Friday, December 27, 2019

Essay On Huckleberry Finn - 970 Words

Rachel Kent Mrs.Horan Honors English 10 03 June 2017 Huckleberry Finn Essay The book, â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† by Mark Twain is about the adventures that Huck and Jim go on. Huck runs away with Jim and does all he can to get Jim out of Slavery at last. The book takes place in the deep south, pre-Civil War, and shows how prevalent racism was. This historical fiction story goes far enough to humanize Jim and really expose the fallacies of the racist assumptions of slavery effectively attacking racism. Jim was considered a father figure to Huck tackling the belief that African-Americans are inhumane. One of the main reasons Huck ran away in the first place was to escape the horrors his dad put him through. His dad beat him, used†¦show more content†¦Jim almost got hung when he was found, but didn’t because of his character and the way he helped Tom when he was struggling for life, after he got shot. Jim has good morals which was shown and helped people realize he should be treated as a normal human being. An example of this is when the doctor that treated Tom says, â€Å"I liked the nigger for that; I tell you, gentlemen, a nigger like that is worth a thousand dollars—and kind treatment, too. I had everything I needed, and the boy was doing as well there as he would a done at home—better, maybe, because it was so quiet; but there I WAS, with both of m on my hands, and there I had to stick till about dawn this morning; then some men in a skiff come b y, and as good luck would have it the nigger was setting by the pallet with hisShow MoreRelated Huckleberry Finn Essay1183 Words   |  5 Pages River of Life and Realism in Huck Finn nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses the river to symbolize life and the adventures of Huck to show the realism in the novel. These two elements are shown throughout the book in many different ways. Sometimes one would have to really sit down and think about all the symbolism in this classic novel. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;T. S. Eliot stated, amp;#8220;We come to understand the River by seeingRead MoreHuckleberry Finn Analysis Essay1709 Words   |  7 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Analysis Essay â€Å"The situation of the orphan is truly the worst, you’re a child, powerless, with no protectors or guides. It’s the most vulnerable position you can be in, to see someone overcome those odds tells us something about the human spirit. They are often depicted as the kindest or most clever of characters.† Michelle Boisseau describes how important these types of characters are. In a Sunday Times article, she states that a lot of the stories andRead MoreThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay739 Words   |  3 PagesThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain â€Å"When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him.† - Jonathan Swift â€Å"Thoughts on Various Subjects, Moral and Diverting† In some works of literature, the main character often finds himself or herself in conflict with the social or moral values of his environment. Choose one novel or play of literary merit in which the character is at odds with the people around him or herRead MoreReligion In Huckleberry Finn Essay1354 Words   |  6 PagesIn an essay on the church penned by Mark Twain titled Bible Teaching and Religious Practice, he states, â€Å"The Church never corrects it; and also never fails to drop in at the tail of the procession - and take the credit of the correction. As she will presently do in this instance,† (â€Å"Bible Teaching and Religious Practice†). Burdened by slavery and yet disregarding the impacts, Twain writes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in an attempt to convey the atrocity that is southern slavery set upon byRead MoreHuckleberry Finn Essay1185 Words   |  5 PagesMARK TWAIN AND THE ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN Mark Twain was born on the Missouri frontier and spent his childhood there. His real name is actually Samuel Langhorne Clemens. At the age of 12 he quit school in order to earn his living. At the age of 15 he already wrote his first article and by the time he was 16 he had his first short novel published. In 1857 he was an apprentice steamboat pilot on a boat that left Mississippi and was leading towards New Orleans. His characters were createdRead MoreHuckleberry Finn Essay1576 Words   |  7 PagesThis also influenced his writing in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, where the setting of majority of the story toke place on the Mississippi River town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, and various other locations along the river through Arkansas. Twain was not a fan of organized religion, and was known for his anti-slavery views. These personal opinions of his definitely reflect through the character, Huckleberry Finn, because he was against the social norm of treating African-AmericansRead MoreHuckleberry Finn and the use of Satire Essay1109 Words   |  5 Pages Huck Finn and the use of Satire Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been controversial ever since its release in 1884. It has been called everything from the root of modern American literature to a piece of racist trash. Many scholars have argued about Huck Finn being prejudiced. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain uses satire to mock many different aspects of the modern world. Despite the fact that many critics have accused Mark Twain’s novel of promoting racismRead MoreThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Essays : Themes1135 Words   |  5 PagesAdventures of Huckleberry Finn Essay Themes to a book can be easy to spot. But going deeper into the pages really defines a novel. One will pick up on things like an author is leaving little breadcrumbs behind for the reader to pick up on. Now, when analyzing text to a book, you must chunk it, small pieces at a time, so one can really dig deep into the pages of the book. So deep one can pry the staples out of the book. Take Chapters 17 and 18 of â€Å"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn† for example.Read MoreDehumanism In Huckleberry Finn Essay830 Words   |  4 PagesAfricanism in Huckleberry Finn: The Degradation of Jim Mark Twain paints a colorful, grossly inaccurate, picture of the â€Å"typical† black slave of the antebellum south. Simple, superstitious, subhuman. Twain’s use of Africanism in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn allows the reader to view the slave Jim in a light that dehumanizes him and so to cause a lack of emotional attachment to him. Because of this, he is at the same time able to hold up a lens to the contradictory nature of the â€Å"fictionalRead More charhf Character in Huckleberry Finn Essay examples1304 Words   |  6 PagesImportance of Character in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the world’s most acclaimed books. Twain accomplishes this with his extraordinary power of humor, his use of dialect, and by creating complex and unique characters. Developing his characters is one of the greatest assets he has in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. A character that exemplifies this most is Huck Finn, first appearing as rouge, but later transforming

Thursday, December 19, 2019

DRILLING IN ANWR - 1374 Words

Alaskan men have a long history of struggling to survive in the wilderness. Today, some, like the Gwich in, a native Alaskan tribe, still choose to live off nature. Recently, though a new argument has come to Alaska, one that could destroy the traditions of the Gwich’in forever. Politicians, environmentalists, economists and neighbors now fight over the prospect of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Many of the arguments for drilling are worth consideration; however, in comparison to the evidence against it, they are neither convincing nor compelling. In order to fully understand why drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is such a big deal; we need to understand the history of the refuge. ANWR was created†¦show more content†¦Indeed, according to Rep. Cole (US Fed News Service) Twenty first century technology has made it easier than ever to harvest the vast resources available with minimal impact on the environment. Environmentalists however, are still unconvinced. According to Bryant Urstadt of Technology Review, the technology to make drilling less intrusive does, indeed, exist. But, he says, oil companies are unlikely to use it. In the past, oil companies have abandoned cleaner drilling methods, because they have become too expensive. In addition, environmentalists point to pictures of other drilling sites, like that at Prudhoe Bay, which emits black smoke and darkens the face of what was once pristine land. According to Urstadt, the previous Bush administration had a very bad track record when it came to the environment. He says, â€Å"based on the administration s record of legislation and enforcement, however, it is unlikely that industry will be compelled to use [cleaner technology].† (Urstad 77) Drilling supporters still argue that there are benefits to drilling that may outweigh environmental harms. In addition to helping America gain energy independence, drilling has economic be nefits. For Alaskans, tax money is important. Other Americans worry that gas prices are too high. According to Senator George Allen, these high prices come from a reliance on OPEC (US Fed News ServiceShow MoreRelatedDrilling in ANWR is Americas best hope Essay2012 Words   |  9 Pagesdictates sales rules involving the export of oil to non-member countries. In order to lessen our dependence on OPEC oil, the United States should begin drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska. The oil reserves in ANWR are estimated to contain more than twice as much oil as the state of Texas. (Energy) Drilling for these resources will help the United States by decreasing our dependence on OPEC oil, creating jobs, and increasing tax revenue. All of these goalsRead More The Argument Against Drilling In Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)1357 Words   |  6 PagesAlaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the crowned jewel of the nat ion’s 544 refuges is in danger of destruction (Lamar and Markey 12). ANWR has been in existence since 1960 and has slowly become one of the most controversial topics to hit Congress. ANWR is composed of 19 million acres on the northeast coast of Alaska. Although the government has been provided with this immense land they are fighting to gain more land. Why? ANWR is the second biggest oil field that is owned by the U.S.Read More We Should Allow Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)2541 Words   |  11 Pagesoffered to reduce our nations dependence on foreign countries for oil has been opening up drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Proponents say that drilling in ANWR would make the United States more self-sufficient in the area of energy, while at the same time not doing excessive damage to the environment of the area. Opponents of drilling in ANWR cite the environmental problems of off-shore drilling and maintain that this land should be left alone and allowed to stand as an environmentalRead More America MUST Drill for Oil in The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)855 Words   |  4 PagesThe Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For a drug addict to quit a drug, the best solutions for the addict would be to slowly wean them self off the drug periodically. America can be viewed in a parallel way on its dependency for oil. America needs another source of oil to slowly lessen its overwhelming dependency on foreign oil and to help the process of finding another mass energy source. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge better known as the ANWR is a rich treasure of oil and gas thatRead MoreDrilling For Oil : Good For The Economy1203 Words   |  5 PagesEric Hatfield ENGL 2010 Prof. Johansen 11/8/15 Drilling for Oil in Alaska: Good for the Economy. Bad for the Environment On average, each individual American consumes 1.89 gallons of oil a day.( http://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.cfm?id=33t=6) Oil has become such an integral part of our modern society. In fact, Americans rank as the biggest oil consuming country.() This dependence on oil has become such a powerful driving force for our economy, and the demand for more oil has driven our domesticRead MoreArctic National Wildlife Refuge Dispute965 Words   |  4 PagesArctic National Wildlife Refuge, or ANWR, is a refuge geared toward preserving national wildlife in northeastern Alaska. ANWR is about 19 million acres, in space, and contains a potential drilling spot for oil and petroleum. The potential drilling spot is a small area known as the 10-02 Area. It is only 1.5 million acres, or 8%, of ANWR, would even be considered for development (What is ANWR). The controversy surrounding ANWR is whether to drill or not to drill into the 10-02 area. Some people wantRead MoreEssay on North Shore Oil Explorat ion and Drilling1098 Words   |  5 PagesNorth Shore Oil Exploration and Drilling There is some evidence that oil exists under the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This has led to a huge debate as to whether or not companies should be allowed to drill for this oil. A law was passed by congress in 1980 that states â€Å"production of oil and gas from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is prohibited and no leasing or other development leading to production of oil and gas from the [Refuge] shall be undertaken until authorized by an act ofRead MorePro Con Alaska Oil Drilling Essay1295 Words   |  6 Pagesenvironment there. Should the Alaska tundra be opened for oil drilling? II. Should the Alaska tundra be opened for oil drilling? III. I will analyze this controversy in terms of the following stock issues. A. Ill: Is there a problem with the American energy supply? B. Blame: Is the present (non-ANWR) policy inadequate to deal with the problem? C. Cure: Would opening the ANWR help solve the problem? D. Cost: Would the benefits of opening ANWR be worth the cost? IV. I’m going to tell you some backgroundRead More Should the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be opened to Oil Drilling?1544 Words   |  7 PagesDrilling oil in Alaskas Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is a serious issue for environmentalists and for the future of the United States. Should the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge be opened to oil drilling? This paper will debate whether or not we should allow Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to be opened to oil drilling. This will also show the impact it has on the environment, and I will show a critical analysis of the current issue of whether or not to drill. History Arctic NationalRead MoreAnwr: Should We Drill892 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish 1302 October 30, 2012 ANWR: Should we drill? George F. Will article, â€Å"Being green at Ben and Jerry’s† is in a conversational manner and throughout stays that way and uses witty metaphors and sarcastic remarks throughout while poking fun at how he feels about environmentalists and are just plain mistaken when against drilling. He also finds area to state what he believes and reasons why we are not drilling and the reasons why we should be drilling. He breaks sentences down in a descriptive

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Integrated Marketing Communication Childrens Health Drink

Question: Discuss about theIntegrated Marketing Communicationfor Childrens Health Drink. Answer: Introduction: The aim of the report is to understand the importance of integrated marketing communication and its use as an important element of the marketing mix. Integrated marketing communication is the means of integrating a number of communication tools to produce an impactful message that shall help to attract the target groups of people (Cornelissen 2014). The report focuses on selling a food product that is targeted on children less than 12 years of age. A creative strategy for the food product will also be highlighted in this report. On the basis of the creative strategy, best media channels will be recommended. A detailed media planning of the advertisement campaign of the food product will be carried on in this report. Background Information of the Product: The product is a beverage, basically a health drink. It is a consumers product, an FMCG product. The product is acts as a complete package for the grown up children. The drink will be targeted globally and not only in Australia. This drink provides extra energy and improves the immune system of children (Harris 2014). Other benefits of the drink include the correct proportion of the various nutrients present in it. This helps the children to get the nourishment by consuming a glass of this health drink and fulfils the nutritional requirement if children skip their meals. In addition to this, the drink can be consumed by directly mixing it with warm water and there is no need for mixing it with milk, unlike many other health drinks. Two glasses a day are enough for gaining the extra benefits gained from major health drinks (Breda et al. 2014). The drink is also available in a variety of flavors as well. Target Audience: The food product or the health drink is targeted to the children below 12 years of age, but it has to be understood that the purchasers or the customers will be the parents of these children. Therefore, at the time of designing the media plan, the target audience should be both children as well as their parent. It is expected that the age of the parents would be between 35 and 50 years. In addition to this, if the income level of this target group of people is considered, it can be said that both the middle class and the upper middle class people will be targeted for the promotion of this product (Walker 2014). Communication Objectives: The main objective of designing the integrated marketing communication is to improvise the sale of the product. In addition to this, a number of other integrated marketing communication objectives can be stated here. To create brand awareness. Although, the product is aimed to sell health drinks for children, one of the important objectives of the marketing is to create brand awareness among the target group of people (Belch et al. 2014). This shall help them to create a positive image of the particular Company and people shall recognize the brand even if come across with other types of products. To increase brand loyalty. Creating and increasing brand loyalty is a crucial thing in a competitive market. In order to create the scope for repurchasing even when there are a number of options available at the market can be achieved only by the means of creating brand loyalty (Argenti 2015). A well integrated communication plan can help to increase brand loyalty. To target the maximum number of people. As it has been evident that the health drink is targeted globally, therefore the aim of the integrated marketing remains to target the maximum number of people. Therefore, confining only to a single media would not help to achieve the objective and thus, it is recommended to use more than one channel for the marketing and promotional activity. To influence the attitudes of the consumers. The marketing should be conducted in a way to influence the attitudes and the interest of the target consumers. The marketing should differentiate the particular product from the other existing products in the market and shall influence the consumers to go for this particular product only (Thorson and Moore 2013). To influence the purchase intention of the target consumers. The most crucial objective is to increase the sale of the number of products. This shall automatically increase the profitability of the company that remains the only objective of a company. Lastly, it can be said the marketing plan should be designed that shall help to boost the sale of the product. Creative Strategies: Creative strategy is the outcome of the team result that is formed after the intense discussion based on the need of the marketing campaign and the way the plan is integrated to target the particular group of people. The creative strategy for the health drink should be focusing on the nutritional benefits that children would get when they consume it (Kitchen and Burgmann 2015). The strategy should involve the fact that children have to perform a lot of things regularly. They have to remain active throughout. They have to participate equally in academic as well as sports activities. Therefore, they should be supplied with sufficient amount of nutritional food that would help them to be healthy and active. Apart from the importance of being active throughout, the creative strategy should include the role of the parents as well. Therefore, the advertisement should also focus on the fact that parents are only responsible to provide the adequate amount of nutrition and energy drinks to their children. Thus, only feeding children with regular staple food are not enough and that they should be given some extra nutritional food as well (Percy 2014). Moreover, it should also be highlighted that in a competitive world, in order to be at the top, the children should be given the best nutrition that they should surpass others in the competition. The creative strategy might also include the level of stress and hard work that children have to do at schools, tuitions and at other places where they have to participate regularly. In order to gain energy, this health drink will act as the perfect supplement (Moriarty et al. 2014). Media Plan: If the media plan and the different media that to be used for the marketing purpose of the mentioned health drink is considered, it has to be said that if the advertisement remained constrained to one media, the objectives will not be accomplished. Therefore, it is expected to use both traditional and new and digital media for the advertisement and promotional marketing. Electronic media (Television commercial): The most important media to be used for the purpose of the advertising is the Television media. An advertisement has to be developed pointing the importance of the drink and how consuming this particular drink would benefit a child (Moriarty et al. 2014). This commercial should be telecasted during the daily soaps, reality shows and also during the cartoon or other children based programs. Social media networking sites: As already mentioned, the target consumers fall between the age group of 35 and 50 years. This group of people is active users of social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as well. Therefore, advertisement highlighting, the importance of the health drink, in the form of small story board or small duration videos can be made and uploaded on these sites (Walker 2014). This could be the most successful means of advertising if carried on effectively. Promotional campaign: Apart from reaching out people virtually, the communication marketing can be carried on by the means of directly communicating with the target consumers. A promotional campaign can be carried out at various locations like malls or schools, where the parents shall be asked to participate in the campaign. This way the properties of the particular food item can be reached out to the target consumers directly. A free sample can also be offered to the participants (Harris 2014). It is expected that if the above mentioned promotional marketing is carried on, the creative strategy can be easily made highlighted among the people and the promotional activity as a whole shall be a successful one. Conclusion: A detailed discussion has been made on the integrated marketing communication and the plan for the launch of a new range of food products for the children below 12 years of age. However, the target group of people is the parents and the guardians of these children. Therefore, the creative strategy had been framed keeping the target group of people in kind. The creative strategy has been focused towards the competitive nature where children as stuck into and that it fall under the responsibility of the parents to understand the needs of their children and fulfill all the needs. It is for the same reason, the media like social media networking sites or search engines have been selected that could easily target these people and the objectives of the marketing can be achieved easily. References: Argenti, P.A., 2015.Corporate communication. McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Belch, G.E., Belch, M.A., Kerr, G.F. and Powell, I., 2014.Advertising: An integrated marketing communication perspective. McGraw-Hill Education. Breda, J.J., Whiting, S.H., Encarnao, R., Norberg, S., Jones, R., Reinap, M. and Jewell, J., 2014. Energy drink consumption in Europe: a review of the risks, adverse health effects, and policy options to respond.Frontiers in public health,2, p.134. Cornelissen, J., 2014.Corporate communication: A guide to theory and practice. Sage. Harris, J.L., 2014, November. Sugary drink marketing targeted to children, teens and multicultural youth: A continuing challenge for public health initiatives to reduce consumption. In142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15-November 19, 2014). APHA. Kitchen, P.J. and Burgmann, I., 2015. Integrated marketing communication: Making it work at a strategic level.Journal of Business Strategy,36(4), pp.34-39. Moriarty, S., Mitchell, N.D., Wells, W.D., Crawford, R., Brennan, L. and Spence-Stone, R., 2014.Advertising: Principles and practice. Pearson Australia. Percy, L., 2014.Strategic integrated marketing communications. Routledge. Thorson, E. and Moore, J., 2013.Integrated communication: Synergy of persuasive voices. Psychology Press. Walker, S., 2014. YouTube Strategies 2014: Marketing Strategy and Advertising Techniques-Making and Marketing Online Video.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Opera Today Essays - Operas, Don Giovanni, Drammi Giocosi, Elvira

Opera Today Music has the capability to bring forth many emotions and feelings in a person. Depending on the tone and the melody of the music, emotions such as anger, joy, and grief may arise. For example, rap music, in general, brings forth emotions such as anger, frustration, and rage to a person's mind. Melodies such as Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On and Aerosmith's I Don't Want To Miss A Thing often arouse emotions of love, sadness, and hope; lovey-dovey feelings which remind a person of a past or current love. In Mozart's Opera Don Giovanni, many emotions and feelings, such as hatred, distress, and sorrow are portrayed and felt through the characters. Opera is a unique genre of spoken word and song accompanied by music. The music takes one through ascending and descending ranges of emotions. Mozart's Don Giovanni is a perfect example of how this genre emits a wide variety of feelings and attitudes. This dark comedy seems to convey Mozart's feeling that events have both comical and serious dimensions? (Kerman, 205). The opera, as a whole, is neither exclusively comedic nor entirely tragic. The character I have chosen to focus on specifically is Donna Elvira. Her character is one that portrays many different roles and expresses many different feelings and emotions. Elvira's main purpose as a character is the role of the avenger, seeking revenge upon Don Giovanni for his false promises and promiscuous manner. However, as much as she wants to hate Don Giovanni, ruin his name, and make sure that everyone knows that he is a liar and a player, one also senses reluctance and fear in not just her voice, but also through the music which accompanies her. Her tone is often shaken and at times seems to portray her want for sympathy. One finds themselves feeling sorry for this character and sympathizes with what she has gone through due to Don Giovanni. Although her words are brash and unkind (regardless of how just she is in her accusations), the music carries a distinctive rhythm that provokes the feeling of sorrow and pain; thus one finds oneself feeling sympathy for Elvira. The character of Elvira makes a clear distinction between her sorrow, and her anger. In Act I when Elvira is first introduced as a character, she sings of wanting to kill Don Giovanni because he had lied to her. Falsely promising her his hand in marriage, this only leads to heartache and distress for Elvira because she truly believed that he loved her. Leporello described it, in the Peter Sellars' updated version of Don Giovanni, as a bad soap opera. Elvira expresses her pain and suffering in these few lines: Ah, who can tell me where that wretch has gone? I loved him, to my shame, and he broke his faith to me. If I find him again, and he tries to escape, I'll make a horrible scandal; I'll tear his heart from his breast! (Act I, 143). During this scene, Elvira vows to kill Don Giovanni for causing her this grief. She states that the scoundrel (Don Giovanni) has deceived and betrayed (Act I, 145) her! She was powerless to his love and gained nothing in return except pain and anguish. One can hear the mixed tone of Elvira's voice; it is strong and full of fury, yet weak and almost tearful. To accompany her words, Mozart has added a unique blend of classical music, which he mixes to create an opera buff. The music in this specific scene is slightly fast-paced, yet its tone is one of soft melody. This combination, as I see it, serves the purpose of allowing an audience to understand Elvira's rage and pain, and therefore, becomes compassionate and sympathetic to what the character is feeling emotionally. The swift-like pace of the music which accompanies Elvira's words reveals her anger and furry towards Don Giovanni. Most rapidly paced music often has the result of whipping people into an emotional, and sometimes physical, frenzy. Examine Eminem's rap music: his spitfire words and rapid rhythm get listeners emotionally riled up (mostly geared towards anger and rage). Mozart purposely makes the rhythm of music in this scene upbeat because he wants the audience to feel her rage

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Computers And Finance Essays - Taxation In The United States

Computers And Finance Computers And Finance Computers have made financial bookkeeping much easier, and people no longer have to spend hours tracking investments or pay someone else to do their taxes. Moreover, the advancement in technology has allowed governments to cut back on the number of big companies and employees hired to process tax returns, resulting in the saving of millions of dollars. Although these advancements are extraordinary, they are not without their shortcomings. The IRS has had increased trouble in tracking fraudulent tax returns, and has had to revamp its detection system. The most surprising part of Microsoft's current purchase of Intuit, the maker of the Quicken line of personal finance software was not the $1.5 billion price, which was fifty percent over the market value (Schlender 14). It was not even the fact that Bill Gates, America's richest entrepreneur, is in a position to become America's richest banker (14). The most surprising thing was that it did not happen earlier (14). For years Gates has had a dream of putting "electronic commerce at the core of personal computing," and now he finally has the software to accompany that dream (14). His idea includes a "Wallet PC" that can be carried around with people at all times (14). Microsoft believes that it can provide what executive VP Mike Maples refers to as a "whole new value chain" that will allow customers to interact by modem with banks, insurance companies, pension funds, etc. (14). Quicken is already being used by six million people to pay bills, manage credit, write checks, and handle taxes (14). For those of you scoring at home, it has 5.2 million more users than Microsoft's Money software (14). That is a prime reason that Gates basically wanted to give up the product and donate it to his competitor Novell (14). Programs such as Quicken are excellent for keeping track of what is spent at home, but can be a big hassle for keeping track of the money spent on business trips (Baig 20). One way to solve the problem would be to carry a notebook computer with Quicken on it, but as Edward Baig states "It's just not practical to boot up a laptop each time I step out of a taxi" (20). Intuit has released Pocket Quicken, a "Quicken Lite" for those who carry around digital assistants to help alleviate that problem (20). Pocket Quicken is built into the new Hewlett-Packard 200LX palmtop, the Tandy/Casio Zoomer PDA's, and the AST Gridpad 2390, but is not sold as a separate product just yet (20). Eventually this will also be available on the Motorola Envoy (20). Pocket Quicken allows users to categorically follow expenditures such as food, gas, and rent by creating checking, credit card, and cash accounts (20). Pocket Quicken lets travelers sequester what is spent into areas such as trip, client, project, or class (20). People can share data with regular Quicken with the HP 200LX's $119 optional cable and software package, or with the $30 addition to the Zoomer (20). However, Pocket Quicken does have its shortcomings because it does not allow for the set up of budgets or the following of investments (20). It also does not compute net worth or tax summaries, and does not have all the graphs with which Quicken comes equipped (20). If Pocket Quicken is not of interest, another option would be to record expenditures at the end of each day (20). Yet, another possibility would be QuickXpense for Windows from Portable Software (20). This program allows users to work with the exact expense form they would like to use because many of the forms from large corporations have been previously loaded into the program (20). Another of its qualities is that if a specific company's form was not included, they will put it on a disk for customers if they send blank copy of the form to Portable Software (20). All entries are entered the same as Quicken, but this program will also figure mileage cost for driving, convert foreign currency, and catalog each type of expense included on hotel bills (20). QuickXpense will also let the user know when it is time to file an expense report (20). Computer and technology outsource companies typically handle the dirty work behind tax collecting; however, with the recent advances in technology, the state of New York was able to hire a financial group to handle the responsibility (Halper 63). The New York State Department of Taxation gave Fleet Financial Group a $197 million contract to handle computerized tax collections and refunds for the next ten

Sunday, November 24, 2019

A Review of Intelligence for an Age of Terror (Treverton, 2009). The WritePass Journal

A Review of Intelligence for an Age of Terror (Treverton, 2009). Introduction A Review of Intelligence for an Age of Terror (Treverton, 2009). IntroductionConclusionsReferenceRelated Introduction This book by Treverton (2009) is argued here to be a vitally important area of work that looks specifically at the way in which the use of intelligence has naturally had to change as a result of modern society. Interestingly, although there is a clear aim not to apportion blame specifically for the recent atrocities, the author indicates that he feels there is a link between the United States and their flawed approach to intelligence and the high profile terror attacks that have taken place in the US. Significantly, the author is very careful not to apportion blame or finger point and maintains a balanced and critical approach when trying to establish a link and to look at the role of intelligence. Main Arguments Presented In this book, the author actually goes on to break down the failures, in order to try to identify the impact that the specific shortcomings are having on the magnitude and nature of the target of the threats. He recognises in this analysis that, in many cases, the intelligence approaches are enshrined in the Cold War security approaches of looking at the organisation and the tactical decisions of the intelligence offerings, rather than focusing on the actual threats that are being faced in the current climate (Riley et al 2005). One of the main aspects of the book which provides added value to the information that is being presented is that, although the author spends time identifying the failings, he also spends some considerable time looking at the way in which the changes he suggests could be implemented, in practice. As a professional with experience in the field, this shows and adds considerable value to what would otherwise be a potentially academic discussion. In order to achieve this, the author takes a very pragmatic view, with the initial stage being to look at the nature of the risks that are looking at being targeted from intelligence operations. He states that recognising the threats is the first step towards then being able to recognise the way these should be handled. It is this pragmatic approach which looks at both the practical reality and the academic study that makes this book so informative in the area of intelligence being used in the terror context. The author follows themes and after identifying them he then goes on to look at how intelligence should be reformed to deal with the modern challenges. In order to identify the best way to deal with intelligence and to look at the reform of intelligence culture, there is a need first to consider the actual route of the threat and where it emanates from. One underlying argument and theme which is presented by the author here and which adds particular value to the discussion, in the opinion of the reviewer, is to look at the role of the nation state as being at the root of the changing dynamic. For example, during the Cold War, the focus of terror attacks was typically nation states and as such the intelligence gathering focussed on these entities. As time has passed, the nation states have become much more than simply target areas. Nation states can often offer a great deal of information that adds to the knowledge and understanding of the general issues of intelligence. Increasingly however in the modern context, the non-state actors play a vitally important role and it is argued by the author here that much of the role of the modern intelligence officer is to look at understanding the distinctions and various nuances that exist within these non-state actors, in such a way that their own motivation and actions can be better understood (p.141) Linked to this thread of discussion and again a vitally important aspect of the role of intelligence is that there are considerably more individuals, groups and entities that are involved in the area of intelligence gathering to prevent terrorism. With this increased number of people involved, the author places a great deal of focus on the idea that, whilst agencies may well have the technology to share information, they do not necessarily have the appropriate policies in place and therefore the underlying policies need to be reviewed, if modern challenges are going to be dealt with. As an overall position, the author maintains that there needs to be a reasonable means of supplying information across all relevant actors and to ensure that the information which is being presented is relevant and measured, so that the correct people can react quickly and appropriately. By focusing on some of the practical difficulties faced in the current climate, it is argued here that the author gains a much higher degree of legitimacy than other academic analyses in this area may achieve; in particular, the author recognises that it is necessary to take a balance between the need to improve security, but also to provide privacy and security for individuals’ information (Snowden, 2002). He notes that paying attention to legality and legitimacy is in fact increasingly important to the anti-terror efforts and that there then needs to be a total review of the policies associated with anti-terror activities as the main way of managing and combating such issues. He supports this by suggesting that factors such as encouraging intelligence authorities to create a method whereby they can share information with other entities in a constructive and balanced manner is as important, if not more so, than the actual intelligence itself. Conclusions On balance, it is argued that this book presents an interesting and well informed opinion on the modern challenges facing the intelligence industry. By being an author who has practical experience in this area, it is suggested that this allows the text to gain legitimacy and also to take a more rounded view of the challenges being faced. Finally, providing practical and well backed up suggestions for the future means that this text presents real value to the area of intelligence and counter terrorist activities. It is concluded, therefore, that this is a well-balanced and informative text that fills a gap within the current understanding of the intelligence industry. Reference Riley et al., (2005) State and Local Intelligence in the War on Terrorism, Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation Snowden, D (2002) Complex Acts of Knowing: Paradox and Descriptive Self-Awareness, Journal of Knowledge Management, Special Issue, September. Treverton, G. (2009). Intelligence for an Age of Terror. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

The Evolution and Importance of Advertising Essay

The Evolution and Importance of Advertising - Essay Example During the era of written advertisement, other types of adverts were even in play; one of such methods was town criers. Town crier refers to an individual who publicly announces information; this was a good method to communicate with those who still were illiterate. These individuals used to roam around a particular town announcing different types of information such as public policies, goods and services that are being sold and news paper information. Town criers are recognized the first form of aural broadcasters as they orally provided information in live form to a particular audience who were in the surrounding areas (Russell, 1993, p.25). This means of advertisement was considered better as this information was obtained by people in first hand form as compared to magazines and a newspaper in which the information is reaches the public after a short delay. Previously information used to target a larger market and advertisements were expected to bring in huge amount of returns. Now, advertisements are more niches based due to increase in merchandisers focus on customer niches. Consumer awareness have increased due to changes in educational system, now consumers can easily tell when they are being cheated or being manipulated into buying goods and services and when wrongful information is being provided to them. Advertisers have to involve huge amount of time and effort while conducting the process of creating and delivering advertisements as consumers nowadays have become tech savvy. Today, a merchandiser cannot depend on one or two tools of advertisement in order to gain the attention of consumers. Currently, if businesses have to make their advertising operations successful, they have to use Integrated Marketing Communication. Integrated Marketing Communication refers to the use of all tools and resources available for advertising to gain consumers attention. These tools range from mobile phones to internet communities, blogs and social networks. Importance of Economy and Managers Economics rule states that when consumers have more money, they tend to spend more and save less, keeping this concept in view, economy has a major impact on advertiser’s efforts. If advertisement is conducted during the period of economic down trend, when the unemployment rate is high and people have less money to spend, the efforts of advertisement fail as during that time period, people tend to spend less and save more. All businesses have a specific budget especially for advertising purpose. A manager’