Descriptive Essay Example Beowulfs funeral

Beowulf scene: Beowulfs funeral Imagine having a leader, a superhero who is unbeatable, slays all the enemies in his land and his victory and heroic acts travels from territories to territories and even reaches the noble ears of the king who seeks his esteemed strength to fight evil and dragons. Unbelievable, isn’t it? But true, that is how Beowulf the great superhero and leader of the Geats was and his loss was felt by all no wonder his funeral which will be discussed below was an exceptional event where funeral rites and culture was not followed because he was simply not an ordinary person even in his death. The largest and hottest fire ever built in Geat and from the imported pyre wood is blazing on the barrow. The wailing and mourning of their great leader from the Geatish people is louder than the winds, even the men who are warriors are lamenting their great loss. The roaring of the fire together with all the heat and smoke it is emitting that no one seems to notice or even care about is a clear sign that the death is all that matters to them right now and giving their all for the best funeral is all that matters at the moment. No one seems to care about the noise that is a combination of wailing, mourning, lamenting and talking all at the same time. All this is going on concurrently with the funeral pile preparation. The funeral pile is surrounded by war clothes and items like helmets, battle shields that are made from strong wood and even bright corselets in honor of the great war hero Beowulf   whose death after a long battle with the dragon and killing it has made it more superhuman. As the smoke rises towards the heavens, there are talks of what a great leader Beowulf was and how evil death is to take him away from them after bearing over fifty winters being their leader (Haley, 105). The barrow is surrounded with a beacon and it continues to rise as people of Geat surround it with an adornment of war garments, jewels (made of gold to indicate wealth, dignity and importance of the dead) and even circlets. Most of the jewels and circlets being used to surround the barrow is from the slain dragon that the men rolled over the cliff. A wall is being built by the men and it is surrounding the flames of the fire. They want the final outcome to look like a promontory that people far away in the sea can view it and acknowledge the leadership and death of Beowulf. The barrow is complete now and the mourning continues. There are twelve men who are said to be offspring of the noblemen and they are now riding round the barrow lamenting and mourning their king. Some of them are narrating great stories of his heroic acts and courageous prowess in the battlefield. The praise is now taking over the lamenting and mourning and most people are now just praising him and his kindest to his people and his mildest with his men. The sadness in the air as the Geatish people pay their last respect to their king with the mourning and lamenting even by some of the noble and strong men is an indication of the magnitude of their loss. Work Cited Haley, Albert. Beowulf. Massachusetts: Branden Books, 1978. So When Are You Buying Your Essay? Students who decide to buy essays online timely when they need help and can’t do it themselves make a wise decision. Right decision made at the right time can save you a lot of tension, as well as your grade. Get professional help now.

Tv good or bad essays

Tv good or bad essays What is television? The dictionary defines it as the transmission of visual images of moving and stationary objects, generally with accompanying sound, as electromagnetic waves and the reconversion of received waves into visual images. However in reality television is one mindless commercial after another. It is a constant barrage of consumer messages telling me what I want. Often television is unnecessary noise. Most importantly television is not as friendly and harmless as it seems. The number of negative problems directly linked to television far out weighs the positive rewards. Caught in our own addiction people often wonder what is so bad about it. Television has negative consequences on society, health, family and it is an addiction, however, there are some things about it that are not bad. Television exposes children to inappropriate language. So many children watch television unsupervised and pick up these words at young ages and start using them in public. Violence is another thing television viewers are overly exposed to. Viewers become desensitized to violence by watching it over and over on their television screen. Television is extremely graphic in its portraying of sex, drugs and many other negative conotations. Television contributes to trends of violence, crime, and drug increases. Television also reinforces sex roles and stereotyping. Family values are changing as a result of the popularity of television. It used to be that dinner was a meal eaten in the dinning room with the family present. The scene has changed to Hurry grab a plate and a TV tray, Survivor is about to start. Time that used to be spent with the kids or making the kids play out side has been replaced by TV time. The television has become a cheap babysitter, people let their kids watch it because the children stay quiet which allows parents to get things done. Some shows are okay but the excessive amounts we allow children to wa...

Why the society are treat women differntly Essay

Why the society are treat women differntly - Essay Example For example, femininity in women is perceived as a disadvantage in issues concerning participation in industrial activities which require upper body strength. It is for this reason that it may be found out that most of the industries especially those involving manual processes such as pushing, pulling, lifting among others, are dominated by men. Consequently, men have over the years exploited these opportunities, which are numerous, to build themselves economically thereby leaving majority of women to depend on their male counterparts for support. This has facilitated men with an opportunity to exercise control and authority in terms of decision making and occupation of competitive positions in government and the society in general, leaving the women to act as subordinates and which is totally wrong (Friedman, 32). In addition, women are perceived to be emotional such that they cannot manage tasks such as management and leadership, which require emotional intelligence, and which is s ocially constructed belief contributing to occupational sex segregation (Butler 40). In this context, women are perceived to be biologically weak in that they cannot make viable decisions when they are under pressure or when they have personal issues disturbing them.

Summary of 2008 Vice Presidential Debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of 2008 Vice Presidential Debate - Essay Example However, Joe Biden believed that the crisis affecting the US financial system was the result of poor politics of the former president George Bush and his fellow Republicans in his term. In the debate, Joe Biden claimed that the then oncoming election was the most vital in many previous years since the economy was deteriorating and that the US needed substantial changes to its politics system. He also mentioned that approval of fundamental factors of economic policies of George Bush by John McCain contributed to the financial crisis facing the US. Palin disagreed with the claim by arguing lowering taxes would bring back the economy to its prosperous track. She continued to question Barack Obama for intending to hick taxes for wealthy Americans and corporations. In return, Joe Biden said that the increase in taxes would affect only 5% of the citizen with the highest wealth and in return lower the amount of taxes paid by the rest of Americans (C-SPAN). Joe Biden proceeded to criticized Palin and McCain as supporters of pro-corporate politics propagated by George W. Bush. Biden said that McCain once claimed the economy of America was stable and strong even with the continued bankruptcy of American banks. In response, Palin’s argued against Democrats who opposed off shore oil drilling. She explained how off shore oil drilling was capable of reducing Americans dependence on foreign oil (C-SPAN). The debate also dwelt on foreign policy issues. The host Gwen Ifill enquired about the ongoing war in Afghanistan and Iraq. He also asked question regarding US policies towards Iran, Russia, Europe and China. Palin believed that the surge strategy founded upon an increase of military numbers as was the case in Iraq should be employed in Afghanistan. Hastily, Biden countered this thought by saying that that method would not be effective in Afghanistan as it would be wiser to increase

Definition of family Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Definition of family - Essay Example It is sad that many have taken these aspects for granted and neglected their family members or lose family attachment. This paper aims at explaining the concept of family while shedding light on my experience. Nuclear Family The above photo depicts clearly what a family unit is comprised of the father, mother and their children. Essentially there are two types of families; nuclear and extended families where the former is comprised of just the parents and their children while the latter is comprised of the former together with grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins, sister-in-laws and brother-in-laws (Corbett 2004). An extended family is clearly depicted by the following two pictures where grandparents and their children take a photo shoot together. Extended Family (Grandparents, their children and grandchildren) Extended Family (Grandparents, their children, their children’s spouses and grandchildren) It is the duty of family members to offer assistance to those who depend on them. There should be mutual respect for all members such that one cannot intentionally do anything that can hurt another family member. People in doing this should also appreciate that there are many people in the world today who do not have anyone to count on in good and bad times. I have had numerous occasions where I needed a shoulder to cry on and as much as I have friends by my side, family consolation works best. In other occasions like my graduation and birthdays, I always feel whole when my family members are there to celebrate with me. There is this connection that goes beyond love that I have with my brothers and sisters, parents and grandparents and other people of the extended family. I am personally always ready to protect this bond no matter what the circumstances as difficult times also dawn on us that threaten to weaken it. Communication from my experience is quite crucial in maintaining strong family ties. Families for centuries have engaged in reunions and my fam ily is not an exception. In these reunions that happen once a year in my grandparents’ home or one of our uncles’, we tend to strengthen the bond we have. We usually engage in many fun activities like games and all that for the sake of all to interact and share previous year’s experiences. This form of interaction has also ensured that people keep in touch throughout the year and those who are able to visit one another, they can do so. I am mostly fascinated by the sharing of personal experiences for the past year i.e. since the last reunion. This is done in the evening under the moonlight in the backyard with everyone present while uncles prepare barbecues. At this time we mostly share funny moments where we laugh almost all night long. This happens on Saturday night and the following morning all depart to wait for another fascinating time together as one big happy family. There are certain fundamentals that are followed in all the family units within the exten ded family so as to ensure harmony of the bigger family. One is the appreciation by all children that their parents are the core in their families (Corbett 2004). They should be accorded maximum respect and admiration by all the children regardless of their status, financial or otherwise. They are the people who the children

Real Time Video Processing and Object Detection on Android

Real Time Video Processing and Object Detection on Android Real Time Video Processing and Object Detection on Android Smartphone Abstract – As Smartphone is getting more potent, can do more superior stuffs that previous required a computer. For employing the high processing power of Smartphone is mobile computer vision, the ability for a device to capture; process; analyze; understanding of images. For mobile computer vision, Smartphone must be faster and real time. In this study two applications have been developed on Android platform using OpenCV and core library called as CamTest with own implemented algorithms. Efficiency of two Android applications have been compared and found that OpenCV performs faster than CamTest. The results of examining the best object detection algorithm with reverence to efficiency shows that FAST algorithm has the finest blend of speed and object detection performance. Next projected object recognition system using FAST algorithm, which uses SVM, BPNN for training and validation of object in real time. The application detects the object perfectly with recognition time arou nd 2 ms using SVM and 1 ms using BPNN. Keywords—Android; Video Processing; object detection; SVM; FAST corner detector; BPNN I. INTRODUCTION As Smartphone is the perfect combination of personal digital assistant, media player, camera and several other stuffs. It has entirely changed the past about mobile phone. In the early days of Smartphone application development only mobile company was able to develop. After the introduction of Android OS in 2007, Smartphone application development is high in demand. Android was developed by Google with Linux core kernel and GNU software stuffs. [16]. The introduction of Smartphone with camera Real Time video processing becomes very trendy now and having most critical computation tasks. Nearly all Smartphone applications uses a camera to use mobile computer vision technology [2]. Mobile computer vision technologies playing vital role in developing our day to day activities applications [1].This technology having many objectives like object finding, segmenting, location recognition [2]. As Smartphone processors such as MediaTek, ARM, NVIDIA Tegra, and Snapdragon are achieving more computation capability showing a fast growth of mobile computer vision applications, like image editing, augmented reality, object recognition. Long processing time due to the high computational difficulty averts mobile computer vision algorithms from being practically used in mobile phone applications. To overcome this problem, researchers and developers have explored the libraries such as OpenGL and OpenCV [2]. Application developers will face lot problems as he does not having basic idea to process real time video. OpenCV library is the solution which is written in C, C++ language, reduces the complexity for development and research [17] [2]. Real-Time recognition and detection of objects is complex and favorite area for research in the today’s fast growing mobile computer vision technology. Applications like machine vision, visual surveillance; robot navigation are the best examples [4].Object detection and recognition consist of three steps basically, first is the feature extraction, second classification and third is the recognition of object using machine learning and several other technologies [3]. Due to the growth of Scale Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT)[10], the object detection method using matching filter changed to key point matching based object detection method [8] [10].SIFT is more focusing on invariant key point matching. On the similar concept new algorithms were born such as the Speeded-Up Feature Transform (SuRF)[11],Center Surrounded Extrema (CenSurE)[22], Good Features to Track (GFTT)[26], Maximally-Stable Extremal Region Extractor (MSER)[24], and Oriented Binary Robust Independent Elementary Features (ORB)[21], and Features from Accelerated Segment Test (FAST)[12] [4] [6] [8]. In this paper, real time video processing efficiency was find using OpenCV [17] and CamTest with support of core library. Next analyze best object detection algorithm with respect to efficiency in support with OpenCV library. Projected real time object recognition system using FAST algorithm [12], SVM [15] and BPNN [25]. All the stuffs have been conducted on LG Optimus Vu Smartphone with Android 4.0.4 OS. II. ANDROID ARCHITECTURE The Android operating system is like other Smartphone OS, with stacked structure [2][16]. Android operating system stack consist on several layers such Kernel Layer,System Libraries,Dalvik Virtual Machine layer (i.e Android Runtime layer),Application Framework layer and on top Applications layer [2][16].The Kernel gives basic funtionalities like network management memory management, process management, device management. Libraries are used for different oprations like internet security [2][16].Android Runtime consist of Dalvik Virtual Machine which is optimized for Android and provides core libraries.The Application Framework layer gives services to the installed applications in the form of Java Class Library. [2][16].Application developers takes the services of this layer for application development [2][16].Application layer is the top layer in the stack where your application will get install [2][16]. III. OPENCV IN ANDROID The OpenCV library was officially developed and introduced by Intel in 1999 to enforce CPU and GPU exhaustive application [17]. The earlier version of OpenCV was written in C[27]. From the edition 2.0 OpenCV provided both C and C++ interfaces[27]. In the next edition of 2.2 they had introduces Android port with some sample applications of image processing. Currently it has several optimized methods with the version OpenCV 2.4.9[27] [17]. IV. real time video processing methods To find and compare the efficiency of OpenCV and CamTest, each processing method of mobile computer vision was applied and average value was calculated [2]. The input format of video frame should be in standard form such as RGB space[2][27]. The input video frame to RGB conversion is done by following relation [28] R = 1.164(Y 16) + 1.596(V 128) G = 1.164(Y 16) – 0.813(V 128) – 0.391(U 128) B = 1.164(Y 16) + 2.018(U 128) (1) Each pixel of video frame is threshold with a constant number T. If it is greater than T, pixel will be set 1, otherwise 0. g(x,y) = 1, if f(x,y) > T = 0, otherwise (2) Where f(x, y) is the original frame and g(x, y) is the threshold frame. The descriptions of processing methods are shown in Table I. TABLE I. FRAME PRCESSING METHODS AND ITSDESCRIPTION V. METHODOLOGY First designed application layout using JAVA and XML. Then, the processing methods and object detection algorithms are written using JAVA and OpenCV. The tools used for designing and programming are Android SDK [16], OpenCV [17] and JAVA SDK.Application file is then installed to the LG Optimus Vu. If there are no errors, then started to measure the result regarding frame processing rate. After all the data had been collected, and the result is analyzed and compared with the theory. The Application flow is shown in Fig.1.0 and Fig.1.1 A) System Flow of Real Time Video Processing and Object Detection Algorithms No Yes Next Real Time Video Frame z Fig. 1.0: Real time video processing flow B) System Flow of Real Time Object Detection Algorithms No Yes Next Real Time Video Frame Fig. 1.1: Real time object detection algorithms flow. VI. EXPERIMENT RESULTS A) Performance of Real Time Video Processing Methods For the calculation of processing efficiency of OpenCV and CamTest is calculated by following formula. (7) The unit of FPR is frames processed per second i.e. fps. If the value of Frame Processing Rate(FPR) is high for the particular processing metohd then theat method is more efficient. Higher the value of FPR represents the method is more efficient. Table II. Shows real time video processing methods and frames processed per second by CamTest, OpenCV test. TABLE II. REAL TIME VIDEO PROCESSING METHODS AND FPS OF CAMTEST AND OPENCV TEST Frame Processing Ratio is as follows, FPR Ratio = (OpenCV FPR – CamTest FPR)/OpenCV FPR (8) As from Table II, FPR shows significant differences between OpenCV and CamTest.If there is Positive FPR ratio value e.g N, then OpenCV is 1/N times better than CamTest.If there is Negative FPR ratio value e.g –M,then CamTest is 1/M times better than OpenCV.As shown in Table III, Frame Processing Rate Ratio(average) is 0.64,leads to a conclusion that OpenCV (1/0.64 times) 1.56 times faster and better than CamTest. TABLE III. REAL TIME VIDEO PROCESSING METHODS AND FPR RATIO Fig. 2.0: Frame processing rate using CamTest and OpenCV test for eight image processing methods. B) Performance of Real Time Object Detection Algorithms TABLE IV. REAL TIME OBJECT DETECTION ALGORITHMSAND THEIR FPS Fig. 2.1: Frame Processing Rate for object detection algorithm. As shown in Table IV and Fig. 2.1, FAST algorithm is having the highest fps value and 10 times faster as compare to SIFT and SURF.The minimus fps for real time object recognition should be at least 15 fps and FAST achieves the almost same thing. So that FAST is having optimum performance in real time scenario while executing real time object detection operation. VII. APPLICATION As from experimental results shown above in Table IV, we concluded that FAST algorithm [12] is almost several times faster than other algorithms. To recognize the object in real time video FAST algorithm almost achieves 15 fps. As FAST algorithm extracts the corner features accurately and it requires less time for it. So proposed a Real Time Object Recognition system using FAST algorithm is as follows. A) System Flow of Real Time Object Recognition As shown in Fig. 3.0 Input object image is captured by Smartphone camera and it is saved to internal storage. FAST corner detector [12] algorithm is applied on the captured image to extract the features. The extracted features should have the same number and location as the viewpoint and corner changes. So the extracted features should be adjusted to the same number and it called as normalization. After the features are adjusted to the same number, weight is calculated for SVM [15] and BPNN [25] for training the features. After that feature database will get created. After the preparation of database object will get recognized in real time video via SVM [15] and BPNN [25]. As system recognizes the object it shows the feature count and recognition time on the display of Smartphone. No Input Database Yes Fig. 3.0: Real Time Object Recognition Flow A) Results The Real time object recognition system shown above in Fig. 3.0 was developed for LG Optimus Vu and Android platform 4.0.4. The development environment consist of Microsoft Windows 7 with Intel Core i3,2GB RAM,Android SDK,NDK and JAVA SDK.The object used for training was Hand Watch and training time was 102 ms using SVM and 1115 ms using BPNN.The Table V presents the recognition time for object (Hand Watch) using FAST corner detector, SVM and BPNN. TABLE V. RECOGNITION TIME FOR HAND WATCH OBJECT VIII. CONCLUSION As per the above experimentation and results, Most of the real time video processing methods executed using OpenCV having high performance with respect to efficiency than the CamTest. OpenCV gives more attention towards the efficinecy than the CamTest.As per the result obtained from the real time object detction application, FAST algorithm achieves high efficiency, almost 15 fps compared to other algorithms.For the futurescope, like to enhance the FAST algorithm in terms of accuracy.The proposed real time object recognition system gives faster and accurate recognition of object(Hand Watch) on the Smartphone using SVM and BPNN. In future would like to introduce multi object recognition, location tracking on Smartphone platforms,also like to introduce the concept like GPU and parallel computing with OpenCL. REFERENCES [1] Nasser Kehtarnavaz and Mark Gamadia, â€Å"Real-Time Image and Video Processing: From Research to Reality†, Synthesis Lectures On Image, Video and Multimedia Processing Lecture 5, 2006. [2] Khairul Muzzammil bin Saipullah and Ammar Anuar, â€Å"Real-Time Video Processing Using Native Programming on Android Platform†, 8th IEEE International Colloquium on Signal Processing and its Applications, 2012. [3] Kanghun Jeong and Hyeonjoon Moon, â€Å"Object Detection using FAST Corner Detector based on Smartphone Platforms†, First ACIS/JNU International Conference on Computers, Networks, Systems, and Industrial Engineering, 2011. [4] Paul Viola, Michael Jones, â€Å"Robust Real-time Object Detection†, Second International Workshop on Statistical and Computational Theories of Vision, July2001. [5] L. Zhang and D. Yan, â€Å"An Improved Morphological Gradient Edge Detection Algorithm†, IEEE International Symposium on Communications and Information Technology (ISCIT), Vol. 2, pp. 1280-1283, 2005. [6] O. Folorunso, O. R. Vincent and B. M. Dansu, â€Å"Image edge detection, A knowledge management technique for visual scene analysis†, Information Management and Computer Security, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 23-32, 2004. [7] D. G. Kamdar and C. H. Vithalani, â€Å"Simulation and Performance Evaluation of Edge Detection Techniques in Differential Time Lapse Video†, IEEE International conference on Computational Intelligence and Computing Research (ICCIC), 2012 [8] David G. Lowe, â€Å"Object Recognition from Local Scale-Invariant Features†, the Proceedings of the Seventh IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision, pp. 1150-1157, 1999. [9] Clemens Arth, Christian Leistner, â€Å"Robust Local Features and their Application in Self Calibration and Object Recognition on Embedded Systems†, Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, 2007. IEEE Conference, June 2007. [10] D. G. Lowe, â€Å"Distinctive Image Features from Scale-Invariant Key points†, International journal of Computer Vision, 60(2), pp. 91-110, 2004. [11] H. Bay, T. Tuytelaars, L. V. Gool, â€Å"SURF: Speeded Up Robust Features†, Proceedings of the European Conference on Computer Vision, 2006. [12] E. Rosten and T. Drummond, â€Å"Machine learning for high-speed corner detection†, European Conference on Computer Vision, Vol. 1, pp. 430-443, 2006. [13] E. Rosten and T. Drummond, â€Å"Fusing points and lines for high performance tracking†, Tenth IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV05), Vol. 2, pp.1508-1515, 2005. [14] Y. Hirose, K. Yamashita and S. Hijiya, â€Å"Back-Propagation Algorithm Which Varies the Number of Hidden Units†, Neural Networks, Vol. 4, pp.61-66, 1991. [15] E. J. A. K. Suykens and J. Vandewalle, â€Å"Least Squares Support Vector Machine Classifiers†, Neural Processing Letters (ICCV05), Vol. 9, pp. 293- 300, 1999. [16]K. Owen, an Executive Summary of Research in Android Integrated Development Environments, April 2011. [17]OpenCV, Open source Computer Vision library. In http://opencv.willowgarage.com/wiki/, 2009. [18] Edward Roston and Tom Drummond, â€Å"Machine Learning for high-speed corner detection†, Department of Engineering, Cambridge University, UK. [19] Y. Khairul Muzzammil bin Saipullah and Ammar Anuar, â€Å"Coparision of Feature Extractors for Real-time Object Detection on Android Smartphone†, Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, Vol. 47, 2013. [20] Y. Khairul Muzzammil bin Saipullah and Ammar Anuar, â€Å"Analysis of Real-time Object Detection Methods for Android Smartphone†, 3rd International Conference on Engineering and ICT (ICEI2012), 2012. [21] Ethan Rublee Vincent,Gary Bradski, â€Å"ORB: an efficient alternative to SIFT or SURF† [22] Agrawal M,K. Konolige,â€Å"CenSurE: Center Surround Extremas for Realtime Feature Detection and Matching†, Computer Vision – ECCV, Springer Berlin/Heidelberg,vol.5305,pp.102-115,2008 [23] Calonder M,V.Lepetit, â€Å"BRIEF:Binary Robust Independent Elemetary Features†, Computer Vision – ECCV, Springer Berlin/Heidelberg,vol.6314,pp.778-792,2010 [24] Donoser M,Bischof H, â€Å"Efficeint Maximally Stable External Region(MSER) Tracking†, IEEE Computer Society Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition, pp.533-560,June 2006 [25] Y Hirose,K. Yamashita, â€Å"Back-Propagation Algorithm which varies the Number of Hidden Units†, Neural Networks,vol 4, pp.61-66,1991 [26] Shi J,Tomasi C, â€Å"Good Features To Track In Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition†, CVPR 1994,pages 593-600,1994 [27] Amar Anuar,Khairul Muzzamil Saipullah, â€Å"OpenCV Based Real-Time Video processing Using Native Android Smartphone†, International Journal of Computer Technology and Electronics Engineering(IJCTEE),Vol 1,Issue 3 [28] Khairul Muzzamil Saipullah ,Amar Anuar, â€Å"Measuring Power Consumption For Image Processing On Android Smartphone †, American Journal of Applied Sciences,pages 2052-2057,2012

Deontologial Theory Essay -- essays research papers

ETHICS Deontological Theory Historically ethics was studied from a philosophical aspect and viewed as the science of morals. Ethics had been defined as the principles of moral conduct that govern our behavior. Our ethical behavior is developed from various factors, to include our environment, family and beliefs. The origins of ethics can be traced back to the fifth century, BC ( Banner, 1968, pg.67). Plato, Socrates and Aristotle are among the early teachers of ethics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  These teachers along with many other philosophers developed and taught numerous ethical theories based on their beliefs. Ethical theories that have evolved through the years include, but are not limited to:  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Greek ethics of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle focused on moral virtues.  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Christian ethics of St. Augustine focused on divine revelation.  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The consequential ethical theory of Bentham theorized that the consequences of one’s behavior are crucial when making moral decisions.  §Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The non-consequential ethics of Kant which viewed an individual’s duty and moral obligation as paramount when faced with an ethical challenge. Contemporary philosophers define ethics as a philosophical examination of the principles of right versus wrong, and view morality as the practice of these principles (Souryal, 1998, pg.17). The study of modern ethics and human behavior is a continuum of the examination of many of the same theories studied by earlier philosophers. One such theory is the deontological theory. This ethical theory is based an individual’s actions and not the consequences of the actions. Deontological is derived from the word deontos, the Greek word meaning duty or obligation. There are two sub-categories of the deontological theory. The â€Å"monistic† sub-category bases morality solely on one virtue. Examples of the monistic category of ethical theories are hedonism and Kant’s duty theory. In the theory of hedonism, pleasure is the only good, and in Kant’s theory on ethics, one’s duty or moral obligation is the sole virtue or value of goodness. The â€Å"multiple† sub-category of ethical theories has a minimum of two values of goodness, such as a woman marrying an intelligent and handsome man. The multiple values of goodness ... ...he human relations aspect of our jobs. Finally, as rational and intelligent individuals we must focus on the beneficial aspects of all-ethical theories and attempt to minimize the non-beneficial components of each theory. We must analyze the ethical dilemma and demonstrate the courage and moral virtue to apply the correct ethical theory that would result in the morally correct resolution to any given ethical dilemma. It is imperative that as rational and thinking human beings we consider the ramification of our actions and conclusively make the morally correct decision when faced with an ethical dilemma in law enforcement. References Albert, Ethel, M., Denis, Theodore C. Denise & Peterfreund, Sheldon P. (1988). Great Traditions in Ethics. Belmont, California: Wadsworth, Inc. Banner William A. (1968). Ethics: An Introduction to Moral Philosophy. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons. Shapiro, David A. (1999). Choosing the Right to Do. San Francisco, California: Berrett- Koehler Publishers. Souryal, Sam S. (1998). Ethics in Criminal Justice: In Search of the Truth. Cincinnati, Ohio: Anderson Publishing Co.

Case 6: the Financial Detective

Case 6 : The Financial Detective Financial data is the most crucial information in describing any sort of business, but this information is also useful in differentiating between different types of businesses. In any specific industry, many key players are present, yet their strategies and implementations of business vary greatly. Two firms may achieve the same earned profit, yet go about securing this profit in radically different ways . A close analysis of financial data for each business can be used to understand and explain these different strategies employed by a given company and how that strategy affects the financial performance of each company. This case calls for the examination of two different companies within the same field and, through analysis of selected financial information, determining which set of data belongs to which company based on the different characteristics and strategies employed by each company. The results of this analysis are as follows. Health Products The two companies listed here manufacture and market health care products. The first is the world’s largest prescription-pharmaceutical company containing a broad pipeline of ethical pharmaceuticals backed by significant research and development, which has recently divested many of its non-related business holdings and is considered the partner of choice in terms of licensing agreements. The second company is a diversified health-products company that manufactures and mass markets a broad line of pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter drugs, health and beauty products and medical devices. Brand development and management is key to this company. Company A is the more diversified company, while Company B is the world’s largest pharmaceutical company. A major signifier here is the intangible assets owned by Company B, 46. 1 vs. 22. 2, which would explain the patents and licensing deals mentioned in the company description, as well as the robust research and development budget. Another major clue here is in the inventory turnover. Company A, well-diversified with a mass-market strategy, turns over their inventory 3. 8 times vs. .93 of company B, which is to be expected of a mass-market company intent of volume sales to consumers. Beer Two brewers of beer are described here, the first being a national brewer of mass-market consumer beers sold under a variety of brand names who also owns a number of beer-related businesses and several major theme parks. The second is a smaller brewery with smaller production volume and higher prices that outsources most of its brewing activity. The firm is also mentioned to be financially conservative and has recently undergone major cost-saving initiatives. Company C is the national brewer while company D is the small market brewery. A major key here is understanding that company D is described as financially conservative, which helps explain the large amount of cash and short-term investments (55. 6) that they keep on hand, while also holding no long-term debt. A large, national company like C would be expected to carry some debt in order to finance such large operations. Also, as C operates an extensive network of breweries and distributorships, while also owning beer-related businesses and theme parks, it would follow that their net fixed assets would be quite large (54. 7) compared to the relatively smaller D (16). Computers The two companies described here sell computers and related equipment. One company focuses exclusively on mail-order sales of built-to-order PCs and devices and is an assembler of PC components manufactured by suppliers. The other company sells a highly differentiable line of computers and accessories and has recently begun to recover from a dramatic decline in its market share. The firm has an aggressive retail strategy intended to drive traffic through its stores and expand its installed base of customers. Company E is the online retailer, while Company F is the retailer. As E is an assembler of parts supplied by a manufacturer, their manufacturing is essentially outsourced, which accounts for the higher cost of goods sold (81) as well as the higher amount of accounts payable, as they consume more supplies in order to assemble their products. As well, since company F is a bricks & mortar retailer as opposed to an online vendor, F has had to adopt and aggressive retail strategy that requires advertising their products and stores and employees in which to sell their products, which accounts for the relatively higher SGA expense (23. 1). Books and Music Of the two companies profiled here, the first focuses its sales based on a vast retail-store presence. This company is the leader of traditional book retailing, and also maintains an online presence and owns a publishing imprint. The other company sells books and music solely through its web site. Media is the majority of their sales, but they also sell electronics and other merchandise, and the company has only recently become profitable due to an aggressive strategy of acquiring related online businesses. Company G is the online retailer while company H is the traditional seller. G reaches customers solely through the internet, and besides various warehouses used for shipping it would have no need to keep large fixed assets, which explains why their net fixed assets (7. 6) are significantly lower than the traditional seller (24. 4), who requires the retail outlets needed to reach their customers. Along these lines, as H is a traditional seller of goods, their inventories (38. 6) are bound to be much higher, as their retail outlets need to remain stocked rather than ordering as needed like G would. This explains G’s higher cost of goods sold due to not needing to buy in bulk. Paper The companies listed here are both paper manufacturers. The first company is the world’s largest maker of paper and paper products, who also owns timberland, numerous paper-related facilities and a paper-distribution network. The company has spent the last few years closing inefficient mills, implementing cost-containment initiatives and selling nonessential assets. The other firm is a small producer of specialty papers as well as towel and tissue products. Most of the company’s products are marketed under branded labels and the company purchases the wood fiber used in the paper making process. Company I is the larger firm while company J is the smaller firm. The first clue to this conclusion is the amount of long-term debt company I is carrying (41. 3) compared to company J (18. 3). As we know that the larger firm has spent the last few years reorganizing and attempting to cut costs, it would make sense that these initiatives were taken because of high company debt. Along this line, I’s total debt/total assets is much higher (42. 8), which would also help to explain the cost-containment initiatives needed. Also, I’s cost of goods sold (75. 3) is lower than J’s (82. 9), most likely due to their ownership of supply companies and J’s decision to buy theor wood fiber on the open market. Hardware and Tools These two companies manufacture and sell hardware and tools. The first company is a global manufactur er and marketer of power tools and power-tool accessories that sells primarily to retailers and distributors with the branded products intended to reach the average consumer. The other company manufactures and markets high-quality tools for professional users, offering a broad range of products sold through its own technical representatives and mobile franchise dealers. The company also provides financing for franchisees and customers’ large purchases. Company K is the global manufacturer while company L is the professional tool manufacturer. The first major hint here is the SGA expense for each company. Company L’s expense (38. 9) is significantly higher because of their use of technical representatives and mobile franchises that they themselves provide financing for. As well, company L’s gross profit (48. ) is significantly higher, most likely due to the higher prices they are able to charge due to the precision and quality of their professional-minded tools. Retailing These two companies are both large discount retailers. The first firm carries a wide variety of nationally advertised general merchandise and is known for low prices and its volume-orientated strategy. Most of its stores are leased near the company’s network of distribution centers and the company plans to expand. The second company is a rapidly growing chain of upscale discount stores that attempts to match other retailers’ prices and offers deep discounts. The company has partnerships with many leading designers and offers credit to qualified customers. Company M is the general merchandiser while company N is the upscale discount store. As mentioned in the description, company N is known for providing credit to boost sales, and thus this extended credit appears in their receivables (17), as opposed to M (1. 4). Also, company N’s gross profit and profit margins are higher, as their strategy isn’t based on volume sales (make smaller profit but sell way more) like company M is. Newspapers The companies listed here both own newspapers. The first is a diversified media company that generates most of its revenues through newspapers sold throughout the country and around the world. The company has large central controls and competes fiercely for subscribers and advertising revenues. The company also recently built a large office building for its headquarters. The second company owns a number of small community newspapers throughout the south and mid-west. The firm essentially holds a portfolio of small local monopolies and has a significant amount of goodwill on its balance sheet. The company’s success is hinged on decentralized decision making and administration. Company O is the Midwestern Company, while Company P is the well-diversified company. The description mentions how company P is forced to fiercely compete, which would surely raise their SGA expense (39. 7) as compared to company O (23). This is also true considering company O’s emphasis on decentralized management and administration, which affects the SGA expense. Also, P recently built and owns a large office building, which would add to their net fixed assets (34. 6) compared to company O’s (14. 1).

261 Zora Neale Hurston Professor Ramos Blog

261 Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) Quick Write What is the Harlem Renaissance? Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) How It Feels To Be Colored Me The Five Moves of Analysis Suspend Judgment: Set aside your likes and dislikes, your agreeing or disagreeing. Say to yourself, â€Å"What I find most interesting here is†. Notice and Focus: Simply put, pay close attention to details. â€Å"What do you notice?† What is significant/interesting/revealing/ strange. Slow down and take your time here. Don’t jump to interpretations before you’ve exhausted the details. Uncertainty is good. Look for Patterns: Start sifting through the text looking for Repetitions, Strands, Binaries, and Anomalies. Repetitions:   Anisdel Toro drink in Hills Like White Elephants, etc., sheep dog in How to Talk to a Hunter Strands:   Animals in How to Talk to a Hunter, alcohol in Sonnys Blues Binaries:   Light/Dark in Sonnys Blues, young/old in One of Star Wars, One of Doom Anomalies:   Mysterious notebook in One of Star Wars, One of Doom, tin of chocolates with Santa Claus fondling children painted on it in How to Talk to a Hunter Make the Implicit Explicit: Explain to the reader what the details or the patterns imply. Explain your thought process. Pull out the implications and show them why you think they are â€Å"folded in† to the meaning of the text or image. What does this mean and So What? Why is it important? Keep Reformulating Questions and Explanations: What else might this detail or pattern mean? How else could it be explained? What details don’t fit my theory? Can I adjust my theory to better fit with this?

Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles

Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles Not far from the iconic Hollywood sign, on the south-facing slope of Mount Hollywood, stands Los Angeles other famous landmark: the Griffith Observatory. This popular movie locale is actually one of the largest observatories in the world open for public viewing and one of a selection of great space-themed places to visit in the U.S. Every year, more than a million and a half visitors look through its massive telescopes, learn from its exhibits, and experience planetarium shows. Fast Facts: Griffith Observatory Location: Griffith Observatory is located in Griffith Park in Los Feliz, Los Angeles.Altitude: 1,134 feet above sea levelMain Attractions: Zeiss telescopes (composed of a twelve-inch and a nine and a half-inch refracting telescopes), Coelostat and solar telescopes, planetarium, exhibits, and free-standing telescopes for public use.Griffith Observatory receives well over 1.5 million visitors a year.Admission to the observatory is free; fees apply for parking and tickets to see the planetarium show. Griffith Observatory is unique because its purely a public observatory and prides itself on providing a chance for anyone to look through a telescope. Its theme and main goal are to turn visitors into observers.  This makes it a very different type of observatory than its research siblings, which focus entirely on professional astronomy observing. An aerial view of Griffith Observatory in 2006.   Griffith Observatory, used by permission.   History of the Griffith Observatory The observatory began as the dream of financier, mining magnate, and real estate developer Griffith J. Griffith. He came to southern California from Wales in the 1860s and eventually acquired the land where the observatory and park now sit. Griffith was fascinated by the great parks he saw in Europe and envisioned one for Los Angeles. Eventually, he donated his property to the city for that purpose.   In 1904, Griffith visited nearby Mount Wilson Observatory (where astronomer Edwin P. Hubble made his discoveries) and fell in love with astronomy. He wrote: If all mankind could look through that telescope, it would change the world.  Based on that visit, Griffith decided to offer money to the city to build an observatory on top of Mount Hollywood. He wanted to make sure that the public would have access to a telescope to carry out his vision. It took some time to get the building approved, and it wasnt until 1933 (14 years after Griffiths death) that ground was broken. The observatory was conceived as a monument to science, would always be open to the public, and had to withstand all but the strongest earthquakes. The final floorplan design for the Griffith Observatory in 1933.   Griffith Observatory, used by permission. The observatorys planning team included scientists from Caltech and Mount Wilson, along with engineers who created plans for the observatory and its Foucault Pendulum, a 38-foot-diameter model of a section of the Moon sculpted by artist Roger Hayward, and a three-in-one coelostat so visitors could study the Sun. For public viewing, the teams selected a 12-inch Zeiss refracting telescope as the best commercially available instrument. That instrument remains in place, and visitors can view planets, the Moon, and selected deep-sky objects through it. In addition, they can watch the Sun during the day through the coelostat.   The original plans for Griffith included a cinema. In 1923, after the invention of the planetarium instrument, designers for the observatory approached the Griffith family to see if they would permit a planetarium theater to be built in its place. They agreed to the planetarium, which featured a Zeiss planetarium instrument from Germany.   Griffith Observatory: Continuing Astronomy Access The Griffith Observatory opened its doors to the public on May 14, 1935, and was transferred to the citys department of parks and recreation. The parks also work with a support group called Friends of the Observatory (FOTO), in a unique public-private partnership to secure funding and other support for the observatorys ongoing mission. Tens of millions of visitors have passed through its doors, including hundreds of thousands of local school students who visit via a program funded by FOTO. The planetarium also produces unique programs that showcase the exploration of the universe.   Former director Cleminshaw working with Apollo astronauts during their training in 1967. Griffith Observatory, used by permission. Throughout its history, Griffith has served as the training ground for budding astronomers as well as astronauts. During World War II, the park hosted soldiers, and the planetarium helped train aviators in navigation. In the early 1960s, it continued that tradition by offering celestial navigation classes to 26 Apollo astronauts, including some who flew to the Moon. Over the years, the facility has broadened its access and modernized.  Four directors have guided the institution: Dr. Dinsmore Alter, Dr. Clarence Cleminshaw, Dr. William J. Kaufmann II, and currently Dr. E.C. Krupp. Expansion and Renovation The Griffith Observatory was so beloved that, in the words of its staff, it was being loved to death. Millions of visitors trekking through, air pollution effects, and other building problems led to a renovation. In 2002, the observatory closed and commenced a four-year rehab of the building, its exhibits, and the newly christened Samuel Oschin Planetarium. The renovation cost just over $92 million and left the observatory with much-needed modernization, exhibits, and a new planetarium instrument. It reopened to the public on November 3, 2006. Today, Griffith offers free access to the building and telescopes, with a small admission charge required to see the planetarium show. It hosts public star parties once a month, as well as other astronomy-related events.  Ã‚   Events such as lunar eclipses (shown here imaged through the Observatorys 12-inc telescope draw crowds of visitors to Griffith Observatory. Griffith Observatory, shot by Tony Cook. Used by permission.  Ã‚   On September 21, 2012, it welcomed thousands of visitors to witness the historic flyover of space shuttle Endeavor as it flew to its final stop in Los Angeles on the way to the California Science Center. From eclipses to stargazing, the observatory is well known as the place to be for cosmic events throughout Southern California.   Thousands gathered at Griffith for the last flyover of space shuttle Endeavour before it was delivered to the California Science Center in September 2012.   NASA Griffiths Exhibits and Lecture Offerings The observatory has a number of well-known exhibits, including a Tesla coil and an image called The Big Picture. This image, which represents a tiny portion of the sky in the Virgo Cluster (a cluster of galaxies) that can be covered by holding ones finger out at arms length, shows visitors the immensity of the universe and the objects it contains. The exhibits are intended to spark imagination and inquiry among visitors, through a sustained visit to the universe. They cover everything from the solar system and Earth to the most distant reaches of the observable cosmos.   In addition to exhibits, the observatory offers lectures each month in the Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon theater. This special space is named in honor of the late Star Trek actor who portrayed the Vulcan character of Mr. Spock in Star Trek. Nimoy was a big supporter of the planetarium and was active in the effort to secure funding for its renovation. The observatory offers live-streaming access to talks in the Nimoy as well as other events. It also creates a weekly sky report and offers news archives online.   One part of the exhibition at Griffith, which spans from stargazing to astronomy research. This section includes The Edge of Space and Depths of Space. Griffith Observatory, used by permission   Hollywood and Griffith Observatory Given its prominent location on Mount Hollywood, where it can be seen from throughout much of the Los Angeles basin, Griffith Observatory is a natural locale for movies. It has many connections to the entertainment industry, ranging from the Hugo Ballin (a Hollywood set designer) murals in its main rotunda to the late James Dean Rebel without a Cause statue outside the building. Many movies have been shot at Griffith since its opening. This includes scenes from Rebel as well as more recent films such as The Terminator, Transformers, The Rocketeer, and La La Land. A Must See Experience Griffith Observatory is iconic and legendary, and its place on Mount Hollywood has earned it the nickname The Hood Ornament of Los Angeles from its long-time director, Dr. E.C. Krupp. Its a familiar part of the skyline, accessible to all. It continues to provide a glimpse of the cosmos for those who make the trek up the mountain.   Sources griffithobservatory.org/Griffith Observatory TV, https://livestream.com/GriffithObservatoryTVhttps://www.pcmag.com/feature/347200/7-cool-things-to-see-at-la-s-griffith-observatory  http://thespacewriter.com/wp/2015/05/14/griffith-observatory-turns-80/https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/california/articles/8-films-where-las-griffith-observatory-plays-a-pivotal-role/

Should technology be use in classroom Research Paper

Should technology be use in classroom - Research Paper Example The paper outlines all pros and cons of using modern technologies at schools. Technology is an alternative to the teacher; in instances when the teacher in not available or there is a shortage of them technology can be used instead of the teacher. Technology in the classrooms will reduce use of chalks that is associated with causing breathing problems caused by chalk dust. This will improve hygiene to the teachers and students and also make work easier. The teacher will not have to write on the board as the writings will be displayed on the screen. The use of internet will help teacher share information and develop the timetables and curriculum ad share among themselves without coming meeting. It is also possible for student to get instructions from the teachers while they are still in the staffroom or when they are far. This is made possible by use of intranet and internet. With technology, it will encourage student to learn more as they have more freedom. They can also learn what t hey want to learn and at the time they like. This reduces boredom and dependence on the teacher for education. Also, we find that the students can get their teachers work without coming into contact with the teacher. This is made possible by using technology like internet. Technology use does not require use of special classes. Students can learn their subjects from one point without shifting to another area. They only require the presence of a computer that will provide the necessary concepts of the subject.

The Decision Making Process of Property Crime Offenders Research Proposal

The Decision Making Process of Property Crime Offenders - Research Proposal Example All social behaviors occur through a process of decision making, so does criminality. As seen earlier on the decision-making process is cognitive, and as odd as it may seem even criminal offenders go through the process of decision making. It is  a continuous process based on an individual’s interaction with the environment that ends when an acceptable or suitable solution is reached. The main motivation of criminology is the avoidance of pain and pursuit of pleasure. Property crimes have a greater percentage of all crimes that happen. If there is an intention to commit a crime, this is burglary. If none such breaking and entering into a place alone called illegal trespass of property. (Nee.C, 2003) Academic and policy-driven interest in situational crime prevention has stimulated a variety of offenses-specific research from the 1980s onwards. This has resulted in considerable development in both ‘grounded’ methodological approaches and our understanding of the burglar’s behavior and decision-making during the criminal event (Nee, 2003). It is of great importance to master the psychology of the person who commits the crime. Find out why, how and for what reason. It is also important to find out the various phases that the criminal offender goes through during different stages of the offense.