Free Essays on Mexican Americans

Article Critique: In the essay, LULAC, Mexican American Identity, and Civil Rights, the author Mario T. Garcia discusses the demand for civil rights and the end to discrimination for Mexican- Americans. Garcia of the University of California at Santa Barbara, discusses the efforts of the rising middle class to create an organization. Its purpose is to enable Mexican American to win respect of the Anglo majority and smooth their assimilation into American life. In my opinion, the author wrote this essay to give the history of Mexican-Americans achievements over economic, social and political discrimination. An increase in the economic struggle began in the 1920’s, following World War I. The advancement of agricultural production and capitalism in south Texas, lead to many problems. Texas-born Mexican American ranchers and farmers, as well as sharecroppers found themselves unable to compete with agribusiness. Garcia says â€Å" In their place or alongside of them, came thousands of Mexican immigrants wage workers to pick the crops produced by the new mode of production. Garcia discusses many issues faced by Mexican Ameicans such as discrimination in public facilities. â€Å" Desiring to be intergrated as first-class citizens, Mexican Americans in LULAC, likw their middle class Afro-American counterparts in the NAACP, struggled against various forms of racial discrimination†¦. They did not want to be singled out for discrimination or patronization. All they aspired to was equal acces to the rights enjoyed by other Americans. Lulacers believes that Mexican Americans were entitled to first-class citizenship not only under the Constitution but also under guarantees of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848), which ended the Mexican War...†. For example, in the 1940, LULAC protested in San Angelo over the efforts of a new movie threater to segregate Mexicans along with blacks in the balcony. They boycott the theater until segregation ended... Free Essays on Mexican Americans Free Essays on Mexican Americans Article Critique: In the essay, LULAC, Mexican American Identity, and Civil Rights, the author Mario T. Garcia discusses the demand for civil rights and the end to discrimination for Mexican- Americans. Garcia of the University of California at Santa Barbara, discusses the efforts of the rising middle class to create an organization. Its purpose is to enable Mexican American to win respect of the Anglo majority and smooth their assimilation into American life. In my opinion, the author wrote this essay to give the history of Mexican-Americans achievements over economic, social and political discrimination. An increase in the economic struggle began in the 1920’s, following World War I. The advancement of agricultural production and capitalism in south Texas, lead to many problems. Texas-born Mexican American ranchers and farmers, as well as sharecroppers found themselves unable to compete with agribusiness. Garcia says â€Å" In their place or alongside of them, came thousands of Mexican immigrants wage workers to pick the crops produced by the new mode of production. Garcia discusses many issues faced by Mexican Ameicans such as discrimination in public facilities. â€Å" Desiring to be intergrated as first-class citizens, Mexican Americans in LULAC, likw their middle class Afro-American counterparts in the NAACP, struggled against various forms of racial discrimination†¦. They did not want to be singled out for discrimination or patronization. All they aspired to was equal acces to the rights enjoyed by other Americans. Lulacers believes that Mexican Americans were entitled to first-class citizenship not only under the Constitution but also under guarantees of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848), which ended the Mexican War...†. For example, in the 1940, LULAC protested in San Angelo over the efforts of a new movie threater to segregate Mexicans along with blacks in the balcony. They boycott the theater until segregation ended...

Select vs. Selected

Select vs. Selected Select vs. Selected Select vs. Selected By Maeve Maddox The English verb select and the adjectives, select and selected, derive from a Latin verb meaning, â€Å"to choose, select, set apart.† Both adjectives mean, â€Å"chosen from a larger number of other things.† However, a useful distinction exists between selected and select. selected This adjective indicates that something has been chosen or picked out from a larger number; the reason for the selection is usually made clear by the context. For example, researchers may track the distribution of workers engaged in â€Å"certain selected occupations.† The occupations have been selected according to criteria set by the researchers for their study. An accountant wants to know if she can restrict her reports â€Å"only to certain selected users.† The accountant has specific criteria for her selection of people who will have access to the reports. select This adjective indicates that whatever was chosen out of a larger number was chosen on account of excellence or superiority. For example, â€Å"Hermes Paris caters to a select clientele.† Because Hermes products are expensive, select indicates that the people who shop there are superior to other people because they have the money to pay for luxury items. â€Å"The agency did its hiring from a select group of college graduates.† Here the use of select implies that the graduates were chosen from among other graduates by reason of superior intellect and ability. Both select and selected are popular with advertisers, but select is frequently confused with selected. Here are some examples from the Web: â€Å"Hyundai offers discount on selected car models† Appropriate use; some models are discounted, but not all. â€Å"Remington Shaver Charging Cord for Select Models† Inappropriate use; the sense is that the cord will work with some models, but not with all. â€Å"LifeProof New Case for Select Apple iPad Models† Inappropriate use; the sense is that the case will fit some models, but not all. Save select to mean something that is perceived to be above the ordinary in quality, cost, recognition, social status, or the like. The following examples use select in this sense: NFL offensive rookie pick in select company Special terms allow students to attend select schools in nearby states for a fraction of out-of-state tuition. Bryan Sutton keeps select company with the very best musicians in bluegrass, those musicians who may have peers but no superiors. The most select club in Hollywood: The Hitchcock Blondes A third [executive] obtained permission from a select group of local influencers to list their names on his nonprofit’s letterhead.   An NQDP plan must be restricted to a select group of management or highly compensated employees. Dr. Jackson was among a select group of presidents and chancellors invited to participate. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:"Because Of" and "Due To" How to spell "in lieu of"Uses of the Past Participle

Law of Patents Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law of Patents - Case Study Example Purchasing Associates, Inc. v Weitz, 13 NY2d 267, 269 (1963). It should be noted that federal courts will look to the state laws when interpreting the reasonableness of a covenant not to compete or a non competition clause. Thus the first question is where is Frothy Beer located The reason why the situs of Frothy Beer is important is because a reasonable inference of the facts indicates that part of the non-competition agreement states that jurisdiction of any dispute pursuant ot the agreement is within the United States. Judging by the information supplied, Frothy Beer is located in the United States. Because the headquarters of Awessa is located in Australia, Federal Court is the court of jurisdiction because of diversity of citizenship. Vaden v. Discover Bank --- S.Ct. ----, 2009 WL 578636 U.S. (2009). By way of example, if Frothy Beer was located in Virginia, then the federal courts would look to the state of Virginia codes in evaluating the non competition clause between Frothy and Eyus. ... Meissel v. Finley, 198 Va. 577, 579 (Va.Ct.App.1956) ("The possession of trade secrets and confidential information is an important consideration in testing the reasonableness of a restriction on competition.") (citing Stoneman v. Wilson, 169 Va. 239, 240 (Va.1937)). However, Paramount Termite Control Co., Inc. v. Rector, 238 Va. 171, 172 (Va.1989) notes that "Although often used as a justification for non-competition agreements, it is not necessary that the employees actually had acquired or possessed specific information that could be legally defined as confidential or a trade secret, ....")(internal quotations omitted). Here, the federal court would determine, in effect, whether Frothy Beer did or did not have any legitimate business interests worthy of protection. As a result, the district court's analysis of the restrictive covenant (here the non competition agreement) will likely be skewed by the fact that Eyus developed and applied for patents directly related to research and development of beer product within his first two years of employment at Awessa. II. While It Appears at First Blush That Awessa Can Enter into an agreement with U.S.B. Beer, all Environmental Issues in regards to the low carb beer production should first be resolved by Awessa before U.S.B. Beer enters into any transaction or memorandum of understanding. A patent may be awarded for either a product or a process: a product patent creates a monopoly over the manufacture, use and sale of product while a process patent creates a monopoly over the manufacture, use, and sale of a process. U.S. v. Studiengesellschaft Kohle, m.b.H. 670 F.2d

Modern woman in TV show Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Modern woman in TV show - Essay Example These shows get women to take off all their clothes and stand stark naked in front of the entire world to see. Or they are used as a seduction technique. They might also be used as dolls/objects which can be bought or fooled into having sex with a man at any time. They are blamed more for every crime that they commit. They are also shown to be the object of drug and sex trafficking. There is a famous method of showing cars in a movie about cars and that is with a large number of girls surrounding it, standing on it or lying on it, naked or nearly naked. This is shown only for the sake of attracting the larger masses. TV shows and movies aside, even the video games, play-stations and the famous X-BOX have animated women appearing at every nook and corner of the game and are used only as a sign of sexuality and femininity. Many of today’s famous TV shows which include this element of sexuality include â€Å"How I met your mother†, â€Å"vampire diaries†, â€Å"Nik ita†, â€Å"Gossip girl†, â€Å"One tree hill†, â€Å"Small-Ville†. Many of these shows bring out women harassment as a joke or a sick humor. But some of them use women sexuality openly, completely owning this fact about their show. Of all the shows, this report will discuss an episode form the season â€Å"Nikita†. The episode is 15 and from season 1. Background of the Show In this, one of the lead actresses, Alex is called out to work for her company as a spy in the form of a very sexy young girl who is spitted out of a blind-dating site to the target person. Alex is forced to wear low-necked and tight clothes, with her hair open and flowing so that she successfully seduces the target victim and steal a gadget from him. During the show she is caught by her old captors who were sex-traffickers. She is then forced inside a cage and heavily drugged. This exploits the factor of women’s weak body and strength. During the show we see that Alex ha d been sold to these sex traffickers as a child, proving men’s inability to take pity even on small girls and using them as symbols of sex and pleasure. We also see that another one of the girls is badly beaten by her captor, which shows that the captor thinks of women only as objects to be threatened and oppressed. Anatomy of the Show The show is divided into two parts: one where Alex is sent on her mission as a sexy girl out for a date, and the second where she has been recaptured by her previous captor, locked in a small cage and interrogated. Part one of the Show In this part, the viewers are shown a beautiful girl, who just became the date for the night of a very weird nerd. Alex has been ordered to dress up sexually and adorable so that the nerd boy (also the target) falls for her beauty and completely surrenders to her. This in turn would pave a way for her to easily steal a device from the nerd. Here we see that the heroin is doubtful if the nerd person would accept s omeone like her as a date, so she asks her boss who replies with a â€Å"please† looking her up and down, as if to prove his point. It is clear from the way the show unravels, that viewers are being told that the women species can be a great sexual device and an amazing criminal/ thief, if they used their femininity and apparent innocence, to good use. After Alex is ready to go to the bar with her new date, looking as sensual as any perfect

Americas Vision Essay Example for Free

Americas Vision Essay Fame, wealth, freedom, and success. Every person desires a life where riches, glory, or freedom surround them. Numerous people consider this dream the American dream, however, is it truly possible to achieve? Even those various immigrants who travel a great distance to come to America to live their own American dream shortly become intemperate people. The idea of the American dream is not attainable because people in general are exceedingly paradoxical and are constantly left yearning for more in a variety of ways. In the heartfelt story America and Americans, Is the American Dream Even Possible, by John Steinbeck, he wrote, One of the generalities often noted about the Americans is that we are restless, a dissatisfied, a searching people (Steinbeck 1). I feel that Steinbeck conveys a great deal of truth about Americans and how we live our lives. We all aspire to have something and once we acquire it we become discontent and strive to have more. For instance, a man works his whole life to become someone or something he truly is not and once he gets there he realizes that he wants more and longs to become more. In truth we all do what we want to and are searching for the greatest, but nothing ever seems to be good enough in our dissatisfied lives. Immigrants from all over the world arrive in America to pursue their own American dream. Whether they come for religious freedom, education, or just to obtain better lives, they quickly strive for more and more even though they have accomplished their intended goals. After residing in America for years they overlook the ways of their homeland customs and become drawn to the lives of Americans even when it is in opposition to their original traditions. In numerous ways they somewhat become brainwashed by Americans who live their lives not in reality but in idealism, and they attempt to live their life like them as well. However, once they return to their homelands after believing they have obtained their goals, they cannot figure out why their families and friends no longer wish to speak to them. They have altered and become intemperate people resembling us Americans and have brought back terrible habits and ways to their homelands that their people have despised in their customs for several years. Americans are truly paradoxical people who say one thing and do another. We  are constantly contradicting ourselves and others and cannot comprehend why we are so unhappy. We make every effort to achieve happiness but nothing ever seems to be good enough. John Steinbeck expresses that our priorities are extremely wrong in this quote, Americans are remarkably kind and hospitable and open with both guests and strangers; yet they will make a wide circle around the man dying on the pavement. Fortunes are spent getting cats out of trees and dogs out of sewer pipes; but a girl screaming for help in the street draws only slammed doors, closed widows, and silence (Steinbeck 1). Steinbeck puts across a serious point and I boldly agree that we Americans have our priorities twisted around. Ultimately, Americans have a large number of adjustments they will have to carry out before they will ever be able to achieve their American dream and be content. We are so full of dissatisfaction and failure to stick with our goals. We tread on friends and family who get in the way of our so called American dream, and after we believe we have attained it we are not sure as to why we are so miserable. If Americans can take that further step to transform, the American dream may become possible. However, until then the American dream will merely be an idea, not a possibility. Works Cited: 1. Steinbeck, John. America and Americans, Is the American dream even possible.

Baroque Music Essay -- Papers

Baroque Music In 1600 a new style of music began to evolve, this form of music was later to be called Baroque. Baroque music was very different to the music before its time such as medieval and early renaissance music and the development of new harmonic and melodic lines added difference in pace and variation to the compositions giving them a new shape and form. The structure of the music also changed, different forms such as fugues and cannons developed and different instruments were introduced. There were many composers that wrote music throughout the baroque era, some more significant than others but each contributing a large amount to the development throughout this period. Corelli was one of the first prominent composers of the Baroque era; he was an Italian composer and violinist writing music in a chamber style and in the form of the late baroque era. Corelli was born in 1653 in Fusignano, Italy and left to Bologna when he was just 13 were he was taught by Leonardo Brugnol who perhaps influenced him to become a teacher of music. He was interested in the form of musical education and this is clearly shown in the development of his musical history. Corelli founded the modern school of violin playing as well as earning titles such as "World's First Great Violinist" and "Founder of Modern Violin Technique" Corelli was the first composer to be famous for composing using only instruments, and this is one of the points that made him stand out throughout the baroque era especially in Rome were he taught composers such as Vivaldi and Giannini who soon spread his methods too the world. Corelli's work influenced many other ... ...d are used to bring the audience into the world of that particular one. They set up the performance. Sonata form was applied to solo sonatas, chamber music, symphonies, and concertos. String quartets were the most popular chamber form of the Classical era. They were made up of one cello, two violins, and a viola and were written in 4 movements, using the sonata form. There was also a wide use of symphonies, large orchestral compositions, generally in three or four movements, symphonies are also in sonata form. Symphonies, Sonatas, and String Quartets were written by some of the most influential composers of the classical era, Franz Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Ludwig van Beethoven. They composed music for vocals as well as instrumentals. Other composers included Luigi Boccherini, Hoffman and Hein.

Ford Hybrid Car Case Bass Essay

Before beginning any case, students should familiarize  themselves with the model being used. Marketing Engineering for Excel comes with tutorials that demonstrate the capability of each model. The tutorial can be found under each model within the MEââ€" ºXL menu after starting Excel. These tutorials are  designed to work with our OfficeStar examples which are located in the My Marketing Engineering directory, usually installed in My Documents during software installation.  There is no external data set associated with this case; all necessary data are included herein. Ford’s Hybrid Future In September 2006, Alan Mulally had just taken over as the CEO of Ford, the fifth largest corporation in the United States. Ford was in trouble, as was the entire American auto industry, partly due to the rapid increase in average gas prices from $1.10 per gallon for regular, unleaded gasoline in January 2002 to more than $2.50 per gallon in September 2006, according to the Energy Information Administration. Sport utility vehicles and trucks, the mainstays of Ford’s product line, no longer had the depth of consumer appeal they had in the past. Ford’s stock price had declined more than 30% from September 2004, and for the 2006 fiscal year, Ford executives were projecting a loss of almost $6 billion from ongoing operations; paired with restructuring costs, the total projected losses reached approximately $9 billion. Through its â€Å"Way Forward† plan, Ford announced buyout offers for 75,000 hourly workers and planned to cut 30% of its 35,000 salaried employees in the United States. Although these cost-saving measures would improve profitability, ultimately, Ford needed to win in the marketplace to regain its past status; to win, it needs to take drastic market-oriented actions. As part of the Way Forward plan, the previous CEO (and current Chair) William Clay Ford initially announced that the company would build 250,000 hybrid cars annually by 2010. Now Mulally is rethinking that commitment: Would it be enough? Would that be too much? He needs a quick and credible answer to this question before deciding how forcefully to push the hybrid car program within Ford. Mulally also recognizes that the technologies and manufacturing systems that support hybrid cars are growing more and more sophisticated, and companies such as Toyota and Honda, with their head starts in these areas, may move more quickly down the learning curve, producing their cars more cheaply and in greater volumes, which would make it difficult for other companies to catch up to them. To plan Ford’s long-term investments in the hybrid car business, Mulally needs a 10-year forecast of the overall U.S. hybrid Copyright  © 2008 by DecisionPro, Inc. To order copies or request permission to reproduce materials, go to www.decisionpro.biz. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spreadsheet, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the permission of DecisionPro, Inc.  market, the world’s largest consumer of gasoline, along with corresponding forecasts for the sales of Ford’s hybrid cars if they are made available to the market. Background A hybrid car is an automobile powered by two sources: (1) an internal combustion engine or diesel engine, as in a regular car, and (2) an electric motor. However, hybrid cars do not need to be recharged via electric plugs; instead, they receive charge from the movement of the wheels and store the generated kinetic energy through a process called regenerative braking. Hybrid cars provide higher mileage by requiring a less powerful engine than a comparable regular car and help conserve nonrenewable sources of energy, such as diesel or gasoline. The smaller engine in the hybrid car is powerful enough to move the car along on the freeway, but when it needs to accelerate or get up a steep hill, it needs the assistance of the electric motor and battery to boost the power output. Hybrid cars work much like regular cars and create little difference in terms of how they are driven, refilled with gas, or serviced. However, hybrid cars typically cost approximately $3,000 more than comparable re gular cars (base price of $25,000 to $30,000) and offer a 10– 15% improvement in gas mileage. The actual savings depend on the driving habits of the user; gradual acceleration, coasting, and the use of cruise control help increase mileage. Although many experts have predicted that hybrids will be the cars of the future, it remains difficult to predict their popularity with consumers and, consequently, their profitability for auto companies. Within the past few years, hybrid cars have gone from being novelties, bought largely by environmentalists and technology-oriented consumers, to represent an established, though small, part of the automotive landscape. According to J.D. Power & Associates, hybrids constitute approximately 1.5% of the total U.S. light-vehicle market, but sales have been growing quickly as other segments have stagnated or fallen. Sales in 2005 of 205,000 units were more than double the 2004 sales levels. A recent survey by J.D. Power also reveals that 57% of consumers who expect to acquire a new vehicle within the next two years will consider a hybrid. Worldwide, approximately 800 million cars and light trucks are in operation, and 240 million of these are in the United States. By 2020, 1 billion cars and light trucks are expected to be in use worldwide. All these cars could eventually be replaced by hybrid cars. In addition to consumer demand for hybrid cars, car manufacturers’ interest in hybrid cars is driven by CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) regulation, according to which an automaker must maintain a minimum mileage of 27.5 miles per gallon (mpg) across passenger cars in its product line and 20.7 mpg across light trucks. The U.S. Congress appears likely to raise these standards in the future in response to societal pressures; according to some experts, the CAFE average may rise to 35 mpg or higher by 2020 across the entire product line (i.e., including all passenger cars and light trucks produced by the manufacturer). Hybrid cars offer the opportunity to raise gas mileage sufficiently to meet this requirement, and therefore, most car manufacturers have either launched hybrid cars or announced plans to do so. An auto manufacturer that fails to meet the standard must pay a penalty to the federal government, which some companies, including BMW, Porsche, and Ferrari, have paid i n 2006. 1 1 The penalty for failing to meet CAFE standards is $5.50 per tenth of a mile per gallon under the target. Thus, a manufacturer that produces cars that average 2 miles below the target and sells 10,000 cars in a given year will pay a fine of $1,100,000 for that year. In 2006, BMW paid a fine of $5.1 million. FORD HYBRID CAR CASE 2/8 Forecasting Considerations The chart in Exhibit 1, from www.hybridcars.com, illustrates the variety of opinions regarding sales forecasts for hybrid cars. The black line shows hybrid sales continuing at their current pace, determined in the time since hybrids first were introduced in 2000. Considering the future five-year timeframe, J.D. Power forecasts are well below the line, whereas others (e.g., D.O.E., Freedonia Group, BoozAllen) predict wider public acceptance of hybrids. Exhibit 1: Forecasts for Hybrid Cars  The wide variation in forecasts reflects some fundamental uncertainties surrounding this technology and market: Technology uncertainties: Many alternative technologies offer different price/performance points. The gas–electric hybrid is the most common; alternative technologies include pure electric cars and fuel cell cars. Alternative fuels might be used in nonhybrid cars and could gain popularity, swaying consumers away from buying hybrids. Some alternative fuels currently in use include E85 (an 85% ethanol blend), clean diesel, and natural gas. For 2006, Ford increased its production of four vehicles that can run on a mixture of gasoline and E85 (i.e., F-150 pickup trucks, Ford Crown Victorias, Mercury Grand Marquis, and Lincoln Towncars). In a 2005 KPMG survey of 140 senior auto executives, 88% predicted that gas–electric hybrids would gain market share. Even within the gas–electric hybrid market, automakers apply the hybrid technology at varying levels. For example, Honda and Toyota make full-blown hybrid cars, whereas General Motors eased into the sector with a scaled-down, less-expensive hybrid technology that still needed some gasoline to power the transmission. A FORD HYBRID CAR CASE 3/8 breakthrough in battery technology may create a shakeout among the alternative technologies. According to the Department of Energy, either lithium ion or lithium polymer batteries may offer the best future technologies. Lithium ion batteries possess nearly twice the energy of NiMH (nickel–metal– hydride) batteries but require significant circuitry to prevent overcharging and undercharging. They also require thermal management and pose some safety concerns. Hydraulic hybrid technology also is considered superior to the electric hybrid technology, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); UPS is currently testing hydraulic hybrid trucks for use in its regular fleet. Auto companies are also testing other technologies; in 2007, BMW plans to produce 100 hydrogen cars for its 7 series. BMW spokesperson Andreas Klugescheid notes that these cars will not be sold but rather given to consumers who may â€Å"have a potential impact on making a hydrogen economy happen.† These cars will run on hydrogen or gasoline, depending on the driver’s preference, which acknowledges the limited availability of hydrogen fuel and the difficulties associated with distributing it. Market uncertainties: Many uncertainties surround the decisions of both dealers and consumers. For consumers, the potential economic benefit of a hybrid car depends on the price of gasoline. At a gas price of $2.50 per gallon, the breakeven point between a hybrid and a regular gasoline car can occur after 50,000 miles of driving. The higher initial cost is also a barrier to many consumers. To make hybrid cars more attractive to consumers, federal and state governments offer several incentives. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPACT) offers consumers and businesses federal tax credits for their purchase of fuel-efficient, hybrid electric vehicles, in effect through 2007. The amount of tax credit depends on the fuel economy and ranges from $400 to $2500 per vehicle. Some states also offer special incentives for hybrid car drivers, such as solo use of high occupancy lanes (e.g., Georgia, Florida, Arizona), tax credits (e.g., Utah, Illinois, Colorado), or exemption from sales tax on the ca r (e.g., Connecticut, New Mexico). At the same time, some consumers are willing to buy hybrids, even at higher differential prices, to make a statement (you are what you drive!). The Toyota Prius was such a success that dealers charged additional fees for the car and established buyer waiting lists. According to surveys, some consumers would be willing to pay somewhat more for electricity to power their cars if they knew it was coming from renewable and nonpolluting resources. Hybrids also may require some changes in driving habits, such as learning to accelerate and stop smoothly and coasting whenever possible. Many consumers also are not aware that, unlike most regular cars, hybrids achieve better mileage during city driving compared with highway driving. Ford is organizing special â€Å"driver education† events, during which current owners  will team up with Ford engineers to discover ways to improve gas mileage when using hybrid cars. The company hopes that such activities will promote wordof-mouth communications about Ford’s hybrid cars. According to Mary Ann Wright, Ford’s director of hybrid technologies, through this program, â€Å"we created about 300 ambassadors for us. It’s free advertising, and we’re getting some great feedback from them.† Many celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, Bill Maher, and Will Ferrell, not only drive hybrid vehicles but openly promote their choice. Thus, it is becoming easier for consumers to hear buzz about hybrid cars and educate themselves, such as through Internet research or by discussing the option with friends and acquaintances who may own a hybrid. The demographics of the typical hybrid car buyer thus may change in the future, especially if the cars grow more attractive to mainstream car buyers. The characteristics of current hybrid car owners are summarized in the  FORD HYBRID CAR CASE. 4/8 following list (Source: Walter McManus, director of the Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation, University of Michigan): †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ High level of education. Higher income than the average new buyer—approximately $100,000 a year versus $85,000 a year for the average buyer. More likely to be female. A few years older than the average car buyer—closer to 50 than the average age of 40 years for all car buyers. Drive fewer miles on average. Plan to keep their car longer than the average person—a little more than five years rather than less than five years. Willing to pay more for an environmentally friendly (or â€Å"green†) product. Want to do something to help reduce vehicle pollution. More pessimistic about the future of fuel prices than the average person. Forecasting Hybrid Car Adoption Using the  Bass Model A key consideration in developing forecasts using the Bass model is an understanding of the diffusion process of analogous products. Several different product categories may provide suitable analogs based on the â€Å"substitution† of one type of technology by another. Using this logic, the market research group at Ford has proposed that the diffusion process of diesel cars in Europe might provide a suitable analogous situation because, over time, diesel cars substituted for gasoline cars as the technology of choice. Starting with Volkswagen’s introduction of its Golf diesel car in 1976, the adoption of diesel cars has progressed steadily, and diesel vehicles now account for more than 50% of new car registrations in Western Europe. However, according to Christy Swiecki, an auto industry analyst, the adoption of hybrid cars in the United States is likely to be slower, if the experience of switching to renewable energy is any guide. Although wind, solar, and geothermal so urces of energy are more environmentally friendly, their adoption rates have been slow, partly because traditional sources of energy (e.g., coal, petroleum) remain relatively inexpensive and convenient, and alternative sources may not provide greater economic benefits when the total consumer experience is taken into account. According to Swiecki, initial enthusiasm for hybrid cars will fade, especially once the market expands beyond the traditional high-income, environmentally friendly consumers and as people begin to realize the potential environmental issues with respect to the disposal of the rechargeable batteries in their hybrid cars. She therefore projects sales of hybrid cars in 2015 will be, at most, in the range of 6–8% of the total light-vehicle market of approximately 16.5 million vehicles. Another approach to forecasting views hybrid technology as a â€Å"feature enhancement† to a regular car that increases its mileage. In that case, hybrid cars would be perceived as just another â€Å"under-the-hood-innovation† that delivers more fuel efficiency without sacrificing power, and they should appeal to a broad market. Using this perspective, the market research group at Ford has proposed that the adoption patterns of antilock braking systems (ABS) and fuel-injection technologies might be useful analogs. Both these  technologies were built into products and offered as enhanced features that the customer could choose to buy.  Although ABS originally was created for use in aircrafts, by the early 1970s, ABS technology was being developed for automobiles. In 1978, Bosch created FORD HYBRID CAR CASE 5/8 the first ABS that could be successfully mass produced, and Mercedes-Benz and BMW began to offer the technology. The early versions weighed about 6 lbs (compared with 1.5 lbs today) and cost several thousand dollars. By 1985, less than 1% of all new vehicles worldwide were equipped with ABS—mostly high-profile, high-cost vehicles. In 1985, the Chevy Corvette came standard with ABS for the first time, and by 1989, it was standard in all Porsche models, followed by Mercedes-Benz in 1992. By 2000, 60% of new cars worldwide had ABS, and by 2003, this rate had increased to 69%. Fuel injection is another potential technology enhancement that could serve as an analog for hybrid cars. In a gasoline engine, small amounts of fuel  mix with air during combustion. Since the inception of the auto industry, carburettors were the predominant method to meter the amount of fuel used. An engine’s air-to-fuel ratio must be controlled accurately in different operating conditions to achieve the desired performance metrics. With the development of electronic fuel injection (EFI) technology, fuel could be metered very accurately and precisely, which helped increase gas mileage and reduce air pollutants compared with their levels in carburetted engines. Even though EFI was a much superior technology, the transition from carburettors to EFI was gradual, taking about 14 years from 1979 to 1993 for EFI to displace carburettors. Reasons for the gradual transition included the initial high cost of EFI systems (about $600 more per unit than carburettors) and the lack of cl early perceptible benefits for car owners. As a result, the early EFI systems appeared only in luxury and performance cars, which could absorb their higher costs into the overall price. From Market Forecasts to Forecasts for Ford Ford is primarily interested in how many hybrid cars it will be able to sell in the next 10 years so it can make sound judgments about how much capacity for hybrid cars to build in its factories, as well as the amount of effort it should devote to training its dealer network that will sell the cars. Therefore, marketlevel forecasts need to be converted into forecasts for Ford brand hybrid cars. Exhibits 2 and 3 summarize sales of hybrid cars from 2000 to 2006 and sales of Ford hybrid cars relative to the total market in 2006. Ford introduced the Ford Escape hybrid in late 2004 and the Mercury Mariner hybrid in early 2006. Year Number of Hybrid Models (Light Vehicles) U.S. Sales of Hybrid Cars (Units) U.S. Total Number of New Cars (Light Vehicles) Sold 2000 2 9,350 13,181,000 2001 2 20,287 13,510,000 2002 2 35,000 13,639,000 2003 3 47,525 13,594,000 2004 5 88,000 13,609,000 2005 7 215,000 13,551,000 2006 10 252,636 13,271,000 Exhibit 2: Sales of Hybrids in the United States Notes: Light vehicles include passenger cars, sport utility vehicles, vans, and pickup trucks. FORD HYBRID CAR CASE 6/8 Car Model Honda Insight Toyota Prius Honda Civic Honda Accord Toyota Camry Toyota Highlander Lexus RX400h Lexus GS450h Ford Escape Ford Mercury Mariner Total Combined (city + highway) EPA mpg 57 55 50 31 39 29 29 26 34 31 Jan. 2006 59 7,654 3,165 351 n/a 2,263 1,477 n/a 801 97 15,867 Feb. 2006 72 6,547 1,780 783 n/a 2,631 1,803 n/a 1,233 108 14,957 Mar. 2006 79 7,922 2,232 581 n/a 2,987 2,470 n/a 1,441 149 17,861 Apr. 2006 110 8,234 3,087 614 86 3,768 2,247 141 3,039 381 21,707 May. 2006 92 8,103 2,890 520 3,032 3,755 2,006 294 2,434 428 23,554 Jun. 2006 77 9,696 2,601 396 4,268 2,705 1,190 231 1,569 315 23,048 Jul. 2006 91 11,114 2,673 504 5,023 2,784 1,220 157 2,060 423 26,049 Aug. 2006 109 11,177 3,411 499 4,977 2,581 1,514 192 1,789 351 26,600 Sep. 2006 19 10,492 2,508 389 4,044 2,347 1,687 164 1,369 282 23,301 Oct. 2006 9 8,733 2,288 287 2,806 1,643 1,239 177 1,343 259 18,784 Nov 2006 2 8,008 2,208 311 3,100 1,667 1,327 176 1,323 161 18,283 Dec 2006 3 9,291 2,408 363 4,005 2,354 1,981 252 1,748 220 22,625 Total Unit Sales 2006 722 106,971 31,251 5,598 31,341 31,485 20,161 1,784 20,149 3,174 252,636 Exhibit 3: Unit Sales of Different Models of Hybrid Cars, 2006. (Source: www.hybridcars.com; www.fueleconomy.gov). FORD HYBRID CAR CASE 7/8 EXERCISES (1) Summarize and justify alternative scenarios (i.e., compelling stories about the future) ranging from pessimistic to optimistic with regard to market performance of hybrid cars. (2) Develop forecasts of hybrid car penetration in the U.S. market from 2007 through 2016 for each scenario you develop, along with a justification and explanation for your forecasts. (In applying the Bass model, note that market penetration data for the four analog products mentioned in the case, namely, ABS, EFI, Solar, and Diesel cars, were all reckoned in terms of the percentage of the target market that adopted the product. Thus the maximum market potential can at most be equal to 100). (3) Recommend short-term and long-term strategies that Ford should pursue based on the forecasts that you develop. Note: This case was developed by Professor Arvind Rangaswamy with assistance from Megan Ruth De Stefano and Sasi Amarlapudi. The case is based on publicly available information as of January 2007. Its purpose is to illustrate a business situation involving forecasting, based on real events; it does not purport to represent actual decisions made by the Ford Motor Company. Data and the case situation described here are based on information obtained from public sources listed in the body of the text and the following: U.S. Department of Transportation; http://www.hybridcars.com; USA Today, October 14, 2005; Plunkett Research, Ltd.; The Wall Street Journal, September 13, 2006.

Troy vs Iliad

The movie Troy written by David Benioff and directed by Wolfgang Petersen was inspired by The Iliad, an ancient Greek poem about the time of warrior Achilles argument with King Agamemnon during the Trojan War. Some events the film where taken straight from the Iliad, and is at times the two stories are very similar to one another. However there are several major differences between them, as Troy the movie was made to appealing to twenty first century audiences, where as the Iliad was meant to appeal to Greeks in the eighth century BC.The difference in time, culture, and format between the movie and the Iliad make differences such as the gods roles and time the stories covered, are necessary to allow both to be understood and interesting by their audience, and where producible at the time. Time difference. The Iliad only tells part of the story of the Trojan War, covering only a few weeks during the war. The Iliad begins nine years after the start of the war, during the final year of the war.However the movie begins before the Trojan War, and continues through to the end of the war. The movie aims to give more of an overview of the events leading to and during the war, where as the Iliad only focuses on a small piece of the full story. When hearing the Iliad the ancient Greeks would have known the rest of the story about the Trojan War, as it was part of their culture, they would have heard the stories from the time they were very young.Because of this the Iliad did not need to explain why the Trojans and Greeks where at war, as its audience would already know what had happened before the Iliad, and they would also know what happens after the Iliad. Modern audiences on the other hand have not grown up hearing tales of the Trojan War, it is not part of our culture, and so most people watching troy would not already know how the war started, or who the different characters are. Because of this the movie begins by introducing some of important characters, the warri or Achilles and king Agamemnon, leader of the Greek kingdoms.The first scene of the film lets the audience know who king Agamemnon is and how powerful he is. It also shows how Achilles and Agamemnon feel about one another. Referring to Achilles King Agamemnon says â€Å"Of all the warlords loved by the gods, I hate him the most. † Later in the scene when speaking about Agamemnon Achilles says â€Å"He's not my king. † This sets up the ill feelings between the two, which is very important in the rest of the movie, as well as in the Iliad.The movie then continues to explain why the Trojan War began, and introduces the rest of the main characters before showing the beginning of the war. This allows its audience to understand what is happening in the movie without already having knowledge about the war and the characters in it. The movie also continues on after the end of the Iliad, which ends with the King of troy, Priam getting his son, Hector’s body back from Ach illes, who had killed him and taken the body back to the Greek camp.The movie however continues on passed this point, going on to show the end of the war. This was changed because the film amid to give an overview of the whole war, if it ended the same as the Iliad modern audiences would most likely have felt confused by the ending, and would want to know what happened afterwards. To the modern audience it would seem like a strange place to end, as they would expect the main conflict of the film, the Trojan War, to be solved before the movie ends.The length of the Trojan War is also changed in the Movie, in the Iliad the war has already been going for nine years, implying it was a long hard struggle for the Greeks to take Troy. In comparison the movie makes it appear as though the entire war lasted a number of weeks. The ancient Greeks would have known about war, as it was part of their culture, and would find it believable that the war between two such strong armies, with Troy†™s strong walls to protect them would take time, they also knew the Iliad was only part of what happened, and they had other stories about the rest of the war.Modern audiences however, especially in western culture do not have war as a large part of their culture, so are happy to believe the war lasted only a few weeks. The movie also did not have time to explain what happened in the nine years before, and as it does not really affect the storyline of the movie or Iliad it would have been easier to cut it out, then try to explain to the audience how much time had passed between events. The role of the Gods The role of the gods differs greatly between the movie and the poem.In the Iliad the Olympic Gods and Goddesses play a major role in the lives of the characters, and the outcome of the war. The Gods continuously intervene in the characters lives, hugely involving themselves in all the main events in the Iliad. For example in the Iliad when Paris a prince of Troy, fights Menelaus , king Agamemnon’s brother, for the beautiful Helen, the Goddess Aphrodite intervenes to save Paris when she see’s he is losing: â€Å"Aphrodite hid Paris in a dense mist and whisked him away. There are many other examples in the Iliad of Gods becoming involved in the Trojan War, such as when Zeus, the king of the gods, persuades king Agamemnon to launch a full scale attack on Troy in a dream, and later when it looks like the war might be over Athena convinces a Trojan archer to fire at Menelaus to anger the Greeks and make sure the war continues. Smaller deities are also involved in the Iliad, such as the spirit of a river called Xanthus, which was near Troy.The river is on the side of the Trojans, and when Achilles killed many Trojan solders in and near the river, the river â€Å"raised a high wave and attacked him †¦ The great and terrible wave gathered about Achilles, falling upon him and beating on his shield, so that he could not keep his feet. † Ach illes was saved by the rivers anger by another deity, Hephaestus, god of metal work, who boiled the river. In the Iliad Achilles mother, Thetis, is also a deity, she is a river nymph, who convinces Hephaestus to make Achilles new armor after Hector takes his old armor.The continued presence and intervention by the Gods in the Iliad is very different in the Movie. In the movie only one deity, Thetis, is ever seen. It is not inertly clear in the movie if she is a goddess, though it seems more likely that she is not one. A boy who wakes Achilles for battle mentions a rumor he heard about her, saying â€Å"They say your mother is an immortal goddess† the only time we see Thetis in the movie keeping with her being a river nymph she is standing walking in the ocean, collecting shells.However apart from this she appears to be mortal, as there is nothing godly about her, she looks like an older women, which you would not expect if she was an immortal nymph, but makes sense if she is Achilles mortal mother. Thetis only appears the movie once, near the beginning, before Achilles goes to Troy, to prophesize that if Achilles goes to Troy he will die there. The rest of the gods are never shown in the movie, although they are mentioned.The film makes it clear the Greeks and Trojans believe in the gods, at one point Achilles has his men ransack a temple of sun god Apollo, one of his followers Eudorus tells Achilles â€Å"Apollo sees everything. Perhaps it is not wise to offend him. † However Achilles does not care and cuts the head off a statue of Apollo. The Trojan king Priam asks a priest of Apollo for advice before he goes to battle, listening to the priest, as he believes the man is â€Å"a servant of the gods. † And that the signs the priest sees are from the gods, telling him what will happen. Achilles also speaks of the gods, but not in as kind a light as the others, when briam

Canadian Constitutional Rights And Freedoms

Canadian Constitutional Rights And Freedoms Question #4: List and Discuss the rights and freedoms Canadians enjoy. What protections are missing our constitution and how could these omissions affect you as an individual? What inclusions would make the ideal constitution.Canadian Rights and Freedoms: - Guarantee of Rights and Freedoms - Fundamental Freedoms - Democratic Rights - Mobility Rights - Legal Rights - Equality Rights - Official languages of Canada - Minority language education rights - Enforcement - General - Application of Charter Canada's Charter of rights and freedoms is for the most part a thorough document which spesfically outlines the rights and freedoms that citizens of Canada enjoy. Although there are a couple of areas of the Charter which could use some sections which secure the ones which have wholes in them. Section 1 of the Charter is one of these area's because on the surface it is some what misleading in such that it is simply rights are guaranteed in the Constitution but, it is possible for parliament a nd provincial legislatures.The interior of the House of Commons of Canada, in...

Information Technology (IT) Vocabulary for ESL

Information Technology (IT) Vocabulary for ESL The Information Technology Field is large and accounts for a lot of jobs. If English isnt your native language, it can be difficult to know what vocabulary you need to use for work or talking about the industry. You can find the right words in the Occupational Handbook provided by the United States Department of Labor, but looking through all of them can be overwhelming. To make things easier, here is a list of some of the most important English vocabulary items for the information technology field, selected from the Occupational Handbook. This list is by no means complete. However, it provides a good starting point to further explore the vocabulary youll use in the industry. Each word includes its ​part of speech. There are a number of suggestions at the end of the list to help you build on and further improve your vocabulary. Top Information Technology Vocabulary Ability - (noun)Accounting - (noun)Addition - (noun)Adequate - (adjective)Administrator - (noun)Advance - (noun / verb)Analysis - (noun)Analysts - (noun)Analyze - (verb)Annual - (adjective)Application - (noun)Architect - (noun)Area - (noun)Arise - (verb)Associate - (noun / verb)Background - (noun)Business - (noun)Carpal - (adjective)Carrier - (noun)Certification - (noun)Chapter - (noun)Chief - (noun)Code - (noun / verb)Common - (adjective)Communicate - (verb)Communication - (noun)Competitive - (adjective)Computer - (noun)Computing - (noun)Concentrate - (noun / verb)Considerable - (adjective)Consultant - (noun)Consulting - (noun)Coordinate - (verb)Create - (verb)Customer - (noun)Cyber - (adjective)Data - (noun)Database - (noun)Deal - (noun / verb)Decline - (verb)Demand - (noun / verb)Design - (noun)Designer - (noun)Detailed - (adjective)Determine - (verb)Developer - (noun)Development - (noun)Discussion - (noun)Effectively - (adverb)Efficiency - (noun)Electronic - (adjective)Employ - ( verb) Engineering - (noun)Engineer - (noun)Enterprise - (noun)Environment - (noun)Equipment - (noun)Expertise - (noun)Eyestrain - (noun)Finance - (noun)Financial - (adjective)Firm - (noun)Force - (noun / verb)Function - (noun)Goal - (noun)Graduate - (noun / verb)Hardware - (noun)Implementation - (noun)Install - (verb)Institution - (noun)Instruction - (noun)Insurance - (noun)Integrate - (verb)Intranet - (noun)Introductory - (noun)Involved - (adjective)Keyboard - (noun)Knowledge - (noun)Laboratory - (noun)Language - (noun)Latest - (superlative adjective)Lead - (noun / verb)Leadership - (noun)Level - (noun)Location - (noun)Lowest - (superlative adjective)Maintain - (verb)Maintenance - (noun)Marketing - (noun)Mathematics - (noun)Matrix - (noun)Median - (noun)Mobile - (adjective)Monitor - (noun / verb)Nature - (noun)Network - (noun)Networking - (noun)Officer - (noun)Office - (noun)Offshore - (adjective)Order - (noun / verb)Organization - (noun)Outsourcing - (noun)Oversee - (verb)Pdf - (noun)Per form - (verb) Performance - (noun)Period - (noun)Plan - (noun / verb)Prevailing - (adjective)Problem - (noun)Process - (noun / verb)Product - (noun)Program - (noun / verb)Programmer - (noun)Project - (noun)Projections - (noun)Promoted - (adjective)Prospect - (noun)Provide - (verb)Publishing - (noun)Rapid - (adjective)Reduce - (verb)Relevant - (adjective)Remote - (adjective)Replace - (verb)Research - (noun / verb)Resource - (noun)Respond - (verb)Rounded - (adjective)Sales - (noun)Science - (noun)Scientific - (adjective)Scientist - (noun)Section - (noun)Security - (noun)Service - (noun)Simultaneously - (adverb)Site - (noun)Software - (noun)Sophisticated - (adjective)Specialist - (noun)Specialized - (adjective)Specific - (adjective)Spend - (verb)Staff - (noun)Statistic - (noun)Substantial - (adjective)Sufficient - (adjective)Support - (noun / verb)Syndrome - (noun)System - (noun)Task - (noun)Technical - (adjective)Technician - (noun)Technological - (adjective)Technology - (noun)Telecommunications - ( noun) Title - (noun)Tool - (noun)Training - (noun)Transfer - (noun / verb)Uncommon - (adjective)Understanding - (noun)User - (noun)Variety - (noun)Vendor - (noun)Web - (noun)Webmaster - (noun)Wireless - (adjective)Worker - (noun)Workplace - (noun) Improving Your Vocabulary Tips Review each word in the list. Do you know its meaning? If not, look it up in the dictionary.Use each word in a sentence. Using a new word both when speaking and writing will help you remember it.Use the words to describe your job, or working in the information technology profession in general. How specific can you be? Which words do you need beyond this list? Make sure to keep track.Learn synonyms and antonyms by using an online thesaurus  to further extend your vocabulary.Use a visual dictionary. It  will help you learn the names of specific equipment used in the industry.Listen to co-workers and note how they use these words. Ask co-workers about new words when youre not sure.Ask co-workers questions about how new words are used at work.Search online for information about information technology. Listen to podcasts on the subject, read a blog about agriculture. Keep informed in English and your knowledge of related vocabulary will grow quickly.

Problems Associated With Racism. Emmett Till and Trayvon Martin Essay

Problems Associated With Racism. Emmett Till and Trayvon Martin - Essay Example This was a difficult spell which was characterised by white supremacy in order to prove dominance. This dominance was displayed over a group of people who were believed not to belong in the same society as the white people. People, mostly African American, would bear the full brunt of the race factor, since they were often affiliated with negativity. This paper will review the comparison that existed between the Emmett Till lynching and the Trayvon Martin killing. Also, it will address the issue of negative perception on a certain race, and how it is affecting the American people. The negative perception from the whites helped bring forth a string of riots and rise in civil rights movements across the nation. This was since the African Americans felt that their rights were being violated. In the case of Trayvon Martin, there was a similar case of negative perception. A young man heading home from the convenient store with a bag of skittles and iced tea gets shot since he looked suspicious. He was dressed in ordinary blue jeans and wearing a hoodie. That was enough to send the young man to an early grave. This negative perception has not changed entirely even with the reforms that have taken place during the time of Martin Luther King (Metress 65). People are still misdirected, and it is taking a toll on the young African American people of America. As Mississippi was a state that had the most number of African Americans, it was hard for whites and the blacks to entirely get along. This led to the division of people and the division of everything else. There we re schools designed for the blacks, buses, and even hotels. The blacks mixing and mingling with the whites was considered a crime (Metress 72). It was a punishable offense for a black man to gaze at a white lady. That was considered inappropriate, and often led to the arrest of many black men. The perception that black men are violent often has them suspected for many violent crimes which later, leads to their persecution. In light of this, it was highly crucial for the black men and women of Mississippi to keep to their kind; attend their own schools and even, ride their own buses. However, in the wake of Emmett Till’s killing, the rise in riots and boycotts showed the strength of the African American minority group (Nelson 54). Groups that advocated for equal civil rights as the whites emerged, and pushed for equality among all people regardless of their colour. The death of Emmett Till was considered a pivotal point in the uprisings made by the African American minority. C ivil rights groups emerged in the wake of his death and wanted justice to all those responsible, while advocating for equality. This saw many black people killed in strange and bizarre circumstances. Some were bombed, others were drowned, some were bludgeoned, and others, shot to death (Nelson 63). All this happened in the name of white supremacy. It did not matter that lives were being lost and that the state was in chaos. All that mattered to the white extremists was for them to have control over the minority group. African Americans urged their children to join in the fight for equality, and they did without hesitation. They boycotted school and marched on to the streets to advocate for the treatment of all persons equally. The beating and hosing down of the children brought the president to action, and Mississippi grabbed the consideration of other states, as well. Emmett Till’s death can be considered the turning point (Nelson 72). This is because after it happened, the strength of the African American people could be felt and seen across the realm. Focus was shifted to the injustices, the killings, and