Engineering Economy Essays

Engineering Economy Essays Engineering Economy Essay Engineering Economy Essay Engineering economy * Engineering economy is a subset of economics for application to engineering projects. * It is an economic approach in solving problems in engineering projects particularly for the assessment of projects investment. Importance of Study Engineer must take into account the monetary value in their invention as they have to position a firm to be the most profitable one * The aim is to balance the trade off between cost and performance in the most economical manner * Engineers play a major role in capital investment decisions based on their technical knowledge * To prevent a conflict between engineers and financial department Demand * An economic principle that describes a consumer’s desire and willingness to pay a price for a specific good or service. Holding all other factors constant, the price of a good or service increases as its demand increases and vice versa. Law of Demand The lower the price of the product, the greater will be the quantity demanded by all buyers, all other things being equal (Ceteris Paribus). Businesses often spend a considerable amount of money in order to determine the amount of demand that the public has for its products and services. Incorrect estimations will either result in money left on the table if it’s underestimated or losses if it’s overestimated. Supply The different quantities of a good that producers are willing and able to supply at various prices. Equilibrium When supply and demand are equal the economy is said to be  at  equilibrium. At this point, the allocation of goods is at its most efficient because the amount of goods being supplied is exactly the same as the amount of goods being demanded. INTEREST RATE If a given amount of money is borrowed for a specified period of time (typically, one year), a certain percentage of the money is charged as interest. This percentage is called the interest rate. SIMPLE INTEREST Simple interest is defined as a fixed percentage of the principal (the amount of money borrowed), multiplied by the life of the loan. Thus, I =total amount of simple interest n =life of the loan I = interest rate P = principal EX A student deposits $1000 in a savings account that pays interest at the rate of 6% per year. How much money will the student have after one year? (b) An investor makes a loan of $5000, to be repaid in one lump sum at the end of one year. What annual interest rate corresponds to a lump-sum payment of $5425? The student will have his original $1000, plus an interest payment of 0. 06 x $1000 = $60. Thus, the student will have accumulated a total of $1060 after one year (b) The total amount of interest paid is $5425 $5000 = $425. Hence the annual interest rate is TO FIND FUTURE VALUE F = P + I = P (l + n i) EX A student borrows $3000 from his uncle in order to finish school. His uncle agrees to charge him simple interest at the rate of 5% per year. Suppose the student waits two years and then repays the entire loan. How much will he have to repay? F = $3000[1+ (2)(0. 05)] = $3330. COMPOUND INTEREST During a given interest period, the current interest is determined as a percentage of the total amount owed If there are n interest periods, we have EX A student deposits $1000 in a savings account that pays interest at the rate of 6% per year, compounded annually. If all of the money is allowed to accumulate, how much will the student have after 12 years? Compare this with the amount that would have accumulated if simple interest had been paid. INFLATION National economies frequently experience inflation, in which the cost of goods and services increases from one year to the next A = annual inflation rate (expressed as a decimal) n = number of years Ex An economy is experiencing inflation at the rate of 6% per year. An item presently costs $100. If the 6% inflation rate continues, what will be the price of this item in five years? An economy is experiencing inflation at an annual rate of 6%. If this continues, what will $100 be worth five years from now, in terms of todays dollars? INFLATION + INTEREST TAXES In most situations, the interest that is received from an investment will be subject to taxation. TAXES + INTERSET + INFLATION F = P (1 + )n EX Suppose the engineer is in the 32% tax bracket, and is likely to remain there throughout the lifetime of the certificate. If inflation continues at the rate of 6% per year, what will be the value of his investment, in terms of todays dollars, when the certificate matures? Let us assume that the engineer is able to invest the entire $10 000 in a savings certificate and that the 32% tax bracket includes all federal, state, and local taxes. Interest rate = 8 % GOOD LUCK

Definition and Examples of Logographs

Definition and Examples of Logographs A  logograph is a  letter, symbol, or sign used to represent a word or phrase. Adjective: logographic. Also known as a logogram. The following logographs are available on most alphabetic keyboards: $,  Ã‚ £,  Ã‚ §, , , %, , and -. In addition, the single-digit Arabic number symbols (0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9) are logographic symbols. The best-known examples of a logographic writing system are Chinese and Japanese. Though originally derived from ideographs, the symbols of these languages now stand for words and syllables and do not refer directly to concepts or things (David Crystal,  The Penguin Encyclopedia, 2004). Etymology:  From the Greek, word writingPronunciation:  LO-go-graf Examples and Observations English doesnt have many logographs. Here are a few: %  £ We would read those as and, per cent, at, and pound. And in maths we have several more, such as the signs for minus, multiplied by, divided by, and square root of. Quite a few of the special signs in chemistry and physics are logographs, too.Some languages consist entirely of logographs. Chinese is the best known. Its possible to write Chinese with an alphabet like the one we use for English, but the traditional way of writing the language is to use logographs- though theyre usually called characters when we talk about Chinese.(David Crystal, A Little Book of Language. Yale University Press, 2010) Logographs in English Logographs are used in many languages, including English. When the symbol [2] is used to represent the word two in English, it is being used as a logograph. The fact that it can also be used to represent the number deux two in French and the number mbili two in Shinzwani means that, although the same sign can be used as a logograph in different languages, the way it is pronounced can be different, depending on the language in which it is functioning as a logograph. Another sign that is used as a logograph in a lot of different languages is the []. In contemporary English, it has come to mean at and is used as part of an Internet address. It works comfortably in English to say myname-at-myinternetaddress, but this doesnt work as well in some other languages.(Harriet Joseph Ottenheimer, The Anthropology of Language: An Introduction to Linguistic Anthropology, 2nd ed. Cengage, 2009) Logographs in Texting What novelty there is in texting lies chiefly in the way it takes further some of the processes used in the past. . . . There are no less than four processes combined in iowan2bwu I only want to be with you: full word an initialism a shortened word two logograms an initialism a logogram.(David Crystal, 2b or not 2b? The Guardian [UK], July 5, 2008) Processing Logographs Whereas earlier studies had indicated that  logographs are  processed by the right and alphabets by the left hemisphere of the brain, [Rumjahn] Hoosain provides more recent data suggesting that both are processed in the left, though possibly in different areas of the left. (Insup Taylor and David R.  Olson, Introduction to  Scripts and Literacy: Reading and Learning to Read Alphabets, Syllabaries, and Characters. Springer, 1995)

Pop and rock music history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pop and rock music history - Essay Example Indeed, Appleseed cast is one of the most creative musical bands in the world. According to the Herald News, the album is described as unique in that, each song on this album induces emotion. The bass work and drum nicely complement the loud and thick guitars to maintain the rhythm of the songs. These are accompanied by true and raw vocals by the experienced singers. Screams are also included to the rich set of instruments, though occasionally some singing is thrown in when suitable. The art work and production of the album is the best ever. As mentioned, the album is also made unique by the emotion created. This makes this album to stand out among the rest. It is inspirational, heartfelt and an emotional music album. In comparison to other bands, The Appleseed Cast has no non-versatile descriptive words, bland choruses and excessive use of the words agony and pain. In simple words, it is a poetry of the young emotions of harsh losses and true love. Appleseed Cast perfectly blend the songs between simple tunes, sad and an emotional flurry of drums and guitars. However, this sometimes happens within the same song. In the song Marigold & Patchwork the lead singer’s voice is rattling yet, perfectly quiet. At the same time the voice is becomes abrasive and can send chills down a person’s spine. On the other hand, the song untitled half, is comprised of almost perfect crescendo of bass, jackhammer drumming, duel guitars and sax. Interestingly, the song Ring Wars deserves time to really understand comprehend the music. It is like Nirvana meets Radio Head. In this song, the lead singer Chris shows in and out voice that mumbles lyrics and also screeches. Their melodies are nice even though not pop. It has soothing instants where singing stops for about 2 minutes into the song. The drum work is amazing as heard the in the last instrumental track. Another song in the album is Marigold & Patchwork. This is an all-time amazing song. It has an

Lester Electronics Gap Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Lester Electronics Gap Analysis - Essay Example The process of merger is set in motion by Shang-wa CEO John Lin, as he thinks that the merger will give his company a much needed secured future. On the other hand, Lester Electronics CEO Bernard Lester feels that the merger will prevent future revenue losses. These merger plans were initiated by the actions of two other companies, Transnational Electronics and Avral Electronics, who try to take over Shang-wa and Lester Electronics respectively. But, if the merger plans between Lester and Shang-wa gets actualized it will nullify the other two companies take over bid. Along with that advantage, the merger will also create a lot of opportunities and bring in profits. But, even with all the opportunities, there exist some financial issues or threats that will cause the merger to fail. So, the correct decision has to be taken after analyzing the key financial issues, with the involvement of all the key people and departments, including the accounts department and its head Anne Lorale. â €Å"Good decision-making starts from the right place† (Paul & Elder, 2006 In the scenario, the merger of Lester and Shang-wa could spring up many issues particularly in the financial sector. Normally, in times of merger between two companies existing in different countries, the financial issues have to be dealt firstly, to make the merger a success. So, Shang-wa’s balance sheet and incomes statement has to be properly analyzed by Anne Lorale and her team, before going with the merger. As the income statements will clearly gauge the financial performance of a company over a specific period of time, it will surely aid Lester to grasp the financial condition as well as the value of economic assets of Shang wa. From the analysis of the financial statements, it is clear that the merger of Shang wa and Lester would lead to a low debt to equity ratio, increasing the chances of bankruptcy in the long run. The other issue that will arise in

The Double Entry System Essay Example for Free

The Double Entry System Essay According to the double entry accounting system, a business transaction affects at least two accounts and the debit and credit amounts recorded for the affected accounts must be balanced. These transactions will be recorded in the appropriate books of accounts. Business entities develop a chart of accounts, a list of account titles with their corresponding account codes that the business will use in recording and posting in the books of accounts and in reporting in the financial statements. Double Entry System was invented for the first time by Lucas Pacioli’ of Italy in the year 1494 in Venice but it was developed in England. This system is based on the truth that every business transaction involves two .parties— (1) Receiver and (2) Giver. There can not be any business transaction by only one party. If one part is giver of any thing, there must be one more party-receiver. If one part is seller; there must be the other party purchases. Receiver of the transaction is debtor and the giver is the creditor. Thus the transactions take place between two parties, according to Double Entry System every transaction is recorded twice. One party is the debtor and the other party is giver. Receiver is the debtor and giver is the creditor. Accuracy of accounts. The greatest advantage of Double Entry System is that arithmetical accuracy of accounts can be checked easily. Since every transaction is recorded twice, a Trial Balance can be prepared and it can be known whether each transaction has been correctly recorded twice or not. By applying. Double Entry Principle every transaction is recorded twice. Trial Balance can easily be prepared and with the help of Trial Balance Trading and Profit and Loss can be easily prepared to ascertain the gross profit or gross loss or net profit or net loss of the business. Knowledge of Financial Position. Financial position of the business can be known easily. By preparing Balance Sheet one can know what assets are possessed by the business and what liabilities are due by the business. Chances of fraud meager. By applying Double Entry Principles chances of committing fraud is very much minimized. If fraud is committed, it can be easilychecked by verification and auditing of accounts. †¢Comparison of Expenses— Comparison of expenses of the current year with the previous can easily be made. The system of double-entry bookkeeping does have the capa ¬bility of making a positive contribution towards economic growth. Although the ability of double-entry to reveal the success or failure of a business enterprise for a specific period of lime was not valued by the early merchants, double-entrys capacity to accumulate data on individual performing activities, combined with its ability to bring order to the affairs and accounts of these merchants, rationalized the economic activities of the early English merchants

Aids in the thrid world country :: essays research papers

In 2004 circa 95 thousand people died in Latin America. Cause of death? In a world of today where there is an abundance of bloodshed and carnage, surprisingly violence is not the primary cause of death but AIDS is. Having taken health classes for over five years, HIV/AIDS and STD ¡Ã‚ ¯s were not new or surprising. I became apathetic and impassive to such related issues. It seemed like something distant and remote that would never happen to me. But then a startling news article that stated in large bold letters,  ¡Ã‚ °Brazil houses one-third of the carriers of the HIV virus in Latin America ¡Ã‚ ± caught my attention. In the article it stated that in 2004, circa 95 thousand people died of Aids in Latin America and there were 240 thousand new people diagnosed with HIV. This daunting article was a revelation. It awoke me from the beautiful and hygienic fairy-tale world I was in and dropped me into arms of the real world, where AIDS and STD ¡Ã‚ ¯s are not that remote and it could happen to anyone. In Latin America out of the 400 million inhabitants nearly 1.7 million are carriers of the virus that causes AIDS. This incurable deadly virus is spreading in a frightening manner. People diagnosed with HIV are increasing by 25% each year in Latin America. The cause is due to ignorance. People tend to believe that only homosexuals are affected by the virus. What they are unaware of is that HIV is caused by exchange in blood, semen, or other bodily fluids. Therefore everyone is susceptible to the virus, primarily consumers of injectable drugs and people that have multiple sex partners and those that don ¡Ã‚ ¯t use protection during the act of intercourse. This issue is important, firstly because a third of the carriers of the virus live where I live. Consequently it made me more conscious and aware of the environment I live in and it also made me a more grateful person. Secondly it is a serious issue that is burgeoning and if not contained could in the long run expunge a large population of people in Latin America. Immediate containment of the virus is imperative. In order to reduce the spread of the virus most importantly people should become educated and conscious of the virus. In a country where a large portion of the population is from the lower class not many people received proper sex education consequently public awareness of this issue is low if almost negligible.

Comparative Literary Analysis

If you were placed onto a stranded island in the middle of nowhere with no hope of being rescued, even the most civilized person would turn to savagery by the end. This is a fact about human nature, and at one point humans lose their morals and values. In The Crucible and the Lord of the Flies, both authors, Miller and Golding, show the evil in nature, the fight for truth, and mob mentality in certain situations. Abigail Williams and Jack both become very power hungry by the end and show the evil in nature, while John Proctor and Simon are looking for the truth, and Mary Warren and SamnEric follow the mob mentality that is going around.In The Crucible, Abigail Williams is first seen as a child speaking the truth and pointing out the people in the town who are â€Å"witches†. Everyone in the town believes her and her group of friends. But as she realizes that she has the power to condemn anyone as a witch, she overuses that power. Since Abigail desires to be with John Proctor, but he is not willing to be with her due to his wife, Abigail decides to condemn Elizabeth Proctor as a witch, so that she would be able to be with John. This clearly shows how people can use their power that they might have for their own good and use it for evil.This occurs in The Lord of the Flies when Jack slowly becomes more and more power hungry. Throughout the novel, Jack always wants to become chief but Ralph is chosen as chief and this did not please Jack. But as the novel progresses, Jack slowly turns to savagery, and the others follow Jack with his savagery. An example is his wild hunts for pigs, and his crazy dances after killing the pig. He feels much more powerful as more people start to enjoy killings pigs with him and he starts to form a type of mob.â€Å"His mind was crowded with memories: memories of the knowledge that had come to them when they closed in on the struggling pig, knowledge that they had outwitted a living thing, imposed their will upon it, taken away its life like a long satisfying drink. †(Golding 70) This quote explores Jack’s mental state in the aftermath of killing his first pig. This slightly shows the decline into savage behavior. This quote shows Jack’s feelings of power and superiority he experiences after killing the pig. This power slowly transitions into creating his mob and gaining more power from everyone around him, which causes him to become the chief.With this power he gains, Jack now controls most of the island, which allows him to do almost anything he wants, including to set the island on fire just to kill Ralph. At the same time in both The Crucible and The Lord of the Flies, John Proctor and Simon are looking for the truth for the fear in which everyone was going crazy in the town or island. In The Crucible, John Proctor looks for the truth as he questions the honesty of the girls calling out the witches in the town. John carefully looks for evidence to prove that the girls aren’t telling the truth.Fortunately Mary Warren admits to John that they are all playing along only because of Abigail. But at the courthouse, no one believes Mary Warren, and she is also called a witch, so to save herself, she blames John Proctor in threatening Mary to lie. As much as John tries to fight for the truth, he fails at showing everyone because of the power everyone else has over him. Simon in The Lord of the Flies also fails to show the truth over the â€Å"beast† that everyone feared. â€Å"‘As if’, said Simon, ‘the beastie, the beastie or snake thing, was real. Remember?’† (Golding 50)From the beginning Simon doubts the truth about this beast in the island and tries to assure the younger kids that there is no beast. Simon is the only character who truly looks out to find the truth about the beast. But in the end, he is seen as the beast and is killed by the boys who change into savages. When Simon returns to the campfire to tell ever yone what the beast that everyone has feared of, he is mistaken as the beast and never gets to explain the truth. This is just like John Proctor in which he is also killed before the truth gets out.This comparison is similar because both Simon and John were the only people to reveal the truth to the public but no one listens to them, and they end up dead before they say anything. During all of this in The Crucible and The Lord of the Flies, there are the leaders, Abigail and Jack, and then there are the followers, Mary Warren and SamnEric. In The Crucible, Mary Warren follows the mob mentality because of Abigail, and the fear of getting caught. If Mary did not follow what Abigail had said in the beginning to play along with her, Abigail threaten to kill them all, or at least hurt them.Due to this Mary went along with the mob. Although Mary tries to confess in the courtroom, in the end she still retreats back to the mob mentality and blames John Proctor. This also happens in The Lord of the Flies when SamnEric join Jack’s mob. â€Å"Now the painted group felt the otherness of SamnEric, felt the power in their own hands. They felled the twins clumsily and excitedly. Jack was inspired. †(Golding 191) This quote shows how Jack becomes happy with the increasing number to his group and it shows that SamnEric join due to the mob mentality and the power that Jack has compared to Ralph.They try to follow their conscience but end up joining the mob and go along with the savages. Throughout the movie and novel, people end up losing their morals either due to having too much power or not having enough and going out of their way to gain that power. The evil in nature is clearly shown by both authors and depict how far people would go for ambitions that they want such as power. Both authors also show that the truth never gets out, which is unfortunate, but life doesn’t always have happy endings either. And last but not least, the mob mentality is a driv ing force for all the madness in the town of Salem and the Island.

Counrywide Financial

Countrywide Financial: The Subprime Meltdown 1. Are subprime loans an Unethical financial instrument, or are they ethical but misused in a way that created ethical issues? In my opinion I think subprime loans is an ethical in some ways but for the most part it’s got misused. One way that I think subprime was misused was the fact that when the economy began to slow down, people started working more and earning less money, subprime lending continued to lend to increasingly risky buyers.Another cause of misusing subprime lending was the fact that they allowed real estate appraisers to inflate the value of a home to insure loans would go through 2. Discuss the ethical issue that caused the downfall of countrywide Financial. One of the Ethical issue that cause the downfall of countrywide financial is the allegations that accused them of increasing its profit by offering subprime loans to people who qualified for regular loans.Another Ethical issue that caused countrywide financial to there downfall was the fact that they gave out liar loans. Liar loans were loans that required no proof of borrowers income or assets allowing consumers to purchase homes while having few or no assets. Many homeowners with liar loans could not pay their mortgages nor were they able to refinance their homes. 3. How should Bank of America deal with potential ethical and legal misconduct discovered at countrywide?One of the ways I think Bank of America should deal with potential ethical and legal misconduct is by dealing with all the lawsuits that have been filed against the company for dumping homeowners with predatory loan practices. Something else I think Bank of America should start doing is managing Countrywide’s debt by helping homeowners by reducing there interest rate so the foreclosure rate could get lower.

Ex-Basketball Player by John Updike

Ex-Basketball Player by John Updike Free Online Research Papers The main idea of John Updike’s poem, Ex-Basketball Player is that a young man named Flick who was a really good athlete in high school. However, after high school he became nothing more than a gas station attendant. During high school he was an excellent basketball player. He set records that many kids are still trying to surpass today. During and after high school he never learned a trade, so he wasn’t able to obtain a high paying job where he could move up in life. He just ended up selling gas, checking oil, and fixing flats. Paraphrase: A street goes in front of a high school Curves with paths to a dead end Before it has an opportunity to travel two blocks A shop at a certain place Facing west where two streets conjoin Usually you can see Berth’s helper, Flick Webb Flick towers above gas pumps With five old in each row The hoses hanging down low Two S’s comprise his nose His eyes form an E and an O. One is flat Oblong shaped, with no head Flick was a high-school basketball player He was the best of the team He scored three hundred ninety points in 1946 He set records that lasted. The ball always went in the hoop. One observed him score 38-40 points in a game. He always kept his hands moving He never went to college, but he got a decent gas station job Sometimes, He bounces a tube for entertainment Beside the grease, everyone still remembers the points His appendages are careless on the lug wrench The carelessness doesn’t hurt the lug wrench He is at a diner when not working His hands greasy and clenched while playing pinball As he plays, he smokes and slurps soft drinks He doesn’t speak to the owner He stares at appealing stacks The stacks composed of candy The poem Ex-Basketball Player contains five stanzas and thirty lines. The first stanza describes the ex-basketball player, Flick. It tells how Flick works at â€Å"Berth’s Garage† which doesn’t even have a â€Å"chance to go two blocks† from his old high school. Flick more than likely ended up working at Berth’s Garage because Flick didn’t want to be very far from the place where he had been a hero. Flick doesn’t even own the business, he just simply â€Å"helps Berth out.† The job he was at was taking him nowhere and it was suited for someone with less potential. This poem contains no rhyming. Therefore, it doesn’t contain a rhyme scheme. This poem does not contain a consistent meter. The author uses free verse to write this poem and tell a story. The use of free verse in this poem also allows the author to express his feelings towards the importance of learning a trade and using your potential to make something of yourself. This poem contains specific rhyming devices such as alliteration and onomatopoeia. The alliteration used was in the second and ninth lines. The first use of alliteration was the â€Å"trolley tracks† in the verse â€Å"Bends with the trolley tracks, and stops, cut off.† The second use of alliteration was the â€Å"loose and low† in the verse â€Å"Their rubber elbows hanging loose and low.† There were uses of onomatopoeia in the fifteenth, seventeenth, twenty-first, and twenty-seventh lines. The words used for onomatopoeia were bucketed, rack, dribbles, and smokes. These uses of sound techniques help enhance the theme by allowing the reader to get a better mindset of the story the poem is telling by reading action terms. The kind of language used in this poem was Colloquial Language. This type of language was a mid range between proper grammar and cursing. The use of this type of language made the main idea of the poem more understandable. It made the main idea more understandable by not using perfect grammar, which helps represent a person who is nothing more than a â€Å"gas station attendant.† This type of language enhances the theme by helping show that a high school basketball star has taken his talent nowhere because a lack of learning a trade. The lack of learning a trade can also be perceived through the use of words that are not used in formal setting. There were similes, metaphors, and personification used in this poem. One of the similes used was â€Å"His hands were like wild birds.† The first four lines can be considered a metaphor, being a comparison to Flick’s life of â€Å"turning a corner and stopping before it has a chance to go further.† The personification used was â€Å"Their rubber elbows hanging loose and low.† The use of these figurative language components helps understand the life Flick had been and is living. Updike uses imagery to depict a dim, grimy world of the present and compare it with the brilliant, shining magnificence of Flick’s past. Imagery is initially used in the first two lines of the poem, where Pearl Avenue â€Å"bends with the trolley tracks and stops, cut off.† Those two lines show how Flick’s life has been cut short, just like the road that leads to Berth’s Garage where he works. The train passes by the high school Flick went to, but just like him, it doesn’t go very far beyond. The words â€Å"cut off† are very important in the understanding of Flick’s circumstances. His days of fame came to an abrupt ending with the realization that â€Å"he never learned a trade.† The second stanza used imagery to show that Flick is out of place amongst the â€Å"idiot pumps† with their â€Å"rubber elbows hanging loose and low.† The imagery suggests that these non-living objects are as close as Flick comes to any sort of real contact with others. It is further suggested by the last stanza of the poem, in which he ignores Mae to stare of into â€Å"applauding tiers of Necco Wafers, Nibs, and JuJu Beads.† The reference to one of the pumps as â€Å"more of a football type† also points to the fact that Flick views the world through sports analogies and his past. The fact that there are five pumps, like five men on a basketball court for each team, also suggests that Flick still views life in terms of basketball. These details verify the notion that Flick did not concentrate on anything other than basketball during his formative years. Not relationships with others, not academics, nor a fallback plan. Just basketball. The expression â€Å"idiot† used to describe the pumps also separates Flick from the other basketball players he used to play with and against. Just as he is out of place amongst the pumps, his talent put him out of place amongst his peers. Even though he was admired, Flick was never really a part of the town. His presence was simply ornamental, and continues to be. The theme of this poem is about a high school basketball star that has taken his talent nowhere. If one doesn’t work on their goals, they will never reach their dreams. Also, if you do not reach your goals you can end up living an out of place life. The theme that Flick is not necessarily unhappy, but out of place, carries throughout the poem. The poem says, â€Å"the ball loved Flick† and â€Å"he was the best,† and this allows everyone to see that it is not just Flick who looks upon his past with a sort of admiration and pride. It is the entire city, and he is the local hero. The boy who didn’t exactly make it big, but he made it big enough that he’s remembered. Perhaps the town longs for that hero the same way Flick does. But it is not longing for Flick, specifically. What the town, as shown by the narrator, wants is another hero. Until one comes along, they will live vicariously through Flick’s past. â€Å"As a gag, he dribbles an inner tube, but most of us remember anyway,† the narrator ponders. It’s as though Flick wants to remind the town of his past, but he has no need because the town clings to it just as he does. Flick does not see people, he sees spectators. He does not see gas pumps, he sees opponents, teammates, and athletes. He does not see candy, he sees a high school gymnasium full of admiring fans. And also, the town does not see a person, but the person’s past. It appears to be a very mutual need for recollection. Flick and his fans are a community isolated from reality, and reality is what matters. Flick is not necessarily skilled with the lug wrench, but â€Å"it makes no difference to the lug wrench.† The warmth of memories and â€Å"a gag† are contrasted with the harsh reality that Flick’s path is a permanent one, and in the end, it doesn’t matter how many points he scored or who remembers what. The only thing that matters is the fact that Flick pumps gas. To the townspeople, he is a hero. To the rest of the world, he is nothing, if even that. However, the cold reality does not seem to affect Flick very deeply. The last image one gets is that of Flick staring past a person into â€Å"applauding tiers† of candy. The use of the word â€Å"tiers† plays as almost a joke, suggesting that Flick may be unhappy with his place in life, but he portrays himself as almost carefree by what has happened to him and content to live his life through the glo ry of his past. This poem contained an appropriate title that generated interest and hinted what the poem was about. The subject of this poem did a great job of depicting what the situation was, who is talking, and under what circumstances. The tone of this poem was very neutral by not saying that the life flick is living is good or bad. With the author not putting his opinion into the poem, it can be interpreted in many different ways. There was an excellent choice of words in this poem. The words were very simple, economical, varied and energizing, and the words used didn’t have to be complex to get a point across and paint a good picture. The metaphors, similes and personification used were striking and convincing. The use of the simile â€Å"His hands were like wild birds† did a great job at describing how Flick played basketball, and the use of â€Å"cut off† as imagery did an excellent job at showing how all of Flick’s hopes and dreams came to an end. Research Papers on "Ex-Basketball Player" by John UpdikeThe Hockey GameMind TravelTrailblazing by Eric AndersonStandardized TestingHip-Hop is ArtHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyThe Spring and AutumnNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This Nice

Ancient Flutes, Evidence of Prehistoric Music Making

Ancient Flutes, Evidence of Prehistoric Music Making Ancient flutes made of animal bone or carved from mammoth (extinct elephant) ivory are among the earliest examples of the use of ancient music- and one of the key recognized measures of behavioral modernity for modern human beings. The earliest forms of ancient flutes were made to be played like a modern recorder, that is held vertically. They were most often constructed from the hollow bones of animals, particularly bird wing bones. Bird bones are extremely well-suited for making flutes, as they are already hollow, thin and strong, so that they may be perforated without too much danger of fracturing. Later forms, carved from mammoth ivory, involve a greater grasp of the technology, including carving out the tubular form into two pieces and then fitting the pieces together with some adhesive, perhaps bitumen. Oldest Possible Ancient Flute The oldest possible bone flute discovered to date comes from a Middle Paleolithic site in Slovenia, the Divje Babe I site, a Neanderthal occupation site with Mousterian artifacts. The flute came from a stratigraphic level dated to 43,000 /- 700 RCYBP, and it was made on a juvenile cave bear femur. The Divje Babe I flute, if thats what it is, has two roughly circular holes punctured into it, and three more damaged potential holes. The layer has other gnawed cave bear bones, and some detailed scholarly research into the bones taphonomy- that is to say, the wear and markings on the bone- lead some scholars to conclude that this flute likely resulted from carnivore gnawing. Hohle Fels Flutes The Swabian Jura is an area in Germany where ivory figurines and debris from their production have been identified in numbers from the Upper Paleolithic levels. Three sites- Hohle Fels, Vogelherd, and Geißenklà ¶sterle- have produced flute fragments, all dated between about 30,000-40,000 years ago. In 2008, one nearly complete flute and two other flute fragments were discovered at the Hohle Fels Upper Paleolithic site, located in the Swabian Jura. The longest of these was made on the wing bone of a griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus). Discovered in 12 pieces and reassembled, the bone measures 21.8 centimeters (8.6 inches) long and about 8 millimeters (~1/3 of an inch) in diameter. The Hohle Fels flute has five finger holes and the blowing end has been deeply notched. Two other fragmented flutes found at Hohle Fels are made of ivory. The longest fragment is 11.7 mm (.46 in) in length, and oval (4.2x1.7 mm, or .17x.07 in) in cross-section; the other is 21.1 mm (.83 in) and also oval (7.6 mm x 2.5 mm, or .3x.1 in) in cross-section. Other Flutes Two other sites from the Swabian Jura in Germany have produced ancient flutes. Two flutes- one bird bone and one made up of ivory fragments- have been recovered from the Aurignacian levels of the Vogelherd site. The Geißenklà ¶sterle site excavations have recovered three more flutes, one from a swans wing bone, one from a possible swan wing bone, and one from mammoth ivory. A total of 22 bone flutes have been identified at the Isturitz site in the French Pyrenees, most from later Upper Paleolithic proveniences, circa 20,000 years bp. The Jiahu site, a Neolithic Peiligang culture site in China dating between ca. 7000 and 6000 BC, contained several bone flutes. Sources Taphonomy of a suggested MChase PG, and Nowell A. 1998. Paleolithic bone flute from Slovenia.iddle Current Anthropology 39(4):549-553.Conard NJ, Malina M, and Munzel SC. 2009. New flutes document the earliest musical tradition in southwestern Germany. Nature 460(7256):737-740.Fitch WT. 2006. The biology and evolution of music: A comparative perspective. Cognition 100(1):173-215.Higham T, Basell L, Jacobi R, Wood R, Ramsey CB, and Conard NJ. 2012. Testing models for the beginnings of the Aurignacian and the advent of figurative art and music: The radiocarbon chronology of Geissenklosterle. Journal of Human Evolution(0).King S, and Snchez Santiago G. 2011. Soundscapes of the Everyday in Ancient Oaxaca, Mexico. Archaeologies 7(2):387-422.Morley I. 2006. Mousterian musicianship? the case of the Divje Babe I Bone. Oxford Journal of Archaeology 25(4): 317-333.Pettitt PB. 2008. Art and the Middle-to-Upper Paleolithic transition in Europe: Comments on the archaeological arguments for an ear ly Upper Paleolithic antiquity of the Grotte Chauvet art. Journal of Human Evolution 55(5):908-917. Yang X-Y, Kadereit A, Wagner GA, Wagner I, and Zhang J-Z. 2005. TL and IRSL dating of Jiahu relics and sediments: clue of 7th millennium BC civilization in central China. Journal of Archaeological Science 32(7):1045-1051.

The Difficulty of Connecting with the Parties Responsible for Addressi Assignment

The Difficulty of Connecting with the Parties Responsible for Addressing Important Problems - Assignment Example It took an extraordinarily long time for the emergency response services to start responding to the effects of the hurricane and even then, there were evident signs that the emergency services were clearly struggling, and were having trouble coping with trying to help the hurricane survivors (Kettl, 2009). In contrast to this, Kettl’s mother in law was seen to receive an excellent end of life case through the government’s Medicaid. All her wants and needs were adequately and sufficiently addressed by the program which was seen to be doing an excellent job at ensuring that it was able to deliver quality and timely services (Kettl, 2009). Through the aid of these two illustrations, Kettl is able to identify that although the United States government has consistently proven to be good at the delivery of the basic services like medical care, garbage collection, and management of pension schemes. It had proven to be quite incapable of handling large-scale and unexpected problems like the effects of hurricane Katrina. Kettl argues that as opposed to the standard â€Å"vending machine model† that has been proven to work just fine when it comes to handling repeated problems that might face the system such as garbage collection, the handling of disasters is seen to require concentrated public-private and multi-agency partnerships (Kettl, 2009). Kettl argues that it is increasingly becoming more and more difficult for the government to adequately meet the needs and demands of its citizens. As a result of this increasing difficulty for citizens to connect with the government so as to have their important issues addressed, there has been a general drift towards the creation of a situation whereby most of the work geared at meeting the demands for better and more services by the government has now been placed in the hands of private contractors (Kettl, 2009).