. W.W. Norton & Company; New York, 2001. Ristinen, Robert A; Jack J. Kraushaar. Energy and the Environment. John Wiley & Sons; New York, 1999.

Comparing the Love in Beloved and Secrets and Lies :: Movie Film comparison compare contrast

Overbearing Love in Beloved and Secrets and Lies Children are protected from the evil in the world from their parents, especially their mothers. An excerpt written by Kahilil Girbran, The Prophet, explains one view of the parent/child relationship. "And a women who held a baby against her bosom said, Speak to us of Children. And he said: Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They come through you but not from you, And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. You may give them your love but not your thoughts, For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies but not their souls, For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams. You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you. For life goes not backward nor carries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness; For even as He loves the arrow that flies, so He loves also the bow that is stable.† -Kahlil Girbran (17-18) Girbran’s view of childhood is very well written. It explain to parents what place their children have their own thoughts and feelings. Their children are with them throughout life, but the children belong to their own life. Throughout childhood the love in the family can be very strong. The bond between a mother and child is almost unbreakable. It is amazing that a person was produced and lived inside a body for nine months. Parents are described as â€Å"the bows from which your children as living arrows are set forth.† (Gibran, 17) Their job is to raise their children to the best of their ability until they are old enough to be on their own. Mothers never want anything bad to happen to their own kids. Sometimes they are not able to let their children grow up like others. They are very overprotective, wanting to seclude their child from danger. In both the movie Secrets and Lies and in Toni Morrison’s book, Beloved, overprotective mothers are key characters .

The Crying of Lot 49 – the Mystery of Trystero

Thomas Pynchon’s novel The Crying of Lot 49 is his second novel, and its his shortest novel, and many even consider it more of an experimantal novel. This novel is about a woman named Oedipa Maas and her quest for the secret behind a hidden and a shadowy organization known as Trystero ( it is also sometimes spelled as Tristero ). This novel was written in 1960s which was a very turbulent time in the history of the United States. Many things happened during this period, many of them had a dramatic influencce on the lives of the ordinary people. During this period, the world witnessed the assassination of J. F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, there was also the rise in the rights women and Civil Rights movement. This was also a time of the so called drug culture, for the abuse of drugs was very common. The novel shows us this world as a world that is constantly high, constantly on drugs and drunk, filled with secrets, information from questionable sources and secret identites. The subject of this paper is the secret society and an organization known as Trystero and their secret underground war against United States government and the official state postal system. Before we move on to the story of the novel, we must first remind ourselves of the postmodern novel and what constitutes a postmodern literature. Postmodern literature, as postmodernism as a whole, is very hard to define for there are no standards for it nor are there any founding fathers, writers who set the standards for it. We could say that postmodern literature is a continuation of the experimantation started by the modernist writers and authors and their usage of fragmentation, paradox, questionable authors, etc and it is also a reaction against the enlighment ideas set by modernist literature. As it was mentioned, postmodern literature is very hard to define and many even say that is no longer exists, also hard to determine. However, many authors and literary critics agree on common themes that occur in postmodern literature, themese that are almost always present in these works and that are always grouped together in order to create irony, humour or to parody something. These themes are however not always used all the postmodern authors, so they can not be called standard postmodern themes, but they occcur most commonly. Thomas Pynchon and his novel The Crying of Lot 49 are an example of postmodern writing, for Pynchon always uses parody, paranoia, playfulness and black humour in his works, and this work is also filled with these themes. Postmodern authors, Pynchon among them, usually treat serious themes and subjects in a humorous and funny manner. Pynchon does that in this novel. In The Crying of Lot 49, Pynchon deals with a serious topic about lives of people in a modern consumer America, about secrets and mysterious organizations, secret identities and also how information can influence our thoughts and even confuse and disturb us, but he approached all of that in a humorous and a funny way. This novel is a sort of a parody of a detective novel. This is because in real detective novels, the hero starts to solve the mystery starting from various and numerous clues, from a, we could say, chaos of information and draws a conclusion which leads to the truth behind the mystery and reveals the bad guy. In this novel however, we have Oedipa who opens a mailbox to get the letter and discovers that she has a job to do, pretty simple really, but as the novel progresses, her life and task become more complicated and complicated, she learns about the Trystero and her ex-boyfriend’s job and business undertakings but instead of making things clear, instead of solving the mystery of the Trystero, she became even more confused than she was when she first found out about them, so much confused that she almost lost her mind and started to think if it all was nothing more than a joke, created by her deceased ex-boyfriend or even maybe this was all just the work of her own imagination. This novel also has paranoia present in itself, Oedipa becomes paranoid about the world and the people around herself, but she is not the only one really. Almost all characters are paranoid, and the existence of the Trystero is more than enough to create a paranoid world. What also makes this novel postmodern is the usage of wordplay. Pynchon plays with words, names of the people, like Pierce Inverarity, Mike Fallopian, Stanley koteks, Oedipa Maas, with the names of the towns like San Narciso and we also have the wordplay with words like waste which is turned here in this novel into an acronym W. A. S. T. E. and KCUF radio station. What also makes this novel postmodern is that we have unreliable narrator. Oedipa Maas is the main protagonist of this story, but we see the action of the novel only as she does and we know what we know, no more no less, and she is almost always drunk or on drugs, just like all other characters that appear in the novel. We can say that this novel also combines elements of both modern and postmodern novels, because the relation between these two genres is often connected because they share both similarities and differences. Oedipa Maas is the heroine, a modernist heroine who is trapped in a postmodern world. Her quest is not only to discover the death of Mr Inverarity and of the Tristero, but also to discover her inner self and her inner soul. She meets people who can be considered as lost causes, but Pynchon sees them as someone really worth fighting for as they have shown the real self-discovery. We could say that this is the novel of the character development, a bildungs roman, for Oedipa develops her character, no matter how confused she is in the end, she becomes stronger and more determined to discover the real truth, no matter how weird and confusing that truth really is. She continues and carries on even though her quest is a lost cause. However, Pynchon also uses his postmodern novel in order to criticize the modernist vision of the world by showing us a society that filled with discarded objects and discarded people. The most obvious example of this is the acronym WASTE, which becomes a central theme in the novel, but will talk about it later in the paper. There are also discarded people who formed secret underground groups and societies as a response to various forms of rejection by their society. For example we have IA group, created by a man who swore off love after his wife cheated on him, The Alameda County Death Club and the Peter Pinguids, a group of people who are against industrial capitalism etc. As it was stated in the beginning, the subject of this paper is the mysterious Trystero organization. This novel is a bout a world, a world that seems to be constantly on drugs or drunk. We could think that this is the world that many people try to get away from, trying to vanish from it, for in this novel Oedipa meets various people who just want to be left alone, forgotten perhaps. We see people who have not rebelled against the government and they are not the deserters, they have just chose to leave, to hide and stay hidden. Oedipa sees this as their first real independent choice, a choice they have all made away from the press, the government and its institutions. They don’t use official state institutions, in this case the official postal system of the United States. This is the world of secrets and hidden identities, and of course secret societies, underground organizations, like Trystero is. What is this Trystero? Who are they? What is their goal? Their mission and agenda? Oedipa wants to find out just that, who they are and what they want, but unfortunately all she accomplishes is to end up completely baffled by everything and everyone she meets. As it was mentioned in the previous paragraph, she does not give up and is determined to continue with her search. Trystero represents this main aspect of underground and of hiding away from the government and the world. We as readers of this novel know about Trystero as much as Oedipa does and we also in the end, as she does, end up confused and baffled if all of this was actually real or was it all just her imagination or a bad joke. The bulk of the book is spent following Oedipa as she tries to track down what exactly the Trystero is. She stumbles upon this one night when she and Metzger are at The Scope, a club frequented by Yoyodyne employees, a huge defense contractor for the military in the area. While in the ladies’ room Oedipa notices the following written near a drawing of a muted horn: â€Å"Interested in sophisticated fun? You, hubby, girl friends. The more the merrier. Get in touch with Kirby, through WASTE only, Box 7391, L. A. †1 The book then follows a play-within-a-play format when Oedipa watches a play called The Courier’s Tragedy which puts into some context the history between Tristero and Thurn And Taxis, the latter being a real mail distribution company throughout Europe for many centuries. It is from this play that Oedipa learns about the history of Trystero. According to the story, Trystero was defeated by Thurn and Taxis in the 1700. and since then it has been hiding and went underground. This Trystero now exists, or at least it appears to exist, or maybe not, as a secret society that is completely separated from the United States government and the official postal service. Oedipa even believes that Trystero battled with Pony Express and United States Postal Service over the control of information flow. However, this battle seems to go on, between Tristero and US Postal Service. Tristero is the symbol of the underground here in the novel and they are present as an invisible force with a hidden agenda and goals. Their symbol is a muted post horn which is the first thing Oedipa sees of the Tristero in a club mentioned early and their way of communicating and transfering of information is through the WASTE system which uses clever disguises – their way of transferring information, a kind of parody to the official postal service, is by using waste-bins as their post-boxes. Thomas Pynchon does a very good job in making us believe that this society indeed really exists, but he also confuses by putting various names, most of them of people who are actually not so important for the story of the novel, but he does manage to create and illusion of a conspiracy. The most important part of the novel is the reproduction of the fictional Jacobean Drama known as The Courier’s Tragedy. This play is where Oedipa first hear the name Tristero and of their struggle with Thurn and Taxis. This play provides us with the first account of the Tristero, but it is their symbol that really draws our attention. We will now discuss the symbols of Tristero, for they are the key to understanding it, or at least trying ot understand the story behind them. These include the muted post horn and WASTE system. We will begin with the first symbol that Oedipa comes in contact with and tha th is the muted post horn. Oedipa first sees this symbol in the bathroom of a club The Scope, as a part of a small message, more like an add. Fro mthat moment she will see this symbol everywhere she goes. Genghis Cohen will show her the post horn tha ris hidden in a certain stamp collection that was I nthe possession of her late ex-boyfriend, mr Inverarity. Later she will see the same symbol being scribbled on paper by a technician in Yoyodine building, Stanley Koteks. Oedipa even sees it when children draw it in the park and play a game in which they mention Tristero. This post horn, as Oedipa finds out from Cohen, was a symbol of Thurn and Taxis. Their symbol is a post horn, while Tristero uses a muted post horn, probably as a way to mock them. Tristero, as it is given, fought against Thurn and Taxis and lost the battle. Tristero went into the hiding and managed t oreach United States somewhere arund 1853. nd fought the Pony Express and Wells, Fargo, and their agents were always either dressed as outlaws in black or as indians, Oedipa manages to recover a ring fro man old man, Mr. Thoth, who lives in a retirement home bulit by Pierce Inverarity. He tells her that this ring, which ha s the muted post horn engraved on it, was given to him by his grandfather who got it from an indian he killed. However, at one time, Oedipa met a man who wore a pin with the muted post horn: â€Å"What if I told you, â€Å" she adressed the owner of the pin, â€Å"that I was an agent of Thurn and Taxis? † â€Å"What, â€Å" he answered, â€Å" some theatrical agency? †2 Here we have a different story about the origin of the muted post horn. According to his story, this is a symbol of Inamorati Anonymus, a group of people who forsook love, which they see as the worst addiction of all. The creator of the organziation and of the symbol was a Yoyodine executive, who found the Inamorati Anonymus after finding out that his wife was cheating on him. This leads us back to point when Oedipa saw for the first time the muted post horn as a part of the advertisement for this organization, which makes us believe if Tristero really is real or just an organization of people who have forsook love and make sure that no one else ever falls in love are using secretive methods to communicate with each other. Another characteristic of this novel, and another symbol of the Trystero, is the so called WASTE. This can stand as an acronym which means We Await Silent Trystero Empire, which is always written on regular waste bins. This can also stand for a secret undergrounf information network that is used by people who forsook their own lives and chosen t olive I nsecrecy and away form the government. There are even corporations who refuse to use the official postal system, like Yoyodine, and there is also an organization known as Peter Penguid Society, of which Mike Fallopian is the member, who oppose the monopoly of the US Postal Service and are using their own private system. This is a system of information transfer that is used by those who want to remain hidden, secret, and there are signs that Tristero is the runner of it. They use waste bins and their postman, or couriers,are bums and other social missfits. Inamorati Anonymus is the organiztion that openly uses the WASTE system for their communication. These two symbols, the muted post horn and the WASTE system, give us and Oedipa clues about Tristero but the lalso confuse us, brcause as we learn about their connectionwith Tristero, we also learn their other meanings and that they are being used by some other ynderground isoalted groups and organizations. After all this confusion, Oedipa returns to the Jacobean Drama, where she first heard the word Tristero. She comes in contact with Emory Bortz, a proffesor at San Narciso College, for the information about the play itself, especially the Tristero version of the play. Unfortunately, the only person who knew the real story about the play was Driblette, who directed the play Oedipa saw, and he commited a suicide. As we draw near to the end of the novel, we see that Oedipa discovers a great deal of historical Tristero, about its origins. She discovers that it was created around 1577, I nthe Netherlands. After William of Orange achieved independence from Spain and the Holy Roman empire, he replaced the people who were in control of the Thurn and Taxis and Leopold I’s rule, and in their place put a man named Jan Hinckard. However, Hinckard was challenged by his cousin Hernando Joaquin de Tristero y Calavera. Tristero fought a guerilla war against Hinckard from 1578. until 1583. Tristero gives up the fighting and sets up a covert system. However, Oedipa finds out that during 17th Century, Thurn and Taxis struggle to maintain their system ,and this may mena that Tristero was very effective during that time and period. Tristero’s presence as the black coated bandits was confirmed by Proffesor Bortz wh ogave her a book An Account of the Singular Peregrinations of Dr. Diocletian Blobb. Dr. Blobb survived one of their attacks with him being captured by them and sent back to England in order t otell everyone of the power of Tristero. Oedipa in the end managed t odiscover a great deal of historical information about the Tristero, but this did not satisfy her because she still did not know why Driblette mentioned the Tristero in his work, when in the original work there is no mentioning of them at all. Wheteher this is true or not, Oedipa tells everything to Mike Fallopian back at the Scope, where she first saw the muted post horn. Fallopian, after hearing her story and her findings, asks Oedipa if she ever considered the possibility that this may all had been a joke orchestrated by Pierce Inverarity. She did consider this, but refuses to think like that anymore. Later she goes back and again searches through all of the Pierce’s possesions and finds out that Pierce had presence in all the places and had inlfuence on all the people she met. He owned Zapf’s Used Bookstore, where she bought her copy of the Jacobean drama, he also owned the Tank Theater, where she saw Driblette’s production of â€Å"The Courier’s Tragedy†. Proffesor Bortz works at San Narciso College, which was founded by Pierce himself, and even blobb’s Peregrinations were bought at Zapf’s Used Bookstore. Thisl eads her to believe that Fallopian may be right, that all of this was nothing more than joke, a gag produced by Pierce himself. The ending of the novel also does not help us, for it is open ended. Oedipa goes to an auction of Peirce’s stamp collection, which is under the name Lot 49, but that is where it all ends. In a conclusion, we are left confused whether this was all real. Pynchon did a great job of providing the information about the historical founding of the Tristero, but he also filled his novel with other information, all of it made up, even the historical. Instead of finding answers, we find more and more questions. The Crying of Lot 49 shows a fragmented world in which there are always more alternatives, in this world information leads to more information which create more questions and answers. This leads people, like Oedipa in this case, to create various alternate interpretations just in order to create some sort of the bigger picture onto which they will hold to. This entire Tristero conspiracy may have been a joke or a paranoid creation by Oedipa herself, or maybe there is truth behind it all. We will never know. We do know, that there are secret organizations who uses secret and undercover means of communicating, there are people who have secret identities, who seek truth somewhere else. We all live in the world filled with information and symbols and who knows, maybe there is a secret undercover conspiracy by a secret postal system who wants t obring down the monopol of the government’s postal system. Personally, I find this novel to be very interesting because it deals with a mystery and search for the truth. When I read it, I found it hard t ounderstand it in the end, whether this is all true, if there really is Tristero, or maybe this was all just a paranoid dream by Oedipa or maybe even a possibilty that this was all a bad joke by Pierce with Oedipa as its target. Whatever the truth is, we will never really know, for the novel has the open ending, but all quests, all attempts to find some sort of truth end up like that – with more questions than answers and with multiple interpretations of evidence and information. End Notes 1. Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49, First perennial fiction library edition, 1986. Pg. 52 2. ibid. , Pg. 111 Bibliography www. wikipedia. org www. sparknotes. com http://www. examiner. com/x-13462-West-Palm-Beach-Literature-Examiner~y2009m7d19-Modernism-v-Postmodernism-part-one-The-Crying-of-Lot-49 http://cl49. pynchonwiki. com/wiki/index. php? title=The_Crying_of_Lot_49 Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49, First perennial fiction library edition, 1986