Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Physics of the Moon :: physics science space

Gravitational Force of Bodies All bodies with mass exert a gravitational pull on the bodies around them, even you and me. The larger the radius and mass of the body the larger the force. Most people know that the force of gravity on earth is much greater than on the moon, but how much larger is it, and how is gravity calculated? German astronomer Johannes Kepler (1576-1630) spent years observing the motion of planets and developed a set of laws for planetary motion. Years after his death Physicist Isaac Newton (1642-1727) used these laws to help him develop his law of universal gravitation. The law of Universal Gravitation states that: "every particle in the Universe attracts every other particle in the universe with a force that is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them" (Serway 424). This essential means that the force of gravity increases the larger the masses are and decreases the farther away the masses are. The formula to determine the the magnitude of the gravitational force is: Fg = G (M1M2)/R^2 G is the Universal Gravitational Constant, M1 and M2 is the mass of the two objects and R is the distance between them. On Earth the force of gravity causes all objects to accelerate at 9.8m/s^2. For example, say you have a mass of 1kg on the surface of the earth. The force of gravity between the two objects is given by: Fg= (6.673x10^-11)(5.9736x10^24)(1) (6.3781x10^6)^2 Fg = 9.8 m/s^2 6.672x10^-11 is the value of the universal gravitational constant (G), 5.9736x10^24 is the mass of the Earth (M1) in kg, 1 is the mass of our object on the earth's surface (M2) in kg, and 6.3781x10^6 is the distance between the center of the Earth and the Earth's surface (R) in meters. 9.8 m/s^2 is the acceleration force between objects and the earth On the moon this value is much less because the moon has a smaller mass and radius. If the same 1kg object is on the surface of the moon, the force of gravity on it is given by: Fg = (6.673x10^-11)(7.349x10^22)(1) (1.7381x10^6)^2 Fg = 1.6 m/s^2 7.349x10^22 is the mass of the moon in kg and 1.7381x10^6 is the radius of the moon in meters. On the moon objects experience roughly 1/6 the gravitational force they would on Earth. Two astronuats are playing catch on the moon. They throw and catch the ball at a height of 1.

The 1962 Salem Conspiracy Essay -- essays research papers

During the year of 1692, the small town of Salem seems to have been in a state of panic and confusion. The book Witchcraft at Salem, by Chadwick Hansen, is about the witchcraft conspiracies the town has experienced. Hansen goes on to explore the truthfulness of the "possessed" young girls. The reason why Hansen wrote the book is to try to set straight the record of the witchcraft phenomena at Salem, Massachusetts, in the year 1692, about which much has been written and much misunderstood. Hansen has a very respectable education. He graduated and obtained a Bachelors degree from the much respected Yale University. He went on to continue his education and obtained a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Hansen has had many teaching jobs throughout his life. From 1955-60 Hansen was an assistant professor at Pennsylvania State University. From 1965-70 he was a Professor of English and American studies at the University of Minnesota. His most accomplished teaching job was whe n he was a professor and Director of American Civilization at the University of Iowa. To help with his teaching he was in many history groups. He was a member of the Modern Language Association, American Studies Association, and American Historical Association. Hansen has written numerous books including, The American Renaissance: The History and Literature of an Era, and Modern Fiction: Form and Idea in the Contemporary Novel and Short Story. Hansen has many qualifications to write a historical piece during the American Revolution time period. In the summer of 1692, many strange and out of the ordinary events were taking place in Salem. Several young girls and young women began to have strange fits. They were eventually examined by doctors. "Dr. William Griggs examined Elizabeth Paris and Abigail Williams and came to the conclusion that the evil hand is upon them." With this analysis he was informing the patients that they were the victims of witchcraft. Before the girls were examined many members of the Salem community came to the conclusion that witchcraft was the reason the girls were having the strange fits. Following this was a series of hearings and trials, which resulted in the death of 20 people. This was not an uncommon practice used during that time. â€Å"Approximately nine hundred witches were burned in the single city of Bamberg, a... ...I believe it provided the reader with a better understanding of the different reasons the girls were acting in the nature they did. Overall I enjoyed reading Witchcraft at Salem. Hansen brought new ideas while challenging the old ones in a very enthusiastic manner. Many scholars have differing views on what happened at Salem. Some believe that girls were lying, while some believe that a physical ailment was the cause. This book was great for a reader who wanted to find several opinions on what took place in Salem. If the reader wanted to know just the basic facts of the Salem Witch Trials then I would not recommend this book. Witchcraft at Salem requires a general knowledge of what happened during the witch trials because it goes very in depth. This book might be confusing to someone who slept in high school history or english and knows nothing of what happened at Salem during 1962. Erikson, Kai T. â€Å"Were some of those witches real?† The New York Times. 6 July 1969, BR5. Hansen, Chadwick. Witchcraft at Salem. New York: George Braziller, 1969. Marion A. Knight, ed. â€Å"Chadwick Hansen.† Book Review Digest. New York: The H. W. Wilson Company, 1927, 273.

Tuesday, October 1, 2019

Directness and Indirectness in Different Contexts Essay

In modern life, people communicate with others in different ways; for instance, the way that directness or indirectness can affect the success or failure of communication. So, we wonder which way is better for human communications. The definition of directness is the character of being accurate in course or aim or straightforwardness , the quality of being clear, plain, or easy to understand . The definition of indirectness is not said or done in a clear and direct way or stating what a real or supposed original speaker said with changes in wording that conform the statement grammatically to the sentence in which it is included . Speakers use a different register when speaking to different people, such as children, elderly people, peers, superiors, friends, strangers. So , when people talk to each other, they should consider the context, the situation, and then use the right way to communicate.. Position or social status is an important element of choosing whether directness or indirectness. When in a superior position, people tend to use more directness to their inferiors ,by contrast, people use indirect way when they are in a lower or subordinate position. Subordinates usually are more mitigated—polite, tentative or indirect. For example, in a company, as employees, they have to talk to their boss indirectly and politely; even their boss make mistakes, they cannot indicate directly if they do not want be laid off. Otherwise, bosses just talk to the employees directly. But the ones in power had the option of choosing which style to use. It was precisely because of his higher status that the boss was free to choose whether to speak formally or informally, to assert his power or to play it down and build rapport—an option not available to the subordinate, who would have seemed cheeky if she had chosen a style that enhanced friendliness and closeness. In this spirit, if your boss request you something with indirectness,you should not only get the real meaning but also you should manage it, or you may in trouble. Another reason that affects communication is how people related to each other, or social distance, those who have closer relations tend to talk in a more direct way. For instance, they can talk to their parents directly anytime; talking directly is much better to parents; as a result, children should be honest to their parents. Moreover, as a close friend, they also need be honest to each other, so talk directly is a right way to them. When their close friends make any fault, as close friends, they should indicate directly; that is a good way for both of them. On the other hand, people need to talk to their in-laws indirectly; moreover, people should be also respect to elder people. When in a special circumstances, or in emergency, people must use direct way of speaking, otherwise it will cause serious consequences, such as the conversations between the co-pilot and the captain in the text. If people in a urgent situation, they should speak directly even they are subordinates. If not, the superior one would more likely to ignore hints from their crew members than the other way around. The use of indirectness can hardly be understood without the cross-cultural perspective. Communication in any culture is a matter of indirectness. Only a part of meaning resides in the words spoken; the largest part is communicated by hints , assumptions , and audience filling-in from context and prior experience. Americans as a group tend to ignore or even rail against indirectness. For Japanese, Arabian, or the Mediterraneans, â€Å"small talk† is big and essential in business dealings. Non-Americans, and American women, more often realize that much of what is meant cannot be said outright. Cross-culturally it becomes a maddening guessing game that most entrants lose. Cultural differences in listening behavior can be categorized as direct or indirect. In direct listening cultures such as France, Germany, and the United States, people listen primarily for facts and concrete information. Listeners in these cultures also confront speakers directly and feel comfortable asking questions. In indirect listening cultures such as Finland, Japan, and Sweden, people listen in a very different manner. Interruptions do not occur while the speaker is talking, and politeness is part of the listener’s behavior. Indirect messages allow you to express your desire with-out offending or insulting the one interacting with you, but often at the sacrifice of your own feeling. Instead of saying,â€Å" I am bored with the conversation, â€Å" you say , â€Å" It’s getting late and I have to get up early tomorrow, â€Å" or you look at your watch and pretend to be surprised by the time. Instead of saying , â€Å" This food tastes horrible ,†you say ,â€Å" This food tastes different . â€Å" Instead of saying ,â€Å" You look terrible in this dress ,â€Å" you are likely to say ,â€Å" I like the dress you wore yesterday. † However, different people have different ideas; some people think that talking directly can show the point clearly ; and others think that being indirect can be much more polite; otherwise, they think that talking directly is rude to people. The ways that talking directly or indirectly are very important in our life. People should use these properly. These two systems can affect the communication success or failure. And sometimes the different culture also will affect the way that people talk directly or indirectly. Nevertheless, different situations and relationship are two of the most important effects. Therefore, learning how to use a right way to communicate to each other is a very important part in our life.

Monday, September 30, 2019

How Shakespeare shapes audiences(TM) responses to Lady Macbeth Essay

Analyse how Shakespeare shapes audiences’ responses to Lady Macbeth during the play through the language of the play. Shakespeare’s play ‘Macbeth’ is arguably one of the most powerful scripts written. Using such a vast variety of techniques enabled Shakespeare to allow characters to be portrayed and interpreted in different ways, varying from one scene to another. The key character displayed in the play is prominently Lady Macbeth. It could be debated to whether she applies to the traditional Elizabethan women or if she stood her ground and changed the world’s perception of equality. The audience could be thrown either way, is Lady Macbeth weak or strong? Macbeth is not only a play that is internationally recognised as one of Shakespeare’s most influential works but reveals an enormity of historical and cultural context. The role of Elizabethan women in society, in which Lady Macbeth was traditionally obliged to do is an aspect that if put in place in the 21st century would result in catastrophic uproar. Yet, was perfectly acceptable in the Elizabethan times, when Macbeth was set. Women were to be raised to own the knowledge that they were inferior to men; even the church believed this and it was quoted in the bible. They were completely controlled by the dominant male of the household, whether it is her father, brother or even her son. The divine right of kings reveals a connection later in the play, as one would believe God would not accept Macbeth as a King, as he does not agree with murder, revealing Macbeth as an obvious hypocrite of this law in the 1600s.According to these laws, God chose who was to reign as King. It was not simply just to be fought over for popularities and ego’s sake that appears strongly in the script. Lady Macbeth’s first appearance within the play is in Act one Scene five, she is opening a letter addressed to her from her husband Macbeth. She is informed of his concurrence with the three witches, who did not hesitate in telling him they believe he will become the next King of Scotland, following Duncan’s death. At this moment, there is no controversy as to excitement and enthusiasm that has filled Lady Macbeth; it is here she begins plotting the murder of King Duncan. There are a variety of quotations that demonstrate the depth of Lady Macbeth’s determination to prevent anybody infringing upon her plot. ‘Shake my fell purpose nor keep peace between Th’effect and it’ Ensuing this, Lady Macbeth wishes for no interference, for example the distraction of daylight causes a possible problem in the fatal killing of Duncan. ‘Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark’. Lady Macbeth wants the murder to be convicted where it will not be seen, she wishes for there to be no daylight so neither Duncan nor she sees the murder. She is desperate not to hold the feeling of guilt. The most obvious defect of Lady Macbeth is her variety of mannerisms. She appears to own characteristics that would not be expected of an Elizabethan woman. Between lines 35 to 37, Lady Macbeth reveals a hidden witch- like complexion in which she calls upon, to aid and add ease to her plot. This most obvious attribute is demonstrated in these quotes, ‘come, you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts’. She is pleading with the ‘spirits’ to remove any weak feelings and nature’s innocence drained from her body, to ensure she can feel no remorse. The language used suggests she may already be knowledgeable of her witch-like needs and draws the evidence closer to showing signs of her psychological problems. ‘Make thick my blood’, allows her to feel any signs of normality that were previously within her, will be numbed, cold. Throughout Macbeth, Shakespeare makes an obvious statement of using illusions that not only add effect but allow the audience to make connections to previous scenes. The most effective and carefully placed illusion within the text is the word ‘crown’ in the quotation, ‘fill me from the crown to the toe topfull of direst cruelty’ This alludes to Lady Macbeth’s compelling desperation to become queen. Additionally, an explanation towards the trigger of Lady Macbeth’s fiendish behaviour could be connected to the loss of her child. It would appear to have affected her to some extent to the point where she has resulted in this character to cover her faulted complexion. Moreover, the time arrives where Lady Macbeth make the vital move to persuade her husband, Macbeth who is teased by the witches premonitions to take the plot with both hands, and deal the deed. It is in this scene only that Lady Macbeth’s split personality plays an affect that benefits both her and her husband. She has the ability to lure Macbeth into a false sense of security using her seductive charms. Yet, seductiveness alone would not win her the result she is after. She plays Macbeth’s emotions from making him full of guilt, to encouraging him to take a hold of himself and wash away his consideration for others. She ensures he is like putty in her hands, and almost takes on a motherly role with him to make him feel secure and safe in her presence. This is suggested within this quote she is trying to persuade Macbeth to go forward with the murder and therefore giving him no way out of the situation. ‘I have laid the daggers ready’. She quotes ‘look like the innocent flower but be the serpent under’t.’ This is to encourage Macbeth into making himself appear to be the kind, generous person he is but underneath the truth, to reveal an immortality of evil bitterness with the capability of murder. Throughout the play, Lady Macbeth has be subsequently revealed to be a women who plays the dominant part in her relationship with her husband, which would have been viewed as unacceptable in all manners. Words she uses such as ‘give’, ‘get’ and ‘be’ show the language of someone who owns the control in a relationship. It is obvious; Macbeth lacks the strength of a man who should stand by the tradition in the 1600’s that all are women inferior to men. Lady Macbeth is aware she has the upper hand and uses these tools to her advantage. As said previously, she ensures the situation is all set out, so Macbeth can do the deed eliminating any possible chances of him backing down. She is determined to succeed for Macbeth’s future as King of Scotland, or is it all about Lady Macbeth? Macbeth is beside himself after the brutal murder of Duncan, in which he caused. The effect upon him has resulted in extreme side effects in which Lady Macbeth holds concerns for, as she believes it may conclude in arousing suspicion from other family members. She is desperately trying to keep Macbeth level headed by reassuring and comforting his ever-guilty conscience. Quotations from the text support her; ‘ consider it not so deeply’. Lady Macbeth’s language begins to tell us that Macbeth’s ever changing behaviour is playing on her mind; her jerky answers and sharp questions reveal she is not holding her strength, as she would like to. ‘A little water clears us of this deed’ states Lady Macbeth in attempt to disguise her concern for Macbeth’s actions. She is trying to push away her most inner thoughts and convince Macbeth that he can rest assure their secret will not break loose and spread like wild fire. Her distinct change of heart, is becoming increasingly more noticeable throughout the play, she is able to adapt her manners to the situation at hand. She has a side of her which encourages the audience to feel a sense of sympathy towards her but others may perceive this behaviour to be ever more sinister than previous. Following the realisation that undertaking such a risky event to accomplish nothing hit Macbeth. The murder expose not only that his chances of becoming King are increasingly slim but the reality of effects upon himself were far stronger than his first thoughts. He is forced to recognise that Banquo’s sons have more heir to the throne than he; subsequently he kills Banquo in attempt at increasing his opportunity. It is during supper in which Macbeth is asked to seat himself yet rejects the invitation and sees Banquo’s ghost, resulting in a fright. Lady Macbeth once again plays the role of a caring wife trying to comfort her husband. She encourages the guests attending the meal to continue and informs them this is not a seldom occurrence. ‘My lord is often thus, and hath been from his youth.’ The guests absorb Lady Macbeth’s instructions but hold a sense of concern. Macbeth’s reaction to the ‘vision’ grows stronger, causing his wife to eliminate the chances of the murder being revealed to their guests. She is using her variety of personalities to disguise this factor with a sly method. Lady Macbeth continues to not only reassure Macbeth but to call him a coward and imply he is being ridicule to the guests. She states, ‘When all’s done, you look but on a stool’, this backs up this evidence. She is not only able to reveal herself as a kind, loving wife but it is obvious she is unable to hold back on her malicious, bitchy behaviour even in front of her guests. Due to the increase of the pressure upon Lady Macbeth, her struggle comes to a head. Her weakness has taken control and the effects are revealed in act five, scene one through a phase of sleepwalking. The conclusion is one in which was not intended. The secret is revealed to the doctor and gentlewomen observing Lady Macbeth’s actions. It is here in the play, where the suspense is at it’s most intense. It is not only that Lady Macbeth is blinded to the information she is showing her true colours. She may appear strong yet is weak and feeble beneath. ‘Yet who would’ve thought the old man to have so much blood in him?’ This quote ends all chances of Macbeth and his wife running from the burden that haunts them. It is the result of the pressure that cracks Lady Macbeth’s outer shell. In my opinion, William Shakespeare has used an immense quantity of time and thought to create the character of Lady Macbeth. He has the capability to control a balance between the caring, considerate to the malicious and controlling characteristics. This enables the character to show off Macbeth’s flair. Due to Lady Macbeth’s past it is understandable in certain respects for the behaviour she displays. But, even considering the situation, in my response she is very dominating woman who is aware she has the control over the relationship at hand.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Religion in Film: a Comparison of Fight Club and Antz Essay

At first glance, David Fincher’s â€Å"Fight Club† and Dreamworks Studio’s â€Å"Antz† could not be more diametrically opposed to each other in form and genre. One is a dark commentary on the vacuity of modern life, fraught with homoerotic subtext; the other is a brightly animated cartoon where the bad guy dies, the good guy gets the girl, and everybody lives happily ever after. I intentionally chose these two films, however, for their thematic similarity, to examine the recurring motif of striving for identity in a society of conveyer belt roles where the value of the individual is quickly depreciating toward extinction. By analyzing both films through a theological and Freudian lens, I intend to reveal the tension that has always existed between possessing the freedom of choice and submitting to an oppressive, delineating structure. â€Å"Antz† opens up with a disembodied voice announcing its anxieties. As the camera penetrates layers of New York underground, the voice is revealed to belong to a lonely ant. He is in therapy. We soon learn that his name is â€Å"Z† and he is a disgruntled worker ant, airing his frustrations over working all his life and never quite feeling satisfied. One is expected, as an ant, to devote all his efforts toward the good of his colony and deal with his needs being ignored. This is a common grievance, felt among the spectrum of classes and races. Regardless of status, hardly anybody ever feels he is getting his. Before we have time to dismiss Z’s grouchiness as trivial angst, the camera pans out and introduces us to the â€Å"gung-ho super organism† of ant life. What we see is a hyper complex built by and on millions of bodies that link together to drive the meticulous engine that runs and perpetuates the system. It is impossible to make out any one creature from the swarm of activity. We see elevator pulleys marked with phrases lik e â€Å"Let’s Work† and â€Å"Conquer Idleness,† a chilly reference to the Nazi motto that likewise drove millions of human souls to a state of dejection reflected in the demeanor of the worker ants, as well as Ed Norton’s character from Fight Club. We see ants producing their bundled babies for appraisal, where they are systematically (one might say, arbitrarily) assigned a role in the microcosm. Roles like â€Å"worker† and â€Å"soldier† are shouted out at random and these tiny cocoons, before even having a sense of their individuality—what Freud called recognition of self as separate from the mother (colony)—they are deprived of it. They are then designated a place in the hierarchy that will forever  determine their value by output. This systematic allocation of significance by measure of the whole in turn leaves the individual feeling utterly insignificant (Brintall 303). This is the way of life and up until now it went largely unquestioned. As everybody will tell Z, one ant is meaningless. It is not about him it’s about â€Å"us, the team,† working endlessly to build and acquire more, and he would do best to content himself with it and be happy. Don’t think too much. Think ing leads to rogue individualism that puts the whole microcosm in jeopardy. There appears to be no room for pleasure in this life. Even activities intended to relieve pressure and stress, such as dancing and drinking, are normalized, structured. Socializing too has its place, as the ants are transferred from one ghetto to the next. Ants dance in a group and any who desist are either bullied back into submission or removed entirely. If one may speak of computerized ants in a sexual nature, we can observe how the libidinal economy is so tightly controlled in their environment that all drive toward freedom and creativity is squelched. Inner desires have been buried under dirt and exhaustion and thus, if Freud was correct and our energy drive must be pointed somewhere, the eros is redirected toward work, ungratifying as it may be (Brintall 296). It is transferred into idolizing the strength inherent in uniformity, as personified by the macho General Mandible, who’s face comes as close to sexual gratification as an ant’s could when glancing out at the swarming and sweating organism. Although pleasure is at odds with pain, when all prospects for it are denied, pain—the endurance of reality—becomes the only frontier where any pleasure can surface (Brintall 299). It is through pain that the Narrator in â€Å"Fight Club† asserts his identity, his masculinity and his divorce from the whole of society. He feels the punch, not the corporation he slaves for. That scar, that bruise, that burn is on his body and his alone. But this is later in the plot, which it makes little sense to spend time recapitulating, as you are most likely already familiar with it. Rather, I would like to isolate and review specific incidents to connect them with themes of religion and sociology. Though the repressive system of collectivism is not stated as overtly in black and white as in â€Å"Antz,† it is clear that the totalitarian regime in â€Å"Fight Club† is modern consumer culture. Having returned home (after successfully realizing his alter-ego Tyler Durden) to find his apartment  blown to pieces, the Narrator (who’s name is necessarily inconsequential) laments the loss of his beloved designer wardrobe and catalogue dining room set. What are we, asks Tyler? And the answer is infamous: we are consumers. Consumers who exhaust themselves to emptiness, working to fulfill a false dream, to acquire and acquire, believing each new possession will bring them closer to feeling complete. Human beings work to be the masters of their domain, a domain filled with the products of other human labor and frustrations of their own lack and inability to conquer it fully (Brintall 297). All creative energy and hope is transferred into consumerism, an oppressive system we ourselves helped create and perpetuate and thus permit it to establish mastery over us. And what are we told when we inevitably find ourselves feeling even more empty than where we started? To lighten up and not dwell on â€Å"it.† What is this â€Å"it†? This is the â€Å"it† that keeps the Narrator up at night; the â€Å"it† that inspires Z to run away in search of freedom, in search of release; the â€Å"it† that leads both characters into the next stage of their development in their search for meaning and identity; the elusive â€Å"it† that excites the first blow and enables both the main characters to opt out of being just another avatar in the assembly line of human souls and go in search of something better, something else. For Z, it is a perfect utopia where insects can choose their own roles in life instead of being handled by the institution. For Tyler, it is a dystopia, perfect in its chaos and lack of oppressive structure. Each character makes a conscious choice to pursue a different course in life, meaning to demonstrate how individuality is a by-product of free will. But how free are human beings, really? Closer inspection reveals that neither character liberate s himself from structure, and especially not from idolatry. His focus simply shifts toward romanticizing a more bohemian lifestyle (or perhaps it is the audience’s focus that shifts). Although â€Å"Fight Club† is rarely referred to as romanticized. In his commentary about the film, director David Fincher talks about the meticulously sloppy care devoted to the film by exposing it to durations of harsh light, stretching contrast, and similar distortion techniques used to achieve the washed-out, deconstructed picture—a nod back to the film noir genre that characterized the inescapable dreariness and nihilism of the war-time era when life was so desperately devoid of all purpose or intrinsic value. But Tyler encourages  us to send all our pre-constructed notions of value and purpose to hell, and face reality. The reality is that there is no greater meaning, no utopia â€Å"beyond the mast and across the river,† as swears Z, and that putting one’s faith in redemption or God is useless, seeing as how in all pro bability â€Å"God hates you.† It is not surprising he feels this way, given the direct correlation between God and the father. Both films are interlaced with the issue of fatherly abandonment. When the scene first opens up on Z reclining in his therapist’s office cavity, we are subjected to the comical farce of an ant theorizing that his anxieties are most likely rooted in his childhood abandonment issues: his father crawled out on him when he was just a maggot. One cannot help but feel the cinematic hilarity of a tiny ant who’s immense feelings of inadequacy are not only mirrored by our own, but are actually in consensus with our estimation of an ant (and thus ourselves). In a similar exchange between the Narrator and Tyler Durden, the former recalls his father’s proclivity for fostering families all over and then walking out on them. To which Tyler, soaking nonchalantly in a tub in front of his ‘friend’, cogently replies the man is â€Å"setting up franchises,† as though the nurturing of children was nothing more than a simple business transaction. So how can these â€Å"thirty year old boys† be expected to enter into, as Freud wrote, normal, heterosexual society when their lives have been devoid of the strong authority of the father? (Freud handout) After all, â€Å"Our fathers were our models for God,† points out Tyler, â€Å"If they left, what does that tell you about God?† But to abandon our search for the divine is impossible, for in religion there lie answers. With the help of religion we can extract meaning. We see the Narrator attending support groups for the terminally ill in an attempt to establish a connection and find meaning, once again with pain as the currency. By witnessing the pain of other people’s realities, he finds pleasure, he finds acceptance and release—and sleep. These groups are for him akin to communion, a place where pent-up energies can be redistributed. Whatever the grievance, whatever is lacking in this life, a spiritual gathering maintains the possibility for ho pe. Religion thus becomes not just an outlet, a place where the eros can stir and the soul can come alive, but a way to compensate for the â€Å"longing for paternal protection,† the feeling of emptiness rooted early in childhood. Even as Tyler argues that religion is ineffectual, we realize  that in a society where children’s mental and social development is outsourced to vacuous advertisements, those products and ads take the place of the father—and eventually God himself. As â€Å"Fight Club† evolves and membership in the bloody communion grows larger and larger, we see the film come full circle. What began as a search for meaning beyond identification with a repressive system of consumerism, swelled into its own macrocosm (not unlike institutionalized Atheism) fueled by identical and nameless, yet willful, automatons. They are still participating in a society that extinguishes rogue individuality, but they are doing so by choice. Still, human beings need something to elevate and hold up as God, as the ideal. So they elevate Tyler Durden. They elevate fight club, the reality of owning your pain because pleasure is a blinding myth. Are human beings therefore truly free to make their own choices, is the abiding theological and sociological question. The task of determining the controlling force of society—religious collectivism, political collectivism, even anarchical collectivism—nags at our notion of free will. Of course in â€Å"Antz,† it being a kid’s film after all, the tyranny is embodied in one character. In â€Å"Fight Club† it is intentionally disembodied, in-your-face yet still invisible. â€Å"Our great war,† Tyler advocates, â€Å"is a spiritual war.† One might think if we just do away with consumerism, religion, any system, the subconscious would be free to express its most inner desires. But we discover this is not so. There doesn’t seem to be any more meaning or truth in the Ikea catalogue than in the eventual culmination of Project Mayhem, which conspires for the destruction of all authority and material idols—what Freud would deem the death drive. Though the characters in â€Å"Fight Club† have been so disheartened by the lacking prospect of creativity and purpose, and now seek to destroy everything they’ve ever identified with, they are still not free. Perhaps it is only through losing oneself in God, in work, in different institutions, each with their own offerings of value, that one can seek out one’s unique identity. It is possible that the hope for something better—be it called enlightenment, utopia or deeper understanding—allows one to exercise free will in the pursuit of meaning and pleasure, if never finding either itself. Works Cited 1. Anker, Roy M. â€Å"Narrative.† 2. â€Å"Antz.† (1998, dir. Eric Darnell) 3. Brintnall, Kent. â€Å"Psychoanalysis.† 4. â€Å"Fight Club.† (1999, dir. David Fincher) 5. Freud, Sigmund. â€Å"Civilization and Its Discontents.†

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Decision Making Models Essay

Managers have the responsibility of making decisions within that guide and provide direction to their organizations. Although decisions may be made by individuals, groups, or teams, it is the manager who coordinates the process of decision making. Managers make use of various decision making models to effectively steer the organizations. It is worth to noting that there is no one model or style that is always right or perfect in decision making. This is so because different people are successful and satisfied using different styles. There are two major broad models of decision making. These are the deterministic and probalistic models. The deterministic models result in good decisions with good outcomes. The manager using this model is able to get what he/she expects i. e. the out come is risk free. In probabilistic decision models, the expected results are uncertain and thus making good decision may not necessarily lead to good outcomes. The probabilistic decision making model is characterized by more concern with both the outcome value and the amount of risk each decision carries. All other effective decision making models can be classified as either deterministic or probabilistic model. The other subcategories of decision making models are mechanical, mental/verbal, analytical, and simulation. These models are classified based on such characteristics such as types, evolution in time, and availability of information (McCall M. , and Kaplan, R. (2001). ). Mechanical models take physical appearance of the object. They are used to display or test the design of items ranging from new buildings to new products. Mental/verbal models are also important and can be used to verbalize decision strategies for more complicated decision making models. The other model is analytical model which is a mathematical model and aimed at simplification, abstraction of real systems to give insight and understanding to some interested aspect of reality (Klein G. , et al. , (Ed. ) (1993). The analytical models are applicable to the deterministic systems. A simulation model is the last model that I am going to address. Simulation models are the computerized duplications of real systems and are seen to be more realistic, especially when modeling dynamic/probabilistic systems e. g. as used in aviation industry. Current Application Decision making models have assisted managers a lot in making viable decisions within the organization. The models discussed above have been implemented by individuals within organizations to come up with good decisions. For instance, the mental/verbal model has been used to aid in problem identification, in the development phase as well as the selection phase of decision making. Decision support system (DSS) has found usage in air-line management. Decision support systems and the models have been used to make decision both under risk, certainty, and even conflict in organizations. Other applications of the decision making models include the DSS for fiber optic Network Architecture Design and application of technology to cardiovascular diagnosis. Decision making models have also been used in forecasting with examples such as regression models and Box-Jenkins models. In brief, the use of effective decision making models by mangers has helped organizations to improve their businesses as a result of quality decision. The various effective decision making models used by mangers have both benefits and drawbacks or challenges associated with them. Mechanical decision making models have the advantage of being usable for experimentation. Mechanical models are credited for clearly describing the problem of system under study and thus results in innovative designs alternatives for decision making. Mechanical models also have some challenges in that they do not contain explicit relationships between the decision alternatives and dependant variables or objectives Mental/verbal models make the manager unable to experiment with them and cannot be used to show how outcomes or measures of effectiveness change with decision alternatives. It is also not possible to show how the relationships change with the decision alternatives. These models have the advantage of being easy to understand. They are also based on many years of managerial experience (Klein G. , et al. , (Ed. ) (1993). The advantages of analytical models include that they aim at simplification and bring understanding to some interested aspect of reality. They can also help to test the effects of different decision alternatives, constants and parameter values more easily than with any other type of model. They can also analyze complex problems efficiently and concisely, and in many cases provide the cheapest way to analyze these problems. Although they are the most prevalent models in use today they may not be easily accepted by managers who lack training, experience and time to use them. Simulation models have a high degree of abstraction and as such many managers do not want to work with them. The reason of this could be lack of enough training in and exposure to those models. The other reason is that trained managers may lack sufficient time to pay attention to model. Despite these drawbacks the models are beneficial in the sense that in comparison to the mechanical model they can facilitate experimentation because both the independent variables, dependent variables, constants and parameters are explicitly related by language of mathematics.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Operations Management - Essay Example f operations, the realities brought about by globalization demand that the company adopt by integrating vertically in order to gain from economies of scale. Considering emerging issues, the main problem with Benetton is dealing with so many actors in its supply chain. These actors include specialized shops, distribution chains, and agents and all except the latter have no direct relationship with the company. in addition, the company to contend with competing with aggressive players in casual wear market and retaining its reputation in sports market. In order to overcome some of these problems, the company developed high tech production pole. This production unit consolidated production in order to realize economies of scale. Here, production of various product under the company has been brought together in order to benefit from the benefits of many units together. This strategy eliminated the problem of dealing with small production units scattered all over. Logistics of bringing raw materials and taking finished product to the market became easier. In order to benefit from the low cost of production in foreign countries, the company has take some of production work overseas just like competitors are doing. The cost of production on china and other countries on south, and south East Asia is low. Labor cost is an important cost driver in textile as they heavily use human labor. Labor in Europe is expensive and therefore relocating some of the most labor consuming aspect in the garment production is a smart move by the company. Another supply chain strategy adopted by the company is the move to integrate vertically. By doing this, the company now has substantial control of supply. Integrating vertically is a good move because ensures that supply of raw materials is guaranteed. In addition, the company has direct control on quality. This was not possible under the old system through which the company operated under. Traditionally, the company relied on direct