Fantasy - Year 2018 Essays - Radioactivity, Radiobiology

Fantasy - Year 2018 The year is 2018. A Mars colony has been firmly established. Earth has become a virtual earth with virtual cities, operators, and cars proliferating everywhere. The introduction of the Eurodollar and many regional trade agreements have temporarily pacified a once turbulent political world. The ozone layer has been depleted immensely resulting in an urgent demand for bioengineers. Here, I come in. I am the people's director at a leading firm in the bioengineering industry. My firm consists of the human resources department which experiments with new ways to create more tolerant skin, the future research department which strives to find new designs of artificial skin that protect man from the risk of radiation, and finally the food development department which develops food that result in radiation-resistant skin. During my eight years at Texas A&M University, I concentrated on calcium synthesizers for bone replacement and later wrote my thesis in this area. I majored in bioengineering and minored in theology. This combination broadened my horizons and indeed balanced my life. After attaining these degrees, I worked for three years at a bio-research center where I gained important directing experience. During my third year, I was recruited by the firm I currently direct. Within five years of employment, I became the new director. I am a wiser and stronger Sabia than I was twenty years ago. With patience and discipline, I live a life of happiness and success, only made happier with a beautiful family of four and a self-satisfying job. Acceptance Essays

Translating English -ing Words to Spanish

Translating English -ing Words to Spanish If youre translating an English -ing word into Spanish, youll find it helpful to first figure out which part of speech it is. You may think of -ing words as verbs. But they can also  be a noun, adjectives, or adverbs. If you can tell which part of speech an -ing word is, youre well on your way to translating it to Spanish. With that principle in mind, here are some of the most common ways of translating -ing words: -Ing Words as Verbs If an -ing word is functioning as a verb, it is probably being used in a progressive tense. Sentences such as I am studying and She was working are examples of using a progressive tense. In Spanish, progressive tenses are formed in much the same way as in English, by using a form of estar (to be) followed a gerund (the verb form ending in -ando or -endo). Keep in mind, however, that the progressive tenses are used more in English than in Spanish, so it may be more appropriate to use a simple tense instead. See how the following English sentences can be translated using either progressive or simple tenses: She is studying today. Est estudiando hoy. Estudia hoy.I wasnt driving a car downtown yesterday. Yo no estaba manejando un carro en el centro ayer. Yo no manejaba un carro en el centro ayer.We will be dining in your honor. Estaremos comiendo en su honor. Vamos a comer en su honor. Comeremos en su honor. -Ing Words as Nouns It is very common to translate -ing sentence subjects using the Spanish infinitive (the verb form ending in -ar, -er or -ir). However, sometimes there is a separate noun, not a word that is also a verb form, that can be used as well or instead. Sometimes, especially when the -ing word is the object of a verb, the sentence may need to be recast for translation. Seeing is believing. Ver es creer.Buying on the Internet is a simple process. Es un proceso simple el comprar por Internet.Crying doesnt do any good. Llorar no sirve de nada.Swimming is the most complete sport. La natacià ³n es el deporte ms completo. El nadar es el deporte mas completo.The meeting in London ended without an agreement. La reunià ³n acaba sin acuerdos.Theyre fatter because of eating cheap food. Son ms gordos por comer alimentos baratos.I am thinking about attending a university in the United States. Pienso asistir a una universidad en Estados Unidos.I prefer your living here. Prefiero que vivas aquà ­. -Ing Words as Adjectives When an English -ing word functions as an adjective, it can sometimes be translated as an adjectival present participle, a form ending in -ante or -ente. But where none exists, which is usually the case, some other adjective or clause must be used. It may be necessary to recast the sentence for direct translation. Soul is another way of saying person or living being. Alma es otra manera de decir persona o ser viviente.I cant hear the snoring man. No puedo oà ­r el hombre que ronca.The drink can have a calming influence. La bebida puede proporcionar una influencia calmante.I dont have her forwarding address. No tengo su nueva direccià ³n para reenvà ­o de correo.She is a very loving person. Es una persona muy carià ±osa. Es una persona que ama mucho.There are many people wanting to earn more money. Hay mucha gente que quiera ganar ms dinero. -Ing Words As Adverbs The Spanish gerund can be used as an adverb much the same way it can be in English. The princess went away singing because she felt happy. La princesa se fue cantando porque se sentà ­a feliz.He studied, thinking about her. Él estudiaba pensando en ella. Imported Terms Although their practice is criticized by purists, many Spanish speakers have adopted a few English s include jogging, marketing and camping. Note, however, that these words often change in meaning once they are adopted into the language. Camping, for example, can be synonymous with the English noun, but it also can mean a campground or campsite. Marketing is an economic activity that pursues strategies for optimizing sales. El marketing es una actividad econà ³mica que busca estrategias para optimizar las ventas.Jogging can be done anywhere. El footing se puede realizar en cualquier lugar.

Land Ethics and Land Aesthetics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Land Ethics and Land Aesthetics - Essay Example Land ethics endeavors to integrate moral values to human relations with the natural environment. Once human beings, perceive the environment as an intricate part of the society, they will realise that its destruction leads to the entire suffering of the human force. The Amazon may not be in America and many assume that its destruction will only affect the communities around it. However, effects of environmental destruction are adverse and universal (Callicott 38). According to Aldo Leopold, the first western environmentalist, nature, politics and economy depend on each other. In addition, Leopold considered the community as a structure not made up of the humans only but other aspects of nature like soil, plants, animals and water (Budd 60). Land ethics focuses on fusing both land and community as parts of an ecosystem network. These two fundamental parts interact with each other, with each element possessing basic rights. The human community needs nature as much as nature needs the s ociety. From this point of view, the land ethic is a holistic perception of ecosystems. Environmental conservatives like Aldo Leopold made immense efforts to protect the environment and endangered species. Land ethics concerns itself with how a single organism whether protected or endangered contributes directly to the ecosystem (Callicott 56). Supporters of land ethics argue that if this single organism’s presence or absence affects the entire ecosystem, then protecting it is not an option. Therefore, land ethics regard land as an independent and essential part of the society, contrary to what many regard land as a resource for exploitation. As a result, land ethics also focuses on the aesthetic value of land for preservation of a quality and productive natural environment. Until the early 18th century, aesthetics were a term associated mostly with visual arts such fashion and design and fine art. Texture, colour, touch, smell and taste are all aspects that make up aesthetic s. Land aesthetics deals with how human beings perceive value and appreciate their natural ecosystem (Budd 78). When it comes to nature environment, aesthetics comprises of both manmade and natural environments. Land aesthetics aims at correct planning and preservation of quality ecosystems both natural and manmade. Manmade environment include game parks and reserves, dams, green houses and even industries. While natural environment comprises of lakes, rivers, deserts, plains and mountains. Land ethics and aesthetics go hand in hand since they both aim at conservation and preservation of a quality environment for a better future (Callicott 78). Land aesthetic and the land conservation are the two principal subjects of evolutionary and ecological theory. Together they symbolize a consistent environmental axiology (Zimmerman 40). An ecosystem refers to the combination of weather, soil, water, air, plants and animals of a place that create a chain of dependency among these elements. In his book â€Å"Sand County Almanac†, Aldo Leopold states that human beings should maintain the dependency chain in an ecosystem to avoid future calamities. This is achievable only when human communities change their mentality and begin perceiving land as part of the society. As the expansion of homes, industries, infrastructure and social amenities, progresses, it is critical to reduce the impacts they have on

Climate Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Climate Change - Research Paper Example It cannot be denied that GLOBAL WARMING was under consideration by almost every country and different measures are been taken to prevent but it is required on a very large scale with a contribution of every individual living in. It can be done in a lot of ways for example promote plantation, avoid using plastic products as it a non-biodegradable item and a main source of pollution, energy conservation, recycling of goods, preservation of natural resources, and banning the burning of fossil fuels which contributes highly in the destruction of the ozone layer which works as an umbrella or a shelter from strong sun radiations affecting the globe directly .All these factors are causing Global Warming which works as a driving force for the fluctuations in Climatic System. Climatic change does not only affect the nature but majorly affects the living beings. Whereas, drastic changes are coming up because of the activities done by the masses for worldly pleasures for which natural resources are continuously been misused and immeasurably been wasted. There are some major changes in the climatic system which occurs because of the rise in temperatures of the living world. Human Influences is directly propostional to the global warming. Following are Sub-reasons for the change in climate cycle: Orbital Variations Solar Output Volcanism Ocean Variability Plate Tectonics These are the regions where fluctuations occurs and affect the globe and each will be discussed thoroughly further in this report. It is recorded previously in surveys that Climatic Changes are affecting adversely on Biodiversity. This is alarming for the species which are already left with a handful numbers like Polar Bears, Indus Dolphins and many more. They are getting affected because of the change in eco-system occurring because of the changes in the earth’s crust. As the global temperature rises, it starts throwing off to cool down. Volcanic Eruptions is one of the cooling processes, when done with the eruption, the temperature of the globe drops down to 0.5 degrees. Same is the case is with Earthquakes and Ocean Variability. Footnote: (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) Historical and Archeological Evidences: It is studied in the continuous research being done in this aspect and different historical and archeological evidences are pouring in that how the climate used to be in a particular region and how it has become after several years. Civilization changes also predict to a certain level of how the climate probably was. According to archeological evidences, researchers have put their efforts on different areas of life through which they might get to the key. Some of the under consideration areas of life which can predict or can give a clue to the present world that climatic cycle have changed to what extent and whether good or bad. The following are: Glacier changes: Glaciers are the most sensitive indicator of the climate change because of its immediate reaction to any changes in the temperature. There are two things which can contribute in the shrinkage and growth of the glaciers, they are orbital variability and external forcing. Evidences are found because glaciers leaves moraines that contain an anonymous amount of material including organic matter

Ozone Depletion Causes Global Warming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ozone Depletion Causes Global Warming - Essay Example When it is formed near the surface of the earth, it is toxic and may cause asthma while it is a blanket of protection from solar radiation once it is located in the atmosphere. The region of the ozone in the atmosphere is known as the ozone layer which has an altitude of 10 to 35 kilometers. The oxygen in the atmosphere once exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun is converted to ozone and the harmful UV radiation is absorbed. It is very important to have ozone since the higher the concentration of ozone, the less UV radiation can reach the surface of the earth and the same applies the other way around. Sunburn, skin cancers and eye cataracts are the consequences once ozone layer is thin and more UV rays can penetrate the atmosphere (Shanklin 84). To understand the ozone in the atmosphere better, it would be help if the exact location is identified and further reactions that may cause the depletion of it. Ozone layer is part of the stratosphere and the ozone gas is scattered over 15 kilometers above sea level. Ozone may not be as much as the concentration of oxygen and nitrogen in the air, it is still very important because of its ability to absorb the radiation. In 1970, a study was made by Crutzen regarding nitrogen oxides which are produced from the decay of nitrous oxide through the action of microorganisms in the soil. The study showed how nitrogen oxides react quickly with ozone leading to the concentration reduction of available ozone. Such a study opened the research on  "global biogeo-chemical cycles" and the nitrogen oxides released by airplanes as they travel on the stratosphere (Lipkin 262). Ozone layer depletion increased the harmful radiation at the surface of the planet. The change may have both beneficial and harmful effects to living things especially to human beings. More people became aware of the consequences of radiation exposure in the past 60 years. According to some recent reports, the eye and the skin are the most prawn to damages an d diseases once exposed to UV radiation. Cataract is the usual effect of UV radiation to the eyes while skin cancer is the common result on skin (Norval et. al. 199). The other term that must be defined is global warming. The average surface temperature of earth increases as the years passed and possibly it would continue in the future is said to be global warming. It is caused by the greenhouse effect which is the increase in the concentration carbon dioxide and other gases like water vapor, methane, chlorofluorocarbons and nitrous oxide in the atmosphere that envelop the surface of the earth and prevents the UV radiation to escape to the outer space. Human activities hasten the increase in concentration of the green house gases that increase the temperature of the earth. Climate models predicted that surface temperature of the earth increases by 1.1-6.4oC within the year 1990 and 2100. If greenhouse effect had been regulated, the temperature of planet earth would have been 30oC lo wer at least (Rajeshwari 337). Global warming is really affected by the green house gases that are responsible for the green house effect. Experts say manmade carbon dioxide emissions are the primary reason for the increase in temperature. Other people may claim that the occurrence is just normal although the temperature increase nowadays is beyond the normal threshold. The findings were not able to find any alarming carbon dioxide

The Apollo Program By Nasa History Essay

The Apollo Program By Nasa History Essay The Apollo program is a space program by NASA which aims to send men to moon. It began in 1961. The goal was accomplished during the Apollo 11 mission, when Neil Armstrong was the first human to step on the moon. The program has many dimensions other than space field and explorations, it has political dimensions too. Apollo program affected the world in many ways and started a space exploration revolution. Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sense the beginning of the 17th century, when Galileo took the first close look to the moon using his first telescope, people started dreaming of flying to the outer space and to reach the moon. That dream became real after 3 centuries, when NASA launched Apollo Program. The Apollo program was a project by NASA in the United States. The goal of this project was to land humans on the Moon and bring them back to Earth safely. The idea of getting a human to the Moon started during the Eisenhower administration but it really began in 1961 after President John F. Kennedy declared a national goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of this decade.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the biggest reasons behind starting this program is the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union in space exploration field. In 1961 and during the cold war, the Soviet Union was the first country to send a man to the outer space in an orbital flight, that man was the Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin. After the great achieve of the Soviets, many Americans saw that the United States must win the competition against the Soviet Union.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the 20th of July 1969, the goal was finally accomplished when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Albrin landed on the Moon and returned to Earth safely and that was during the Apollo 11 mission. Between 1969 and 1972, there were a total of six successful landings on the Moon. In these flights, 12 astronauts walked on the Moon and collected around 382 Kgs of  rocks, sand and many other samples to study the geological features of the Moon. The program ended in 1974 with Apollo 17. The Space Race   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Early in 1960 and during the Eisenhower administration, the Apollo program was conceived as a follow-up to the Mercury program which was the program that sent the first American astronaut to the space. The Apollo spacecraft was able to carry three astronauts whereas the Mercury capsule could support only one. NASA manager Abe Silverstein named the program after the Greek god of light and music; he said later   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In November 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected president after he promised in his campaign to put America in superiority over the Soviet Union in space exploration and missile defense field. Despite Kennedys promises, he didnt approve immediately on Apollo program once he became president. Though he knew about some of the technical details, at the same time he was put off by the huge financial commitments. On the 12th of April, 1961, Soviet Union successfully sent Yuri Gagarin to the outer space to become the first human to fly in space. That movement reinforced American fears about losing the space race against the Soviet Union and being left behind in a technological competition. At the same time President Kennedy refused to make any commitments on Americas response to the Soviets. After 8 days on April 20, Vice President Lyndon Johnson received a memorandum from President Kennedy discussing the Americas space program status with him and asking him to find a solution to catch up with the Soviet program. Johnsons respond came out one week later, he concluded He mentioned also that landing humans on the Moon will be achieved by the United States . On the following month, on May 25, 1961, President Kennedy announced his approval and his full support for the Apollo program. He said that through a speech during a special session of Congress. At that time, many of NASA employees doubted whether Kennedys goal could be met. Many people doubted too, because only one American had flown in space. The goal of landing astronauts on Moon before the end of 1969 required an advanced technology, and a huge amount of money to run the program, it was around $24 billion which is the largest commitment of resources ever made by any nation at that time, and to get the work done in less than 10 years, NASA employed 400,000 people to work on Apollo program plus the support of more than 20,000 industrial companies and universities. Apollos mission mode Once Kennedy had announced the national goal, the planners of Apollo mission faced the challenge of designing a flying system with the minimum risks to human life. At the same time they dont want to exceed the limits and spend extra money on designing flights. They came up with four possible mission modes to choose from: Direct Ascent: Its to send the spacecraft directly to the Moon, make it land and return as one unit. To be able to make this kind of missions work efficiently, they have to design a strong launching system and a more powerful booster. Earth Orbit Rendezvous (EOR): In this mode many rockets would be launched, each one of the rockets will be carrying a different part of a Direct Ascent spacecraft and propulsion units to keep the spacecraft moving until it escapes earth orbit. Then the spacecraft will land on the Moon as a unit. Lunar Surface Rendezvous: They would launch two different spacecraft, one is a vehicle with propellants on it, and the other is the manned vehicle. First, the vehicle carrying propellants would land and then the manned vehicle will land later. They would transfer propellant from the first vehicle to the manned vehicle to make it able to go back to Earth. Lunar Orbit Rendezvous (LOR): In this mission mode they would send a main spacecraft and a smaller lunar module to travel together into a lunar orbit. Then the lunar module will independently land on the Moon. When the mission is completed, it returns to the lunar orbit and come again with the main spacecraft. Then the main spacecraft returns to Earth. After studying each mission and testing some of them they came up with some expected results to choose the best mission mode for Apollo program, they decided to go with the Lunar Orbit Rendezvous mode. In the LOR method, astronauts can use the spacecraft as a life boat in case of a failure in the command ship, which is an advantage. On Apollo 13, astronauts faced a problem of oxygen tank failure that caused a cut in the electrical power in the command ship. The Lunar Module provided all the needs to get the crew back to earth safely. Apollo Missions There are two types of Apollo missions: Unmanned missions NASA began preparing for the Apollo program long before they decided to start the manned Apollo missions. In October 1961, they started testing flights of the Saturn I booster and it lasted for around three years until September 1964. In 1963, two tests of the launch escape system at the White Sands Missile Range. After all the tests, NASA sent three unmanned missions, they were Apollo 4, Apollo 5 and Apollo. Manned missions After testing the launching vehicles and making sure that nothing wrong is going to happen to the crew, NASA started the manned missions which carried three astronauts each or sometimes more. The first manned mission on the Apollo program was Apollo 7, launched on October 11, 1968 in an Earth orbital flight; it was to test the Command Module. Many manned missions continued the following years with some successful Moon landings. The last Apollo mission was Apollo 17, launched December 7, 1972. Canceled Missions Apollo 18, Apollo 19 and 20 were originally supposed to be a part of the Apollo program, but those missions had been canceled. In 1968, during the beginning with the election of Richard Nixon, the space program started to lose focus. After Nixon was elected president, he didnt want to continue what Kennedy started and he was not so interested in the space program, in hes opinion, its enough and its the time to stop the space missions because the original goal has accomplished. In 1969 Apollo 20 was canned, and 18 and 19 were dispensed with in 1971.

Jahari Window Essay

The Johari Window, named after the first names of its inventors, Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, is one of the most useful models describing the process of human interaction. A four paned â€Å"window† divides personal awareness into four different types, as represented by its four quadrants: open, hidden, blind, and unknown. The lines dividing the four panes are like window shades, which can move as an interaction progresses (Daft, 2011 pg. 273-276). The Johari Window concept would be particularly helpful for leaders to promote understanding employee/employer relationships and is a simple and useful tool for illustrating and improving self-awareness, and mutual understanding between individuals within a group. The Johari Window actually represents information such as feelings, experience, views, attitudes, skills, intentions, motivation, etc, within or about a person, in relation to their group, from four perspectives (Daft, 2011, pg. 275). The Johari Window model can also be used to represent the same information for a group in relation to other groups. Johari Window terminology refers to ‘self’ and ‘others’: ‘self’ means oneself, ie, the person subject to the Johari Window analysis. ‘Others’ means other people in the person’s group or team (Dart, 2011, pg. 275). The Johari window, essentially being a model for communication, can also reveal difficulties in this area. In Johari terms, two people attempt to communicate via the open quadrants. On the simplest level, difficulties may arise due to a lack of clarity in the interaction, such as poor grammar or choice of words, unorganized thoughts, faulty logic etc. This induces the receiver to criticize you, the sender, by revealing something that was in your blind quadrant. Then, if the feedback works, you correct it immediately, or perhaps on a more long term approach take a course in reading and writing. On a deeper level, you may be in a group meeting, and while you secretly sympathize with the minority viewpoint, you voted with the majority. However, blind to you, you actually may be communicating this information via body language, in conflict with your verbal message. On an even deeper level, you in an interaction with others, may always put on a smiling, happy face, hiding all negative feelings. By withholding negative feelings, you may be signaling to your friends to withhold also, and keep their distance. Thus, your communication style may seem bland or distant (Chapman, 2010).

Meaning of Life and Success Essay

Success is a person or thing that desired aims and achieves or attains fame or any form of accomplishment which will always make them proud or happy at the end of either the day, month or year. The word success was originated in the mid-16th century from a Latin word successus and a verb succedere meaning come close after. When I hear of the word success there are two things that come in mind, hard work and determination. Hard work is one of the main and most important building blocks in my success foundation. Working hard is one of the best and most accurate ways to think about being successful. Success cannot be earned unless you strive and work hard for it, because it is a word that comes with work and if work is not done then the meaning of the word can’t be accomplished. Like Einstein said â€Å"If A is a success in life then A equals x plus y plus z. work is x; y is play and z is keeping your mouth shut† for instance to me as an athlete working hard and in playing hard rather than running my mouth are the best way of being successful in game point stands in my career. Determination is a very critical and important aspect when it comes to success. To be determined to achieve any goals or aims is a very important choice of being successful. Bertrand 2 Determination can to be physically, spiritually and emotionally which all combines with hard work and if you combine both hard work and determination together you will always get a good result of success. Being successful in life can be one of the precious and happiest moments in life that can last for a long time if and only if you do what is expected of you to keep the success going on. Success can be advantageous in many ways; Accomplishing a goal, moving on to a new goal, brings happiness and fulfillment, set new and personal records, inspire, motivate and give you strengths to aim high and set bigger goals. But it’s not always everybody that’s successful that is happy or satisfied with their success. The isn’t that much difference being successful than being a failure, like the good old quote that say â€Å"the difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength not a lack of knowledge, but rather the a lack in will† this quote is very simple and well understood and the quote’s point is clearly pointed out, which state the main difference between a successful person and others which is the will to be the successful person that they are. To be successful person there should be some sought of guidelines to help you achieve or attain success. Thinking about success also brings about the thought or idea of failure â€Å"In order to success your desire for success should be greater rather than your fear of failure†. An important and inspiring quote as this from one of the favorite, idol and inspiring actor in the movie industry and in the society should and is been considered by a lot of fans to be very important in achieving success rather than having the fear of failure because his path of success has given or got him to where he is at the moment.

Environmental Analysis of New Restaurant Essays

Environmental Analysis of New Restaurant Essays Environmental Analysis of New Restaurant Paper Environmental Analysis of New Restaurant Paper Restaurant Industry Analysis With an increasing number of people working in office environments and growing amply households with two parents in the workforce, time to prepare food at home is limited. Consumers under time constraints are opting to eat outside in cafes and restaurants, with price-conscious consumers often turning to fast-food options such as mobile trucks and street stalls. Restaurant industry has four general segments according to the service customers receive: full service, quick service, eating and drinking place and retail host. Full service dining locations do not require any food preparation by customer as well as service of food. Fast-food chains that offer buffets and aka-out service represent quick service locations. Eating and drinking place sector includes caterers and refreshment stand vendors. And the retail host is located within the gas stations and retail-host restaurants. Fine dining restaurants are full-service restaurants with an upscale menu and extensive beverage offerings. The restaurants generally have a more sophisticated dcore and ambiance, the wait staff is usually highly trained and often wears more formal attire, and there is often a dress code for patrons. The most important factors that customers expect from the upscale dining establishment are food quality, service and VII treatment. The profit of fine dining establishments depends for the most part on business entertaining, and the volume of the business people that charge their dinners on expense accounts declined dramatically after the recession. As a result, the upscale dining segment is reconsidering their offerings very carefully in order to be able to compete in the market and attract customers. Since the consumers are still watching their spending a majority of upscale dining restaurants went in the direction of new pricing strategies and innovations as well as creating casual dining environments. Trends Of casual fine dining have led to the implementation Of two different concepts within one establishment: casual bar areas with small-plate offerings and formal dining spaces for the whole experience. Key trends that help the restaurant industry to keep the balance and improve the sales are mergers and acquisitions, driven by private equity firms with greater access to the capital markets; open credit markets with improved rates, terms and required equity contributions and the focus on the local sourcing, sustainability, and nutrition that top menu trends. The environment that a company operates in goes far ended the industry and even farther than the industry segment where company has business. That environment is defined as companys macro- environment and is composed of seven components that have the potential to affect the company and its competitive environment: trends of technology, demographics, economic conditions, political and regulatory factors, social forces and global factors. These entire factors can influence the company in different ways and to different degrees. External drivers of the upscale dining segment in the restaurant industry are per capita disposable income, employment status, healthy eating index, nonuser spending and consumer sentiment index. Per capita disposable income determines the ability of the population to spend money on goods and services. Wealthy populations will be influenced by the tax rate and rising prices on the high end and luxury goods that could slow down the real income growth in 2013-2017. Employment status is positively correlated with the dining out and choice fewer and how often. Rising national unemployment rate can negatively affect the restaurant traffic, the upscale segment specifically. Healthy eating index is the percentage of a recommended diet that an average American consumes. The overall trend towards eating vegetables drove up the vegetable prices as well as produce prices. Another trend is low carbohydrate and high protein diets that will increase meat consumption. Consumer spending is defined as amounts spent by the population on services and goods inside the country and abroad. A brighter outlook of the economic recovery and higher employment drive the increase in consumer spending rather than savings. Consumer sentiment index was affected by growing corporate profits in the last two years and ability of businesses to keep wage costs down. All of that stimulated the customer sentiment. In April 201 2 consumer sentiment index reaches its highest for the last year that will be reflected hopefully later in the increase Of restaurants visits. Technology Factors Going mobile and moving faster is the technology trend in the restaurant industry that shapes all the segments through different innovations. The use of a smart phone and ability to access restaurant booking system from mobile platforms decreased the number of phone calls for reservations as well as allowed the restaurant operators to gather data for marketing purposes. Another trend is check in services like Foursquare that presents context-aware type of advertising and attracts the customer with its sophistication. Mobile payment systems like GOOGLE wallet that stores your credit cards and loyalty cards as well as promotional offers will speed up the payment process and secure customer information. Demographic Factors In June 2011 persons aged from 24-35 were the most frequent visitor to the fine dining establishments. This age group represents 31 percent of the population visiting fine dining restaurants. In regards to household income, those who earn one hundred thousand dollars or more are the most frequent visitors to fine dining establishments. That is great insight for the marketing department of the fine dining segment to study the preferences and address them as well as it is a clear target for customer attraction. Economic Factors The economic situation should improve cautiously through 2014 with positive outcome for all the industries as well as fine dining sector of food service. The industry still shows low measures of consumer sentiment and cautiousness of firms about full-speed operations. There is also the presence of weak labor market conditions and slight gains in manufacturing production as well as elevated risk premiums. All these factors result in the slow process of economic upturn. Political Factors There are many policies and regulations that can affect the upscale segment of the restaurant industry, many of them related to the health and food issues, jobs and career as well as profitability of the business. If final regulations that are related to nutrition disclosure issues will be published in 201 2, when the law takes effect, restaurants with 20 or more locations will be required to provide caloric information on menus. There are two bills still pending in Congress to make the 1 5-year restaurant appreciation schedule permanent, which will allow restaurants to write off, or depreciate, the cost of improvements and new construction over 15 years, rather than 39 years. This uncertainty is holding many companies from capital expenditures since it reduces the cash flow by approximately four thousand a year. Business meal deduction from DID percent to 50 percent in 1992 decreased the profitability of restaurants and affected the upscale segment that is heavily relies on conference room business. A proposed 80 percent business meal deduction could Increase business meal sales by 7 billion dollars. Socio-cultural Factors Socio-cultural forces that include attitude of the society, families lifestyles and change in values impact the industry over time. Shift in preferences is obvious: people are looking for healthy and freshly prepared food, leaning towards premium products and value.

The Nature-Culture Divide

The Nature-Culture Divide Nature and culture are often seen as opposite ideas- what belongs to nature cannot be the result of human intervention and, on the other hand, cultural development is achieved against nature. However, this is by far not the only take on the relationship between nature and culture. Studies in the evolutionary development of humans suggest that culture is part and parcel of the ecological niche within which our species thrived, thus rendering culture a chapter in the biological development of a species. An Effort Against Nature Several modern authors- such as Rousseau- saw the process of education as a struggle against the most eradicated tendencies of human nature. Humans are born with wild dispositions, such as the one of using violence to achieve one’s own goals, to eat and behave in a disorganized fashion, and/or to act egotistically. Education is that process which uses culture as an antidote against our wildest natural tendencies; it is thanks to culture that the human species could progress and elevate itself above and beyond other species. A Natural Effort Over the past century and a half, however, studies in the history of human development have clarified how the formation of what we refer to as culture in an anthropological sense is part of the biological adaptation of our ancestors to the environmental conditions in which they came to live.Consider, for example, hunting. Such an activity seems an adaptation, which allowed hominids to move from the forest into the savannah some millions of year ago, opening up the opportunity to change diet and living habits. At the same time, the invention of weapons is directly related to that adaptation- but from weapons descend also a whole series of skill sets characterizing our cultural profile, from butchering tools to ethical rules relating to the proper use of weapons (e.g., should they be turned against other human beings or against uncooperative species?). Hunting also seems responsible for a whole set of bodily abilities, such as balancing on one foot as humans are the only primates that can do that. Now, think of how this very simple thing is crucially connected to dance, a key expression of human culture. It is then clear that our biological development is closely tied to our cultural development. Culture as an Ecological Niche The view that came to be most plausible over the past decades seems to be that culture is part of the ecological niche within which humans live. Just as snails carry their shell, so do we bring along our culture. Now, the transmission of culture seems not to be directly related to the transmission of genetic information. Certainly the significant overlap between the genetic makeup of humans is a premise for the development of a common culture that can be passed along from one generation to the next. However, cultural transmission is also horizontal among individuals within the same generation or among individuals belonging to different populations. You can learn how to make lasagna even if you were born from Korean parents in Kentucky just as you can learn how to speak Tagalog even if none of your immediate family or friends speak that language. Further Readings on Nature and Culture The online sources on the nature-culture divide are scarce. Luckily, there are a number of good bibliographical resources that can help out. Here is a list of few of the more recent ones, from which older takes on the topic can be recovered: Peter Watson, The Great Divide: Nature and Human Nature in the Old World and the New, Harper, 2012.Alan H. Goodman, Deborah Heat, and Susan M. Lindee, Genetic Nature/Culture: Anthropology and Science Beyond the Two-Culture Divide, University of California Press, 2003.Rodney James Giblett, The Body of Nature and Culture, Palgrave Macmillan, 2008.

Culture and Morality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Culture and Morality - Essay Example While in the past, we were swayed to consider that â€Å"the ways of England are the ways of the world†, contemporary societies maintain that all cultures are virtuous and deserve respect. However, with the United States, the prime crusader of democracy, rising to power, the human rights and justice are emphasized to a higher degree, and instigated criticisms toward various cultures that violate their perception of morality. Unacceptable Cultures Many constitutions in this modern time propagate equality of people under the law. Although it is inevitable that an individual’s social status determines its reputation, equal opportunities are still provided amongst citizens in almost all aspects of life. Over time, practices deemed unacceptable are abolished; and acts that counter to peace and human rights are penalized. Apartheid, or the racial segregation enforced by the National Party of South Africa for almost 50 years was completely removed, granting independence to the marginalized black residents. Similarly, the American Civil War during the early 1860’s eradicated black slavery and started the struggle for egalitarianism between the two colors. These practices that many protested against and sacrificed their lives for obliteration of, were inherited from the cultures of our forefathers. These may have lessened considerably, but the state of mind is not entirely changed. Moreover, other cultures regarded as repugnant are still existent. The Indian Caste System The caste system that separates society in terms of profession is prevalent among the Hindus despite contentions that such is not compelled in the scriptures but merely directed by the religion. Birth alone decides a man’s status, and this cannot be altered by effort (Pruthi, 2004). They are not permitted to marry, associate and mingle with anyone outside their caste; and if excommunicated, live as an outcaste, utterly separate from the rest. In this modern time, however, mor e and more cities are diverting away from the system in view that such is a deterrent to unity amongst citizens (Welty 1962). As new opportunity that calls for cultural reformation presents itself to India, people will respond either out of rationality or necessity. In that sense, Indians of academic superiority are presumed more receptive to new influences compared to the rest. Terrorism and the Concept of Jihad On September 11, 2001, an American aircraft crashed into the Pentagon, another into the World Trade Center’s north and south tower, and killed approximately three hundred thousand people. The names Osama Bin Laden and al-Qaeda were heard for the first time (Katz, 2004), and intensified the long-standing antagonism between Muslims and the West. This was argued as a practice of â€Å"jihad†, which meant holy war, directed against the enemies of Islam. Sanction is given unto those who fight because they have been wronged; and Allah is indeed able to give them vic tory; those who have been driven from their homes unjustly only because they said: Our Lord is Allah (Sura 22:39). Jihad finds its origin not only in the â€Å"militancy of Muhammad but in the culture of pre-Islamic Arabia† (Ankerberg and Caner, 2009, p. 15). In the past, Arabian tribes were consented to battle against any other tribe, and war was tolerable regardless of its nature. The soldiers of the new jihad assumed the tradition and embarked on violent assaults, â€Å"

ARCHAEOLOGICAL ETHICS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

ARCHAEOLOGICAL ETHICS - Essay Example However, they were unable to identify where the American Indians came from. Later, many scientists described them as the lost tribes of Israel based on their traditional values, similar cultural ethics and languages. However, the new discovery of remains of Kennewick man opened many new discussions in this regard. Controversy of Kennewick Man Kennewick man case came up with many disputes among the people of different origins and classes. First, controversy is the legal controversy that was played in the courts and congress about the possession of the remains. Second was the dispute of emotional attachment to the theories of evolution versus intelligent design. In 1996, Washington was under the management of U.S Army Corps of Engineers (COE) who found a skeleton near the banks of the Columbian River. They asked an anthropologist, James Chatter to examine the skeleton. James Chatter considered it to be related to Caucasian people who lived in the Caucasian region and had more flat face s. Later, an ultraviolet examination of the bones made it one of the oldest complete set of remains found in the America. It was found to be 9000 years old. In 1996, Umatilla filed a case to return the remains to them and get it buried under The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) that Corps of Engineers (COE) accepted. Later in the year 1996, eight scientists sued the CEO and Department of Interior saying that remains of Kennewick does not fulfill the demands of NAGPRA. It is neither related biologically nor culturally to any of the modern Indian tribe. They asked for the possession of the remains for scientific research purpose. On the basis of Chatter’s claim that Kennewick has Caucasian background, Asatru Folk which was a religious group from Northern California claimed that the Kennewick should be handed over to him as he shares the ancestors with him. The controversy continued for the possession of Kennewick man and in 1997 a United States Re presentative, Richard Hasting introduced a bill in the assembly to make amendments in NAGPRA that would allow the study of remains of Kennewick man and will help to solve the issue. After a long struggle, in 1999 some federal scientists were able to study Kennewick Man and they found that it belongs to Asian people rather than the tribes of America claiming its remains. They also claimed that DNA test should be done to prove this claim that was opposed by the tribes saying that for scientists ‘race’ is a social construct and is unable to be determined biologically. Also, biological affiliation is not necessary as per NAGPRA rule and it concentrates more on the affiliation of cultural affiliation. Origin of the People in the America When it comes to origin of the people in America, the major fight is between two groups of two very different schools of thought. First, who belief the creation of humans is by the God. Second those who strongly belief in the â€Å"theory of Evolution†. Both sides, proponents of evolution and those who reject it on the basis of religious belief, have emotional sentiments over this issue. Theory of evolution says that humans are the descendents of a tiny cell of primordial protoplasm washed up on an ocean beach about thirty two billion years ago. Those who reject the theory of evolution are of the view that if it is purely by chance then there is no point of existence of God.