Banned Soda Rebuttal free essay sample

Obesity is a major issue in the United States of America. What defines a person obese is the minimum of thirty percent over their average body weight. It is also the leading causes of poor medical conditions such as, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, and heart disease. Poor food choices (high in sugar, saturated and trans fats), lack of exercise (sedentary lifestyles), and lack of sleep are several factors that lead to weight gain. There was an article in the New York Post three weeks ago that relates to one of the factors of weight gain. This article was Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s proposal to ban the sale of sugary sodas above sixteen ounces. This proposal would only affect restaurants, theaters, and sports venues. Grocery stores or vending machines will not be affected with the soda ban in any way. Yet, in my opinion, sodas are not the only problem that increases obesity. We will write a custom essay sample on Banned Soda Rebuttal or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page As an example of a similar proposal, studies have shown that the ban of sodas in schools did not decrease weight gain. Sometimes we have to look deeper into the source of where the problem began such as childhood diets. A solution is to add more healthy nutritional courses available to colleges and universities, since students are introduced into a work related environment, and can manage the skills of time related issues when dieting. In a busy city like New York, this skill can come in handy, and not become vulnerable to the independent high in saturated fat restaurants. Mayor Bloomberg stated, â€Å"It is the single biggest step any government has taken to attack obesity. †(Goldenberg). Obviously the school already conducted such a proposal and Bloomberg did not do any research on the issue. In recent articles, the proposal did pass with a eight to zero vote, with one abstention. (Goldenberg). The single abstention did mention, â€Å"This is not comprehensive†¦It is not enough†¦It’s only one aspect. † (Goldenberg). Reference Goldenberg, S. (2012).

Spirals Essays

Spirals Essays Spirals Essay Spirals Essay Spirals are defined as a curve that emanate from a center point. (Sitomer; Mindel, 1974) The authors of the book, â€Å"Spirals† tell us that â€Å"typically, a spiral is a flat curve or a planer curve used in various forms of art and expressions.† and that there is a variance in uses for these, where there are different types of spirals, such as two-dimensional spirals, three-dimensional spirals and spherical spirals. The spiral is well associated with roles in symbolism and they sometimes appear in megalithic forms of art and a well known tomb, the Newgrange tomb which is decorated with spirals. The author of the book, â€Å"Spirals: Young Math Books† tell us that â€Å"there is a long history into the study of spirals, sometimes called whorls, where they appear in many different objects in nature. Some common places to find them in nature are in the claws, plants and in horns from animals. Spirals are often found very often in plants.† Spirals are found in Chinese Art and are used as an early symbol of our sun. Relating back to the Tang Dynasty, spirals were used in roof tiles as decorations for their homes in China. If you pull a strip of paper between your thumb and the edge of a knife, while pulling tightly, you can create a spiral from paper and use in decorations for art projects. Many people use these spirals in decorating gifts for birthdays and holidays and for the use in decorating rooms for special occasions. (Garndner, 1991) Very often, spirals are utilized in land art pieces. They are defined as geometrical loci of points that hold a certain set of properties and relations with a center point or focus area, such as sky spirals where the design comes from polar coordinate functions while the sky spirals show various levels of visual perception from the far distance. The spiral’s characteristic of cyclic and linear expansion demonstrates one of the best metaphors for showing time. It is often used as symbolic for demonstrating this concept. With sun spirals, there is a representation of the ultimate observatory, demonstrating various relations shared between the object of observation and the observer. The observer can walk in a concentrated path toward a linear path from the center point and move outward toward the edge of the spiral shape. The act of walking around in circles has been demonstrated during meditation and used in healing methods, as well. (Davis, 1993) Spirals are often used in mathematical equations and as symbols of mathematical equations. A conical spiral is a space curve given by a parametric equation, while a cornu spiral is used to show a plot in the complex plane of points in mathematical equations.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many artists use spirals forms in their projects to express themselves with the flow of the shape of the spiral that moves outward from the center point into a never ending flow, showing freedom in their art projects and pieces that demonstrated openness in their works of art. A figure that resembles a daisy or sunflower which copies the geometric shape of a spiral because the form runs along the shape of the flowing spiral shape in creating the design. The shape is started in the center point of the design and arranged in an outward shape. Richard Serra uses the spiral shape in creating pieces of art when he creates sculptures. He uses five torque spirals, where he bends his objects to represent a never ending path in his creations. In his work he uses the curves showing man as being curved and round and not standing upright in his creations. Spiral shapes are often used in designing jewelry and crafts by many people creating various Celtic designs in their projects. Celtic spirals are second only to knot work designs as the symbols most associated with Celtic art. Like many other symbols associated with ancient Ireland, spirals held special meaning for the people who lived in Ireland. Hurricanes are also formed in the shape of a spiral. The eye of the hurricane is the center point and origin of the hurricane, while the storm rotates out in a spiral shaped direction and moves across the land at various speeds. Where the hurricane originates, the general physics shows that there is typically little or nothing that binds the various spirals that have formed. The spiral shape, in which the hurricane moves, shows the shape of the earth’s spin in its rotating pattern. There is a remarkable connection between avian flight patterns, stormy weather and the pinwheel. Each of these has a similar pattern which represents the shape of the spiral in their designs. Each demonstrate movement in their outwardly direction of movement. In the Golden Ratio, we can also see that there is an expanding nature of what is termed as logarithmic, and it is not to be confused with other spiral shapes. The logarithmic spiral is a familiar shape in things that grows and logarithmic spirals appear in various forms. Spirals appear when a falcon dives in a forward motion in gaining his prey of choice. This spiraled flight pattern shows a constant pattern while the birds maintain an angular flow as he dives. This pattern allows the falcon to keep a constant watch on his target. Galaxies, along with animals, plants and hurricanes, share in the similar design. They all share the equal trait in their shapes, where they show a spinning motion of movement in their forms. It is shown that galaxies rotate in the spiral direction which raised the question of why and in which direction it flows. It is understood that it does probably originate from a center point but the direction is unknown. It is often thought that it moves in the same direction as matter in the development of the creation of the universe and its surroundings. Astronomers don’t exactly know for sure why and how the galaxies, such as the   Milky Way were formed, but they had an initial amount of angular momentum, which gave the spinning motion and causes the Milky Way to get its spiraled arms. Mindel Sitomer (Mindel, 1974) explains and defines spirals and discusses the usage of spirals in many areas of their usage from creating one‘s own projects of art, explaining the nature of plants and animals and in exploring the universe. Using the spiral design is a unique way of demonstrating movement and showing direction and representing endless motions in many areas.

Progress Report - Implementation and Assessment Essay

Progress Report - Implementation and Assessment - Essay Example s, Team Beta identified the control issues from the various discussions at the initial stages, setting out a firm grounding for a collaborative network of dealing with the varied ideas, feelings, opinions, and more importantly, reacting to the responsibilities bestowed upon each member. Paying close attention to Gilley and Gilley (2007) advices, Team Beta took a productive approach to the team members’ differences, fashioning members’ efforts to specific goals set forth by all in a participative process. Now in the third and final phase of the project, the team has acquired a wealth of knowledge and is well on course towards meeting the project’s instructions. Toni, Edgar, Frederick and I have all worked tirelessly, crushing initial targets to render amazing results that have left a smile in every member’s face. With a team spirit already nurtured, we call each other for inquiries, schedule meetings with ease, and/or offer assistance whenever necessary in order to beat the strict deadlines of the project. Having lost one of our members in the initial stages of the project, the reduced number of the group members compared to the other teams was, observably, a straining challenge in terms of additional work load. As the Team’s coordinator, I implemented a benchmarking process, which, though took quite a while to be adopted fully, has generated tremendous progress; a classic case of how a structured coordination is important in delivering group objectives. Team Beta is, however, aware of its shortcomings with regards to effective use of technology, and has since commissioned every member to gather and present to the group any information that might elevate our overall efficiency in this final phase. Indeed as it is, we will not spare even a single minute to reach out to Dr. Holm, a tutor dedicated to service in developing young careers; for what else can one ask for in a lecturer? I look forward to having even greater engagement in shaping a future that I

Culture Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Culture - Research Paper Example Black Americans are facing some issues related to affirmative action, racial profiling and federal controversies in the modern world. These issues have affected the development of the entire American society. Racial profiling is being practiced in the American society drastically. Important federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Department have stated that they rely on racial discrimination. The main reason due to which these agencies practice racial discrimination is the safety and security of country. Racial profiling arises because all the immigrants are not treated equally in the immigration and the customs department. It has been observed that people belonging from different religion and country are generally detained and thoroughly checked while other citizens of America are minutely checked. Discrimination based on racial profiling is growing day by day and the black Americans are the most common victims of such problems (Wilkins & Williams, 2008). Whenever an African-American citizen of the United States enters the border from a foreign country their luggage are thoroughly checked and they are detained for long hours in the airports. Some of the citizens even miss their plane due to intense checking procedures. Racial profiling is practiced on a large scale in the American society. Some of the African-Americans also believe that racial profiling is the 21st century version of slavery and inequality. According to statistical data, it has been observed that around 12-13 percent of the African-American populations are drug users however 38 percent of populations get arrested for drug-related crimes. Based on the police reports it has also been recorded that the minority group of America get arrested quite often because they mostly belong to the lower group of the American society. This shows that the law-making system is not efficient and the

Teaching the Lnguage Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Teaching the Lnguage Skills - Essay Example It is a believed by many parents that inborn intelligence will control how well their kids learn to read no matter what type of instruction is given, however, the evidence suggests otherwise. It has been proved that, in general, IQ has very little bearing on early reading ability. Only recently, the researchers have found that children who have difficulty learning to read usually have acceptable level of IQs (Rayner et al. 2002). It is a fact that teaching children to read well in their early age obviously helps to develop a priceless lifetime habit; thus, it is not surprising that educators have placed enormous emphasis on finding the best way to teach these skills (Rayner et al. 2002). At one time, a great deal of debate in educational circles centred on whether whole-word or phonics instruction was the most effective way of teaching reading skills. But over the past decade or so, arguments have revolved around the relative merits of phonics and whole-word's successor, whole-language. The concept of whole-language approach has been adopted by many teachers because of its intuitive appeal. As making reading fun ensures to keep children motivated, and learning to read depends more on what the student does than on what the teacher does (Rayner et al. 2002). But the prospect of keeping kids interested would not have been enough by itself to convince teachers to use the whole-language method. What really made it a success was an educational philosophy that empowered teachers to compose their own curricula and encouraged them to treat children as active participants, an enticing combination that was promoted with flair by some educator celebrities. The presumed benefits of whole-language instruction and the stark contrast to the perceived dullness of phonics led to its growing acceptance across America during the 1990s (Rayner et al. 2002). It has been clearly demonstrated that understanding how letters relate to the component sounds of words is critically important in reading. The research on the topic shows that there is no doubt about it: teaching that makes the rules of phonics clear will ultimately be more successful than teaching that does not. Admittedly, some children can infer these principles on their own, but most need explicit instruction in phonics, or their reading skills will suffer. This conclusion rests, in part, on knowledge of how experienced readers make sense of words on a page an understanding that psychologists have developed over many decades. One of the first researchers to investigate the nature of reading was James M. Cattell, an American psychologist of the Victorian era (Rayner et al. 2002). To test whether proficient readers were taking in words letter by letter or all at once, he performed a pioneering experiment, exposing subjects very briefly to whole words or to individual letters and a sking them what they saw. He found that they were better able to report words than letters. Thus, it seemed apparent to him that people do not

Customer Satisfaction In The Hotel Industry Tourism Essay

Customer Satisfaction In The Hotel Industry Tourism Essay The Study mainly reviews and discusses the topic of customer satisfaction and its application to the Hospitality and Tourism industries. Defines the concept and analyzes its importance to services and its importance to serves in general and to hospitality / tourism services in particular. Following a discussion on the dimensions and attributes of satisfaction, lists the main methods of measuring satisfaction and concludes with a review of global and cross-cultural issues that affect satisfaction in hotel industry. Customer satisfaction is the leading decisive factor for determining the quality and standard which is actually delivered to the customer through the product, service or by the accompanying servicing. (Vavra, 1997); Its simply stated, Customer satisfaction is essential for corporate survival Several studies have found that it costs about five times as much in time, money and resources to attract a new customer as it does to retain an existing customer (Neumann, 1995). This creates the challenge of maintaining high levels of service, awareness of customer expectations and improvement in services and product. Hayes states that Knowledge of customer expectations and requirements is essential for two reasons it provides understanding of how the customer defines quality of services and products, and facilitates the development of a customer satisfaction questionnaire (Hayes, 1997, p7). Furthermore, customer satisfaction is recognized as of great importance to all commercial firms because of its influence on repeat purchases and word of mouth recommendations (Berkman and Gilson, 1986). The researcher interest is to carryout a study of customer satisfaction at Express by Holiday Inn, London. Research Problem Customer satisfaction research is not an end into itself. The purpose, of course, in measuring customer satisfaction is to see where a company stands in this regard in the eyes of its customers, thereby enabling service and product improvements which will lead to higher satisfaction level. Satisfaction is not a universal phenomenon and not everyone gets the same satisfaction out of the same hospitality experience. The reason is that customers have different needs, objectives and past experiences that influence their expectation. The results of a customer satisfaction survey need to be evaluated to determine what needs to be improved. Goals should be as specific as possible. Hotels are often challenged on how to best increase guest satisfaction, and how to optimize both price and occupancy. Employee satisfaction, guestroom cleanliness, amenities, appearance, food and services all contribute to customer satisfaction, and increase customer satisfaction is a proven driver of guest retent ion and higher occupancy rates. Understanding customer experience through research is widely recognized as a key factor in improving long-term business performance. Express by Holiday Inn Hotel had a requirement to obtain daily feedback at an individual level by rooms/reception questionnaire in general for its GSTS (Guest satisfaction tracking system). It has to introduce web based questionnaire survey to create an opportunity to built feedback interface for general public to get provided a cost-effective and practical methodology so hotel future guest see the reviews in term of past feedbacks. In the customer arena, we believe that regular, quantitative measurement of customer satisfaction provides a much better lead indicator of future organizational health than profitability of market share change (Tom Peters, Management guru) Objectives of the Study The main objective is to conduct the customer satisfaction and its measurement in the hotel industry with special reference to Express by Holiday Inn Hotel, London. Subsidiary Objectives Analyses of costs demonstrating that customer retention is substantially less expensive than customer acquisition. Customer behaviourists in the area of lodging, restaurant, food services and tourism. Customer satisfaction is a psychological concept. Customer purchase goods and service with pre purchase expectations about anticipated performance. Assessment of satisfaction is made during the service delivery process. Satisfaction is not a universal phenomenon and everyone is not getting the same satisfaction out of the same hospitality experience. Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance, Empathy and Tangibles. Significance of Study Customer Satisfaction measurement (CSM) consists of on two major roles Providing Information Enabling Communication with Customer The initial or primary reason for taking the time to measure customer satisfaction is based on to collect the information. It means that what customers say that need to be done differently or on the other hand to assess how well an organization is currently meeting its customer needs or requirements. But the secondary is not less important function of CSM in hospitality industry that by surveying customers. An organization is emphasis its interest in communicating with its customers. In hotel industry, its always finding out customers needs, pleasures, displeasures and overall well being. Though it is impossible to measure the satisfaction of every single customer needs. The customer satisfaction may different from organization to organization or hotel to hotel. Here we would like to quote Neumann (1995) five objectives suggestions as follows: To get close to the customer Measure continuous improvement To achieve customer driven improvement To measure competitive strengths and weaknesses To link Customer Satisfaction Measurement (CSM) data to internal systems Hypothesis Customer Satisfaction is a psychological concept. Customer purchase goods and services with pre purchase expectations. Assessment of satisfaction is made during the service delivery process. Satisfaction is not Universal phenomenon. Recognition of the employees who contribute to the Customers satisfaction Customer based improvement goals Plans for improving operational variables Incorporation of customer satisfaction skills into employees training programme Measurement and plan for improvement of employee satisfaction Importance of my Study To satisfy each and every customer or to meet his / her expectation every time is not an easy task especially in hotel industry. This work is to investigate and examine the psychology of the customer, their expectations and behaviour. Methodology My methodology of research will be based on experience, day to day operation of the hotel, customer complaint, customer satisfaction standard, theory, hypothesis, observation and confirmation. Universe of the Study The research would be conducted Hotels based in London, utilizing my own experience but the mainly focused on the Customer Satisfaction Measurement. Sample Design My sample will be comprised of the Customer Satisfaction Measurement in Express by Holiday Inn Hotel, London Data Usage In my research I would like to go for primary data collection, secondary data collection, quantitative and qualitative data collection. Tools of data Collection The data collection would include the use of questionnaire, scheduled interviews, guest feedback, and management feedback, guest services track system (GSTS), guest survey, and personal experience along with personal observation. In the questionnaire design, I will use the respondent completes short closed ended questions and long open ended questions. In the interview design, I would like to use personal forms, sharing their experience and work directly with the respondent. In the guest feedback, I would like to get the guest feedback while they are checking out from the hotel, compare their past and current experience. In the management feedback, I would like to get the information from management regarding the standard and complaint level of the guest activities in the hotel. Hypothesis Testing My hypothesis is Customer Satisfaction is a psychological concept. Customer purchase goods and services with pre purchase expectations. Assessment of satisfaction is made during the service delivery process. Satisfaction is not Universal phenomenon. I would like to test this hypothesis with my proper research along with my personal experience with respect to the Customer Satisfaction Measurement theory. Research Design and Timing Feb 2010 In the month of Feb 2010 I will finish my primary data collection (questionnaire, interviews, guest feed back, and management feedback, guest services track system, guest surveys, personal observation and experience) Feb 2010 In the month of Feb I would like to finish my complete data collection and I will systemize the data in the proper form according to the distribution of report. March 2010 In the month of July I would like to finish my final report writing and I will make it ready for the submission at the end of March 2010. Structure of the Report Chapter No 1 : Introduction Chapter No 2 : Literature review Chapter No 3 : Theory base (all theoretical background) Chapter No 4 : Analysis of the findings Chapter No 5 : Discussions Chapter No 6 : Conclusion and Recommendations Monitoring and Evaluation Feb, 2010 by Researcher Feb, 2010 by Supervisor March, 2010 by Researcher March, 2010 by Supervisor Literature Review My literature review comprises of theories, models, customers satisfaction surveys and related information. Brief and summarized form of my most important literature review is given below: Satisfaction Theories: Satisfaction Models: Satisfaction Surveys: Express by Holiday Inn Hotel Experience of Guest Satisfaction: Recently, numerous researchers have attempted to apply CS theories developed by consumer behaviorists in the areas of lodging in order to investigate CS applicability to the hospitality and tourism industries. The majority of these theories are based on cognitive nine distinct theories of customer satisfaction. The majority of these theories are based on cognitive psychology; some have received moderate attention, while other theories have been introduced without any empirical research. The theories include: Expectancy Disconfirmation Assimilation or cognitive dissonance Contrast Assimilation Contrast Equity Attribution Comparison level Generalized negativity Value precept Cognitive state of reward Customer satisfaction can also be defined as satisfaction based on an outcome or a process. Outcome definition of customer satisfaction characterizes satisfaction as the end-state resulting from the experience of consumption. This end state may be a cognitive state of reward, an emotional response to an experience or a comparison of rewards and costs to the anticipated consequences. Vavra also puts forth a definition of customer satisfaction based as a process, emphasizing the perceptual, evaluative and psychological processes contributing to customer satisfaction. In this definition, assessment of satisfaction is made during the service delivery process. Expectancy Disconfirmation Theory Richard Oliver has developed the expectancy disconfirmation theory in 1980. According to his theory, customers purchase goods and services with pre-purchase expectations about anticipated performance. Once the product or service has been purchased and used, outcomes are compared against expectations. When outcome matches expectations, confirmation occurs. On the other hand when there are differences between expectations and outcomes then disconfirmation occurs. Negative disconfirmation occurs when product / service performance is less than expected. Positive disconfirmation occurs when product / service performance is better than expected. Satisfaction is caused by confirmation or positive disconfirmation of consumer expectations, and dissatisfaction is caused by negative disconfirmation of consumer expectations. Basically we may say that Customer satisfaction is a psychological concept that involves the feeling of well-being and pleasure that results from obtaining what one hopes for and expects from an appealing product and/or service. Satisfaction is not a universal phenomenon and not everyone gets the same satisfaction out of the same hospitality experience. The reason is that customers have different needs, objectives and past experiences that influence their expectations. Therefore, it is important to gain a clear idea of the customer needs and objectives that correspond to different kinds of satisfactions. This necessitates the segmentation of the market, because no service or product can offer everyone the same degree of satisfaction. Experience may result from changes in the perception of the actual quality of outcomes received, or from changes in the expectations against which these outcomes are compared. The components of satisfaction Most hospitality experiences are an amalgam of products and services. Therefore it is possible to say that satisfaction with a hospitality experience such as a hotel stay or a restaurant meal is a sum total of satisfactions with the individual elements or attributes of all the products and services that make up the experience. Reuland Model of Satisfaction There is no uniformity of opinion among marketing experts as to the classification of the elements in service encounters. Reuland suggests that hospitality services consist of a harmonious mixture of three elements: The material product in a narrow sense which in the case of a restaurant is the food and beverages; The behavior and attitude of the employees who are responsible for hosting the guest, serving the meal and beverages and who come in direct contact with the guests, The environment, such as the building, the layout, the furnishing, the lighting in the restaurant, etc. Reuland et al. (1985, p. 142) Czepiel Model of Satisfaction On the other hand, Czepiel suggests that satisfaction with a service is a function of satisfaction with two independent elements, the functional element, i.e. the food and beverage in a restaurant, and the performance-delivery element, i.e. the service. To prove the independence of the two elements from each other, the authors claim that restaurant clients are quite capable of having responses to each element that differ one from the other: The service was great, the food poor or conversely. (Czepiel et al) (1985. P. 13) David and Stone Model of Satisfaction Davis and Stone divide the service encounter into two elements: Direct Services Indirect Services For example, direct services may be the actual check-in/check-out process in hotels, while the indirect services include the provision of parking facilities, concierge, public telephones for guests use, etc. (Davis and Stone (1985, p.29) Dimensions of satisfaction In service organizations, the assessment of the quality of a service is made during the actual delivery of the service usually an encounter between the customer and a service contact person. Parasuraman identified the following five generic dimensions of service quality (SERVQUAL) that must be present in the service delivery in order for it to result in customer satisfaction: Reliability the ability to perform the promised services dependably and accurately. Responsiveness the willingness to help customers and provide prompt service. Assurance the knowledge and courtesy of employees as well as their ability to convey trust and confidence. Empathy the provision of caring, individualized attention to customers, and Tangibles, the appearance of physical facilities, equipment, personnel and communication materials. The model conceptualizes service quality as a gap between customers expectations (E) and the perception of the service providers performance (P). According to Parasuraman that service quality should be measured by subtracting customers perception scores from customer expectation scores: (Q = P E) The greater the positive score represents the greater the positive amount of service quality or vice versa. The gap that may exist between the customers expected and perceived service is not only a measure of the quality of the service, but is also a determinant of customer satisfaction/dissatisfaction. Measuring the gap between expected and perceived service is a routine method of utilizing customer feedback. Measuring service quality via customer satisfaction Hayes states that Knowledge of customer expectations and requirements is essential for two reasons: It provides understanding of how the customer defines quality of service and products and facilitates the development of customer satisfaction questionnaires. (Hayes, 1997) Customer satisfaction is recognized as of great importance to all commercial firm because of its influence on repeat purchases and word of mouth recommendation (Berkman and Gilson, 1986). Satisfaction, reinforces positive attitudes towards the brand, leading to a greater likelihood that the same brand will be purchased again, but on the other hand dissatisfaction leads to negative brand attitudes and lessens the likelihood of buying the same brand again (Assael, 1987) Guest Expectation from Express by Holiday Inn Hotel Expectations can be described as a mutable internal standard which is based on a multitude of factors including needs, objectives, past personal or vicarious experiences with the same establishment restaurant, with similar establishments, and the availability of alternatives. To recapitulate what we have established by now is that an individuals satisfaction with outcomes received from a hospitality experience results from a comparison of these outcomes with expectations. Some hotels / restaurant attributes are more likely to earn guest complaints than compliments. Availability of parking, hours of operation, traffic congestion, noise level, and spaciousness of the establishment all appear in the top-ten complaint list. In contrast, guests express appreciation for high performance in some areas, but rarely complain when performance is so-so. The survey results suggest that guest react favorably to a clean neat restaurant, neat employees, ample portions, and responsiveness to complaints. The quality and quantity of service, food quality, helpfulness of the employees, and the prices of drinks, meals and other services appear in both the list of most frequent complaints and the list of the most frequent compliments. Cadotte and Turgeon attribute model of performance Cadotte and Turgeon divided the attributes into the following four categories: Satisfiers Dissatisfiers Critical Neutral Satisfiers were those attributes where unusual performance apparently elicited compliments and satisfaction, but average performance or even the absence of the feature did not cause dissatisfaction or complaints. Large-size food portions, smartly dressed employees, clean and neat restaurants are all examples of a restaurant satisfier. Normal food portions, regularly dressed employees and not so neat restaurants do not cause dissatisfaction. In contrast, large food portions and well-groomed and smartly dressed employees please the restaurant guest. Satisfiers, represent an opportunity to shine, to move ahead of the pack, and to stand out from the crowd Dissatisfiers were more likely to earn a complaint for low performance or absence of a desired feature than anything else. But an operation that exceeds the threshold performance standard apparently will not receive compliments on the attribute. Parking and excessive noise are good examples of dissatisfiers; they have to be provided and maintained at a minimum or sufficient level. But efforts to achieve a higher performance level will not be appreciated by customers nor will it cause them satisfaction. Dissatisfiers particularly require management control to prevent poor performance. Minimum standards should be established, and the focus should be on maintaining these standards. Be as good as your competition, but do not waste resources trying to be better. Critical attributes were capable of eliciting both complaints (dissatisfactions) and compliments (satisfactions), depending on the situation. Quality of service, food quality and helpful attitude of employees ranked high in eliciting both complaints and compliments. Critical factors deserve special attention, because of their potential for both hurting and helping a business. Like dissatisfiers, minimum standards must be set to avoid negative responses to your service. For the critical attributes, the objective is to raise performance beyond the norm Neutral attributes neither received a great number of compliments nor many complaints, therefore probably indicating that they were either not salient to guests or easily brought up to guests standards. Cadotte and Turgeon draw our attention to the fact that the classification of these factors is not permanent but constantly changes. Some dissatisfier type attributes were probably critical at one time. Higher industry standards, though, may have improved performance to the extent that most restaurants are able to meet guest requirements on these factors. For example, in warm climates, the availability of reliable air conditioning in hotels or restaurants was a critical factor; today, with the advent of modern refrigeration technology, all hotels and restaurants in such climates will have it. Having more of it will not satisfy anyone, but when air-conditioning breaks down, suddenly everyone becomes dissatisfied. Resources I would like to use limited resources for my research. I will use internet, complete media library, company visits, interviewing with different guests who are staying in different hotels or regular guests and frequent flyers, news papers, journals, books, telephone and other possible resources which are easily available and easily accessible. Possible outcome of my study I would like to say that my research work on Customer Satisfaction Measurement will bring new turn and increase the satisfaction level in Central Park Hotel Hyde Park, London. More importantly, my study will analysis the guest satisfaction level and will point out the main causes, how to improve and bring the level of customer satisfaction up to the mark. Limitations of the Study My study on Customer Satisfaction Measurement in hotel industry will be limited only as well as on Express by Holiday Inn, London and other Hotels in London.

Free YGB Essay - Perceptions of Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown :: Young Goodman Brown YGB

Perceptions of Young Goodman Brown In "Young Goodman Brown", Nathaniel Hawthorne makes visible the perception we have of what is chaste and amoral by showing Goodman Brown that the people perceived as being the most holy are just as guilty of immoral thoughts. The naming of Goodman Brown is that it could be anyone that has to face these moral issues between good and evil. It is an everyday occurrence for us to want to test the waters of evil. The story is a reflection of existence, being that each has a path to take and decisions to make. Young Goodman Brown decides to venture forth into the realm of unknown by a yearning unknown to him. He meets up with a traveling companion who is an elderly reflection. He caries a staff of serpent life symbolizing evil. Along the path, Goodman Brown sees people he identifies with divine happenings. His conviction in humanity is shattered. He begins to converge his thoughts to heaven, for the strength to see through this masquerade of earthly surroundings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Goodman Brown is curious as to what might lay ahead on the late journey. His wife pleads for his stay, only to be denied. She speaks of dreams to Goodman Brown, he reflects on this and denies any unnerving thoughts. Goodman Brown comforts himself by convincing himself that this one deed will be the last, he will then never leave Faith again. He is asking for forgiveness since he is about to cross the line of good and evil. If he can just take leave of his virtuous living for one night, he will forever be at Faith's side. His journey leads him along a dark avenue into the woods. His traveling companion awaits his arrival, and his tardiness is blamed on his Faith. Goodman Brown is quick to note that he still has Faith, but he will journey this one time. After time passes, Goodman Brown begins to realize his mistake for taking leave this late evening. His Faith is far from him now and he would like to adhere to her wishes. He fights to take l eave of his companion, but his will is too weak. Unconsciously he continues forward. Brown questions the stranger and does not know of such evil existing in his family, but the stranger conveys to Goodman Brown the past experience he has had with his relatives.

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story Chapter 26

Chapter 26 At the End of the Night†¦ The Emperor worked a wooden match around the end of a Cuban cigar, drawing and checking until the tip glowed like revolution. â€Å"I don't agree with their ideology,† said the Emperor, â€Å"but we must give the Marxists their due – they roll a fine cigar.† Bummer snorted and growled at the cigar, then shook himself violently, spraying the Emperor and Lazarus with a fine wet mist. The Emperor scratched the Boston terrier behind the ears. â€Å"Settle down, little one, you needed a bath. If we vanquish our enemy, it will be through gallantry and courage, not the stench of our persons.† Shortly after sunset a member of the yacht club had given the Emperor the cigar and had invited him to use the club showers. Much to the chagrin of the club custodian, the Emperor shared his shower with Bummer and Lazarus, who left the drain hopelessly clogged with the fluff, stuff, and filth such as heroes are made of. Now they were passing the evening on the same dock on which they had slept, the Emperor savoring his cigar while the troops stood watch. â€Å"Where do we go from here? Must we wait for the fiend to kill again before we pick up the trail?† Bummer considered the questions, working the words over in his doggy brain looking for a  «food » word. Not finding it, he began to lick his balls to remove the annoying odor of deodorant soap. Once he achieved the desired balance (of both his ends smelling roughly the same), he padded around the dock marking the mooring posts against seabound invaders. With the borders of the realm firmly established, he went in search of something dead to roll in to remove the last evidence of the shower. The right smell was near, but it was coming in off the water. Bummer went toward the smell until he stood at the end of the dock. He saw a small white cloud bubbling out over the gunwale of a yacht moored a hundred yards away. Bummer barked to let the cloud know to stay away. â€Å"Settle down, little one,† said the Emperor. Lazarus shook some water out of his ears and joined Bummer at the end of the dock. The cloud was halfway between the yacht and the dock, pulsating and bubbling as it moved across the water toward them. Lazarus lowered his head and growled. Bummer added a high whine to the harmony. â€Å"What is it, men?† the Emperor asked. He put his cigar out on the sole of his shoe and secured the remains in his breast pocket before limping, stiff from sitting, to the end of the dock. The cloud was almost to the dock. Lazarus bared his teeth and snarled at it. Bummer backed away from the edge of the dock, not sure whether to bolt or stand his ground. The Emperor looked out over the water and saw the cloud. It was not wispy at the edges, but sharply defined, more like a solid mass of gel than water vapor. â€Å"It's just a bit of fog, men, don't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He spotted a face forming in the cloud that changed as he watched to the shape of a giant hand, then bubbled into the head of a dog. â€Å"Although weather is not my specialty, I would venture to guess that that is no ordinary fog bank.† The cloud undulated into the shape of a huge viper that reared up, twenty feet over the water, as if preparing to strike. Bummer and Lazarus let go with a fusillade of barking. â€Å"Gents, let us away to the showers. I've left my sword by the sink.† The Emperor turned and ran down the dock, Bummer and Lazarus close at his heels. When he reached the clubhouse he turned to see the cloud creeping over the lip of the dock. He stood, watching transfixed, as the cloud began to condense into the solid form of a tall, dark man. The Animals began drifting into the store around midnight, and to Tommy's delight they all seemed at least as hung over as he was. Drew, tall, gaunt, and deadly earnest, had them sit on the register counters and wait for his medical diagnosis. He walked from man to man, looking at their tongues and the whites of their eyes. Then he walked toward the office and seemed to lose himself in concentration. After a moment he went into the office and came back with the truck manifest. Drew noted the number of cases, then nodded to himself and removed a bottle of pills from his shirt pocket and handed it to Tommy. â€Å"Take one and pass it down. Who drank the tequila?† Simon, who had pulled his black Stetson over his eyes, raised his hand with a slight moan. â€Å"You take two, Simon. They're Valium number fives.† â€Å"Housewife heroin,† said Simon. Drew announced, â€Å"Everyone drink a quart of Gatorade, a slug of Pepto, three aspirin, some B vitamins, and two Vivarin.† Barry, the balding scuba diver, said, â€Å"I don't trust that over-the-counter stuff.† â€Å"I'm not finished,† Drew said. From his shirt pocket he pulled an aluminum cigar tube, unscrewed the cap, and tipped it into his hand. A long, yellow paper cone slid out. He held it out to Tommy. It smelled like a cross between a skunk and a eucalyptus cough drop. Tommy raised an eyebrow to Drew. â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"Don't worry about it. It's recommended by the Jamaican Medical Association. Anybody got a light?† Simon pitched his Zippo to Drew, who handed it to Tommy. Tommy hesitated before lighting the joint and looked at Drew. â€Å"This is just pot, right? This isn't some weird designer kill-the-family-with-a-chain-saw-and-choke-to-death-on-your-own-vomit drug, right?† â€Å"Not if used as directed,† Drew said. â€Å"Oh. Okay.† Tommy sparked the Zippo, lit the joint, and took a deep hit. Holding in the smoke – his eyes watering, his face scrunched in gargoyle determination, his limbs contorted as if he had contracted a case of the instant creeping geeks – he offered the joint to Lash, the black business major. There was a thump on the front door, followed by an urgent pounding that rattled the windows. Tommy dropped the joint and coughed, expelling a blast of smoke and spittle in Lash's face. The Animals shouted and turned, not so much startled by the noise, but tortured by the assault on their collective hangover. Outside the double automatic doors the Emperor pounded on the frame with his wooden sword. The dogs jumped around his feet barking and leaping as if they had treed a raccoon on the roof of the store. Tommy, still gasping for breath, dug into his pocket for the store keys and made his way to the door. â€Å"It's okay. I know him.† â€Å"Everybody knows him,† Simon said. â€Å"Crazy old fuck.† Tommy turned the key and pulled the doors open. The Emperor fell into the store. Bummer and Lazarus leaped over their master and disappeared down an aisle. The Emperor thrashed around on the floor and Tommy had to step back to keep from having his shins whacked by the wooden sword. â€Å"Calm down,† Tommy said. â€Å"You're okay.† The Emperor climbed to his feet and grabbed Tommy by the shoulders. â€Å"We have to marshal our forces. The monster is at hand. Quickly now!† Tommy looked back at the Animals and grinned. â€Å"He's okay, really.† Then, to the Emperor, â€Å"Just slow down, okay. Can I get you something to eat?† â€Å"There's no time for that. We must take the battle to him.† Simon called, â€Å"Maybe Drew has something to mellow him out.† Drew had recovered the joint and was in the process of relighting it. Tommy closed and locked the door, then took the Emperor by the arm and led him toward the office. â€Å"See, Your Majesty, you're inside now. You're safe. Now let's go sit down and see if we can sort this out.† â€Å"Locked doors won't stop him. He can take the form of mist and pass through the smallest crack.† The Emperor addressed the Animals. â€Å"Arm yourself, while there is still time.† â€Å"Who?† Asked Lash. â€Å"Who's he talking about?† Tommy cleared his throat. â€Å"The Emperor thinks that there's a vampire stalking the City.† â€Å"You're shittin' me,† Barry said. â€Å"I've just seen him,† the Emperor said, â€Å"at the marina. He changed from a cloud of vapor to human form as I watched. He's not far behind me, either.† Tommy patted the old man's arm. â€Å"Don't be silly, Your Highness. Even if there were vampires, they can't turn into vapor.† â€Å"But I saw it.† â€Å"Look!† Tommy said. â€Å"You saw something else. I know for a fact that vampires can't change into vapor.† â€Å"You know that for a fact?† Simon drawled. Tommy looked at Simon, expecting to see the usual grin, but Simon was waiting for an answer. Tommy shook his head. â€Å"I'm trying to get things under control here, Simon. You want to give me a break?† â€Å"How do you know?† Simon insisted. â€Å"It was in a book I was reading. You remember, Simon, you read that one too.† Simon looked as if he had just been threatened, which he had. â€Å"Yeah, right,† he said, pushing his Stetson back down over his eyes and leaning back on the register. â€Å"Well, you ought to just call the loony-bin boys for your friend there.† â€Å"I'll take care of him,† Tommy said. â€Å"You guys get started on the truck.† He opened the office door and nudged the Emperor toward it. â€Å"What about the men?† asked the Emperor. â€Å"They're safe. Come on in and tell me about it.† â€Å"But the monster?† â€Å"If he wanted to kill me, I'd be dead already.† Tommy shut the office door behind them. Big hair, Jody thought. Big hair is the way to go with this outfit. After all these years of trying to tame my hair, all I had to do was dress like an upscale hooker and I would have been fine. She was walking up Geary Street, her fake Gucci bag of free cosmetics still in hand. There was a new club down here somewhere and she needed to dance, or at least show off a little. A panhandler wearing a cardboard sign that read, â€Å"I am Unemployed and Illiterate (a friend wrote this for me),† stopped her and tried to sell her a free weekly newspaper. Jody said, â€Å"I can pick that up anywhere. It's free.† â€Å"It is?† â€Å"Yes. They give it away in every store and cafe in town.† â€Å"I wondered why they were laying out there for the taking.† Jody was angry with herself for being pulled into this exchange. â€Å"It says ‘free' right there on the cover.† The bum pointed to the sign hanging around his neck and tried to look tragic. â€Å"Maybe you could give me quarter for it anyway.† Jody started to walk away. The bum followed along beside her. â€Å"There's a great article on recovery groups on page ten.† She looked at him. â€Å"Someone told me,† he said. Jody stopped. â€Å"I'll give you this if you'll leave me alone.† She held out the cosmetics bag. The bum acted as if he had to think about it. He looked her up and down, pausing at her cleavage before looking her in the eye. â€Å"Maybe we could work something out. You must be cold in that dress. I could warm you up.† â€Å"Normally,† Jody said, â€Å"if I met a guy who was unemployed and illiterate who hadn't bathed in a couple of weeks, I'd be standing in a puddle with excitement, but I'm sort of in a bad mood tonight, so take this bag and give me the fucking paper before I pop your little head like a zit.† She pushed the bag into his chest, knocking him back against the window of a closed camera store. The bum offered her the paper tentatively and she snatched it from his hand. He said, â€Å"You're a lesbian, aren't you?† Jody screamed at him: a high, explosive, unintelligible expulsion of pure inhuman frustration – a Hendrix high note sampled and sung by a billion suffering souls in Hell's own choir. The window of the camera shop shattered and fell in shards to the sidewalk. The store alarm wailed, paltry in comparison to Jody's scream. The bum covered his ears and ran away. â€Å"Cool,† Jody said, more than a bit satisfied with herself. She opened the paper and read as she walked up the street to the club. Outside the club Jody got in line with a crowd of well-dressed wannabees and resumed reading her paper, enjoying the stares of the men on line in her peripheral vision. The club was called 753. It seemed to Jody that all of the new, trendy clubs had eschewed names for numbers. Kurt and his broker buddies had been big fans of the number-named clubs, which made for Monday-morning recount conversations that sounded more like equations: â€Å"We went to Fourteen Ninety-Two and Ten Sixty-Six, then Jimmy drank ten Seven-Sevens at Nineteen Seventeen, went fifty-one fifty and got eighty-sixed.† Normally, that many numbers in succession would have had Kurt diving for his PC to establish trend lines and resistance levels. Jody glazed over at the mention of numbers, which would have made living with the broker a bit of an ordeal even if he hadn't been an asshole. She thought, I wonder if Kurt will be here. I hope so. I hope he's here with the little well-bred, breastless wonder. Oh, she won't care, but he'll die a thousand jealous deaths. Then she heard the alarm sounding down the street and thought, Maybe I should learn to channel some of this hostility. â€Å"You, in the LED!† said the doorman. Jody looked up from her paper. â€Å"Go on in,† the doorman said. As she walked past the other people on line she was careful to avoid eye contact. One single guy reached out and grabbed her arm. â€Å"Say I'm your date,† he begged. â€Å"I've been waiting for two hours.† â€Å"Hi, Kurt,† Jody said. â€Å"I didn't see you.† Kurt stepped back. â€Å"Oh. Oh my God. Jody?† She smiled. â€Å"How's your head?† He was trying to catch his breath. â€Å"Fine. It's fine. You look†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Thanks, Kurt. Good to see you again. I'd better get inside.† He clawed the air after her. â€Å"Could you say I'm your date?† She turned and looked at him as if she had found him in the back of the refrigerator with green growing on him. â€Å"I have been chosen, Kurt. You, on the other hand, are an untouchable. I don't think you'd be appropriate for the image I'm trying to project.† As she walked into the club she heard Kurt say to the next guy in line, â€Å"She's a lesbian, you know.† Jody thought, Yep, I've got to work on controlling my hostility. The theme of 753 was Old San Francisco; actually, Old San Francisco burning down, which is largely what Old San Francisco used to do. There was an antique hand-pump fire engine in the middle of the dance floor. Cellophane flames leaped from pseudowindows driven by turbine fans. Nozzles in the ceiling drizzled dry-ice smoke over a crowd of young professionals ar-rhythmically sweating in layers of casual cotton and wool. A flannel-clad grunge rocker here; a tie-dyed and dreadlocked Rastafarian there; some neo-hippies; a sprinkling of black-eyed, white-faced New Wave holdovers – looking alienated – contemplating the next body part to have pierced; a few harmless suburban homeboys – here to bust a move, def and phat, in three-hundred-dollar giant gel-filled, glow-in-the-dark, pneumatic, NBA-endorsed sneakers. The doorman had tried to make a mix, but with fashionable micro-brewery beer going for seven bucks a bottle, the crowd was bound to overbalance to the sid e of privilege and form a thick yuppie scum. Cocktail waitresses in fireman helmets served reservoirs of imported water and thanked people for not smoking. Jody slinked onto a barstool and opened her paper to avoid eye contact with a droopy-eyed drunk on the next stool. It didn't work. † ‘Scuse me, I couldn't help noticing that you were sitting down. I'm sitting down too. Small world, huh?† Jody looked up briefly and smiled. Mistake. â€Å"Can I buy you a drink?† the drunk asked. â€Å"Thanks, I don't drink,† she said, thinking, Why did I come here? What did I hope to accomplish? â€Å"It's my hair, isn't it?† Jody looked at the guy. He was about her age and balding, not quite finished with what looked like a bad hair-transplant job. His scalp looked as if it had been strafed with a machine gun full of plugs. She felt bad for him. â€Å"No, I really don't drink.† â€Å"How about a mineral water?† â€Å"Thanks. I don't drink anything.† From the stool behind her a man's voice. â€Å"She'll drink this.† She turned to see a glass filled with a thick, red-black liquid being pushed in front of her by a bone-white hand. The index and middle finger seemed a little too short. â€Å"They're still growing back,† the vampire said. Jody recoiled from him so hard she nearly went over backward on her barstool. The vampire caught her arm and steadied her. â€Å"Hey, buddy,† said Hair Plugs, â€Å"hands off.† The vampire let go of Jody's arm, reached across to put his hand on Hair Plugs's shoulder, and held him fast to his seat. The drunk's eyes went wide. The vampire smiled. â€Å"She'll rip out your throat and drink your blood as you die. Is that what you want?† Hair Plugs shook his head violently. â€Å"No, I already have an ex-wife.† The vampire released him. â€Å"Go away.† Hair Plugs slid off the stool and ran off into the crowd on the dance floor. Jody leaped to her feet and started to follow him. The vampire caught her arm and wheeled her around. â€Å"Don't,† he said. Jody caught his wrist and began to squeeze. A human arm would have been reduced to mush. The vampire grinned. Jody locked eyes with him. â€Å"Let go.† â€Å"Sit,† he said. â€Å"Murderer.† The vampire threw his head back and laughed. The bartender, a burly jock type, looked up, then looked away. Just another loud drunk. â€Å"I can take you,† Jody said, not really believing it. She wanted to break loose and run. The vampire, still smiling, said, â€Å"It would make an interesting news story, wouldn't it? ‘Pale Couple Destroys Club in Domestic Disagreement. Shall we?† Jody let go of his wrist but stayed locked on his eyes. They were black, showing no iris. â€Å"What do you want?† The vampire broke the stare and shook his head. â€Å"Little fledgling, I want your company, of course. Now sit.† Jody climbed back onto the stool and stared into the glass before her. â€Å"That's better. It's almost over, you know. I didn't think you would last this long, but alas, it must come to an end. The game has become a bit too public. You have to break from the cattle now. They don't understand you. You are not one of them anymore. You are their enemy. You know it, don't you? You've known it since your first kill. Even your little pet knows it.† Jody started to shake. â€Å"How did you get into the loft to get Tommy's book?† The vampire grinned again. â€Å"One develops certain talents over time. You're still young, you wouldn't understand.† Part of Jody wanted to slam her fist into his face and run, yet another part wanted answers to all the questions that had been running through her mind since the night she was changed. â€Å"Why me? Why did you do this to me?† The vampire stood up and patted her on the shoulder. â€Å"It's almost over. The sadness of having a pet is that they always die on you. At the end of the night, you are alone. You'll know that feeling very soon. Drink up.† He turned and walked away. Jody watched him leave, relieved that he was gone, but at the same time disappointed. There were so many questions. She picked up the glass, smelled the liquid, and nearly gagged. The bartender snickered. â€Å"I never had an order for a double of straight grenadine before. Can I get you something else?† â€Å"No, I've got to go catch him.† She picked up her paper, got up, ran up the steps and out of the club. She found that if she stayed on the balls of her feet, she could actually run in the high-heeled pumps. Chalk one up for vampire strength, she thought. She grabbed the doorman by the shoulder and swung him around. â€Å"Did you see a thin, pale guy in black just leave?† â€Å"That way.† The doorman pointed east on Geary. â€Å"He was walking.† â€Å"Thanks,† Jody tossed over her shoulder as she took to the sidewalk, waiting to break into a run until she was out of sight from the club. She ran a block before taking off the pumps and carrying them. The street was empty; only the buzz of wires and the soft padding of her feet on the sidewalk broke the silence. She'd run ten blocks when she spotted him, a block away, leaning against a lamppost. He turned and looked at her as she pulled up. â€Å"So, fledgling, what are you going to do when you catch me?† he asked in a soft voice, knowing she would hear. â€Å"Kill me? Break off a signpost and drive it though my heart? Rip my head from my shoulders and play puppet with it while my body flops around on the sidewalk?† The vampire pantomimed flopping, rolled his eyes, and grinned. Jody said nothing. She didn't know what she was going to do. She hadn't thought about it. â€Å"No,† she said. â€Å"How can I stop you from killing Tommy?† â€Å"They always betray you, you know. It's in their nature.† â€Å"What if I leave? Don't tell him where I'm going?† â€Å"He knows we exist. We have to hide, fledgling. Always. Completely.† Jody felt strangely calm. Perhaps it was hearing the â€Å"we.† Maybe it was talking in a normal voice to someone a block away. Whatever it was, she wasn't afraid, not for herself, anyway. She said, â€Å"If we have to hide, why all the killings?† The vampire laughed again. â€Å"Did you ever have a cat bring you a bird it had killed?† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"Presents, fledgling. Now if you are going to kill me, please do. If not, go play with your pet while you can.† He turned and walked away. â€Å"Wait!† Jody called. â€Å"Did you pull me through the basement window?† â€Å"No,† the vampire said without looking back. â€Å"I am not interested in saving you. And if you follow me, you will find out exactly how a vampire can be killed.† Gotcha, asshole, Jody thought. He had saved her.

Dulce et Decorum Est Poem Analysis Essay Example

Dulce et Decorum Est Poem Analysis Essay Example Dulce et Decorum Est Poem Analysis Paper Dulce et Decorum Est Poem Analysis Paper Essay Topic: Poetry The poem ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ was written by Wilfred Owen during World War One. It’s a very anti-war poem and portrays an unseen version of war, the horrible part of it. It was one of the many poems that were not published until after the war as it hardly belonged amongst all the smiling soldiers in the propaganda posters. It centers around the retelling of a gas attack one of the battlefield methods that were common in Owen’s day – and how a soldier didn’t get his helmet on in time. The title ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est’ is a part of a common phrase that was tossed around a lot during Owens time, which loosely translated into English means, ‘It is sweet and fitting’. The soldier’s death is barely ‘sweet and fitting’ which is why the title is very misleading and ironic. The poem consists of four stanzas. Owen starts the poem by describing the state of the soldiers, again very different than the clean, healthy men in the posters. It seems to the reader that every aspect of the soldiers was damaged – physically, mentally and spiritually. The simile Owen uses ‘†¦like old beggars’ in my opinion is one of the very effective images in the poem. It could be interpreted as the soldiers feeling betrayed, deserted by their own people, put into a battlefield they didn’t sign up for, like the beggars who feel ignored and forgotten, balancing on a thin line between life and death. Two metaphors that caught my eye were ‘Men marched asleep’ and ‘Drunk with fatigue’ which both strongly indicate that the soldiers were on auto-pilot, not in control of their actions, almost like robots or zombies, neither dead or alive. Men marched asleep’ is a metaphorical paradox because you can’t march while you’re asleep, and ‘Drunk with fatigue’ is a metaphor where you can’t literally be drunk with fatigue, but it implies that the soldiers are so tired that they are powerless and weak, relating to the effects of alcohol where the mind is weak and irration al. In the second stanza the poem moves on to describe a gas attack, and the reader is dragged into its midst. The soldiers struggle to get the helmets on, forcing the reader to empathize with the soldiers, so young and sprightly with a long life ahead of them, but fighting to stay alive in a matter of seconds. ‘An ecstasy of fumbling’. This metaphor illustrates to the reader the human instinct to survive, how nothing is more important than fitting the helmet on and the panic and rush of adrenaline the soldier feels. Yet one man, representing the worst of the gas, didn’t get it on in time. Owen tries to relate the gas attack to something people knew and in this case he used the metaphor ‘†¦like a man in fire or lime’. This allows the reader to feel the soldier’s excruciating pain. He clarifies the situation even more by describing the death by gas as drowning in water, an extended metaphor that continues into the third and fourth stanzas. After that with the third stanza, a mere two lines, Owen continues with the metaphor. He turns the attack into a nightmare that haunted him forever after it occurred ‘In all my dreams†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ He could also be using the word ‘dreams’ to indicate that what happened is too harsh for reality, too hard for him to comprehend. He may also feel guilty as he describes himself as ‘helpless’, another reference to drowning, where the observer is in a state of shock and helplessness at first. The three alliterative words at the end of the stanza ‘†¦guttering, choking, drowning’ help the reader understand the metaphor more and empathize with his pain. And the final fourth stanza continues the tale, exposing even more gory details of the attack, its aftermath and its sheer ferocity, again leaving deep impacts on the reader. Owen begins by addressing the reader, inviting him/her into his ‘smothering dreams’ – indicating that the nightmares he had he couldn’t escape and they were suffocating him – and asking them to walk in his shoes ‘†¦behind the wagon we flung him in’, the verb ‘flung’ I think very disturbing, implying that the soldier who had had a whole life ahead of him was just another lifeless body, worthless to them now. And then comes another strong metaphor ‘†¦like a devil’s sick of sin’ which Owen uses to describe the soldier’s dead face. It could suggest that, like a devil realizing his mistakes at the door to hell and wishes to escape it at the last minute, the soldier when at the border between life and death begins to wish he could escape the battlefield and return to his home and to his loved ones. But it is too late. He also uses words that create an unimaginably horrid scene and create a negative atmosphere as a whole: blood, corrupted, obscene, cancer and bitter. One of the best metaphors in the poem includes ‘†¦incurable sores on innocent tongues’, a simple phrase that shows how large the effects of war are, and how eternal they are on the young and innocent. Finally the last four lines in the poem. Owen addresses the reader directly, calling him/her (I’m sticking with a him, if you don’t mind) ‘my friend’, and telling him that if only he would experience what he had, he would never tell the ‘old Lie’ – capitalized L personifies this phrase, as if it was something human, some evil to the point where it is not just words – ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori’ – the completed phrase meaning ‘It is sweet and fitting to die for your country. ’ The completion of the phrase provides a stark contrast between the poem and the impression the title makes. There is nothing sweet and fitting about dying for your country. In an indirect way, Owen is shaming all the ‘liars’ and putting the weight of the death of all innocent soldiers on their shoulders. There is no specific structure to the poem. It starts off in an organized way, representing the seemingly ordered army, marching in lines and separated into regiments and so on. Then it starts to tumble into chaos, into how war really is. Disorder consumes the poem as the pace in stanza two is quickened by the use of short words and exclamation marks. It is also in the present tense, dragging the reader into the action, followed by a two-lined stanza, which is artistically beneficial as it stands out more and has more impact on the reader. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD and so on. Throughout the poem, it is very obvious that Wilfred Owen is anti-war. This has some irony in it as Owen died in combat, fighting for his country. It seems that he is torn between patriotism and the futility of war. And that I guess is how every soldier feels about war. You kill your enemies, not because you’re right and they’re wrong – everyone’s wrong in war. No, you kill them to defend your country, your home. To defend your friends and family. To live free. I loved the poem. The bluntness of it invokes revulsion and hatred towards every aspect of war. I loved how Owen is shoving the truth of war into the faces of the naive population, who don’t know its reality or pretend it’s all fine and dandy. The tone of outrage and disgust with war (and with those who support it) is sustained by the speaker’s invitation to the reader to watch- something the reader clearly is not naturally inclined to do. It’s as if the poet is holding the horror of war up to our faces and making us look. Personally, I share Owen’s confusion. I would defend my country; I would die for it if I had to, because you just can’t sit back and watch people you are connected to some way or another die. But I also think that war is useless, that it’s a never ending cycle of keeping the Earth’s population under control. It affects everyone, few in a good way, most in a bad one. But I believe that like in Pandora’s Box hope came out after everything else did, I think there is still some hope left for the human race, that we aren’t all doomed – yet.

Paper Writing Help

Paper Writing Help Very often students find that paper writing is inhibited at the times when we most want or need to write. We are afflicted by writing blocks. In these case students need help of professional writers to break these blocks and to write their academic papers successfully. In the present section of this chapter we will first examine the relatively simple question of what the causes of writing blocks might be, and then we will try to help with your writing problems by considering more difficult question of how such blocks might be removed and the flow of writing initiated or maintained. Writing blocks may be put into two categories, procedural or psychological, depending on whether we cannot decide what to write next in the term paper or research paper we cannot bring ourselves to write anything next. There is a third general reason why writing might become difficult at times, and that might be called physical. Writing requires far more physical effort than reading, than talking or listening. It may occasionally be the case that we are too tired to write at all, but what is more likely is that fatigue is a supplementary but critical factor when we are experiencing writing difficulties with a psychological or procedural basis. We are too tired to solve our own problems and need a help to solve them, especially since overcoming writing blocks frequently requires effort and determination. To struggle for half an hour with an unyielding sentence that is not exactly what we want to say, while we do not know exactly what we want to say, can demand the concentration and stamina of an athlete. Procedural Blocks Quite literally, we can be in the position of not knowing what to write next. This need not mean that we have no idea why we are trying to write in the first place, nor that we are incapable of putting words together if we know what to say in this paper. The situation can perhaps best be expressed in terms of levels of intention. At a global level we know and can specify very well what we want to write about in the paper; and at a focal level we have no trouble putting one word after  another – provided we can decide what we specifically want to say. But we are lost at an intermediate level and need help therefor example, in deciding the exact direction in which we want a paragraph to go. There are several possible reasons for vacillation related to an unwieldy ramification of alternatives in writing term papers or research papers. One reason is the packing of too much information into a sentence, into a paragraph even, leaving too many directions in which one might go and too many strands to be followed. There may be digressions into which we have been led by our own developing ideas, and we become entangled in the undergrowth of our own proliferating intentions. One incidental problem almost as disruptive as inability to start writing is inability to stop, even though the paper is taking us further and further from the path we intended to pursue. Writing difficulties are often not so much a matter of having nothing to say as the manipulation of dams and torrents, dams that must be carefully broached after words have built up behind them, and torrents that must be halted or channeled when the words burst through. Psychological Blocks The most difficult moment is often the moment when the first words should come in the research paper or term paper. In this case we are not talking of the occasions when you have nothing to say, even though it may often be the case that the brain requires more time to sort out some ideas. Nor we are talking of procedural problems when the writer cannot decide a direction to take. We are talking of the case when words should come, and could come, but we refuse to allow them to confront us. We cannot bring ourselves to let words appear on paper and therefore we cannot even start term paper and complete it on time. In this case most of us will definitely need help. But at first we should understand where this problem comes from. There are probably two main reasons for this reluctance. The first is to do with the magnitude of the task. We may be committing ourselves to a considerable amount of effort, and even risk, and the first few words we put on a page may set a course from which we feel there will be no turning back or even opportunity for second thoughts. This degree of resistance to undertaking the enterprise will increase depending on the perceived magnitude, importance, and probability of succeeding in whatever our aims might be. The second reason is complex. It is the apprehension that the product of our labors will fail to measure up to some standard, which is often applied to any research paper or term paper that we ever handled to professors. And the reluctance is intensified because this standard cannot be clearly defined or be too high. The standard needs to be the approval of the reader to whom the text is addressed. One other general psychological reason for writing blocks is simply expressed: habit. Just as we have our habitual and preferred writing materials, our preferred time of day and place for writing, so may we have our habitual and preferred strategies for avoiding it. Overcoming Writing Blocks The write at all costs, write anything, no matter how irrelevant is most appropriate to the psychological aspects of writing-block problems, but not to the procedural aspects. In the latter case the problem is organizational, and is best handled by capitalizing on the particular advantages of written language, its ability to overcome constraints of time and space. Instead of trying to puzzle over and remember alternative constructions in the head, we should put them on paper, where not only can they be inspected but also moved around to be evaluated in different order and different contexts. The difficulty of finding a beginning may be resolved by writing various alternatives, even the most mundane. You may find yourself writing something that takes off for you with a fluency you did not suspect. If you cannot think of anything else to write in the term paper, write a summary statement of what in general you want to write about. These possibilities also apply to blocks that occur at other places in the  text – in the middle or at the end. Hope we provided you with sufficient paper writing help and especially in starting it. Use these recommendations and practice your writing skills to achieve mastery in writing term papers. If you still need professional paper writing help be sure that we can definitely provide it for you. We can write custom essay, custom research paper or custom term paper of superior quality on any topic

Russian and Iraqi Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Russian and Iraqi Relations - Essay Example Russia needed cold hard cash and Iran needed replacement arms. Munition sales were estimated at $1 billion in sales and 1992 registering even greater amounts. Russia was experiencing extreme pressure from the US to stop the sales and Russia did, to an extent, delay delivery of munitions. However, Russia stated that they viewed Iran as a friendly neighbour and needed to look after their own interests. Russia publicly agreed that they did not want to sanction any arms build up in the Middle East but the country was sure such was not the case in Iran. Tensions in Moscow began to rise as Iran began to interject itself into Azerbaijan shortly followed by visits to nine other states in the region. Regardless of this Russia signed a major deal to assist in the development of the Iran nuclear program. Relations continued to deteriorate and Russia, at this point, determined that it would honour its open arms contracts with Iran but would not enter into new contracts. However, contention remained between the US and Russia over the Russian involvement in the Iranian Nuclear Program. Moscow continually asserted that they were not supplying missile technology; however, despite Russia's unwillingness to assist with their missile project in July of 1998 Iran successfully test fired their first missile with the assistance of Pakistan, North Korea and China. Tensions of the nuclear program continued to grow and the strain began to be felt more and more on US/Russian relations. Another area of concern in the Mid East for the US was the possible resumption of relations between Iraq and Russia. The sanctions placed against Iraq were closely followed by the economic loss felt by Russia while bowing to western pressure. Russia held over $10 billion dollars of Iraqi debt which Iraq was at current unable to repay. Still Russia was eager to build solid relations in the Mid East region. As the author states Russia's motivation to build relations in the Arab world were to: "ensure Russia's national security; Prevent the spread of political and military fires in the Middle East to the increasingly unstable regions of the Caucasus and Central Asia; and make use of the potential in the Arab states t help solve Russia's economic problems." Russia did make headway in 1993 when it signed an agreement with Kuwait offering military cooperation which later led to $750 million in arms sales followed by UAE sales reported to be near $3 billion. However, arms sales were disappointing to the Russians in the Gulf area and they desperately needed hard cash. In April of 1993 the Russian parliament speaker Ruslan Khasbulatov sent an emissary to Iraq in an attempt to renew the relations the two countries has shared prior to the invasion of Kuwait. In secret meetings Iraq sought Russia's help in getting UN sanctions against the country removed. In exchange for the request to gradually lift the sanctions Iraq was to publicly assert the sovereignty of Kuwait. In the midst of these negotiations Iraq, much to the embarrassment of the Russians, sent its troops to the Kuwait border. However, maintaining their presence the Russian's continued to champion Iraq's cause by offering to oversee compliance by Iraq during the six month lifting of sanctions and again asserted that Iraq was prepared to

How are things different today for working class people and unions Essay

How are things different today for working class people and unions than in the days of Working Class New York - Essay Example In the United States, for instance, the working class people are mainly employed in jobs that do not require a lot of skills like clerks, retailers, and blue collar or manual jobs. Some white collar jobs like secretaries and call center employees also fall under the category of working class jobs (Shipler, p.36) For many years, New York City has been a working class city. During the period of the working class in New York, most people were employed in the manufacturing sector since there were many industries then. However, this is not the case today. Today there are fewer workers working in the manufacturing sectors in New York than during the period of working class in New York. Most people are employed in the service sector (Freeman, p.30) During the working class era in New York, workers were assured of the job security. They were not subjected to being laid off as a result of hard economic times. However, today’s working class face the challenge of ‘irregular employment’ since they are fired every now and then and hired again due to economic changes. It mainly affects workers in weak labor markets and those employed on a part-time basis. The economy of many nations all over the globe has continued to face stagnant growth unlike the period of the working class in New York. This has in turn slowed down creation of job opportunities and retrenching of many people who are in the working class category. Therefore, unlike in the past, many people in the United States and other parts of the world are unemployed. The unemployment rate in the United States in 2003 was at around 7%. Real wages for all workers have continued to decline due to inflation and other economic factors. Today, even when workers ar e employed they still continue to get by as compared to the period of Working Class Period in New York. During the period of working class New York, workers’ rights were protected by strong trade unions. In the United States, trade unions experienced many