Information Management and Information Technology Essay

Information Management and Information Technology - Essay Example Information management refers to the methods in individual or an organization collects information from one or more than one sources and distributes the information collected to specific audiences. This process must include everyone who has an interest in the specific information at hand or those who have a claim over the specific piece of information (Luenberger, 2006, p. 46). Management of information refers to the control of the structure, organizational, processing, evaluation, and report of the contents of the information for purposes of meeting the objectives of the audience under consideration, and to efficiently enable the delivery of the specific piece of information (Khosrowpour, 2005, p. 32). During the last century, especially in the mid-1970s, information management entailed the introduction and maintenance of the file system, and the information management policies were centered on the files and tangible records. However, with the introduction of information technology, this system changed. Practitioners of information technology began to use and maintain electronic data. On this note, therefore, information management took a technological twist, because to store and disseminate information, people had to know how to operate the computer system (Thaung, 2012, p. 61). During the period of the 1990s, there was extensive use of networks to disseminate information, and there emerged the role of network managers whose main role was to manage information that was being disseminated through the electronic and computer systems. This individual performed complex work, such as management of computer software’s and hardware’s (Lucey, 2005, p. 37).  

Oscar Wildes Aestheticism Essay Example for Free

Oscar Wildes Aestheticism Essay Though Oscar Wilde is the incarnation of the aestheticism schools, we can’t afford to ignore the other artists of the aesthetes. It is imperative that we should give a general introduction to aestheticism in the following paragraphs. Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that studies the principles of beauty especially in art. Aestheticism is the collection of all the fruits of aesthetics. â€Å"The word ‘aesthetic’ was first found in Aesthetica, appearing as a Latin word, which is the name of two books written by Alexander Baumgarten, 17141762. †(Williams, 2005: 31) Baumgarten believes beauty can be defined as aesthetic, but when it is related to art, the most important part of Baumgarten’s translation of beauty is that beauty is not abstract but can be felt by people through their senses. This translation is the same as the Greek word â€Å"aisthesis†, the original meaning of which is the power of uniting mentally the impressions conveyed by the five physical senses. And in the middle of the 19th century, aesthetic is understood as â€Å"the beautiful†, which is generally related to art. In 1880, the word â€Å"aesthete† was used in a wide range, but contained a derogatory sense. Both the principle and the practice of the aesthetic movement led by Walter Pater were criticized at that time. But the British decadent writers were deeply influenced by Walter Pater. The artists and writers of the aesthetic movement held the view that sensuous pleasure should be provided by arts, not moral or sentimental messages. As a consequence, they did not accept John Ruskin and Matthew Arnold’s utilitarian conception of art as something moral or useful. Instead, they believed that art did not have any didactic purpose; it needed only be beautiful. The aesthetes developed the cult of beauty, which they considered the basic factor in art. In Britain, Oscar Wilde is famous as one of the best representatives of the aesthetes. He believes that art represents nothing but itself, and that art has its own life just as thoughts do.

Youth Violence: The Problem is Not As Big As It Seems :: essays research papers fc

Youth Violence Reality Check: The Problem’s Not as Big as it Seems   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Violence is a never-ending problem that our society has battled with since the beginning of time. To most people, the most ridiculous and most noticeable violence is adolescent crime. While these crimes committed by children and adolescents fascinate the public and generate a great deal of media attention, youth violence is actually less serious than reported.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fifteen people are dead, twenty-three wounded in the worst school massacre in history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The two gunmen were dead at Columbine High in a small town Littleton,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Denver (Colorado). Suspects were â€Å"fascinated with W.W.II and the Nazis.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  April 20, 1999 Hitler’s Birthday. (qtd. in Devitt)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The story flashes across the television screen, floating from state to state, country to country, giving society the accusing, misinterpreted view of today’s â€Å"violent youths.† Media reports debated for days about the problem of increasing teenage violence. Most reports exaggerated that the public was unsafe by youth â€Å"lawlessness† (Schwartz, Wendy). â€Å"Youth violence is not as pervasive as is feared† (Schwartz, Wendy). The media also tends to point out the fact that adolescents have increased the dangerous use of weapons. P.A. Strasburg states realistically, juvenile violence is considerably less serious in the aggregate than violence by adults† (qtd. in Schwartz, Ira 52).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The output of the media goes straight to the public, giving society as a whole the same misperception as the media. â€Å"Parents are a lot more concerned for their kids nowadays even though their kids are in a more stable environment than the parents themselves were as children† (Schwartz, Ira 53). Stability through technology and general better living have given children more security. America’s adolescents are not as violent and unlawful as the public thinks (Devitt).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Researchers have been finding out that both the media and the public have been exaggerating the severity of increasing youth violence (Miller 45). According to P.A. Strasburg, â€Å"juveniles use fewer weapons and less deadly weapons and inflict less injury and financial loss on their victims then they have in the past† (qtd. in Schwartz 52). Researchers also discovered that â€Å"there have never been any self-contained dramatic increases of violent juvenile crime which did not parallel increases in adult crime† (Miller 45). Certainly from time to time, there are strange rises in violent crime (45). But one of the main reasons is because of the number of adolescents in the population (45). The total youth population has increased by almost double the total from 1956 (45).

Cold War Essay

The Cold War represents the disputes between the Soviet Union and the United States, and may be the most noteworthy political issue of the late 20th Century. The Cold War was a very political issue because it influenced foreign policies, impacted our economy, and even affected Presidential elections. The United States was worried that the Soviet Union would extend communism throughout Europe with its power and control over smaller and weaker countries. At the beginning of the Cold War the struggles between the United States and the Soviet Union were more political than military. The Soviet Union detonated its first atomic bomb on August 29, 1949 which alarmed the United States because they were not expecting the Soviet Union to have knowledge of nuclear weapons (The Cold War Museum, n. d. ). Consequently, Americans were uncertain of their own safety, prompting President Truman to reexamine the United States position in the world. He required the United States to amass conventional and nuclear weapons to cease the Soviet influence from spreading around the world. The arms race began, and each side mass produced and strategically placed missiles throughout their country and their allied countries. Other events occurred during the Cold War era adding fuel to the Cold War: the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Bay of Pigs. My first interviewee was a female in her early sixties whom lived through the Cold War period – my mother. As a retired school teacher, I expected my mother to have a deeper understanding of the Cold War than a person that simply lived through the period. Her definition of the Cold War clearly supported the definition stated in this course. When I asked my mother what words or phrases come to mind when she thinks of the term Cold War, she did not hesitate in her response: â€Å"United States and the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, John F. Kennedy, George Patton, and World War II† (B. Rego, personal communication, May 27, 2013). She related to me that the aspects of the Cold War that she remembered were â€Å"that the Soviets felt that the United States was not revealing key military information after World War II, and their suspicions were confirmed when the United States dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima† (B.  Rego, personal communication, May 27, 2013). I went on to ask her to name any key events that are mainly associated with the Cold War, and she replied â€Å"the Bay of Pigs† (B. Rego, personal communication, May 27, 2013). My mother was able to accurately remember the parties involved in the Cold War, as well as key details and key events of the period having lived through the period, not as a child but as a young adult. My second interviewee was a male in his mid-thirties whom did not live through the Cold War period, but studied it in school. My younger brother’s definition of the Cold War was â€Å"long period of tensions between countries† (J. Rego, personal communication, May 27, 2013). His definition is similar to the definition provided in this course with the exception that he did not mention specifically the United States and the Soviet Union. When questioned about what aspects of the Cold War he remembers he stated â€Å"I remember Korea and Vietnam† (J. Rego, personal communication, May 27, 2013). Although he is not incorrect in his response, it was interesting to me that he again omitted the involvement of the United States and the Soviet Union. When asked about the key events mainly associated with the Cold War, my brother said â€Å"the only key event I remember was the Berlin Wall, and when President Reagan and Gorbachev signed the peace treaty† (J. Rego, personal communication, May 27, 2013). His recollection of the key events associated with the Cold War albeit accurate, were lacking in detail. He did not mention the Bay of Pigs, or the Cuban Missile Crisis. I suppose that the generation gap between our mother and our generation has unfortunately made the details of the Cold War less memorable. My final interviewee was a male in his early twenties whom also did not live through the Cold War period, but studied it in school. My son’s definition of the Cold War was â€Å"a weapons race between the USA and Soviet Union with no shots fired† (A. Egnew, personal communication, May 26, 2013). His definition is similar to the definition provided in this course in that he recalled the parties involved being the United States and the Soviet Union. When asked what words or phrases come to mind when thinking of the term Cold War he replied â€Å"stockpile and weapons race† (A. Egnew, personal communication, May 26, 2013). I questioned him about any key events that he could remember that is mainly associated with the Cold War, and his answer was â€Å"I can’t name any† (A. Egnew, personal communication, May 26, 2013). It is interesting to me, yet not surprising that as the generation gap widens the details of the Cold War are more easily forgotten. The Cold War was a very prominent event in United States history for key events such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Bay of Pigs, and the Berlin Wall, but noteworthy also for the civil rights movement, gender equality, and racial segregation issues (Farber, 1994). The Cold War changed the way Americans view authority, and opened the door for American citizens to question political decisions. Without the Cold War period, perhaps our lives today would be much different. Would slavery still exist? What about racial segregation? Our lives today would surely be different if the Cold War never happened.

Viscosity

Viscosity of Liquids Part I: Low Viscosities Mona Kanj Harakeh 1 Objectives †¢ To measure and analyze the viscosities of ideal (Toluene/p-Xylene) and nonideal (Methanol/Water) binary solutions and their components. †¢ To determine the Activation Energy to viscous flow. †¢ The effect of temperature change on the viscosity will be studied. Method: The viscosities of liquids are determined by measuring the flow time for various liquids in an Ostwald viscometer. 2 Ostwald viscometer 3 Viscosity †¢ The resistance of a liquid to flow is called its viscosity Viscosity is a property of liquids that is important in applications ranging from oil flow in engines to blood flow through arteries and veins. Measuring viscosity †¢ How long a liquid takes to flow out of a pipette under the force of gravity. †¢ How fast an object (steel ball) sinks through the liquid under gravitational force. 4 Molecular properties contributing to viscosity Viscosity arises from the dire cted motion of molecules past each other, it is a measure of the ease with which molecules move past one another. It is affected by many factors such as: †¢ Molecular size. Molecular shape. †¢ Intermolecular interactions (attractive force between the molecules). †¢ Structure of the liquid itself. †¢ Temperature(Viscosity decreases with increasing temperature the increasing kinetic energy overcomes the attractive forces and molecules can more easily move past each other). 5 Viscosity ? The IUPAC symbol of viscosity is the greek symbol eta â€Å"? †. ? Viscosity â€Å"? † of a fluid is its resistance to flow. ? When a Liquid flows, whether through a tube or as the result of pouring from a container. Layers of liquid slide over each other. The force (f) required is directly proportional to the Area (A) and velocity (v) of the layers and inversely proportional to the distance (d) between them. Av Equ. 1 f fd gcms cm ? ? gcm ? 1 s ? 1 ? 1 piose ? 1P Av cm 2 cms ? 2 ?2 d unit of viscosity 6 Viscosity Units The unit of viscosity is the poise named after Poiseuille Jean Louis Marie. It is most commonly expressed in terms of centipoise â€Å"cP†. The centipoise is commonly used because water has a viscosity of 1. 0020 cP at 20oC; the closeness to one is a convenient coincidence. The SI unit of viscosity is Pascal-second (Pa ·s) = N ·s m–2 or Kg m-1 s-1. †¢ In cgs unit 1 Poise â€Å"P† = 1 g. cm-1. s-1 (dyne . s) 10-2 Poise â€Å"P†= 1 centipoise â€Å"cP† 1 Pa. s = 103 cP 10 P = 1 Kg ·m? 1 ·s? 1 = 1 Pa. s 1 cP = 0. 001 Pa. s = 1 mPa. s †¢ The conversion between the units: 1 P = 0. 1 Pa. s For many liquids at room temperature the viscosity is very small 7 (0. 002-0. 04) therefore (10-2 P), centiP is often used. Ostwald Method †¢ Time for fixed volume V of liquid to fall through a capillary into a reservoir Upper Fiducial mark – Depends on density. – Depends on visc osity. Reference liquid is used. †¢ This type can be used for liquids of viscosity up to 100 poise. Lower Fiducial mark 8 Ostwald Method The rate of flow R (cm3/sec) of a liquid through a cylindrical tube of radius r and length l under a pressure head P is given by the Pousille equation. Equ. 2 Measurement of P, r, t, V, and l permits the calculation of the viscosity: Equ. 3 It is easier to measure the viscosity of a liquid by comparing it with another liquid of known viscosity. Since P = ? gh Equ. 4 The viscosity of a solution can be determined relative to a reference liquid (de-ionized H2O). 9Oswald viscometer The Oswald viscometer is a simple device for comparing the flow times of two liquids of known density. If the viscosity of one liquid is known, the other can be calculated. Ostwald viscometer is used to measure the low viscosities’ liquid. After the reservoir is filled with a liquid, it is pulled by suction above the upper mark. The time required for the liquid t o fall from mark 1 to mark 2 is recorded. Then the time required for the same volume of a liquid of known viscosity to flow under identical conditions is recorded, and the viscosity is calculated with Equation ? ? ? k? Equ. 5 ? ? ( r ) ? t ? r tr Where â€Å"r† refers to the viscosity, density and flow time for a reference liquid, usually water. Therefore it is important to do set of measurements of known liquid and at controlled temperature. 10 Fluidity Equ. 6 †¢ The reciprocal of viscosity is fluidity, F ? ? †¢ The concept of fluidity can be used to determine the viscosity of an ideal solution. †¢ One particular advantage for fluidity is that the fluidities of mixed binary solutions of liquids a and b are approximately additive. So if each pure liquid has fluidities Fa and Fb, the fluidity of a mixture is given by: where ? a and ? b is the mole fraction of component a and b respectively, †¢ Fluidity equation is only slightly simpler than the equivalent e quation in terms of viscosity  µ = ? : Equ. 8 †¢ where ? a and ? b is the mole fraction of component a and b respectively, and ? a and ? b are the components of pure viscosities. †¢ The viscosity of the mixture is not linear 11 Kendall proposed another approach for expressing the viscosity of a mixture: ln? ? ? A ln? A ? ? B ln? B Equ. 9 Where xA and xB are the mole fractions of component A and B respectively, and ? A and ?B are the components as pure viscosities. The above equation is valid for the Ideal Solutions such as Toluene/p-Xylene in which the interaction energies between the components are the same as those between the pure components. The failure of component fluidities to be additive in the mixed state arises, then, either from the formation of association complexes between the components or from the destruction of such complexes that may be present in the pure components after the pure components are mixed. Under this circumstance the following equations wou ld not be valid: and ln? ? ? A ln?A ? ? B ln? B 12 Temperature Dependence of Viscosity †¢ Over a reasonably wide temperature range, the viscosity of a pure liquid increases exponentially with inverse absolute temperature. †¢ This relation was first expressed quantitatively by Arrhenius E? (1912). ? ? A exp( †¢ Where A is a constant for a given liquid and E? is the activation energy of viscosity. †¢ The transported molecules should overcome the activation energy in order to overcome intermolecular attractive forces. RT ) Equ. 10 †¢ A plot of ln ? against 1/T (Arrhenius plot) should be linear and have a slope equal to E? R. E ln ? ? ln A ? ? Equ. 9 RT 13 Experimental †¢ To measure the viscosity by Ostwald method, A liquid is allowed to flow through a thin-bore tube (< 1 mm) then the flow rate is determined and the physical dimensions for the tube should be known exactly. †¢ Ostwald viscometer should be calibrated with a reference liquid therefore the radius and Length of the viscometer can be known precisely. †¢ Operationally, the experiment is done by measuring the time required for a given volume of liquid to flow through the viscometer capillary. †¢ The driving force is the gravity. Ostwald viscometer is designed to keep the height of the separation of the upper and lower levels of the flowing liquid as constant as possible. 14 Calibration of the Ostwald Viscometer †¢ Ostwald viscometer is calibrated using 10 mL of purified water. The flow rate, density and known viscosity of purified water are used to calculate k. Measurement of viscosity of different solutions †¢ The viscosity of two mixed solutions with different percentages of liquids will be measured using Ostwald method. Chemicals Molar Mass(g/mol) Molecular Formula Methanol 32. 04 CH O Toluene 92. 4 CH A- Toluene/p-xylene p-Xylene 106. 16 CH Water 18. 02 HO B- Methanol/Water †¢ Measure the viscosity for each pure liquid then measure the viscos ity 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% percentages by volume. 4 7 8 8 10 2 15 Procedure: Suspend the viscometer into a large beaker (2-L) of water that is placed on a hot plate, that is as close to 25 ° C as possible. Make sure the viscometer is fully immersed in the water. 1. Pipette 10 ml of de-ionized water of known density into the Ostwald viscometer and allow time for the liquid to equilibrate to the temperature of the bath.Then use a pipette bulb to push or pull the liquid level up above the upper fiducial mark on the viscometer. Allow the water to run back down and start the timer exactly as the meniscus passes the upper mark. Stop the timer just as the meniscus passes the lower mark. Repeat at least twice. Your flow times should agree to within about 0. 4 seconds. 2. Clean and dry the viscometer by running a few milliliters of acetone through it. Drain the acetone and aspirate for about a minute to evaporate all the acetone. 3. Determine the flow times of each of your methanol/water 16 solutions at 25 ° C. Procedure: cont’d . Complete the series by measuring the flow time for pure Methanol. Repeat each at least twice. Your flow times should agree to within about 0. 4 seconds. 5. Clean and dry the viscometer as before. 6. Determine the flow times of each toluene/p-xylene solution as in step 3. End the determinations with the pure p-xylene. 7. For our temperature work heat the water bath in roughly 5 to 10 degree increments and determine the flow time of the pure pxylene as before at each temperature. Make sure that the temperature is constant. The exact temperature is not important as long as it is known to  ± 0.  °C, and that the viscometer has had time to equilibrate to a new temperature. Stop at about 60 ° C. 17 Table Data 1: The flow times of each of ( methanol/water) and (toluene/p-xylene) solutions at 25oC %by volume 100% water 20% methanol 40% methanol 60% methanol 80% methanol 100% methanol Flow time (1) (s) Flow time (2) (s) Flow time (3) ( s) Average Flow time (s) 100% p-xylene 20% toluene 40% toluene 60% toluene 80% toluene 100% toluene 18 The flow times of methanol at different temperature: Table Data 2: The flow times of p-xylene at different temperature.Temperature Flow time (1) (s) Flow time (2) (s) ( °C) 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 Flow time (3) (s) Average Flow time (s) 19 Viscosity Table of Results 1: Methanol, volume % 0% Methanol Methanol , weight % The flow times of a series of Water/Methanol solutions that are 0,20,40,60, 80, and 100% by volume. Average Flow time, t (sec) viscosity, ? (cP) ? ? k? t Fluidity F ? Density, ? (g/mL) ? 1 100% Water 20 40 0 density of H2O 0. 99704 0. 971 0. 944 ? of H2O 0. 8904 16. 54 34. 57 60 80 100 54. 33 76. 02 100 0. 909 0. 859 0. 788 20 Density of Methanol/Water Mixtures at 25 0CViscosity Table of Results 1: Cont’d %by volume Densi Mole fraction ln? ? ? ln? ? ? ln? A A B B ty (g/ml ) 0. 997 0. 971 0. 944 0. 909 0. 859 0. 788 Xwater =1 Xwater= Xmethanol= Xwater= Xme thanol= Xwater= Xmethanol= Xwater= Xmethanol= Xmethanol=1 viscosity ? (cP) Fluidity F ? ? A FA ? ? B FB 100% water 20% methanol 40% methanol 60% methanol 80% methanol 100% methanol 21 Viscosity Table of Results 2: The flow times of a series of toluene/p-xylene solutions that are 0,20,40,60, 80, and 100% by volume. Density, ? (g/mL) Average Flow time, t (sec) Viscosity, ? (cP) ? k? t Toluene, volume % Fluidity F ? ? 1 0%Toluene (100% pxylene) 20% Toluene 40 60 80 100 0. 857 0. 858 0. 859 0. 859 0. 960 0. 861 Density of Toluene/p-Xylene Mixtures at 25 °C 22 Viscosity Table of Results 2: Cont’d %by volume 100% pxylene 20% toluene 40% toluene 60% toluene 80% toluene 100% toluene Densit y (g/ml ) 0. 857 0. 858 0. 859 0. 859 0. 960 0. 861 Mole fraction ln? ? ? A ln? A ? ? B ln? B viscosity ? (cP) Fluidity F ? ? A FA ? ? B FB Xp-xylene =1 Xtoluene = Xp-xylene = Xtoluene = Xp-xylene = Xtoluene = Xp-xylene = Xtoluene = Xp-xylene = Xtoluene =1 3 Table of Results 3 : T(oC) 20 25 D (g mL-1) 0. 879 0. 857 ln ? vs. 1/T ln ? T(K) 1/T Average ? Flow time, ? ? k? t t (sec) 30 35 0. 852 0. 848 40 45 0. 943 0. 839 50 55 0. 834 0. 830 60 0. 825 24 1. Determine the viscosity coefficient for the methanol/water solutions and toluene/p-xylene solutions using equation ? ? k?. t Calculate Fluidity using equation ? 2. Calculate viscosity ? for the above solutions using equation ln? ? ? A ln? A ? ? B ln? B Calculate Fluidity using equation for all above solutions using equation F ? ? A FA ? ? B FBData Analysis F ? 1 3. Compare the viscosity of the methanol/water mixtures to the toluene/pxylene mixtures by graphing the value of the viscosity coefficient (? ) versus the volume percentage of each mixture. Comment on the shape of the graphs. Comment on the â€Å"ideality† of the two solutions. 4. Next look at the dependence of viscosity of p-Xylene on temperature. Plot ln ? vs. 1/T and determine the activation energy and the error in the activation energy. (Use Excel to get t he error in the slope and use it in a simple propagated error analysis) 25

Free Essays on French And Indian War

The Seven Years’ War from 1756 to 1763, also known as the French and Indian War in North America, was a greedy fight for land ownership, fur rights and valuable trading territory. All together it consisted of three wars in one. There was fighting going on in America between the French and British which in turn caused the dispute to carry over into their European homelands and then also into Asia where it was called the Third Carnatic War. This was considered the first world war because it consisted of battles being fought all across the globe in North America, Europe, and Asia. Around 1750 British Land Companies started securing large grants of land in the Ohio Valley which upset the French because they had already claimed that the land was theirs. To try to control or stop the British expansion into their territory, the French established a shield of forts up and down their â€Å"claimed† boarder or land rights from the mouth of the St. Lawrence River all the way to the Great Lakes region and south to New Orleans. This also caused tension with the British because the French had then set up forts in Virginia territory claimed in the early 1600’s. These disputes inevitably caused the war to break out. The first attacks where by Indians on a young George Washington, who was sent along with 150 men to warn the French that they were trespassing on British grounds. Washington and his men never made it to their destination because of the Indian attacks but managed to build Fort Necessity, which wasn’t anything more then a barricade of logs and lost the battle. The French then took the junction of the rivers and built Fort Duquesne. The English continued to sustain loses in America, do to the help of the Indians to the French, and also in Europe. The British was on the worse end of this war until 1757 when William Pitt came into power. Pitt was the force that the British needed to bring them hope. He started many new very well coordin... Free Essays on French And Indian War Free Essays on French And Indian War The Seven Years’ War from 1756 to 1763, also known as the French and Indian War in North America, was a greedy fight for land ownership, fur rights and valuable trading territory. All together it consisted of three wars in one. There was fighting going on in America between the French and British which in turn caused the dispute to carry over into their European homelands and then also into Asia where it was called the Third Carnatic War. This was considered the first world war because it consisted of battles being fought all across the globe in North America, Europe, and Asia. Around 1750 British Land Companies started securing large grants of land in the Ohio Valley which upset the French because they had already claimed that the land was theirs. To try to control or stop the British expansion into their territory, the French established a shield of forts up and down their â€Å"claimed† boarder or land rights from the mouth of the St. Lawrence River all the way to the Great Lakes region and south to New Orleans. This also caused tension with the British because the French had then set up forts in Virginia territory claimed in the early 1600’s. These disputes inevitably caused the war to break out. The first attacks where by Indians on a young George Washington, who was sent along with 150 men to warn the French that they were trespassing on British grounds. Washington and his men never made it to their destination because of the Indian attacks but managed to build Fort Necessity, which wasn’t anything more then a barricade of logs and lost the battle. The French then took the junction of the rivers and built Fort Duquesne. The English continued to sustain loses in America, do to the help of the Indians to the French, and also in Europe. The British was on the worse end of this war until 1757 when William Pitt came into power. Pitt was the force that the British needed to bring them hope. He started many new very well coordin...

How War Has Changed America essays

How War Has Changed America essays War is in every part of this world; in every country, state, or town. War causes problems, but yet it also solves problems. War is defined as open hostility between people, according to the Oxford American Dictionary. The war brought about many issues of cooperation, diversified production, and womens rights. These are all very important factors in the development of the United States. In the beginning, colonists were fleeing Europe to get away from the tyranny of the King. People of all different backgrounds were coming over, even though they were fleeing for similar religious reasons. Their thoughts of the new world were not what they had envisioned. They had no idea of all of the problems that they would have with the Indians. Feelings of inferiority were common among the colonists, as many new people arrived to the new land. The original settlers felt like their land was being taken away from them. Then there were the problems with Britain still. With all the problems in the States the colonists were able to come together and forget all of their other issues with each other and focus on maintaining their freedom and becoming a separate nation. Bringing people together was not the only bonus that America has received through war. The war certainly reshaped factory production. What people could mold out of steel and iron to, more or less, use to destroy the enemy, they went to all extremes to do it. All production facilities went into full war mode. The factories no longer produced cars and such, but instead, they made tanks and planes and bombs. The factory production status dumped a large portion of the population into the workforce that previously had been thought to not be able to do anything but house sit. Like the story of Rosie the Riveter. Masculine women doing what some thought only to be men's jobs. This started the issues of womens rights. ...

Farewell Quotes That Mean More than Just Goodbye

Farewell Quotes That Mean More than Just Goodbye Saying farewell isnt easy. While  change  is a part of life, partings can bring you to tears. How can you make a good farewell, and what wise quotes might you use? A Farewell Does Not Mark the End of Relationships When you bid farewell to a friend who is moving away, you dont have to feel as if your world is over. On the contrary, you can now explore your friendship in a new dimension. You have the opportunity to write long emails, filled with details of your daily life. You can wish each other Happy birthday through cards, presents, or even a surprise visit. When you meet long-distance friends, you experience such jubilation, that distance seems frivolous. Your long distant friend can be a reliable sounding board, who understands you well enough to help you out. Absence also makes the heart grow fonder. You will find that distant friends have more patience and fondness for you. When Farewells Bring an End to a Relationship Sometimes, farewells are not pleasant. When you fall out with your best friend, you may not part on friendly terms. The bitterness of the betrayal, the hurt of losing a loved one, and the sadness, engulfs you. You may feel disoriented and temporarily lose interest in many of your daily interactions with people. How to End a Relationship Without Hurting Yourself or Others Even though you may feel hurt or angry, it is best to part on a friendly note. There is no point shouldering the baggage of guilt and anger. If things have come to a head, and you know that reconciliation is impossible, end the relationship without bearing malice. Express your sadness, though not accusingly. Speak kindly, and part with a handshake. You never know how life takes a turn, and you are forced to seek the help of your estranged friend. If this happens, let the parting words of farewell be nice enough for your friend to oblige you. After Saying Farewell, Open Your Heart to New Friendships While a farewell may end one relationship, it opens the door to new ones. There is a silver lining to every gray cloud. Each broken relationship makes you stronger and wiser. You learn to deal with pain and heartbreak. You also learn to not take things too seriously. Friendships that sustain despite the distance, continue to grow stronger over the years. Bid Adieu to Dear Ones with Kind Words of Farewell If you find yourself unable to say farewell, use these farewell quotes to bid your dear ones goodbye. Remind your loved ones of the precious time you shared, and how you miss them. Shower your love with sweet words. Dont let your angst make your loved ones feel guilty about moving away. As Richard Bach rightly pointed out, If you love something, set it free; if it comes back its yours, if it doesnt, it never was. Farewell Quotes William Shenstone:  So sweetly she bade me adieu, I thought that she bade me return. Francois de la Rochefoucauld:  Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as the wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire. Alan Alda:  The best things said come last. People will talk for hours saying nothing much and then linger at the door with words that come with a rush from the heart. Lazurus Long:  Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending. Jean Paul Richter:  Never part without loving words to think of during your absence. It may be that you will not meet again in this life. Alfred De Musset:  The return makes one love the farewell. Henry Louis Mencken:  When I mount the scaffold, at last, these will be my farewell words to the sheriff: Say what you will against me when I am gone but dont forget to add, in common justice, that I was never converted to anything. William Shakespeare:  Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again. Francis Thompson:  She went her unremembering way, / She went and left in me / The pang of all the partings gone, / And partings yet to be. Robert Pollok:  That bitter word, which closed all earthly friendships and finished every feast of love farewell! Lord Byron:  Farewell! A  word that must be, and hath been - A sound which makes us linger; - yet - farewell! Richard Bach:  Don’t be dismayed by goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again after moments or lifetimes is certain for those who are friends. Anna Brownell Jameson:  As the presence of those we love is as a double life, so absence, in its anxious longing and sense of vacancy, is as a foretaste of death. A. A. Milne:  Promise me youll never forget me because if I thought you would Id never leave. Nicholas Sparks: The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected. Maybe they always have been and will be. Maybe weve lived a thousand lives before this one and in each of them, weve found each other. And maybe each time, weve been forced apart for the same reasons. That means that this goodbye is both a goodbye for the past ten thousand years and a prelude to what will come. Jean Paul Richter:  Mans feelings are always purest and most glowing in the hour of meeting and of farewell. Jimi Hendrix:  The story of life is quicker than the blink of an eye, the story of love is hello, goodbye. Irish Blessing:  May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain falls softly on your fields. And until we meet again, may God hold you in the hollow of his hand. Lord Byron:  Lets not unman each other - part at once; All farewells should be sudden, when forever, Else they make an eternity of moments, And clog the last sad sands of life with tears. John Dryden:  Love reckons hours for months, and days for years and every little absence is an age. Henry Fielding:  Distance of time and place generally cure what they seem to aggravate; and taking leave of our friends resembles taking leave of the world, of which it has been said, that it is not death, but dying, which is terrible. William Shakespeare:  Farewell, my sister, fare thee well. / The elements be kind to thee and make / Thy spirits all of comfort: fare thee well. Charles M. Schulz:  Why cant we get all the people together in the world that we really like and then just stay together? I guess that wouldnt work. Someone would leave. Someone always leaves. Then we would have to say good-bye. I hate good-byes. I know what I need. I need more hellos.

Water Balance Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Water Balance - Lab Report Example The vegetation and near costal topography of Berkeley is different when compared to the hilly continental Terre Haute which earlier had a facilitating water storage with a longer period. Humid and hot air with high pressure characterize Berkeley, which has dry and hot seasons. The indication to this is through the precipitation levels, which are precipitations less than one centimeter in the region during summer and up to 10 centimeters rise in precipitation in the same region during winter. This simply means that there is a rise in precipitation during winter and a fall during summer. This shifts focus to the earlier mentioned vegetation, which can only survive in one region at a time. When compared to a low-lying coastal stretch California, Indiana has high altitude levels meaning the climatic changes in both regions differ. Precipitation come because of the humid winds that blow from the oceans because of evaporation that continuously take place in oceans. When evaporation takes place in the oceans, winds blowing collect the water in humid form thus bringing about precipitation. The latter statement suggests that without winds there can be no precipitation explaining why precipitation is less in dry areas but very high in moist and icy areas. There is a higher likelihood of Evapotranspiration taking place brought about by high pressure and temperatures. The two figures explain that when there are high speeds of wind, precipitation goes high and vice versa. Therefore, during the months or November to march when the wind speeds are slightly higher than other months, the precipitation levels are high. It is during the months of November to march that high temperature levels force water to turn to vapor which ascends to the atmosphere and falls as conventional rainfall after condensation. Science explains that when water moves up in terms of vapor it

You Decide Week 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

You Decide Week 7 - Essay Example aled that one of the company’s sales persons, Pat Lawson, was currently exhibiting problems coping with new procedures and technology to service customers better and increase sales. She had been with the company for 15 years and was revealed to have serviced the company’s largest customers effectively. With Pat’s struggles, she was reflecting on quitting her job. In this regard, in the capacity of Bob Yeader, the Sales Manager, the following analysis of the situation, the problem and the options are hereby evaluated: The apparent root problem for Pat’s supposed difficulties in coping with the current situation is the installation of new procedures and technology designed to improve customer service and increase productivity and sales. As validated by Jack Mason, Bob Yeader’s consultant, the lack of appropriate training to orient their people on the use of new technology and procedures was the main culprit for Pat’s dilemma: her inability to cope with requirements posed by the new technological procedures without being properly trained. 1. Status Quo: Do Nothing. Wait for the natural courses of action to happen. In this alternative, the most probable scenario is that Pat Lawson would eventually tender her resignation. The advantage of this option is that there would be no changes in the work place and, as suggested by George Fish, new graduates could replace Pat’s position immediately. However, the disadvantage of this alternative is that both Chris Nihil, the HR Manager, and Jack Mason acknowledge the exemplary performance of Pat Lawson, who has been with the company for 15 years. The competency in handling large and complicated accounts has already been recognized to be attributable to Pat’s experience in the field of sales and customer service. By doing nothing, the company would be losing Pat and it might cost them more to train new hires to do Pat’s responsibilities. 2. Provide Training for the New Technology and Procedures. The standard

Marketing in Microsoft Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Marketing in Microsoft Company - Research Paper Example Marketing in Microsoft Company The company started as from 1975 and located in United States of America. The fact that technology has grown to a very high level, the company plays a great role of developing new versions of soft wares now and then (Scott, Lee, and Weiss, 2008). As a matter of fact, computers are used all over the world. They are used in companies, institutions and in many other fields. In industries such as business related, the company makes most of the products. Microsoft has provided a very good zone for those who wish to market their viral products. The company has been able to make it more profitable due to the marketing strategies it utilizes. Principle of marketing that Microsoft company uses Product As the main principle, a company’s product must provide the required value to expected clients. The softwares that are produced by the company are friendly to use. However, the soft wares are readily available to the customers. The products are unique and helpful to the users. However, the best thing about the products is that they are essential in any computer. This makes them a basic need for any computer user. However, they work well with most operating systems. The programs are made in such a way that they contain a lot of security. The company does this through ensuring that the security of their softwares is very high and very hard to be destroyed. The company targets at meeting the needs of all those computer users in different fields such as schools, hospitals, industries, companies. With the use of the soft wares, all the business enterprises are in a position to easier their workload and reduce costs. However, the company meets the main target of making profit. The quality of the product is ensured to be very high and the best. This makes the company’s products more preferred as compared to other companies. In terms of quality, statistics have ranked Microsoft Company as leading in several rankings (Scott, Lee, and Weiss, 2008). Pricing Measuring with the industries prices, a company must set competitive prices that will ultimately generate profits. In this reference, Microsoft Company’s pricing of its products is very standard in that depending on the quality and the target market. The prices are relatively low and affordable to those who earn very little. This makes the company have more customers since it m inds the welfare of all the customers. However, the quality of the product is what makes the company attract more customers (Scott, Lee, and Weiss, 2008). Placement The location of buying the products and manner of delivery matters in the marketing process. The company uses search engines to deliver its product to the customers worldwide. Search engines such as Google are widely used by the company for online marketing of its products. This mode of distribution ensures that any person who can access internet can get the product very easily without incurring any cost of traveling to the place where the company is located. This mode of delivery is the best since it ensures that the products are well distributed and readily available to the willing and potential buyers. The company uses the strategy of networking in order to reach more customers (Scott, Lee, and Weiss, 2008). Promotion Companies should ensure that potential customers are aware of the existence of their products especia lly innovations. Genuineness in promoting its products makes it friendly to the customers. It targets at ensuring that the communication between the company and the customers is

Malaysia - Epitome of Asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Malaysia - Epitome of Asia - Essay Example Malaysia - Epitome of Asia Even though the state religion of Malaysia is Islam, the country gives its people the freedom of choice and holds no barriers to any faith the people may choose to follow. They are given the right of their opinions and no one is forceful of their beliefs on the others. Malaysia is always welcoming new people to let them explore the country to fall in love with its natural beautiful sights. The people there share the same perspective and have a welcoming nature and always try to maintain a friendly relation with anyone they might know outside of their country, speaking on a personal note. Location Malaysia can be found near the far right side when viewing a global map, near the equator. It may seem a little distant from the rest of the world because of its location but that has not proven the people there to take the choice of living in isolation. Malaysia is situated on the South China Sea and has itself divided in two parts of East Malaysia and Peninsular Malaysia. The country share s borders with three countries; Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei. The country solves its problem of being in a far off place by linking itself to countries, like Singapore, through a causeway while also sharing maritime boundaries with countries like, Philippines and Vietnam. Malaysia did not always have the place it has today in the world. Near the end of 18th and 19th centuries The British had their colonies established in the area and ruled the Malay Peninsula till 1948. It was in 1957 that Malaysia attained the freedom it has today and formed the Federation of Malaya. After the independence the country faced problems with Indonesia, Singapore which was a part of Malaysia for a time, also departed from the Malay Federations. Malaysia was able to succeed in diversifying its economy after the rule of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohammad during the early years after independence. The country chose to develop its services, manufacturing and tourism to give boost to its economy and decided to let go of exporting of raw materials. When these policies proved to be of great advantage to the country, the following prime ministers decided to act upon them as well i.e. Najib bin Abdul Razzak. Geography Being the world’s 67th largest country, Malaysia has a land area of 329,847 square kilometers (UMTECH 2012). Malaysia is the only country that has its land territory situated in both; mainland of the Asian continent and on the Malay Archipelago, the Malay sea studded with islands. The Peninsular Malaysia, one of the two parts that the country is divided in, contains 40 percent of the land mass of the country. It spreads 322 kilometers in width while it’s North to South extends up to 740 kilometers (Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2006). There is a series of mountains that divides the Peninsular Malaysia’s East and West coasts, Titiwangsa Mountains, also called Main Range (Britannica). Main Rage is a mountain range that is heavily forested and is composed of igneous rocks and granite. Most of the mountain has eroded and created a karst landscapes. The other half of Malaysia, East Malaysia, has a coastline of 2,607 kilometers which is divided among its hills, valleys, interiors of mountains and the coastal regions. East Mal aysia also consists of the tallest mountain in the country, Mount Kinabalu. The mountain holds the height of 13,436 ft, and ranges between the country and Indonesia’

Depends on the article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Depends on the article - Essay Example A book published in 2008 focuses on the way children are able to focus after experiencing nature. It might be that the calming soothing essence of nature is what settles the mind of children with this disorder. Whatever it may be that helps it is important to incorporate that with the child’s everyday life. Sometimes our and surroundings have a way of altering ones mood and way of thinking A recent research study has proven, â€Å"nature helps children with ADHD and outperforms prescription medicine†.(Hance 2008) This proven method can highlight a new area of designing. If nature is the simple cure to this ever growing problem, there is so much that can be done to help keep nature alive outdoors and bring nature indoors. The study has results that show children with ADHD who engaged in a 20 minute or more walk in nature, were better able to concentrate on studies. What can be gained by this is simply that the surrounding of children with ADHD has a huge affect on the way they are able to learn. No research can prove the long term affects of this but it is true that a natural way to allow a child to focus and learn is always better then medication. Those involved in the study also believe that after the time, the issues associated with ADHD can be lessened. Schools can take part in this by changing the surroundings in schools. If nature affects the way children with ADHD learn, it will also have affects on children without ADHD. The benefits of bringing nature indoors are great for everyone. Children should have a peaceful environment to learn in. Too many distractions can make it hard to concentrate. When designing a school setting it is important to keep in mind that simplicity will allow the mind to relax. Certain things can be brought into the design element that are from nature. â€Å"Classrooms can have real plants and trees and flowers†. (Taylor,Kuo 2008) Other elements such as a simulated waterfall and aquariums are important. The style of the

Malaysia - Epitome of Asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Malaysia - Epitome of Asia - Essay Example Malaysia - Epitome of Asia Even though the state religion of Malaysia is Islam, the country gives its people the freedom of choice and holds no barriers to any faith the people may choose to follow. They are given the right of their opinions and no one is forceful of their beliefs on the others. Malaysia is always welcoming new people to let them explore the country to fall in love with its natural beautiful sights. The people there share the same perspective and have a welcoming nature and always try to maintain a friendly relation with anyone they might know outside of their country, speaking on a personal note. Location Malaysia can be found near the far right side when viewing a global map, near the equator. It may seem a little distant from the rest of the world because of its location but that has not proven the people there to take the choice of living in isolation. Malaysia is situated on the South China Sea and has itself divided in two parts of East Malaysia and Peninsular Malaysia. The country share s borders with three countries; Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei. The country solves its problem of being in a far off place by linking itself to countries, like Singapore, through a causeway while also sharing maritime boundaries with countries like, Philippines and Vietnam. Malaysia did not always have the place it has today in the world. Near the end of 18th and 19th centuries The British had their colonies established in the area and ruled the Malay Peninsula till 1948. It was in 1957 that Malaysia attained the freedom it has today and formed the Federation of Malaya. After the independence the country faced problems with Indonesia, Singapore which was a part of Malaysia for a time, also departed from the Malay Federations. Malaysia was able to succeed in diversifying its economy after the rule of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohammad during the early years after independence. The country chose to develop its services, manufacturing and tourism to give boost to its economy and decided to let go of exporting of raw materials. When these policies proved to be of great advantage to the country, the following prime ministers decided to act upon them as well i.e. Najib bin Abdul Razzak. Geography Being the world’s 67th largest country, Malaysia has a land area of 329,847 square kilometers (UMTECH 2012). Malaysia is the only country that has its land territory situated in both; mainland of the Asian continent and on the Malay Archipelago, the Malay sea studded with islands. The Peninsular Malaysia, one of the two parts that the country is divided in, contains 40 percent of the land mass of the country. It spreads 322 kilometers in width while it’s North to South extends up to 740 kilometers (Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 2006). There is a series of mountains that divides the Peninsular Malaysia’s East and West coasts, Titiwangsa Mountains, also called Main Range (Britannica). Main Rage is a mountain range that is heavily forested and is composed of igneous rocks and granite. Most of the mountain has eroded and created a karst landscapes. The other half of Malaysia, East Malaysia, has a coastline of 2,607 kilometers which is divided among its hills, valleys, interiors of mountains and the coastal regions. East Mal aysia also consists of the tallest mountain in the country, Mount Kinabalu. The mountain holds the height of 13,436 ft, and ranges between the country and Indonesia’

Samsung Electronics case Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Samsung Electronics case - Article Example (3) They had attracted a lot of resources from foreign investors which allow them to sell the chips at lower prices in order to gain a market share. The production methods used are cost effective. 2. Samsung’s business-level strategy. a. The sources of Samsung’s cost advantage in DRAMs in 2003 are a result of the fact that it invested heavily in technology which made mass production at a relatively lower cost possible. For instance, the cost breakdown of producing a 256 Mbit DRAM in 2003 was: Average selling price is $5.08 while the fully loaded costs are $4.15. Thus $5.08 - $4.15 = $0.93. This entails that it has an operating profit of $0.93. on the other hand, it can be noted that Micron’s costs for the same DRAM are: Average selling price $4. 48 while the total costs are $6.52. This means that Micron is operating at a profit of -$2.04 since the total production costs are higher than the selling price. b. The source of Samsung’s ability to charge a price premium in DRAMs in 2003 includes the following: It has a health financial position in the market. For example, the operating costs of the company are lower than the average selling price of the 256Mbit. Data in the case shows that the average Price premium for Samsung is 34 % compared to the operating margins of 53 % of the other competitors. This puts the company in a position charge price premiums since it has little operating costs compared to other competitors. The other reason is that it customizes its product to suit the needs and interests of the customers. c. Samsung’s business-level strategy is based on a competitive advantage in cost leadership. Evidence to support this view includes: (1) The total production costs are lower than the average selling price which is cost effective. (2) The company can produce a large volume of DRAMS at a relatively lower cost. (3). The company can cut a large quantity of chips at the same time at the same cost. d. Identify the chara cteristics of the industry that hinder the successful use of an integrated business-level strategy. The main challenge is that the company can operate at a loss if the other product line fails to perform to the anticipated expectations. This integrated business level strategy can involve a scenario where a company integrates more than two product lines. The main challenge is that the other product may not be that competitive in the market which entails that it can also affect the performance of the other product. 3. Recommendations a. To strengthen the company’s competitive position in light of the threat of large-scale entry by the Chinese companies, Chairman Lee could: (1) Differentiate the products (2) He can also diversify the products where two or more product lines can be offered under the same brand name. (3) He can also lower the prices of the products in order to gain a large market share through attracting a lot of people to its products. Of these options, different iation is the most viable because it makes the company and its products unique from the other players and products offered in the market. Through differentiation strategy, the organization is in a better position to attract more customers through offering products that are valued by the buyers through their uniqueness. However, a potential problem with this approach is it may be costly to acquire sophisticated equipment that can be used to produce unique and state-of-the-art products that are

Inerrancy of the Bible Essay Example for Free

Inerrancy of the Bible Essay The inerrancy of the word of God has a specific definition. This definition denotes that once all fact to which the Bible refers become known, it will be proved that the correct interpretation of the Bible is completely accurate. This inerrancy of the Bible carries through to all subsequent translations of the text, as long as they remain true to the original Greek and Hebrew texts. The Bible’s first claim to being an infallible text lies in the fact that it is the inspired word of God breathed from the Father directly into the minds of the books physical scribes. The Bible itself records this fact in 2 Timothy 3:16, and the fact that the scriptures are described as the breath of God demonstrates that they contain the level of integrity that God himself carries. This places them in the category of inerrant, as God is. Further evidence of the infallibility of the Scriptures can be found in the mosaic book of Deuteronomy, where the Israelites are shown how to distinguish the authentic word of God from fallible human texts. One of these distinguishing characteristics is the complete truthfulness of the Holy Scriptures. The words of Jesus himself also demonstrate the inerrancy of the scriptures. In the texts of Matthew 5: 17-20 one finds Christ declaring that even his coming does nothing to abolish the Scriptures. In fact, he swears that no part of the Scriptures shall ever be found to be unsound or untrustworthy. Within that same passage he says, â€Å"Until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. † The text has indeed survived for many millennia, been translated into many languages, and has seen preservation through thousands of independently found copies that have supported the commonly read texts. Also, the fairly recent discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls also serves to support the inerrancy of the text (Sailhamer, 2003). Furthermore, Christ also speaks of the punishment that will be meted out to those who break the law—as though demonstrating that the Scriptures are so inerrant and sovereign that they cannot endure anything that would contradict it. The Bible also equates the Son of God (indeed, God himself) with the Word, declaring that â€Å"the Word was God† (St. John 1:1). Since God is omniscient and omnipotent, if the Scriptures are equivalent to Him, then it follows that they too must be without flaw. Further on in the New Testament, Romans 15:4 tells us that â€Å"everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. † The endurance of the Scriptures also refers to the fact that all the ideas presented within the word of God will last forever, regardless of what else fails on earth. The verse also says that the give hope, and this hope comes from the fact that people can always count on whatever is said in the Bible, as it is infallible. Other marks of the inerrancy of texts include the fulfilment of the prophecies that such texts contain, and the Bible itself contains many fulfilled prophecies that testify to this inerrancy. In the ninth chapter of Daniel, this prophet shares that it was through the Scriptures that he came to understand the length of the period in which Jerusalem would suffer desolation. This desolation was shown to actually have actually taken place in the year 587 B. C. during the time of the Babylonian captivity, and the span of this captivity was seventy years. Therefore, the Scripture again proves itself inerrant in this case. Within the New Testament one finds many occasions in which the Scriptures make certain it is known that prophecies were being fulfilled. In Luke 4, when Jesus went before the Jews in the synagogue, he reads from the book of Isaiah and then declares that the ancient Scripture was now fulfilled in the presence of the people. Other areas that support the Bible’s inerrancy come from the fact that the Bible is a historical text that agrees with other sources of the history of the Middle East during that historical period. The behavior and activities of such tribes/nations as the Babylonians, Assyrians, Persians, Greeks and many others have been recorded in other texts that corroborate the histories put forth in the Bible. Even the history of the Israelites as well as the accuracy of the layout of the Biblical lands has been proven in many archaeological digs and scientific research (Sailhamer, 2003). These things also support the inerrancy of the Bible. Reference The NIV Study Bible. (1985). Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Sailhamer, J. H. (2005). â€Å"Israel’s Messiah in the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls. † Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. December.

House Of Lords Is The Second Chamber

House Of Lords Is The Second Chamber House of Lords is the Second Chamber in the United Kingdoms parliament. Its main functions are to scrutinize legislation, both domestic and European, and to debate on issues of public policy and public concern. This house is fully appointed. Attempts to change this have been made in the past and obviously we can see now that the government is developing plans for fully or mainly elected House of Lords and present them in very near future. There is much debating in public whereas the fully elected upper chamber would be a good or a bad thing. This essay will show you that fully elected House of Lords would not strengthen British democracy. In fact, it would become much weaker. As the Archbishop of York (2010) states, the elected Upper House may seemingly be in the interests of democracy but may ultimately fail this nation. That is for many reasons. Firstly, Second Chamber would replicate the First Chamber in its composition and even might challenge the authority of Commons. This leads to a definite change in relationship between two Houses. Secondly, there would be a great loss of expertise if we are to have House of Lords elected, as lifelong experience would be replaced by career ambition. Furthermore, there would be very little or no independent members because election mostly favours party politicians. Lastly, there would be no religious representation in a fully elected Second Chamber. All these arguments are discussed more deeply in this essay. The main problem of elected House of Lords is that it would become very similar to a House of Commons and therefore this could result in a possible change in relationship between two Houses. Current system works because composition of two Houses is different, but this could be completely changed if we introduce election to Upper House. Second Chamber could become wholly dominated by the political parties and could end up with the same party winning majority of seats in both Houses. As the result there would be little chance of efficient scrutiny or revision of government work. (A W Bradley and K D Ewing, 2007:186). By contrast, election could lead to both Houses being dominated by different parties. Upper House could claim they too have a mandate of people and would likely begin to seek more powers and exercise them. There would be no reason for members of elected Second Chamber to see their chamber role as a complementary one (Lord Norton, 2010). In this case, they would challenge t he authority of Commons and there would be a potential for conflict between the two. That could result in agreements being struck. Those agreements would probably represent party interests and would not benefit electors. Bogdanor (2010:12) also supports this view and says that elected upper House would see itself as being more democratic and legitimate, therefore end up conflicting with Commons. He accurately concludes that this would make Britain more difficult to govern. The second big problem considering elected Second Chamber is that there will be a huge loss of expertise. Today House of Lords is a chamber of expertise and the reality is that it is where legislation is analyzed in more detail, certainly deeper than in House of Commons. In fact, as Edward Pearce (2009:497-499) states that debates there continue beyond party influence. Having appointed peers also helps to sustain and even increase the level of expertise in the House. Once in the Lords, the way in which the House functions gives opportunities for peers to maintain their professional lives outside the Lords. By contrast, elected peers would have to devote that spare time to fulfill their constituencies demands. In addition, all agree that most expertise is provided by life peers. They obtain priceless experience and wisdom in certain fields throughout their life and do not pursue a career to be top politicians. As Paul Vallely (2010) says their life peerage offers considerable real lif e experience to counter the myopia of professional politicians. But all of that would be taken away if we are to have Second Chamber elected. In any type of election, persons who compete for a political office will be chosen by parties and voted for mainly by admirers of parties. Upper House would just be a House of whipped party politicians, not experienced peers. Expertise would be replaced by ambition. There would no longer be detailed revision of government bills. Another big disadvantage of elected House of Lords is that there would be a huge reduction in, or even removal of, independent peers. Independence is very important aspect of Second Chamber and it arises from the fact there are many Crossbench members who do not belong to a party. As Philip Norton (2003:19) says peers are able to operate free of the constraints on and incentives available to the party leadership, activists and voters in other countries.This makes the government think very carefully when dealing with the Lords, because government has no majority and is vulnerable to defeat. But as we discussed before, elections are organized by political parties and therefore it is very unlikely for independent members to win a seat in Upper House. Moreover, as party whipping in House of Lords is very weak and Lords are not afraid to lose their seat due to life peerage, often even party peers tend to think and vote in a different manner than their party wants them to. This, combined w ith Crossbenchers voting, adds a huge amount of independence and scrutiny of the government actions. This all would be removed if we introduce elections, because peers would vote as their parties would want them to, because otherwise, they would lose their seat. Lastly, it would be very difficult to ensure religious representation in parliament as in fully elected House of Lords we would no longer have a voice of Church. Religious belief is an important aspect of many peoples lives and it is desirable that there should be some form of religious voice in the Second Chamber. A presence of the Church of England bishops in House of Lords has contributed to legislation in many aspects. It increased quality of debates by providing philosophical, moral and spiritual considerations, not just religious ones. Bishops are better informed and better experienced when it comes to everyday problems of our society than any elected official (The Bishop of Croydon, 2010). Some argue that there should be no representation of the Church of England, as other faiths are excluded from political representation. But they forget that there is growing co-operation between the faiths, and Archbishop of Canterbury is ever more likely to raise issues of pressing concern to a number of British spiritual leaders (Sunday Telegraph, 2008). In addition, removal of bishops not only would eliminate the knowledge mentioned above, but would also raise the whole question of the relationship between State and Church, with unpredictable outcomes. It would end a 900 year tradition. This essay showed that House of Lords should not be fully elected and that is for four main reasons. First of all, there is a huge chance that fully elected Second Chamber would mirror House of Commons. The same party could win majorities in both Houses, leading to a pointless existence of Upper House. By contrast, we might have a deadlock government as different parties would be in control of both Houses. Secondly, there would be a huge loss of valuable expertise. Life peer system generated priceless amounts of experience and all of that would be replaced by purely professional politicians without sufficient wisdom. Furthermore, independent peers would not do well in elections and House of Lords would become House of whipped politicians. The two Houses would not act independently, as required. And lastly, Church would not be represented politically, which would lead to a symbolic relationship change between State and Church.

The Struggle of Women Trying to be Equal to Men Essay -- Feminism Femi

The Struggle of Women Trying to be Equal to Men Throughout many decades women have been struggling to be equal to men, both at home and in the work place. Women have come a long way and are certainly fighting to gain that equality, but gender roles are very important in our society. They have become important in life from birth, and society continues to push these gender roles. The treatment of the male gender is very different from that of the female, and this issue has become very important to me, as a woman. As children we learn and adapt to specific gender roles, and as we grow they become more evident and more important to our role in a society. There is a lot of discrimination against the female gender. Carol Gilligan argued that women are more likely to make decisions based on responsibility and norms of caring, where as men are likely to apply principles of justice to their decisions .Because of this discrimination, social mobility has been difficult, but is definitely changing to benefit women and is definitely something I would like to see changed. Women of the later 20th century are fighting more to end the discrimination, and a lot has improved. But women are still looked down upon in society, and men still have the power. I believe that this issue is important, not only to myself, but to everyone. It is an issue that effects everyone, and people have to realize that women are stronger, smarter and involved with the world much more than they were a half a cen...

A Right Against Torture? Essay

Explain how you would try to justify an absolute right against torture, and how you would try to meet the main objections to such a proposed right. This essay sets out to deal with the very important issues raised by the practice of torture in today’s society. More precisely, the point of this paper is to defend a right against torture, of which all people should benefit, and not just any kind of right, but one of an absolute nature. In order to deal with these issues the essay will firstly justify why and absolute right against torture is mandatory from a philosophical point of view as well as a methodological one. Secondly, this essay aims to present its defences and critiques against the main objections to this proposed absolute right. In achieving both goals the paper will present empirical and normative evidence of why people from all over the world should benefit from this absolute right, and not just in writing, but also in practice. Before venturing forth with the arguments necessary to defend the absolute right against torture I will explain the term of ‘absolute right’ as it is needed so that everyone understands the importance of such a right and even more, so that everyone can acknowledge the gravity of infringing upon such a right. An absolute right is a right that cannot be infringed upon under absolutely any circumstances. The right against torture qualifies as such an absolute right under agreements such as the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights), the UKHRA (UK Harm Reduction Alliance) and the UDHR (Universal Declaration of Human Rights). There are today 192 signatory states of the UDHR; these states are legally bound to respect all of the articles of this document. The main problem is that even though all of these states have signed the declaration, there have been reports between 1997 and 2001 of torture being practiced in 140 countries. It is therefore sad when we come to the conclusion that even though this right is one from which these people should have been protected from, that has not happened and it has not been enforced, but severely infringed upon in many of the states it should be guaranteed. An absolute right against torture as far as I am concerned should not even be defended in any kind of way, but instead it should be implied, it should be a given and it should not be a topic of conversation in any corner of the world. The reasons why I will always try and be a stalwart defender of such a right are many. The two main arguments I would like to propose in order to defend this right are the fact that torture constitutes an incredibly immoral and degrading practice, and that furthermore, torture practised in today’s society will halt, at least on some level, the capability of human beings to progress. The world has evolved from all points of view, today we live in a world that has significantly improved technologically, a world that has seen major improvements in ways of thinking, a world that is now more human rights based than ever, and yet the same world cannot seem to be able to let go of one of the most backwards practices it has ever invented, torture. The status-quo of today’s world is not violence as it was in the Middle Ages, on the contrary, we live in a world that has more and more tried to enhance its defence of human rights and to reduce the as much as possible the unnecessar y use of force, terror and violence against humanity and not only. Perhaps if we had all lived in the Middle Ages, the practice of torture would not seem as appalling as it does to so many people today. I strongly believe that torture is wrong no matter what approach I take. Torture is immoral and fundamentally wrong and it has both short-term and long-term disastrous consequences on all human beings – not just those people it is used against. Although torture has been declared an illegal it has been used many times. This means it happens in an undisclosed manner, people do not really know when and where it happens most of the times, and if they find out it is because some mistakes have been made. With the technological advancements today it is easier to capture and present to the public such acts of violence than it was before. One of the discourses on torture has been on what kind of approach should be taken. The solutions when dealing with torture are as follows: make torture legal and resort to it when needed; never resort to torture no m atter what the circumstances; declare torture illegal and always declare that torture will not be used but resort to practicing it when needed but only ‘under the radar’. The only reasonable approach as far as I am concerned is to never under any circumstances resort to torture. Using a process of elimination this is still the only reasonable opinion in regards to torture as the other two options are immoral. First of all, making torture legal should again require no arguments as to why this is immoral. The arguments are plenty and yet its defences are few if any, but first let us address the arguments against making torture a legal act in any society. This is a case that need be taken in consideration in democratic states and not autocratic ones since in those cases there is no system of checks and balances in place and the state does not answer to its citizens (who are even viewed and treated as mere subjects in some cases). In a democratic society, making torture legal seems a rather impossible task as far as I am concerned. I do not have an actual statistic regarding people’s views on torture and yet I feel confident enough to say that the majority of people would vote against it. Even if that were not the case, people would still need to know what they are voting for. Let us consider a situation where a country would like to make torture legal. The party that would like to propose such a legalization of torture would present its case and try to hide as many realities concerning torture as possible and instil a sense of constant fear into the people, explaining that many deaths would be avoided if they would be allowed to resort to torture procedures and last but not least explain the ‘ticking bomb scenario’ (to which I will come back later) and try to make it seem like a general rule rather than the exception it really is. The opposition would in this case only need to present torture as the immoral, degrading and humiliating practice it is. The best way for this would be to present acts of torture on television so that all the people that were thinking of voting in favour see what torture really is. I find it hard to believe that after such a spectacle anyone would even consider voting in order to pass the legalization of torture. For the sake of the argument let us however consider that the people, even after watching the gruesome shows of torture would still vote on behalf of making torture legal. In that situation, all we need to do is resort to Alan Dershowitz`s argument and ask ourselves whether we really want to create such a society in which someone has a right to torture. We would need to train people in special torture techniques, have companies produce torture equipment, torture rooms would no longer need to be hidden, maybe even build them in the centre of the city with glass walls so that everyone can witness what is happening in there and so even more instil fear in potential terrorists. Children would no longer say they want to be policemen, firemen, astronauts or race car drivers, but torture experts. Institutionalizing torture would lead to an increasingly violen t society, a society where normality would shift towards violence. Today many people believe and adhere to the idea that violence is not the answer; not only people, but entire societies try and uphold this idea of non-violent responses, yet by legalizing the practice of torture we would help build a society where indeed violence would be the answer. Even if no other matters, laws or practices would suffer changes directly with the exception of torture being legal that can arguably lead to a more violent society by constantly being in the minds of people as a regular occurrence. One of the major problems today that need be addressed when taking into consideration the possibility of people agreeing to make torture legal is the fact that people are most of the times concerned mainly about their own wellbeing and are hypocritical. People often judge facts or disregard certain realities because of a ‘what they don`t know won`t hurt them’ mentality. This is why they must be presented with the real humiliating act of torture; they must witnes s it in order to truly appreciate its immoral and degrading nature so that in the end they may be able to cast a vote that truly reflects their thoughts and feelings regarding this matter. This is one of the reasons why we need to have an absolute right against torture, since without it we would live in a slowly morally degrading society that allows for such horrendous acts to happen, a society that sacrifices its morals to gain what it misleadingly believes to be protection against terrorist threats. The second choice when confronted with torture would be for the government to allow for it to happen ‘under the radar’ while publicly organizing fake propaganda against it for the people. This again is very immoral. In order for a government to allow for torture to happen would mean that it is renouncing its liberal and democratic values since it would be doing something it does not have approval from its citizens to do. Torture is in all aspects immoral and should always be considered to be immoral. Torture is immoral because it dehumanizes everyone involved in it. It dehumanizes and degrades the victim, the same victim who is humiliated and treated in a way not even animals should ever be treated. It is immoral because it is an assault on human dignity. Furthermore, torture does not only dehumanize the victim, but the torturer as well. This entire process, even if done ‘under the radar’ or with public support, degrades the society as a whole with its practices and implications. The major pro torture defences are self-defence and the ‘ticking bomb scenario’. A democratic society cannot allow for torture to happen in any of these scenarios, as appealing as they might seem at a first glance. In order to understand why an outright ban should be imposed against torture and an absolute right against it be adopted we need to take a deeper look at what these scenarios bring to the negotiation table. In the self-defence scenario, where someone knows the whereabouts of a person that will die if not helped soon, some people will say that by torturing the person who is withholding the information might get them the location of the person in need of saving. This is again immoral since we`ve seen the very big problems th at come with institutionalizing torture but let`s think beyond that. Why would it ever be right to torture one person in order to save another? Sure, it is self-defence when someone assaults you and you fight back and eventually end up injuring or killing the person that tried to assault you, and it would qualify as self-defence. It would even qualify as self-defence if someone were to hold your wife at gunpoint and you would eventually manage to save her and again injure or kill the attacker because in that situation laws in most countries extend the self-defence to the person that was the victim in the first place. But there is however a difference between someone holding a gun to your loved one`s head, and that same person withholding knowledge as to where the loved one is being held and they might die if not helped in time. The difference between the above mentioned cases lies with the certainty factor and how direct the two possible crimes are. It`s one thing to have a gun held at someone`s head, where you could maybe even see the attacker pull the trigger, while a person held somewhere deprived of air maybe is not a direct ‘trigger’ being pulled; not to mention the fact that when seeing the attacker holding the gun aimed at someone makes you almost certain of their intention, while one can never be sure that the attacker even has information as to the whereabouts of the victim. Even if torture would not be completely immoral and encumbered with so many ‘plagues’ against society, the uncertainty and the level of direct or indirect connection to the crime should be enough to outright ban torture. The ‘ticking bomb scenario’ is arguably the strongest defence of pro torture theorists. For this reason I will address it now and try to explain why this case should not allow torture to happen under any circumstances and even with this scenario in mind an absolute right against torture is needed. The main argument of this scenario is that indeed a terrorist believed to have information about the location of a time bomb that will go off in a crowded place should be tortured in order to find out where the bomb is. I find this scenario quite poor in its convincing capabilities but that is not the case for many people confronted with the idea so the problem requires addressing. This scenario is ultimately used as a trap for liberals that out of principle refuse torture on any kind of basis, be it the case of legalization or of it happening ‘under the radar’. When confronted with this situation some liberals cannot hold back out of principle and beliefs anymore and indeed give in to a hypothetical situation where the torture of one terrorist would save the lives of thousands or even maybe more. This scenario is so overstretched and made to sound so simplistic that it could no longer be deemed as realistic. Sure, maybe most of the people confronted with this largely unrealistic situation mentioned above would give in; after all, it is a no brainer right? Torture one, save thousands, even more. Things are not like that though and other factors need to be taken into consideration when debating on whether or not torture should be allowed at least in these extreme situations. In this situation the overlooked factors are of decisive importance. Pro torture theorists’ make two very big mistakes (on purpose of course to mislead people); they transform this scenario into a general rule, a regular occurrence with which most of the people will be confronted at some point in their livelihood, instead of the exception it actually is. There has only been one case recorded where the Philippine authorities have tortured a terrorist for sixty-seven days in order to get information ou t of him that may have stopped an attempt to assassinate the pope and crash eleven planes into the Pacific Ocean. The planes had approximately four thousand passengers. The first problem is that this extreme act of terrorism is an exceptional occurrence and by no means a regular one, and leads us to the second huge flaw of this ‘ticking bomb scenario’, the fact that it is riddled with uncertainty. The Philippine authorities have tortured the man for such a long a time that they were themselves amazed that he was still alive when he gave them the information; so they tortured him without even being sure that he knows anything, without being sure that he would survive to give them any information at all and without actually being sure that the information he would maybe provide would indeed prove to be useful. How can it therefore ever be right even in this scenario to torture someone? It is close to impossible to ever be sure that a person actually has any useful information; it is also never a certain thing that even if he provides some information that information is true. No one s hould ever be humiliated and treated in such a way as a tortured person is since nothing can ever be one hundred per cent certain when it comes to torture because a person in the pains of torture would say anything to put an end to the pain. What if the tortured person actually does not know anything about a plot? What then? The torturer will never stop since he has to get the information out therefore he tortures with the certainty that the tortured has the information while he might actually know nothing. Should in this situation the torturer be allowed to torture the wife, children and other relatives in order to get the information out? Where would this entire process stop? After all he might know something; even if after he has been tortured and watched his wife be tortured and killed in front of him he still says no, the torturer is still sure that he is withholding information so he continues with his children. If he still does not say anything the torturer might think that he is a very well trained terrorist and very loyal to his cause, so why stop? The torturer can be just as determined and loyal to his cause in return and continue to torture as many relatives of the victim as he possibly can to get the informat ion out of him. This is a built-in problem of the whole ‘ticking bomb scenario’, a problem because the terrorist might know something that if he might disclose to the torturer, might prove as valuable information. Not only does the ‘ticking bomb scenario’ almost never arise, but even in the extreme eventuality that it does, getting the information, and not just any information but the right one seems as probable as finding a needle in a haystack while being blindfolded and wearing boxing gloves; and yet some people are still not convinced and would, even in these given situations, employ the degrading and inhumane act of torture. If so, why not make even make it a fun thing to try and alleviate the gravity of such a situation and allow people to bet on whether or not the victim will give out the right information and foil the plot; a person would easily be offered really good odds and be able to win fortunes with a mere penny. Furthermore, again in the area of how everything related to torture is uncertain and holds no guarantee we must acknowledge that even if after all those presented above, we succumb to the use of torture, we allow for it to happen, we get the information which eventually proves to be right and stops a bombing, the terrorists could just as well plan another bombing, or maybe even more to revenge their tortured friend? As far as I am concerned under no circumstances should torture ever be used? Not only should it always be illegal but no matter how pro-torture theorists try to sugar coat it, it will always be immoral. It degrades everyone involved in it, as well as the entire society, it makes everyone a part of an inhumane act that can never guarantee anything. It should not happen ‘under the radar’ because it would mean that the elected officials that allow it to take place renounce their democratic beliefs and abandon their morals. It should not happen with the approval of the people because then everyone renounces their democratic ideologies and morals; the entire society would become more violent which is not something to overlook even if it raises by a very small degree; an entire torture related authority and mentality would be born that would only sadden and inherently take its toll on everyone`s daily livelihood. As we have seen there are no possible situations that might warrant a use of torture since in all given scenarios the trade-off in the long run would always prove to be a very bad one. Humanity should never trade its morals, its principles and its liberal and democratic values for the smallest odds of saving one, ten, or one million lives. The best way to express this is by thinking about the situation in which the Prime Minister of Italy, Aldo Moro, was kidnapped and when someone suggested the use of torture to find out where he is being held, General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa replied: â€Å"Italy can survive the loss of Aldo Moro. It would not survive the introduction of torture.† It is not only Italy that could not survive the introduction of torture, but the entire civilized world. For all the arguments employed above against the use of torture in any kind of scenario, even in the strictly utilitarian one where torture should be used as long as the number of people saved is higher than the number of people tortured and killed, we can draw the humane and moral conclusion that torture should always be unlawful and immoral and therefore an absolute right against torture is warranted.

Globalization of Production in the Textile and Clothing Industries Essay

East European full reintegration into the world economy had already started during the eighties, but the end of the decade and the beginning of the nineties saw a sudden spurt in that direction. This has taken the form not only of a swift trade reorientation towards the West, especially the EU, but also of new forms of inward foreign direct investment (FDI), subcontracting and cooperation agreements with Western enterprises. As a consequence, Eastern Europe has become deeply involved in the larger process of globalisation of production characterizing the international economy, where firms’ operations are becoming much more complex and pervasive than traditional arms-length trade and traditional international investment, including both international production and sourcing. Therewith the process of transition to the market appears to be more and more intertwined with Western firms’ strategies. It is then of some interest to analyse the extent of such relocation, its various forms and the possible impact on both the relocating and the host countries. International relocation can be analysed from different points of view. The perspective of the present paper is to concentrate on one of the most important trade partners of Eastern Europe – Italy – and on two industrial sectors in which the latter is specialised in production and exports – textiles and clothing, which are also of paramount importance in Eastern Europe’s exports. A few data on production, employment, investment and foreign trade may suffice to show the enormous importance of these industries for Italy. In 1993 this country produced almost 40% of the entire EU production of textiles, including knitwear. The other major EU countries followed rather distanced: France (17% – including household textiles), Germany (16%) and the UK (11%). The correspondig employment for Italy was 30% of the EU total, taking into account also the firms with less than 20 employees. The second most important country – Germany – employed just half of that amount. Finally investment, both total and per head employed, reveals a similar pattern, these two countries being followed by France and the UK. The ranking is similar in the clothing industry. In 1993 Italy represented 41% of total EU production, 24% of total employment (including firms with less than 20 employees) and headed the investment ranking, both in absolute terms and on a per capita employed basis. It should be added, in this respect, the particular consumption habits of Italians, who devote to clothing a much higher share of their total consumer spending than the other European nationals. The importance of the internal market is only paralleled by the place of the two sectors in Italian foreign trade. During the last few years Italy has been the second or third world exporter both of textiles and of clothing products, if one excludes Hong Kong due to the paramount importance of its reexports. She is the first Western supplier of the G7 markets for clothing and first on a par with Germany for textiles. The industry presents the second, and growing, largest positive trade balance in Italian foreign trade. The two sectors together represent 11% of her total exports, but a much lesser share of her imports (5%). However imports tend to grow faster than exports. A growing number of competitors is gaining market shares in the EU, at the expense of the traditional leaders like Italy and Germany. Import penetration, which has roughly doubled in the last ten years, is but one of the factors that, starting from the late eighties, is exerting growing pressure on the whole industry at a EU level. Production is falling and labour productivity rising much faster than in average manufacturing. The result for the EU has been 639,000 jobs lost in 1988-94, equal to almost 30% of all job losses in the manufacturing industry. Italy was also hit, although less than other European countries for the reasons indicated later. What is the particular place of Eastern Europe in this process? The CEECs represent only roughly 3% of Italian total trade in textiles, but a much larger share in Italian imports of clothing – 15% -, their importance in Italian exports of the same being minor (2%) (table 1). Almost half of the Italian imports of clothing from Eastern Europe come from Romania and more than one fifth from Hungary, the rest being spread among the Czech and Slovak Republics, Bulgaria and Poland, in the order. Together with an increasing deficit for Italy, the share of clothing in total Italian imports from each CEEC has been increasing recently in all cases, and particularly so from Romania and Bulgaria, where it now stands at 41% and 27%, respectively, and from Hungary (12%). The two sectors behave asymmetrically: clothing looms from two to eight times larger in Italian imports than exports, while textiles are far more important in Italian exports, at the exception of exports to former Czechoslovakia. This was also the only country with which Italy ran a deficit in textiles (today with the Czech Republic). Previous studies conducted by the author (Graziani 1993, 1994a, 1994b, 1995) show a generalized relative specialization of the CEECs in most clothing products both on the EU and on the Italian market. Moreover, in both markets import penetration ratios for the same are on the increase. Does this mean that Italian textile and clothing industry is losing ground vis a vis East European producers? The question is whether international trade data – like surpluses and deficits, market shares, specialization indices and import penetration ratios – by themselves are to be considered reliable competitiveness indicators, if a substantial part of trade flows is in some way or other tied to the importing country. From this perspective, imports into the relocating country could ideally be divided into three distinct flows: a) ‘untied’ imports from foreign firms; b) imports derived from non-equity cooperation agreements (in particular from subcontracting) ; and c) FDI-related imports. International relocation of production – taken here to mean not only the physical delocalisation of production abroad, but also the organized sourcing from other countries – affects directly the two latter flows and is then crucial for interpreting the meaning of trade indicators and trends. 2) The Italian model until the mid-1980s International relocation has been almost completely absent in the Italian experience of textile and clothing production until at least the mid1980s. Contrary to the growing international redeployment of its main EU competitor – Germany -, Italian relations with foreign markets were mostly centered on arms-length exports. The few affiliates abroad of Italian bigger firms had just the task to support the sales network in the recipient country. This explains also why Italy did not incur into the same dramatic employment reduction suffered by Germany, wich lost half of it in the last twenty years. Besides limited FDI, Italian manufacturers did also avoid subcontracting abroad by obtaining its advantages on a purely domestic level. The logics of subcontracting are well known, all the more so in the textile and clothing industry. Through it, producers look for: 1) lower costs, since the subcontractors do not invoice for indirect costs; 2) more flexible and reactive supply, that can be disposed of in case of ceased necessity; and 3) eventually some expertise and know-how not available in-house. Subcontracting has always been important within Western Europe. According to a recent survey, in 1992 the clothing subcontracting sector employed in the EU 800,000 workers, including 200,000 artisans and 150,000 illicit workers (Mercer 1994). This is equal to roughly 26% of total EU employment in the textile and clothing industry. Nearly 30% were in Italy and 17% in the UK, the others following suit. Up to the mid1980s Italian producers could limit subcontracting almost exclusively within the national boundaries. The following features allowed its coming to life and its efficiency: a) the main and most original factor was represented by the so-called â€Å"industrial districts† (Becattini 1987 ).  Production was concentrating in a small area, with a myriad of interdependent small enterprises, horizontally and vertically specialized in each of the subsectors of the industry. Production of wool in Prato and Biella, silk in Como and knitting in Carpi are but a few examples of such districts. We are here in a typical Marshallian world of economies external to the enterprise, but internal to the industry, where all the firms, independently from their size, may reap the benefits from a certain clustering of activities. A traditional culture of industrial work, specialized skills both of workers and services, the possibility of rapid exchange of inventions and improvements, coupled with the widespread use of subcontracting, often to the lower paid workers of the so-called informal economy, were enhancing the locational advantages and decreasing the transaction costs, compensating in this way the higher official labour costs vis a vis lower-wage countries (Forti 1994a); b) most firms were family-run and rather small, a limited number of medium size, as compared to the average West European, while the few larger ones had not yet reached the minimum critical threshold below which a clothing manufacturer is not able to finance the very high costs of internationalization, some of which are typically ‘sunk’ costs ; c) the main outlet was represented by the national market, where a very fragmented retail network (in clothing) acted as a relative shelter from foreign competition, limiting the import penetration ratio to a level well under the EU average; d) progressively, Italian producers had chosen the product differentiation path (especially in clothing), by positioning themselves in the up-market segments, characterized by non price competition and a high fashion-, quality- and value-added content. As one knows, internationalisation of production is all the more convenient the larger the amounts to be produced and the more standardized the productive processes. ) finally, especially in the textile sector, Italian producers had continually fostered technological innovation, obtaining the highest productivity levels in the world, which allowed them to compete worldwide. 3) From domestic to international relocation: the new strategy of Italian firms. Apart from the progressive erosion of industrialized countries’ market shares, by the mid- 1980s new features were emerging in the textile and clothing sector. First of all on the international demand side. Consumption growth started to show the first signs of stagnation, while a general rethinking of the relative value of intrinsic quality as against style was in the making. More in general, a better quality/price relation was sought for. Price elasticity increased also for the high fashion- and quality-content goods. A further factor peculiar to Italy was also at work. Domestic demand started to flatten out at the end of the eighties, bringing it more in line with the demand patterns of the other industrialized countries. On the supply side, at the domestic level the concentration rate in both sectors was rapidly increasing, while large firms reorganized and diversified their production. At the same time, Italy became a very high cost country, moreover characterized by a rather rigid labour market. Abroad, emerging countries were progressively upgrading the quality of their products, through a continuous learning process. On the whole, price competitiveness tended to become more stringent. Increasing competition was stemming as well from the concentration processes affecting the distribution sector. Large distributors tended to place big orders and to intervene in the choice of styles, quality, timing and service standards (OETH 1994). A final contingent factor favourable to the internationalisation of production was due to the real appreciation of the lira between 1987 and 1992, which favoured international operations like FDI and subcontracting. As a consequence, Italian firms started to undergo a rather rapid shift from a purely commercial approach at the international level to a relocation approach. This path was followed not only by large, but also by medium and small enterprises. Relocation expressed itself in two main ways: non-equity cooperation agreements – licensing, management contracts, but above all subcontracting – with some FDI, in lower wage countries; equity agreements – mostly FDI in the form of acquisitions – at first in the most developed markets; These two main ways of redeployment obviously respond to different motivations. At the beginning, relocation in low-wage countries took mainly the form of international subcontracting. The only exception was represented by the textile group Miroglio, which already in 1971 had realized some FDI in Greece, Tunisia and Egypt. In a second phase, the same group has switched to an organization of production based on so called ‘platforms’, that have the task of undertaking some downstream operations in the clothing industry and of optimizing the relations with nearby subcontractors. We have already noted above that the most powerful force behind Italian firms’ subcontracting has certainly been the abatement of production costs (cost saving subcontracting). East Europeans subcontractors have been used only in a very minor way as carrying out special functions (specialty subcontracting) or else as capacity reservoirs in case of occasional demand surges (complementary subcontracting). It can also take various forms. The most widespread is at the start a simple agreement with a local producer in order to buy the final product. At most, the Italian firm bought locally or elsewhere the intermediate products necessary to the productive process. In other cases subcontracting involved the export of semifinished products and the reimport of the finished ones, both without or under the outward processing traffic (OPT) regime. Very similar in nature to the US operations of offshore assembly provisions in other fields of industry as well, OPT takes place when some phases of the textile and clothing production chain – typically: the sewing phase – are carried out by foreign subcontractors. The latter utilise fabrics provided (and owned) by the subcontracting firm, temporarily exported towards the processing country under an EC tariff exemption regime. Up to the entry into force of the Interim Agreements of the EAs customs tariffs were levied only on the value added abroad. Since then, they were abolished altogether. On the other hand, acquisitions in the most sophisticated markets allowed Italian producers to attain several objectives: a) to acquire prestigious brand names; b) to adhere more closely to the host nation’s consumers’ tastes, especially in the medium segments absorbing large amounts of production, and gain market shares from within, keeping a presence in strategic markets; c) possibly, to penetrate third markets and also reimport part of the production; and d) to use the international subcontracting network of the acquired company, especially if it is German. So Marzotto, one of the top textile group in Italy, has acquired the German clothing company Hugo Boss, with a lengthy experience of subcontracting abroad, mainly in Eastern Europe. The aim is to have in a few years half of its production abroad. Another big group, Miroglio, has secured smaller, but more numerous firms: the clothing companies Caroline Rohmer and Sym Claverie in France and Glaeser, Flick, Skarabeus and Gili in Germany, plus the German textile company Steiger&Deschler (Ulmia). Finally GFT acquired the third German clothing producer, Baumler.