Solving problem of elctrodynamic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Solving problem of elctrodynamic - Assignment Example As before, the procedure for determining the Greens function is to split. The region of interest in to two parts (one on each side of the observation point), and separate solutions of the Laplace equation that satisfy the boundary conditions of every region, and then join the two solutions at the source point such that their values match up but the first derivative (in whichever dimension we chose sides) has a finite discontinuity. The solution in the first region must be admissible down to which excludes the in term and the negative powers of p. However, these terms may be included in the solutions for region in second place. In individually regions, the solution must vanish at which excludes the cos terms Henceforth when the electromagnetic disturbance has reached the origin, the particle has traveled as far as the electromagnetic disturbance did, but in the opposite direction, so it is now twice as far from the origin as it was when the disturbance we are just now feeling was generated. The electric fields do not depend on the unprimed variables and come out of the integrals, which was the point of the Taylor sequences expansion. After a little manipulation, we recognize the integrals that are left as the dipole moment and quadrupole moments d) If, instead of the semi-classical charge density used above, the electron in the 2p state was described by a circular Bohr orbit of radius , rotating with the transition frequency w0, what would the predicted power be? Express your answer in the same units as in part b and evaluate the ratio of the powers numerically. b) We now want to calculate the ï ¬ elds from the potentials. This is mostly straight forward, albeit tedious, algebra. We need to remember that the dipole moment is evaluated at the retarded time, so that there is an implicit time dependence in p (t0) a) Starting with the Proca Lagrangian density (12.91) and following the same procedure as for the electro

Greek Mythology and Achilles Introduction Essay Example for Free

Greek Mythology and Achilles Introduction Essay Introduction Once upon a time, long ago there was a marvelous battle called the Trojan War, but before hand, there lived a Greek god named Peleus who extracted love for the Sea goddess Thetis. As time passed, they became one, so they thought why not form our love in to a child. When their child was born, Thetis dipped him into the river styx which was in the underworld (Achilles). Thus made him immortal and his name was Achilles. When Thetis dipped Achilles in to the underworld, she held him from his heel, this spot remained vulnerable, (Achilles). Meaning it was the only spot in his body that remained mortal. Achilles’ parents knew that he would become the greatest fighter ever lived, (Gill). So Achilles knew that he would end up fighting in the Trojan War. Personal Qualities Achilles was a great warrior who possessed many unique qualities; for one, he was immortal. He was a man who was known for his incredible strength, fighting ability and his intimidating armor. Some of his other main qualities were that he was part human, past super natural, (Achilles). He was very courageous, brave, and also strong. He used his strength and bravery to kill Hector, king of the Trojans, (Achilles 1). Achilles was also very well known for his helmet, which was gold with red horse tips above it. His armor would always be recognized in battle. Achilles had many weapons, but his two main battle pieces were his short sword and spere, (Gill). When fighting, Achilles showed no mercy. When he killed Hector, king of Troy, he tied Troy’s king to the back of his chariot and dragged his corpse around the city walls for twelve days, (Gill). Achilles is unique, and the qualities he possessed are too. Personal Struggles and Achievements Achilles was a great man, he seemed perfect, but every great fighter has a  weakness and for Achilles it was his heel, (Achilles 1). Although Achilles has weaknesses, that did not stop him from his many achievements that were successful. Prophecies said, â€Å"Troy would only win if Achilles was on his side†, (Gill). Achilles was sent to kill Hector in the Trojan Warm so he did and came out successful. Sadly, in the war an arrow that was shot from the brother of Hector, Paris, landed in Achilles’ heel. Being the only vulnerable spot in his body, he died at Troy while still a young man, (Gill). Conclusion Achilles was a great leader and always led in battle. He was born and became one of the best fighters ever lived, (Achilles). Achilles was and will be remembered as â€Å"A hero with a weakness†, (Achilles 1). He was an immortal man with a great fighting ability, also a leader who showed courage and left his footprint, literally. Works Cited â€Å"Achilles†. Myth Encyclopedia.J rank.Web. March 20, 2011 Gill, N.S. â€Å"Achilles- Trojan War Hero Achilles† About.com.2011.INT.Friday, 08 April 2011. â€Å"Achilles†.GreekMythology Edition.Search, 2011.web.7Mar.2011.

UK Supermarkets Competitive Strategy

UK Supermarkets Competitive Strategy Evaluate how UK supermarkets use market segmentation, targeting and positioning to gain a competitive advantage. 1. Introduction This paper sets out to apply basic segmentation, targeting and positioning concepts to the UK supermarket sector and will evaluate the extent to which the use of these concepts is leading to the achievement of sustainable competitive advantage with any or all of the supermarkets selected. The focus will be on the three major supermarkets: Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury. The paper will begin with an explanation of the concepts and will move on to a description of the strategic positioning of each of the major supermarkets in the current marketplace. Chapter 4 will evaluate the relative success of the three companies chosen and assess the extent to which their approach to segmentation and positioning has enabled them to achieve some measure of competitive advantage. Sources of information are: recognised marketing textbooks, articles from learned journals, newspapers and periodicals and company annual reports and websites. 2. Definitions, explanations and questions 2.1 Definitions of the basic concepts Jobber defines segmentation as â€Å"the identification of individuals or organisations with similar characteristics which have significant implications for the determination of marketing strategy.† [1] It is a process which results in the clustering of people with supposedly similar buying behaviour, such that marketing mixes can be designed to meet the specific needs and wants of people within the cluster. Once the market has been described in terms of an amalgam of homogeneous segments, companies need to decide which, if any, segments to target. Should they adopt a â€Å"niche† approach (like Morgan in the automobile sector), where only one type of vehicle is produced for a specific segment of the market, or should they adopt a â€Å"mass market coverage† approach (like Ford or GM), where vehicles are produced to appeal to the whole range of different requirements across the different segments? Positioning describes the manner by which a company differentiates its products/services from the competition within each target market. Sometimes these differences are very fine. Mercedes and BMW both have, for example, quality images and are priced high relative to most competitors but Mercedes has historically had a greater appeal among older, more conservative drivers and BMW has appealed more to those who see themselves as dynamic and thrusting.[2] 2.2 Segmentation rationale At one level the segmentation process enables companies to tailor their products or services to meet the needs of the market better than competitors and to choose segments which are aligned with their capabilities as a company. They are also able to select segments which are large enough for them to supply efficiently. Segmentation therefore facilitates differentiation, which should improve competitiveness, which should, in turn, lead to higher profitability. Barwise and Meehan draw attention to a possible fallacy in this form of reasoning. They cite the example of the different positioning strategies of One2One (now T-Mobile) and Orange in the battle for market share in the UK mobile telecoms market.[3] Orange offered â€Å"to provide a reliable, high quality overall customer experience with good value for money†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦(they) targeted the whole market, not just a specific segment.† [4] One2One, on the other hand, adopted a strongly focused, segmentation strategy. â€Å"†¦it positioned itself as a low-cost, friendly network suitable for people wanting to chat with friends†¦priority on big cities†¦free off-peak local calls.† [5] By far the most successful company (Orange) was the one which offered generic category benefits to the whole market, not a highly segmented approach. This is relevant to an understanding of success in the supermarket sector and will be referred to later. 2.3 Different forms of segmentation Marketing text books describe three basic types of segmentation: Behavioural Psychographic Profile The behavioural category covers: benefits sought, purchasing behaviour and product usage and perceptions and beliefs. The psychographic category covers: lifestyles and personality breakdowns The broad profile category covers: age, gender, stage in the life cycle, social class, geographic location, income.[6] Often a combination of variables across the categories is used. Research Services Ltd, a UK marketing research company, has developed SAGACITY, a segmentation scheme based on a combination of life cycle, occupation and income. They form 12 distinct consumer groupings with differing aspirations and behaviour patterns.[7] A.C. Nielsen, the international marketing research agency, uses a combination of all segmentation categories to describe types of shoppers in supermarkets. They break the market down into 6 distinct groupings: Habit-bound Diehards Comfortable and Contenteds Mercenaries Struggling Idealists Frenzied Copers Self-indulgents [8] The purpose of this breakdown appears to be to: match product and service delivery to the needs and wants of the different segments to identify the potentially most profitable segments One interesting point which emerged from this programme was that segments such as the â€Å"Struggling Idealists† were, at the time the TV programme was made in 2002, not of great interest to supermarkets as they did not spend a lot and insisted on organic and eco-friendly products, which did not seem to be of interest to the mass market . In just 4 years the market has changed dramatically and supermarkets are allocating significantly more shelf-space to such products and aim to attract shoppers with â€Å"green† values.[9] The segment has grown in terms of its potential value to supermarkets. This highlights the need for a creative and dynamic approach to segmentation. Orange now uses data-mining software within a sophisticated CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system to monitor segments on a day-to-day basis and to adjust its service approach accordingly. It will, for example adjust its pricing and service delivery to the value of the customer. Premium customers are immediately recognised by call-centres and accorded priority in the queuing system.[10] This keen focus on the most profitable customers contrasts with most supermarkets, which offer separate tills for customers who have not bought much, allowing them to move more quickly through the checkouts than the customers with laden trolleys. This will again be referred to in later sections. 2.4 Competitive Advantage Finally, in this chapter, a few clarifying words on the meaning, and sources, of competitive advantage, with specific reference to the supermarket sector. Grant defines the concept as follows: â€Å"When two firms compete†¦one firm possesses a competitive advantage over the other when it earns a higher rate of profit or has the potential to earn a higher rate of profit.†[11] It is important to note the main point here; competitive advantage relates to profitability or potential profitability, not to revenue, market share or more qualitative measures such as image or reputation. This is the definition which will be applied in this paper. The international consulting company, Accenture, published last year a paper called â€Å"Consuming Passions†, a study of the six leading global retailers. One of its aims was to identify the common factors which led to their high performance in the market over a long period of time.[12] It identified six core competencies which underpin high performance in the retail sector: strategic intent customer focus innovation and commercialisation operational excellence alliances and collaboration talent management[13] In the introduction to the paper the authors state: â€Å"The name of the winning game is differentiation that is meaningful and relevant to the customer base. But this isn’t just a matter of offering new products and services; those products and services must also be highly distinctive, relevant to target customers and in the right stores, with the right price and promotion combination and at the right time.†[14] These ideas will be developed further in the next chapter when examining the individual supermarket companies. 3. The Major Supermarkets 3.1 Overview The UK supermarket sector is highly concentrated. The five leading companies together have 73% of the total market. Only France has a more concentrated market, with 78% being taken up by the top five.[15] Until the mid 1990s Sainsburys was market leader but the number one position was taken by Tesco in 1996 and they have since grown market share to 30% plus of the UK market. Sainsbury is now in third position behind Asda, which was bought by Walmart in 1999. The paragraphs below briefly describe the current financial situation of each company, their strategic marketing focus and the extent to which each appears to be applying segmentation approaches. Most of the information comes from the respective company websites. 3.2 Tesco[16] In 2005 Tesco achieved sales turnover of  £37.1 bill. and profits of  £2,029m. Profits and sales have grown consistently over the past 5 years. Profits from 2004-5 grew by 20.5% on sales growth of 12.4%. The company employs 360,000 people worldwide and has 2,000 stores. 111 new stores are planned for 2006. Its long-term strategy is based on four parts: growth in the core UK business expansion from international growth to be as strong in non-food as in food to follow customers into new retailing services Tesco appears to take customer focus and staff focus very seriously. An ongoing project entitled â€Å"Every Little Helps† is in process which has used question times with more than 9,000 customers to help them to understand how they can best improve service to customers on a day-to-day basis. This has resulted in parking bays for trolleys (to stop annoying customers), extra staff on checkouts (to reduce waiting times) and fresh food counters and self-service cafes for customers in a hurry. Using their Clubcard as the data source Tesco send out mailings every quarter to 11million customers. The mailings have an annualised value to customers (if they use them) of  £250m. and can be adjusted to take account of individual customer buying behaviour. Tesco has a range of different stores in line with its belief that: â€Å"Customers have different needs at different times so we tailor our stores as well as our products. From Value to Finest and from Express to Extra, there’s something for everyone at Tesco.†[17] Value products are low-priced basics for customers on a tight budget. Finest are products with the finest ingredients for customers who appreciate fine food and are prepared to pay higher prices for higher quality. Express are smaller stores in local communities for people who would find it difficult to get to a large Tesco store. Metro are stores in town and city centres for the convenience of customers who prefer to shop in town rather than in the Superstores out of town. These Superstores are particularly for one-stop shoppers who can find â€Å"everything they need for their weekly shopping†[18]. They carry not only a wide range of food lines but also the most popular Tesco non-food lines. Tesco Extra is a major new development focusing on non-.food lines, but with extensive food and convenience lines. As only 20% of the UK population has access to such stores Tesco intends opening 20 more this year. For all health-conscious customers (viz. the â€Å"struggling idealists† in 2.3) Tesco has introduced better labelling, diet guides and â€Å"Free-from† and organic ranges. For price-conscious customers who also like good service they have introduced the â€Å"Step Change† programme and â€Å"Everyday Low Pricing†. For the growing number of customers who prefer to order from home and get home deliveries Tesco provides an on-line service which now supplies 150,000 customers/day. 3.3 Asda It is difficult to obtain separate financial results for Asda Wal-Mart as the figures are hidden away in Wal-Mart’s consolidated accounts. The corporate website in the UK is also not nearly as transparent about strategic and marketing issues as Tesco, Sainsbury, Waitrose and Morrisons. Figures therefore, for the most part, need to be gleaned from outside sources or estimated. Figures quoted below are taken, for the most part, from Datamonitor.[19] In 2005 Asda had a sales turnover of  £16.25bill., a growth of 19.8% over the previous year. Since Wal-Mart bought the company in 1999 market share in the UK has risen from 13% to 16%, putting them in second position ahead of Sainsbury. The company has 265 Asda stores, 19 superstores, 1 pilot store in General Merchandising and 6 trial George stores specialising in fashion clothing. The company plans to open 10-12 new stores each year. â€Å"60% of Asda’s sales are currently in grocery items, although it intends to build on the growth of non-food products in store, which may well change this balance. Asda sells six own-brand labels: Asda Smartprice, Asda, Good for You, Asda Organic, Asda Extra Special and More for Kids.†[20] Asda management appears to plan to grow in the future via more stores, a focus on clothing (via its George fashion range Asda has now overtaken Marks and Spencer as the UK’s largest clothing retailer[21])and non-food, growth from specialist outlets within the stores: opticians, jewellers and photographic and possibly a greater push into the children’s market. Their main marketing thrust – in-line with the Wal-Mart reputation – is to be seen by the mass market as the price leader. They in fact claimed to be the â€Å"official lowest price supermarket in the UK† but this was based on a survey of just 33 lines and, after complaints from Tesco, the claim had to be lifted.[22] Since Wal-Mart’s takeover of Asda there has been an ongoing price war with Sainsbury and Tesco, which has raised Asda’s profile as a low-price store. Apart from price the main differentiators are the twin focuses on non-food and clothing and the particular focus on the kids market. Like Tesco and Sainsburys they are also trying to attract higher income and â€Å"green† customers with its â€Å"Good for You†, â€Å"Organics† and â€Å"Asda Extra Special† brands. They also have an on-line ordering and delivery service. Asda undoubtedly has an image problem because of its association with Wal-Mart. â€Å"Asda has been criticised for misleading advertising, using suppliers who are known to have illegal employment practices, ignoring planning regulations and destroying greenbelt land, lack of serious environmental policy and blatant greenwash. With its ‘strategy of consolidation’, copied directly from Wal-Mart, Asda pursues an aggressive takeover policy of small towns, wiping out local competition and local jobs. False claims by the company about value and convenience, have been challenged, along with the exploitation of every opportunity to push impulse buying.†[23] No specific evidence was found, but negative information, such as the above about Wal-Mart, abounds on the internet and it is probable that this will make it more difficult for Asda to position itself such that it attracts the more educated, aware customers. 3.4 J Sainsbury Sainsbury achieved total sales in 2005 of  £16.36bill. and profits after tax of  £65m. This compared with slightly lower sales in the previous year and a significantly larger profit then of  £404m.[24] Sainsbury appears to be struggling. It has suffered from severe price competition from Asda and Tesco and also failed to implement effectively a new logistics system, which resulted in severe out-of-stock problems which alienated customers. The company has 727 stores in all, 465 of which are supermarkets and 262 are the smaller convenience stores. It employs 153,000 people. Sainsbury is currently undergoing a change programme entitled â€Å"Making Sainsbury’s Great Again 2007/8†[25]. Some elements of this programme are very relevant to its positioning in the market. In line with Barwise and Meehan’s thinking on â€Å"generic category benefits†[26] Sainsbury wish to restore the universal appeal of the brand. This comprises four elements: be all inclusive (appeal to all segments of the market) have a clear product hierarchy: GOOD, BETTER, BEST (not assuming that certain segments go for a defined quality of product but that all customers chop and change). invest in price and quality ( £400m in 2006) scale to succeed (ensure that there is sufficient overall demand in the chosen products/markets to get costs down to a manageable level) This all translates into a customer proposition which their annual report describes as follows: great food/fair prices market leaders in quality and innovation complementary non-food straightforward formats: supermarkets, convenience and Sainsbury’s to You(on-line) bank Sainsbury advertising focuses on two messages: we have reduced price on 4000 lines â€Å"Try something new today† The former has clear universal appeal and aims to enable Sainsbury to compete on price with Asda and Tesco. The former appears to be focused more on higher income categories (the â€Å"Self-indulgents† and â€Å"Comfortable and Contenteds† mentioned in 2.3. 4. Conclusions and final thoughts In a 1994 article on segmentation in the retail sector the following statement is made: â€Å"†¦any strategic option depends on clear positioning against competitors and customer groups (and the ) approach of integrating competitive analysis with market segmentation is a necessary first step to achieving a better understanding of the retailing environment and formulating effective marketing strategies†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦supermarket retailers must attract customers from different and often incompatible market segments.† [27] This statement still appears to have validity to-day. All three supermarkets mentioned in this paper wish to attract customers from the higher income AB socio-economic category by offering them better service, high quality and tasty foods, organic foods and a clean and welcoming atmosphere. These customers will spend more and will buy products which offer the retailer higher margins. At the same time all supermarkets seek to position themselves as low price operators, thus appealing to lower income groups and those across all income groups who seek bargains (the â€Å"mercenaries† in 2.3). It is the observation of the writer that Tesco is clearly the most successful at positioning itself to appeal to both ends of the spectrum. According to data in Morrisons’ 2005 annual report about 25% of Sainsbury’s customers fall into the AB category whereas with Tesco it is only 20% and with Asda it is about 17%. Asda on the other hand (from the same annual report) rates very highly in terms of customer perception of value for money, Tesco is slightly lower and Sainsbury is even below Waitrose, a store which is traditionally associated with high prices. All realise that location is vital and that even to-day’s motorised customer will not put herself about too much to go to stores too far away. Hence all are moving towards the development of smaller stores to attract local communities. All use brand loyalty cards, but Tesco appears to be the most successful at using data on the card to enable it to adjust offerings to individual customer requirements. There are great similarities between the companies and their marketing approaches. Each follows the other very closely. What appears to make Tesco stand out is not so much a more sophisticated approach to segmentation and differentiation, but – one of the key competencies in the Accenture report, â€Å"Consuming Passions†[28] its ability to combine a clear strategy with operational excellence. At the time of writing (April 25, 2006) Tesco has just released performance figures for the past 12 months. They indicate a 13.2% growth in sales and a 16.7% growth in before tax profit. [29] BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Barwise B. and Meehan S (2004), Simply Better, Harvard Business School Press Grant RM (1997), Contemporary Strategic Analysis, Blackwell Jobber D. (2004), Principles and Practice of Marketing, McGraw Hill Kotler P. and Armstrong G.(2004), Principles of Marketing, Prentice Hall Journals/Reports Anonymous author of â€Å"Asda Group Limited† in Datamonitor, June, 2005 Anonymous author of â€Å"Organics UK† in Mintel Report, November 2005 Mann S., Smith J. and Trouvà © O. (2006), â€Å"Consuming Passions†, Accenture industry report in Outlook 2005 Segal M. and Giacobbe R. (1994), â€Å"Market Segmentation and Competitive Analysis for Supermarket Retailing†, International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, Vol.22, No.1, pp.38-48 Internet sources www.asda.co.uk www.corporatewatch.org.uk www.guardian.co.uk www.mcgraw-hill.co.uk/textbooks/jobber www.morrisons.co.uk www.npr.org www.sainsbury.co.uk www.tesco.com Footnotes [1] Jobber (2004), Principles and Practice of Marketing, p. 210 [2] From A to B, Channel 4, 1998 [3] Barwise and Meehan (2004), Simply Better, p. 4 [4] Barwise and Meehan, pp. 3-4 [5] Barwise and Meehan, pp. 4-5 [6] Jobber, p. 214 [7] Jobber, p. 224 [8] Shop ‘till you drop, Channel 4, 2002 [9] Organics UK, November, 2005, Mintel Report [10] Orange: a Fruitful Passion, supplementary case on the Jobber website, www.mcgraw- hill.co.uk/textbooks/jobber [11] Grant R.M., Contemporary Strategic Analysis, p.151 [12] Mann S., Smith J. and Trouvà © O., Consuming Passions, Accenture, 2005 [13] Mann et al, p. 9 [14] Mann et al, p.3 [15] Mann et al, p.7 [16] www.tesco.com [17] www.tesco.com [18] www.tesco.,com [19] Asda Group Limited, Datamonitor, June, 2005 [20] Asda Wal-Mart: a Corporate Profile, www.corporatewatch.org.uk, Nov. 2004 [21] www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,1288594,00.html [22] Th e Marketplace Report: Wal-Mart’s UK Strategy, www.npr.org, August 17, 2005 [23] www.corporatewatch.org.uk, November 2004 [24] www.sainsbury.co.uk Annual Report 2005 [25]www.sainsbury.co.uk Annual Report 2005 [26] Barwise and Meehan(2004), Simply Better [27] Segal M and Giacobbe R (1994), Market Segmentation and Competitive Analysis for Supermarket Retailing, International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, p. 45 [28] Mann, Smith and Trouvà ©, Consuming Passions [29] tesco.com, press release on April 25, 2006

Mel Gibsons The Passion of the Christ Essay -- Reflective The Passion

The Passion of the Christ - The Pathetic Appeal of the Death of Jesus In February 2004, one day after the release of The Passion of the Christ, my girlfriend and I took our seats in the crowded theatre. I came into the night prepared to watch the death of Jesus Christ. However, I had no idea that I would actually be watching the death of Jesus Christ. For ten or more years prior to this night, I had always been told that Jesus had died on a cross for my sins. My parents, my Sunday school teachers, my friends’ parents, and my extended family had, at some time in my youth, told me the story of Jesus from the Gospels of the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). From the moment I matured enough to understand these stories, I had believed Jesus â€Å"died and rose again† just for me. I took this belief and put it in my dresser drawer so that I could return to use it again in my adult life. As we all know, things do not happen the way we plan. The lights in the theatre faded into a nervous darkness, and scripture, from the Bible that I knew so well, lit up the screen. â€Å"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities . . . Isaiah 53:5.† This was no surprise to me. I had been taught this all my life. Jesus died for me. The movie progressed with Jesus being arrested and sentenced to death. Then, I was punched in the gut with a new perspective of this story. The Roman guards stripped Jesus of his clothes and whipped him several times in an extremely bloody and intense scene. This man’s flesh was ripped off his back and flung into the crowd. It was absolutely disgusting, but it was absolutely effective. Up until this point, Jesus had just been a dignified man who had saved me from my sins. Now he was a beaten and broken man who suffered the most excruciating pain to save me from my sins. I never had a visual image in my mind that showed me what Jesus had gone through for me until this movie. And even though it is just a movie, it painted a picture for me that changed my views about Jesus Christ. He wasn’t the guy in my dresser drawer anymore; he was my Savior. This change of view spawned from the use of rhetoric. The pathetic appeals that the director, Mel Gibson, used were very effective. The images he created on the screen led many people to tears. Almost everyone turned their head away in as... ...something that is wrong. This fear can be a good thing when it comes to talking with other people about their religions, but it can also be a bad thing because it’s harder to trust the most trustworthy people. Discovering rhetoric this semester has changed my view that I can believe the claims of those people I trust. Now I have to convince myself that these people I trust are not trying to lead me astray even if they are using a rhetorical appeal. Most of them probably don’t even know they are using rhetorical appeals. I am not yet sure if I like this revision of myself. It has definitely proved helpful when reading texts for other classes because it separates learning from believing. I can learn something and not necessarily believe it unless I think it’s the truth, as opposed to believing everything I learn like I have done in the past. However, this new understanding of rhetoric has caused me to question everyone. Eventually, something will come along and convince me that questioning everyone is a good thing or an evil thing. One of these opposing views will dominate the other one, but until then, I will have to wait for the appeals of rhetoric to lead me to what is â€Å"right.†

Compare Nuclear Fusion vs. Nuclear Fission :: comparison compare contrast essays

Compare Nuclear Fusion vs. Nuclear Fission    Nuclear energy must be a consideration for the future with the rapidly depleting supply of fossil fuels. This type of energy can be created through nuclear fission and nuclear fusion. Nuclear fission is the splitting of a heavy atom into two or more parts, releasing huge amounts of energy. The release of energy can be controlled and captured for generating electricity. Nuclear fusion involves bombarding hydrogen atoms together to form helium. In the long run, nuclear fusion has greater potential than fission.    Cost and availability of fuel is a considerable factor when dealing with nuclear power. Fission requires an element that can be easily split in a particle accelerator, such as uranium or plutonium. Fusion, on the other hand, uses isotopes of hydrogen atoms, specifically deuterium and tritium, that can be obtained from ordinary water. Uranium ores occur naturally in many parts of the world but must go through a costly purification process before used as fuel. The unprocessed ore contains approximately 99.3% uranium-238, a non-fissionable isotope of uranium, and only about 0.7% of U-235 required for fission. One hydrogen atom out of 6700 appears as deuterium, a naturally occurring isotope of hydrogen with an extra neutron, and can easily be separated from the rest. Uranium-235 is a non-renewable resource that will eventually run out, much like the fossil fuels. The abundance of deuterium and lithium provide a virtually unlimited supply of fuel for nuclear fusion. Therefore, nuclear fusion seems to be the better choice.    Second, the potential amount of energy produced by fusion can greatly outweigh the fission. Initially, there are some disadvantages to fusion. The time and money required to develop technology needed to initiate, contain, and sustain a profitable fusion reaction is costly, but the development is still in its early stages and will continue to advance through the next century. Fission readily creates a chain reaction which must be slowed through use of a moderator to avoid core meltdown, while fusion can only be accomplished at temperatures similar to the centre of stars, about 100 million degrees celsius. The components used in fusion exist in the form of plasma where atoms are divided into electrons and nuclei.

Power of Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe :: Uncle Toms Cabin

The Effective Story in Uncle Tom’s Cabin  Ã‚         Harriet Beecher Stowe, a northern abolitionist, published her best-selling novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin in 1852. Uncle Tom’s Cabin contracts the many different attitudes that southerners as well as northerners shared towards slavery. Generally, it shows the evils of slavery and the cruelty and inhumanity of the peculiar institution, in particular how masters treat their slaves and how families are torn apart because of slavery.    The novel centers around a pious slave, Uncle Tom, and how he is sold over and over again. It shows the different attitudes that Tom’s masters share about slavery, and how their slaves should be treat. It also teaches Christian values as well as family values. At the time of its publication, Uncle Tom’s Cabin was an immediate success and one of biggest sellers of all time. Despite the fact that Stowe induces her own personal opinions, with the very little experience she has had with slaves, she delivers a magnificent novel which is still enjoyed by many modern readers today. The time of her novel’s publication was very important. It was published at the peak of the abolitionist movement, in the 1850’s. It proved to be very effective propaganda for the abolitionist cause, which Stowe openly supported.    Stowe is trying to prove to the reader that slavery is wrong and nothing short of evil and cruel. She does an effective job at proving her point, while delivering a superb novel at the same time. Stowe is constantly tying to prove that slavery is evil. She opens the novel, by showing two slave owners, making a business deal. Mr. Shelby is in debt to Haley, so he must sell Uncle Tom and Harry, tearing them apart from their families. Stowe shows a young slave woman, Eliza and her affection for her son Harry, when she decides to take her son and run away. This disputes the common belief of the time that slaves mothers has less affection for their youth than white women. Uncle Tom is sold again to the carefree Augustine St. Clare whos philosophy is â€Å"Why save time or money, when there's plenty of both?† Uncle Tom receives good treatment at the St. Clare’s, which proves that the novel is not one-sided, showing that their where kind slave owners. However Uncle Tom is sold again, this time up the Red River to the â€Å"devil† Simon Legree.

Female Circumcision Reader Response

Conn 1 Jennifer Conn Professor Michael Hickman GWRTC 103 –Sect. 61 15 April 2013 Reader Response #3 Though Meyerhardt states that the opening account on female circumcision seemed â€Å"Amusing†, I personally found it far more disturbing. I was very shocked and disgusted while reading this piece, as I am sure my classmates were as well. The â€Å"small opening left for urination and menstruation . . . held open by a single piece of straw which is left there during the healing process† (1) forced me to feel that is an unbelievably unnatural, dehumanizing practice. I was extremely curious about what cultural beliefs supported this practice.When coming to the supposed health reasons and seeing how flawed and inaccurate they all were, I was unable to keep an open mind or continue trying to understand this practice. The idea of â€Å"looking at each other’s genitals to see who had the smallest opening† (2) struck me in a large way. This procedure that is done for society, for a future husband, and for acceptance, seems to take away from the woman. It is as if her body does not truly belong to her. I thought it was interesting and important for the author to include the effect of cultural relativism on the reader.I know that my lack of experience and understanding of the topic, as well as the way of life influences my opinion towards the procedure. Throughout the piece, I was unable change my perception of female circumcision as horrid. Though she seemed to go back and forth in the second half of the essay, the author seemed to have bias as well. I could see the vague connection to culture dominating a woman’s view and treatment of her body. In this way, the procedure seems similar to eating disorders in America. In fact, eating disorders come across as far more deadly.However, I feel that the connection was weak and overdramatized especially when the author stated, â€Å"in America, being fat and ugly, for some, is a fate w orse than death†(3). If this was true, and our culture was as consistent with our beliefs, then we would not have obesity rates as high as they are today. The statement that plastic surgery in America by trained professionals causes â€Å"as much pain† as â€Å"midwives [using] whatever is lying around: a razor, a knife, a broken bottle† (3) is absurd. Safe, comfortable, controlled cosmetic surgery is not widespread, made by someone’s own will, and often looked down upon.The fact that eating disorders are not accepted in our society destroys this analogy to female circumcision. Another poor analogy attempted by Meyerhardt can be found in the beginning of the piece. The author connects children no longer making funny faces due to slight unjustified fear to the cutting off of female genitalia. Though the â€Å"thought of looking odd and malformed scared us enough to stop† in both circumstances, the examples are extremely different. Funny faces are not natural, and little is required to stop making them. Possessing female genitalia is natural however, and the removal of it is dangerous.This analogy downplays the extremity of female circumcision, and does not work. This piece was interesting, and informative on a topic I had known nothing about. For many reasons, it was my impulse to reject the idea of female circumcision and find it horrifying. There seemed to be no truly justified reasoning for why it is still happening, aside from traditional. Though the author attempted to describe opposing views, I found them very weak and confusing. I was unable to connect this procedure with concepts in American life, or accept the vague, unrealistic, positive ending that the author provided.