Rabbi Yehuda Halevi, A Jewish Poet And Philosopher

Rabbi Yehuda Halevi was a Jewish poet and philosopher. Many consider him the greatest poet of the golden ages. Halevi was born around the year 1080 in Toledo, Spain. His artistic talent was evident from a young age, and his father who was not short of financial means ensured Halevi had the best education possible. Halevi’s poems could be broadly categorized as religious or secular. Aside from his poetry, Halevi also wrote the Kitab al Kuzari in Arabic, a Jewish philosophical guide that is one of the most important religious readings in Judaism. The Kuzari contains dialogue between a Rabbi and Judaism converts of the Khazar tribe. Halevi’s magnetic personality gave him powerful friends across Europe and the Middle East among them Moses†¦show more content†¦He had a lifelong â€Å"longing† to make a pilgrimage to the holy city of Jerusalem and many of his poems reflected this desire. Arguably, the line of his work that was connected to the Holy Land was what he was most renowned for within the Jewish world. Arguably Halevi’s most famous poem My Heart is in the East captures this yearning perfectly. The line â€Å"My heart is in the east, and I in the uttermost west† –the east referring to Israel and the West his location in Europe-captures the frustration of being so far away from the land of his people. The poem sums up Halevi’s and other Jews’ plight, being torn between the riches of Spain which is albeit dominated by Muslims and Christians, and â€Å"Jerusalem’s dust† where fame and riches do not abound but where the heart is truly at home. The term fetters of Edom can be loosely translated to mean Christianity. The poem would therefore also appear to contain an expression of doubt by Halevi regarding his prospects of ever making it to Zion due to the restrictions and perils placed on travel by Christian and Muslim domination of the Jews and their land. From Jehuda Halevi’s Songs to Zion is an apparent continuation of My Heart is in the East with the first stanza containing the entirety of the latter poem. The five verses of the poem seem to transform progressively through a journey to the Holy Land by

Good Versus Neutral . In The Fourth Century B.C.E., A Fervid

Good versus Neutral In the fourth century B.C.E., a fervid debate was unfolding between the master Mencius and the debater Gaozi. The morality and ethics of humans was at stake. Their beliefs would change how individuals and societies viewed their decisions, their life outcomes, and ultimately, their true nature. In the ring, two clear opposing stances weighed in, but only one would make the cut. In one corner stood Gaozi, defining human nature as neutral, and in the opposing corner stood Mencius, defining human nature as good. Gaozi’s assertion of human nature does not promote any form of ethics or positive personal choice within a society, whereas, Mencuis’s definition upholds strong ethics and personal choice within a society.†¦show more content†¦In this analogy, he compares water to humans and direction to human nature. Gaozi declares human nature does not distinguish between good and not good, therefore, asserting human nature is neutral. The fluid ity of water and how it can easily be shaped by the environment, introduces the argument that the environment shapes human nature. Based on this claim, if humans were all raised in the same environment, they would all make the same decisions, and their lives would inevitably turn out the same. His argument does not address why children raised within the same family can turn out drastically different. Their parents rear them in the same environment, they are presented the same opportunities, and they start off with the same life chances. According to Gaozi, these children would flow in the same direction, not split off with one going east, towards goodness and one going west, towards badness. However, Gaozi’s argument can deliver relief to those who believe their lives turned out dramatically different than they anticipated. Some people may look at themselves and see wickedness as their true nature and feel ashamed or wonder where they went wrong. If they rely on Gaozi, then they may feel unburdened of their wrong doing because they know their environment shaped their life, and they had no other choice but to go west. They would gain freedom from their choices and solace in knowing their essence is not bad, but neutral. The idea of neutrality as human

Net Present Value Questions Free Essays

1. How much will $1000 deposit in savings account earning a compound annual interest rate of 6% be worth at the end of the following number years? a) 3 years$1,191 b) 5 years$1,338 c) 10 years$1,791 2. If you require a 9% return on your investment which would you prefer? a) $5,000 todayPV = $5,000 b) $15,000 five years from todayPV = $9,748. We will write a custom essay sample on Net Present Value Questions or any similar topic only for you Order Now 50 c) $1,000 per year for 15 yearsPV = $8061 Select option b 3. The Lancer Leasing Company has agreed to lease a hydraulic trencher to the Chavez Excavation Company for $20,000 per year over the next 8 years. Lease payments are to be made at the beginning of each year. Assuming that Lancer leasing company requires a 9% rate of return, what is the PV of payments? PV = $120,663 4. The Mutual Assurance and life Company is offering an insurance policy under either of the following two terms: a) Make a series of 12 payments of $1,200 at the beginning of each of the next 12 years (first payment being made today) b) Make a single lump-sum payment today of 10,000 and receive coverage for the next 12 years If you had investment opportunities offering an 8% annual return, which alternative would you prefer? a) PV = $9,766. 66 b) PV = $10,000 Select option a . A leading broker has advertised money multiplier certificates that will triple your money in 9 years; that is if you buy one for $333. 33 today, it will pay you $1,000 at the end of 9 years? What rate of return will you earn on this money multiplier certificates? i = 13. 073% 6. Given two following mutually exclusive alternatives: a) Alternative A: initial cost $100, annual benefits $60, useful life 7 y ears b) Alternative B: initial cost $60, annual benefits $20, useful life 7 years Which alternative is preferable if i = 12%? a) PV = $173. 84 b) PV = $31. 28 Select option a . Project A and B have first costs of $10,000 and $18,000, respectively. Project A has net annual benefits of $5,000 during each year of its 5 year useful life, after which it can be replaced identically. Project B has annual benefits of $6600 during each year of its 10 year life. Use present worth analysis, an interest rate of 30% per year and a 10 year analysis period to determine which project to select. Project A PV = $2767 Project B PV = $2407. 20 Select project A 8. The lining of a chemical tank in a certain manufacturing operation is replaced every 5 years at a cost of $7,500. A new type lining is now available which would last 10 years but costs $19,500. The tank needs new lining now and you intend to use the tank for 40 years, replacing linings when necessary. Whit i of 10% compute the present worth of costs of 40 years of service for the 5-year and 10-year linings. 5 year lining PV of costs = $19,347. 75 10 year lining PV of costs = $31,025. 34 Select 5 year lining 9. A $25,000 20-year loan with a nominal interest rate of 12% compounded monthly is to be repaid in a uniform series of payments of $275 per month (for 240 months). The borrower wants to know how many payments, N, he will have to make until he owes only half of the amount borrowed initially. N = 179 10. $100,000 dollars is deposited in a bank trust account that pays 16% interest compounded quarterly. Equal withdrawals are to be made from the account beginning one year from now and going for ever. Calculate the maximum amount of the equal annual withdrawal. $16,984 11. A truck whose P is 26,700 is being paid for in 24 uniform monthly installments, including i at 6% after making 7 payments the owner decides to pay off the remaining balance of the purchase price in one lump sum. How big is this sum? $19,231. 30 12. Assuming a 10% interest rate, determine which alternative should be selected: a) Alternative A: First cost $5,300, uniform annual benefit $1,800, useful life 4 years, salvage value $0 b) Alternative B: First cost $10,700, uniform annual benefit $2,100, useful life 8 years, salvage value $200 a) A = $127. 85 b) A = $ 112. 30 Select alternative A 13. An $8200 investment returned $2000 per year over a 5-year useful life. What was the rate of return on the investment? i = 7% How to cite Net Present Value Questions, Essay examples

Corruption India free essay sample

Corruption in India is one of the most menacing threats that our economy has been battling with ever since the independence. At all levels of Indian bureaucracy corruption has seemingly taken its toll and has been corroding the structure of our nation. Be it private sector or public sector, Indian people have a tendency of misusing the public position/power in their favor to fulfill their motives and gain personal benefits. All these â€Å"allegations† are not solely based on observation but have statistical data to back with. In 2005, a study was conducted by Transparency International that revealed that more than 62% of Indians have had at least one experience of paying bribes. In 2008 this figure fell down to 40% which is still significant. A recent unofficial data published by The Hindu estimated that Indians had over $1456 billion in Swiss banks. India stands among one of the most corrupt nations in the word. Causes: When evaluating the causes responsible for corruption the number seems to be infinite. We will write a custom essay sample on Corruption India or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page However the main reason is lack of implementation of the rules and laws. It seems as if the ones employed to stop corruption have become a part of corruption itself. There are numerous stringent laws like Indian Penal Code, 1860, The Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, Prevention of money Laundering Act etc. that have been framed to stop corruption but their implementation is missing. Another prominent reason for corruption is lack of transparency in bureaucracy and governmental processes. Especially the government controlled institutions tend to keep the working principles and functioning under the carpet. The welfare programs that aware started to help the poor strata of society contribute significantly to the corruption. The older the economy becomes the more challenging becomes its maintenance. Consequences: The consequences of corruption are grim. The whole system falls apart if the structure of government is struck by the storm of corruption. The efficiency of governmental and private institutions decreases tremendously due to corruption. The ones who are not so rich and are unable to bribe officials don’t get their work done on time and their files collect dust in the offices. The growth of nation cripples when corrupt officials operate at powerful positions. It is estimated that if corruption is stopped the annual growth rate would increase by 4-5%. Cure: When it comes to fighting this adversary, the first blood must be drawn by general public. If there are no individuals that pay bribe then the structure automatically resurrects again. The implementation of laws should be stricter. And increased transparency (e. g. RTI) must be brought into action. Unless the general public becomes vigilant corruption can’t be unplugged from our nation.

Olympics Games Should It Not Be Olympics Festivals

What we know about the ancient Greek history today â€Å"survived either by pure chance or for literally reasons unconnected with their historical significance† (Crawford and Whitehead ix). Among the interesting activities in the contemporary society that interest me is claim that Olympic Games have its origins in Greek ancient history. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Olympics Games: Should It Not Be Olympics Festivals? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More But does it really? Well, olympiakoi agones is the exact world that supposedly translate to ‘Olympic Games’ (Young 4). However, on more investigation, I am led to believe that while Olympic is actually an exact translation from olympiakoi, the term ‘games’ is not an exact translation from the Greek word agones. In fact, (Young 4) observes that agones is better translated as â€Å"struggles†, â€Å"pains† or â€Å"c ontests†. Following the revelations about the not-so-accurate translation of the term olympiakoi agones, it could then be that the claim that Olympic Games has its genesis in Southwest Greece more than 2,700 years ago, is more of an association of activities rather than a reality. I say this because olympiakoi agon was a religious festival, which was to say the least, not associated with sports, or games for that matter. If anything, it appears that the festival was a struggle, or a contest that would involve play at some point in honor of Zeus (Young 4). Olympic Games as we know them today, involves struggles, contents and even some pains, which are often seen as means to the Olympic medals. Digressing to the definition of the word ‘games’, it appears that activities that qualify as games are not strictly meant to be competitive, and neither are they even meant to be painful or involving struggle (Wittgenstein 33e). At the very basics, games are a way of passin g time and enjoying one self, but them again, there is no an accepted definition of the world games and so I could be wrong. Consider the philosophical thoughts of (Wittgenstein 33e) who argues that explaining what a game is to someone who has no idea is a hard task because â€Å"we do not know the boundaries because none has been drawn†. In other words, no boundaries of description has been drawn to the definition of the word games; as such, activities as diverse as playing cards, playing with words, or playing with balls can be described as card games, word games or ball games respectively. Following this line of thinking, I therefore suppose that the fact that Olympic festivals involved different forms of play is what led historians to relate it with the games as we know them today, and even associate the games’ history to ancient Greece, and hence Olympics.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OF F Learn More Considering the above arguments, I am convinced that the only thing that the Olympic festivals in ancient Greece and the contemporary Olympic games share in common is the frequency of being held every four years, and perhaps the name Olympic. I draw the notion that the frequency of the Olympic festivals and the Olympic Games is alike from the understanding that Greeks’ calculate time intervals inclusively. Beyond that, neither the intent nor the activities in both set of Olympics are similar. Even the inclusion of athletics in olympiakoi agones is contested by (Young 8) who observes that Homer- one of the historians who has written about athletic scenes in the ancient Greece- cannot be taken as an authentic memory of the same, because â€Å"rather than preserving a memory of athletics centuries earlier, he represents athletics in his own time† (Young 8). Yet, it is from Homer’s writing that the contests and games associated with the Olympic s (both the festivals and the contemporary games) are drawn. For example, it is observed that Homer’s poems paint the aristocratic warriors as â€Å"channeling their aggression and mutual rivalry into games and contests† whenever â€Å"they were not on the battlefield† (Crawford and David 46). This then means that if Homer cannot be taken as an authority in telling us about the Olympic athletics, even less should we believe any texts that generally take his writings as absolute truth. I also agree with Glass (155-156 cited by Young 19) who argues that a significant number of texts are unreliable despite modern authors believing in them. The generalizations that link the contemporary Olympic Games to the ancient Olympic festivals seem to have been taken from such ancient texts. In my view, the generalizations are not only anachronistic, but also wrong. But again, I too could be wrong. Overall, I hold the opinion that the olympiakoi agones (if it indeed happened) must have provided the participants and onlookers with a chance to compete and contest for whatever rewards there were (including olive tree crowns) as indicated by (Crawford and Whitehead 48). However, the activities that people in ancient Greece participated in during the festivals may never be absolutely known by the contemporary scholars because there is a possibility that much of the knowledge passed down the generations has been people’s inventions rather than factual. As such, the claim that the Olympics Games tradition goes back to the ancient Greece history is in my opinion, overstretching the truth.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Olympics Games: Should It Not Be Olympics Festivals? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Works Cited Crawford, David, and David Whitehead. Archaic and Classical Greece: A Selection of Ancient Sources in Translation. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1983. Print. Wittgenstein, Lu dwig. Philosophical Investigations. Trans. GEM Anscombe. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1958. Young, David. A Brief History of the Olympic Games. London: John Wiley Sons, 2004. Print. This essay on Olympics Games: Should It Not Be Olympics Festivals? was written and submitted by user Tamia V. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Else Statements

The JavaScript Ternary Operator as a Shortcut for If/Else Statements The conditional ternary operator in JavaScript assigns a value to a variable based on some condition and is the only JavaScript operator that takes three operands. The ternary operator is a substitute for an if statement  in which both the if and else clauses assign different values to the same field, like so: if (condition)result something;elseresult somethingelse; The ternary operator shortens this if/else statement into a single statement: result (condition) ? something : somethingelse; If condition is true, the ternary operator returns the value of the first expression; otherwise, it returns the value of the second expression. Lets consider its parts:   First, create the variable to which you want to assign a value, in this case, result. The variable result will have a different value depending on the condition.Note that on the right-hand side (i.e. the operator itself), the condition is first.The condition is always followed by a question mark (?), which can basically be read as was that true?The two possible results come last, separated by a colon (:). This use of the ternary operator is available only when the original if statement follows the format shown above  - but  this is quite a common scenario, and using the ternary operator can be far more efficient. Ternary Operator Example Lets look at a real example. Perhaps you need to determine which children are the right age to attend kindergarten. You might have a conditional statement like this: var age 7;var kindergarten_eligible;   if (age   5) {kindergarten_eligible Old enough;}else {kindergarten_eligible Too young;} Using the ternary operator, you could shorten the expression  to: var  kindergarten_eligible (age 5) ?  Too young  :  Old enough; This example would, of course, return Old enough. Multiple Evaluations You can include multiple evaluations, as well: var age 7, var socially_ready true;var kindergarten_eligible (age 5) ? Too young  : socially_readyOld enough but not yet ready Old and socially mature enoughconsole.log ( kindergarten_eligible ); // logs Old and socially mature enough   Multiple Operations The ternary operator also allows the inclusion of multiple operations for each expression, separated by a comma: var age   7, socially_ready true; age 5  ? (alert(You are old enough.),location.assign(continue.html)) : (socially_ready false,alert(Sorry, but you are not yet ready.)); Ternary Operator Implications Ternary operators avoid otherwise verbose code, so on the one hand, they appear  desirable. On the other hand, they can compromise readability  - obviously, IF ELSE is more easily understood than a cryptic ?. When using a ternary operator  -   Ã‚  or any abbreviation  Ã‚  -   consider who will be reading your code. If less-experienced developers may need to understand your program logic, perhaps the use of the ternary operator should be avoided. This is especially true if your condition and evaluations are complex enough that you would need to nest or chain your ternary operator. In fact, these kinds of nested operators can impact not only readability but debugging. As with any programming decision, be sure to consider context and usability before using a ternary operator.

Carlos Villaluz Francisco Essay Example for Free

Carlos Villaluz Francisco Essay Carlos Villaluz Francisco, born in 1914, was the son of Felipe Francisco and Maria Villaluz of Angono, Rizal. Francisco studied at the University of the Philippines (UP) School of Fine Arts. Before the war, he did illustrations for the Tribune and La Vanguardia, and later, with Victorio Edades and Fermin Sanchez painted sets for the Manila Grand Opera House, and the Clover Theater. He was also a member of the â€Å"Thirteen Moderns† a group formed in 1938. After WWII, Francisco taught at the University of Santo Tomas, simultaneously working in film-making with Miguel conde, as the scriptwriter for â€Å"Ghenghis Khan, Putol na Kampilan† (Broken Sword) and â€Å"Tatlong Labuyo,† (Three Wild Roosters). He also designed costumes for â€Å"Romeo at Julieta,† (Romeo and Juliet) as well as â€Å"Prinsipe Tenoso,† (Prince Tenoso) â€Å"Ibong Adarna,† (Adarna Bird), â€Å"Siete Infantes de Lara,† and the Juan Tamad series. Francisco belonged to the first generation modernists who, with Edades and Galo B.  Ocampo, constituted the pioneering triumvirate which attempted to change the direction of Philippine art from the tenacious influence of the Amorsolo school in new and fresh idioms of visual expression. In the struggle for modern art, Francisco was one of the artists/protagonists in the center of the fray. His painting :Kaingin† (Swidden), a modernist composition with strong design and rhythm, won him the first prize in the historic first national art exhibition of the Art Association of the Philippines (AAP) held at the National Museum in 1948. Francisco, along with Edades and Ocampo were commissioned to do a number of murals for lobbies and for private residences such as that of the architect Juan Nakpil. These murals featured stylized figures in flowing curvilinear lines: nymphs dancing or playing the flute, often against a background of tropical vegetation. Through these works, the artists contributed towards developing a Filipino imagery, drawing inspiration from the the customs and traditions of the Philippine people, as well as from familiar environments. In the quest for a Filipino modernist idiom, Francisco, who chose to be based in his fishing village of Agono, observed Philippine folk aesthetics and researched Philippine histon,, customs, and traditions. He arrived at an idiom which was both Filipino and Asian. Francisco employed bold folk colors, flowing rhythmic lines and decorative patterns often covering the entire field of the painting. He evoked the communal life of Philippine gatherings and celebrations. His images of women were drawn from mythology. uch as Mariang Makiling; from history and legend, such as Princesa Urduja; from customs of the past, such as the maiden carried on a hammock across the mountain in Antipolo; and from contemporary folk, such as the woman preparing fish for sinigang. Fisherfolk were among his favorite subjects since he lived in a fishing village. He showed his closeness to the folk in paintings such as the â€Å"Camote Eaters,† his last and unfinished work. Francisco’s first important mural was done for the 1953 International Fair held in Manila. On the theme of 500 years of Philippine History, its scope covered the legendary origin of the Filipino with the first man and woman Malakas and Maganda springing from the primal bamboo, up to the administration of then incumbent President Elpidio Quirino. The mural was finely executed in wood by the Paete woodcarvers. Foreign visitors to the Fair were impressed by Francisco’s mural which received full Newsweek, but local sentiment was lukewarm and the work was promptly carelessly disposed of after the fair. Francisco’s major masterpiece is the mural for the Bulwagang Katipunan of the Manila City Hall, commissioned by Manila mayor Antonio Villegas during his administration. â€Å"Filipino Struggles through History† chronicles the history of Manila from the first great Rajahs of Tondo, the Spanish colonial period, Balagtas, Rizal and the Revolution of 1896, up to the American colonial period which becomes the history of the entire nation itself. In this work Francisco often integrated several historical episodes, in smaller scale, under one period. The episode groups, however, are not static but flow into each other by means of various linking devices, such as a winding river, flames branching out, or clouds coiling in spirals. The murals are marked by artistic vigor and inexhaustible inventiveness, a lively characterization of the numerous historical figures, and unifying all, a strong sense of design. Andres Bonifacio’s figure makes a compelling visual impact as he is shown forging forward, leading the Katpunero with their long bamboo spears, rifles, and bolos. Among the many dynanic scenes is the encounter between Limahong and the Spanish soldiers as they thrust their weapons at each other. A smaller mural is the Pageant of Commerce in four sections: two sides on the history of Philippine trade, from commercial relations with China and Arabia to the Manila Acapulco alleon trade: a section on the development of modern industry in factories, travel and communication; and the central one of a Filipino couple in native costume, the woman slipping a coin into a bamboo alkansya, with the spirit of commerce hovering above. Francisco also did the murals on the Life and Miracles of St Dominic for Santo Domingo Church, 1954; and the Stations of the Cross for Far Eastern University, 1956. He worked with Victorio Edades and Galo B.  Ocampo on the mural of Rising Philippines for the Capitol Theater and murals for the Golden Gate Exposition, the State Theater, the houses of Pres Manuel Quezon, Ernesto Rufino, and Vicente Rufino. Francisco’s Kaingin won first prize in the 1948 painting competition of the Art Association of the Philippines. He received the Patnubav ng Sining at Kalinangan Award from the City of Manila in 1964. He was proclaimed National Artist in painting in 1973. Carlos Villaluz Francisco. (2016, Dec 12).

Wage Earnings in Australia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Wage Earnings in Australia - Research Paper Example This method has made it fairer for both the employee and employer while looking for jobs and at the same time while seeking for employees with good qualifications. Australian dollar is the currency used in payment of wages. A released data analysis indicates that mining, resource and energy jobs are the most highly paid ranging averagely $155, 042, - $121,913 per hour (Survey, 2012). Engineering jobs follow secondly while construction and consulting and strategy jobs are third and fourth respectively. Amongst the least paid jobs, include the administration and office support jobs, which earn averagely $56,820-$46,278. Minimum Wages Australia has a panel for fair work Ombudsman, which came into existence in 3rd June 2010. The work of the panel is to review the minimum wage an employee should earn. The panel reviews the wages every year and makes their announcement every 1st July annually. The panel also makes their findings public on the same day by publishing them on the government w ebsites and other potential site to bring employers to task with the current rates. The fair work panel also releases a minimum wage order that requires an employee not to earn any lower than the national minimum wage. Currently, the national minimum age is $15.96 per hour (Survey O. S., 2012). If an employee is a casual laborer, he or she is entitled to 23% casual lading wage. Fair work also takes part in monitoring and evaluating employers who contravene or go against the Law. Chris Evans the senator and minister of immigration and citizenship announced that temporary skilled workers in overseas should get payment similar to those paid to market rates. People under 21 years are referred to as junior workers and their rates re usually less than adults. However, different industries and occupations have different wages depending on the types of jobs done. Classification is under casual, permanent or sub contract basis. Subcontractors are not permanent employees and therefore the law of minimum wages does not apply in their case. Subcontractors have their own jobs and work at different hours and they earn commissions depending on how they negotiate with the contractors. The law is very tough on subcontractors and their employers. Under certain circumstances, an employer might subcontract an employee and pay him/her as an employee yet he/she is working as an employee of the organization or company. The trade unions describe how penalties, rewards, and allowances are earned. Most payments are done monthly in Australia but weekly wages still apply depending on the agreement with the employer. Australian law demands that employers provide their employees with pay slips before payment is done for verification. Superannuation is a retirement benefit scheme that any wage earner should pay. Nine percent of the total wage earned is always deducted for the payment of the retirement scheme. The money aims at retirement but can also be used in cases of injuries and illness . All the States in Australia have the command and rule over the salary of their educators. Data from the latest information indicate that all salaries from the Australian capital have a nine-point range. By 2003, South Wales had the highest paid teachers in Australia. The starting salary for trained bachelor of education teacher

Case review on O.J Simpson Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case review on O.J Simpson - Essay Example On February 4, 1997 a civil jury found Simpson liable for the wrong death of Goldman and the battery of his Nicole Brown. Simpson was ordered to pay to $35.5 million to the Goldman and Brown families but has yet to pay anything as his NFL pension is protected from such verdicts. He currently lives in Florida, where his house is protected from being forfeited for a civil judgment. The Prosecution did not have an eyewitness to the murder, but this was just about the only piece of evidence that was not submitted to the jury. There was an overwhelming amount of evidence linking OJ Simpson to the murder. Thus evidence as to Simpson’s violent nature vis-Ã  -vis his ex-wife was presented, including a record of extensive domestic violence. A timeline was establishing using a limousine driver who was to drive Simpson to the airport and Kato Kaelin, Simpson’s housemate, who established that Simpson was away from the house at the time of the murders. The evidence tying Simpson to the murders was technical and circumstantial. It was related to blood, hair, fiber and footprint analysis from the crime scene and at Simpson’s home. Perhaps the most powerful piece of evidence was a DNA test of a blood sample found at the crime scene which found that there was a 1 in 170,000,000 chance that it was not Simpson’s blood. Evidence to show that the eventual not-guilty verdict was sound was never really introduced to the trial. Evidence was provided, as already stated, as to a pattern of domestic violence that would logically lead to the eventual murder of Nicole Brown. The timeline of the night of the murder suggested that Simpson was abset from his house at the time of the murders. The forensic evidence taken from the murder scene and from Simpson’s house showed that his blood was at the scene and that Nicole Brown’s blood was found in a bloody footprint on the carpet outside Simpson’s bedroom. A bloody glove with the victims’ blood on it was found outside

The Operating Budget Essay Example for Free

The Operating Budget Essay Write a four to five (4-5) page paper, titled Part I: The Operating Budget for the (Selected Agency) in which you separate the content into sections: 1. Provide background information about the agency, mission, goals, objectives, departments, and strategic plan. (Title this section Introduction.) 2. Describe the budget of the agency by addressing the following items: (Title this section Budget Overview.) a. Financial Summary, including Revenue and Expenditures b. Department Budgets c. Funding d. Capital Projects e. Debt Administration 3. Perform a Cost Analysis. (Title this section Cost Analysis.) The costs should include the following: a. Fixed Costs b. Step-fixed Costs c. Variable Costs 4. Identify and explain one to two (1-2) challenges you will have in managing the budget. (Title this section Budget Challenges.) 5. Recommend two to three (2-3) strategies the agency should review regarding new initiatives and budget cuts over the next five (5) years. (Title this section Budget Recommendations.) 6. Include the agency’s most recent budget or financial plan. 7. Provide the agency’s Website name, URL, and any other sources used to support the assignment’s criteria. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: †¢ Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA. Check with your professor for any additional instructions. †¢ Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The Trojan Women by Michael Cacoyannis Essay -- Film Cinema Movies Eur

Desperate Trojan Housewives: Some Reflections on The Trojan Women, A Film by Michael Cacoyannis. I am exploring some aspects of the film of Euripides’ The Trojan Women, directed by Michael Caccayannis, based on the poetic translation by Edith Hamilton and starring Katherine Hepburn as the tragic hero Hecuba, queen of Troy. I would like to explore an essentially Jungian theory of what loss means, and whether there can be so much suffering, that it overwhelms the personality. In Jung’s view, which is essentially the view held by most spiritual disciplines, it is only through suffering that we become fully human. It is only when we are in touch with our shame, through our public nakedness, and private anguish, that we can be in touch with our limitations and our humanness. But as we work with our patients do we not doubt the possibility, so eloquently put by Aeschylus and misquoted by Robert Kennedy at a famous speech upon the assassination of Martin Luther King. RFK’s speech In our sleep, pain which cannot forget, falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God. THE FILM There is little plot in the Trojan women and almost no action. It is the day after the destruction of Troy, after ten years of siege, and the women are weeping in the ashes of their destroyed city and waiting by the city walls to be transported along with the Trojan treasure to be handed out a slaves. They await their fate, but still look towards their queen, Hecuba, for guidance and security. The women are huddled in the ashes of their now destroyed city, awaiting transportation by the Greeks. Women and gold are the spoils of war. They all will be dished up as bo... ...vesting the characters with an identity gives me a dimension of reality that helps to stimulate my imagination. In the case of THE TROJAN WOMEN, pre-casting was an artistic necessity. There was no wavering in my choice of the four actresses. I made it as much on the basis of their talent as for r their very special qualities as human beings, their outlook, their spirit. The spirit , and especially Katherine Hepburn’s, who was the first to really and the last to leave the location, not only made this film possible but radiates through performances in a manner that makes the difficult art of acting seem as natural as breathing.’ Claire Odeon Hershman is a psychotherapist in both private practice in London, and The National Health Service. She is a part time lecturer in the department of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy at Birkbeck College, London University. U.K.

Red Bull Marketing Strategy Essay

1. Executive summary Red Bull is most popular energy drink of the world. They sold more than 5 billion cans in 164 countries all over the world in 2013. The brand has a very good image and is category leader. Red Bull is following a high price/quality premium product strategy, but there are a lot of competitors with lower prices liker Monster or Rockstar. The marketing strategy includes a lot of promotion and well-targeted sponsorship, especially with extreme sports. The aim target markets are young urban males ranging from 15 to 30 years old. 2. Introduction to the project  ¹ †Red Bull is an energy drink sold by Austrian company Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 5.387 billion cans in 2013.†  ¹ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull 04/10/2014 History The idea for drinks enriched with taurine come from japan. Dietrich Mateschitz the inventor of Red Bull imports the idea from Thailand to Europe. During a visit in Thailand he realizes that it was easier to get  over the jetlag with an energy drink. He took this idea and the marketing concept, modified the ingredients to suit the tastes of westerners and founded Red Bull GmbH in 1987 in Austria. Based on the good marketing strategy with alternative scenes like techno music, mountainbiking or snowboarding Red Bull got very successful. Product details Red Bull is a lightly carbonated drink that enhances mental and physical activity. The standard serving size of Red Bull is 8 ounces, the serving contains 110 calories, 27 grams of sugar and 80mg of caffeine. Objectives of the paper The following paper is about the situational analysis and recommendation of the marketing plan of Red Bull. It describes the marketing plan that includes the Business Mission Statement, Situation Analysis, SWOT Analysis, Objectives and the target market. Next chapter is about Positioning which explains the process that influences potential customer ´s overall perception of a brand, product line, or an organization general. Furthermore the paper is about the four P ´s that are known as the Marketing Mix: Product, Pricing, Place, Promotion. Last chapter is a little conclusion with recommendations of Red Bull. 3. Marketing Plan 3.1 Business Mission Statement → The foundation of the marketing plan is the mission statement, which answers the question â€Å"What business are we in?†  ² â€Å"We are dedicated to upholding Red Bull standards, while maintaining the leadership position in the energy drinks category when delivering superior customer service in a highly efficient and profitable manner. We create a culture where employees share best practices dedicated to coaching and developing our organization as an employer of choice.†  ²http://joseph-ramos.blogspot.com/2012/09/chapter-1-history-and-mission-statement.html 04/10/2014 Red Bull maintains over 40% of the market share for non-alcoholic energy beverages and has proven to be a strong competitor against soft drink goliaths Coke and Pepsi. The key markets include the United States, Germany, Brazil, Japan, Turkey and Scandinavia. Red Bull is targeting the Western Europe and the USA markets, as well as the growth markets of Brazil, Japan, India and China. 3.2 Situation Analysis → Marketers must understand the current and potential environment in which the product or service will be marketed. Red Bull is present in more than 164 countries throughout the world. That ´s a big challenge for planning, logistic, and cultural receptivity varies from place to place. The products are available all over North America, South America (except Uruguay) and much of Europe. But there is still room to expand to countries in Africa and the southern pacific regions. Focus should be placed on the areas where event tour stops will take place for marketing campaigns. Because event marketing like sponsoring extreme sporting events is an important factor of the marketing strategy. Especially regions which are inherently suited for extreme sporting events should been focused. Sales development graph Red Bull The graph shows the sales development in percent from 2000 to 2012 compared to the previous year. The x-axis indicates the year and the y-axis the sales development.  ³  ³ http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/257247/umfrage/umsatzentwicklung-von-red-bull/ 04/10/2014 3.3 SWOT Analysis → Identifying internal strengths and weaknesses and also examining external opportunities and threat S ⇠¾ Strengths W ⇠¾ Weaknesses O ⇠¾ Opportunities T ⇠¾ Threats Strengths Brand Name: Red Bull is the world ´s most popular energy drink and with effective marketing tools product has created a brand image. The company sponsors extreme sport events, for example Audi Sportsline for the DTM or KTM road and Dakar rally bikes. They also have some team ownerships like New York Red Bulls or FC Red Bull Salzburg (both soccer teams). But the most effective marketing campaign was the foundation from own Red Bull events. A lot of them are very famous; some examples are Red Bull crashed ice, Red Bull cliff diving world-series, Red Bull x-fighters. Category leader: Red Bull has established a strong consistent brand image globally. They created a new product category in the US market and have 40% of market share currently. It is synonymous with energy drinks in many countries. Red Bull is the global market leader within the energy drink industry with the largest sale and market share. Brand quality: Red Bull did not achieve the success and gained maximum market share only because of marketing tactics, because product quality has also shared in this success of the brand. The strong and fresh taste has become a brand identity. Marketing strategy: The company has been employing a lot of promotions and well-targeted campaigns/sponsorship which have greatly helped the brand on past to expand and increase consumer brand awareness. Broad geographic presence: Red Bull has a broad geographic presence, which should ensure positive long-term growth. Recognizable symbol: Red Bull has a strong long-term brand image with strong customer loyalty. Weaknesses High Price: The products are above the average price of energy drinks. Consumers tend to think twice at the time of purchase. Compared to the competitors Red Bull is nearly twice expensive as Monster or Rockstar. Red Bull8.3 fl oz1,99 – 2,25 $ Monster16 fl ozapp. 2,50 $ Rockstar16 fl ozapp. 3,00 $ Category limitations: Compared with other soft drinks companies Red Bull has the smallest product category. The competitors have many other flavor varients and categories. Red Bull is the only brand in the market with limited flavors and offers no variety in the product. Being one brand product, it is difficult to capture the market. For example Monster has 13 different Energy Drinks and 7 Java Drinks. These category is new and is a mixture out if coffee and energy. Lack of Innovation and Unique Selling Position: Within the industry there are number of competitors who are utilizing innovation in product and unique selling product. Red Bull, on the other hand, is less innovative and does not use unique selling position. Copy problematic: Red Bull ´s recipe is subject to copy because of a lack of patent. Demographic development: Most of the Red Bull consumers are under 30, that could be a problem in the future because the demographic development is getting older. Controversial: The r elatively high caffeine and taurine contents makes the brand highly vulnerable to regulatory controls. Opportunities Extension of Product: Red Bull is a single product on the market, there is an opportunity for it to extend its products line by developing more innovative products. Offering new flavors and format could help to improve the market shares. Broaden target group: Because of the demographic development it could be a possibility to broaden the target group to include older demographics by overcoming negative attitudes. For example with healthier products or another style of advertising to response older people. Expansion into more countries: Emerging markets represent newer geographic for Red Bull ´s expansion. The market share in Brazil, Japan, India and China is very low. Red Bull could improve the sales with more advertise in these countries. New advertise campaigns: Red Bull could use non-traditional opportunities in grocery stores and other points of purchase to get more consumers. Or sponsoring other kinds of sport events. New platforms: In-house media production like Red Bull Media House could continue creating Red Bull original content to maximize control. ⠁ ´ Red Bull Media House is a multi-platform media company with a focus on sports, culture, and lifestyle.  As an umbrella brand, we offer a wide range of premium media products and compelling content across media channels as diverse as TV, mobile, digital, audio, and print, with core media offerings that appeal to a global audience. ⠁ ´ http://www.redbullmediahouse.com/company.html 04/10/2014 New production: To make the retail price more competitive Red Bull could build new production facilities in emerging countries. For example Asia or Western Europe could be countries for a cheaper production. Because Red Bull has no own production, a company called â€Å"Rauch† is producing the drink in Austria. Even for exporting Red Bull is not producing a concentrate, instead of they shipping it finished in the cans. This generates high costs for the production and shipping. Threats Giant competitors: The presence of large and giant competitors can affect the market position of Red Bull. Monster represents the biggest threat as it contains natural ingredients, which seems more desirable than Red Bull for some consumers. Consumer awareness of health: In case of consumer awareness related to health, it could be possible that consumer give up to drink Red Bull. Maybe consumers rather drink healthier natural drinks than Red Bull in the future. The market for healthy drinks is getting bigger and more and more people prefer to drink healthy. Aging demographics: The aging target demographic could leave brand with less share in upcoming generations. Negative publicity: The worldwide media reports about Red Bull as harmful for health. Red Bull has high caffeine content in the drink, which if used in excess can be harmful. Moreover in many countries there are strict rules on the products that contains caffeine. Parents also state that some components can be dangerous if consumed by their teenagers. For example Red Bull had been banned in Norway for a couple of years because of the high caffeine content. High marketing costs: Maturity in developed markets makes promotion harder than in the past, including higher marketing cost. Red Bull spends more then one 1,3billion $ in marketing per year. 3.4 Objectives Red Bull has launched a range of products including Red Bull Cola in 2008 and Red Bull Energy Shots in 2009 to reach more customers. Today Red Bull has annual sales of around 4 billion cans in more than 160 countries. Red Bull has a distinctive marketing strategy. This type aims constantly evolve and develop the brand. The company tries to engage with consumers using new and exciting channels of communication. In recent years social media has become a vital marketing tool and it ´s going to be more important in the future. It ´s increasing popularity, predominantly with young audiences has had a huge impact on modern marketing techniques. Negative publicity ⠁ µ Various media worldwide have reported that Red Bull is harmful for one ´s health. The French Health Authority has gone one step further by not approving the Red Bull product sale in France, believing it is not in compliance with the country ´s health and food regulations. Other media reports have ben targeted towards parents stating the caffeine levels in Red Bull can be dangerous if consumed by children/teenagers, who are exactly the products target audience. Red Bull has gone to the extremes of seeking scientific proof that its product is safe for consumption and released numerous statements to curb the negative attention. ⠁ µ http://gives-u-wings.blogspot.com/2012/01/swot-analysis.html 04/10/2014 Inability to move forward with the product Red Bull is known for its innovative advertising. The aim of attracting 15 – 30 year olds is working, but for how long? Combine this with their large investment in extreme sport events the question is what will be their next stop keep on being innovating and attracting. 3.5 Target Markets Red Bull markets to young urban males ranging in age from 15 to 30 years old. These males live in a constantly exciting and adventurous lifestyle. They â€Å" life on the edge† or try and they are usually average build. Red Bull males participate in competitive and extreme sports or any other kind of  adventurous and recreational activities. Competitive games in the video game industry are also gravitating towards the products to keep them alert during tournaments. Red Bull defines the whole of these consumers as Generation Y because they are not only active males but also active students who need the energy to study all night long. Red Bull also have a secondary target market of older consumers in general ranging from 25 to 45 years old. Whether this may be a business executive finishing an annual project or a truck driver. These male came from all walks of life and financial status. They live in suburban and rural areas and have different levels of education. They all share physical and mental exertion in common and getting their adrenaline pumping. There is also fairly new category, it ´s called the clubber. The people find out that Red Bull can be used as a very good with alcohol. In my opinion it is almost impossible to find the right target group, the reason for that is because of the various applications of Red Bull. A typical Red Bull drinker is dynamic and active and most of them are males. 4. Positioning → The development of any marketing mix depends on positioning, a process that influences potential customer ´s overall perception of a brand, product line, or a organization general Red Bull represents a new category of drinks, the energy drinks. The company positioned as a premium/high margin brand. The price is much higher than the products from the competitors, it ´s a premium price product. It is a unique functional drink. Promising and delivering benefits that no other drink can offer. Compared to the competitors Red Bull is nearly twice expensive as Monster or Rockstar. The price expresses superiority od Red Bull and further on it proves that there is no substitute. The positioning policy of Red Bull is: premium product, premium price and premium profitability. 5. Marketing Mix 5.1 Product The normal Red Bull is served in 8 ounces aluminum can. But now their also offer different sizes and flavours. The can has a special form compared to a normal can, it ´s thinner and longer (everybody knows the form). The package design resembles a silver and blue racing flag with two bulls facing each other in the center while the Red Bull title treatment sits beneath. Red Bull used the new can as an innovation for new and attractive packaging. The can is different and unique from other brands in the market. Red Bull is made to improve performance, concentration, reaction speed and vigilance. It contains taurine, glucuronolactone, naturally occurring antioxidants and carbohydrates respectively, that help to detoxify the body. The beverage also helps to revitalize the body through the use of caffeine and B-group vitamins which help to boost energy levels and metabolism. Some people say Red Bull tastes like gummy bear cough syrup, it ´s definitely an acquired taste. The founder Mateschitz says: â€Å" Red Bull isn ´t a drink, it ´s a way of life. 5.2 Pricing The average price for a 8 ounces can is about 1,99 – 2,25 $ in the United States. In other countries the price could be a bit different. Red Bull has always followed high pricing policy. It ´s twice expensive compared to the competitors. But they are selling well that Red Bull does not participate in the price-off regularly seen in different flooded beverage industry. 5.3 Place Red Bull is distributed in almost every supermarket over the world in more than 160 countries. It also has a lot of sponsoring deals with nightclubs, sport clubs, bars and companies. The aim is finding consumers at the right time at the right place in the right situation. They focus on areas where an energy boost is needed. Red Bull believes consumption is driven by situations, not sociodemographics. The entry strategy is based on exclusivity, an offspring if Maslow ´s hierarchy if needs. For example when Red Bull came to the U.S. it focused its pre-seeding efforts in New York City, where the brand was already hyped by the large European influence. Red Bull was well stocked in clubs, where it became the drink of choice. 5.4 Promotion Red Bull is the biggest brand in the energy drink market. They use an aggressive strategy to promote their products. Their two main tools to promote the Red Bull products are sponsoring and free sampling. Red Bull often gives free drinks to attract new costumers. For example at universities or sport events because there are most of the people from the target group. Red Bull send out their sampling girls and boys to deliver free Red Bull. They drive in the famous Red Bull cars und are using the Red Bull fridges. Red Bull also provides sponsorship for numerous parties, social events and especially sport events where they supply free and discounted Red Bull as a quick energy revitalizer and smooth chaser for alcoholic drinks. 6. Conclusions and Recommendation The marketing strategy of Red Bull can be considered as one of the most successful one over the years. The central component in all marketing activities of Red Bull was sponsoring leading athletes of extreme sports and branding refrigerated sales units to complete their marketing strategy. However, in my opinion Red Bull has to change or extend the marketing strategy to compete with other energy drink brands. In the current harsh competition market there are a lot of different energy drinks available. It ´s going to be hard for Red Bull to stay as the first choice energy drink for the costumers. Therefore I think it is time to advertise more in general public to response a bigger target group. They also could use tools like billboards, banner ads or posters to maximize the contact with costumers. I know they are still doing it, but mostly on sport events. Furthermore Red Bull can increase advertises on the Internet. Nowadays most of the people are using the Internet every day and t hey are spending lots of hours for surfing in the world wide web. Red Bull could create some extreme sport online games and advertise on appropriate websites that are quite familiar with students and business people in different countries. To sum up Red Bull has a lot of opportunities to improve their marketing strategy. 10.Bibliography 1. Marketing Strategies, Tactic, and Techniques A Handbook for Practitioners Stuant C. Rogers ISBN: 1-56720-411-2 Published in 2001 2. Wikipedia http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull 04/10/2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull 04/10/2014 3. Red Bull Media House http://www.redbullmediahouse.com 04/10/2014 4. Tagesanzeiger http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/wirtschaft/Die_Marketingmaschine_Red_Bull/story/22743400 04/10/2014 5. Red Bull http://www.redbull.com/us/en 04/10/2014 6. Gives u Wings http://gives-u-wings.blogspot.com/2012/01/financial-report.html 04/10/2014 7. Monster Energy http://www.monsterenergy.com 04/10/2014 8. UK Essays http://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/analaysing-current-market-strategy-for-red-bull-and-future-strategies-business-essay.php 04/10/2014 9. Red Bull Marketing Campaign http://www.slideshare.net/CreativeDunning/red-bull-marketing-campaign 04/10/2014 10. Red Bull Situation Analysis http://www.studymode.com/essays/Red-Bull-Situation-Analysis-820871.html 04/10/2014 11. Joseph Ramos http://joseph-ramos.blogspot.com/2012/09/chapter-1-history-and-mission-statement.html 04/10/2014 12. Statista http://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/257247/umfrage/umsatzentwicklung-von-red.bull/ 04/10/2014 13. All of the explanations after â€Å"→† are from the book MKTG Student Edition Lamb/Hair/McDaniel ISBN: 978-1-285-09186-0 Published in 2013

Political Socialization Essay

Have you ever thought about why you have the political beliefs and values you do? Where did they come from? Are they simply your own ideas and experiences or have you been influenced by others in your thinking? This process by which individuals acquire their political beliefs and attitudes is called political socialization. In another words, Political socialization is a concept where the study of the developmental processes by which children and adolescents acquire political cognition, attitudes and behaviors. What people think and how they come to think it is of critical importance to the stability of the government. The beliefs and values of the people are the basis for a society’s political culture and that culture defines the parameters of political life and governments? action. There are many agents that influence in one degree or another individual’s political socialization. Factors such as: family, friends, teachers, media, religion, race, gender, age and geography all influence us in one way or another during our childhood years. By now you should know that most political opinions are formed during childhood and many political ideas are passed down from parents to their children through them expressing their beliefs. When I was growing up I formed many opinions and attitudes due to the fact my parents were feeling that way. Growing up during in early/mid 1990? s in Bosnia wasn? t easy. With a country in a full scale war people were looking for help. A country that just few years earlier hosted and showed the world a great Winter Olympic Games was in need of help, but no one answered. People started forming their own opinions and theories about the world that has turned their back on them, including my parents. There was very limited access of what was happening in the world available to the people. I can clearly remember trying to figure out what is happening on my own and listening to my parents and trying to form something out of it. I lived in Sarajevo, where it was impossible to get in or out the city for the first year or so. Even with the United Nations present in the city I always asked myself why don? t they end this? To this day, questions always reappear in my mind about the international polices and innerving in a war when so many people are dying. How many lives does it take before the world powers and the most honored world governments sit down and a peace treaty is signed? For me this experience made me establish my own opinions about government and political views. With my parents constantly debating about who started the war, why aren? t the Americans coming, where is the humanitarian aid and many other questions concerning government policies, made me favor what my parents were saying and agree with them. By 1995, most of the fighting has stopped and siege was over and school back in session. Now, more views were formed to enforce what I been hearing at home, but as well some made me look at things in a different as well. I started to develop my own thoughts that have been flooded with so much hate during my childhood. Schools played a really influential agent, after the family, due to the extended exposure to a variety of political beliefs. My friends and teachers, both respected sources of information in one way or another made me look at the world in a different way. I always to this date keep asking myself some of the same questions my parents debated about. I just can? t let it go. Why did so many people get shot, murdered, raped and killed in Srebrenica? In a U. N safe zone, but it still happened. School thought us the history and not to forget. With school back in session, so was the television, newspaper and other sources of mass media. Media took over and attempted to reshape what we all have experienced in the previews five years for the benefit of their own profit. Foreign investors came in and took advantage of others need at a very cheap cost. I remember, first commercial on the national television was about the new mall what was to replace the shelled down Olympic village and the new president was going to be at ceremony. New lottery game was advertised everywhere with faces of political party members. It like nothing has happening the year before. Another factors started to surface with me. Did a religion cause this terrible war? With so much talk about genocide and ethnic cleansing, religion was being though in school. At that time it was unbelievably hard to form your own opinions with so much information being fed to you by the mass media and government policies. Today, I look back to everything that has happened and how did I come to the thoughts and opinions I have about politics. Family was a primary influence in the development of my political orientation, mainly due to constant relationship between my parents and I. Schools became a source to enforce what I been hearing at home. Then Mass Media took over and tried to paint a picture of functions as a political information-giver to adolescents and young children. With placing political figures in everyday life and association with political parties, I can only imagine what their goal was. The earliest socialization I believed is the deepest one because i favored with what parents have been going along with. Their political party favor and mine today however now that I am old enough and been influenced by a different culture I am beginning to rethink many views on our world today.

Medical Information Management Essay Example

Medical Information Management Essay Example Medical Information Management Paper Medical Information Management Paper Medical communication firms have a direct obligation to fulfill customer’s rights, maintenance of firms brand equity and fulfillment of customary obligations. All these are part of improved tactics for regulatory information compliance. To maintain brand equity, medical communication firms are in touch with the community to observe the performance of their healthcare and marketing professionals. In spite of the size of the medical communication organization, there is always a requirement for an efficient medical information management system that has to be considered with high regards (Medical Information Management). Adopting the paperless system has brought many changes within the doctors group. The time to attend patients by the doctors has also increased, due to elimination of paper works. In spite of the negative blows given against the paperless system or the Electronic Medical Records (EMR), it has improved the services provided to the patients. Though the software implementation and training of staff incurs huge expenditure still, all these investments in future improve the patients care. With the new EMR the communication is done without difficulty. There is no need for writing the report, dictating the matter and not even the help of the staff. All these could be done automatically by the new system. From the view of a patient, they are able to fix their appointment, maintain and share their medical records with other physicians with out carrying the stacks of files. It would be a burden than opportunity, if the right required software is not installed for an automated system (Rottinghaus). The OmniMD, one of the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Software, computerizes and makes easy the process of recording, storing and recovery process of patient’s medical records. This software offer ideal patient care and brings a professional touch of fulfilling customary obligation. OmniMD protects customer data and information using HIPAA complaint communication etiquette. The norms of HIPAA ensures tough grade of encryption and verification, were by the company meets all the regular requirements allowing protection and privacy. It is regarded as an user-friendly software that can be accessible from any location. The recording of the patient’s details through EMR will assist in the instant retrieval of the documents. OmniMD software ensures coordination of the workflow. It provides the features for each user, which in turn helps them to have a proper workflow with coordination (Electronic Medical Records). Spring Charts Electronic Medical Record Software claims to be the number one in the EMR market. They state that the Medical Record Software can help in lowering the cost by improving the quality. To stand along their statement they provide better-quality documentation and increased efficiency in medical field. Due to their fast documentation and retrieval process the charting procedure is fast and easy. The software improves efficiency of the office by providing convenience to patient’s medical records. It also supports the documentation of the billing claims. Due to the easiness in charting and retrieval procedure, it is easier for the physicians to attend more patients’ per day. The implementation of this software more or less by small and large concerns is practicable while considering the cost factor. After implementation of the software there is a constructive return on the investment with in a short span (Electronic Medical RecordsSoftware). Yet another software company that provides variety of services in the healthcare industry is Health Quist. It is a unique versatile company that provides automated health care services. Health Quist are in to assisting the hospitals, health care suppliers and individual healthcare offices equally. They help in achieving the maximum ability among various aspects of the business model. Health Quist claims that, they are the novel and faithful partners who delivers high class services to health care organizations in serving the patients. The medical billing service of Health Quist is an absolute full service medical billing solution. Starting from an absolute outsourced billing solution to subdivision of various other specific functions, the companies customized strategies are planned to allow the customers to continue function their business on a usual basis without hassle. The company has provided better solution that helps in lowering the cost, maximizing the efficiency and thereby improves the revenue. Health Quist have taken special concern on the proper management of human life cycle, and their effect on the firms’ revenue. It provides an onsite and remote coding support to meet the hospitals demands in time bound manner. The range of services offered by the company software is on an outsourcing basis, whereas those services relating to the resource personnel, they focus on the contract management techniques. It ensures the selection of the right candidate with proper qualification, skill and required training. Altogether the services provided by the company are full service solutions. Their motto is quality and efficiency in serving the customers (HealthQuist). Technology should be to make life much easier not hassle. The use of technology with its multi facet services reduces the costs. This can be regarded as one of the reason for going paperless. Infact an efficient paperless EMR that is reasonable while considering all the aspects is a plus point for the health care institution (Rottinghaus). Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Practice Management (PMS). (online). Available: omnimd. com/html/aboutus. html . Accessed on October 27, 2008 Electronic Medical Records Software. (online). Available: 2kmedicalrecords. com/ HealthQuist. (online). Available: healthquist. com/index. html. Accessed on October 27, 2008 Medical Information Management. Meeting The Demands Of Medical Inquiries. (online). Available: arisglobal. com/products/medical_information. php . Accessed on October 27, 2008 Rottinghaus, Dean. Electronic Medical Records: The Future of Private-Practice Documentation. 2008. (online). Available: chiroweb. com/mpacms/dc/article. php? id=52423 . Accessed on October 27, 2008

Marshall Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marshall Plan - Research Paper Example The WWII also produced the most radical change in international power structure in over 500 years. The ERP lasted for four years from the April of 1948. (WERNER, 2011, p402). America was responding to the problems and strife faced by the European nations, e.g. the rebuilding of devastated infrastructure by removing trade barriers hence modernizing industries and in the whole making Europe regain its prosperity once again. In the early stages the soviets were offered inclusion in the plan however they declined since they viewed acceptance of the offer would ultimately mean a US control over the soviet communism albeit a small degree(GILLON,2012, p18) Although Europe was aware that there were mixed motives behind the American aid plan, the European countries eagerly embraced the plan. On 12th July 1947 the following countries and others met in Paris to create the CEEC (committee of European Economic Cooperation), Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Greece, France, Ireland, Iceland, Luxemburg, Italy, among others (SULLIVAN, 1997, p16). At any one time there were 150 American ships plying the trade routes carrying the much needed commodities for factories to resume production. The factories were able to employ workers who in turn had the power to purchase goods, in a sense the European were given a new lease of life (MEE, 1984, p248). Between the years of 1948 – 1952, tons of fuel, food and finished products crossed the Atlantic to Europe. There was a rise in industrial production which reached the previous levels before the war by 1959.ERP was noted to have had the best impact in West Germany, here the foreign trade was doubled between the years 1949 & 1950and grew again by  ¾ the following year. Steel production grew from 2.5 million tons to 14.5 million tons, unemployment decreased to nearly zero and houses were built hence West Germany could support its growing

Critically discuss the role of an HRD manager in promoting Essay

Critically discuss the role of an HRD manager in promoting organizational competitiveness within a slowly recovering economy - Essay Example or a change and development among the organisational structure is mostly identified when the job performances of employees are not meeting the standards of the organisation. To be more precise, when the performances of the two groups working under same conditions do not produce the same outcomes, then the HRD manager has to step in the role for enhancing the employees’ performance. Career management and development, socialization and orientation, coaching and performance management are among the few factors that the HRD manager’s roles are surrounded with. It is therefore, necessary to identify the appropriate time to assist the management for developing organisational competitiveness. Thus, the objective of the paper is to identify the different roles played by the HRD manager, both necessary and unnecessary, which at times play a vital part upon organisational performance. HR professionals must build up vast competencies which will benefit them for functioning of their tasks to deal with the changes in the organisations. They should ensure that flexibility and effective communication must be a part of their role which will allow them to adapt to situations quickly. Thus, the roles of HR managers are based on few factors which are discussed below. According to Maanen & Schein (1979), procedure of socialisation engages the transmission of information as well as values which are essentially cultural matters. Furthermore, they added that an organisational culture consists of rules and values that are different within various organisations. The culture of the organisation is mostly dependent on few factors such as, how members relate to colleagues, subordinates, superiors and outsiders, which are conveyed to the new employees by the HR managers. The HR should communicate to the newly employed behavioural environment that prevails within the organisation. Additionally, orientation of employees is the basic facet cited by the HR manager, before any simplest role

Energy from Sunlight Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Energy from Sunlight - Essay Example Countries which receive a lot of sunlight in a year are in an advantageous position than the countries in the far north who do not receive sufficient sunlight. The term used for the incoming solar radiation striking a surface at a particular time is insolation. According to Solar Energy International, on a clear day, the total insolation striking the earth is around 1000 watts per square meter. (Solar Energy International) One of the ways to make use of solar energy is to use photovoltaic cells. The PV modules using arrays of PV cells is used to power a house. ". The PV modules should point towards the true south in the northern hemisphere. They should be inclined at an angle equal to the latitude of the place., so that they absorb the maximum energy throughout the year".(Hestnes, 27) According to TERI, an organization working for environmental concerns in India," :Solar energy can also be used to meet our electricity requirements. Through Solar Photovoltaic (SVP) cells, solar radiation gets converted into DC electricity directly. This electricity can either be used as it is or can be stored in the battery. This stored electrical energy then can be used at night."(TERI) The uses of the stored electricity generated using solar energy are many. Since it is stored, it can be used at night too. According to TERI, the stored solar energy can be used for "a.) domestic lighting. ,b.)street lighting, c)village electrification, d)water pumping, e)desalination of salty water, f) powering of remote telecommunications repeat stations and g)railway signals." (TERI) If energy is to be stored, then batteries would have to be used. Since the life of batteries are much shorter than the PV modules, it is better to... According to TERI, an organization working for environmental concerns in India,† :Solar energy can also be used to meet our electricity requirements. Through Solar Photovoltaic (SVP) cells, solar radiation gets converted into DC electricity directly. This electricity can either be used as it is or can be stored in the battery. This stored electrical energy then can be used at night.†(TERI)  The uses of the stored electricity generated using solar energy are many. Since it is stored, it can be used at night too. According to TERI, the stored solar energy can be used for â€Å"a.) domestic lighting. ,b.)street lighting, c)village electrification, d)water pumping, e)desalination of salty water, f) powering of remote telecommunications repeat stations and g)railway signals.† (TERI)  If energy is to be stored, then batteries would have to be used. Since the life of batteries are much shorter than the PV modules, it is better to get connected to a grid. Power can be sold   when it is in   excess and bought from the grid when   extra energy is needed .It must be remembered that   the selling rate is always less than the buying rate. Wherever batteries are used, they must be maintained.   Many countries have started using solar energy to augment their energy needs. According to a report in The Chronicle Herald of November 29, 2008, a town is Spain is making use of the space available in the cemetery to set up solar panels , because flat , open sun-drenched land is hard t come by in Santa Coloma de Gramenet.  

The Good and Evil Desire of Macbeth Essay Example for Free

The Good and Evil Desire of Macbeth Essay Desire in itself is a powerful force. In fact, almost every action we take, good or evil, is prompted by desire. Success and advancement is also something we all seem to want. It is something people spend hours, days, and years of their life either preparing for, or chasing after. It is a desire that we are often striving for, and the things acquired or accomplished along the way are how we define our lives. Ultimately, at one’s funeral people will remember a person by how their lives summed up in the good or the bad that has been contributed, and the actions took in doing so. In William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Macbeth, depicts the story of an individual’s desire for success and advancement. In this case, a heroic man’s desire becomes something evil that causes tragic events, including murderous acts committed by Macbeth in a bloody rise to power and eventually leads to his complete and utter destruction. In considering any moral question one must use rational thinking to come to a logical conclusion of what is right verse wrong, or good verse evil. In Macbeth’s case, his lack of using rationality, common sense and logic caused a normally healthy emotion of desire for success and advancement into a self destructive one because, it continually led him to make terrible decision. American writer and philosopher Aryn Rand asserts, â€Å"Man must obtain his knowledge and choose his actions by a process of thinking† otherwise, â€Å"Man has the power to act as his own destroyer† (534). Taking into consideration Rand’s moral philosophy of ethical egoism, a person ought to do what is in his or her own best interest further proves that Macbeth desire became evil or was wrong because it led to his death. While Rand’s quote in itself is rational and quite fitting considering Macbeth’s died due to his actions, on the other hand, moral questions cannot be decided alone by appealing to moral authority. For example, take into consideration, German philosopher Frederick Nietzsche. According to Oscar Levy, desire for success and advancement can relate to how â€Å"Nietzsche believes that the fundamental creative force that motivates all creation is the will to power. We all seek to affirm ourselves, to flourish and dominate. † (122). Many people in today’s society can also agree with that belief and how it relates to the story of Macbeth. A person in today’s society could measure their success and accomplishments in a job title, valuable contributions on projects and the feelings of joy from recognition or respect from peers thus leading to a promotion to a higher position, monetary raises, and authority over others. In The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth is Thane of Glamis. This social title indicates him as a baron. This is a position in the upper class of aristocracy that includes owning a castle and lands. In addition, his valuable and heroic contribution as a valiant soldier in a recent battle has given him respect and recognition among his peers. This furthers his advancement and success by King Duncan, thus granting him an additional title, Thane of Cawdor. However, the problem with Nietzsche’s belief, no matter how fitting, is that it is an unsound argument because it is a hasty generalization. Not â€Å"all creation† seeks to â€Å"affirm ourselves, to flourish and dominate† (122). For example, take a person in today’s society who is offered a promotion. This promotion comes with a more responsibilities such as, managing a department of people. It is quite possible that this person is currently happy with their position and does not wish to have the extra responsibilities of exercising control over other staff members. Therefore, in Nietzsche terms they do not want to â€Å"dominate† other people. It is an illogical statement to include all creation in the premise. Another problem in appealing to Nietzsche’s moral authority is that a person could simple disagree with his reasoning of good and bad. According to Nietzsche in Goodness and the Will To Power, Good is â€Å"all that heightens the feeling of power, the Will To Power, and the power itself in a man,† bad is â€Å" all that proceeds as weakness,† and happiness is â€Å"the feeling that power is growing, that resistance is overcome† (134). In Macbeth’s case, his desire for the crown and to remain in power led to him committing regicide, killing the groomsman, hiring murderers to kill his friend Banquo, and ordering the death of Macduff’s wife and children. While Nietzsche would agree that all of those actions are good, society would not look too kindly upon the act of murdering innocents. Even if a person has the credentials to be an authority of a subject, there should be ways of testing the truth or reasonableness of moral judgments. As a matter of fact, Macbeth would fail any test of happiness because he consistently had what Nietzsche considered as bad or weak reactions. For example, instead of being happy that his power was growing after killing King Duncan, Macbeth stated he was, â€Å"afraid to think what I have done† (2. 2. 64). His bloody rise to power to gain and secure the crown may of produced a brief flicker of pleasure but resulted in the enormous price of his conscious destroying him. This included insanity in where his guilt and paranoia led to hallucinations in such as severe nature that he couldn’t distinguish reality from fantasy. As I previously stated, people will remember a person at their funeral by how their lives summed up in the good or the bad that they contributed, and the actions took in doing so. Ultimately, Macbeth will be remembered as a man who committed regicide and a murderer of a woman, children, and his kinsmen. His lack of using rationality, common sense and logic led him to make terrible decision and began a vicious circle causing a chain reaction of horrendous acts and consequences resulting in the suicide of his wife and ultimately his own death. Overall, Macbeth’s desire for success and advancement became truly evil that had severe consequences on not just himself and his wife but of innocents. Works Cited Nietzsche, Friedrich. Beyond Good and Evil. The Moral Life: An Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature. Ed. Louis Pojman and Lewis Vaughn. 4th. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. 121-134. Print. Rand, Ayn. In Defense of Ethical Egoism. The Moral Life: An Introductory Reader in Ethics and Literature. Ed. Louis Pojman and Lewis Vaughn. 4th. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. 531-541. Print. Shakespeare, William. â€Å"The tragedy of Macbeth. † Ed. Paul Werstine and Barbara A. Mowat. New York: Simon Schuster Paperbacks, 1992. Print.

Impact of Urban Living on Biodiversity and Ecosystems

Impact of Urban Living on Biodiversity and Ecosystems It is estimated that almost more than one half of the worlds population is presently living in urban areas (Sakieh et al. 2016; Weigi et al. 2014). In many parts of the world, increasing urban lands has caused changing land use and land cover (LULC) (Wu 2014). Biodiversity, ecosystem processes and functions and human habitants in an urban environment are influenced by the speed and spatiotemporal pattern of urbanization (Wu et al. 2011; Asgarian et al. 2015; Sangani et al. 2015; Wu 2014; Jaafari et al. 2015). Landscape beauty is being affected by LULC changes and urbanization has led to the destruction of aesthetic values in many parts of the world. Scenic landscapes, as one of the ecosystem services, are elements of the environment with the potential for human enjoyment and in some cases they are considered as valuable parameters for nature conservation and management (Bishop and Hulse 1994). The landscape is continually changing due to human activities but its aesthetics usually su ffers from poor quantification and inclusion in management plans. According to Naveh (1995), scenic landscapes are products of interactivity between humans and natural systems where natural landscapes become inhabited, influenced or altered by mutual relationships between ecological and socioeconomic processes. Such interrelated feedbacks can lead to physical modifications of the environment that ultimately can be seen, so landscape aesthetic assessment seem to be essential in land use planning. Understanding, analysis, monitoring and modeling of urban growth is crucial for the management of current urban systems as well as for the planning of future growth (Zhou et al. 2014). Geospatial predictive models and change detection methods can provide a further level of understanding of the causes and impacts of urban growth mechanisms (Sakieh et al. 2014a). In the process of decision making, land managers need to examine the consequences of the urban development process. Regarding the progress in computing power, easy access to spatial data sets and development of functional computer-based models, now there is a possibility in which land use managers and decision makers can evaluate the outcome of their decisions under different alternatives and at the minimum possible cost (Sakieh et al. 2014b). Inclusion of new methodologies such as spatial multi-criteria evaluation (SMCE) can further improve representation and modelling of urban growth patterns, which finally provide spatial d ecision support systems (SDSS) for better planning and management of urban areas (Dai et al. 2001; Jie et al. 2010; Youssef et al. 2011; Xu et al. 2011; Pourebrahim et al. 2011; Yuechen et al. 2011; Bagheri et al. 2013; Bathrellos et al. 2012; Sheng et al. 2012; Jeong et al. 2013, Sakieh et al. 2014b). Since 2000, there have been noticeable efforts for developing microsimulation LULC change methods such as cellular automata (CA) and agent-based models (Goodarzi et al.2016). CA-based models have a natural compatibility to raster geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) data and are appropriate for detail resolution modeling and simulating dynamic spatial processes (Sullivan and Torrens 2000). In recent years, there have been developed some CA-based models such as SLEUTH (Slope, Landuse, Exclusion, Urban, Transportation, and Hillshade) (Clarke et al. 1997), CLUE-S (the Conversion of Land Use and its Effects at Small regional extent) (Verburg et al. 2002), iCity (Stevens et al. 2007) and DINAMICA (Soares-Filho et al. 2002). Compared with the above mentioned spatial models, the SLEUTH model requires fewer input layers and also offers various alternatives for future urban growth prediction (Norman et al. 2012). These characteristics of SLEUTH model have made it as one of the most-implemented and popular methods for land use simulation at different scales (e.g. regional, national, and even binational) (Maithani 2010; Norman et al. 2012; Chaudhuri and Clarke 2013). However, there are a number of limitations with SLEUTH. The first of these is that it is computationally expensive. It requires a high number of model runs using a multi-stage calibration process to narrow down the coefficient value for each input parameter (Goldstein 2003). The second drawback is related to non-linearity of the model for the combination of the coefficients. The Brute Force method[1] which is used in this paper for calibrating the SLEUTH can fall in local maxima and may miss the better coefficient set (Goldstein 2003, Jafarnejad et al. 2015). Urban expansion is a complicated event which mainly occurs because of increasing population and the need for more construction. Consequently, vast lands of valuable ecosystems such as agricultural lands, forests and pastures are consumed and converted to urban areas (Sakieh et al. 2014b). Therefore it is essential to understand and recognize this process in order to implement effective management and avoid reducing the aesthetic value of landscapes. To achieve this goal, areas with high aesthetic value should be recognized at the first step. In this regard, there are various approaches to determine the aesthetic impacts on different areas of the city including expert-based methods such as Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE), statistical approaches such Logistic Regression (LR) and Artificial Intelligence-based methods such as Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) Neural Networks (Riveira and Maseda 2006). These methods are repeatedly being implemented for suitability mapping of utilities such as urbanization (Pijanowski et al. 2002; Hu and Lo 2007; Pao 2008; Mahiny and Clarke 2012; Sakieh et al. 2015), environmental conservation (Singh and Kushwaha 2011; Mehri et al. 2014; Sakieh et al. 2015) and agricultural activities (Mozumder and Tripathi 2014; Bodaghabadi et al. 2015) but are less implemented for mapping aesthetic values. The MLP neural network approach has a remarkable ability to derive meaning from complicated or imprecise data and detect trends that are too complex for either humans or other computer techniques. MLP is a more accurate modelling method compared to the others (Saeidi and Salmanmahiny 2014) and has been used in this research. Accordingly, creating a suitable model to predict the landscape scenic value could provide a basis for explicit, quick and accurate integration of aesthetic evaluation into land-use planning efforts. Therefore, the main objective of this study is to evaluate the landscape aesthetic suitability and predict the spatial patterns of u rbanized lands in an effort to preserve landscapes of high aesthetic value. The following section describes how a directed modeling framework can be employed to introduce urban growth scenarios with regarding landscape aesthetic suitability, and finally to develop a city without considerable impact on its aesthetic suitability. Materials and methods Study area Gorgan is one of the cities in the northeast of Iran and the capital of Golestan province, located in 36 °, 49 ´ N and 54 °, 24 ´ E (Fig. 1). Gorgan has a mild and humid climate though summers are very hot and humid. The regional topography is very diverse and includes mountains, forests and grasslands, steppes and plains, desert and barren, rivers, wetlands and agricultural lands. Lush Hyrcanian temperate forests are located in the south, while flat areas with farmlands and rangelands make the main structure of the landscape in the north part of the case study. the region is also a destination for about two millions of tourists each year because of its aesthetic values and touristic environment, (Mehrnews 2015).Regarding the nomination of the area as a new province of Iran, rapid population growth has occurred that caused the increasing of built-up surfaces and consequently has made a series of conflicts between land developers and conservation agencies. These disagreements emphasise the importance of LULC planning in this area (Sakieh et al. 2016 b). Figure (1) Scenario based urban growth modelling In this research the SLEUTH cellular automata urban growth model was used to predict dynamics of Gorgan City developing under three different scenarios including historical, managed and aesthetically sound urban growth up to year 2030. The Historical Urban Growth (HUG) scenario assumes that the present pattern of urban growth will be maintained in the future. At the Managed Urban Growth (MUG) scenario, we tried to dictate an infill form of urban development with the aim of protecting the immediate environment of the city against urbanization. In the Aesthetically sound Urban Growth (AUG) scenario, an aesthetic suitability layer was used as the extra excluded layer in SLEUTH model to protect patches of high scenic value. Fig. 2 depicts a research flowchart of the study. The procedure for determining the aesthetic suitability map which was used as the excluded layer is explained in the following section. Figure (2) Aesthetic suitability mapping using MLP MLP is a feed forward artificial neural network model that maps different sets of input data toward a set of applicable and meaningful outputs (Rumelhart 1986). In a feed forward neural network, the information moves only in forward direction, from the input nodes, over the hidden nodes and to the output nodes. A node is considered to be a connection point that can receive, create, store or send data along distributed network routes (Ciresan et al. 2012). Exclusive of the input nodes, each node is a neuron or processing element with a nonlinear transfer function (Fig. 3). There are no cycles or loops in the network. MLP utilizes a supervised learning technique called back propagation for training the network (Rosenblatt et al. 1961; Rumelhart 1986). Learning process conducts in the perceptron by changing the connection weights after the processing of each part of data. Figure (3) Back propagation includes two main stages, forward and backward propagation, to achieve its modification of the neural status. During model training, each sample (e.g. a feature vector related to a single pixel) is entered into the input layer and the receiving node sums the weighted signals from all nodes to which it is connected in the former layer. In this regard, the input to a single node is weighted based on the following equation: Eq. (1) given: wij indicates the weight between node i and node j and o is the output from node i. The result from a given node is j is then computed from: Eq. (2) Function f is often a non-linear sigmoidal transformation that is used to weight the sum of inputs before it sends a signal to the next node. When the forward pass is finished, the performance of the resultant nodes are compared with their corresponding expected values. When a pattern is given to the network, each output node will differ from the preferred results, the difference is linked to the error in the network as well. This error is then propagated backward with weights for corresponding connections modified using a relation known as the delta rule: Eq. (3) Given: ÃŽÂ · is the learning rate of the model; ÃŽÂ ´ is the computed error; and ÃŽÂ ± is the momentum factor. This factor intends to avoid oscillation problems during the search for the minimum value on the error surface and is used to speed up the convergence procedure (Richards et al. 1999). The forward and backward passes continue until the network is properly trained for the characteristics of the targeted utility which in this research is the scenic beauty. Model training is aimed to retrieve the correct weights both for the connections between the input and hidden layers, and between the hidden and the output layer for the categorization of the unknown pixels. The input pattern is categorized to a class that possesses the node with the greatest activation level. The two training elements, automatic training and dynamic, can be employed to automatically execute the MLP. If one or both are used, the training procedure automatically restarts when the algorithm is highly oscillated or become trapped in a local minimum error surface. For each automatic restart of the model training procedure, one of the following items occurs to either learning rate or the sample used in the training procedure, or both. If only automatic training is selected and the first occurrence that the training procedure restarts, the starting weights are randomized. Through the next restarts, the weights are randomized and the learning rate is halved. If both automatic training and dynamic learning rate are chosen and the training restarts automatically, new samples are selected, the weights are randomized, and the learning rate splits in half. If only dynamic rate is chosen, and the learning rate is progressively lowered based on the number of iterations assigned and the start and end learning rates. For instance, if 10,000 iterations are specified and the model is configured with start rate of 0.1 and end rate of 0.001, it will divide 0.009 by 10,000 and lower the learning rate by the result at each iteration (Civco 1993). The acceptable error rate is related to the learning of the network and it is assessed based on the Root Mean Square (RMS error). Lower values of RMS error and higher values of total r2 shows the better fit of model. The MLP algorithm can produce both a hard and soft classifier. The hard classification output generates a discrete layer in which each cell belongs to a definitive category. Activation level maps, however, unlike the output of the hard classifier, are a series of images depicting a degree of membership for each pixel to each possible category. The output is set of images (one per class). Unlike the probability map, the sum of values for any location will not necessarily sum to 1. This is because the results from the neural network are acquired through standardizing the signal values in the range of 0-1 with the activation equation. Larger values imply a higher membership degree of the membership belonging to that corresponding category. The computation of the hard classification result is on the basis of the activation level maps. Data used for aesthetic suitability modelling through MLP method In the MLP analysis of the targeted area, multiple of factors were considered as input layers. Due to the characteristics of Gorgan City, a set of urban and natural criteria was used to model its landscape aesthetic values. These criteria were outlined during previous studies performed in our research area included gardens and agricultural lands (Othman et al, 2015; Mobargheie and Torbati 2014), tree type diversity, vegetation density (Aminzadeh et al, 2014; Weiqi et al, 2014; Chen et al, 2014; Kremer et al, 2016; Martina et al, 2016), topographic diversity (Arrowsmith 2001), buildings height and density (Weiqi et al. 2014; Chen et al. 2014), forest and urban parks (Ayad 2005; Weiqi et al. 2014), ancient sites and squares, refuges and boulevards (Bahrainy 1999; Aminzadeh et al. 2014). The GIS layers of gardens and agricultural lands, parks, squares, boulevards and refuges were obtained from the land use map maintained by the Gorgan municipality. The values of cells within these layers, together with ancient sites, were standardized using a user-defined function and based on the experts opinions. Whereas the relationship between the map value and fuzzy membership did not follow a certain function (e.g. linear, J-shaped or Sigmoidal), the user-defined function was the most applicable function and the user could reclass the map in the standard range. The ancient sites layer was obtained from Department of Cultural Heritage, Crafts and Tourism of Golestan province. The tree type for the study area consisted of six categories of tree communities (scale 1:25,000). Pattern analysis (with window size of 3 ÃÆ'- 3 pixels = 8100 m2) was applied as a filter to count the number of various classes inner a square vicinity of the central cell. Those pixels with three or more different categories in their vicinity were chosen to represent the diversity of a given location for its tree types. By using a Landsat TM image for the study area for 2012, vegetation density was calculated using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) formula: Eq (4) NDVI is a widely used graphical indicator that can be used for detecting vegetative land cover. This index can be calculated based on red and near-infra-red (Xred, Xnir) spectral bands of Landsat image as equation 4 (McFeeters 1996). The layer was standardized using a symmetrical linear function having inflection values as: a=2879, b=5795, c=7595 and d=9545 (Fig. 4). Figure.(4) As the graph shows, by increasing the vegetation density (that is increasing NDVI values) to the point b, scenic value of landscape increases, then in a specific area remains constant (point c) then over increasing of the vegetation density due to restrictions in visibility detracts from scenic value of landscape. The building height and density layer was produced using the current status map of building density provided by the Gorgan municipality. Using a monotonically decreasing linear function in order to determine classification, this layer was standardized. The landscape aesthetic value was therefore decreased by increasing the building height and density, due to the viewshed being blocked. In the spatial input factors, a topographic diversity layer was also included. To determine this layer, a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the research area was acquired from National Cartographic Centre of Iran. A surface shape categorisation was performed on a DEM layer, which consisted of multiple topographic features: peak, flat, ravine, pit, ridge, saddle, slope hillside, saddle hillside, convex hillside, concave hillside and inflection hillside. The categorized layer was then analysed using a mode filter (window size of 3 ÃÆ'- 3 pixels) to specify a new score to the central cell based on most frequent values within the window. Then, a filter size of 7 ÃÆ'- 7 pixels was used to count the number of various categories within the neighbourhood of a central pixel to achieve the final map. This layer demonstrates the most diversified locations in terms of topographic features. The layer was standardized using a monotonically increasing linear function, whereby categories with highe r diversity got the higher score in the standardised value. Fig. 5 portrays factor layers used for aesthetic suitability mapping in this study. Figure (5) After preparing required inputs, the MLP model was configured according to the following data: Input variables: number of input variables = 8 (standardized factor maps) Input specifications: training points file = a raster map of 164 points, which retains the location of 164 attractive (99) and non-attractive (65) spots | maximum training pixels used = 200 | maximum testing pixels used = 200 Network topology: input layer nodes: 8 (equals to the number of input data) | output layer nodes = 1 (continuous surface of aesthetic suitability) | hidden layers =1 | hidden layer nodes = 16 Training parameters: the dynamic learning rate was employed | start learning rate = 0.01 | end learning rate = 0.001 | Momentum factor = 0. 5 | sigmoid constant a = 1.0 Stopping criteria: root mean square (RMS) error = 0.01 | iterations = 10,000 Output function = sigmoidal Once the model was trained, its performance was evaluated by plotting training RMS versus testing RMS during 10,000 model iterations. Lower values for testing error during iterations indicates proper training of the model, and therefore, it can be used to produce aesthetic suitability surface. Data processing for SLEUTH modeling For the SLEUTH modeling undertaken in this study, four urban extent years depicting the distribution of manmade features over time, two layers of the transportation network for two different time periods, one excluded aesthetics layer from urbanization, slope and hillshade layers were used. These input data layers were prepared by the integrated application of geographic information systems and remote sensing. As a model requirement, all binary urban/non-urban layers were stretched linearly and converted into a GIF format. The urban and transportation layers were created based on Landsat MSS and TM images for the years 1987, 1992, 2000 and 2010. These were then used to predict the expansion of Gorgan in 2030. Using a 30-m digital elevation model (DEM), slope percent and hillshade layers were derived. For the first and second modeled scenarios, hydrographical networks (rivers, dams and wetlands), dense forests and roads were used as excluded layers from urban growth. For the third sce nario, the aesthetic layer was added as an exclusory layer. These are shown in Fig. 6. Figure (6) Model calibration SLEUTH is a CA-based model in which five coefficients (diffusion, breed, spread, slope and road gravity) control four types of growth rules including new spreading center growth, spontaneous growth, edge growth and road gravity growth (Jantz et al. 2014). In addition, the straightforward calibration method applied by SLEUTH makes it adaptable to any particular geographic area over time (Clarke et al. 1996). In order to show the relative importance, each coefficient has a dimensionless value ranging between 0 (least important) to 100 (most important). During the calibration process, the form of urban expansion was detected via the four growth rules. The prediction of the model was based on the best range of refined coefficients derived from the calibration step. Table (1) shows the relationships between growth types and growth coefficients. Table (1) The main assumption of the SLEUTH model is based on the inherent pattern of urban dynamics whereby the city will witness the same growth in the future based on its historical trend in the past (Clarke et al. 1997). During the calibration process, the model seeks to derive the best range for each coefficient to enable better simulation based on local historical data (Silva and Clarke 2002). SLEUTH model benefits from a stochastic computation algorithm known as the Monte Carlo method. The model utilizes Monte Carlo iterations stochastically to generate multiple simulations of urban growth so parameters are standardized in a range between 0 and 100. These inputs reflect the relative contribution of each parameter to the dynamics of urban growth in the study area (Sakieh et al. 2014b). Finally, by using the best set of derived coefficients from three steps (coarse, fine and final) of calibration, the model was executed for the simulation of the historical data set. The number of Monte Ca rlo iterations support the robustness of final coefficients to run the prediction part of the model (Candau 2002; Jantz et al. 2004; Sakieh et al. 2014b). For the coarse calibration step, the default parameter values from the sample calibration scenario were employed. Five Monte Carlo iterations were specified for the coarse calibration phase, and growth parameters were set at their widest range of 0 25 100 as START, STEP and STOP values, respectively. A goodness of fit metric, known as the Optimal SLEUTH Metric (OSM) will provide the most robust results for SLEUTH calibration. The OSM is the product of the compare, population, edges, clusters, slope, X-mean, and Y-mean metrics (Dietzel and Clarke 2007). These seven metrics range between 0 and 1 and are multiplied together to calculate the OSM. The iterations are then sorted based on this metric and the best ranges of performing coefficients are chosen for the subsequent calibration stage. Applying the OSM metrics of the best perf orming iterations, the five multipliers were refined and reduced for use in the fine calibration step. The fine calibration step was executed through full resolution input layers in eight Monte Carlo iterations. Based on OSM values, the ranges for the five growth parameters in SLEUTH were further narrowed for the final phase of the calibration mode, which used 10 Monte Carlo iterations. Finally, the ranges for averaging values of the five coefficients of urban development in SLEUTH were set and the averaging was run for 100 Monte Carlo iterations. Model prediction After the calibration and performance validation of the model, the prediction step was executed using the entire data coverage and 100 Monte Carlo iterations. Prediction of the model was based on the initial seed year of the current urban pattern, using those refined values of coefficients. The output of the SLEUTH model is a continues surface in which each cell has a probability value to become an urbanized space in the future. This map is produced for every year including the first year (1987) to the last year (2030). There are three different methods used to simulate the expansion of urban area under different scenarios in the SLEUTH model. In the first method, best-à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ t multipliers derived from the calibration phases can be altered (Leao et al. 2004; Rafiee et al. 2009) and consequently the growth rules will change. In the second method, the excluded layer is weighted through a continuous range of resistance values against urbanization to show that even cells within the excluded layer have the potential to be urbanized under different probabilities (Oguz et al. 2007; Jantz et al. 2010; Mahiny and Clarke 2012, 2013). In the third method, the constraints of self-organization can be modià ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ed (Yang and Lo 2003; Xi et al. 2009). In this study, the first and the second methods were applied for two scenarios. The coefficients were altered in the MUG and AUG scenarios and an aesthetic suitability map of the study area was also used as an extra excluded layer in the AUG scenario. In th is case, the historical trend of the urban growth and two different scenarios were forecasted (Table 2). The adopted scenarios in this study used additional information regarding the study area and its development in the past. In addition, it was acknowledged that land use plans are mostly controlled by master plans for cities derived from regional land use planning (Makhdoum 2001; Dezhkam et al. 2014). The adopted scenarios were set up according to assumptions of uncontrolled and controlled growth, which allows decision makers to construct a quantitative comparative basis for evaluation of different growth alternatives. After calibration of the model, scenarios were introduced to model urban growth to the year 2030 by using two methods of parameter modification and the inclusion of the hydrology, dense forest and transportation exclusion layers in the first two scenarios as well as aesthetic exclusion layers in the third scenario. Table (2) The first scenario assumed that the present pattern of urban growth will be maintained in the future, and therefore, the originally derived parameters were used. The first exclusion layer including hydrographical networks, dense forests and roads were used for this. The prediction was conducted by means of the same resolution data and 100 Monte Carlos iterations. The second scenario used the same exclusion layer as the HUG scenario, but spread and breed coefficients were reduced (from 30 and 59 to 20 and 40 respectively) to dictate an infill urban development with the aim of protecting the immediate environment of the city against urbanization. The slope resistance coefficient was decreased to one-half of its original value, to reflect the current status of urbanization in Gorgan City which shows increasing development on steeper slopes. The third scenario (AUG) used the same coefficient values as those used for the MUG simulation, but the aesthetic suitability layer was used as an extra excluded layer to protect areas of high aesthetic value. The output from the SLEUTH model is a probability map, which shows the probability of each single pixel becoming urbanized. In order to produce a clear map that indicates future urbanized areas, a 90 % value was taken as a threshold to depict those cells which were considered most probable ones to become urbanized by 2030. [1] Brute Force refers to any of several problem-solving methods involving the evaluation of multiple possible answers (urban growth patterns) for model fitness.