E-Commerce and Edmunds.com Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

E-Commerce and Edmunds.com - Essay Example "All too often, many of us go to the dealer with the idea that we'll get the best deal for our money, only to be tricked and manipulated into paying more or buying a model that we don't want. In tact, African Americans consistently overpay--an average of $315 more than other car purchasers--according to a study done of 750,000 actual purchases in 1999 and early 2000 by the National Bureau of Economic Research" (Jackson, Car Buying 101: Buying a New Car in a Few Simple Steps, 2004: 195). The above mentioned statement automatically shows the importance of a website that provides a service through which a customer would buy a car that he/she wants and that with the terms decided, and there when the importance of Edmunds.com is identified, Edmunds.com includes all the data on the new and used cars, from features to the prices of cars, from test drive videos to the tips to maintain such cars, almost every thing appears on the website, including the ways through which "you" can become car's owner, it includes ownership plans, the leasing and all useful material. Few good features of the company include the information through the wireless edmunds.com, the site know as Edmunds2Go!, which is accesible through the PDAs and internet enabled cell phones, another benefit the visitors get is that the company circulates free email newsletters to its voluntary subscribers, another most thrilling feature that is used by the edmunds.com in the most impressive way is its true market value pricing tools, actually launched in the year 2000, "The Edmunds.com True Market Value New Vehicle Calculator provides the estimated average price consumers are currently paying when buying new vehicles. The Edmunds.com True Market Value Used Vehicle Appraiser estimates the actual transaction prices for used vehicles bought and sold by dealers and private parties" ( from Wikipedia, free encyclopedia). So it is the best what company can provide with in its limit to the visitors, the best outcome of launching such tool is that, people from all around the world now log in to find the actual prices of cars all around the world, it is perhaps the best service an automotive website can provide, it is considered to be the most innovative idea by the web operators to bring such a change in the website, the other such online services and tools include TMV new vehicle calculator which estimates the price that the buyers are paying to the dealer for the ownership of new vehicles, TMV finance rate estimator which gives the idea of how much of loan can be obtained and what is in relation to it and the ownership of car, Edmunds.com has another feature added recently which shows how much it would cost if the buyer would buy a car in full terms ownership, it is known as True Cost to Own SM data. The company has offered services not only

Problems of Library Automation in Africa Essay Example for Free

Problems of Library Automation in Africa Essay In 1981, IBM introduced its personal computer (PC) for use in the home, office and schools. Prior to that time, there had been several MS-DOS compatible personal computers that ran DOS programs. As computers became more widespread in the workplace (ie. an independent agent’s office), new  ways to unleash their potential developed. As smaller computers became more powerful, they could be linked together, or networked, to share memory space, software and information, and communicate with each other. So where does the insurance industry enter the â€Å"automation† picture? A word from our sponsor: Whats so difficult about combining personal and commercial umbrella coverage? Not much. Get a quote online now! Independent agents have come a long way in using technology over the past 20 years. From the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, independent agents for the most part used PC-based automation systems to boost efficiency and cut costs. Since 1970, ACORD, a not-for-profit standards-setting association for the insurance industry, has been involved in automation. The association is comprised of carriers, agents, vendors, solution providers, associations and other interested parties. â€Å"We aren’t the ones who ‘built’ the automation system,† said Carolyn â€Å"Cal† Durland, managing director of Standards for ACORD. â€Å"What we did and still do is provide standards-Forms and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) upon which the vendors or solution providers base their automation systems.† She explained that to find out how the industry became automated, one must look to the vendors and solution providers. In 1972, the first ACORD form, a property loss notice, went into use. Today, ACORD’s standards include Forms, AL3 (Automation Level 3), XML, OLife and ObjX. The Forms are point of sale, data collection vehicles, AL3 is ACORD’s EDI standard (or machine-to-machine, business-to-business, data transmission formats or components), OLife is a data integration standard and ObjX is â€Å"much more than EDI.† In the 1980s-when the number of PCs in use increased dramatically-ACORD members asked for standardized electronic transmissions between the agents’  computers and the carriers’ computers. â€Å"The industry has come to ACORD to consolidate efforts to eliminate duplication of work,† Durland said. â€Å"For example, without one approved, countrywide ACORD application, all of the 2,400-plus insurance carriers would have to have their own form. And the vendors or solution providers who automate those forms would have to customize each form.† Now that ACORD and the industry are working hand-in-hand, there is one form accepted and used by many of those carriers. In addition, the vendors or solution providers have the option to become licensed by ACORD to redistribute the Forms. â€Å"ACORD provides them with tools†¦to print the ACORD Forms,† Durland said. â€Å"ACORD’s Forms efforts have stripped the costs out of this distribution channel.† According to Durland, in the same manner that the industry came together with ACORD to do Forms, they have also worked to develop EDI Standards. â€Å"Through our subcommittee process and strict compliance to anti-trust guidelines, we bring together carriers, agents, vendors, solution providers and other interested parties to discuss what is needed to transmit the data collected,† she said. Change is good The industry on the whole, according to Durland, is slow to make changes, â€Å"although there are some carriers that have the resources to be on the leading edge of technology.† The beginning was a bit archaic. â€Å"Carriers realized the benefits of automation and developed proprietary systems that they placed in the agents’ offices,† Durland said. â€Å"This resulted in the agents having to physically go from one terminal to another to interface with the carriers automating their process.† With the inception of the agency management vendors and ACORD’s standards implemented in those systems, the agents were conceptually able to eliminate  those proprietary terminals and work through one system. â€Å"This concept called SEMCI, Single Entry Multiple Company Interface, allowed the agents to keep the data in one place and transmit it electronically to any of the carriers it was licensed to represent,† Durland explained. One step forward, two steps back Ten years ago, when Durland joined ACORD, there were many agency management systems attempting to enable SEMCI. â€Å"Today, due to acquisitions and mergers, there are three primary vendors and a few smaller ones,† she said. â€Å"SEMCI is still the goal for the agents and the carriers. However, with the inception of Web enabled processes, the carriers-in an effort to streamline their costs-reverted back to proprietary applications. â€Å"Those leading edge carriers put up Web sites that required the agent to go to the site and enter the information. So instead of going to a separate terminal in their office, they now had to connect to a Web site and rekey the data that was already in their databases.† This resulted in the acceptance of the new standard XML. â€Å"XML is a standard that enables connectivity between Web applications and agency management systems, in addition to business-to-business, business-to-customer, etc.,† Durland said. The goal to secure SEMCI, according to Durland, can still happen with the implementation of XML. â€Å"Plus it broadens the trading partner base to be more than the agent to insurance carrier,† she said. A push for implementation In the 1990s, implementation guides were written and a certification process was developed. Today, there are more than 12,000 upload and 40,000 download implementations using AL3 standards. AL3 continues to evolve and there are new implementations every day, including using AL3 standards over the Internet. Ever since the dawn of the industry’s automation, forms standardization  continued and still continues to be an important focus for ACORD as the standards-setting association works with many different trading partners within the industry. Today there are roughly 400 ACORD forms. And although it’s important to note how many forms there are, what is even more important to note is the fact that these ACORD forms have eliminated or prevented 80,000 proprietary forms-saving the industry millions of dollars. Communicating on a global basis According to Durland, ACORD has staff dedicated to building relationships with other standards-setting organizations. The fact is, the industry handles business on a global basis, so it just makes sense that the goal is to be able to communicate on a global basis. As an example, Durland pointed out that carriers write coverage for properties owned by people all over the world. In turn, these carriers work with other carriers or reinsurers to share the exposure. When asked why it is so important for the industry to be automated, Durland said, â€Å"Automation strips costs out of workflows.† Simply put, to only have to go to one place for information and to be able to service customers quickly and efficiently is key. â€Å"For example, the agent and carrier agree to indemnify the customer if they have a loss which is covered under their policy. The customer pays a fee based on that promise. When the loss occurs, they want someone to handle it promptly†¦to be given information on the progression of the resolution and be paid or have the item replaced ASAP,† Durland said. Automation makes it possible. â€Å"With the technology and automation available to us today, the opportunities to share information are unlimited,† Durland said. â€Å"The industry realizes that and is working together to figure out how to communicate electronically  with each other.†

British Imperial Regulations D :: essays research papers

British imperial regulations with the American colonies were closely tied in with the system of mercantilism. Mercantilism controls the relations between the leading power and the colonies under its empire. A nation would want to export more than it imports gaining more money to obtain economic stability. The colonies exist for the profit of the mother country.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Trade was a vital part of the economy of both England and the British colonies. The colonies would provide a majority of raw materials that would be shipped to England where then they would process raw materials into goods and sell them at markets provided by the colonies. Within this system both England and the colonies depended on each other for commerce. To further enforce this system on their oversees empire England enacted the Navigation Laws. In 1650 the first of these laws was aimed at keeping trade between the colonies limited only to their mother country, England. The law restricted trade of such shippers as the Dutch, by stating all goods must be transported on English vessels to or from the colonies. This helped keep money within British control, but also increased both England’s and the colonies’ merchant marine. Further laws were passed, but none that imposed strict regulations on the colonies. In fact the colonies received advantages from the mercantile system of England. As colonies of England they had the rights of Englishmen. They also had some opportunities of self-government. As compared economically to the average Englishmen of the time, the average American colonist was more often better off. In some markets, such as tobacco, the colonies had great advantages. Although not allowed to trade tobacco with any other country; they were guaranteed a monopoly on the English market. One of the major advantages of British imperialism was the protection supplied by the British army. With the strong soldiers providing defense against natives and other inter colonial disputes and the mighty British navy protecting their commerce on the seas; the colonies benefited from great advantages provided by their oversees “rulers';.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although the colonists prospered from the British imperialism, they also however, dealt with many disadvantages from the British. In 1733 the British Parliament, feeling tension from the planters in the British West Indies, enacted the Molasses Act. The planters were competing against the French West Indies for trade with the North American colonies and considering the colonies were a part of the British empire, as were the British West Indies, the colonies trade was restricted from trading with the French West Indies.

Florences Market in the Renaissance Essay -- Mercantile Economy

THESIS STATEMENT During the Renaissance, Florence profited from a mercantile economy due to the guilds, the quality and variety of goods and the style and management of the market place. PURPOSE STATEMENT Through historical and economic data this research paper will express how Florence flourished from a mercantile economy in the Renaissance. INTRODUCTION The Renaissance was the rebirth of Europe and it all started in the city of Florence. Florence and everything that made a standard Renaissance city: painters, sculptors, writers, architects, and a vivid culture. Soon all of Europe would follow in Florence’s footsteps and â€Å"the setting is so rich, varied, rambunctious, and inventive as Italy in the Renaissance† (Cohen 1). The painters and sculptors defined Renaissance culture and could actually make a living because they were being sponsored. The Renaissance was the age of the merchants and because of the merchants the economies and culture rose. The Renaissance is remembered by many people for the works of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Raphael. What many people do not know about the Renaissance is that the textile industry was more famous and profitable than the painter industry. Florence was the place to get any of your goods because of its location. Merchants went to Florence to sell their unique goods, buy, sell, or make cloth, and attend the guilds. Florence was the trend-setter of the Renaissance, whatever they did everyone else wanted to do because Florence was very successful. â€Å"No great city has ever been built far from the water†¦ [Florence] was now more vulnerable, but it had easy access to an important trade route. It had good communications by river to the west, and practicable passes through the mountains ... ...ll come to buy things. The markets still sell the same things like food and clothing but they also sell collectibles, souvenirs, and leather items. Florence’s markets still sell things you never seen before just like the merchant’s did in the Renaissance. Florence’s leather, silk, and cloth items are still popular around the world. â€Å"U.S. importers set a high value on Florence's products, and tourists spend freely in its fashionable shops† (Florence). The quality of goods is has still withstood the years and Florence is still well-known for its leather and silks. The owner’s of the stalls in the markets still like to haggle about the price of their goods and some of them feel insulted if you do not haggle with them. Florence’s start in the Renaissance as the Renaissance city has served them throughout the years and are they still one of the top cities in the world.

Maniac Magee: Summary Essay

Characters’ Name: Jeffery Lionel Magee- (Maniac Magee), Amanda Beale, Mars Bar Thompson, John McNab, Piper McNab, Russell McNab, Earl Grayson, Mrs. Beale, Hester, Lester. Personalty Traits: Maniac Magee, the main character, has very kind and a nice personality. He is also brave, and trusted and very athletic. Physical Features: Jeffery’s parents died by a car accident when he was 3 years old. andout Questions: Title of the book: Maniac Magee Author: Jerry Spinelli Number of pages: 1-184 Name of the main characters: Full Name: (Jeffery Lionel Magee)- Maniac Magee Genre of the story: Fiction Plot: Maniac Magee, lived with his parents until he was 3 years old. His parents died in a car accident. Then he lived with his uncle Dan, and aunt Dot. He left his uncle and aunt when they were annoying in the school auditorium. He went to far away, after he left. He wanted to find a home that will be best for him. There he faced many challenges that he overcame, such as a race running backwards. Maniac is very athletic, he is also nice. He met a lot of people that liked him of his kindness. All he wanted is a home where it would be best for him. He made the west end (white side) and the east end (black side) be together. Climax: Maniac needs a new home. Resolution: Maniac finds a home, the Beale’s family said he can stay with them. Maniac also made the east side and the west side be together. Would you change anything about the story: I would change the part where Grayson dies because Grayson loved Maniac as much as maniac loved Grayson. It feels like that Grayson felt as a grandfather to Maniac. Opinion: The best part I like about the book is that when Maniac won the race against Mars Bar by running backwards. The least I liked about this book is that when Maniac’s parents died, and when Grayson died. The part that truly got attention is when they died, and it feels like something worse is going to happen when is parents died. I visualized this book well because this book was really interesting, and even though this book is faction it sounds real. I would recommend this book to students that are in 5th to 8th graders because it teaches you about how difficult it can be when you are an orphan and how the west side and the east side came together.

Free Essays on Human Nature- Lord Of The Flies

â€Å"What we call human habit in actuality is human nature† (Jewel, Pieces of You). Society has cultivated the human mind into a sponge, which filters knowledge and moral values that are taught from birth. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding places fictitious characters on a remote island to test human instinct without outside influences. Golding uses objects such as the Island, the Conch, and the Beast to reflect aspects of our society socially, politically, and psychologically. Golding uses the island to represent the social structure of human nature. One aspect of our social structure is how different each individual is from the next. The plane, which crashed, delivered a variety of personalities with different backgrounds: Ralph, from a loving mother and father, Piggy from his overprotective Aunt, and Jack from a rebellious childhood. These boys are defined by different ages, backgrounds, and characteristics, which represent individuality among the population that exists today. Another aspect of our society is the tendency to form groups. Jack forms a rebellious group of hunters and says, â€Å"We hunt and feast and have fun.† (140). The other, more conservative group, is led by Ralph who states, â€Å"I’d like to put on war-paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire burning.† (142). This reflects how humans tend to group together and have contrasting beliefs. Political parties today, in which one is more conservative or libera l than the next exemplify a parallel to this statement. The last aspect of society is shown in the war, which displays how socially, humans tend to fight with violence and animosity. â€Å"The ululation rose behind him [Ralph] and spread along, a series of short sharp cries, the sighting call† (199). Jack’s Savages start a fire to kill Ralph, the enemy, but cease to realize that they are only destroying their shelters, food supply, and sanity. This is much like the wars fought in modern ... Free Essays on Human Nature- Lord Of The Flies Free Essays on Human Nature- Lord Of The Flies â€Å"What we call human habit in actuality is human nature† (Jewel, Pieces of You). Society has cultivated the human mind into a sponge, which filters knowledge and moral values that are taught from birth. In the novel, Lord of the Flies, William Golding places fictitious characters on a remote island to test human instinct without outside influences. Golding uses objects such as the Island, the Conch, and the Beast to reflect aspects of our society socially, politically, and psychologically. Golding uses the island to represent the social structure of human nature. One aspect of our social structure is how different each individual is from the next. The plane, which crashed, delivered a variety of personalities with different backgrounds: Ralph, from a loving mother and father, Piggy from his overprotective Aunt, and Jack from a rebellious childhood. These boys are defined by different ages, backgrounds, and characteristics, which represent individuality among the population that exists today. Another aspect of our society is the tendency to form groups. Jack forms a rebellious group of hunters and says, â€Å"We hunt and feast and have fun.† (140). The other, more conservative group, is led by Ralph who states, â€Å"I’d like to put on war-paint and be a savage. But we must keep the fire burning.† (142). This reflects how humans tend to group together and have contrasting beliefs. Political parties today, in which one is more conservative or libera l than the next exemplify a parallel to this statement. The last aspect of society is shown in the war, which displays how socially, humans tend to fight with violence and animosity. â€Å"The ululation rose behind him [Ralph] and spread along, a series of short sharp cries, the sighting call† (199). Jack’s Savages start a fire to kill Ralph, the enemy, but cease to realize that they are only destroying their shelters, food supply, and sanity. This is much like the wars fought in modern ...

Alexander Pope’s the Rape of the Lock Essay Essays

Alexander Pope’s the Rape of the Lock Essay Essays Alexander Pope’s the Rape of the Lock Essay Paper Alexander Pope’s the Rape of the Lock Essay Paper Essay Topic: The Aeneid The Coquette The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down The Rape of the Lock begins with a transition sketching the topic of the verse form and raising the assistance of the Muse. Then the Sun ( â€Å"Sol† ) appears to originate the easy forenoon modus operandis of a affluent family. Lapdogs shake themselves awake. bells begin to pealing. and although it is already noon. Belinda still sleeps. She has been woolgathering. and we learn that â€Å"her guardian Sylph. † Ariel. has sent the dream. The dream is of a fine-looking young person who tells her that she is protected by â€Å"unnumbered Spirits†- an ground forces of supernatural existences who one time lived on Earth as human adult females. The young person explains that they are the unseeable defenders of women’s celibacy. although the recognition is normally erroneously given to â€Å"Honor† instead than to their Godhead stewardship. Of these Spirits. one peculiar group- the Sylphs. who dwell in the air- serve as Belinda’s personal defenders ; they are devoted. lover-like. to any adult female that â€Å"rejects world. † and they understand and reward the amour propres of an elegant and frivolous lady like Belinda. Ariel. the head of all Belinda’s arch defenders. warns her in the dream that â€Å"some apprehension event† is traveling to bechance her that twenty-four hours. though he can state her nil more specific than that she should â€Å"beware of Man! † Then Belinda awakes. to the creaming lingua of her lapdog. Shock. Upon the bringing of a billet-doux. or love-letter. she forgets all about the dream. She so proceeds to her dressing tabular array and goes through an luxuriant rite of dressing. in which her ain image in the mirror is described as a â€Å"heavenly image. † a â€Å"goddess. † The Sylphs. unobserved. help their charge as she prepares herself for the day’s activities. Comment The gap of the verse form establishes its mock-heroic manner. Pope introduces the conventional heroic topics of love and war and includes an supplication to the Muse and a dedication to the adult male ( the historical John Caryll ) who commissioned the verse form. Yet the tone already indicates that the high earnestness of these traditional subjects has suffered a diminishment. The 2nd line confirms in explicit footings what the first line already suggests: the â€Å"am’rous causes† the verse form describes are non comparable to the expansive love of Grecian heroes but instead stand for a trivialized version of that emotion. The â€Å"contests† Pope alludes to will turn out to be â€Å"mighty† merely in an dry sense. They are card-games and coquettish hassles. non the great conflicts of heroic tradition. Belinda is non. like Helen of Troy. â€Å"the face that launched a 1000 ships† ( see the SparkNote on The Iliad ) . but instead a face that- althou gh besides beautiful- prompts a batch of dandified bunk. The first two verse-paragraphs emphasize the amusing wrongness of the heroic poem manner ( and matching mentality ) to the topic at manus. Pope achieves this disagreement at the degree of the line and half-line ; the reader is meant to brood on the mutual exclusiveness between the two sides of his parallel preparations. Therefore. in this universe. it is â€Å"little men† who in â€Å"tasks so bold†¦ engage† ; and â€Å"soft bosoms† are the dwelling-place for â€Å"mighty fury. † In this startling apposition of the petit larceny and the expansive. the former is existent while the latter is dry. In mock heroic poem. the high heroic manner works non to ennoble the topic but instead to expose and roast it. Therefore. the basic sarcasm of the manner supports the substance of the poem’s sarcasm. which attacks the ill-conceived values of a society that takes little affairs for serious 1s while neglecting to go to to issues of echt importance. With Be linda’s dream. Pope introduces the â€Å"machinery† of the poem- the supernatural powers that influence the action from behind the scenes. Here. the sprites that watch over Belinda are meant to mime the Gods of the Greek and Roman traditions. who are sometimes benevolent and sometimes malicious. but ever closely involved in earthly events. The strategy besides makes usage of other ancient hierarchies and systems of order. Ariel explains that women’s liquors. when they die. return â€Å"to their first Elements. † Each female personality type ( these types correspond to the four temper ) is converted into a peculiar sort of fairy. These dwarfs. sylphs. salamanders. and nymphs. in bend. are associated with the four elements of Earth. air. fire. and H2O. The airy sylphs are those who in their life-times were â€Å"light Coquettes† ; they have a peculiar concern for Belinda because she is of this type. and this will be the facet of feminine nature with which the verse form is most concerned. Indeed. Pope already begins to chalk out this character of the â€Å"coquette† in this initial canto. He dr aws the portrayal indirectly. through features of the Sylphs instead than of Belinda herself. Their precedences reveal that the cardinal concerns of muliebrity. at least for adult females of Belinda’s category. are societal 1s. Woman’s â€Å"joy in aureate Chariots† indicates an compulsion with gaudery and superficial luster. while â€Å"love of Ombre. † a stylish card game. suggests frivolousness. The titillating charge of this societal universe in bend prompts another cardinal concern: the protection of celibacy. These are adult females who value above all the chance get marrieding to advantage. and they have learned at an early age how to advance themselves and pull strings their suers without compromising themselves. The Sylphs go an fable for the mannered conventions that govern female societal behaviour. Principles like award and celibacy have become no more than another portion of conventional interaction. Pope makes it clear that these adult females are non carry oning themselves on the footing of abstract moral rules. but are governed by an luxuriant societal mechanism- of which the Sylphs cut a fitting imitation. And while Pope’s technique of using supernatural machinery allows him to review this state of affairs. it besides helps to maintain the sarcasm visible radiation and to acquit single adult females from excessively terrible a judgement. If Belinda has all the typical female idiosyncrasies. Pope wants us to acknowledge that it is partially because she has been educated and trained to move in this manner. The society as a whole is every bit much to fault as she is. Nor are work forces exempt from this judgement. The competition among the immature Godheads for the attending of beautiful ladies is depicted as a conflict of amour propre. as â€Å"wigs with wigs. with sword-knots sword-knots strive. † Pope’s phrases here expose an absurd attending to exhibitions of pride and fanfare. He emphasizes the senselessness of know aparting so closely between things and people that are basically the same in all of import ( and even most unimportant ) respects. Pope’s portraiture of Belinda at her dressing table introduces mock-heroic motives that will run through the verse form. The scene of her toilette is rendered foremost as a spiritual sacrament. in which Belinda herself is the priestess and her image in the looking glass is the Goddess she serves. This lampoon of the spiritual rites before a conflict gives manner. so. to another sort of mock-epic scene. that of the ritualized armament of the hero. Combs. pins. and cosmetics take the topographic point of arms as â€Å"awful Beauty puts on all its weaponries. † Canto 2Drumhead Belinda. equaling the Sun in her glow. sets out by boat on the river Thames for Hampton Court Palace. She is accompanied by a party of glitzy ladies ( â€Å"Nymphs† ) and gentlemen. but is far and off the most dramatic member of the group. Pope’s description of her appeals includes â€Å"the scintillating Cross she wore† on her â€Å"white chest. † her â€Å"quick† eyes and â€Å"lively looks. † and the easy grace with which she bestows her smilings and attendings equally among all the adoring invitees. Her crowning glorifications. though. are the two coils that dangle on her â€Å"iv’ry cervix. † These coils are described as love’s mazes. specifically designed to entrap any hapless bosom who might acquire entangled in them. One of the immature gentlemen on the boat. the Baron. peculiarly admires Belinda’s locks. and has determined to steal them for himself. We read that he rose early that forenoon to construct an communion table to love and pray for success in this undertaking. He sacrificed several items of his former fondnesss. including supporters. baseball mitts. and billet-doux ( love-letters ) . He so prostrated himself before a pyre built with â€Å"all the trophies of his former loves. † fanning its fires with his â€Å"am’rous suspirations. † The Gods listened to his supplication but decided to allow lone half of it. As the pleasure-boat continues on its manner. everyone is unworried except Ariel. who remembers that some bad event has been foretold for the twenty-four hours. He summons an ground forces of sylphs. who assemble around him in their changeable beauty. He reminds them with great ceremonial that one of their responsibilities. after modulating heavenly organic structures and the conditions and guarding the British sovereign. is â€Å"to tend the Fair† : to maintain ticker over ladies’ pulverizations. aromas. coil. and vesture. and to â€Å"assist their blooms. and animate their poses. † Therefore. since â€Å"some dire disaster† threatens Belinda. Ariel assigns her an extended troop of escorts. Brillante is to guard her earrings. Momentilla her ticker. and Crispissa her locks. Ariel himself will protect Shock. the lapdog. A set of 50 Sylphs will guard the all important half-slip. Ariel pronounces that any sylph who neglects his assigned responsibility will be badly punished. They disperse to their stations and delay for destiny to blossom. Comment From the first. Pope describes Belinda’s beauty as something Godhead. an appraisal which she herself corroborates in the first canto when she creates. at least metaphorically. an communion table to her ain image. This congratulations is surely in some sense ironical. reflecting negatively on a system of public values in which external features rank higher than moral or rational 1s. But Pope besides shows a existent fear for his heroine’s physical and societal appeals. claiming in lines 17–18 that these are obliging plenty to do one to bury her â€Å"female mistakes. † Surely he has some involvement in blandishing Arabella Fermor. the real-life adult female on whom Belinda is based ; in order for his verse form to accomplish the coveted rapprochement. it must non pique ( see â€Å"Context† . Pope besides exhibits his grasp for the ways in which physical beauty is an art signifier: he recognizes. with a mixture of animadversion and awe. the fact that Belinda’s legendary locks of hair. which appear so natural and self-generated. are really a carefully contrived consequence. In this. the enigmas of the lady’s dressing tabular array are kindred. possibly. to Pope’s ain literary art. which he describes elsewhere as â€Å"nature to advantage dress’d. † If the secret mechanisms and techniques of female beauty get at least a ephemeral nod of grasp from the writer. he however suggests that the general human preparedness to idolize beauty sums to a sort of profanation. The cross that Belinda wears around her cervix serves a more cosmetic than symbolic or spiritual map. Because of this. he says. it can be adored by â€Å"Jews† and â€Å"Infidels† every bit readily as by Christians. And there is some ambiguity about whether any of the supporters are truly valuing the cross itself. or the â€Å"white breast† on which it lies- or the felicitous consequence of the whole. The Baron. of class. is the most important of those who worship at the communion table of Belinda’s beauty. The ritual forfeits he performs in the pre-dawn hours are another mock-heroic component of the verse form. miming the heroic tradition of giving to the Gods before an of import conflict or journey. and drapes his undertaking with an absurdly expansive import that really merely exposes its pettiness. The fact that he discards all his other love items in these readyings reveals his unpredictability as a lover. Earnest supplication. in this parodic scene. is replaced by the self-indulgent suspirations of the lover. By holding the Gods grant merely half of what the Baron asks. Pope alludes to the heroic poem convention by which the favour of the Gods is merely a assorted approval: in heroic poem verse forms. to win the sponsorship of one God is to incur the wrath of another ; Godhead gifts. such as immortality. can look a approval but become a expletive. Yet in this verse form. the branchings of a supplication â€Å"half† granted are negligible instead than tragic ; it simply means that he will pull off to steal merely one lock instead than both of them. In the first canto. the spiritual imagination environing Belinda’s preparing rites gave manner to a militaristic amour propre. Here. the same form holds. Her coil are compared to a trap absolutely calibrated to entrap the enemy. Yet the character of female demureness is such that it seeks at the same time to pull and drive. so that the opposite number to the luring coils is the formidable half-slip. This unmentionable is described as a defensive armament comparable to the Shield of Achilles ( see Scroll XVIII of The Iliad ) . and supported in its map of protecting the maiden’s celibacy by the unseeable might of 50 Sylphs. The Sylphs. who are Belinda’s defenders. are basically charged to protect her non from failure but from excessively great a success in pulling work forces. This self-contradictory state of affairs dramatizes the contradictory values and motivations implied in the era’s sexual conventions. In this canto. the sexual fable of the verse form begins to come into fuller position. The rubric of the verse form already associates the film editing of Belinda’s hair with a more expressed sexual conquering. and here Pope cultivates that suggestion. He multiplies his sexually metaphorical linguistic communication for the incident. adding words like â€Å"ravish† and â€Å"betray† to the â€Å"rape† of the rubric. He besides slips in some commentary on the deductions of his society’s sexual mores. as when he comments that â€Å"when success a Lover’s labor attends. / few ask. if fraud or force attain’d his terminals. † When Ariel speculates about the possible signifiers the â€Å"dire disaster† might take. he includes a breach of celibacy ( â€Å"Diana’s law† ) . the breakage of China ( another allusion to the loss of virginity ) . and the staining of award or a gown ( the two incommensurate events could go on every bit easy and by chance ) . He besides mentions some junior-grade societal â€Å"disasters† against which the Sylphs are every bit prepared to contend. like losing a ball ( here. every bit grave as losing supplications ) or losing the lapdog. In the Sylphs’ defensive attempts. Belinda’s half-slip is the battleground that requires the most extended munitions. This fact furthers the thought that the colza of the loc k stands in for a actual colza. or at least represents a menace to her celibacy more serious than merely the mere larceny of a coil. Drumhead The boat arrives at Hampton Court Palace. and the ladies and gentlemen disembark to their formal amusements. After a pleasant unit of ammunition of chew the fating and chitchat. Belinda sits down with two of the work forces to a game of cards. They play ombre. a three-handed game of fast ones and trumps. slightly like span. and it is described in footings of a epic conflict: the cards are troops battling on the â€Å"velvet plain† of the card-table. Belinda. under the alert attention of the Sylphs. begins favourably. She declares spades as trumps and leads with her highest cards. sure of success. Soon. nevertheless. the manus takes a bend for the worse when â€Å"to the Baron destiny inclines the field† : he catches her male monarch of nines with his queen and so leads back with his high diamonds. Belinda is in danger of being beaten. but recovers in the last fast one so as to merely hardly win back the sum she bid. The following ritual amusement is the helping of java. The curving bluess of the steaming java remind the Baron of his purpose to try Belinda’s lock. Clarissa draws out her scissors for his usage. as a lady would build up a knight in a love affair. Taking up the scissors. he tries three times to nip the lock from behind without Belinda seeing. The Sylphs enterprise furiously to step in. blowing the hair out of harm’s manner and tweaking her diamond earring to do her bend around. Ariel. in a last-minute attempt. additions entree to her encephalon. where he is surprised to happen â€Å"an earthly lover skulking at her bosom. † He gives up protecting her so ; the deduction is that she in secret wants to be violated. Finally. the shears near on the coil. A make bolding sylph leaps in between the blades and is cut in two ; but being a supernatural animal. he is rapidly restored. The title is done. and the Baron exults while Belinda’s shrieks fill the air. Comment This canto is full of authoritative illustrations of Pope’s consummate usage of the epic pair. In presenting Hampton Court Palace. he describes it as the topographic point where Queen Anne â€Å"dost sometimes advocate take- and sometimes tea. † This line employs a zeugma. a rhetorical device in which a word or phrase modifies two other words or phrases in a parallel building. but modifies each in a different manner or harmonizing to a different sense. Here. the modifying word is â€Å"take† ; it applies to the paralleled footings â€Å"counsel† and â€Å"tea. † But one does non â€Å"take† tea in the same manner one takes advocate. and the consequence of the zeugma is to demo the royal abode as a topographic point that houses both serious affairs of province and frivolous societal occasions. The reader is asked to contemplate that paradox and to reflect on the comparative value and importance of these two different registries of activity. ( For another illustration of this rhetorical technique. see lines 157–8: â€Å"Not louder scream to feel foring Edens are cast. / when hubbies. or when lapdogs breathe their last. † ) A similar point is made. in a less compact phrasing. in the 2nd and 3rd verse-paragraphs of this canto. Here. against the chitchat and yak of the immature Godheads and ladies. Pope opens a window onto more serious affairs that are happening â€Å"meanwhile† and elsewhere. including condemnable tests and executings. and economic exchange. The rendition of the card game as a conflict constitutes an amusing and deft narrative effort. By parodying the conflict scenes of the great heroic poem verse forms. Pope is proposing that the energy and passion one time applied to weather and serious intents is now expended on such undistinguished tests as games and gaming. which frequently become a mere forepart for flirting. The construction of â€Å"the three attempts† by which the lock is cut is a convention of heroic challenges. peculiarly in the love affair genre. The love affair is farther invoked in the image of Clarissa build uping the Baron- not with a existent arm. nevertheless. but with a brace of run uping scissors. Belinda is non a existent antagonist. or class. and Pope makes it kick that her resistance- and. by deduction. her subsequent distress- is to some grade an mannerism. The melodrama of her shriek is complemented by the dry comparing of the Baron’s effort to the conquering of states. Belinda’s â€Å"anxious cares† and â€Å"secret passions† after the loss of her lock are equal to the emotions of all who have of all time known â€Å"rage. bitterness and desperation. † After the defeated Sylphs withdraw. an crude dwarf called Umbriel flies down to the â€Å"Cave of Spleen. † ( The lien. an organ that removes disease-causing agents from the blood stream. was traditionally associated with the passions. peculiarly unease ; â€Å"spleen† is a equivalent word for â€Å"ill-temper. † ) In his descent he passes through Belinda’s sleeping room. where she lies prostrate with discomposure and the concern. She is attended by â€Å"two servants. † Ill-Nature and Affectation. Umbriel passes safely through this melancholic chamber. keeping a branchlet of â€Å"spleenwort† earlier him as a appeal. He addresses the â€Å"Goddess of Spleen. † and returns with a bag of â€Å"sighs. shortness of breath. and passions† and a phial of sorrow. heartache. and cryings. He unleashes the first bag on Belinda. fueling her anger and desperation. There to sympathize with Belinda is her friend Thalestris. ( In Greek mythology. Thalestris is the name of one of the Amazons. a race of warrior adult females who excluded work forces from their society. ) Thalestris delivers a address calculated to further foment Belinda’s outrage and press her to revenge herself. She so goes to Sir Plume. â€Å"her boyfriend. † to inquire him to demand that the Baron return the hair. Sir Plume makes a weak and slang-filled address. to which the Baron cavalierly refuses to assent. At this. Umbriel releases the contents of the staying phial. throwing Belinda into a tantrum of sorrow and self-pity. With â€Å"beauteous grief† she bemoans her destiny. regrets non holding heeded the dream-warning. and laments the lonely. pathetic province of her exclusive staying coil. Comment The canto opens with a list of illustrations of â€Å"rage. bitterness. and desperation. † comparing on an equal terms the poignancy of male monarchs imprisoned in conflict. of adult females who become old amahs. of evil-doers who die without being saved. and of a adult female whose frock is disheveled. By puting such disparate kinds of exasperation in analogue. Pope accentuates the absolute necessity of delegating them to some rank of moral import. The consequence is to castigate a societal universe that fails to do these differentiations. Umbriel’s journey to the Cave of Spleen mimics the journeys to the underworld made by both Odysseus and Aeneas. Pope uses psychological fable ( for the lien was the place of unease or melancholy ) . as a manner of researching the beginnings and nature of Belinda’s feelings. The presence of Ill-nature and Affectation as servants serves to bespeak that her heartache is less than pure ( â€Å"affected† or put-on ) . and th at her show of pique has hidden motivations. We learn that her sorrow is cosmetic in much the same manner the coil was ; it gives her the juncture. for illustration. to have on a new nightgown. The address of Thalestris invokes a courtly ethic. She encourages Belinda to believe about the Baron’s misbehavior as an insult to her award. and draws on ideals of gallantry in demanding that Sir Plume challenge the Baron in defence of Belinda’s award. He makes a clutter of the undertaking. demoing how far from courtly behavior this coevals of gentlemen has fallen. Sir Plume’s address is riddled with dandified slang and has none of the logical. moral. or oratorical power that a knight should decently exert. This attending to inquiries of award returns us to the sexual fable of the verse form. The existent danger. Thalestris suggests. is that â€Å"the ravisher† might expose the lock and do it a beginning of public humiliation to Belinda and. by association. to her friends. Therefore the existent inquiry is a superficial one- public reputation- rather than the moral jussive mood to celibacy. Belinda’s ain words at the stopping point of the canto cor roborate this suggestion ; she exclaims. â€Å"Oh. hadst 1000. cruel! been content to prehend / Hairs less in sight. or any hairs but these! † ( The â€Å"hairs less in sight† suggest her pubic hair ) . Pope is indicating out the grade to which she values outward visual aspect ( whether beauty or repute ) above all else ; she would instead endure a breach to her unity than a breach to her visual aspect. The Baron remains stolid against all the ladies’ cryings and reproaches. Clarissa delivers a address in which she inquiries why a society that so adores beauty in adult females does non besides place a value on â€Å"good sense† and â€Å"good temper. † Womans are often called angels. she argues. but without mention to the moral qualities of these animals. Particularly since beauty is needfully so ephemeral. we must hold something more significant and lasting to fall back on. This reasonable. moralising address falls on deaf ears. nevertheless. and Belinda. Thalestris and the remainder ignore her and continue to establish an full-scale onslaught on the piquing Baron. A helter-skelter hassle ensues. with the dwarf Umbriel presiding in a position of self- felicitation. The gentlemen are slain or revived harmonizing to the smilings and scowls of the just ladies. Belinda and the Baron meet in combat and she emerges winning by peppering him with snuff and pulling her poniard. Having achieved a place of advantage. she once more demands that he return the lock. But the coil has been lost in the pandemonium. and can non be found. The poet avers that the lock has risen to the celestial spheres to go a star ; lotus-eaters may look up to it now for all infinity. In this manner. the poet grounds. it will pull more enviousness than it of all time could on Earth. Comment Readers have frequently interpreted Clarissa’s address as the voice of the poet showing the lesson of the narrative. Surely. her oration’s thesis aligns with Pope’s professed undertaking of seting the difference between the two households into a more sensible position. But Pope’s place achieves more complexness than Clarissa’s address. since he has used the juncture of the verse form as a vehicle to critically turn to a figure of broader social issues as good. And Clarissa’s righteous stance loses authorization in visible radiation of the fact that it was she who originally gave the Baron the scissors. Clarissa’s failure to animate a rapprochement proves that the wrangle is itself a sort of coquettish game that all parties are basking. The description of the â€Å"battle† has a markedly titillating quality. as ladies and Godheads wallow in their mock-agonies. Sir Plume â€Å"draw [ s ] Clarissa down† in a sexual manner. a nd Belinda â€Å"flies† on her enemy with flashing eyes and an titillating ardour. When Pope informs us that the Baron battles on unafraid because he â€Å"sought no more than on his enemy to decease. † the look means that his end all along was sexual consummation. This concluding conflict is the apogee of the long sequence of mock-heroic military actions. Pope invokes by name the Roman Gods who were most active in warfare. and he alludes every bit good to the Aeneid. comparing the Stoic Baron to Aeneas ( â€Å"the Trojan† ) . who had to go forth his love to go the laminitis of Rome. Belinda’s tossing of the snuff makes a perfect turning point. ideally suited to the graduated table of this fiddling conflict. The snuff causes the Baron to sneeze. a amusing and unquestionably unheroic thing for a hero to make. The poniard. excessively. serves nicely: here a poniard is a cosmetic hairpin. non the arm of ancient yearss ( or even of Hamlet’s clip ) . Still. Pope gives the pin an luxuriant history in conformity with the conventions of true heroic poem. The mock-heroic decision of the verse form is designed to congratulate the lady it alludes to ( Arabella Fermor ) . while besides giving the poet himself due recognition for being the instrument of her immortality. This stoping efficaciously indulges the heroine’s amour propre. even though the verse form has functioned throughout as a review of that amour propre. And no existent moral development has taken topographic point: Belinda is asked to come to footings with her loss through a sort of payoff or distraction that reinforces her fundamentally frivolous mentality. But even in its most derisive minutes. this verse form is a soft one. in which Pope shows a basic understanding with the societal universe in malice of its foolishness and idiosyncrasies. The scorching reviews of his ulterior sarcasms would be much more rigorous and less forgiving.

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Annie As I listened to the play I was brought back to my childhood. I remembered my sister singing, â€Å"The sun will come out tomorrow†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and was thankful she was not the one singing. A great deal of effort was put into what actors and actresses that was in this play. The actress that was playing Annie hit it right on the spot with her singing voice that filled the theatre. Judging by the spot that I had at this play, way up top, I could hear everything perfectly. The sound for the music also was the same, clear, and filled the theatre. Everyone was well prepared; knowing their lines and location on the set. I thought that their costumes also fit the characters very well. You got to see Annie go from the rags to riches, which is from the orphanage to live with the billionaire, which played out through every element of the play. Throughout this whole time she was on point with all of her costumes. I also feel that the costumes where well coordinated with the set. T he set matched where the characters were and what they were wearing. For example, when Annie escaped from the orphanage and made it to the city you knew that the people she ran into in the alley were bums. Yes, eventually the police came and told you that they were bums, but before that their status was quite clear. I truly enjoyed Annie, much more than I did at six years old. I felt it was much more of an experience to see the play than watch the movie. I look forward to going again.... Free Essays on Annie Free Essays on Annie Annie As I listened to the play I was brought back to my childhood. I remembered my sister singing, â€Å"The sun will come out tomorrow†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and was thankful she was not the one singing. A great deal of effort was put into what actors and actresses that was in this play. The actress that was playing Annie hit it right on the spot with her singing voice that filled the theatre. Judging by the spot that I had at this play, way up top, I could hear everything perfectly. The sound for the music also was the same, clear, and filled the theatre. Everyone was well prepared; knowing their lines and location on the set. I thought that their costumes also fit the characters very well. You got to see Annie go from the rags to riches, which is from the orphanage to live with the billionaire, which played out through every element of the play. Throughout this whole time she was on point with all of her costumes. I also feel that the costumes where well coordinated with the set. T he set matched where the characters were and what they were wearing. For example, when Annie escaped from the orphanage and made it to the city you knew that the people she ran into in the alley were bums. Yes, eventually the police came and told you that they were bums, but before that their status was quite clear. I truly enjoyed Annie, much more than I did at six years old. I felt it was much more of an experience to see the play than watch the movie. I look forward to going again....

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Global political economy - Essay Example and definition that real free trade is both beneficial and possible. Question one According to Aristotle democracy is usually not the best form governance. This is also true for oligarchy and the monarchy rule. The rule in democracy is for and by the people who are named in the government type. Aristotle’s main litmus test for styles of governance can be defined as whether or not he viewed them as ultimately virtuous or non-virtuous. According to Aristotle (5) asserts that the decision-making process that takes place within a true democracy as ultimately non-virtuous. This is due to the fact that Aristotle previously defined virtue as a trait that is less common than non-virtue. Therefore, by very definition, rule by majority would be much more likely to display non-virtue than virtue. According to Aristotle, the reason that democracy is unable to present a high level of virtue among the citizenry of a given region/nation is due to the fact that democracy is ultimately based o n a flimsy and misunderstood representation of the word freedom. Aristotle (7) reported that, â€Å"democracies define freedom badly... Everyone lives as he wants and toward whatever end he happens to crave†. What this ultimately represents is its schizoid system in which a litany of human wants, needs, and desires are all represented under the umbrella term of democracy; therefore somewhat whitewashing the term to appear to represent the desires and needs of a broad number of people. However, due to the fact that these individuals must be grouped by their handlers in order to speak to a specific range of needs, democracy rarely represents the needs of the people, masses, or the society at large. According to Aristotle a democracy is the rule of the majority and rule of the poor. When making a decision on the non-virtous and the virtous. Aristotle views that the rule of the majority in practise it is non-virtous because it is too hard to find the majority who can be virtous. The rule of the majority and the poor under a democracy does not aid the city state to attain its telos. As consequence, Aristotle is of the belief that a democracy is not a good form of rule because both the rule of the poor and majority does not attain the telos of the city state. Another reason why the democracy is not a virtous form of government is actually rooted in a concept of equality in a democracy. To Aristotle, a good government is one which is rules aristocratically; meaning that it based on merit (Aristotle 5). In Aristotle’s defination, a democratic is the one has the most people have a participation in the ruling. Thereby, there is at least an approximation of participation of on an equal basis because all the persons have equal participation rights. For Aristotle, the second determinant of whether or not democracy is a normal form of government that should be practiced around the world, he relies upon the definition and understanding of the concept

Platos Republic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Platos Republic - Essay Example Socrates was outspoken in criticizing the new government and after the Democrats took hold of power, Socrates’ relationship with the oligarchic set up made his enemies to find appropriate reasons to make him face trial. They charged him with corrupting the youth of Athens through immoral ways and in spite of his articulately expressed defense, Socrates was held guilty and condemned to death. In his Apology, Plato has recorded the last days of Socates’ life. Socrates continued to remain staunch and true to his belief system and was unwilling to go back on his past statements. He even refused the offer of exile and willingly ingested the cup of hemlock poison that ended his life. This paper holds that the charges against Socrates did not have strength and that they were primarily a result of the ongoing political strife amongst the varied claimants who wanted to lose no opportunity in claiming positions of authority in the newly established democracy. The defense for Socr ates will be substantiated by repeatedly referring to Plato’s Republic because there is considerable circumstantial evidence in this work to steer him clear of the charges of corrupting Athenian youth (p.36). We know that Socrates was charged of corrupting the youth through a few contemporary Greek sources; Plato, Xenophon and the playwright Aristophanes. The Republic was born in Plato’s mind in his early youth while he was hopeful of becoming a politician. At this time he was much impressed with Socrates and became his pupil informally. Following the Peloponnesian war, Athens was ruled for about eight months by the Thirty Tyrants who were an oligarchic and tyrannical power group that tried to enroll Socrates as well as Plato within their group. Although Plato did not give a clear signal, Socrates openly refused to join them and very soon became reputed for adopting anti-democratic ideas. This proved to be very dangerous for Socrates, especially after the taking over of governance by the fundamental democratic set up that had soon over thrown the Thirty Tyrants. Socrates was tried by the newly formed Athenian democracy for having corrupted the youth, introduced new gods and for ha ving adopted and encouraged atheism. He was convicted to death and subsequently executed, of which Plato was a witness. Plato was extremely disillusioned. The Athenians held that in having corrupted the youth Socrates encouraged the young to accompany him on his chosen path. Such developments made the youth of the day to confront the fundamentalist democracy of the period (p.248). In ascertaining whether Socrates had actually corrupted the youth in Athens, this paper relies on Plato’s Republic, which is a thorough analysis of the circumstances that prevailed during the time. In some ways it can be said that Socrates did teach new divinities and in some ways he did not. Socrates was ready to respect the conventional gods such as Athena and Zeus. In fact, all the available evidence indicates that he believed in polytheism. He was in agreement with Hesiod and Homer that these gods had physical characteristics and would always remain alive. However, his images of the gods were mo re illustrious as compared to the images of the gods that one understands from recitations of Homer and other groups of story tellers and god talkers that were known as muthologoi and theologoi respectively, during the period. Socrates held that the gods were wise,

I.C.T Unit 3c Essay Example for Free

I.C.T Unit 3c Essay In this part of the coursework I am going to layout all the needs of a person who has mobility impairment. His name is Scott and he is a 19-year-old engineering student with muscular dystrophy. Scott needs special technologies in order to keep his life running as normal as possible. Some technologies that Scott may need are:   Tracker Ball Head Tracker   Screen Keyboard Brain Switch   Voice Recognition Tracker Ball: A tracker ball is an input device where a finger is used to rotate a ball. This moves a pointer to the screen. A tracker ball is very useful to Scott. This helps him to move the pointer around easily. The tracker ball is a replacement for a normal mouse. Scott has troubles gripping the mouse because of his deficiency. It is easier for him to use a tracker ball because this allows him to gently move the ball just with one finger. This is easier because his hands can shake quite a lot and he cannot control this so using just one finger can make life so much easier and its not as frustrating because he dont need to use up all his energy. The tracker ball also doesnt take up as much space as a normal mouse, because a normal mouse you need sufficient space to be able to move it around freely while as the tracker ball stays in one place and all that is needed is to move the ball in the middle around with your hand. A tracker ball lets Scott run an independent life without needing the help of others. A tracker ball is also needed to use other technologies such as On Screen Keyboard. Head tracker: A tracker is used with head movements, Scott can position the cursor on screen and left and right mouse clicks can be made with a suck-puff switch. To allow Scott to move around freely, communication between the head tracker and the computer is normally carried out via a wire-less infra-red transmitter and receiver. This helps Scott immensely because if his hand becomes tired because it shakes a lot and he tries very hard to keep it stable and control the tracker ball at the same time. When this occurs he can resort to the head tracker and this makes it easier as he only needs to use his head. The head tracker is also used for other technologies like the On Screen Keyboard. This technology does have its disadvantages, one of them is that he has to keep a very stable neck and he has to keep his head up right in order to be able to reach the point he wants. There are sometimes very small buttons which Scott can sometimes miss and has to try various times to be able to click on a button of some sort. This can become quite stressing after a while so the head tracker needs a lot of practice and needs getting use to. On Screen Keyboard: An on screen keyboard is easier for Scott to use because of his deficiency and his hands shake a lot he cannot control the keys properly because his hand is not stable he cannot tap the right keys and can sometimes become very frustrating. So using the onscreen keyboard he can easily access the letters by clicking on them with his tracker ball or head tracker, which he finds easier to use. Without these two technologies he could not use the on screen keyboard. He can also use all the numbers and punctuation that is needed. This can also be easier for him in terms of his head movement. He does not need to be lowering his head to look at the keyboard and then looking up again at the screen, with the On Screen Keyboard, he can keep a constant look at the screen and this doesnt need head movement. Of course, the on screen keyboard can become a bit tiring and a bit useless, because Scott has to find every letter and click on it and this can take quite a while. Speech Recognition: Voice or speech recognition is the ability of a machine or program to receive and interpret dictation. This can be so much easier for Scott, because he has trouble using a normal keyboard because of his deficiency he uses an on screen keyboard, but if Scott wants to write something long or something complex that he cant really use the on screen keyboard because he will get tired and it can get a bit annoying, because he has to type letter by letter. Speech recognition makes it easier because all he needs to do is dictate to the computer what he wants the computer to write down. Of course, he has to make his speech loud and clear in order for the computer to understand what hes saying. Obviously a lot of the technologies have their disadvantages. All voice-recognition systems or programs make errors. Screaming children, barking dogs, and loud external conversations can produce false input. Much of this can be avoided only by using the system in a quiet room. There is also a problem with words that sound alike but are spelled differently and have different meanings for example, hear and here. This technology could take quite some long to get use to, as the computer needs to get use to Scotts voice. Brain Switch: A brain switch allows a severely disabled person to control on/off devices, for example, light switches, a heating switch or other environmental controls. The switch is operated by measuring the biosignals through a contact on the forehead. Scott can be taught to operate the switch by state of mind a calm, quiet state leaves the switch off and an active, excited state switches it on. Although Scott is not severely damaged, this can make his life easier for him. He might not need it urgently or it may not be a must have in his life but this can make his life easier. If he has small light switches or the electrical alarm for his oven is too small for him to be able to get it turned off quickly then the switch can help him turn this off. Small things like this can really change his life to make it easier because these small things are what he does regularly and this way he knows that he can count on the brain switch to help him out. But I know there are people who need it more than Scott would but it can still be a technology to help Scott with his daily life. In conclusion I think that most of these technologies do make Scotts life much easier to handle with his deficiency. Obviously not all of these technologies are 100% effective and every technology has their disadvantages as I have listed above but there are more advantages to the technologies then there are disadvantages and I think that as long as it helps Scotts even a little bit, its very successful because its helping the difficulties of someones life so much easier. [A1] [A1]You need to conclude your work by saying how these technologies either meet or do not meet Scots needs.

Construction of the road

Construction of the road 1. Introduction Roads are constructed to bring benefits to the people. Investment in roads is huge for which funding most time is limited. Therefore the decision to invest and protect the investment in form of maintenance is important so as to bring optimal benefits and value for money. In order to maximise the benefits in the choice of investment, road investment appraisal may well be part of the planning process. The purpose of economic appraisal is to determine the investment cost and economic returns expected from such investment. Investment cost consists of construction and annual maintenance costs and are normally shouldered by the road agency. While economic returnsis in form of savings to the road users resulting from new road facility. These costs are referred to as total (road) transport cost or whole life cycle cost (HDM-4 documentation). It is therefore necessary to determine the works that will minimise the total transport cost over the extended analysis period, say expected life of the road. This report presents the economic analysis of a project to upgrade an existing gravel road to a bituminous pavement. The aim is to assess the economic benefit resulting from the proposed investment. This is to be carried out using Highway Development and Management (HDM-4), a road investment appraisal tool. HDM-4 is known to have the capability which assist with the selection of appropriate road design and maintenance standards that minimises the total transport cost. The support system will also indicate the economic viability of the proposed upgrading. The run will include sensitivity analysis, which involves repeated economic evaluation changing one parameter at a time, to identify the parameter(s) which affect the viability of the road project. 2. Literature review: 2.1 Economic appraisal of a road project. Economic appraisal is very important in planning a road project. It enables the road agency knows the investment cost as well as the economic returns of various alternatives, thereby assisting them in the selection of that which gives the highest returns. Total transport cost, also referred to as whole life cycle cost, includes construction and annual maintenance costs as well as road user costs (RUC). The RUC, in most cases, is the benefit due to the provision of a better road facility i.e VOC, travel time, comfort, reduction in accident. HDM-4 is a decision support tool for the analysis of road management, evaluation of investment alternatives and strategic planning among others. It has four models that are used to predict the effects of road construction and operation. Road deterioration model considers pavement structure, traffic loading and climate condition to analyse and predict the progression of structural and surface condition variables. Works effects model uses these variables and application of maintenance and construction measures to predict the physical quantities of resources required. These are used to multiply the unit costs specified to obtain the construction and maintenance cost for the analysis period. Road user effect model uses vehicle characteristics, geometric data and the forecast condition variables (e.g. IRI) to calculate the expected travel speeds of the different vehicle types, which in turn affect the vehicle and owners costs. The social and environmental effect model can forecast vehicle emissions and energy consumption. 2.2 Method of economic appraisal of a road project. This is usually done in HDM-4 for at least for two mutually alternatives road construction, rehabilitation or upgrade, one of which is referred to Do nothing or base alternative. While others are do something or project alternatives. The Do nothing or base alternative is where minimum investment is carried out in form of continuation of current maintenance strategy. This alternative has no construction component but has high maintenance cost and RUC. On the other hand, the do something or alternative project is when the road standard is improved, the choice of which depend on many factors such as the road agencys standard, traffic level, political and social consideration etc. This would normally have construction cost with both low maintenance cost and RUC. 3. Methodology. Create Project Define road network Section 2 Section 1 Define road sections Improvement Standard Mtce Standard (After) Mtce Standard (Before) Mtce Standard (Gravel) Define Work standards With Project Without Project Define Project alternatives Run analysis with sensitivity Generate Outputs The above flow describes the procedure for the economic analysis of the project using HMD-4. 4. Procedure for project analysis. 4.1 Project description: This Project is a 49.9 km gravel road classed secondary road and it is situated in sub-tropical/humid climate. It passes through varying topography. The road is divided into two sections based on geometric, pavement condition and traffic volume. The traffic and condition data obtained in 2008 are represented in table 4.1. The road is proposed to be upgraded to bituminous pavement. Both the degree of conflict between motorised and non-motorised transport and the effect of the road side activities on traffic flow were insignificant. 4.2 Data Input: Using the flow chart in paragraph 3 above all the necessary data require for the project analysis is stored in the system in the appropriate folders. These include detailed traffic composition and growth rate which are provided in the Vehicle fleet folder. A uniform growth rate of 4% was used for all vehicle classes on this project. The sections of the roads are defined under the road network folder. Each of the sections is considered homogenous in terms of geometric, pavement condition, traffic volume and composition. Therefore the physical details of the sections (length, width, and surface class), traffic direction and pattern, pavement type and condition, horizontal and vertical alignment information are among data set in the road network definition. However, only motorised traffic is considered in this analysis. 4.3 Defining the works standards: This is where both the maintenance and improvement standards are defined. The details are on Table 4.3. The maintenance standards are in the works standard/maintenance standards folder while the improvement standards are specified in the works standard/improvement standards folders. The maintenance standard has great effect on rate of deterioration of a road. Road will continue to perform to standard throughout its design life only when adequate and timely maintenance is carried out. Defining maintenance standard in the system imposes a limit to which deterioration could reach before a trigger. Furthermore the long term performance of a road is also affected by the improvement standard 4.3.1 Maintenance standard: There are three maintenance standards under the study. These are Gravel road maintenance, Maintenance before upgrading and routine maintenance after upgrade (crack sealing and patching paved road). These are effective at different time for the two sections of the road as detailed in Table 4.4. Scheduled for specified years. Duration is one year. Both economic and financial costs for each of the work items were stored in the system. 4.3.2 Improvement standard: The improvement standard is to upgrade the gravel road to bituminous pavement. However the year of implementation for each of sections 1 and 2 are 2011 and 2012 respectively. These are indicated at the intervention tab while keying the information for each of the section. Furthermore the financial cost for sections 1 and 2 are US$120,000 and US$150,050. The economic costs were estimated as 85% of the financial costs. These were stored in the cost tab. 4.4 Defining the project alternatives. There are two project alternatives Without project (maintaining the gravel road) and With project (upgrade gravel road). Each of the alternatives has works standards specified for each of the two sections. The analysis type (by project), start year (2009) as well as analysis period (20 years) were specified. The currency output of US$ was also selected. 4.4.1 Analysis method: There are two methods of analysing road investment in HDM-4 Analysis by section and analysis by project. The formal (analysis by section) is when the sections in the road are considered separately and analyse against a base section. While the latter (analysis by project) is when the entire sections in an alternative are considered against a base alternative. For this case study the analysis is by project. In this instance, the annual cost and benefit are added for the sections in the With project to give the year total. The economic indicators so obtained are then used to compare the base alternative. 4.4.2 Without project alternative: This is the base alternative representing a continuation of current maintenance practice. The two sections were defined and assigned a maintenance standard Gravel road maintenance earlier defined under the works standard/maintenance standards folder. 4.4.3 With project alternative: This is the alternative where the road is to be upgraded to bituminous pavement. The two sections were defined with both maintenance and improvement standards. Both sections are to be upgraded in 2011 and 2012 respectively. However, they are to be maintained before upgrade according to maintenance before upgrading standard as defined. Furthermore, the period of maintenance after upgrade is also specified. 4.4.4 Sensitivity analysis: It is a technique used to find out the effect on the whole project of changes in value of each variable which is considered potentially serious risk to the project. In this case study, three variables Traffic growth rates, Construction cost and Initial AADT were considered as sensitive to the project. Therefore each of them was changed at a time by  ±20% from 20% to 80% to verify their impact on economic indicators. 5. Analysis concept, summary result and discussion. 5.1 Project analysis concept The concept of the project analysis, using HMD-4, is assessing the physical, functional and economic feasibility of the With project alternative and compares it with Without project considered as base case. The system uses Life cycle costing for the analysis period of 20 years. In achieving this cost, the system models and predict the road deterioration, estimates the road user cost, model the road works effects and the cost of these to the road agency as well as calculate the economic and financial benefits from the comparison of the alternatives. 5.2 Road Deterioration and road works effect modelling For each year of the analysis period, HDM-4 models the road condition and assigns road works effect using predefined works strategies. Road deterioration prediction is based on the data provided on such variables as the original design, material type, construction quality, traffic volume, axle load characteristics, road geometry, environmental conditions, age of pavement and maintenance standard. HDM-4 does predict change in condition, i.e. distresses, from the initial set conditions as a function of the above named variables. 5.2.1 Average roughness (IRIav) of project: The deterioration of gravel road is characterised by roughness and material loss. Therefore grading every six months was specified as one of the work items for its maintenance to keep the roughness within tolerable limit. Spot regravelling work item was to repair areas of severe depression, while gravel resurfacing is performed to augment gravel surfacing due to loss of material. These work items followed intervention criteria specified by the users. This is the logic HDM-4 uses to predict the gravel road deterioration and it is presented in graph 5.2. This graph correlates Appendix I which shows the pavement condition summary. The pavement condition of Without project is a reflection of the interventions of the work items under continuous maintenance of the gravel road. Grading and Spot regravelling were effective every six month with no significant improvement to IRI values. However, gravel resurfacing was done in 2013, 2016, 2019, 2023 a nd 2025. There is a drop in IRI value each time the work item was carried out. In general the IRI was consistently high at between 7-13m/km throughout the analysis period for Without project alternative. HDM-4 also predicts the deterioration of the road after improvement. This is done through surface distresses (cracking and potholing) and deformation distress (roughness). Out of the three work items for the maintenance of the paved (bituminous) road only resealing work item was triggered throughout the analysis period. This is a reflection of the intervention criteria specified. Under the With project alternative there is a drop in IRI values in 2011 and 2012 following the upgrading of sections 1 and 2 at these years respectively. For instance, for section 1 the IRI value was 11.26m/km in 2010 but drastically reduced to 3.01m/km after upgrade in 2011. This is similar to the effect of upgrading section 2 in 2012. However, it is noticed that IRI continued to increase steadily subsequently but at low rate. In 2018, 2019, 2025 and 2026 there was resealing which changed the rate of increase in IRI (between 2018 and 2019) and actually reduced the value (between 2025 and 2026). Surface dre ssing does not necessarily improve the smoothness of road surface hence its effect on IRI is not significant. 5.2.2 Road works summary: This summary, as contained in Appendix 2, confirmed graph 5.1 and reflects the pavement condition summary in appendix 1. It shows the works items as they were triggered with associate quantities and costs (economic and financial). For the With project the maintenance standard before upgrade is reflected in the two sections before the upgrade. Furthermore resealing was also carried out in 2018 and 2025 for section 1, while that for section 2 was in 2019 and 2026. On the other hand in the Without project the average roughness for the project is shown in graph 4.1. This graph correlates Appendix 1 which shows the pavement condition summary. Road User Cost (RUC): From the economic indicator shown in Table 4.3 there is a decrease of US$3.828 million in Road User Cost (RUC) compared to US$3.105 million increase in Road Agency Cost (RAC) for the proposed upgrade. This is an indication of the viability for the upgrade. Cost Streams and Economic Evaluation Table 4.3 reflects the economic indicator showing a positive Net Present Value (NPV) of US$0.723 million, indicative of the project viability. The Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) is US$12.6 million. The economic indicator summary with sensitivity included in the analysis is provided in Appendix 3 Sensitivity Analysis As discussed in paragraph 5.2.2 above Tables 5.4a, 5.4b and 5.4c show the effects in economic indicators (NPV and EIRR) of changing the percentages of Initial AADT, Construction cost and Traffic growth rates considered as sensitive to the project. Increasing both initial AADT and Growth rate indicates positive values of NPV and EIRR, while reduction in their values gives negative economic indicators. On the other hand, increase construction cost gives negative NPV and its reduction gives positive NPV. NPV sensitivity diagram in figure 5.3 below indicates that the three variables have various degrees of sensitivity on the project, with AADT being most sensitive. An increase in construction cost as well as drop in AADT will affect the chances of achieving the positive NPV values. Therefore the accuracy of their estimation and forecast is important. Switching Values: A reduction in percentage of AADT and Growth rate beyond 11.5% and 25.6% respectively changes the NPV values from positive to negative. Whereas increase in construction cost beyond 19.5% also changes NPV from positive to negative. 6. Conclusion: The economic analysis, using HDM-4, indicates that upgrading the gravel road to bituminous pavement is viable because of the positive NPV value obtained for the analysis period. In implementing the project the gain in RUC outweighs the increase in the RAC when this is compared with do minimum alternative. However, this result can only be achieved if the works are carried out according to the programme. The Initial AADT, Construction cost and vehicle growth rate have various levels of sensitivity on the NPV. However, AADT is the most sensitive. An increase in construction cost as well as drop in AADT is likely to affect the chances of achieving a positive NPV values. There is also an indication that more benefit could be derived from the project when AADT value grows even as high as by 80% of the initial value. Therefore the accuracy of the construction cost, AADT and its projection are important to getting the benefit from the proposed project