Literary Devices in The Kite Runner Essay

Symbolism: â€Å"I dream that lawla flowers will bloom in the streets of Kabul again and rubab music will play in the samovar houses and kites will fly in the skies.† Page 218 In his letter to Amir, Hasaan talks about the lawla flowers and music to represent the happiness of Kabul, and the kites now remind him of happiness instead of the bad memories of the past. Simile: â€Å"Like wolves looking at a flock of sheep† Page 219 This is comparing the Talibs to wolves, because they were so mean looking. The greed was in their eyes, and you could see how much it had consumed their thoughts. They were about to attack the house like wolves attacking sheep. Flashback: â€Å"I remember one day we were planting tulips, when I asked Baba if he’d ever consider getting new servants. â€Å"Hassan’s not going anywhere,† he’d barked. He’s staying right here with us where he belongs, this is his home, and we are his family† Page 225 Amir is finally realizing all of the foreshadowing that Hasaan was his brother. He now knows why Baba got mad when he asked about getting new servants, and why he cried when they left. Comparison: â€Å"I feel like a tourist in my own country.† Page 231 Amir compares himself to a tourist, because he is so used to America, and Kabul has changed so much. He doesn’t realize how bad it has truly gotten until he is driving through the middle of Kabul with Farid.

Explain how and why compromises preserved the union until the southern states decided to leave the union in 1861?

Civil war within the United States was inevitable; the question was when it was going to happen. The issue of slavery was big enough to separate the country culturally and politically, civil war was bound to happen, in fact, it’s amazing it was avoided for so long. The single most important reason war was averted for so long was the many compromises made in the years prior that attempted to keep the southerns and northerns content in the house and senate.However, with a country in the midst of major territory expansion, population increase, and technological advancements, the days of a united nation were numbered. Conflicts over slavery will intensify with expansion, abolitionism, sectionalism, and issues over states rights. To settle these conflicts, compromises such as the 3/5 compromise, Missouri compromise, compromise of 1850 and the fugitive slave act, and the Kansas-Nebraska act were made. Daniel Webster speaks on behalf of a united nation that succession will destroy ou r country (doc B).When the compromise of 1850 is issued to settle the dispute over California being admitted as a free of slave state, The Fugitive Slave Act accompanies it to make sure that the southerns get something out of it too and don’t feel cheated (doc O). This act states â€Å"That when a person held to service or labor†¦ shall escape into another state†¦ may pursue and reclaim such fugitive person†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (doc C) This allowed peace to be held between the northern and southerns. Abolitionists were extremists who believed slavery should be abolished.Among those, the very famous and feared John Brown is probably most recognizable. He went on a killing streak, handing out weapons to slaves and hated by the southerns and most northerns as well (doc P). He believed that war was the only answer to keeping a united nation as evident in his last words, â€Å" I John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land: will never be purged away; b ut by blood. † (doc F). An attempt by a northern named David Wilmot to keep slavery out of the newly acquired territories from Mexico was presented to the House and Senate in the Wilmot Proviso.It states â€Å" Acquisition of any territory from the republic of Mexico by the United States†¦ neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever in any part of said territory†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (doc M). However it never passes the Senate, which was heavily dominated by southerns. Many states pass laws that prevent any persons from speaking out or publishing anything against slavery or the abolition of slavery or any thing that would spark rebellion in slaves. The federal government over looked this even though it was in contrast to the constitution because it was thought to help keep the southerns from succession (doc L).In 1860, shortly before the war started, the Republicans dominated the House and Senate (doc Q). This obviously was a key reason for the democrats to escape the u nion and start the confederate states. Plus, the southerns believed is states’ rights and that they should be able to do with their states what they wanted, a evident in Franklin Pierce’s speech when he says, â€Å" I believe that the constituted authorities of this Repubic are bound to regard the rights of the South in this respect as they would view any other legal and constitutional right.† (doc H).In 1861, of course, is the beginning of the civil war. With too much tension and hatred between the northerns and southerns, it was time for it to happen. The compromises could only hold for so long, the population differences between the north and south were too big to never interfere with the sides.

How does the Constitution establish and maintain a culture of liberty Essay

How does the Constitution establish and maintain a culture of liberty - Essay Example These rights are generally acknowledged to be beyond the control of the government. Individual liberty is plays a critical part in achieving individual and societal progress. It is important for attainment of the truth and should be defended from any form of tyranny. Individual liberty forms the basis of universal freedom and human rights. The philosophy of individual liberty is the core value that protects individuals’ freedom, and gives them the right to safeguard their rights. Individual liberty imposes responsibility for self-governance and freedom of choice on an individual. In regards to individual liberty contribution to the constitution’s preservation of liberty, the â€Å"self† factors associated with free men come into play: self-respect (spiritual), self-reliance (economic), and self-discipline (political-social). Self-respect results from the realization of an individual that they are of divine creation and that the spiritual is supreme. These facts a re illustrated in the individuals’ effort in maintaining integrity of unalienable rights. Principles of self-respect insist that people should respect other people. Realization of this aspect of liberty translates to equality and mutual respect among members of the society, which is the main objective of the constitution. The self-reliance factor advocates for economic independence of individuals from others and the government. Economic reliance on other individuals is considered the source of evils in the society. An economically independent individual is a free man enjoying liberty. From Alexander Hamilton’s quote, power over a man’s subsistence contributes power over his free will. Economic independence rids the community of social evils that threaten liberty of individuals. Self-discipline of individuals involves their good-will performance of duties assigned to them. Self-discipline advocates for the truth, a principle that states that there is no right apa rt from duty, and no freedom or liberty apart from responsibility. Self-discipline draws the boundary between the rights of individuals and equal rights of others in the society. This means that individuals in the society understand their rights, and the boundary that separates those rights with the equality of other people. Such an understanding in the society will create sound conduct in the general community concerning maintenance and upholding of individuals’ liberty. It highlights the political-social characteristic of free man living among free men surrounded by an environment of freedom. Several founders highlight the importance of individual rights and citizen’s liberty. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote that one important duty of the government to its citizen was to safeguard the inalienable rights of individuals, which include liberty, life, and pursuit of happiness. The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment safeguards individuals’ li berty, life, and property without due process (Bills of Rights Institute). They secure and safeguard the blessings of individuals’ liberty. Another founder, James Wilson, explained the importance of liberty in laws, saying that law without liberty is meaningless. Individual and religious liberty remains one of the most essential principles of the human freedom. Founded by Ambassador John L. Loeb, it paved way to freedom of warship and free exercising of individual faith to all religious minorities by the Government. It was due to the Ambassador, the founder, that American Experiment became a

Operation Management about EasyJet Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Operation Management about EasyJet - Essay Example EasyJet will be forced to layoff some of its employees after the tremendous drop of passengers seeking its services. The management prefers the government to impose a tax on planes rather than tax passengers. Operation management is caught between maintenance of customers and generation of revenue on one hand, and government taxation on the other (Lewis & Slack, 2003, p64). The third challenge experienced by operation management is the incapability of EasyJet to provide adequate customer satisfaction. This issue is evident when the customer wants to present a complaint to the airline’s management. At EasyJet operation management does not have enough staffs to handle customer complaints, even though; they have enough staffs to handle booking and payment services. Hiring more staffs mean allocating more resources to pay these staffs, which EasyJet cannot afford (Peters, 2011, p12). A number of customers have expressed the criticism that booking and paying for services are easier than issuing out a complaint. This fact is detrimental to the organization’s success in that it can lose out on its customers, who are important for its survival and success (Lewis & Slack, 2003, p321). The fourth factor that is commonly experienced as a challenge in operating management at EasyJet is the dynamic airline industry. The industry is dynamic in that there are numerous technological advancements and regular fluctuation of flight prices. It is advantageous for organizations to be advanced technologically. Swift adaptation to technological changes taking place in the airline industry at times is a problem to EasyJet (Peters, 2011, p6). This is as a result of a lot of resources needed in acquiring a more recent technology, which can be in terms of acquiring the latest... Operation management is essential to a company’s success or survival in the industry. However, this aspect is bound to come across various challenges, which inhibit its capabilities. EasyJet, an airline company, is not an exception; it has succumbed to a number of challenges that have inhibited its normal operation management. The challenges involve; cancellation of flights due to volcanic eruptions, a new government tax policy, complaints from customers, a dynamic airline industry, lack of market diversification, and change of strategy. The challenges have had negative impacts on EasyJet’s performance and reputation in the airline industry. Although, EasyJet experiences these negative challenges on its operation management, it has proved to be one of the most thriving airline companies in Europe. Its success is attributed to its operation management, which is highly focused towards its primary strategy of providing cheaper air transport.

International trade ( Economic ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International trade ( Economic ) - Essay Example In the perception of many in the developing world, the IMF has played major roles in helping countries overcome financial problems such as those that occurred in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, and Turkey. The problem with Turkey sticks out like a sore thumb: the country has had it eighteenth program with the IMF but its problem persists. In 1997, the IMF thrust itself into prominence when it intervened in the Asian Financial Crisis as countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines – and more particularly, South Korea, Thailand, and Indonesia -- saw the value of their currencies plummet to unprecedented lows. The timely assistance provided by the world financial body helped these countries tide over the crisis but the process was fraught with painful adjustments and even triggered harsh criticism of IMF policy measures in these countries as to their appropriateness, given the peculiar domestic macroeconomic conditions. South Korea obtained a $55 billion credit from the IMF with certain attached conditions. South Korea was to open its economy and banking system to foreign investors and eliminate trade-related subsidies and import licensing, thereby making it vulnerable to foreign competition . The IMF also required the country to maintain a low inflation rate of 5 per cent. This was inconsistent with th e fact that the fall in the value of the Korean won and subsequent rise in import prices would create pressures on domestic prices. The unpleasant consequence of this was that the high interest rates made all the more difficult for South Korean companies to service their debts, thus the IMF was criticized for exacerbating the crisis these companies were facing instead of abating them. By applying cut-and-dried solutions to problems in countries with unique problems, the IMF opened itself to criticism of lack of

Optical systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Optical systems - Essay Example This report also discusses the future prospects of this technology. As shown in figure 1, plastic optical fiber is huge central step-index fiber and its diameter is equal to 1 mm (millimeter). Hence, its huge size allows it to easily combine lots of light coming from various connectors and sources with less precision. In this scenario, the prices of standard connector are between 10% and 20% for glass fibers as well as closure is also as easy as cutting with a razor blade. In view of the fact that it is coated with the plastic so it makes it easy and rugged to install and connect deprived of fear of loss or damage. (The FOA, 2008; Paschotta, 2014) However, one of the major drawback of this media is that its performance is much lower than glass fiber. Additionally, its bandwidth is limited as well as it has a connection loss of approximately 0.15-0.2 dB per meter at 650 nm. On the other hand, it works fine when it is used for running short connection, for instance within a place for desktop connections up to 50 meters or inside of instruments. In this scenario, its most excellent usage is seen in automobile industry in which it has expanded a position with the innovative Flexray and MOST networks (The FOA, 2008; Paschotta, 2014). Its proven effectiveness for small distance connections make it an excellent choice for desktop LAN connections. For such connections, it can be installed in a few minutes with negligible training and tools. In future, it can be expected that its bandwidth will exceed to considerable level. However, its cost is reasonable as compared to copper. In fact, standards groups are currently looking at various choices for plastic fiber optics. It is believed that POF can be the following practical desktop connection (The FOA, 2008). Normally, the transmission is carried through fiber optic systems in the digital format. In other words, this transmission is sent and

Schools and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Schools and Society - Essay Example Hiltz (1997) summarizes that: Virtual classroom students report higher subjective satisfaction than with the traditional classroom on a number of dimensions, including access to their professors and overall quality of educational experience Students perceive their learning experience to be group learning rather that individual learning and that the more they judge the experience to be collaborative, the more likely they are to judge the outcomes as superior to the traditional classroom (page 47). Instructional technologists, educational psychologists, and educators have spent much time developing strategies to use computer mediated communication as a way to enrich and empower student learning. By continuing to explore uses for older technologies and by developing plans to employ new technologies, education professionals are creating an environment where CMC tools are now simply a part of the learning space. They are tools to be used at the point of need and technologies to support multiple learning theories and styles. (Alavi, M., & Leidner, D. E. (2001 p 2). What are the social implications of CMC Does communication via a network impact how people interact with each other Does the quality of that interaction change whether we are at home, at work or at school The an

A world of Ideas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A world of Ideas - Essay Example Early on, one was oriented to assume an open-minded orientation to embrace other people from various cultural orientations. The support for pursing greater knowledge and awareness on diverse cultures, races, and ethnic backgrounds have made me acceptable of cultural diversity and enhanced one’s ability to be receptive, flexible, adaptable, and easy to adjust to the changing demands of the times. I firmly believe that despite exhibiting consistencies in one’s conformity to retain cultural traditions and beliefs, I am open to accept living in new cultures anywhere in the world. As such, I do not feel alienated or pressured to live in a new culture as an outsider. I can live with people from different cultures anytime. However, this does not mean that I completely lose my cultural underpinnings. I still retain the traditional values and beliefs that have been ingrained since one’s childhood. But, while living in a new culture, I get to adapt and adjust to those that could be accommodated, without compromising personal values and philosophies in

Is the U.S. Seeking to Contain Russia Research Paper - 2

Is the U.S. Seeking to Contain Russia - Research Paper Example Main Russian authorities gave a joint statement and said that both the countries are now looking to start a collaborative venture against the terrorist nuclear states in order to ensure the safety of their nations. President Obama also showed commitment to work for the U.S. Senate ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Both countries are also working for usage of nuclear energy in the positive ways and prolific nuclear usage treaty has been signed and there are many other projects which have been started which were ceased by the former presence of America due to the August 2008 Russia-Georgia conflict (Nuclear Energy Today, 82). Many Defense analysts are of the view that US is seeking to contain Russia and the ballistic missiles in South Korea which are covering the whole DPRK and can hit up to 800 kilometers is a clear sign for that. There has been no use of these missiles in that region other than targeting Russia and China and the long-term communist avenge is taking new turns (Globalresearch, 2013). Military experts are also getting hints from the pro-NATO policies of Russia that the US has ceased the policy to contain Russia because it is no more the war of systems now as the liberal democracy has made its impact and Russians seem to accept this point and are looking forward to the peaceful coexistence. The new threat which is said as political Islam has been regarded by them as the main threat to both US and Russia. (English Pravda, 2013) In a combined meeting and conference with Afghan President in August 2008, Russian President Medvedev said that Russia is looking to start new terms and relationships with Afghanistan because both the countries have been a victim of terrorism in the past and now is the time for the peaceful way ahead.

Swot Analysis Essay Example for Free

Swot Analysis Essay This paper gives a detailed description of the business plan that I have chosen. The SWOT Analysis will discuss strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for my proposed tanning salon. The paper will discuss in detail and, in some instances, how different factors of external forces and trends and internal forces and trends have different effect on the SWOT Analysis. The Business Plan The company and business plan that I selected was a business plan made specifically for a tanning salon. The business plan was an executive summary. It included the objectives, mission, and the keys to success. It also included a summary of the company and the products and services that the salon will offer. Strategy, Implementation, and Management summaries were included. Finally, it gives a detailed financial plan. This business plan is extremely detailed and can help give anyone an clear understanding of how to get a business started, what it takes in detailed to get started, and actually how much work and precision it will take to get started. This business plan helped me to understand and outline the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that could affect my proposed tanning salon. SWOT Analysis – Strengths The strengths of my proposed tanning salon are significant. The main strength that will make this salon become and remain successful is the desire and passion I have for the tanning business and the dream of expanding to different areas. Another strength that I have is the strategic planning and development before the salon ever opens. My planning has been extensive. I have planned around some more common pitfalls and possible failures. I also plan to send all of my management team to training so that they can receive the skills necessary to run my salon with minimum errors. SWOT Analysis – Weaknesses I have tried to minimize my weaknesses for the salon. However, there are some known weaknesses that I will have to face and overcome without any down time. The greatest weakness that I will be faced will is the challenge of competing with our salons in the area and getting my clientele built up. Another small weakness is the hiring of new employees. The weakness falls in to place by having to take the time to train and educate the new employees on all the rules and regulations. SWOT Analysis – Opportunities The opportunities for my proposed tanning salon are endless. The greatest opportunity for the salon would be the potential for growth in all areas of the business. The growth potential for this salon to expand to different regional areas is unlimited. The opportunity for new and up-to-date training for all employees will always be available and offered. Improvements within the day to day running of the salon and customer feedbacks are opportunities that can be taken advantage of. These opportunities can improve the overall customer satisfaction and efficiency of daily tasks. Through trail and error and making necessary improvements, the opportunity of making a better, more pleasurable tanning experience for the customer is very much available. Opportunities can be taken advantage of every day. With this business, there is no stopping point and the opportunities are never-ending. SWOT Analysis – Threats Threats are another component that I have planned and prepared for to the best of my ability. The best threat that stands against the success of my proposed tanning salon is competitors and competing businesses. My tanning salon will always have to stay on top of its marketing, special offers, and customer improvements. If anything lacks in these areas, my competitors will get ahead and gain the attention of current or potential customers. My staff can be another threat to the success of the tanning salon. If the management team is not effective in their leadership or faulty in their actions then the employees will become nonchalant in their actions and responsibilities. Having a disrespectful and disobedient staff will be a down fall to the success of the business. I plan to try to avoid this from happening by continually training and periodically inspecting my staff’s action. Although I can not make the threats disappear, I can effectively handle them as they come. Conclusion It can be said without a doubt that to establish a good tanning salon business is not an easy task. It requires extensive planning and preparation. A detailed and thorough business plan along with a well thought out SWOT Analysis should be an outstanding starting point. Although every detail can not be planned or worked out, the key to success is learning from a mistake and correcting it two-fold. In order for my proposed tanning salon to be a success, I must endure the tribulations and accomplishments through my own trails and error.

Some Leaders Are Born Some Are Made Religion Essay

Some Leaders Are Born Some Are Made Religion Essay Dreams float on an impatient wind, A wind that wants to create a new order. An order of strength and thundering of fire. from a poem written by Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Some leaders are born, some are made but all dont have a trait that a great man like Dr. Kalam has. A great visionary, a thinker, philanthropist and overall a good human being. The man, ascetic in looks and behaviour, belongs to a rare breed of those who dream lofty dreams, and work hard to transform vision into reality.The man who played a key role in the nuclear tests at Pokharan in the Rajasthan desert on May 11 and 13, has a favourite quotation: We must think and act like a nation of a billion people and not like that of a million people. Dream, dream, dream ! Conduct these dreams into thoughts, and then transform them into action. Above all he is quintessentially Indian. Never allowing his astounding success as a scientist to diminish his humanity and humility. Despite having had an unparalleled career as a defense scientist and been crowned with the highest civilian award of India, the Bharat Ratna, he retains the common touch. As the scientific and technology advisor to the prime minister, he propelled India into the select club of missile powers. He resigned from the post to take up a more ambitious programme of teaching and creating scientific temper in the minds of young inquisitive and knowledge thirsty Indians. Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam is the undisputed father of Indias missile program. He has breathed life into ballistic missiles like the Agni and Prithvi, which put China and Pakistan well under Indias missile range. It is too exhausting to track Dr Abdul Kalams achievements to date. In the 60s and 70s he was a trail blazer in the space department. In the 80s he transformed the moribund Defence Research and Development Laboratory in Hyderabad into a highly motivated team. By the 90s Kalam emerged as the czar of Indian science and technology and was awarded the Bharat Ratna. His life and mission is a vindication of what a determined person can achieve against extraordinary odds. Do things yourself. Do not indulge in short-cuts by importing equipment, thundered the great scientist after the famed Pokhran-2 nuclear blasts in 1998. A strong advocate of this philosophy, he distributed newspapers at a young age to help with household expenses. A vegetarian and a teetotaller, Abdul Kalam recites the Quran and the Bhagvad Gita with equal ease. A confirmed bachelor, his modesty is evident from the fact that he gives all the credit to his colleagues. Abdul Kalam is a dreamer. He dreamt of a strong India. His next goal is to produce a reusable missile which no country in the world has been able to produce. And judging by his earlier achievements, this invention does not seem a distant possibility for this genius. As a child, he was fascinated by the flight of seagulls and the interest in flight led to a degree in aeronautical engineering, and eventually to his supervising the development of Indias guided missiles. Along the way, he found time to write Tamil poetry and learned to play the veena. Kalam believes that he has inherited honesty and self-discipline from his father, while faith in goodness and kindness is the trait inherited from his mother. His is a classic story of the magic of democracy where a person from a humble background can expect to rise to the most prestigious position in the country through sheer dint of merit. Kalam has the unique distinction of having received honorary doctorates from at least thirty universities. As a sign of his popularity among Indian youth, MTV-India recently nominated him as one of the prospects for its MTV India Youth Icon for the year 2006 Award. As Dr. Kalam said: You have to dream before your dreams can come true. Thinking should become your capital asset, no matter whatever ups and downs you come across in your life Climbing to the top demands strength, whether it is to the top of Mount Everest or to the top of your career We should not give up and we should not allow the problem to defeat us. God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps us tap and develop these powers. God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps us tap and develop these powers Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success If we are not free, no one will respect us Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam: From humble beginnings to Presidency. The Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 at Dhanushkodi in the Rameswaram district of Tamil Nadu. He was neither educated abroad, nor was his family financially very strong to support his academic pursuits. His father, Jainulabiddin Marakayar had to rent boats out to fishermen to pay for his school fees. His mother Ashiamma, had gained much formal education. His father possessed great innate wisdom, true generosity of spirit and was a spiritual person. He received secondary education at the Schwartz School, a missionary institute in Ramanathapuram, and later joined the St Josephs College at Tiruchirrapalli, where he graduated with a Bachelor in Science. Abdul Kalam went on to study Aeronautical Engineering at the Madras Institute of Technology. He was the first graduate in the family, with his brothers not even finishing school. He distributed newspapers at a young age to help with household expenses. Abdul Kalam was perhaps marked out to be different right from the beginning. Since he was the youngest in the family, he got his fair share of pampering from the elders. But neighbours remember him as a reserved boy who was very interested in reading books. In a way, library was the foundation on which Kalam built his career. After completing his third year at MIT, Kalam joined Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore as a trainee. Here, he worked on piston and turbine engines examining as part of a team. He also received training on radial engine-cum-drum operations. In 1958, when he came out of HAL as a graduate of aeronautical engineering, he had his long-standing dream of flying, as two alternative opportunities for employment. One was the job at Directorate of Technical Development and Production (DTD P) of the Ministry of Defence and another was a career in the Indian Air Force. He applied at both the places, and the interview calls came simultaneously from both. He went to Delhi for an interview with DTD P, which did not challenge his knowledge of the subject. Then he went to Dehra Dun for interview with the Air Force Selection Board. Here too, the interview was more on personality test, rather than testing his knowledge. He stood ninth in the batch of 25, and eight officers were selected to be commissioned in the Air Force. Kalam could feel the opportunity to join the Air Force slipping from his hands. Dissapointed at his rejection by the IAF, Kalam visited Rishikesh where he bathed in the Ganga and met Swami Sivananda a man who looked like Buddha. He introduced himself to the Swamiji, who did not react to his Muslim identity. He asked Kalam about the reason for his sorrow. Kalam told him about his unsuccessful attempt to join the Indian Air Force and his long-cherished desire to fly. Sivananda guided him saying: Accept your destiny and go ahead with your life. You are not destined to become an Air Force pilot. What you are destined to become is not revealed now but it is predetermined. Forget this failure, as it was essential to lead you to your destined path. Search, instead, for the true purpose of your existence. Become one with yourself, my son! Surrender yourself to the wish of God. After returning to Delhi, Kalam received an appointment letter from DTD P. On the next day he joined as Senior Scientific Assistant, with a basic salary of Rs. 250/- per month. Here, he was posted at the Technical Center (Civil Aviation). He lost his resentment of failure, thinking he would be able to make aeroplanes airworthy if not fly aeroplanes. During his first year in the Directorate, he carried out a design assignment on supersonic target aircraft with the help of his officer-in-charge, R. Varadharajan, and won praise from the Director, Dr. Neelakantan. Then he was sent to the Aircraft and Armament Testing Unit(A ATU) at Kanpur to get shop-floor exposure to aircraft maintenance. Upon his return to Delhi, he was informed that the design of a DART target had been taken up at the DTD P and he was included in the design team. After that, he undertook a preliminary design study on Human Centrifuge. He designed and developed a vertical takeoff and landing platform, and Hot Cockpit. Three years later, the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) was formed in Bangalore and he was posted there. At ADE, Kalam served as a senior scientific assistant, heading a small team that developed a prototype hovercraft. Defence Minister Krishna Menon rode in Indias first indigenous hovercraft with Kalam at the controls. But for reasons never explained, the project which would have been a considerable international achievement in those days, was not encouraged. This was probably one of the reasons why he moved out of ADE in 1962 and joined Indias space program. Thoroughly Indian, the only brief exposure that he got abroad was in 1963-64 when he was invited by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to spend four months in the United States at the Wallops Island Rocketry Centre and the Langley Research Centre. During 1963-82, he served the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) in various capacities. Here Kalam initiated Fibre Reinforced Plastics (FRP) activities, then after a stint with the aerodynamics and design group, he joined the satellite launch vehicle team at Thumba, near Trivandram and soon became Project Director for SLV-3. As Project Director, he was responsible for carrying out the design, development, qualification and flight testing of 44 major sub systems. The project managed to put Rohini, a scientific satellite, into orbit in July 1980. He was honoured with a Padma Bhushan in 1981. In 1982, as Director of DRDO, Kalam was entrusted with the Integrated Guided Missile Development Programme (IGMDP), Indias most successful military research task to date. The programme constituted of 5 major projects for meeting the requirements of the defence services and for establishing re-entry technology. The 5 projects were scheduled to be completed in a time frame of only 10 years and consisted of: Nag an anti-tank guided missile Prithvi a surface-to-surface battlefield missile Akash a swift, medium-range surface-to-air missile. Trishul a quick-reaction surface-to-air missile with a shorter range. Agni an intermediate range ballistic missile, the mightiest of them all From his SLV-3 experience, Kalam had learned the advantages of team work and of sharing the tasks with partners in private and public sector industries. In the new management structure of the missile program, Kalam, as the Chairman of the Programme Management Board, delegated almost all executive and financial powers to five carefully selected Project Directors and kept himself free to address the core technology issues. His task was to inspire and monitor over 20 institutions and partners outside ranging from large public and private sector suppliers to small specialist firms that needed seed money to take up the precision tasks. The missiles went up more or less on schedule: Trishul in 1985, Prithvi in 1988, Agni in 1989 and the others in 1990. The development and successful flight test of Prithvi, Trishul, Akash, Nag, and Agni established the indigeneous capability towards self reliance in defence preparedness. The successful launching of Agni surface-to-surface missile was a unique achievement which made India a member of an exclusive club of highly developed countries. The Trishul has the unique distinction of being capable of serving all three services. The establishment of the Research Centre Imarat(RCI), a campus 8km from DRDL, in 1988 was perhaps the most satisfying achievement for Kalam during the missile years. He received generous funding from the Government to build the futuristic centre, which is totally geared for work in advanced missile technologies. Its state-of-the-art facilities are set in a unique ambience and the level of comfort accorded to the individual worker is matched by few RD institutions. And Kalams interest in the environment saw RCI emerge as an oasis in a rocky wasteland. It has a small farm that meets the food requirements of those who stay in the RCI quarters. Kalam was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 1990. On 25th November 1997, in appreciation of his contributions to Indian defence and science, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was awarded Indias highest civilian honour- the Bharat Ratna. In October 1998, he bagged the prestigious Indira Gandhi award for national integration(for 1997). After 10 years in DRDL, he went to New Delhi to take over from Arunachalam as Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister reluctantly, many in DRDL felt. But the system created by Kalam had taken a firm hold in that decade and the missile programme passed on smoothly into its final phase of production and induction. In Delhi, Kalam as head of the DRDO had to deliver other prestigious projects, such as the Arjun MBT and the Light Combat Aircraft(LCA) projects. Strength respects strength, this is Kalams usual response to the question why India needs its own missiles or a battle tank or a combat aircraft. While management practices he adopted for the missile program have inevitably rubbed off on these projects, there are no miracles to be had in strategic development areas. There have been technical problems. Even in the missile program, work on the SAMs and the ATM is slower than anticipated. But Trishuls recent multiple test flights have demonstrated that the system Kalam put in place has inherent strengths. Kalam is by no means a miracle man. As the head of a vast network of laboratories whose products include avalanche-controlling structures in Kashmir, water desalination kits for the Thar desert, a world class sonar submarine finder for the latest warship INS Delhi, and infra-red night vision goggles for the Indian Army Kalams attention is necessarily a bit diffused. His self-effacing persona cloaks a formidable catalyst who can make people work. Kalam is happiest at the drawing board, in discussion with his scientists on how their dreams for the next millennium can be fulfilled. The projects envisaged include an air breathing hyperplane spacecraft that draws oxygen from the atmosphere rather than carry it all the way from the ground, reusable missiles and stealth technology. Kalam has shown that with adequate funding, freedom from procedural holdups and a people-oriented management, India can make products of internationally acceptable technical standards in a demanding arena like defence. Science, according to Kalam, is a global phenomenon. He feels there are a few areas where India can develop its core competence. These areas are software engineering, computer products and design, agriculture and food, aviation, defence research and space technology and chemical engineering. This will lead to a highly beneficial economic and social progress for the nation. On 25th November 1999, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was appointed Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and accorded the rank of a Cabinet Minister. His role was to advise on overall scientific development in the country on issues relating to scientific and technical policy in different sectors. Kalam also advised on matters relating to achieving technological self-reliance and foreign collaboration. On December 8, 2000, the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Shri K.C. Pant conferred the Life-time Contribution Award in Engineering 2000 on Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam at the annual function of the Indian National Academy of Engineering in New Delhi. Speaking on the occasion, Kalam said that Engineering and technology should be used for the upliftment of the people living below the poverty line. On November 10, 2001, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam quit as principal scientific advisor to the government. Sources close to Kalam, said he quit because of lack of executive authority. However Kalam had been for quite some time keen on pursuing academic interests and helping scientists across the country in developing their research capabilities. Thats why after quitting he took over the job as distinguished professor at Anna University. Dr Kalam has spent the past few years developing the concept of India Millennium Missions 2020 a blueprint for transforming India into a developed nation. He calls it the second vision of the nation and says he wants to focus on the children of India to ignite in their minds a love for science and the nations mission: a developed India. On July 25, 2002, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was sworn in as the 11th President of India by Chief Justice of India B.N. Kirpal in the Central Hall of Parliament at an impressive function telecast live across the country. Kalam took the oath in the name of God as a 21-gun salute boomed in the background Dr. Abdul Kalam has visualized the following distinctive profile for India by the year 2020: 1. A Nation where the rural and urban divide has reduced to a thin line. 2. A Nation where there is an equitable distribution and adequate access to energy and quality water. 3. A Nation where agriculture, industry and service sector work together in symphony. 4. A Nation where education with value system is not denied to any meritorious candidates because of societal or economic discrimination. 5. A Nation which is the best destination for the most talented scholars, scientists, and investors. 6. A Nation where the best of health care is available to all. 7. A Nation where the governance is responsive, transparent and corruption free. 8. A Nation where poverty has been totally eradicated, illiteracy removed and crimes against women and children are absent and none in the society feels alienated. 9. A Nation that is prosperous, healthy, secure, peaceful and happy and continues with a sustainable growth path. 10. A Nation that is one of the best places to live in and is proud of its leadership. Dr. Kalam: The Kind Human A truly Inspirational Story of a boss! On a day at TERLS: There were about 70 scientists working on a very hectic project. All of them were really frustrated due to the pressure of work and the demands of their boss but everyone was loyal to him and did not think of quitting the job. One day, one scientist came to his boss and told him Sir, I have promised to my children that I will take them to the exhibition going on in our township. So I want to leave the office at 5 30 pm. His boss replied OK, Youre permitted to leave the office early today. The Scientist started working. He continued his work after lunch. As usual he got involved to such an extent that he looked at his watch when he felt he was close to completion. The time was 8.30 PM. Suddenly he remembered of the promise he had given to his children.He looked for his boss, He was not there. Having told him in the morning itself, he closed everything and left for home. Deep within himself, he was feeling guilty for having disappointed his children. He reached home. Children were not there. His wife alone was sitting in the hall and reading magazines.The situation was explosive, any talk would boomerang on him. His wife asked him Would you like to have coffee or shall I straight away serve dinner if you are hungry.The man replied If you would like to have coffee, I too will have but what about Children . Wife replied You dont know , Your manager came here at 5.15 PM and has taken the children to the exhibition .What had really happened was .: The boss who granted him permission was observing him working seriously at 5.00 PM. He thought to himself, this person will not leave the work, but if he has promised his children they should enjoy the visit to exhibition. So he took the lead in taking them to exhibition. The boss does not have to do it every time. But once it is done, loyalty is established.That is why all the scientists at Thumba continued to work under their boss even though the stress was tremendous. The boss was none other than Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam . Another Life incident, when Dr. Kalam was asked a question : Could you give an example, from your own experience, of how leaders should manage failure? Dr. Kalam  said Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the project director of Indias satellite launch vehicle program, commonly called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put Indias Rohini satellite into orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources but was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into space. Thousands of people worked together in scientific and technical teams towards that goal. By 1979 I think the month was August we thought we were ready. As the project director, I went to the control center for the launch. At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go through the checklist of items that needed to be checked. One minute later, the computer program put the launch on hold; the display showed that some control components were not in order. My experts I had four or five of them with me told me not to worry; they had done their calculations and there was enough reserve fuel. So I bypassed the computer, switched to manual mode, and launched the rocket. In the first stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage, a problem developed. Instead of the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of Bengal. It was a big failure. That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, Prof. Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference. The launch was at 7:00 am, and the press conference where journalists from around the world were present was at 7:45 am at ISROs satellite launch range in Sriharikota [in Andhra Pradesh in southern India]. Prof. Dhawan, the leader of the organization, conducted the press conference himself. He took responsibility for the failure he said that the team had worked very hard, but that it needed more technological support. He assured the media that in another year, the team would definitely succeed. Now, I was the project director, and it was my failure, but instead, he took responsibility for the failure as chairman of the organization. The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite and this time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told me, You conduct the press conference today. I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the leader of the organization owned that failure. When success came, he gave it to his team. The best management lesson I have learned did not come to me from reading a book; it came from that experience. Dr. Kalams Inspirational messages: As a child of God, I am greater than anything that can happen to me. Be more dedicated to making solid achievements than in running after swift but synthetic happiness. Climbing to the top demands strength, whether it is to the top of Mount Everest or to the top of your career. Do we not realize that self respect comes with self reliance? Educationists should build the capacities of the spirit of inquiry, creativity, entrepreneurial and moral leadership among students and become their role model. English is necessary as at present original works of science are in English. I believe that in two decades times original works of science will start coming out in our languages. Then we can move over like the Japanese. God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps us tap and develop these powers. Great dreams of great dreamers are always transcended. I was willing to accept what I couldnt change. If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds, I strongly feel there are three key societal members who can make a difference. They are the father, the mother and the teacher. In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. It means, people who are in high and responsible positions, if they go against righteousness, righteousness itself will get transformed into a destroyer. Let us sacrifice our today so that our children can have a better tomorrow. Life is a difficult game. You can win it only by retaining your birthright to be a person. Look at the sky. We are not alone. The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work. Man needs his difficulties because they are necessary to enjoy success. My view is that at a younger age your optimism is more and you have more imagination etc. You have less bias. No religion has mandated killing others as a requirement for its sustenance or promotion. Those who cannot work with their hearts achieve but a hollow, half-hearted success that breeds bitterness all around. To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal. Unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. In this world, fear has no place. Only strength respects strength. We have not invaded anyone. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them. We must think and act like a nation of a billion people and not like that of a million people. Dream, dream, dream! We should not give up and we should not allow the problem to defeat us. We will be remembered only if we give to our younger generation a prosperous and safe India, resulting out of economic prosperity coupled with civilizational heritage. Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things? Is it a legacy of our colonial years? We want foreign television sets. We want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported? You have to dream before your dreams can come true. Thinking is progress. Non-thinking is stagnation of the individual, organisation and the country. Thinking leads to action. Knowledge without action is useless and irrelevant. Knowledge with action, converts adversity into prosperity. When you speak, speak the truth; perform when you promise; discharge your trust Withhold your hands from striking, and from taking that which is unlawful and bad What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of a human being, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful and to remove the wrongs of injured Away! Fond thoughts, and vex my soul no more! Work claimed my wakeful nights, my busy days Albeit brought memories of Rameswaram shore Yet haunt my dreaming gaze! I will not be presumptuous enough to say that my life can be a role model for anybody; but some poor child living in an obscure place in an underprivileged social setting may find a little solace in the way my destiny has been shaped. It could perhaps help such children liberate themselves from the bondage of their illusory backwardness and hopelessness?.. My worthiness is all my doubt His Merit- all my fear- Contrasting which my quality Does however appear   Indeed APJ Abdul Kalam is a great personality, whose contemplated words mean much more than just the literal meaning. Some lessons in the life of Dr. Kalam. In 1936; Kalams education initiated at the age of 5 years in Rameswaram Panchayat elementary school. He had a Teacher Muthu Iyer who took special interest in him as he performed very well in a class exercise. He was impressed and next day he came his house to tell his father that Abdul was a very good student. His parents were happy and he also got his favourite sweet from his mother. When he was in first class, one day he did not turn up at school. Teacher Muthu Iyer noticed his absence and same evening he went to Kalams father to ask what the problem was and whether he can do anything to help. On that day, Kalam was having fever. Another important thing, which he noticed was Kalams hand writing, was very poor. He gave a three page writing exercise ensured that Kalam did the exercise everyday regularly. By these actions of his teacher Muthu Iyer, Kalams father believed that Muthu Iyer was not only a good teacher but also a great influence who shaped kalam with good habits. Kalam was studying in 5th class at the age of 10 when he was given a vision for his life. He had a teacher, Shri Siva Subramania Iyer. He was a very good teacher. One day he was teaching about birds flight. He drew a diagram of a bird on the blackboard depicting the wings, tail and the body structure with the head. He explained how the birds create the lift and fly. He also explained how they change direction while flying. Nearly 25 minutes he gave the lecture with various information such as lift, drag and how the birds fly in a formation of 10, 20 or 30 etc. At the end of the class, he wanted to know whether the students understood how the birds fly, to which Kalam replied he didnt understand. When he said this, he asked the other students whether they understood or not. Many students said that they did not understand. Hence, the teacher took the students to the beach that evening and asked them to observe how the bird flapped their wings, twisted their tales to give directions to the flight and used their will, motivation and own life to act as the engine of their flight. The theory coupled with practical example gave Kalam the goal and mission in life. He worked towards joining aeronautical engineering in MIT, Chennai Greatly inspired by Aryabhata, Srinivasa Ramanujan, Brahmagupta and Bhaskaracharyas work as Indians who had made significant contributions to astronomy and mathematics, Kalam had found his areas of interest and motivational figures. Working under Prof. Srinivasan, the then Director of MIT, Kalam was given a project in third year of his course, he was assigned a project to design a low-level attack aircraft together with six other colleagues. He was given the responsibility of system design and system integration by integrating the team members. Also, he was responsible for aerodynamic and structural design of the project. The other five of the team took up the design of propulsion, control, guidance, avionics and instrumentation of the aircraft. He reviewed the project and declared Kalams work to be gloomy and disappointing. He didnt lend an ear to Kalams difficulties in bringing together data base from multiple designers. Kalam asked for a months time and Dr. Srinivasan gave only 3 days time. Also, a warning that if the task was not completed in time, Kalams scholarship would be revoked. Kalam had a jolt of life, as scholarship was the lifeline, without which he could not continue with his studies. So the team, skipping the dinner

Convergence in Technology Essay -- Essays Papers

Convergence in Technology The concept of a â€Å"global village† or a united community around the world has only in these last few years become a concept widely thought of. However, it seems that the idea of a large-scale sharing of information has long been developing, whether intended or not. The tools of communication have long served a single purpose, that of transmitting information from people to people. Direct communication was long ago realised with sign language and speech, but when people spread out, a kind indirect communication was needed. Thus we created (or rather, hired) the messenger. (Necessity is the mother of invention.) This evolved later into a postal service, connected around the world by a network of synchronised offices of a similar nature. For a long time, indirect communication was the only way to communicate over long distances. Once the telegraph came along, however, people were able to instantly communicate information over long distances. This evolved somewhat into the telephone, which spawned the radio and television. As these were developed, the efficiency and clarity of these transmissions improved, and this allowed the world to know what was happening anywhere else in the world at any given time. At this same time, programmable computers were finally coming to be used. Information was input to these machines and stored on tapes that could be put onto different computers to be run. This paralleled postal mail in a form of indirect communication. However, computers were also already based in intercommunication, because computers are systems of smaller functioning devices connected to perform a function or process. The evolution of computers’ communicating then evolved by extending direct connections between these large systems, sharing information. With the invention of the modem, computers could communicate piggybacking a system that people already used. As the modem developed, communications speeds increased. The state of convergence began when people were communicating increased types of information through these computers. First program data, statistics, stock market quotes, news, specific interest information, and finally personal information. Computers became a method of communication within themselves. The increased usage of modems for things like e-mail and on-line forums came about even... ... to use our computer, connected through the internet via our TV cable outlet and displayed on our High-Definition TV, to watch a â€Å"TV show† broadcast via the internet. The ultimate point of convergence I envision for the future is a single fibre-optic cable in our homes (perhaps brought to us by ShawTel?) as a conduit to what we know now as the Internet. Fad appliances like WebTV will be eliminated due to their inadequateness and will be replaced by integrated systems within a household. They will provide for our entertainment needs with interactive broadcast programs, news reports of only the stories or areas we request, and communication via a video and audio connection to anyone, anywhere in the world. This battle for supremacy over who will control the future of communication will be fought largely between the telecommunications companies and the Cable TV companies. Perhaps mergers will be sought, or some companies will be run out of business because of their inability to keep up. Millions of dollars will be lost and billions will be made, but the end product will create a closely-knit global community, able to communicate instantly regardless of language or location.

eighteenth amendment Essay -- essays research papers

The eighteenth amendment of the United States Constitution was ratified in the year 1919. This amendment made buying, sellieng, and producing alcoholic beverages illegal. However, this amendment did not stop some on the citizens in the United States, this included some of Louisiana’s own citizens.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Even though the making and selling of beer and wine was illegal the citizens did not seem to care to much. The majority of the people, who brewed their own beer and wine at home, and even the people who were involved in bootlegging were among the ones who did not believe that the amendment was constitution, and some did not get arrested with taking part in this illegal activity. The reason that the people did not get in trouble was because they were to many people who did not want to conform to the new rules on the constitution; so there would be to may people to arrest sine everyone was practically doing it. These people who were involved with selling alcohol made tons of money. One man was even able to purchase a new car with the money that he made. This man was named Mr. Hungerford. He was able to collect wine from the railroad cart that was caught trying to transport some alcohol. He stored the bottles in a family member’s barn till his neighbors ran o ut of their own and then sold his bottles at an inflated price. What this man did was illegal in the 1920s because of the eighteenth amendment, but the federal authorities did not have the heart to g...

Academic Qualification Ensures Success in Life Essay

The definition of success differs from person to person and field to field. One could take economic success as a touchstone to label a person successful in life, ignoring his of her other failures, like divorce, health, inefficiency, etc. Others may look at a capacity for overcoming challenges, irrespective of what someone earns and the nature of their private life. So who is a successful person and who is a failure? Do school and college grades and examination results provide a way of predicting or ensuring future success? If that is true, then we should encourage as many young people as possible to go to university and work hard to gain formal qualifications. But is it true? Aren’t some college drop-outs like Bill Gates and Richard Branson hugely successful icons of success? And should we automatically consider the millions of young people who have not had the opportunity to gain academic certificates to be failures in life? Success never depends upon grades. If success and opportunities were measured by grades then the corporate world and potential marriage partners would not ask for biodata in resumes, where other qualifications are also mentioned. Nor would they interview the prospects in order to find out what they are like as people, rather they would give a blind appointment to the people with the best paper qualifications. So qualifications alone are never enough, success depends upon physical characteristics, personality, and a willingness to work hard. Success is not getting a grade or a degree, if that was it then why aren’t all the graduates from Harvard, Oxford or Cambridge uniformly successful? The rule of success is hard work and destiny of course. If a student of engineering gets good grades but he is not practically effective in relationship-buildings and solving crises or proper planning, even though he may be successful in getting a job but it will not lead him far. On the way he is sure to fade out. If you look into a directory of successful people who are doctors, engineers and IT professionals, then you will notice that many of them dream to be employed by people like Bill Gates or Richard Branson, who are prosperous despite not having college degrees. In other words, prosperity does not depend upon academic qualifications but upon opportunities provided by entrepreneurs who may not be necessarily be highly educated. Successful entrepreneurs even benefit from not having academic qualifications, because going to college and taking examinations forces people to learn and think like millions of other graduates. This actually makes it less likely that they will come up with the truly mould-breaking insights and â€Å"disruptive† ideas on which successful innovations and new business models are built. Unfortunately the materialistic world has changed the concept of success. It has become a rat-race where every student chases grades and therefore the entire perception of success and prosperity has changed. Rather than studying to reach our full potential, we do it because we think it is necessary for a successful career. So we spend ten years in school and a few more years of our precious life in college to get educated, then more time is passed in hunting for jobs. Even after that we may find ourselves in the wrong profession and lacking job satisfaction. And then recession comes along, when we are told that our wealth has been blown away by the foolishness of expensive fat-salaried CEOs. Now comes a time when we go to work with a constant fear of losing the job we don’t enjoy. Is this the correct understanding of prosperity? So now the definition of success is changed. If you are able to save your job then you are successful! Can academic qualification stop us from becoming a civilization of drunkards, rapists and war-mongers, marked by broken families, domestic violence and crime? If you look at countries where the largest number of people have higher academic qualifications, they are the ones most affected by social breakdown. And would you call the conduct of the US wars on Iraq and Afghanistan a successful example of the superiority of the US economy and society? In fact true success is shown in having the moral courage to speak out against atrocities and injustice, showing generosity towards the poor, and respecting our parents. These are characteristics which are found in people from all social and educational backgrounds, but often absent in many educated Americans and Europeans, in spite of the universities they have been to and the grades they have achieved. Often academic qualifications have no real relevance to the jobs graduates are employed to do. A few decades ago employers in areas such as banking, engineering, management and government service recruited people straight from school at the age of 15 or 16, training them on the job and promoting them to higher levels of responsibility according to their ability. Today none of these jobs has changed very much, but all now require applicants have a university degree. Why has this changed? One reason is that the upper and middle classes are trying to protect their own jobs – demanding new recruits have expensive academic qualifications excludes many talented young people from poorer backgrounds.

Lowe’s: a Structural Analysis Essay

Lowe’s was originally started in 1921 by Lucius S. Lowe in the town of North Wilkesboro, North Carolina and was called Lowe’s North Wilkesboro Hardware Store. The first version of Lowe’s had a different product mix that also included notions, dry goods, horse tack, snuff, produce, and groceries. This was when it was run by Lucius S. Lowe. The business was inherited by his daughter, Ruth, when Lucius died in 1940. She in turn sold the company to her brother James Lowe. In that same year that Jim bought the store him and Ruth’s husband Carl Buchan served in World War II, during the war Ruth and her mother ran the store. After Carl was injured and honorably discharged in 1943 Jim took him on as a partner. Lowe’s was founded in 1946; Lowe’s has grown from a small hardware store to the second-largest home improvement retailer worldwide. This is when Carl Buchan took management over and the store started to focus primarily on hardware and building materials. Carl Buchan later bought-out his brother-in-law and partner, James Lowe, and foreseeing the post-World War II building boom. By eliminating wholesalers and dealing directly with manufacturers, Lowe’s established a lasting reputation for low prices. Sales began to grow over time and additional Lowe’s stores opened in neighboring towns throughout western North Carolina. In 1960, Carl Buchan died of a heart attack at age 44. His five-man executive team, which included Robert Strickland and Leonard Herring, took the company public in 1961. By 1962 Lowe’s operated 21 stores and reported annual revenues of $32 million. In 1979, Lowe’s began trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:LOW). During this time, U. S. housing starts soared and professional builders became Lowe’s loyal customers, accounting for the majority of Lowe’s business. In 1982, Lowe’s had its first billion-dollar sales year, earning a record profit of $25 million. Lowe’s stores then reported serving a new type of customer: do-it-yourself homeowners seeking to improve the value of their properties. Anticipating their needs while still accommodating contractors, Lowe’s began to enlarge its stores and expanded its merchandise offerings. The modern Lowe’s began in 1994, when their new store expansion consisted of only large stores, which they defined as stores with greater than 85,000 square feet of selling space. Expansion continued as Lowe’s opened a new store on average every week with our 117,000-square-foot (117K) stores in the nation’s larger metro markets and our newer 94,000-square-foot (94K) stores in the nation’s small to mid-sized markets. Lowe’s opened its first stores in Canada in December 2007 and opened its first stores in Mexico in February 2010. Lowe’s stores stock 40,000 products in 15 product categories ranging from appliances to tools, to paint, lumber and nursery products. Lowe’s has hundreds of thousands of products available by Special Order – offering everything customers need to build, maintain, beautify and enjoy their homes. Lowe’s operates more than 1,745 stores in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Lowe’s announced on August 25, 2009, that it had entered a joint venture with the Australian retailer Woolworths to enter the Australian market with 150 big box style superstores. Trading under the brand Masters Home Improvement, the first store opened in Braybrook, Victoria, to tradesmen on August 31, 2011, and the general public on September 1, 2011. Today Lowe’s is the second largest home improvement retailer worldwide and the 7th largest retailer in the U. S. Although times have changed since Lowe’s first opened its doors in 1946, Lowe’s values have not – the company remains committed to offering quality home improvement products at the lowest prices, while delivering superior customer service. Lowe’s major competitors include Home Depot and Ace Hardware. In a functional structure the company maintains a CEO with a small corporate staff along with managers in organizational areas such as production, accounting, marketing, R&D, engineering and human resources. Separating the organizational areas of a company allows for specialization in each functional area. However, this separation can have a negative effect as it makes communication between these areas more difficult. This is the type of structure that Lowe’s uses today. Lowe’s shows cost leadership by their low price guarantee, where they will beat any competitors price by 10% on any in stock product. Lowe’s also uses a differentiation strategy to separate themselves from Home Depot by trying to appeal more to women, with the thought that women make most home design decisions. It is believed within the company that Lowe’s stores are cleaner and that their blue and red colors are more welcoming than Home Depot’s bold orange and black. They are also very customer focused by having â€Å"expert† employees who can give customers the knowledge needed to do projects themselves, shown by their â€Å"let’s build something together† advertisements. This is what helps to keep Lowe’s on top and a constant competitor.

Disaster Preparedness

Managing disaster response is one of the most challenging aspects of the National Response System (NRS). The effectiveness of coordination between national, state, and local teams at the scene of the incident is a key to the successful response on disasters and other calamities (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2009). According to the ‘Disaster Recovery and Mitigation Handbook’, it is the job of the local government, to inform the Regional Emergency Operations Center about events or disasters that take place in their respective areas.In this case, the Incident Commander carries out the responsibility (OES, 2004). This paper will briefly discuss the key functions in disaster preparedness and implementations. The review of literature will be the method in relating the analysis to the overall topical discussions. Literature review The Incident Command System (ICS) is the main tool used in the management of emergency response incidents.For the local responders, who are usually the first to respond on the scene of the event, it is important that they understand the standards and concepts of the ICS. During times of disaster, the Incident Commander (IC) becomes the On-Scene Coordinator (OSC). Based on the Related OSHA Standards, the IC is tasked with assessing the situation or schedules a briefing with the past Incident Commander.Likewise, the IC then meets with the command staff and section chiefs (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2009). Based on the procedures after meeting with the members of the disaster response team, the Incident Commander then determines all hazardous materials or circumstances and address them appropriately using site analysis, engineering controls, maximum exposure restrictions, guidelines on handling hazardous substances, and using new technologies (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2009).It is the job of the Incident Commander to make sure that they trim down the number of emergency res ponse staff, particularly in the areas where they will be exposed to site hazards. There should be a safety officer, who has the knowledge of operating procedures. When the designated safety officer deems that there is imminent danger, they can suspend or put an end to emergency activities (Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 2009).In summary, it is the job of the Incident Commander to ensure safety first before anything else in any disaster or emergency situations. Before implementing any plan of action, the IC or On-Site Coordinator should see to it that the citizens should be out of danger or evacuated from the site. Likewise, the Incident Commander should ensure the safety of their team. They should always see to it that the plan of action is always in accordance with the standards set forth by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Data analysisFor better control and management of disasters, it is essential that each member of the Emergency Response Team should be well-prepared and properly trained. According to the OSHA, understanding and familiarity with the Incident Command System is the key to successful implementation of an emergency response. Planning for an incident should be done in advance of the event. This way, each member of the team can identify their roles and responsibilities during a certain emergency situation. Effective planning also includes conducting regular drills and practices.Aside from that, the emergency response personnel should also have an idea of which agencies they need to coordinate with in times of disaster. Findings and conclusion Disaster preparedness can be more effective and efficient if members of emergency response team are adequately trained and familiar with the Internal Command System. There must be coordination between the national, state, and local emergency teams. In conclusion, the performance of the disaster management systems relies on systematic coordination of emergency response team s from one level to another. Disaster preparedness During disasters such as an earthquake, storm, floods or a terrorist attack, response coordination is usually overwhelmed. Such scenarios demand comprehensive disaster preparedness planning if rescue and recovery efforts are to be effectively executed. The first phase of a disaster preparedness plan entails mitigation. This is a pre-disaster management approach that mainly deals with the scale of a potential disaster and its projected effects. It encompasses all measures that can be put in place to minimize all the negative aspects of the disaster.If property implemented, the mitigation part of a disaster preparedness plan helps allay the direct and indirect effects of the hazard. (Dheri, 2009) The next step in preparing the plan addresses the post-disaster management phase. This starts with the establishment of an incident command system. This is followed by the identification of qualified personnel or volunteers who will be responsible for various aspects of disaster response. They should be assigned functions such as incident command, finance, operations, logistics, operations, information and planning as well as any other roles necessary during a disaster.The operations personnel should be qualified in critical disaster response aspects like site security, fire fighting, search and rescue, and first aid administration. A file with the names, titles, designations as well as home and cell phone numbers of all the identified personnel should be retained at a central location to enable their quick accessibility in times of emergency. Another major element in disaster preparedness is ensuring vital response items such as portable radios, fire extinguishers, flashlights, emergency first aid supplies are easily accessible and in proper working condition.Most of these requirements can be internally met. (Volunteer Center Serving Howard County, 2003) Outside the organization, factors that need to be considered include identifying the nearest health clinic, police st ation and fire station as well as places where things like emergency generators could be obtained in case of a protracted power blackout during a disaster. Sources of additional water and food should also be identified. It is also advisable to estimate the number of people who could be affected by diverse forms of disasters.Contacts of a local leading disaster management organization such as the Red Cross are vital in case mass shelter or its management training is necessary. When planning for disasters that might require evacuation, factors such as the number of people who might need evacuation, the evacuation site and the means of transport to the site should be considered. If a disaster is expected to be hard-hitting, the organization should put in place short-term measures to help those affected recover from the effects.

IP Address Schema Design for a Medium-Sized Business Essay

IP Address Schema Design for a Medium-Sized Business The following IP schema is designed to fit the needs of the Warehouse Company. The company has purchased and installed all of the required equipment for the network infrastructure. After consulting with their design team and gathering the required documentation and network designs, we are ready to proceed. The network design requires an IP schema that will minimize the cost of public IP addresses. Due to this requirement we will use a Class B IP address solution with a default subnet mask of 11111111.11111111.00000000.00000000 or 255.255.0.0. I am calculating the need to have 2 possibly 3 public IP addresses. In order to meet the IP requirements for the company’s 367 devices that include 260 hosts for Boston, 80 hosts for Dallas, 12 hosts at Seattle, 4 general servers and 3 DMZ servers, I will use the network address 172.16.0.0/23. The broadcast IP address is172.16.1.255. The subnet mask will be 255.255.254.0. The /23 will support 512 hosts, leaving 145 available hosts. The IP address ranges are assigned as follows: Boston (280) 172.16.0.10 through 172.16.1.40. Dallas (80) 172.16.1.50 through 172.16.1.140. Seattle (12) 172.16.1.160 through 172.16.1.180. General Servers (4) and network equipment 172.16.1.190 through 172.16.1.205. The DMZ servers with out-going rules set will be 172.16.1.210 through 172.16.1.220 The link-local unicast IPv6 network address will be fe80::ac10:0, the broadcast address will be ff00::ac10:1ff. This equals 119 bits and the host range will be from fe80::ac10:1 through fe80::ac10:1fe.

Identifying Community Resources for Mental Health Essay

Firstly regarding my client that has agreed to substance abuse treatment for 30 days I discovered through research that the following programs would be recommended: The Orchard Recovery and Addiction Treatment Center located at 811 Grafton Road, Bowen Island, BC V0N 1G2 and available at http://www.orchardrecovery.com/. Provides â€Å"Detox, Primary Care (10-, 28- and 42-day residential treatment), Sober Living (three to 12 months of second-stage residential treatment) and ongoing Alumni Services and Aftercare programs† for men and women suffering from addicition. Also another available treatment option is LDR Holistic Addiction Wellness Centre located at 5724 Glover Rd, Langley, BC V3A 4H8and available at http://www.holisticdrugrehab.org/provides drug rehab for men only centers and rehab treatment for women only. After treatment the recommendation would be follow u support groups such as AA. This resource is funded by Alcoholics Anonymous by The Greater Vancouver Intergroup Society located at 3457 Kingsway Vancouver, B.C., V5R 5L5 and meeting times are located at on the internet at http://www.vancouveraa.ca/index.php?option=com_meetings&Itemid=37&task=show. Either treatment facility and aftercare with AA would be a good treatment option because it address’s the clients need for substance abuse treatment and is paid for by Canadian health insurance, so there is minimal out of pocket cost to the client. It is essential to have aftercare to be successful which is why AA is appropriate. Regarding my client’s mother that was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. The following hospice programs would be recommended: Victoria Hospice Society located at 1952 Bay Street, Victoria, BC V8R 1J8 and reachable at http://www.victoriahospice.org/welcome-victoria-hospice. Care is offered in patients’ homes, within their 17-bed in-patient unit, and as specific medic al consultation to patients in other health care facilities. Clientele includes people that are living with a progressive, life-threatening illness. They must live in an area of Greater Victoria served by Victoria Hospice. They must have a family physician and the physician agrees with registration. Their goal of care is palliative and comfort-oriented, rather than curative treatments. They reside in their own home or in an Assisted Living facility once accepted into the program. Another hospice program is at Laurel Place located at 9688 137A St, Surrey, BC V3T 4H9 http://www.surreyhospice.com/counselling/hospice-palliative-care. They offer Hospice palliative care for anyone facing a life-threatening illness and they provide physical, emotional, and spiritual care and support for individuals and their loved ones at home, in hospitals, in nursing homes or in special hospice facilities. Regarding my client who disclosed in counseling that she was a victim of childhood sexual abuse. I would recommend Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse located at 2420 Mary Hill Road, Port Coquitlam, B.C., and V3C. They provide support and therapy with trained facilitators for women who have experienced sexual abuse as children. This is appropriate for my client to be involved in group therapy to begin her process of recovery while feeling connected and supported by a group of other survivors. | Resources: Surrey Hospice Resource Center. (2012). Hospice and Palliative Care. Retrieved from http://www.surreyhospice.com/counselling/hospice-palliative-care Victoria Hospice. (2012). Patients and Families. Retrieved from http://www.victoriahospice.org/welcome-victoria-hospice The Greater Vancouver Intergroup Society. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.vancouveraa.ca/index.php?option=com_meetings&Itemid=37&task=show LDR Holistic Addiction Wellness Centre. (2012). Drug Rehabilitation Canada. Retrieved from http://www.holisticdrugrehab.org/

How World War II Transformed the United States Society and Economy Essay

How World War II Transformed the United States Society and Economy - Essay Example The nation’s survival to one of the most dreadful events in world history made America a powerful nation ever to influence the rest of the world up to this day. WWII is indeed a defining moment for a nation suffering from the â€Å"agonies of the Great Depression† (Kennedy xi). After the Second World War, the U.S. became the standard of power and economic prosperity. Until now, many nations want to establish diplomatic relations with the country in order to keep that connection with the world’s most influential nation. How the U.S. transformed itself to gaining this coveted position is being traced to its significant participation in the Second World War. In the beginning, the U.S. did not want to compromise anything just to prove something to the world. The American government was seriously dealing with the dilemmas of the Great Depression (Kennedy xi) and its own national problems. There was no intention to engage in an all out battle against Germany, Japan, or Italy if not due to the attacks made by the Japanese Military on the US Naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Therefore, the country was provoked to defend itself because it had a valid reason to resort to such a courageous action. However, instead of plotting revenge against Japan, the U.S. wanted to begin with defeating the cause of the problem, which is the then Nazi-dominated Europe (â€Å"Wartime Strategy†). Uncle Sam was more worried in regard to the possibility of the German scientists inventing weapons of mass destruction than the possible attacks of the Japanese Military (â€Å"Wartime Strategy†). Hence, it was a decision the U.S. had to make for the sake of its future and people. World War II ended after six years leaving the world with trauma. However, this ending marked the start of a renewed America, perhaps the momentum of monumental change for the once isolationist nation. Americans have realized the value of life, probably for the reason that they have s een the vast impact of the war on their country. Women began to realize how they may help the society by being part of the country's workforce. This past event is one reason why the U.S is open minded in terms of sharing responsibilities between the male and female members of the household. Freedom is apparent because the Americans themselves recognize its importance by allowing the members of society to taking part in making their communities a better place to live. WWII has, therefore, changed the perception of the American Society regarding the equal roles of men and women. Thus, this change fueled the American society to becoming liberal in making crucial decisions that are necessary for their survival. Slavery in the United States was also one crucial part of its history. African Americans were then forced to become slaves to the White Americans, and were not given equal rights by the government. The ending of slavery was something that the African Americans had yearned many ye ars ago alongside with the ending of extreme discrimination. African American longed for freedom, which was later on granted by the American government at the onset of WWII. Many Blacks were given the chance to serve in the army, which had in some ways lifted their status in society during the Second World War. In addition, WWII had, in some ways, diminished racial inequality in a place that is inhabited by varying ethnicities, like America. Even if they suffered from discrimination after their return from the war, opportunities for the African-Americans increased as legislations, such as the 1965 Civil Rights Act, as well as the Fair Housing Act of 1968, were enacted (Frazier and Tettey-Fio 85). Eventually, the enforcement of these Legislations enhanced the economic status of the Blacks, which led to

Leadership Theories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Leadership Theories - Essay Example The intention of this study is a leadership as an effective tool for any person to establish the idea of an individual and apply the concept to a group of people. For the implementation process an individual needs to possess certain characteristics and qualities to motivate the others and change the behavior of the other person to accomplish the goal. Some of the greatest successes of individuals in the industry have been because of the leadership attributes they possessed and the way they used them to influence others. Thus leadership has been described as the process of social influence in which an individual uses the support and of others for the purpose of accomplishment of tasks. Apart from influencing the behavior of others, leadership plays the crucial role of integrating and utilizing available resources in the external and internal environment for the purpose of attainment of societal and organizational goals. The aim of making a behavioral analysis is to provide individuals with the awareness of his behavioral traits and styles. The awareness helps people understand why he reacts in a certain way in a particular situation and why others react in the way they do. Analysis of the various behavioral leadership styles through proposed by researchers and practitioners would help me understand my leadership traits better and the reasons how they have been accrued. The origin of the behavioral theories was primarily out of the shortcomings of trait theories which were criticized of being inconclusive and incomplete. Some of the attributes like integrity, honesty, diligence and loyalty were not measurable using trait theories and this has triggered the creation of the behavioral school of thought initiated by Douglas McGregor. The emphasis of the theories was primarily on human relationships along with performance and output (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano & Dennison, 2003, p.7). McGregor’s Theory X & Theory Y Managers McGregor’s X and Y theory is a simple and salutary reminder of the rules for managing people which are easily forgotten under the pressure of regular businesses. His theory provides some of the basic principles on which the management techniques and styles can be applied. According to his ideas, managers following the theory X generally end in poor results while the enlightened managers following theory Y end up getting better performance and results. Moreover, the enhanced performance also allows for the growth and development of individuals in the organizations (Schermerhorn, 2010, p.38). As per his views managers holding the assumptions of theory X generally believe that people working for them dislike work, lack ambitions, are resistant to change and generally prefer to be guided completely rather than to lead. His other argument is that managers following assumption Y are of the opinion that people are hard working, full of self control, accepts responsibilities, creative, imaginative and are capable to lea d themselves properly (Schermerhorn, 2010, p.38). Resulting from his experience, McGregor presented a summary of the assumptions followed by managers in

Innovations in Human Resource Management Assignment

Innovations in Human Resource Management - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that distrust of customers leads to decreased profits and market segments. This will lead to losing customers to competing companies who use this information to lure customers and win their trust. Data misuse by third parties has led many users of Facebook have encroached self-determination that limits them from having prosperous careers. Mary Jane has the experience and knowledge to take up the position of Field Sales Manager. However, her negligence and ignorance concerning the use of social networks have tarnished her name and image. Field Sales Manager interacts with so many people and her image should portray all the values of the company. Some of the clients she is going to reach out to use Facebook and will eventually leak out information to prospective clients concerning the pictures. This will give the company a poor image and therefore, the HR administration should reconsider their decision of hiring Mary. Her negligence and ignoran ce portray that she will do the same for the clients she mingles with when hired by the company to carry out the responsibilities of Field Sales Manager. This position is prestigious and needs to be given to an individual with an all-around personality encompassing outstanding social behaviors. Through social media, employers can check on their employees for harassing postings on Facebook, but cannot use data achieved to discriminate against their employees due to religion, race or sexual orientation. A candidate’s legal right to privacy is breached when employers hack into their protected accounts. Encrypted Facebook accounts, with passwords, should not be tampered with by employers.

Group Assignment - Project Goals and Purpose Essay

Group Assignment - Project Goals and Purpose - Essay Example The project will demonstrate that when employees are given the freedom to air and follow their values and add to the culture of the work place, they get the ownership of the job and hence develop the need to continually foster its growth through performance increase despite the challenges they might encounter (Rosenthal and Masarech, 2003, pg. 4). Values as explained by Sisk, (2003) are about doing the right thing by an individual. Culture involves the behaviour and practices in an organization which the employees, management and customers surround themselves with. Culture is fostered and maintained by the values of the employees and with a good corporate culture, both employees and customers will be satisfied and this means that their performance and business will increase tremendously and the ultimate results being high performance and gaining competitive advantage in the market place. Culture grows with the addition of new employees (Smith, 2014) and in order to maintain the high performance and fulfil the objectives of a company, growth in culture must be allowed and even encouraged. Smith, F. (September 11th, 2014). â€Å"Atlassian, Australia’s Best Place to Work, to ‘gamify’ recruitment.† Financial Review. Retrieved from:

America now and before Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

America now and before - Essay Example Ultimately, this generation, besides merely integrating and accepting the new trends of text and forms of digital communication such as social media, instant message, and text, has exhibited many traits that border on types of psychological dependence at the worst and a redefined understanding/concept of norms of communication, as compared to previous generations, at the best. As a means of understanding this dynamic, the following analysis will be concentric upon discussing these trends and presenting the reader with an understanding of how this generation is different, if at all, from those that came before them. Firstly, many authors have referenced the fact that the overall proclivity of this â€Å"generation text†, as they are rather un-affectionately called, to technological forms of communication and away from the more traditional forms has stunted the psychological development that they might otherwise have been able to experience. Several of the readings illustrated t he fact that this current generation of stakeholders within society are ultimately not only highly uncomfortable with regards to engaging in more â€Å"normal† forms of face to face communication, they are seemingly addicted to these very means of communication. This in and of itself represents a noticeable differential as compared the generations that came before them. Naturally, it would seem as a bit odd for an individual from a prior generation to be entirely dependent upon writing letters or carrying out any and all communication via land line telephone. However, if one compares this seemingly incongruous fact to the current generation, it is noted that quite a large number of individuals are seemingly utterly dependent or otherwise unwilling to be separated from their mobile forms of communication devices. These need not necessarily take the form of mobile phones; due to the fact that the articles reference the means by which social media, instant messaging, and other t echnological and non-personal means of interaction are also indicative of this larger trend. Another differential that has been noted is with regards to the way in which Generation Text and the older generations integrate with information is the approach that individuals, employers, teachers, and friends must make in order to engage them. Whereas the previous generations are more or less at ease with a great number of approaches to communication, generation text tends to represent a proclivity towards multimedia forms of communication only. This represents something of a specific problem with regards to changing the dynamics of communication; and/or the way in which marketers, employers, authorities, and educators seek to reach these stakeholders. A cursory overview of the current system indicates that the trend has already begun to be realized whereby these aforementioned stakeholders have begun to change with the times and are seeking to target these individuals with an array of w eb enabled outreach mechanisms and/or mobile computing methods. This change in and of itself is not a bad thing and it is not the purpose of this author to represent that such a trend is negative; rather, it merely denotes the fact that the movement towards a decreasing level of personal and direct communication has already begun

Us History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Us History - Essay Example ritish forces had won the war but the repercussions of war were never good for the Americans as Sugar Act and various other steps were taken to crush the American natives. Thomas Paine had published pamphlets to stimulate revolt against the British rule due to ongoing situation and in response to the pamphlet Charles Inglis wrote arguments in favor of reconciliation with the Britain. â€Å"Declaring independence by the American was not favorable due to insufficiency of resources and it came up with many challenges. So in short term, reconciliation was the remaining workable option.† According to Charles Inglis (1776), after attainment of independence by the America would create huge economic challenges that it would not be able to meet without British support. Britain would support the American trade because of its widely developed naval force and seamen otherwise American trading ships would be at risk. Reconciliation would also bring peace that could result in demolishing war tax and promotion of trade. Many human lives had been lost and further turmoil would endanger several lives as well, hence peace could serve as the only possible solution (Oakes). During 1760s Jefferson, Hamilton, Paine and many other revolutionists were of view that independence from British rule could give due rights to common people and would cultivate egalitarianism. However Inglis was of view that turmoil and use of force would only be accelerated because of declaration of independence and unrest would never end the claims to vanish slavery. Further it would disunite the people of America and progress would be hindered while distribution of wealth would remain the same as it were in the British rule. Post revolution time revealed the fact that wealth distribution had not been changed as it was claimed by the revolutionists (Lecture Note: Post Revolution). Inglis was also of view that proved right with the passage of time that none of the European nation would like to trade with