Allegory of the Cave and Narrator Essay

As the philospoher Seneca once said, â€Å"It is the power of the mind to be unconquerable. † Raymond Carver’s Cathedral is a story about a man who started out as a closed-minded man but, throughout the story his character changes as he begins to bond with his wife’s friend, Robert, a man who is blind. Plato’s Allegory of the cave is a story about a prisoner who is freed from being locked in chains living all of his life underground and finding out a different perspective about a lie he’s been living his whole life, being told as a conversation between Socrates and Glaucon. In the stories, â€Å" Cathedral† by Raymond Carver, and â€Å" Allegory of the Cave† by Plato, both authors argue that a person’s reality is not always what is seems to be. In â€Å" Cathedral,† Raymond Carver uses irony between the narrator and Robert when they talk about the cathedral. The narrator tries to explain how a cathedral looks like with words when he says â€Å" To begin with, they’re very tall. I was looking around the room for clues. They reach way up. Up and up. Toward the sky. They’re so big, some of them, they have to have these supports. To help hold them up, so to speak† to Robert who is blind and can’t really apprehend what is being said. (Carver, page 24, lines 448-451). Until Robert asks to be drawn a cathedral when he says â€Å" Hey, listen to me. Will you do me a favor? I got an idea. Why don’t you find us a pen and some heavy paper. Go on, bub, get the stuff† the narrator realizes that Robert sees by touching around the paper. (Carver, page 25, lines 492-495). What the narrator doesn’t understand is that the blind man can’t see what he sees even though he thinks that by describing with words about how a cathedral looks, helps. The irony Carver is trying to show is that the narrator is the one who is blind, not Robert, because he perceives his reality to be similar to Roberts but instead really isn’t. In â€Å" Allegory of the cave† Plato uses metaphor about the message that is being compared to an imaginary prisoner’s life. Socrates explains to Glaucon â€Å" Behold! Human beings living in a underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and neck chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turing round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets† to imagine a person who is living a certain kind of way for a long period of time. (Plato, page 8, lines 5-14). Then they are told that what they are living is a lie when Socrates says â€Å" And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and wlak and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distrees him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? † (Plato, pages 8-9. Lines 42-51). Socrates then says â€Å" And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him† to explain that the prisoner will want to believe what he is already accustomed not to what has just been told to him. (Plato, page, lines 57-61). The metaphor that the story compares to is a prisoners life and perspective of reality, once you are told that the way you have been living for your whole life is wrong, you are most likely to be scared of the truth that has just been told to you since the reality that you have been living isn’t what it seems to be. In both stories, â€Å" Cathedral† by Raymond Carver and â€Å" Allegory of the cave† by Plato, both authors use imagery to descibe how the characters in the story are lead to a new reality that has been bestow upon them. In â€Å" Cathedral† the narrator learns the way Robert sees things when he says â€Å" He ran his fingers over the paper. He went up and down the sides of the paper. The edges, even the edges. He fingered the corners. All right, he said. All right, let’s do her. He found my hand with the pen. He closed his hand over my hand. Go ahead, bub, draw, he said. Draw. You’ll see. I’ll follow along with you. It’ll be okay. Just begin now like I’m telling you. You’ll see. Draw, the blind man said. † (Carver, page 26, lines 508-514). Carver reveals that by being very desciptive using imagery, the reader can understand how the narrator is getting really tense in a good way when he is shown that his perspective of reality of blind people just being blind and nothing else is about to change. In â€Å" Allegory of the cave† the prisoner is being taken to see a new perspective of the way he used to think when Socrates says â€Å" And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held fast until he’s forced into the presence of the sun himslef, is he not likely to be pained and irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see anything at all of what are now called realities. † (Plato, page 9, lines 63-68). Plato shows that by using imagery in his story, people can notice that the prisoner is in a lot of pain when he is being shown that his perspective of reality of the shadows being his reality is about to change for the rest of his life. In both stories â€Å" Cathedral† and â€Å" Allegory of the cave† both charcters of the story are being shown a different way of thinking. This new way of thinking evolved them into a better self being. Both charcters, the narrator and the prisoner were challeneged into a new way of thinking, both stuck to it till the end, and both became more of a fulfilled person.

Recognizing Organizational Culture in Managing Change Essay

In order to ask lots of questions about the influence of the social system, that is to say, the surrounding conditions of the organization on its ability to soak up like a towel and gain invention of new things, a having to do with figuring out. The quality of things without measuring them with numbers research was carried out to define the measuring tool for the most important things of this particular of surrounding conditions for the recognition and acceptance of e-learning in teachers or professors(Buć & Divjak, 2016). In the development of devices that make music, the examples of the development of devices that make music were used that are designed only for research in information sciences, such as for example, the development of a measuring instrument for evaluating the performance of e-Portfolio. It is generally admitted to that educational change benefits from a supportive surrounding condition. Cultural influences are a key issue when thinking about the invention of new things and change processes. Organizational culture is a key factor that influences instructional inventions of new things that the success of any something big and important that changes people’s thinking or lives effort may well depend on the extent to which organizational culture issues can be talked to(Zhu & Engels, 2014). Previous research has examined the influence of organizational culture on organizational inventions of new things. Studies point to new things is most likely to happen in organizations that have integrative structures draw attention to many different kinds of people or things, and team effort and teamwork. Yet the findings of the previous research are mixed with little believable information that proves something related to the role of specific organizational culture features in adopting instructional invention of new things in college. Students who come to a related to school and learning library meet with a variety of spaces that influence their learning and behavior. The library has two types of spaces which are shared and social. Shared spaces are places where students are involved in single, hardworking with schoolwork, and thoughtful study surrounded by other students. Students work at group and noisy work with other students in social spaces. The idea of library spaces for different types for different student needs and supports the idea which is that students need separate spaces for the types of learning and behavior connected with the ability to create interesting new things and invention of new things (Bieraugel & Neill, 2017). Ideas of library space when designing learning spaces in a library is extremely important to think about what types of behavior the design will bring out. Library design, as seen through the lens of the science of nerves and the brain, is interesting and suggests/says that library space is just like productive research surrounding conditions in helping the ability to create interesting new things and invention of new things. Bennett notes that Google, Twitter, Facebook, and other companies also aim to create productive research surrounding conditions within settings to help grow invention of new things and critical thinking be it in the lobby or a quiet corner. Environmental education can help increase problem-solving skills, very important thinking and action-oriented in relation to central and practical problems that are combined in nature(Fauville, Lantz-Andersson, & Sà ¤ljà ¶, 2014). Co-operative processes of question or investigation into an action on real related to surrounding conditions or the health of the Earth issues where students should be put in the position of active thinkers prepared to act in response to issues in partnership with fellow students. Such learning also involves understanding how to approach, plan and analyze complex issues and where to turn for clearly connected or related knowledge, and not only the reproduction of what is already known although in different difference fields of study. In such settings, student-active and problem-based instructional approaches have been argued as providing a good big picture in which to develop knowledge. So, the science of teaching and way of thinking behind environmental education can be thought of as challenging traditional approaches to schooling, which focus on learning of true knowledge presented in the classroom by the teacher in order to solve problems with an already existing, single and correct solution. Traditional education is also highly broken-up in terms of fields of study and is based on abstract problems, with students put in the rather allowing something to happen without reacting or trying to stop it a position of simply reproducing information and standard procedures.

Gender Inequality and Discrimination Essay

The working environment in the United States is still not free of gender discrimination. There are still many cases of arbitrary discrimination that come to the attention of the public, such as Chrapliwy v. Uniroyal. The court case challenged the system of Uniroyal Inc. (a rubber company), which employed mostly female workers in their footwear production division, while males dominated the other lines. This segregation is arbitrary gender discrimination, for there is no biological reason as to why women are more suited to working with footwear as opposed to men. Furthermore, there is an inequality in pay rate between men and women. In an article about gender differences, Time Magazine found that for every dollar a man makes at a certain job, a woman makes only $0.79 at the same job. This may be filed under arbitrary discrimination, for the benefits of this position are brought about by irrational decision-making. The question of gender should have nothing to do with the pay rate in cases that deal with the same employment opportunity. Sex discrimination is commonly defined as the â€Å"arbitrary or irrational use of gender in the awarding of benefits or positions†. In other words, even when a job does not relate to gender roles, the employer chooses to consider gender when hiring employees. For example, the job of a teacher is very gender-neutral; the job skills do not require anything special that only one sex provides. A construction worker, on the other hand, must be physically strong, and in this case, generally speaking more men are suited for this role. If a school principal were to hire a new teacher (from an applicant pool of both men and women) based solely on the fact that he doesn’t want to hire a woman, this is an example of arbitrary discrimination. The logic behind the decision is irrational, for the woman may be more qualified than the man, but the benefits are no t awarded to her only because of her gender. Kymlicka goes on to describe gender inequalities: these are already built-into jobs and positions so that women are at a disadvantage. Men have defined job roles and thus have made it more difficult for women to be suited for these roles. The most common example is  of jobs that require the employee to be free from childcare. This means that the employee is not the primary, full-time childcare provider. For example, lawyers work full-time, which is near impossible with young children to take care of. The raising of a child in itself is a full-time responsibility, so it is difficult to balance with a demanding career. In this case, Kymlicka would argue that men would naturally be more suited to the job of a lawyer because men have structured this job â€Å"in such a way as to make [it] incompatible with child-bearing and child-rearing, and which does not provide economic compensation for domestic labor†. In other words, because society views childrearing as the female’s role, and childrearing requires much time and attention, a lawyer is a male-suited role because it requires much time, which males ha ve. Although Will Kymlicka gives a good analysis of the gender discrimination and inequalities that happen in today’s society, his solution is not enough to answer the broader political and psychological question that society faces. Kymlicka argues, â€Å"Since the problem is domination, the solution is not only the absence of discrimination but the presence of power†. He says that if women could have the power to redefine the existing job roles (or if they would have had the power to define the job roles when they were created), â€Å"we would not have created a system of social roles that defines ‘male’ jobs as superior to ‘female’ jobs†. I believe that the real issue is not how women can redefine pre-existing jobs so that gender inequality is abolished; but rather, how can society change its prejudices towards the role of women through the restructuring of laws and policy implementation? Instead of changing job characteristics so that they become gender-neutral, society should look at men and women as equals so that women have an equal chance at fitting the demanding roles that have already been established. One can start by looking at a doctor as an example of a male-defined profession that is arguably becoming female-dominated. To become a doctor, much education is needed, and when this job was created, only men had the ability to get this higher education. The first woman to graduate from medical school (Elizabeth Blackwell) did so in 1849: much later than the men who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in 1765. Now that the admissions gender ratio of medical schools are about even, this has ceased to be a â€Å"male† job; rather, it is gender neutral. On the other hand, the career of an attorney still has a major  discrepancy between the sexes. Even though 49% of law school graduates are female, they only make up 27% of licensed lawyers in the country. Obviously, the access to education is equal, and so does not contribute to the male dominance of this field. On the contrary, this job is male-suited because of the limitations that it poses for women who wish to have children. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the position of attorney is extremely time-demanding: lawyers are forced to work irregular hours, weekends, with 33% working over 50 hours per week. How can this job be redefined so as to allow more women to be competitive in the job market? Kymlicka would suggest that women be empowered to redefine the position to suit them better—this would mean redefining the position by not working as many hours. If it can be done, it will be difficult. The alternative to this solution is to go to the source of the problem: the gender roles that society already holds. Women are usually the primary source of childcare; this means that their employment opportunities are severely limited to those jobs that have flexible hours in which they could balance domestic and public/private sector work—jobs unlike that of a lawyer. If society would be more accepting of males being the primary caregiver for children, the number of males who either stay at home or take on less-demanding occupations would displace the high number of women who already fill this role. The women who would enter the job market would then be on equal terms with their male counterparts seeking the same demanding jobs. If society would view the two genders as equal for child rearing (e.g. women are not the majority of primary caretakers), there are still complications that arise from the roles, which are deterrents for women. For instance, even if the woman is not the primary caretaker of the child after pregnancy, this does not make up for the fact that there is still a period where she is unable to work due to pregnancy. In other words, the role of mother and father can never be fully equal because the mother has the extra responsibility of carrying the baby to term. However, if the social roles for each gender were to be equal, viewing paternity leave as mandatory could solve this problem. According to the Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act of 1996, health plans must pay for at least 48-hour (vaginal) or 96-hour (caesarean) hospital stay afte r childbirth. This means that at the minimum, a woman should take two days off for maternity leave to recover, if nothing else. Although a man does not  need to physically recuperate from childbirth or pregnancy, he is still a parent of the child and should be viewed with equal consideration when dealing with childcare issues. By making paternity leave mandatory, employers could no longer discriminate between the sexes by accounting for the time lost due to pregnancy. This would not be a difficult policy to implement, considering 71% of fathers took advantage of paternity leave in 2007. To expand on the idea that the roles of the sexes cannot be equal in every aspect: mothers who choose to breastfeed are at a disadvantage, for they will likely take more days for maternity leave. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a woman can take up to 12 weeks off of work. This option serves as a reason why an employer may not hire a woman, even if the social roles of men and women were equal. However, this can be easily fixed by creating an incentive for women to choose to formula-feed or to pump their breast milk—this would make it so that they could return to work as soon as a man would. The FMLA states that although maternity and paternity leaves are unpaid, health benefits still apply. These health benefits could extend to partially cover the cost of formula or a pump. Baby formula is very costly because of the quantity that is needed, and breast pumps and bags can range from $20 to over $200 (depending if it is manual or electric). By making alternative options to breastfeeding more accessible, women need not take more time off than men, and so gender inequality is invalid. Furthermore, even if society views gender roles equally, this does not account for the fact that the majority of men are physically superior to the majority of women when it comes to manual labor. Looking at any construction or shipping sites, one will find that if not entirely composed of men, almost all employees are male. Obviously, if the job is physically demanding and the male sex is the most equipped at handling physically demanding jobs, females will very rarely be more qualified for the job than a male applicant. This can be remedied by the use of technology. In today’s society, much manual labor can be handled my machines that are designed to lift even more than a human being can. These machines need not be operated by those physically superior. If we take manual labor out of the equation by adding technology, both sexes would have an equal opportunity at the job; this is considering the fact that neither sex is inferior in controlling technology. It is here where society can put aside sexual differences and  instead become â€Å"sex-blind†. A sex-blind society is one that does not take into account gender for the awarding of benefits through employment, opportunities, etc. There are many instances in which it would be helpful to have a sex-blind society, but there are some instances where different treatment of the sexes is justified. Kymlicka brings up the example of sex-segregated washrooms. These would not be considered discriminatory because the physical difference between the sexes calls for different treatment. Still, these instances are so rare and are so well justified that they should not interfere with the important notion of the sex-blind society. By eliminating the need for discrimination in manual labor due to physical differences through the implementation of technology, society can successfully become sex-blind and thus end gender discrimination. So to answer the question of how to change society’s prejudices towards the role of women, it is obvious that if minor changes are made to these demanding jobs, they can be viewed as gender-neutral. This in turn will allow more women to compete against men for a variety of jobs. Instead of redefining job roles, society must redefine gender roles through the lens of childrearing; this is so that jobs that are now limited to those individuals without the responsibility of childcare may become more gender-diverse in competition. Today’s society has all the resources needed to implement these changes—it’s just a matter of time until they are enacted in policies and eventually shift gender relations and stereotypes in favor of gender equality. Works Cited Armour, Stephanie. â€Å"Workplace tensions rise as dads seek family time.† USA Today, December 11, 2007. Accessed May 9, 2011. http://www.usatoday.com/money/workplace/2007-12-10-working-dads_N.htm. â€Å"Chrapliwy v. Uniroyal.† Wikipedia. Accessed May 9, 2011. Last modified February 22, 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrapliwy_v._Uniroyal. Cloud, John. â€Å"If Women Were More Like Men: Why Females Earn Less.† Time Magazine. Accessed May 9, 2011. Last modified October 3, 2008. http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1847194,00.html. Kymlicka, Will. Sexual Equality and Discrimination: Difference vs. Dominance. 1990. In Morality and Moral Controversies: Readings in Moral, Social, and Political Philosophy, edited by John Arthur and Steven Scalet, 572-575. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. â€Å"Leave Benefits: Family & Medical Leave.† US Department of Labor. Accessed May 9, 2011. http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/benefits-leave/fmla.htm. Lewis, Jone Johnson. â€Å"Elizabeth Blackwell: First Woman Physician.† About: Women’s History. Accessed May 9, 2011. http://womenshistory.about.com/od/blackwellelizabeth/a/eliz_blackwell.htm. Lloyd, Mark Frazier. â€Å"The University of Pennsylvania: America’s First University.† University Archives and Records Center University of Pennsylvania. Accessed May 9, 2011. Last modified November 1999. http://www.archives.upenn.edu/histy/genlhistory/firstuniv.html. â€Å"Newborns’ and Mothers’ Health Protection Act.â €  US Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration. Accessed May 9, 2011. http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/newsroom/fsnmhafs.html. â€Å"Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition, Lawyers.† Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Accessed May 9, 2011. Last modified December 17, 2009. http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos053.htm. Werner, Wendy. â€Å"Where Have the Women Attorneys Gone? .† Law Practice Today. Accessed May 9, 2011. Last modified May 2004. http://apps.americanbar.org/lpm/lpt/articles/mgt05041.html.

The association between the derivatives products and the financial Dissertation

The association between the derivatives products and the financial risk management is quite substantial and significant - Dissertation Example In order to operate in an effective manner, the banks need to manage their assets and liabilities from the various risks prevailing in the economy, one of which is the interest rate risk. Interest rate risk is the risk to earnings or capital arising from movement of interest rates. The need to manage the interest rate risk is very crucial for any bank and it has generally been observed that the interest rate risk management form the integral part of the risk management policies of all major global banks. This dissertation analysis the effectiveness of â€Å"interest rate swaps† in managing the interest rate risk faced by the UK banks and also how these derivatives product improves financial outlook of these banks. For the purpose of conducting the study, a quantitative and qualitative analysis was conducted on a sample of 12 major UK based banks. Through this analysis the conclusion is drawn that interest rate swaps is quite an effective hedging tool for the management of the interest rate risk and also for improving the financial outlook of a bank. Problem Statement In the global conventional economic environment, it would be quite interesting to evaluate the usage of the interest rate swaps by the financial institutions of UK, particularly multinationals banks. In this study 12 major banks of UK are selected and through both qualitative and quantitative research, the effectiveness of interest rate swaps is evaluated in managing and curtailing the financial risk. Research aim and objective The association between the derivatives products and the financial risk management is quite substantial and significant. The purpose of this paper is to conduct research on the basis of an expected analytical outcome, based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of the financial statements of UK banks, that how they have implemented the interest rate swaps in their risk management strategy. In this dissertation proposal the aims and objectives are as follows: To cla rify the influencing impact that the interest rate swaps in the global financial market in terms of managing and curtailing risk. Through quantitative and qualitative research and analysis, evaluate how giant UK banks are safeguarding their risk of being exposed to interest rate fluctuation in both the local and international financial market. Through a questionnaire, conduct an interview with the major finance personnel of these banks in order to obtain their views about the effectiveness of interest rate swaps in managing interest rate and financial risk. Research Questions Is there any positive significant association between interest rates swaps and financial risk management process? How interest rate swaps works in the global financial market? How effective are interest rate swaps in managing and curtailing the interest rate risk and financial risk faced by the UK banks? Dissertation Layout The first Chapter ‘

Theory of Justice Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Theory of Justice Analysis - Essay Example One is known as principle of liberty and the other as principle of difference. First Principle presented by Rawls The first principle of Rawls states that each and every person has equal rights to obtain all the basic necessities of life. Moreover, everyone should be allowed to practice whatever he or she wants as long as he or she stays within the established rules and regulations. According to Rawls, citizens should have basic freedom. It is the right of every citizen to vote for anyone and to run their businesses with ease. The tradition of rich people dominating the poor ones should be written off immediately. Furthermore, it is important that the citizens must have freedom of speech and should have the right to raise their voice against any sort of injustice or corruption. It has been noticed, in unfair societies, that properties of ordinary citizens are taken by the powerful citizens through unlawful means. This is something which cannot be justified whatsoever. People should h ave the liberty to own their personal properties and live in peace without the fear of anyone. Rawl also highlighted the importance of ethics within a nation. He argued that in order to maintain peace and prosperity in a nation it is essential that people are given the ‘liberty of conscience’ (Rawls, 1971). This would avoid hatred among the citizens and everyone will be able to live happily. Second Principle presented by Rawls In the second law of justice, Rawl mentioned that the citizens should be given equal opportunities to excel and prejudice should be discouraged. The selection of a person in an organization should totally be based upon merit. This will not only give the poor people an opportunity to sustain but would also help to improve the economy of the country. This will ensure that the most skilful people are selected which will in turn lead to more efficient results in the long term. Ethical Principles Beneficence Beneficence refers to the ability to acknowl edge what is good. An ethical perspective always aims to indicate the right thing to do. The principle of beneficence also resembles the principle of utility which stresses on maximization of good. Least Harm Least Harm is very much similar to beneficence, but it deals with situations where nothing favorable or positive is possible (Barton, & Karen, 1999). For such situations, the individual must choose the option that is least harmful. From the possible options left, he should go for the thing which will harm the fewest number of people. This principle aims to minimize damage for the whole society. Respect for Autonomy This principle allows people the freedom to make decisions of their lives. People should have the liberty to express their emotions in a manner they like without harming other members of the society. Justice Justice states that all the ethical theories should be based upon equality in order to judge a person. This means that all the decisions that are made should be made without any prejudice. All the decisions must be made without differentiating on the basis of color, caste, or creed. There should be a logical justification for all the decisions taken, especially when one is found guilty (Braithwaite, 1989). Ethical Theories Deontology Deontological theories are normative theories that reflect the character of a person. These theories characterize actions as right or wrong without taking into account the consequences of those actions. Deontological the

Analysis of Existentialist Philosophy by Sartre Literature review

Analysis of Existentialist Philosophy by Sartre - Literature review Example This is the responsibility of authenticity, realizing one's being and acting in good faith (Brown, 1948). These three propositions are reflected in Frank O'Connor's "Guests of the Nation" and Albert Camus' "The Guest." O'Connor and Camus highlight the absurdity of the universe and show how the failure to make choices which reflect authentic being, leads to existentialist suffering. The titles of both short stories express the theme of absurdity. In O'Connor's story, the two Englishmen are war hostages, the prisoners of the Irish soldiers, Donovan, Noble and Bonaparte and certainly not "guests of the nation." In Albert Camus' "The Guest," the reader questions the identity of the guest. Is it Daru, the European who has no other home than Algeria; Balducci, the military police officer who personifies French authority and colonial power; or is it the Arab, for whom Algeria is the home of his ancestors and his homeland. By making readers question the nature of the guest, host, enemy, friend relationship, both O'Connor and Camus draw attention to the absurdity of allowing politics, rather than our nature, to dictate our relationship with others. The absurdity of trying to impose political meaning on relationships is highlighted in "Guests of the Nation." Belcher and Hawkins, officially war hostages, were, however, treated as guests and as friends, a fact which makes their execution all the more absurd horrendous. As Bonaparte says, "after the first day or two we gave up all pretense of keeping a close eye on them." (Reference) They did not need to keep a close eye on Belcher and Hawkins because they had become part of the surroundings and had integrated into the community. They were not, on the human and interpersonal level, enemies. The absurdity of war had made them enemies and when they were able to leave the war behind them, even if temporarily, they became friends. This makes their execution all the more absurd because, at the end of the day, there is no reason for executing these two men. It is not the senselessness of the act which incites the existential suffering in the Irish soldiers because existentialist philosophy is premised upon an acknowledgment of the inherent absurdity of life. Instead, suffering is an outcome of the fact that their participation in the execution was not something which agreed with them. At some deep, internal level, the soldiers objected to the executions but carried them out, thereby failing to act authentically. The futility of existence and the absurdist nature of the universe are further reflected in the theme of senseless deaths. Camus's "The Guest" is set in Algeria but of the three main characters, only the Arab is Algerian.  

Experiment 2 Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Experiment 2 - Lab Report Example Equation for Archimedes buoyancy force is; Fb = g(mobject – mair), where Fb = buoyancy force, g = gravitational acceleration, and m = mass. On the other hand, Avogadro’s laws allows for the determination of a gas’ volume at a given density. Equation for Avogadro’s law is; molar mass/densitySTP = 22.415L/mole. By determining the volume and mass of any gas, it becomes easy to deduce a gas’ molar mass (Peck 68). This experiment involved determining the molar masses of hydrogen and helium; gases that are less dense than air. Prior to commencement of the experiment, appropriate safety requirements were performed. First, use of safety goggles and lab coats was prioritized. Secondly, water spilled on the floor was wiped in order to prevent slippage of students during the experiment. Finally, any chance of hydrogen ignition was considered, especially adherence to the use of fumed hood and prevention of static electricity. After the safety considerations, procedural steps of the experiment were performed. The volume of the pitcher was measured using a graduated cylinder. Simultaneously, the balloon was prepared by inflating it with either hydrogen or helium and subsequently weighed. Either excess balloon was cut off or additional pieces of strings added to the balloon setup until the balloon could float in air. Next, the pitcher setup was performed by immersion into water and the balloon gas transferred into the immersed pitcher. Finally, the gas’ volume was measured together with other relevant parameters like air pressure and environmental temperature. As a means of facilitating consistency and precision, three trials were performed for both hydrogen and helium. Data and results from each step of the experiment were recorded in the sheet below. Based on the data collected during the experiment, the calculated average molar mass of hydrogen is 2.107 g/mol while that of helium is 1.14 g/mol. The

Honda Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Honda - Assignment Example In spite of the bad timing of its entry, the company’s determination to succeed in the international industry led it to where it is now. Product- In terms of product efficiency 100 % quality is not good enough for the company, the standard is set to120% product quality (â€Å"Aiming for 120%†). This has always been their basis into making their products, in line with the goal of meeting or even exceeding customer satisfaction. Honda is focused on the creation of innovative technologies for the enhancement of safety. It is considered as the most fuel efficient car manufacturer in the US for the year 2010. Price- The versatility of their car models are fit to those who plan to buy a car that is enough with their budget. Americans are busy people that’s why owning a car is definitely important. Considering the quality of vehicles manufactured by Honda and with prices that are not too high to be reached, attracting buyers to purchase their product is not at all hard. Place- Honda’s successful penetration into the US market is something that is now catching the attention of strategic management theorists. Standards of the American people are totally different with those of the Japanese. It is one of the challenging parts of business when a firm decides to put up a branch or expand in an unfamiliar place. Having been able to introduce products with a Japanese approach and with the US market’s favorable reaction, Honda’s decision to launch its first out of the country subsidiary in the US was a success. Promotion- The people’s word of mouth helps in the promotion of a product most especially when it is a positive feedback of what they have experienced upon using it. The satisfaction of the customers is what Honda and its dealers from around the world hope to achieve. That is why in order to gain popularity and a good

Sam 340 unit 3 replaced Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sam 340 unit 3 replaced - Essay Example Risk management has two sides. It has both negative and positive sides. Risk management can therefore be counterproductive if at all it does not receive the full support of the stakeholders (Masteralexis, Barr and Hums, pp. 110). This is common whenever they have conflicting ideas which they intend to implement. Lack of support and improper implementation automatically leads to lack of achievement with regard to the initial objectives of the risk management programme. However, this paper argues from the point of view that risk management in line with legal and ethical principles is necessary in the sports industry. Risk management helps in the area of intervention and prevention (Masteralexis, Barr and Hums, pp. 96). The emergence of problems will be controlled in addition to having a comprehensive framework to handle problems that will have come up. It is therefore necessary to incorporate a proper risk management strategy. The reason for this personal opinion is because risk management puts the sports manager in a good position to anticipate and prepare for sports’ risks. This enhances a smooth transition for the benefit of a team with regard to its overall performance/results/output and saving of time and

Tobacco Prevention Essay Example for Free

Tobacco Prevention Essay Over the past 50 years America has increased its level of knowledge towards the use of tobacco as well as enhanced its cessation techniques through the use of medication and researched programs. Despite these advancements smoking has continued to be a detrimental problem to the American public. According to the CDC, about 1,000 persons younger than 18 years of age begin smoking on a daily basis. 1 Many of the cessation programs directed at youths are still young and creating names for themselves. As a result of all the research that has been done regarding the cessation programs for youths, three effective steps have been found. First, screen for tobacco dependency within families; second, educate parents about the dangers of smoking and second hand smoke and third, counsel and the use of prescription medication. While these three techniques have been proven to be effective they are not a 100% guarantee and they dont address the major issue of actually getting the youths themselves to the programs. Research has extensively documented the harms of tobacco to people, specifically youths but none of it has stopped the tobacco industry from creating advertisements intended for youths. According to the World Health Organization Tobacco companies must attract a new eneration of tobacco users to survive. The industry constantly loses customers because many current smokers quit smoking or die from tobacco-related diseases. As a result, tobacco companies develop massive marketing campaigns to entice youth to smoke and become long-term smokers. 2 To parents, teacher and politicians the youth are the future of our country, to tobacco companies; the youth are the future of their business and their needs for survival. The problem of youth smoking is one that we cannot ignore and must continue to attack. As a whole Healthcare professionals, overnment lobbyist groups, insurance companies and most important the youth themselves all must re-commit themselves to exterminate this persistent problem at hand. Out of the 4,000 chemicals found in cigarettes, nicotine is often referred to as the most dangerous one. It is not regarded as being incredible dangerous to someones health but is feared by many people because extremely addictive. When smoke is inhaled that contains nicotine, the nicotine reaches the brain in a mere six seconds. When used in small doses nicotine acts as a stimulant to the brain or a substance that raises the levels of physiological activity in the body. In large doses it acts as a depressant and hinders the current of signals in the nervous system. Those substances which we call drugs cause their effects by mimicking some substance that naturally occurs in the body or by interfering with some process which naturally goes on. Nicotine acts in the former manner, by mimicking a naturally occurring substance in the body. 3 The substance that nicotine imitates is the chemical neurotransmitter acetylcholine. Each neuron has a protein, which is called a receptor, when nicotine is inhaled they attach on to these receptors in the place of acetylcholine. When nicotine binds to these receptors, like any other drugs they cause changes in the body. The primary changes that occur in the body due to nicotine inhalation are increases in the blood pressure and heart rate. Nicotine also nas psychoactive ettects or m -altering ettect upon use. The release of dopamine during the use of nicotine is a major contributor to the drugs highly addictive qualities. Dopamine is a chemical neurotransmitter that is naturally released in the body during a pleasurable experience. The nicotine released when smoking cigarettes release dopamine leaving the smoker with the feeling of extreme leasure, resulting in the desire to feel that way often. The evil genius of this drug is that while it produces dopamine it impedes the production of monoamine oxidase, which is responsible for the natural process of breaking down dopamine. The ability for nicotine to block the production of monoamine oxidase wears off short after the end of use, this fact causes the smokers to continue to get the urge to smoke and feel heightened levels of dopamine. 4 Nicotine dependence is defined as an addiction to tobacco products caused by the drug nicotine, meaning you cant stop using the substance despite the knowledge hat is causing you harm. The united States Department of Health and Human Services have concluded that for most youths its takes 2-3 years to become nicotine dependent but as few as 100 cigarettes to become addicted. In 2010 about 2. 6 American adolescents (aged 12-17) reported using a tobacco product in the month prior to the survey. In that same year it was found that nearly 60 percent of new smokers were under the age of 18 when they first smoked a cigarette. Of smokers under the age of 18 more then 6 million will likely die prematurely from a smoking- related disease. 6 There are two primary influences that cau se adolescents to susceptible to developing nicotine dependence, the first being peer pressure. Peer pressure is a fact of life and inevitable in your childhood and adolescence. Wheatear a person is conscious or not towards the pressure the choices and behaviors peers make affect the surrounding peers. According to Phillip Morris USA youths with at least three friends who smoke are 10 times more likely pick up the habit than youths who have friends that do not smoke. 7 The other influence that causes adolescents to be more susceptible to nicotine ependence than adults is not a psychosocial factor but a biological one. There are biological differences in adults and adolescents that leave adolescents more vulnerable to nicotine addition. Much of the research done in this sector has been executed with the use of adolescent rats and adult rats for safety reasons. Adolescent rats are more susceptible to reinforcing effects of nicotine that adult rats, and take more nicotine when it is available than do adult animals. 8 An animal study done by the National Institute on Drug Abuse has reported the negative affects that acetaldehyde has on smokers, specifically adolescents. The study found that acetaldehyde, an organic chemical compound found in cigarettes dramatically increases the reinforcing properties of nicotine and may also contribute to tobacco addiction. It was also found that acetaldehyde has an age- related effect and was far more drastic in the adolescent animals brains than the adult animals. 9 In 2009 the Philadelphia Department of Health conducted a study that found the high school smoking rate was higher in Philadelphia then any other large city. The smoking rate for high school students was 3. %, the racial breakdown of those statistics were 1. % of African Americans, 3. 1% of Hispanics and 15. 6% of Caucasians. 10 There are two main contributors that lead Philadelphia to have the highest high school smoking rate; cigarettes are cheaper in Philadelphia then any other major city and the prevalence of tobacco retailers in Philadelphia, there are 27 retailers for every 1,000 youth between the ages 10-17. 11 Pennsylvania ranked 19th in the country for price of cigarettes with an average of 5. 85 per pack, about 5$ behind New York which was ranked 1st. 2 To formulate national statistics the CDC uses the data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey. The National Youth Tobacco Survey is our countries most effective way of measuring youth tobacco use. It is a school- based, self- administered questionnaire given to middle school students (6th to 8th grade) and high school students (9th- 12th grade). It has been given every 2 years since 2000 and is used by the Healthy People Foundation to keep track of the 2020 goal it has set. In 2011 the use of all types of tobacco for middle school and high school 7. 1% and 23. % respectively and the prevalence of specific cigarette use was 4. 3% for middle school students and 18. 1% for high school students. 13 The Healthy People oals for 2020 were set in 2009 when the cigarette use rate for high school students was at 19. 5%, the overall goal is to get it down to 16% by 2020. 14 In or der to reach the goals set for 2020 it is crucial that the countries cessation programs are doing their part. Research has shown that the most effective method for youths to quit smoking is a binary method, both behavioral techniques and medication use. In terms of medication use there are two types of medicinal categories, first- line and second- line. First-line medications are the ones that tend to be used first by smokers trying to quit and second-line medications are used if the irst- line medications prove inadequate. The most simplistic first-line medications are over-the-counter and come in the form of nicotine gum, patches and lozenges. The gums, patches and lozenges all offers doses of nicotine, starting with the highest dose the smoker is supposed to reduce dose over-time with the hopes of eventual nicotine independence. Nicotine Inhalers and Nicotine nasal spray are also first- line medications that work in the same way as the gum, lozenge and patch but are prescription rather then over-the-counter. Bupropion and Varenicline are two other forms of first-line medications that are also prescription. Bupropion also known as Zyban and Varenicline also known as Chantix both work to reduce the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal and reduce the urges smokers feel. The two second-line medications are Nortriptyline known as Aventyl and Clonidine known as Catapres. Aventyl is traditionally used to teat depression but has also proved successful with tobacco cessation efforts and Catapres is generally used to treat high blood pressue, but like Aventyl has shown effective in tobacco cessation. 1 5 The behavioral techniques that are used in tobacco cessation come in two forms, an intervention style and a program style. The current research efforts that have been done regarding the intervention methods of cessation are deficient. There is simply a lack of evidence- based interventions, which makes it very difficult to Judge the success as well as improve the programs. This issue was addressed with the Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative, which came up with the better practices model. The better practices model is based on the idea that successful solutions to complex problems must draw from both science and experience. 16 The Canadian Tobacco Control Research Initiative came out with guidelines on what ssues should be used while developing cessation interventions. As time passes with these new guidelines and more evidence based interventions occur it shouldnt ta long to specify what are the best methods for success. 6 Programs can be more accurately researched because their data is much more accessible. A cessation program can mean many different things, ranging from face to face counseling, telephone counseling, Internet counseling and group counseling. The most effective forms of counseling have been face-to-face counseling as well as group counseling. Telephone counseling is relatively new but has showed success in its short life. Rega rdless of how the counseling has been delivered the technique that has been proved to be the most effective is the problem-solving approach. The problem-solving approach asks smokers to think of times they are likely to smoke and then planning what to do to distract themselves from the urge to smoke. 17 Social support such as encouragement and caring has not surprisingly been proven effective ways to help cessation. N-O-T, Not on Tobacco is the American Lung Associations voluntary rogram for teens that want to quit smoking has proven to be successful in the past. It is the most researched, most widely used and most successful program in the United States. (YTC) N-O-T has 7 major characteristics that have made it to successful: 18 1. Allows teens to volunteer to participate 2. Includes group activities 3. Has separate activities for boys and girls 4. Uses a total health approach 5. Consists of 10 session and can be used in school and community settings 6. Is based on more then 10 years of research 7. Is proven effective, has a 21% quit rate, higher then any other program N-O-T evelops skills, confidence and support system that teenagers need in order to quit. They understand that one of the keys to quitting smoking is to have the ability to keep your life the same without the use of cigarettes. By doing this and aiding the teens in other problems other then the smoking such as controlling weight after quitting and managing stress they have been successful. While there has been success in the cessation programs there is clearly an incredible amount of room for improvement. The most effective way to drastically improve success is creating a more accessible environment to programs. Although many youth think about and attempt to quit tobacco many are unaware of or unable to access cessation services. Also, many youth do not think quitting tobacco is difficult enough to warrant professional assistance. 19 The most important thing we can do moving forward is to better recruit youth who smoke and use tobacco. Recruiting for programs such as these should be very specific and focus are the target audience. Using the data from the National Youth Tobacco Survey it can be fgured out which ethnicity has the most smokers and recruitment techniques should be in accordance ith those number . An effective way to do this would be to tap in to previous existing social networks in a community, such as a club or a sports team. While your peers can be the reason you start smoking as a result of negative pressure they can also be the reason you quit as a result of positive pressure. Offering incentives can also be a useful technique for recruitment, offering something like pizza at meetings could raise the attendance and access. Even if the child goes into the meeting with the sole intent of getting the incentive they are still exposed to cessation efforts. One last ecruitment technique can be to use other teens as recruiters. It will give a more personalized appearance and give you the feeling that you will not be alone. It is also on the shoulders of the health insurance companies and the health care system to provide access to these youths. All health insurance policies should cover any cessation program or method used by teens to quit smoking, the high prices of some medications and some counseling practices can deter youths from making an attempt to quit. It should be the standard that all health care services monitor and care for nicotine dependency. It falls on a combination of the government, healthcare systems and public health agencies to formulate a system that can effectively treat youth nicotine dependence. It is also extremely important that high schools are smoke free; the majority of youths time is spent, as schools and creating a smoke- free environment will deter smoking amongst youth. Another way to improve the current youth cessation programs in to apply adult programs to youth specifically for interventions, the most lacking in research of all methods. Due to this lack of research on youth interventions we can use what has been proven effective with adults. The United States Public Health System has provided the public specifically adults with recommendations that have proved successful. These recommendations include: It is essential that clinicians and health care delivery systems consistently identify and document tobacco use status and treat every tobacco user seen in a health care setting, Telephone quitline counseling is effective with diverse populations and has broad reach. Therefore, clinicians and health care delivery systems should both ensure patient access to quitlines and promote quitline use along with eight other proven effective recommendations. 0 As spoken about previously there are biological differences are one of the many things that vary between youth and adults. These differences could lead to a lack of success and should encourage counselors to use adult recommendations carefully. As a country we should be encouraged by the amount of success youth cessations programs have had but also motivated to continue to improve them. While it is unrealistic to think there will be a time when there are no smokers on this earth that should be our goal. We should aim for a 0% high school smoking rate because that will drive people to continue to find successful methods. If we live with the goal of a 0% smoking rate five or ten years down the road when we look at what the youth smoking is and look at its decline, it will be drastic. If you think about it in terms of a professional baseball pitcher, he goes into each game with the mindset of pitching a perfect game and works each day towards that goal. In hindsight with a more realistic mindset he can look back on his performance and see that getting 24 out of 27 men out rather then 27 out of 27 is still a success. Cessation is not an easy process and the only thing that can make it easier is a more committed effort by all parties involved.

Food Processing Technology and Methods for Cereal

Food Processing Technology and Methods for Cereal Most of the principles of making breakfast cereals are similar to all products. Trix cereal is made with corn. The process of converting corn into the delicious product many children as well as adults will be discussed in this section. The corn from the field is dried milled, sifted and cleaned to separate the germ from the bran, oils and debris collected from the field and the milling process. The goal of this separation is to get to the endosperm where most of the starch that will be used for production is located. Most cereals produced are produced as flakes. Prior to flaking the grits are cooked and mixed with sugar, malt syrup, proteins, and salt into a large amount of water to create what is called cooking liquor. This cooking liquor provides the Milliard reaction that occurs during cooking and is what provides most of the flavor to the flakes or in the case of Trix, corn puffs. This mixture is loaded into a cylindrical industrial steam pressure cooker for about two hours at a 15-18 psig steam pressure (Smith Hui, 2004). In the case of Trix the cooking process is done by puffing. Puffing is done either through high temperature ovens, guns or extrusion. The use of any of these three methods is to expose the moist grain to high temperatures where its moisture will be converted to steam. The steam released by the grain expands and puffs the kernel. Prior to placing the grits into any of these three methods, the grains are delumped in lump-breaking machines which incorporate large volumes of air. The air supplied through the machine helps with the cooling of the product. The cooling of the grit in the lump-breaking machine helps with the initial drying step of the process of making ready to eat cereal. Grits usually have a moisture content of 28-34% (Smith Hui, 2004) are dried to about 14-17% through the use of forced air dryers at a temperature of 250 °F (Smith Hui, 2004). Once the grains have gone through this initial drying, the grains are controlled cooled to 100 °F to prevent hardening of the grain and to allow the grain to return to ambient temperature. (Smith Hui, 2004). Once the grain is dried to the moisture levels desired, the grain is tempered. Tempering of the grits takes about 2-3hours, helps reduce the darkening the product that occurs during Milliard reactions, and allow the grit to retrograde. This process uses temperature of 80o F and increases the firmness of the cooked grit (Smith Hui, 2004). From this point the grit is ready for flaking, shredding, or any of the methods of puffing grits. General Mills utilizes puffing guns to make Trix cereals. The science behind the puffing gun utilized by General Mills and some of its competitors, works by introducing the grains to high (500-800  °Ã‚  F) temperatures. This high temperature evaporates the moisture within the granules creating a steam pressure build up (100 to 200 psi) inside the chamber. When this pressure is released the moisture attempting to escape the grain, causes the endosperm to expand and simultaneously puff. Puffing guns have come long ways from when they were first introduced in the cereal business. Today General Mills utilizes a continuous puffing gun systems and extrusion puffing. Continuous puffing guns work the same way as it predecessors. The continuous gun contains a rotating cylinder that is set a specific angle. The cylinder is heated either by gas flames or electrically, and it is fed through a rotary valve. The pressure in the cylinder remains constant via the exit, thus continuously discharging the product. The contents explode into a bin provided with a floor opening leading to a conveyor belt. The product is directed to a rotating heating cylinder to dry, and then cooled. At this point the product is visually inspected for stickiness and color and sent to the packaging line. Direct expansion or extrusion puffing is the other method used by many cereal manufacturers. This type of technology was received with open arms by the cereal industry because it allows the combination of the steps in the process into one. Cereals ingredients are introduced in one batch into long barrels equipped with single or twin screws. The screws mix, shear, and pressurize the barrel and transport the â€Å"dough† to a forming die. As the mixture flows through the extruder, vitamins, flavors and colors are introduced and then the mixture exits through the die. The same principle of the puffing gun is applied to extruders. As the moisture vapor expands and the excess pressure is released, the volume of the mixture increases. The temperature in the barrel increases the mixture to about 300o-350 o F and the pressure to about 350-500 psi at the die head. As the dough exits through the orifices of the die, it is sliced off in to the different shapes and the slices expand immediately. Despite this quick expansion, the pieces still maintain moisture content of about 27% and are further dried on vibrating screens in hot air puffing ovens where the final cooking of the product occurs (Smith Hui, 2004). Pieces are inspected and sent to the packaging line. Although extruded and gun puffed mixtures products are enriched and fortified during the cooking process, the puffs receive a final spray of vitamins, sugar and flavors inside rotating spray drums. Both final sprays assist with the reduction of lipid oxidation and moisture which improve the overal l quality of the product as it relates to its texture and crispiness. One aspect of producing cereal is its quality. The cereal industry uses multiple methods to assess the quality of its product during the production process. The biggest issue for a good cereal product is moisture. Moisture is measured through near infrared analysis (NIR), wet chemistry, and image analysis. During the process the product the raw material is analyzed for moisture to ensure it can be flaked, shredded, shaped, maintained for control of oven temperatures, and to control the sugar content applied to the product. This type of testing can also be done to the final product where the fat, sugar, and moisture are analyzed to ensure the operation is working at optimum conditions. These test is necessary due to any unacceptable moisture content could lead to poor product quality as well as possible bacteria growth. At present, cereal industries are performing little or no analytical testing, and are relying on the vendors to provide them with highest quality level of product for their market. This can present a problem in production process. Despite the fact that the cereal industry does little or no analytical testing, most of the moisture content testing is performed as the product exits the oven using a 16 hour vacuum oven method or a moisture balance method (Unity Scientific, 2014). According to Unity Scientific, â€Å"both methods use loss on drying to measure moisture content.† The main problem with the 16 hr oven method is the time it takes to get results, and when these are received they â€Å"have no impact on real time process control† (Unity Scientific, 2014). When it comes to the moisture balance method Unity Scientific says, although the sample can be â€Å"analyzed in 15 minutes it is â€Å"2-3 times less accurate the vacumm oven method.† The key to cereals i s the control of its moisture and texture. Moisture as mentioned previously, is critical to maintaining a cereal’s integrity, and it is crucial that the moisture of a cereal product is not greater than 3%. Anything less or greater could reduce its crunchiness as well as make it brittle. Therefore, NIR is one of the best methods of testing for moisture as well as fat content in any step of the process. In regards to its crunchiness the cereal industry uses mechanical as well as sensory evaluation methods to ensure the products texture. Nonetheless, sensory evaluations can be subjective. One of the best ways to analyze texture is the use of mechanical instruments as these provide a quantitative measure of texture. Currently instruments used by the cereal industry include Stevens, Instron and Ottawa Texture Analyzer. The purpose of these crunch evaluation methods is to find the bowl life by exposing the product to milk for a small period of time and then performing a shear test. Other equipments used are the multiple crunching probes and the Ottawa Cell shearing test. The final step in the production process is packaging. Different equipment and films are used across the board in the cereal industry. Some of the machinery used include Ishida multi-head weighers, Bosch vertical form fill seal machines and Triangle bag in box packaging. When it comes to films, they either use wax paper or various polymer films (Smith Hui, 2014). However, before selecting a packaging film, cereal manufacturers consider whether the location the product is going to be sold is humid or arid. Based on these conditions the film is selected and used for production. One of most common packaging materials used in the cereal industry is polyethylene films (Smith Hui, 2014). The packaging film must protect from water vapor transmission and flavor loss. As mentioned previously, moisture plays a big role in the process and any sign of moisture gain could lead to potential loss of crispiness and acceptability of the product. Another issue for cereals is the instability of lipid s. Lipid oxidation leads to rancidity thus, creating a bad aroma in the product. To prevent lipid oxidation and moisture gain in the product, the cereal industry utilizes different antioxidants. The antioxidants commonly used are butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydrooxytoluene (BHT) (Smith Hui, 2004). Although their use is limited in the production process, these can be added before cooking. However, after several trials, it was discovered that due to their non polarity and their volatility these would not hold during the manufacturing process. Nonetheless, it was discovered it was better to apply these antioxidants to the packaging material as the antioxidants would transfer to product after packaging (Smith Hui, 2014). Packaging does more than protect from decay, it provides the identification, and it provides consumer attraction and appeal to the product. Producing cereals entails more than what is see in the grocery store shelves or what is consumed at homes. Essentially behind all of this manufacturing process is the effort to make profit, but no matter what idea the manufacturer may have, protecting the product and providing the best quality of product to consumer becomes primordial. Accurate shelf lives, quality of stored cereal, its freshness are what attract and appeal the consumer. References How Products Are Made. Cereal. 2014. Available at: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Cereal.html. Accessed September 03, 2014. Smith, J. (2004).Food processing: Principles and applications. Ames, Iowa: Blackwell Pub. Kulp, K. (2000).Handbook of cereal science and technology(2nd ed., pp. 626- 627). New York: Marcel Dekker. Breakfast Cereal. (2014, January 1). Retrieved October 18, 2014, from http://www.unityscientific.com/industries/food-dairy/cereal.asp

Stakeholders Analysis On Nintendo In 2006 Media Essay

Stakeholders Analysis On Nintendo In 2006 Media Essay Nintendo has implemented a strategy, which encourages people around the world to play video games regardless of their age, gender or cultural background (Nintendo, 2006) and appeal even to people who arent interested in games (Business Week, 2006) and smiles on peoples faces (Nintendo, 2008). Nintendo Co Ltd (Nintendo) and its new president Satoru Iwata believed due the complexity of games there are a lot of potential for gaming by other segments. Originally the games were built merely on action and targeted towards traditional over 18 year old male population (ESA, 2006). Nintendo decided to bring in the non-gamers and create an all-new consumer segment. Simplicity was the game and uses real live situations in the game such as Wii Fit. Nintendo designed and marketed Wii as an entertainment centre for the family. The average age of those purchasing games was 33 in 2005 compared to 38 in 2006 and 2007, 40 (ESA, 2006, 2007 and 2008). The games are devised to involve all age and gender groups including those who would like to spectators. It also seems that this had encouraged not only young people of the family asking parents to buy gaming devises, but the elders as well started to show keen interest in buying Wii. ESA (2007) indicates that 67% of American head of households play a video or computer game. Further it indicates that only 28.2% of the games are below the age of 18 and 62% of the total games are male. Wii created a competitive advantage by luring female and NPD (2009) indicated that 5% point increase in female gamers during 2009 compared to previous year and underscores the successes of Wii and other adult population who has not yet entered the gaming experience. Moreover Nintendo, also look of attracting customers above 50 years old and therefore they must create games that attract these groups. Health conscious people has also bought in gaming as they integrate into their life style and found to be beneficial. It has move from the notion that games create couch potatoes (obesity). Company Following the entrance of Sony and Microsoft into the industry, as new players there were not many success stories but rather fights over who would become the number one game. Nintendos net sales stagnated since 2004 and shot up with the introduction of Wii in November 2006. The vision of the new leadership was very crucial and was tested with launch of Nintendo DS and its other variants with the biggest change happening with Nintendo Wii in November 2006 (Joshi and Tsang, 2009). The company financial results grew tremendously with net income tripling by end of 2008 (914.9 M US$ in March 2006 to 2.393.3 M US$ by March 2008) (Joshi and Tsang, 2009)). Cash dividends of 1,260 Japanese yen in 2008, almost 3 times higher than year 2006 (390 Japanese yen) (Nintendo, 2009 and 2006). Companys stock prices rose to 64,500 Japanese Yen by end of 2008 from 17,880 Japanese Yen in year 2006 (Nintendo, 2009). Since the November launch of Wii until September 2009, company has sold over 53.97 M representing 48% of the total hardware sales by three main competitors (X Box 360, PS3 and Wii). Nintendo doesnt manufacture all of its own parts but depend on others. It usually buys parts from companies such as IBM (processors) and Panasonic (batteries) and so on. Nintendo has to keep good relations with these companies. Nintendo also focus on technology that would achieve more with less. The software designers where at the helm of the hardware development that ensure there are sufficient games and that they suit the development concepts. Competition The irony is that instead of going head to head with Microsoft and Sony Nintendo more or less created its own niche market. Sony and Microsoft have pursued that combination of computing power and graphics of its game, which Nintendo viewed it as a limiting factor to success and targeting the non-gamers. Nintendo to all our surprise used a combination of blue tooth technology, infrared, and motion sensor instead to create a user friendly and easy set up console. Moreover the simplicity reduced the cost and made it easy for its developers to design new games, which gave Nintendo a competitive advantage over its rivals. Nintendo gave a feeling of personalization by allowing users to create characters. The lack of high-end graphics such as HD could have been a competitive threat, but turned out to be an advantage since HD would take year to be established in homes. A threat to Nintendo is the ever increasing online and computer games market. During 2006 51% of the frequent game players were also seen to be gaming online as well (ESA 2006). The Low price of Nintendo has proved to be its biggest competitive advantage. There is a huge threat on the supply and demand of Wii, which could damage the market share of Nintendo through customer frustrations although Nintendo is quite comfortable with the current limited supply of the console. In the latest figures from NPD (NDP, 2010), sales of games are recovering from -20 to 5 in term of % change in dollars sales from Oct 2009 to December 2009. These present significant opportunities for Nintendo. Community From the information available there was no major regulatory restriction on the major markets areas. The market seems free to operate and to take the full advantage to capture a high market share in Europe and the US. The simplicity of the games made it easy for the programmers to design more and more games at very low cost. Nintendo has also open up Nintendo to private engineers and has now over 792 games. In terms of standards and guidelines for the industry The Commission of the European Communities announced to impose a fine of EUR149 million on October 30, 2002 referring that Nintendos past trade practices in Europe until 1998 fell upon limitation of competition within the EU common market which is prohibited by Article 81 in the EU treaty (Nintendo, 2006). The media can at times be a businesss enemy or a friend. Regardless which side it is on at any given time, the publicity the media gives helps position Nintendo and its products into the minds of consumers. Nintendo doesnt make all of its own components for the game. It buys parts from companies such as Panasonic, IBM and ATI. In addition, Nintendo may sell some of its own products online, but the majority of it sells is through other retailers (Walmart, Amazon, airport duty free shops, etc. are responsible for selling Nintendos products like the Wii. The product is a simple console with a simple wand. The wand type thing was the unique feature that was able to recognize the human body motions. It requires physical movement from players, which was good for health conscious parents especially for the kids. It is one of the reasons why this product was excellent for the family. The motion detectors would turn the hand movements into an on screen action simulating a real life experience. The product further evolved and included keeping fit as well whereby there is a combination of action on the screen together with physical exercise. The games were simpler to understand with a shallow learning curve. Price Nintendo was indeed right to understand that we do more with the little technology. Wii did not require heavy graphics and came with only a small 512MB flash drive. This enabled Nintendo to keep its console production cost low. Couple with that was a lower software cost as well. Wii was launched for USD 250 only, well below USD 399 being charged for XBOX 360 and USD 499 for a PS3 (Joshi and Tsang, 2009). Recently it is understood that they have reduce the Wii by USD 50. Nintendo due to lower cost generated profits from both hardware and software. Furthermore Nintendo was able to generate profits of up to USD 49 per console in US, Sony and Microsoft were loosing USD 300 and USD 125 per console at their respective launch prices (Joshi and Tsang, 2009). Place Wii were able to place and display the product at major super markets and shopping malls. However, after a year of its launch Nintendo failed in meeting the demand for the game. Nintendo has realized the uniqueness of the product, the willingness of consumers to wait to buy this product rather than look for alternatives. It seems the experience with Wii is unique that it is a game in a different league. Promotion Wii was designed for all age and gender and its advertisement reflected this philosophy. Nintendo used word of mouth (Joshi and Tsang, 2009) as its advertisement strategy. They made families (father to the child), hard-core gamers and modern moms as their ambassadors. They would play and share experiences with others. A number of kiosks were set up at many shopping malls show casing its features. Moreover their Commercials always showed groups of people, including generations of families, playing and interacting with each other. A classic example was the grandfather who mistook the Wii for the TV remote control and got stuck with the Wii. Nintendo has used all the classic methods of sales promotions, such as discount voucher and holidays give-ways. According to Sliwinski (2006) Nintendo expected to spend over USD 200 m in all of its promotional activity over the next year and is the largest advertising campaign in Nintendos history. About 80 percent of the budget will be spent convincing adults to purchase the system and shaking off Nintendos traditional consumer perception of being for children and teens. 4. If you were the VP of Marketing for Sony, how would you respond to the Wii. In its current state, the gaming industry is an attractive one with a total market opportunity of over $49.9 billion projected for 2001 and $85.7 billion in 2006 Joshi and Tsang, 2009) In the short term as the VP for Marketing is convince the developers to see how reduce the cost of X Box without diminishing its high quality. It might be an excellent to do like Nintendo bridge the gap between hardware and software development. New games should be introduced to attract women players. In the long-term as the VP for Marketing X-box should move in the same direction as Nintendo, the motion sensor technology and compete directly with Nintendo. This would be an additional functionality on the X-Box. We should move on the basis for doing more with X-box for less. The X-box should also be able to integrate with Windows operating system allowing interoperability between the system and become one.

Roanoke Island :: essays research papers

In 1584, explorers Phillip Amanda and Arthur Barlowe were the first people to set eyes on Roanoke Island. It is explained to be characterized by thick marshlands and stands of live oaks teeming with wildlife. The explorers were sent there by Sir Walter Raleigh. HE was a poet soldier and a statesman. The trip was for one specific reason, to search for an ideal location for settlement. The queen was very pleased about what was being done. She was so please that she granted Raleigh a patent for all the lands he could occupy. He called the new land Virginia in honor of the Virgin Queen. Raleigh recruited 117 men and women for a permanent settlement. When the people had got there they discovered that the Roanoke Indians had killed 15 men. They were forced to stay. On August 18 1587 Eleanor Dare gave birth to a girl. She named her Virginia. She was the first child to be bore on the American soil. The new land needed supplies in order to stay alive so John White left for Brittan. Little did he know that he would never see his family again. He returned in two years eager to see his family back on the island but he never found anyone. He had only found a carving which read â€Å"craotok â€Å". That meant that they had gone 50 miles up Maine. There was a terrible storm and he was forced to go back to Brittan. The people of Roanoke were never found for they had mysteriously disappeared. Raleigh had given up hope for settlement, but in 1591 he had his hopes high again. He sent another expedition to America but it had failed. In 1595 he decided to go for himself. He ended up on Guiana instead of Virginia. 15 years later he tried once again and failed. He tried again in 1603. This time he sent Bartholomen Gilbert. He and his crew were killed by Indians. After that tragic incident. Raleigh could no longer try anymore, because later he was imprisoned by the new king, King James I. Roanoke Island :: essays research papers In 1584, explorers Phillip Amanda and Arthur Barlowe were the first people to set eyes on Roanoke Island. It is explained to be characterized by thick marshlands and stands of live oaks teeming with wildlife. The explorers were sent there by Sir Walter Raleigh. HE was a poet soldier and a statesman. The trip was for one specific reason, to search for an ideal location for settlement. The queen was very pleased about what was being done. She was so please that she granted Raleigh a patent for all the lands he could occupy. He called the new land Virginia in honor of the Virgin Queen. Raleigh recruited 117 men and women for a permanent settlement. When the people had got there they discovered that the Roanoke Indians had killed 15 men. They were forced to stay. On August 18 1587 Eleanor Dare gave birth to a girl. She named her Virginia. She was the first child to be bore on the American soil. The new land needed supplies in order to stay alive so John White left for Brittan. Little did he know that he would never see his family again. He returned in two years eager to see his family back on the island but he never found anyone. He had only found a carving which read â€Å"craotok â€Å". That meant that they had gone 50 miles up Maine. There was a terrible storm and he was forced to go back to Brittan. The people of Roanoke were never found for they had mysteriously disappeared. Raleigh had given up hope for settlement, but in 1591 he had his hopes high again. He sent another expedition to America but it had failed. In 1595 he decided to go for himself. He ended up on Guiana instead of Virginia. 15 years later he tried once again and failed. He tried again in 1603. This time he sent Bartholomen Gilbert. He and his crew were killed by Indians. After that tragic incident. Raleigh could no longer try anymore, because later he was imprisoned by the new king, King James I.

Why are comics less educational than literary novels? Essay -- Educati

Why are comics less educational than literary novels? Differing from long narrative of simply text, comics have visual representation existing through the creative, yet simple messages. Through the visuals, comics expose the ethnic representations of shared collective perceptions, memories, and emotions. Maus I is a true account of the author’s father as a Holocaust survivor, Vladek Spiegelman, and his experiences as a young Jew in Aushwitz. Maus II is about Vladek Spiegelman recounting his own history to his son, Art, of his past relationships, friends, and tragic events he experienced and witnessed. As the reader delves into the relationship of the father and son, the reader begins to realize what the message his father tries to reach across and for his own knowledge only. People most often would think that the use of images would soften the realizations and accounts of events of Holocaust, but in reality the animated visuals greatly amplify the emotions and memories more. I n both Maus I and Maus II, the comic panels of drawn images of memories, which are much more horrifying and true to life, than the real photographs of that time in the Holocaust show that the visuals comprising the comic books have advantages in many aspects of ethnic representation. The use of animals in the comic amplifies the tragedy much more than using real life characters of humans. Maus recounts the history of Auschwitz through detailed drawings and mostly the same size comic panels with small sentences rather than a full novel. The use of images portrays a different emotion in the reader; the reader must do more close reading in order to compare and contrast the images to the text. Art Spiegelman uses animals instead of humans to make it more readab... ...force. To remove the symbol of swastika entirely or replace it with another symbol would completely disorient the reader. Therefore, Spiegelman uses the swastika to remind the reader that while the events may be unfamiliar, the novel is still a narrative about the devastating events of the Holocaust. In understanding Maus, the reader must take into account the fact that all works of literature are affected by the social and cultural contexts of its author. Spiegelman proves the point that â€Å"a picture is worth a million words† with his visuals through ethnic representation, which speak louder than the text, and contributes greatly for reader to engage and do close reading. In Maus, the use of frame stories in comic panels helped to establish both the personal and the historical context of ethnic representation by providing educational awareness to younger readers. Why are comics less educational than literary novels? Essay -- Educati Why are comics less educational than literary novels? Differing from long narrative of simply text, comics have visual representation existing through the creative, yet simple messages. Through the visuals, comics expose the ethnic representations of shared collective perceptions, memories, and emotions. Maus I is a true account of the author’s father as a Holocaust survivor, Vladek Spiegelman, and his experiences as a young Jew in Aushwitz. Maus II is about Vladek Spiegelman recounting his own history to his son, Art, of his past relationships, friends, and tragic events he experienced and witnessed. As the reader delves into the relationship of the father and son, the reader begins to realize what the message his father tries to reach across and for his own knowledge only. People most often would think that the use of images would soften the realizations and accounts of events of Holocaust, but in reality the animated visuals greatly amplify the emotions and memories more. I n both Maus I and Maus II, the comic panels of drawn images of memories, which are much more horrifying and true to life, than the real photographs of that time in the Holocaust show that the visuals comprising the comic books have advantages in many aspects of ethnic representation. The use of animals in the comic amplifies the tragedy much more than using real life characters of humans. Maus recounts the history of Auschwitz through detailed drawings and mostly the same size comic panels with small sentences rather than a full novel. The use of images portrays a different emotion in the reader; the reader must do more close reading in order to compare and contrast the images to the text. Art Spiegelman uses animals instead of humans to make it more readab... ...force. To remove the symbol of swastika entirely or replace it with another symbol would completely disorient the reader. Therefore, Spiegelman uses the swastika to remind the reader that while the events may be unfamiliar, the novel is still a narrative about the devastating events of the Holocaust. In understanding Maus, the reader must take into account the fact that all works of literature are affected by the social and cultural contexts of its author. Spiegelman proves the point that â€Å"a picture is worth a million words† with his visuals through ethnic representation, which speak louder than the text, and contributes greatly for reader to engage and do close reading. In Maus, the use of frame stories in comic panels helped to establish both the personal and the historical context of ethnic representation by providing educational awareness to younger readers.

Red Dead Redemption Analysis

Critical Analysis of a Game: Red Dead Redemption Professor Shawn Graham Jad Slaibeh 100804020 Submitted: Thursday February 7th 2013 The game I have chosen for my critical analysis is Red Dead Redemption. Red Dead Redemption was made, published, and engineered by a company called Rockstar Games (Rockstar Website). The major distributor of the game is a company who happens to own Rockstar, Take-Two interactive. Being one of the most successful video game developers to date, Rockstar is famous for creating the popular and controversial game series Grand Theft Auto.Rockstar differs very much from other video game developers because they are one of few who have grown and experienced the advancement of video games in terms of graphics and gameplay. Rockstar is known for revolutionizing the concept of having an open world in console video games. This was not originally the case and happened over years of expansion. Rockstar’s first game was released on the original PlayStation. The g ame is called Grand Theft Auto. Its camera was in a bird’s eye view with basic 3D graphics consisting of repetitive player movements. In comparison to today, the game was really quite simple in terms of graphics and game play.The game lacked a larger narrative. Its gameplay was based mostly around the options of stealing cars, doing hits for gang members, killing civilians, and evading the police. This lack of narrative and focus on violence may be one of the reasons why Rockstar dealt with a lot of controversy from the media. As Rockstar grew and released multiple titles, their video games utilized the advancement in technology to create a larger narrative. Using Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE), Rockstar developed third person 3D modeled sandbox game (Ogilvie, 2010). With this new open world, the game developers were able to explore more narrative options.Red Dead Redemption used their graphical improvements to allow for new historical representations such as: talking N PCs with their own ethnicity and culture and NPCs who show facial emotion and body language. This allows players to connect better with the world Rockstar has created because they represent what people are familiar with. Rockstar had greatly passed simple storyline of Grand Theft Auto. This is why I chose Red Dead Redemption. It excels in the ability of experiencing a fun and highly skilled game while having improved representations of people, stories, and histories.They do so through implementing character traits in certain NPCs. The NPCs are programmed primarily in two ways. One is to help the player in their quest by providing information to solve the main problem space. The other is to try and stop the player; this creates another problem space that the player must solve. The addition of these advanced NPCs really helped Rockstar deliver a story to their players. They force the player to constantly see familiar NPCs which creates a bond between them and the player. These NPCs fo rce you to make many moral decisions throughout the game.These moral choices the player has to make adds a great deal of advancement to the narrative because the game is programed to change based on these decisions. If the player was to help a gang of thieves raid a site in order to get money, civilians would remember due to the decrease in honour and news would spread. Decisions the player makes affect how NPCs, such as townsfolk or sheriffs, approach the player in the game. If the player was riding their horse along a prairie road and happened to see a gang of thieves taking someone hostage, the player could kill or hogtie the bandits and their honour meter would go increase.These decisions program NPCs to now feel safe around the player by cheering for them. These cheers can often make the player feel happier because of the heroic role they are playing. This social value is what makes Rockstar games a fan favourite. Another reason Rockstar advanced so quickly was the positive cha nge in hardware. The game was originally released on both the PS3 and the Xbox 360 on May 18th 2010. I played the game on my Xbox 360 console. To capture the experience of the Wild West, Rockstar consulted some historical experts in the field, along with channelling a lot of time and money into the graphics of the game.According to a New York Times online article, Rockstar spent between 80-100 million dollars on developing the game (Schiesel 2010). I mention this statistic because this comes to show the new era of devotion Rockstar brought to video game production. In any video game, soundtracks can be an incredible boost in its overall character. The soundtracks in Red Dead Redemption are authentic; it gives the game historical flavour. What I mean by this is you truly get a feeling of the Western experience. Rockstar brought on composers Woody Jackson and Bill Elm.In a behind the scenes video, the composers explain that it is essential for them to â€Å"find a balance, paying hom age to what was there but also trying to add our stamp to the music† (GamerSpawn, 2010). Another interesting fact they mentioned was the ability for the game to launch certain lines of music to start based on your actions. For example, if you jump on a horse, a bass line rolls in. If the player is in a shootout, the music intensifies. The music helps reinforce the player’s connection with the historic west by creating familiar sounds associated with the Western era.Before I mention the problem spaces of the game, I would like to continue back to explaining some of the hardware information behind Red Dead Redemption. First we will talk about the controller/controls. Controls have the potential to play a big factor in how we experience a video game. The way the controls are programmed correlate directly with your character’s movement. This gives the player a bigger sense of control. This control makes for a better physical connection. Red Dead Redemption’s c ontroller functions do a great job in the ability to allow the player to become immersed in the game world.If you were not aware of the classic Xbox 360 controller, here is how it is laid out: Some basic controls of the game are: left stick controls which direction your character moves in, right stick controls which direction your character looks, pulling the right trigger will fire your weapon, and pulling left trigger starts the aim mode which makes it easier to hit your target. The Xbox 360 controller, along with the Red Dead Redemption controls, allow the player to control what we are familiar in our everyday lives For example, to shoot a gun in the real world you have to pull a trigger.This is emulated when pulling the trigger on the Xbox controller. When driving a vehicle and turning in a certain direction, we turn the wheel. This is emulated by moving the left stick in order to direct your character. This makes the experience more enjoyable and recognizable. Throughout the ga me you are only controlling one character, the protagonist. The name of this protagonist is John Marston. Marston is a former outlaw who makes a deal with the state to bring justice to his former gang of outlaws in order to get his family back.Upon Marston's attempt to find and capture his former gang members, the plan goes wrong for our protagonist and he is left for dead. Luckily, you are approached by a local ranch farmer, Bonnie Mcfarlane. Bonnie saves your life and brings you back to her farm. That is our initial problem space. The player is immediately placed into the world with a want to defeat our twisted former gang of outlaws and get our family back. This creates an immediate sympathy for our protagonist which adds even more of narrative. Because the game represents plausible situations, players are more likely to sympathize.Although we are placed in a world where there is only one end goal of killing the men who left you for dead and are in the way of getting your family; we have a wide variety of choices in the path of attaining this goal. This concept of beginning the game after being left for dead completely on your own creates an even bigger problem space. My big question was, what do I do first? The player has the ability to access this map in the start menu: [pic] In the Western era, maps would certainly be a way to represent space. Therefore the map gives us the ability to represent space in a way that people are used to.This adds a historical flavour to it because it represents history with adding its own personalized flavour. This map is a fictionalized/representational map of Canada, Mexico and the US. Much like the real world, each territory has its differences. For example: certain NPCs with ethnic representations are present in each area, certain animals are associated with familiar habitats in different territories, and territories such as Canada have more green lands where as Mexico is represented as more dry. To travel to these diffe rent lands, we are immediately handed a horse.When the player first gets their horse, it is quite slow. This is a problem and slow travel can become quite boring. Upon playing I thought there had to be some options to overcoming this problem. Like the real world, the player has the option of feeding their horse to increase its stamina. Another implementation is the trust bar that develops with the players’ horse. This trust bar adds narrative because we are familiar with gaining trust with living things in the real world. The longer the player has kept their horse, the faster it gets and the more risks it is willing to take to get you to your destination.The game specifically promotes value by rewarding the players for keeping the same horse. In doing so, the interface encourages the player to behave a certain way with this virtual animal, representing a relationship common to real life. Even though this horse is merely a program in a video game, the power of the game and the value I had onto it made me have a connection to it. Unfortunately, it is quite possible for the player’s horse to die. For example, upon passing by a poor woman being harassed by drunk men just before entering a town, one of the men shot my horse dead while attempting to hogtie them.After all the investment of money I had put into my horse to increase its stamina, the time spent together gaining trust, and the many missions we had completed together, my horse was now gone. Connecting to history, the video game allows the player to feel the pain that people must have gone through when their own horse died. Clearly their problem was much bigger than a video game can represent, but it once again brings out empathetic emotions. Although the game itself was not based off any real characters or real story lines, it still had the power to create a real connection.The game places the character in an age outside of their norm. If a car breaks down, that person now has the ability to take out a cell phone and call a friend to pick them up. If in 1900 someone’s horse died, that is that until a new horse is acquired. This was now part of my problem space. With these newly acquired problems that I did not have just thirty seconds earlier, I clearly had to deal with these men who altered my path for the negative. Due to this setback I had developed, I quickly hogtied the surviving men and placed their bodies on the train tracks for the upcoming train to deal with them.Although this was an act of immorality because the game gives you an option to return them to the sheriff’s station, I felt no sympathy for these men who, before shooting my horse, were attacking a lone woman. Looking at the game on a narrative level, this meant that a side of my true character was shown, one that let my emotions dictate my actions. At that exact moment the video game explained and taught me a lesson in morality. It also explained how, just like in the real world, others may have handled that same situation completely differently.Moving forward in the game, I was forced to purchase another horse and develop a new connection between us. Purchasing horses is one of the many ways that money is used to solve problems in the game. Money is quite similar to how it is in the real world. The player needs to do work and complete services in order to gain it. It is quite hard to gain money, unlike the other Grand Theft Auto games, which enforces the player to spend wisely. Some examples of situations where you need money are: to buy weapons, ammunition, houses (in order to have multiple save points), and medicine to heal.The player may also acquire money through selling items they find and doing favours and missions for locals and friends met along the way. There is one final question to be answered: was the game historically accurate? The answer to this question is: it depends what you classify as â€Å"historically accurate†. The term is thrown arou nd quite often. Unfortunately, based on the game play, there is far too much fantasy to consider it a game that accurately depicts the lifestyle that people lived in the early 20th century.The game is based off a completely fictional story with fake characters in a fake world. However, the game did a great job of showcasing some aspects of the time frame by utilizing: the advanced RAGE physics engine, the programmed NPCs with character traits, a familiar map system, the player’s horse that rewards you for your loyalty and protection, and the advanced controller settings. Overall, the narrative behind Rockstar Games’s Red Dead Redemption will be remembered in history as one of the most advanced video games for its time. Reference List: 1.Rockstar San Diego Official Website – Available from: http://www. rockstargames. com/reddeadredemption/ 2. Ogilvie Red Dead Redemption: All the RAGE – Available from: http://ca. ign. com/articles/2010/01/28/red-dead-redemp tion-all-the-rage Jan 28 2010 3. Schiesel Way Down Deep In the Wild, Wild West – Available from: http://www. nytimes. com/2010/05/17/arts/television/17dead. html? pagewanted=all=0 May 16th 2010 4. GamerSpawn Red Dead Redemption: Soundtrack Behind the Scenes – Available from: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=vEsknPy5rvg July 29th 2010