History of U.S. in 400 Words Essay

I am very proud of my country because it was formed on the foundation of freedom and has continued to support freedom for all of its citizens as well as helping to spread freedom throughout the world. First, America was founded by common people looking for a better way of life, one in which they were able to practice their religion and participate in how their settlements were governed. Committed to their beliefs, America endured eight years of war to gain their freedom. There were many hardships along the way: disease, starvation, and suffering; but we hung in there and eventually beat the British, the most powerful nation at that time. Then, we did something shocking; we made it a democracy, the first in the world. People thought it was crazy, this American experiment, but we proved it could work. Unfortunately there was a problem brewing – slavery! It ended up causing a great civil war, the North pitted against the South. We got through it and in the end the nation was reunited and freedom for all prevailed. Women still had some problems, though, and after nearly one hundred years of protesting they finally received the same rights as men as they got the right to vote. Our ideals of freedom were then tested outside our boundaries. We got involved in World War II as we helped to purge the world of the atrocities that the Nazis inflicted. We helped in the Korean and Vietnam Wars in their struggle for freedom and equality. After a long Cold War, we were successful in our efforts to get the Soviet Union to end communism and tear down the Berlin Wall. We also got involved in the First Gulf War as we worked to get the Iraqis out of Kuwait and restabilize the country. Then, on September 11, 2001, terrorists struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and an airplane in route to Washington, D.C. and we again had to defend our freedom. We are continuing to help put an end to the senseless acts of terrorists along with teaching the people in Iraq and Afghanistan how to defend themselves against the Taliban. The United States of America is a world power, supporting the individual rights and freedom of people throughout the world. It stands for and supports liberty and justice for all, and that makes me incredibly proud.

Religions wage peace Essay

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi used his influence as a revolutionary spiritual leader to bring about political and social improvement. Despite holding no government office, he was a major participant in India’s struggle for independence. On the 2nd of October, 1869, Gandhi was born in the coastal town of Porbandar. His family belonged to the wealthy Vysya or merchant caste. His father Karamchand Gandhi was the prime minister of a princely state. At the age of thirteen he was married to Kasturbai, who was of his own age (Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand (1869 – 1948) , 2001). His approach was that of a pacifist and he based his independence movement on non –violent non – cooperation or satyagraha, which means truth and firmness. He started this movement in 1915 and was imprisoned on several occasions by the British authorities. He exerted great influence on the Congress Party and the 1947 independence negotiations. In 1948 British India was partitioned into India and Pakistan, which resulted in a great deal of religious violence. At that point of time he was assassinated. His preaching served as an inspiration for non – violent movements and was adopted by Martin Luther King Jr in the USA, who fought for the rights of the blacks and by Nelson Mandela in South Africa, who opposed apartheid (Gandhi, Mahatma (1869 – 1948) , 2005). In the beginning, in 1893, Gandhi was practicing law in South Africa, when he started to formulate and practise the principles of satyagraha or non – violent resistance to injustice. Till the year 1914, he led the movement started by the Indian community of that place, which was opposing racial discrimination. In that year, the South African government bestowed a number of important concessions in accordance to his demands. At that juncture he decided to return to India and in the month of January 1915 he set sail for India. In India he assumed the leadership of its freedom struggle from British rule (Gandhi, Mahatma (1869 – 1948) , 2005). His actions took the form of hunger strikes, the boycott of British goods and civil disobedience. At the same time he made serious attempts to bring about social reform. Even after several rounds of talks and demonstrations, the British chose to ignore the demands of the freedom fighters of India, consequently, Gandhi initiated a non – cooperation movement. This movement had a large number of supporters and many Indians holding official posts in the British Government resigned from their jobs, government agencies were spurned and Indian schoolchildren were removed from schools managed by the British Government. The British were compelled to release Gandhi whom they had arrested (Gandhi, Mahatma (1869 – 1948) , 2005). Gandhi wanted to usher in Swaraj or self rule in India and economic independence was an essential component of this movement. British industry had adopted measures that had exploited the Indian villagers and had reduced them to extreme poverty. In order to counter this situation, Gandhi advocated the adoption of cottage industries and employed the spinning wheel as a symbol of the movement to revive the indigenous Indian industries and lead the simple lifestyle of the villagers of India (Gandhi, Mahatma (1869 – 1948) , 2005). He was granted total executive authority by the Indian National Congress, which was the pioneer in India’s freedom struggle, in 1921. Due to the outbreak of a number of violent and armed insurrections against the British, Gandhi stepped back from active politics from 1924 to 1930 (Gandhi, Mahatma (1869 – 1948) , 2005). On the 26th of January, 1930, a proclamation regarding the Declaration of Independence of India was made by Gandhi. In order to catalyze the process of obtaining independence, Gandhi embarked on a novel civil disobedience campaign. In India the British exercised a monopoly on the production of salt and deemed it a criminal offense for anyone else to produce it. Salt constituted an essential and invaluable commodity for the Indians, a large number of whom were poverty stricken agricultural laborers. Gandhi realized that salt was used by all sections of the society and that an attempt to manufacture salt would appeal to every strata of the Indian society (Graham, 1998). On the 12th of March, 1930 Gandhi and seventy eight of his followers commenced the march from the Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal village of Dandi on the Arabian Sea. The distance covered by them was two hundred and forty one miles and it took them twenty four days to do so. Along the way, they were joined by a tremendous number of people and at one stage the procession was two miles in length. Finally on the 6th of April, 1930 Gandhi reached the sea coast at Dandi and picked up a sod and some salt and boiled it in seawater (Graham, 1998). This act of his shook the British Empire, on which the sun never set, to its very foundations. The man whom a disparaging Churchill had described as a half naked fakir had single handedly defied the might of the British Empire. The British Empire swung into action and arrested Gandhi and his associates. The number who courted arrest was immense and all the jails were overflowing with freedom fighters. Such was the response of the Indians to Gandhi’s call to oppose the British monopoly on the production of salt (Dandi: Salt March). According to Gandhi, there were two difficulties involved with human nature. One was the scope of making a human being perfect and the other related to nonviolence. Gandhi always had an optimistic view regarding men. However, a thorough examination of Gandhi’s political opinions reveals that he never assumed that man had a nature that could be rendered perfect. Further, he opined that reform could only transform a man to a certain extent, but it could never be made perfect. Gandhi proclaimed that it was incorrect to dogmatize in respect of the capacity of human nature to be either besmirched or exalted. This statement clearly elicits Gandhi’s views on man. He also opined that the environmental factors would significantly influence human behavior (Power, March, 1963). Due to individual feelings and thoughts, these efforts have suffered a setback by the negative and irrational forces that reside in them. In particular strong forces like greed and lust could not be diverted by availing oneself of the help forthcoming from other issues. He strongly believed that illogical forces motivated men and this belief was subscribed to by moralists. This is evidenced in situations where there arises a need to participate in a mass movement for realizing socio – psychological interests. Most individuals have shown reluctance to join such movements in the absence of a competent leader. This situation arose in Gandhi’s political career and his opinion regarding this subject was that it was the task of the leader to draw the people towards the objectives. The other issue involves the reshaping of Gandhi’s opinion about the capability of man to engage in acts involving nonviolence. Gandhi had explained in great detail in his thesis that every man had the ability to evaluate the value of ahimsa, where the term ahimsa denotes love or non – injury. Gandhi interpreted ahimsa as individual and social love in thought and deed towards all human beings (Power, March, 1963). Gandhi was prone, on occasion, to restrict this concept of ahimsa as being restricted to himself and his closest followers. For instance, in 1942, the Japanese Army was poised to attack India; at that point of time he permitted all those who did not subscribe to nonviolence to join the effort underway to defend the country. However, the question that remains unanswered is whether he granted such permission because Japanese rule would have been worse than the British rule (Power, March, 1963). The philosophical beliefs of Gandhi were founded on a number of scholarly authorities and social experiences. He staunchly believed that last stage in a man’s journey was the absolute truth, which was described by resorting to theism, pantheism or atheism. He believed that by the use of reason and also by taking the help of faith and intuition, an individual by relying on partial truths could attain the absolute truth. Moreover, Gandhi held that every person was required by dharma to search for this ultimate truth (Power, March, 1963). The method advocated by Gandhi to attain this goal was to follow the path of anasaktiyoga or path of selfless action, which entailed the performance of one’s duty without entertaining a desire for the results of such action. He considered involvement in Indian nationalism to signify selfless action. One of the qualifications to tread this path was the possession of physical, psychological and spiritual courage. He also stated that the man devoid of fear succeeds in realizing his latent prowess by comprehending and practicing ahimsa (Power, March, 1963). The most important characteristic of ahimsa is the attainment of the most advantageous, practical good while treading the path that leads to the absolute truth. The usefulness of such a conviction has to be Its merit is to be elucidated in the light of Gandhi’s firm belief that it is better to resort to violence than to adopt an attitude of submissiveness or to adopt cowardice in the garb of nonviolence. He also stated that violence to some extent was inherent in the process of living (Power, March, 1963). Gandhi based his interpretation of ahimsa on the Laws of Manu and the tenets of Jainism; however, his views were closer to the beliefs of Jainism. His objective and expectation was that he would be successful in transforming every person in such a manner that they would adapt this ideal as an integral part of their life. This precept of ahimsa was one of the foremost requirements of Gandhi. However, he considered truthfulness to be much more important than ahimsa. In this context he stated that truthfulness was far more important than being peaceful (Power, March, 1963). Despite the recurrent description of his pacifism as being absolute, the fact remains that he did not consider nonviolence to be his main goal. Moreover, when ahimsa is considered to be absolute pacifism, then a distortion of the beliefs that were subscribed to by Gandhi occurs (Power, March, 1963). Some other issues that had been addressed by Gandhi are to be found in his opinion of the optimal political system. In his writings, one sees the recurrence of the panchayati raj or the village republic and a system to ensure the welfare of everyone, which he designated as sarvodaya. These ideas reveal the fact that he sought to usher in a political system that was based on his opinions of truth and ahimsa. Moreover, he abhorred the divorce of political and social responsibility from dharmic obligations or obligations required by the basic principles of cosmic or individual existence (Power, March, 1963). Despite being committed to establishing a functionally and physically decentralized political community, he was not in favor of a society that was stateless. The concepts of Sarvodaya and Swaraj or self rule that is personal or corporate, constitute claims for impartiality, freedom and uprightness, and they do not constitute assaults on the government (Power, March, 1963). If he had been desirous of establishing a stateless system, then he would have had to entertain a more sanguine opinion about people than he did under normal circumstances. Moreover, he would have been compelled to eschew political power like he had rejected personal property. The varieties of Sarvodaya as comprehended by Vinoba Bhave, who advocated the redistribution of land and Jayaprakash Narayan, who was an ideologue, had perhaps aimed at a stateless society. However, this was not a component of Gandhi’s political ideologue (Power, March, 1963). Gandhi never struggled against power, and his disagreement was directed against the legal structure of power and the influence of the bureaucracy on it. This was due to the fact that he considered these factors to be hindrances in allowing self realization among the people, prevented them from obtaining justice and precluded rule based on the universal dharma. The acceptance of these views regarding Gandhi’s beliefs, implies that Gandhi’s display of a lack of interest for public office, both during the freedom struggle and during the transfer of power only shows that he did not believe in special forms of power and not that he disliked political power (Power, March, 1963). Gandhi was attached to political power and this is vindicated by his theory of satyagraha, which he construed to be soul force or direct action of a nonviolent nature, because this stratagem was a system of power, which was used by him in the expectation that he would be able to engender reform in institutions and effect the fulfillment of men. This method assumes that an opponent is redeemable and that it can be used for realizing a range of objectives as long as there is no violation of the principle of ahimsa. However, despite its prominence in his political beliefs, this theory was not a dominant principle of his ideology (Power, March, 1963). Amongst all the political thinkers of India, Gandhi was the most modern. He combined the best practices of the Orient and the Occident and formulated a political philosophy that obtained results bordering on the miraculous. The present day politics, which is steeped in corruption, could benefit enormously by implementing his political teachings. Gandhi has never ceased to be an integral part of the politics of India. Gandhi subscribed to a political philosophy that was founded on a number of tenets that had emerged from what was fundamentally his humanistic outlook towards life. He did not encounter any differences between spiritual and worldly matters. However, he subscribed to a few fundamental beliefs, which he adhered to with great firmness. In an article in his journal Harijan he stated that there existed certain eternal principles which could not be compromised on any account and that a person should uphold such principles even at the cost of one’s life. Gandhi was as good as his word and there were some principles that he never deviated from throughout his life. Moreover, he extended these principles in order to rekindle the flame of the nationalist spirit among his fellow Indians. Non – cooperation and nonviolence have not lost their relevance even in modern times. Violent incidents, lack of interest in addressing major issues and in conducting a rational and meaningful dialogue by political parties are the characteristics of present day Indian politics. The only way to rectify this dismal situation is to adopt the principles that had been formulated by Gandhi. Gandhi gave great prominence to power, which he considered to be a means by which people could improve the quality of their life. His political actions were aimed at attaining power, which according to him was not to be concentrated in the hands of a few members of the elite, but was to be distributed among the public. Further, people had become firmly convinced that revolt was a legitimate manner of expressing one’s dissatisfaction. In the final analysis Gandhi was mainly seized with elevating the consciousness of the masses and bestowing upon them the required authority to determine their destiny. This was a unique contribution to Indian politics. References Dandi: Salt March. (n. d. ). Retrieved July 4, 2007, from Manas: History and Politics: http://www. sscnet. ucla. edu/southasia/History/Gandhi/Dandi. html Gandhi, Mahatma (1869 – 1948) . (2005). Retrieved July 4, 2007, from The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia including Atlas: http://www.credoreference. com/entry/6428505 Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand (1869 – 1948) .(2001). Retrieved July 4, 2007, from World of Sociology, Gale: http://www. credoreference. com/entry/4785371 Graham, S. (1998). The Salt March to Dandi. Retrieved July 4, 2007, from emory: http://www. english. emory. edu/Bahri/Dandi. html Power, P. F. (March, 1963). Toward a Re-Evaluation of Gandhi’s Political Thought . The Western Political Quarterly , Vol. 16, No. 1, Pp. 99 – 108.

Strategy in Action. Zurich Insurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategy in Action. Zurich Insurance - Essay Example The major issues addressed involves how effective business strategies are adopted by Zurich Insurance, and how can they improve the strategies to run the business in better and efficient way. The analysis is executed through SWOT and PESTLE analyses to identify the internal strengths and weaknesses and uncontrollable external opportunities as well as threats are identified by overall industry analysis, value chain analysis and other telescopic observation matrix. The study has revealed that through customer-centric approach Zurich Insurance can sustain and make growth in the coming years as the prospect for industry is generally found to be quite promising. The life-insurance segment can also provide further leverage for the company in the coming years as the demand for such financial product is increasing among people. Zurich HelpPoint can provide the company certain advantages in attaining their objectives in future. Zurich Insurance is an international company that is engaged with the rendering of financial services related to insurance-based sector. The services provided by Zurich Insurance are vehicle insurance, life insurance, business insurance, building insurance along with pension and investments. The market in which Zurich operates its business is highly competitive. The vision of Zurich Insurance is to be the leader in rendering of economic safeguard as well as investment solutions in relation to customer requirements, financial performance along with employee motivation. The company’s philosophy is to focus on ‘Customer Centricity’. They emphasise on individual customers that can assist them to reinforce the brand. Moreover, the company also puts attention towards its employees as the employees work as ‘one team’ (Zurich, 2011). ... es 3.1 Vision Zurich Insurance is an international company that is engaged with the rendering of financial services related to insurance-based sector. The services provided by Zurich Insurance are vehicle insurance, life insurance, business insurance, building insurance along with pension and investments. The market in which Zurich operates its business is highly competitive. The vision of Zurich Insurance is to be the leader in rendering of economic safeguard as well as investment solutions in relation to customer requirements, financial performance along with employee motivation. The company’s philosophy is to focus on ‘Customer Centricity’. They emphasise on individual customers that can assist them to reinforce the brand. Moreover, the company also puts attention towards its employees as the employees work as ‘one team’ (Zurich, 2011). 3.2 Mission Statement Mission statement of any organisation can be stated to be a reflection of its core principl es, identities and values. Mission statement shows the future perspective of the company. The target market segments for the company are individuals, small along with medium-sized businesses and key global corporations. The mission statement of Zurich Insurance is as follows: â€Å"We’re working to become the UK’s leading provider of financial services, giving you customer service you’ve never experienced before. We’re committed to doing the right thing, in the right way and for the right reason for you, our employees and the communities we work in† (Zurich, 2011). The aim of the company is to eradicate the obstacles that prevent people from the ultimate utilisation of their earning (Zurich, 2011). 3.3 Corporate Objectives The corporate objective of the company towards environment is aimed to decrease

Compare or Contrast two politians Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Compare or Contrast two politians - Essay Example They tolerated political dissent in their respective countries a. President Obama is tolerant of the criticism hurled against him. b. President Aquino did not do any crackdown when protesters gathered against him. III. President Barack Obama of the United States and President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines are respected leaders in the world a. President Barack Obama is the leader of the free world being the President of the most powerful country in the world. b. President Benigno Aquino is considered an icon of democracy in Asia Outline page Thesis: President Barack Obama of the United States and President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines were icons of democracy. They were elected through a popular vote, tolerated dissent and respected leaders of the free world. I. Elected through a popular vote was the political mechanism that President Obama was elected through a college system of U.S. voting system where the various states elected the candidates and President Benigno Aquino wa s elected through a popular landslide vote. a. President Obama was elected through a college system of U.S. voting system where the various states elected the candidates which is the political system in the US. b. President Benigno Aquino was elected through a popular landslide vote over several candidates during the 2010 election. II. They tolerated political dissent in their respective countries where President Obama is tolerant of the criticism hurled against him and President Aquino did not do any crackdown when protesters gathered against him. a. President Obama is tolerant of the criticism hurled against him especially with the introduction of the expanded healthcare known as Obamacare. b. President Aquino did not do any crackdown when protesters gathered against him when Filipinos gathered around the Luneta Park to protest the use of Pork Barrel. III. President Barack Obama of the United States and President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines are respected leaders in the world because President Barack Obama is the leader of the free world being the President of the most powerful country in the world and President Benigno Aquino is considered an icon of democracy in Asia. a. President Barack Obama is the leader of the free world being the President of the most powerful country in the world and can influence other governments to follow the path of democracy. b. President Benigno Aquino is considered an icon of democracy in Asia being the son of President Corazon Aquino who popularized the democratic protest of â€Å"People Power†. Essay The Democratic Political System Democracy is a political system where leaders must have the consent of the governed before they can rule. It is a political exercise derived from the Greeks where decisions are made based on the benefit of the majority and not just by some people. Democracy is also a political environment where people are free and have equal rights. These freedom and rights are guaranteed in their Cons titution or the law that governs their countries. These political system in practiced in the United States and Philippines where their leaders President Barack Obama and President Aquino has to be elected through popular vote, tolerant of political dissent their respective countries and respected leaders in the world. Elected through a popular vote was the political mechanism that President Obama catapulted him into office which is a college system of U.S. voting system where the various states elected

Ethical View On the Influence of Corporations On Environment Research Paper

Ethical View On the Influence of Corporations On Environment - Research Paper Example This paper approves that ethical code of conduct under this section demands everybody to desist from insider trading. For elaborate and transparent business environment, illegal campaign contribution, all act of bribery and any other scandal executed at the expense of compromised code of ethics should never be encouraged for a healthy fair business environment to develop. In achieving an ethically respectable corporation within the business environment, it is important to facilitate the incorporation of ethical climate. Research has proven that ethical conduct is something that cannot be reinforced by the law but by intrinsic development and virtue. Since the law cannot force commitment of ethical codes, it is therefore important to influence it positively by creating a favorable working environment with ethical climate. Ethical climate of an organization simply refer to the process by which company decisions are made after deep evaluation of its implication and on the basis of right or wrong. This report makes a conclusion that it is clear that ethical matters are of great concern as far as influence of corporation on environment is concerned. In any business environment, establishment of good working relationship between employees and management is vital toward motivating workers. The managers should ethically be responsible in ensuring that rights of employee’s are not infringed in whatever decision they make. This is the only way to ensure prosperous working environment with mutual respect.

Internet Tools as Dirt Bikes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Internet Tools as Dirt Bikes - Essay Example This information is very instrumental in strategizing the business operations and products. Internet tools are one powerful way of achieving a good level of communication in an organization. How Dirt Bikes could benefit from intranets for sales and marketing, human resources, and manufacturing and production Callaghan (2002) defines intranets as private networks created by organisations using the web technology and the internet networking standards. They create networked applications that are able to run on several types of computers in the organisation including wireless devices that can have remote access and handheld computers. In this way, intranets can be said to provide access to data across an organisation. An intranet can be utilised by the employees of an organisation like Dirt Bikes for human resources, sales and marketing, and production and marketing. Sales and marketing Intranets can help to improve the level of communication between an organisation and its authorised distributors or clients or customers. This can be achieved by linking the computers of customers who have a web browser to the company’s network. This encourages authorised customers of a company to make orders or inquiries about the products of the company. This is because intranets enable the employees of a company to access information from any part of the organisation and hence respond immediately and accurately to the inquiries or needs of their customers (Laudon and Laudon. 2009). This is unlike following long procedures of written requests or face-to-face inquiries. With improved links and access to the company website, these buyers will be able to get timely information regarding the company’s new products, their features and costs. It also eases the process in which the company communicates about its new products to the authorised buyers or distributors. Improved sales can be attained if a company is able to provide customised services to its customers. By utilising the improved communication afforded by the intranet, the employees of Dirt Bikes will be able to respond immediately to product preferences of its various customers. For example, a customer may want an exchange of the brand of motor cycle delivered to them or those found in the distributor stalls. This makes business with the company a memorable one. Superior customer experience encourages repeated business with the company (Laudon and Laudon. 2009). Human resources Intranet increases the level of human resource management and utilisation in a company. Increased human resource management can be achieved by posting benefits information and employee manual on the intranet. This reduces the time spend by the human resource managers of the Dirt Bikes in answering employee questions. It also increases response to employee concerns. Callaghan (2002) explains that intranet facilitates teleconferencing and enables the workers of a company to work together. For example, the human resource manager is able to discuss employee or corporate issues with company employees through the intranet. Employees are also able to communicate with one another with an aim of seeking help or clarifications from each other concerning production. Due to uniformity in information received by all employees, a company is able to cultivate and foster a corporate culture among all its employees. The intranet will also increase the level to which Dirt Bikes utilises its human

Dental office network design Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dental office network design - Case Study Example Considering that the dentists are mobile and involved in offering services in different locations, the network solution will contain better communication equipment in order to make provision of services efficient. The network should contain proper connection of persons from different five offices situated in different locations. There should be a link between the receptionists in all offices such that they communicate and respond to calls from all areas (White, 2012). The network should be able to allow access of information by all dentists offering services to patients regardless of their location. This means that the network will contain several computers linked to a server that will enable access of information or data for patients. The design of the network solution will require careful attention in order to develop effective computer systems for fostering operations by dentists in different locations (Plant & Murrell, 2007). The network should have proper systems of communicatio ns, for example, telephone and internet linked in a systematic manner. This will allow proper communication between the dentists, their assistants and receptionists. The network solution will contain an installation of a VPN server linked to computers from different offices. The network shall contain Metropolitan Area Network components integrated in manner that it supports the Local area Network (Stair & Reynolds, 2010). ... Identify the information that is to be protected and the related security requirements Although the network is to allow flow and access of information between the five offices and other locations that the dentists will perform their services, there must be protection of information from patients (White, 2012). The design of the network solution will ensure that there is a restriction of information access to individuals. This will ensure confidentiality of patient’s information. Protection of information is a requirement of Health Insurance and Accountability Act (HPAA). The organization requires the formation of appropriate national standards for electronic healthcare operations (Stair & Reynolds, 2010). The design of the network will allow information access for authorized persons. For example, there will be security measures, for example, use of passwords and security codes to ensure access by required persons. This will ensure information for patients is not accessed by un authorized individuals. The information to be protected includes electronic and that contained in the papers. In order to ensure safeguard of information, the network requires administrative, technical and physical protection (Plant & Murrell, 2007). Maintenance of security will be possible through implementation of documented security controls. Administrative protocols will have to indicate persons who will have access to protected data. The protocol will consider aspects of data access alteration and termination. Plans should exist for the purpose of tackling emergencies emanating from the network (White, 2012). In order to adhere to the rules of HPAA, the administration will ensure performance of

Religion Changing Societies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Religion Changing Societies - Essay Example In due time, this has caused societal pluralism with religion being viewed as an objective to individuals within a society (Santa, 5). This paper covers the effect of religion in the society, how religion raises questions on identity and questions the concept of identity, and lastly how it creates a dilemma between faith and way of life. Religion Changing Societies Even though religion has sparked a lot of debate, it has influenced the society both positively and negatively. It has attracted massive changes within the societies. A better example of how religion has been linked with the modern societies is politics. Furthermore, the voting patterns are largely determined along religious lines. Religion plays a major role when it comes to governing a nation. Some religions worldwide are entrenched in archaic modes of thoughts and have failed to launch new life in the societies. Some are co-opted by patriotisms; thus, are used to further various furies. This has worked to divide people, based on an individual religious belief (Herz, and Peter, 25). In the current face of pluralism, Elshtain in â€Å"toleration, proselytizing, and the politics of recognition†, offers â€Å"toleration†, as a way of being liberal and democratic to religious pluralism without causing any prejudice on a given religion belief whatsoever. This involves freedom to share ones religious beliefs joyfully, manifesting views so that others may consider it, rather than imposing one's faith to others; thus, ensuring a happy coexistence (Elshtain, 89-93). This has led to more liberal and democratic societies. This has been echoed by Witte in The Rights and Limits of Proselytism in the New Religious World Order (Witte, 109) He emphasizes on the need for individuals to choose their own religious affiliation in a religious pluralism society, although this has not had a smooth sailing as other religions such as Muslim allow for easy conversion into their faith (Witte, 109) Religion, Ide ntity and Citizenship With religion being a core aspect to be considered within any society, the idea of coming up with legislation governing such societies may sometimes be challenging without causing any religious prejudice, with the advent of religious pluralism. Particularly, France has held to her â€Å"lay state (laicite)†, implying a secular state of religious freedom without preference for any religious affiliation. These may not necessarily mean secularization, rather a way of bringing harmony within a religious pluralism society (Davie and Schafer, 5). Religious views, convictions and practices are seen as belonging to the private sphere of existence rather than in the public realm. It is true that religion is a crucial factor of social identity, being identified with a given religion means having a shared religious beliefs and practices and behavior that brings about the uniqueness within a large cosmopolitan society with religious pluralism in some cases (Appiah, 44-47). Despite an individual’s affiliation to a given religion, he/she has the right as a citizen to participate in decisions involving collective life together. These should be done without any religious prejudice, and thus, treated equally. This eliminates any hierarchy of faith (Mehta, 66). With Religious pluralism, the best way to tackle the issue of identity and citizenship in respect to one's religious affilia

Interviewing Sales Professionals assignment (15%) Essay

Interviewing Sales Professionals assignment (15%) - Essay Example The hotel is rated four-star, with comfortable guest rooms and dining facilities; a conference centre; entertainment centre; and a health and wellness centre. Services include all the standard services for luxury four-star hotels, from laundry and room service, to satellite television and broadband. These services are available in deluxe rooms, executive deluxe suites, business suites and super-large deluxe suites. Maggie sells to groups focusing on business, conferences, wellness tours, and tourism. Impressions of the Interviewee Nonverbal techniques Maggie uses very clear nonverbal techniques to make the person she is speaking to comfortable. Her greeting is formal, and her voice pitched low and smooth. Confidence in what she is saying is expressed both in her voice and in the relaxed, attentive posture she maintains when listening or speaking. After the formality of the greeting, her expression is friendly and receptive, with eye-contact maintained. Her body directly faces the per son she is speaking to, leaning slightly forward, and she maintains a slightly lower level of contact, seeming to look upward at the other party. She keeps her hands and arms relaxed, using some gestures to emphasize what she is saying in very controlled ways. When she listens, she slightly tilts her head, looking interested, and does not interrupt. It seemed throughout the interview, and sales presentations, that she has only one focus – the person/people she is interacting with. Appearance and demeanor In appearance, Maggie Chen is very well-groomed. She wears the dark-colored corporate uniform of the hotel chain. A friendly and approachable personality is evident. She reacts to questions in a thoughtful, confident way, thinking for a moment before answering in detail. The Presentation The sales presentation I attended was to a large chain of travel agencies, specializing in business conference organization for USA and Chinese companies. They were looking for hotels across China in which to stage conferences and business meetings for up to 100 delegates at a time, and ranging from 3 day to 10 day events, over the next 18 months. Their business would allow Ms. Chen to come close to achieving her targets for the year, as she would be able to report advance room bookings at approximately 30% of occupancy – half of what she was aiming for. A PowerPoint presentation had been prepared, and Maggie had thoroughly worked through the presentation. We arrived at the venue in the hotel 15 minutes before the representatives of the travel company were set to arrive, and all the technical aspects had been checked. Refreshments were laid out and the exact number of places had been arranged at the table. When the representatives arrived each was greeted in turn, from the most senior to the least senior and I realized that Maggie had researched the people and the company well enough to know all the details about them. Her PowerPoint presentation really just gave an overview of the hotel and what it has to offer in pictures and with music. It was the commentary by Maggie that identified the possible packages that could be put together to meet the exact needs of the travel agency and their planned conferences and meetings. She had also prepared a glossy handout, listing 4 options for the room bookings, and the

Integration theory Essay Example for Free

Integration theory Essay In introducing the revisionist phase of integration theory, Haas (1971: 26–30) explicitly withdrew his earlier exclusion of public opinion. This is particularly evident in his new ‘master concept’ of authority legitimacy transfer or sharing: ‘a formulation I would myself prefer to the stress put on elite loyalties in my own earlier formulations’. Indicators of this concept are observable in activity ‘in specific functional and organizational sectors and. . . in elite and mass perceptions’ (emphasis added). The acceptance of public opinion in the political arena is very transparent in the linkage of variables that quantify the percentage of interaction within the context of the masses and the elites’ political perception. Haas advocates focusing on the notion of social learning as a major link, speculating on the various elements that might be involved; for example, increased contact and familiarity, growing complexity in the pattern of inter-group loyalties and social roles, education and informal socialization practices and progressively rewarding experiences derived from the activities of common markets. On the other hand, Schmitter (1971: 233) is quite explicit about his revisionist intentions, offering ‘a revised formalization of the neo-functionalist or structuralist theory of the political consequences of regional integration with pretensions to general comparative relevance. ’ the significant factor in this theory lies on the connection of the differing variables and hypothesis in accordance to the attitudes and perceptions of the populace, which represents numerous political groups and parties. It all depends, therefore, on whether one takes a broad or narrow definition of these groups. Schmitter does not explicitly address this question but a broad definition is clearly implied by his operationalization of the variables in question. Thus the variable â€Å"elite value complementarity† is operationalized by reference to ‘panel type survey data on the nature and intensity of commitment to similar goals within and across integrating units’. That the operationalization includes public opinion data is clear from the accompanying footnote which includes reference to Ingleharts work on public opinion and European integration. Similarly, regional identity is operationalized by reference to ‘panel survey research on selected samples exposed to intensive regional socialization; inference from single surveys on the residual importance of regional contacts/level of information when controlled for other variables’, and Ingleharts work is again cited (Schmitter 1971: 252). Thus, we can infer that neo-functionalism’s principles are geared towards the affirmation on the importance of public opinion. In the development of Nyes revised neo-functionalist model, public opinion enters the scheme at two points. First, attitudinal integration—described as definitive appeal—figures in an expanded list of ‘process mechanisms’. In addition to determining whether or not a regional identity exists, Nye argues that it is necessary to assess the degree of salience and urgency attached to it and whether or not it is accompanied by a ‘myth of permanence and inevitability’ (1971: 73). The other side of this variable is the persistence of competing national identities. Secondly, public opinion enters as a variable in the domestic arena influencing the actions of national political leaders. Actors in the original neo-functionalist model—mainly the integrationist technocrats and interest group representatives—need to be supplemented by ‘electoral or support politicians’ whose primary function is to legitimize the actions involved in regional integration. This implies a very clear role for public opinion in the process of integration, which is reinforced by the inclusion of ‘the category of mass opinion, or more accurately of opinion leaders, who create broad or narrow limits for the legitimacy of integrationist programs’ (1971: 63). Media is one of the major catalysts in the proliferation and in the validation of public opinion. Because through this, a political group can draw out what platforms they should espouse so that the electorate will vote for them. In terms of the electorate, public opinion will serve as their contribution in landscaping a new political condition, as well as the status quo of the preexisting politics. Since public opinion formulates how politics should operate there is a great necessity to ensure that such opinions are clearly express in order for it to be addressed and to be recognized. And the most effective means to satisfy such necessity is to use the media. The obvious question which then arises is why the new emphasis did not make an immediate impact on the research agenda. The problem was that, almost as soon as this broadening occurred and before it could really take hold, the theory itself seemed to be bypassed by events and treated by its authors, either explicitly or implicitly, as obsolescent. As noted earlier, it was rescued from oblivion by the resurgence of European integration in the mid-1980s. References: Haas, E. B. (1971). The Study of Regional Integration: Reflections on the Joy and Anguish of Pre-theorizing’. In Regional Integration: Theory and Research: Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press. Key, V. O. (1961). Public Opinion and American Democracy: New York: Knopf.

Concepts and Features of Game Engines

Concepts and Features of Game Engines Introduction This report will cover almost everything consumers and entry level developers may need to know or be interested to know about game engines, how they work and what theyre used for. This report will cover topics such as the history of game engines, different forms of engines (across multiple platforms), how game engines can be used by the community to create interesting things such as mods, plugins and standalone games. Not only that but I will cover the purposes of using a game engine, the various components involved in the game engine, how they are used and how they have evolved over the past 2-3 decades into what they are today. I will also look at what the future of game engines with technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and Graphics Rendering. The history of game engines 1989 Space Rogue Origin Systems The Space Rogue engine, created by Origin Systems, was released in 1989. This was a 3D engine and featured Texture Mapping. An addition that makes surfaces look more realistic or 3D, surfaces that would otherwise be flat, undetailed and dull. 1993 Doom ID Tech The Doom engine was created by ID Tech in 1993. This engine features a hybrid world which consists of 2D sprites in a 3D world. 2D sprites are characters in the game that are 2D and look the same regardless of what angle you are looking at them from. If you walk around them to what should be the back, the characters will rotate to face you. 1994 Storm Keep Storm Keep The Storm Keep engine was created by Storm Keep in 1994. This is a 3D engine in which the key feature was Motion Capture. This is where a person in real life wears a special suit which is hooked up to a computer which tracks movements and then applies them to a 3D model which can then be added to a game. This was used in Storm Keep, but not very well. Since the technologys appearance in Storm Keep, it has been vastly improved and better versions of this can be found in newer games such as FIFA. 1995 Quake Engine ID Tech The Quake Engine was created by ID Tech in 1995. This 3D engine featured multiple important features which can be found in most of the games developed today. These include advanced lighting, for example, shadows and Culling. Culling is the way a game engine only renders whats in sight. For example, if you have a large wall in front of you and behind the wall is some mountains provided the mountains are covered up by this wall, the character would not be able to see the mountains behind the wall. If the wall was removed and nothing else was blocking the view of the mountains, the mountains would be rendered. 1997 Renderware Epic Game The Renderware engine was created by Epic Game and released in 1997. This 3D engine was used in the development of hundreds of PS2 games and could be used across multiple platforms. 1998 Unreal Unreal The Unreal engine was created by Unreal and released in 1998. The first game to be released on this engine was Unreal, followed by Unreal Tournament. This engine was designed for the development of first person shooters, but was later used to develop roleplaying games. This engine also features a map editor. 2001 Cryengine Crytek The Cryengine was created by Crytek and released in 2001. This 3D engine featured pixel shaders, instead of vertex shaders. Pixel shaders result in more detailed textures because instead of taking relatively big portions of a texture and applying colours, like with vertex shaders, pixel shaders split these vertexes into individual pixels and texture each of them individually. As a result of the extra detail pixel shaders provide over vertex shaders, games that run the Cryengine require the user to have an insanely powerful PC to render the world and for the game to be playable. 2006 Frostbite Electronic Arts The Frostbite engine was created by Electronic Arts (or EA) in 2006. This 3D game engine was used in making the Battlefield games and Dragon Age. One of the key features of this engine is the destructible environment. This means that developers have to tools to give players the ability to use explosives or rocket launchers to blow holes in walls which they can then walk through, or collapse buildings with tanks like in Battlefield 4. 2D engines The purpose of a 2D game engine is to quickly and easily enable a developer to make a 2D engine without having to recode the core elements along the way. Examples include: Scripting languages; Artificial intelligence, or bots; Controls; Physics; Among others. Features of 2D game engines include: Scripting languages flash; Visual script dragging and dropping; Artificial intelligence; Physics; Sounds; Automatic scrolling; Built-in controls. Examples of 2D game engines include: Gamemaker; Construct 2D; Unity 2D; Scratch. 2D engines are designed for the development of simple games with basic features such as sprites. This is different to a 3D or mobile game engine as a 2D engine is not being designed with the idea of having the most advanced and capable features or with the idea of developing a simple and portable game which is optimised for smartphones and tablets. In a similar way to certain platforms not being suitable for certain games, certain game engines are not suitable for the development of certain games. For example, it is very easy for a developer to make a 2D game on Gamemaker (2D engine), but the same game would be very difficult to make on UDK (3D engine). However, it is easy to make a 3D game on UDK (3D engine), but it would be difficult to make the same game on Gamemaker (2D engine). 3D engines The purpose of a 3D engine is to quickly and easily enable a developer to make a 3D game without having to recode the core elements along the way. Examples include: Scripting languages; Artificial intelligence, or bots; Controls; Physics; Auto scrolling; XYZ coordinates; Among others. Features of 3D engines include: Scripting languages flash; Visual script dragging and dropping; Artificial intelligence; Physics; Sounds; Automatic Scrolling; Controls; XYZ coordinates; Mesh (i.e. trees, bushes, etc). Examples of 3D game engines include: Rockstar Advanced Game Engine (RAGE); Unreal Development Kit (UDK); Quake Engine; Space Rogue; Renderware; Storm Keep Frostbite; Source; Unity; Doom. My favourite game engine of all of them is the Frostbite engine. This is the engine that powers the Battlefield series. I love the way that the destruction component is carried out in this engine. I love the fact that you can collapse buildings with your handheld rocket launcher or hop into a tank and destroy the support beams of a skyscraper. Its also great when youre looking for the edge in a first person shooter, you can grab your explosives and blow a massive hole in a wall which you could then use to snipe out of. I think the destructible environment is definitely one of my favourite features. A 3D game engine is designed to develop a game which has advanced features, one which requires 3D models, terrain, enhanced realism and increasingly a number of other things; such as, artificial intelligence, destruction, physics and sound. 3D engines are different to 2D and mobile engines as a 3D engine is not being designed to be lightweight, simple or portable. 3D engines are designed for developing games which require powerful hardware to run its games. Games developed using a 3D game engine are likely unsuitable for devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets as they have insufficient graphics cards and inadequate cooling solutions. Mobile engines The purpose of a mobile engine is to quickly and easily enable a developer to make a mobile game without having to recode the core elements along the way. Examples include: Scripting languages; Artificial intelligence, or npcs/bots; Physics; Controls; Automatic scrolling. Features of a mobile game engine include: Scripting languages; Artificial intelligence, or npcs/bots; Physics; Controls; Automatic Scrolling; Sounds; Meshes. Examples of mobile game engines include: All Binary Platform Engine; Android Box 2D. Mobile engines are designed for making games which are lightweight, portable and dont require a large amount of processing power to run smoothly. This game engine is designed to make games for platforms such as smartphones and tablets. This type of mobile engine is not suitable for developing 2D or 3D games. This is because these types of games require an engine designed with more features, better optimisations, in some cases, a level editor and more powerful computers. For this reason it would be very difficult for a developer to make a 2D or 3D game using this engine. Similarly, it would be very difficult for a developer to make a mobile game on a more powerful and unsuitable game engine such as Gamemaker (2D engine) and UDK (3D engine). Game mods A game mod is a way in which a 3rd party developer can modify a game. This may be by removing, modifying or adding features or gameplay elements. This is usually done with the hope of enhancing a game, making it more fun or easier to play. Notable examples of game mods include: Garys Mod Garys Mod is a popular sandbox physics game built on the Source engine, originally designed as a game mod for the Valve game, Half Life 2. In 2006, due to the popularity of Garys Mod it was then developed into its own standalone game which is available to download today on Steam. Garys Mod has no objectives, but gives the player a sandbox where players can do as they wish, free of restrictions. DayZ Mod The DayZ Mod was originally developed as a free extension to the popular game Arma 2. The DayZ Mod was a massively multiplayer online post-apocalyptic zombie game. The idea behind it was that players must survive the harsh original world by gathering supplies, ranging from food and clothing, to military equipment such as assault rifles and bullet proof vests. These supplies could then be used to fend off against zombies or other threats to life. The mod was so popular that in 2013, the developers released a full standalone version which was better optimised and used a new game engine altogether. The Stanley Parable The Stanley Parable is a game mod built on the Source engine. The mod was designed as an interactive story modification. The mod features no combat or action-based sequences, but instead the player is able to guide Stanley through a dreamlike environment. The Stanley Parable is available to buy on Steam. Due to the success of game modifications, such as The Stanley Parable, game developers have begun sponsoring teams of game modders in order to promote the development of standalone game modifications for their games. Purposes of game engines A game engine is the core developer tool used in developing computer games. This software is used to more quickly and efficiently enable a developer to create a game for individual or multiple platforms without having to recode core elements and game functionality. For example, the physics component of a game engine is responsible for providing the developer with the tools, or in other words, a reference library of game code which is used to implement physics and other components into their game. So, if the developer wanted to implement a gravity effect after a player jumps and reaches certain height pulling the player back down, the developer could make reference to a chunk of code in the reference library with a single line of code, in a similar way to how a developer would use an API; therefore allowing the developer to implement the physics element without having to unnecessarily recode, in this case, gravity and jumping. Game engines make game development much faster and more efficient as less code is required to carry out a particular function and less time is spent retyping the same code repeatedly. Utilising a game engine can also result in improved game performance on users PCs, as less processing power, memory and hard drive space is required to download, install and run the game code. Game engines are often wrongly confused for being the computer game itself. Game engines are used to make games development easier for programmers and to be adaptable to suit the needs of the developer and the game being developed. A simple explanation of a game engine would be to imagine the setup of a car and its engine. The car body is what you can physically see and the engine is what enables it the car to drive. In this analogy, the computer game is a cars body and the game engine is a cars engine. In a game, the game engine is responsible for driving many of the games core components, such as rendering what you see on screen and implementing other technologies including physics, collision detection and artificial intelligence the most important component being the rendering facility in 2D and 3D engines. A developer will use the design of the game engine (the car engine) to build up the body of the car around it (the game outputted to a display). Car engines can be moved and adapted to suit different car bodies, in a similar way to game engines. There are good examples of game engines, but there are also bad ones. Game engines which are well designed can be truly impressive those who fail to impress, can be quite pathetic. An example of a good and modern game engine would be the Frostbite engine, the Source engine or the RAGE engine. Examples of how poor quality game engines were used to make poor quality games are clearly present in the games, Big Rigs and Sonic Generations. In the Frostbite, Source and RAGE engine, many of the top tier games available to buy in 2015 and beyond, have been and will be developed using these engines; including, Battlefield 4, Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5. Components including graphics rendering, physics, destruction, artificial intelligence and collision detection were properly implemented which has resulted in these games being hugely popular and fun to play. In Big Rigs and Sonic Generations, the gameplay experience was, for the most part, less than satisfactory. Collision detection and physics being some of the notable examples of where the worst these games have to offer are put on show. Things such as trucks driving up an almost 90 degree mountain and trucks being able to drive through lamp posts and fences (as if they arent there) or Sonic (the hedgehog) swimming through walls, windows and doors. This is a screenshot of bad collision detection in Sonic Generations. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faoPYBN5Gc4. 14/10/15. Sonic can be clearly seen swimming through a window and if you continue to watch the video you will see he is able to walk through walls w/o the game doing anything at all to stop this. This is a screenshot of a truck driving up a cliff face (90 degree angle) very easily and at speed. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6DtVHqyYts. 14/10/15. What can be seen in the video and this screenshot of Big Rigs is completely unrealistic and would not happen in real life. This is an example of poorly designed physics and collision detection in an engine. Components featured the game engine, Frostbite 3, include: Controls; Physics; Sound; Collision detection; Artificial Intelligence; Destruction; Graphics Rendering; Animation; Cinematics; Visual Effects; Scripting languages dragging and dropping; Culling; And more. I would use this game engine in relation to the components listed above as they provide me, the developer, with the ability to create a destructible environment; in which I could use a rocket launcher to blast a whole into a wall which mine and other characters could then walk through. Not only that, but I would also be able to create an environment that looks stunning one with immersive cinematic and visual effects, which are complemented by the impressive sound options offered by this game engine. The development of game engines over the years has aided the development of games significantly. Early developments of the game engine component, Destruction, that can be seen in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loDmdpi0q3g are made to look rubbish in comparison to the incredible destructible environment depicted in this video of Battlefield 4 gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTLRZOcAPnw This is a screenshot of the destruction component from the videos above in Red Faction: This is example of the destruction component from the videos above in Battlefield 4: The first picture, which depicts an early form of the now very well developed game engine component destruction, shows a player with a rocket launcher firing rockets at a wall and blowing a clean whole in the wall with almost no debris left after the explosion. Now, look at the screenshot of the Battlefield 4 gameplay. This shows a tower which has just been hit from the back with a missile collapsing entirely and falling over before smashing into many large pieces of debris. The improvements overtime of how destruction actually works in games is a clear example of how game engines have developed overtime and more specifically the destruction components, to the clear advantage of 2D, 3D and mobile games, such as above. Graphics rendering Graphics rendering is the way in which a game engine loads the environment around you. It does this by taking a wire-frame model and applying different components to the individual vertexes. Textures which have had these components applied to them are known as 3D models. These components include: Shade; Colour; Texture; Reflection; Shadow; And more. We can make a wire frame model 3D using software such as Blender, Cinema 4D and Autodesk Maya. We can then import them into game engines like UDK and import them into a game. This software is very expensive, but there are good deals available, if youre a student. Graphics rendering is used in almost every (good) game available today. There are good examples of graphics rendering, but there are also bad ones. Examples of good and bad include Batman Arkam Knight and Sonic Generations, respectively. This is a screenshot of Batmans cape in the game, Batman Arkam Knight: Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsjmLNZtvxk. 14/10/15. This is a screenshot of Sonic in the game, Sonic Generations: Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN_nnwlmjws. 14/10/15. The graphics rendering that takes place in Batman Arkam Knight is on a whole new level in comparison to the rendering that takes place in Sonic Generations. The screenshot of Batman Arkam Knight shows Batmans cape. This cape is made up of approximately 20 thousand vertexes, in which graphics rendering components are applied to every pixel individually a technology known as pixel shaders. This game is also known to run at a buttery-smooth 60 frames per second. This is incredible considering the immense amount of graphics performance required to render 20 thousand vertexes and then each of the pixels individually, 60 times per second. Most likely, one of the only reasons this is practical to run is because of the optimisation for certain hardware the game developers will have performed. Sonic, on the other hand, is made up of approximately 200 vertexes and runs at a significantly less smooth 30 frames per second. This means that the game which is already significantly less detailed, only runs at 30 frames per second. That means that the graphics processor only has to render 200 vertexes, 30 times a second. In truth, this may sound like a lot, but in comparison to Batman Arkam Knight it doesnt even scratch the surface. One of the reasons it is so complicated designed a game and optimising it to run with computer hardware properly at reasonable frame rates is because, most of the time, especially in sandbox games you dont know what the player is going to do until they do it. So the game has constantly got to render what is in the players view and nothing else. If the game rendered everything all at once, most computers would not be able to run it due to the immense amount of processing power required and if they could, it most likely wouldnt be a very enjoyable or playable experience. Collision detection Collision detection is the component of a game engine which recognises two objects have interacted with each other when they collide and, in most cases, providing a response. An example of this is a player in a first person short being shot in the head which causes the player to die. In some instances, the corpse will have a ragdoll effect (the body will flop to the ground in a random way. Another good example of collision detection is a player that is underwater only having 10 seconds from the time they entered until they drown. In summary, collision detection is interaction and response. This is a screenshot of bad collision detection in Sonic Generations. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faoPYBN5Gc4. 14/10/15. In the screenshot, Sonic can be clearly seen swimming through a window and if you continue to watch the video you will see he is able to walk through walls w/o the game doing anything at all to stop this. This is an example of bad collision detection. This is a screenshot of good collision detection in Fifa 16. Source: http://www.balls.ie/football/the-5-most-significant-changes-to-fifa-16-review. 15/10/15. The screenshot above shows a Football player in Fifa 16 who is about to kick a ball. This is an example of good collision detection. This is because as soon as the players foot makes contact with the ball, the foot doesnt go through the ball it stops on the surface and the ball goes flying across the pitch. This is how collision detection should and does work in Fifa 16. This is, however, not the case in Sonic Generations. When Sonic walks hit the building in Sonic Generations, he should hit the wall and have a sore face not go swimming through as he can be seen doing in the screenshot and videos above. Poor collision detection not only makes the game look broken and unfinished but it can sometimes make the game almost impossible to play. A simple example of collision detection would be to consider the game, Operation. This is when you have to extract bones from the character on your operating table without touching the sides of his insides which would result in a buzzer sound. Artificial intelligence (AI) Artificial intelligence is the component of a game engine which enables developers to make non-playable characters mimic real-life humans or animals in a game. This can be done by using scripting languages and artificial intelligence components of a game engine to implement pathfinders. A pathfinder is the way an npc is made to go from point A to point B, walk back and so on. In Metal Gear Solid 5, artificial intelligence is used to make npcs follow predefined paths and mimic real life humans. The npcs continuously follow their paths on repeat until they detect the presence of a character that should be there. An interesting thing players can do to disguise themselves (and trick the npcs) is by wearing a cardboard box with a picture of a saluting soldier on the side of it and lie still whilst the npcs looking or investigating them. The npc then sees the image of the solider on the side of the box and is made to believe the picture to be a real soldier in the game, before returning to the pathfinder its been set. If the npc does investigate and find that the player is there when they shouldnt be, the npc will engage in combat with the player, usually until the player or npc is dead. This screenshot shows a soldier on a cardboard box being used as a disguise as the enemy. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czS6MZI2ib8. 15/10/15. Other examples of ways the npcs can be tricked is by putting a picture of a naked lady on the side of the box. This causes the npc to come running towards the box believing that the picture is a real lady. At which point, the player can then sneak past or kill the soldier whilst he is distracted. This an example of good collision detection in a game. This screenshot shows a naked lady on the side of a cardboard box being used as a distraction. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czS6MZI2ib8. 15/10/15. An example of bad artificial intelligence is in Mario Kart 64. When you are in a race, once your character is a certain distance ahead of bots youre playing against, they automatically get a speed boost to catch up with you. This doesnt make sense, it is unfair and is a clear example of how artificial intelligence can be very poorly implemented and not very well thought out in games This screenshot shows a Mario Kart game where the player is playing against bots and is in first place. He has just completed a full lap around the bots and as soon as he reaches them, they get a speed boost and suddenly they are all travelling much faster him. Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JV-kMYLYCo. 15/10/15. When you compare artificial intelligence in Mario Kart 64 and Metal Gear Solid 5. Metal Gear Solids artificial intelligence is on a completely different level to Mario Karts. In Metal Gear Solid, the AI is well thought out, it makes sense and it performs as advertised. In Mario Kart 64, as soon as youre winning the race by so much the game compensates for the poor driving performance of the bots and gives them a completely unrealistic and quite frankly, ridiculous speed boost advantage. An early example of artificial intelligence and collision detection is Pacman. In Pacman, the ghosts move around in random directions. If the ghosts go within a collision detection box with pacman inside it, the ghosts are then able to see Pacman and then head towards him for a meal. The screenshot below shows a pacman being chased by a ghost in Pacman. Source: https://www.google.com/doodles/30th-anniversary-of-pac-man. 15/10/15. The future of artificial intelligence in game engines is coming to be a reality very fast. Developments of

The History Of Computers :: essays research papers

THE HISTORY OF COMPUTERS In 500 B.C. the abacus was first used by the Babylonians as an aid to simple arithmetic. In 1623 Wihelm Schickard (1592 - 1635) invented a "Calculating Clock". This mechanical machine could add and subtract up to 6 digit numbers, and warned of an overflow by ringing a bell. J. H. Mueller comes up with the idea of the "difference engine", in 1786. This calculator could tabulate values of a polynomial. Muellers attempt to raise funds fails and the project was forgotten. Scheutz and his son Edward produced a 3rd order difference engine with a printer in 1843 and their government agreed to fund their next project. In 1886 Dorr D. Felt (1862 - 1930) invented the "comptometer". This was the first calculator where the operands are entered by just pressing keys. In 1889 in also invents the first printing desk calculator. Herman Hollerith (1860 - 1929) founded IBM ( as the Tabulating Machine Company ) in 1896. The company renames known as IBM in 1924. In 1906 Lee D. Forest in America developed the electronic tube (an electronic value). Before this it would have been impossible to make digital electronic computers. In 1919 W. H. Eccles and F. W. Jordan published the first flip-flop circuit design. George Stibitz constructed a 1-bit binary adder suing relays in 1937. This was one of the first binary computers. In the summer of 1941 Atanasoff and Berry completed a special purpose calculator for solving systems of simultaneous linear equations, later called "ABC" ( Atanasoff Berry Computer). In 1948 Mark I was completed at Manchester University. It was the first to use stored programs. In 1951 whirlwind was the first real-time computer was built for the US Air Defense System. In 1953 it was estimated that there were 100 computers in the world. Computers built between 1959 and 1964 are often regarded as the "second generation" computers, based on transistors and printed circuits - resulting in much smaller computers. 1964 the programming language PL/1 released by IBM. 1964 the launch of IBM 360. These first series of compatible computers. In 1970 Intel introduced the first RAM chip. In 1975 IBM 5100 was released. In 1976 the Apple Computer Inc. was founded, to market Apple I Computer. Designed to Stephen Wozinak and Stephan Jobs. In 1979 the first compact disk was released around 1981 IBM announced PC, the standard model was sold for $2,880.00. In 1994 according to Microsoft MS-DOS was running on some 100 million computers worldwide.

Laura Searing :: essays research papers

Laura Searing was one of only a few women of the 19th century who was a respected journalist. She was on the staff of several publications and acted as a war correspondent during the American Civil War. She conducted interviews with soldiers and Union Army Commander Ulysses S. Grant on battlefields along with interviewing President Abraham Lincoln for a story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Laura’s poetry was published extensively and praised by literary greats like John Greenleaf Whittier and William Cullen Bryant. She was the first woman during her lifetime to have a town named after her. All of this is great but it becomes amazing when you consider that from the age of 11 Laura Searing was deaf.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  She was born on February 9, 1840 in Somerset County, Maryland. Her family moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1851 and that is when she contracted cerebrospinal meningitis. This left Laura deaf and with a speech impediment that left her only able to speak in sepulchral tones. Throughout her life, Laura depended on written communication until she was 15 and attended the Missouri School for the Deaf. This is where she learned sign language.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While attending the institution Laura composed essays and poetry on subjects such as religion, politics, nature and her own deafness. For her class graduation Laura wrote a farewell poem and gave a speech at commencement which was both published in the American Annals of the Deaf. Her first professional work was done for a church in St. Louis. Her work impressed the editors at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch so much that they hired her. When the Civil War began the newspaper sent her to Washington D.C as its war correspondent. To avoid offending other readers who thought that journalism was â€Å"man’s work,† all of her writing was published under the name Howard Glyndon. But it was not very effective. It was largely known that Howard Glyndon was a woman and it was accepted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Laura’s first two books were published during the wartime period. â€Å"Notable Men in the House† was a series of informal mini-biographies that were each based on a different congressman. â€Å"Idyles of Battle and Poems of the Republic† was a group of war poems. Laura went to Europe in 1865 where she continued to write stories for the St. Louis Republican and the New York Times and the New York Sun. She returned to the U.

Abner and Sarty Snopes in Barn Burning :: Barn Burning Essays

Abner and Sarty Snopes The nature of the relationship between father and son in William Faulkner's Barn Burning is displayed in the first paragraph of the story. In general a father-son relationship would be built on genuine respect, love, loyalty, and admiration. These building blocks were absent in Abner and Sarty Snopes relationship. Sarty's loyalty to his father appeared to come from a long time fear of the consequences of not obeying his father's commands. The "nigger" that could place the blame on Abner was not to be found. Was Faulkner inferring by this statement that the individual had been killed? If Abner had so little moral value to destroy a man's property, surely to protect himself from persecution he could destroy a man's life. Sarty knew he "smelled cheese, and more." He smelled the "fierce pull of blood." His father's blood, the blood of the family name, Snopes. Sarty knew he was also the son of the "barn burner." A name he heard hissing as they passed by boys in town. Sarty fought to defend his father and when hurt, he seemed to need the blood to remain for a while as a reminder of why he stayed with the man. Sarty viewed his father at times as "bloodless" and cut from "tin." Sarty could usually convince himself why his father was this way. The fact that he had to be a horse trader for four years hiding from the blue and the gray armies to exist by stealing or "capturing" as he called it, horses. Was Sarty to become a man like his father? It seems to be the fear that Sarty may have worried about many times. Young boys usually acquire the desire at sometime in their life to simulate their fathers'actions, perspectives on life and mannerisms. Fathers are examples to how they would like their sons to be. Abner probably thought it was the only way to be. Abner's past was not Sarty's, his future was not to be Sarty's either. For their views on life and the people in it were quite different. Abner Snopes looked at the mansion of Major de Spain as a symbol of inequality. A fact that he had too much and Abner had so little . Sarty looked at the vast mansion as a picturesque scene of "the grove of oaks and cedars and flowering trees and shrubs" almost as if it was a rerun of something he had was coming to him.

Discourse Community

McCarthy relates the classes Dave attended to a foreign country with a language that had to be learned in order to succeed. Dave struggled in his poetry class because he failed to learn the â€Å"foreign† language of the class. In this academic discourse, Dave had to learn to analyze and write essays that will, make [him] say something quite specific about the meaning of a poem (your thesis) and demonstrate how far [he has] progressed In recognizing and dealing with he devices a poet uses to expresses his Insights† (242).Because this was unlike what he had to do in his Freshmen Composition or Biology class, this approach was foreign to him. He was use to summarizing and proving his textual coherence but now he was more focused on new ways of thinking and writing for that class. HIS grades In the poetry class never Improved. The social aspects as well as his coherence Influenced his writing. Dave had a connection to the writing his both of his other classes but not to poe try.He thought that none of the poetry related except for the salary literary devices. He also felt that he was an outsider on the adolescence while his instructor wasn't. He would spend hours writing the essay to fulfill the required Manner and Quality just to have his errors pointed out without any explanation as to why they were wrong. Dave felt that, â€Å"In Poetry, more or less each poem is different, o it's not taught to you.You just have to figure it out from that poem itself and hope Dry. Forsook likes it† (251 This hindered Dive's chance of succeeding in the class. Because he saw that his writing was failing he could've asked to meet with the professor privately to discuss what he was doing wrong. The professor also could've had more guideline lectures and helped the students by pointing out some details in the poem that would've benefited their writing.

‘An Inspector Calls’ – Coursework Creatvie Writing

Dear Mr Priestley, I have chosen to stage your play, ‘An Inspector Calls' as I found it very appealing. The setting of the play was really attractive as it was written at the end of the Second World War. People wanted to entertain themselves after so much tension and stress during the War. So a play based on life 30 years ago was perfect. However, this play did more than just entertain. It is a thought-provoking play which encourages people to think about society and responsibility. The audience in 1945 would have just experienced a terrible Second World War, with great loss and destruction. They would also be aware of the First World War which was an earlier catastrophe. The fact that the play was set in 1912 before the First World War, means that the audience have additional knowledge of the world, unlike the Birlings. As you have used the theme of responsibility, it reminded me that we all have responsibilities in our lives. There are still people who are going to war without realising the consequences and the effects on lives of innocent people. There are still people in the world today who are starving while people who are extremely rich and getting richer by the minute take no note of the poor. There are people around us who are peddling drugs without thinking of its effect on countless children and members of the society. Throughout the play, the words ‘responsible' and ‘responsibility' are used by almost all the characters in the play at some point or the other. Each member of the family has a different attitude towards responsibility. There is a contrastive pair when Mr Birling's responsibility towards Eva is uncaring, brutal and miserly while his son, Eric's responsibility towards Eva is caring but naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve and selfish in a way. There is a similarity between Mrs Birling and Shelia. Mrs Birling and Sheila's responsibility to Eva is somewhat similar as they both share and accept their guilt on Eva's death. In real life, we all have different attitudes to responsibility for our parents, family, friends, work and school. In your play, you as the playwright, encourage people to seize the opportunity at the end of the war and give them a chance to build a better, more caring society. For example, just before the Inspector walks in to the Birling household unexpectedly, he creates a dramatic effect by his statement and the use of dramatic irony shocks the audience. The dramatic irony is Mr Birling who states that the Titanic will not sink (which actually famously sunk on its maiden voyage) and there will never be a World War as he states but actually the audience of 1945 had been through two World Wars â€Å"the world's developing so fast that it'll make war impossible if we do not adopt your message of responsibility to each other†. I loved the ending of the play. The ending leaves the audience on a cliff-hanger. Just when the family had started to feel that there had been no inspector coming to speak to them about a suicide, the final telephone call is heard and announces that a real inspector is on his way to ask questions about a young girl's suicide. The tension comes back flooding in. It is a surprising final twist. I was inspired to produce my own version of the play after having seen the National Theatre Production of ‘An Inspector Calls'. I particularly liked the use of music because it created an effective atmosphere. I also liked the use of lighting because it is very attractive; the lighting involves the audience into the play. There are two dramatic devices used in this version: One is the setting; the setting is a dramatic device as you have described the key setting such as Mr Birling's house in detail. The house opens up like a doll's house, we can hear the voices of the actors inside which creates an eeriness. The Inspector is in the street outside speaking, with children walking around as though they were homeless. The Inspector was dressed up in dark suit with an overcoat. Lighting also makes an effect as it reflects the mood of the play. In my production of ‘An Inspector Calls', some of the ideas I will be using are as follows: a proscenium stage (I developed this idea from the very first act of the play where the stage directions mentioned the rising of curtains.); I will also use different background music for entrances of key characters, such as the Inspector who may be accompanied by sombre and heavy sounds of the organ and Mrs Birling's entry may be with a light piano with a chirping sound. My use of music will reinforce the message of the play by drawing attention when responsibility or society is being discussed. Spotlights will only be used in underlining the significance of the entrances of key characters. I have realised that the Inspector's final speech in the play is one of the most important moments in the play because this speech contains a wide range of rhetorical techniques which include: the use of contrastive pairs; the rhythm of language for example, the length of sentences, the effects of pauses. These techniques forces the characters in the play as well as the audience who are watching the play to rethink their understanding of major issues like responsibility, truth and inclusiveness of all members of the society. As we are not alone in society, we have to think of the other members of the society with sympathy and compassion. He reminds everyone about the importance of responsibility and society. To direct the Inspector's final speech, I will start off with the argument between Mr. Birling, his wife and Eric about who is really responsible for Eva Smith's death. Tension will rise by the effect of dramatic background music. Next, halfway through the argument, the Inspector says â€Å"STOP!† really loudly as if he is commanding everyone present like a director and the background music will stop. Then, slowly, he will start his final speech. When the Inspector says â€Å"One Eva Smith has gone – but there are millions†, he will use one finger to enhance the uniqueness of Eva and to include everyone he will open up his arms when he says â€Å"millions†. When he says â€Å"but there are millions and millions and millions of Eva Smiths and John Smiths still left with us†, he should open and merge his arms in a gesture to include everyone in the audience. By using repetition, he is showing the vast amount of people that will need help at some point in their lives. When he says, â€Å"their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness†, we hear â€Å"their† as a repetitive word. â€Å"†¦with their lives, their hopes and fears, their suffering and chance of happiness†, makes up a rhythm of the sentence by using â€Å"their†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . This rhythm is effective because â€Å"their† is being repetitive. The phrase is an oxymoron because there are words that seem to be the opposite of each other and is also a contrastive pair as we see â€Å"hopes and fears† connect with â€Å"suffering and chance of happiness†. The phrases are powerful and memorable because they help involve the audience by using â€Å"hopes and fears† and â€Å"suffering and chance of happiness†. Next, when he says â€Å"We don't live alone. We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other†, he would give a dismissal look at the Birlings when he says â€Å"We don't live alone† and he point his finger at the family to say that â€Å"We are members of one body. We are responsible for each other†. The word â€Å"We† indicates that the Inspector is talking positively about society, responsibility and caring for others. Here we have an important listing of three things emphasising how nobody should be alone but be together, caring and being cared for. â€Å"We† and â€Å"Millions† being repeated here and are two of the key words in this speech. The Inspector wants to show us that we have to responsible for each other and care for others in society. The use of â€Å"I† in the sentence, â€Å"And I tell you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  makes the audience feel the Inspector is sincere. There are negative moments in the speech as well: â€Å"then they will be taught in fire and blood and anguish.† indicates that the Inspector is talking negatively about the Birlings' as they only care about themselves and not for others around them, which makes the Birlings' selfish and rude. â€Å"Fire and blood and anguish† also makes a list of three things, a rhetorical technique which makes the speech both appealing and memorable. I would like to invite you to see my production. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. Yours sincerely, Your name

Individualism vs Conformity

Individualism vs. Conformity The lives of human beings are centered around the thin blue line that separates conformity and individuality. Many times one is confused and rushed, and this line is drawn too short or too long, thus being too much of a conformist or an individual. The â€Å"individual,† in the American conception, is an independent and inventive agent, relatively autonomous and morally responsible to him or herself.A widespread of specific propositions concerning â€Å"human nature† was derived from this ethnocentric premise. While these cultural propositions are still maintained, at least on the ideal level, in reality a considerable degree of dependency and conformity has developed. Conformity is, in a sense, the remedy for isolation. In the opinion of many Americans, this trend threatens standards of individualism by personal property and product, decisions amongst American youth, and conformity as a whole.First and foremost since the beginning of time, men and women were ideally allowed to voice disagreement with the decisions and practices of the authorities, they were expected to choose the occupation of their preference and be self-supporting, and encouraged to follow their own convictions and beliefs. A number of regulations have been introduced, presumably guaranteeing security and consistency of economic well-being for all Americans; these include, for example, Social Security, Medicare, and other similar measures.However, claims are made that freedom is no longer clearly tied to a social system of private property and passive government. Aside from human property there is human production. In the industrial realm, modern technology and its efficiency have resulted in establishing norms and standards for production as well as consumption. Efficiency and expediency has always been of fascination to outside observers. In the course of this growing industrial efficiency and expediency, individualistic and creative participation in the production process has become greatly reduced for the vast majority of employees.There is even a question whether the product itself meets standards of individuality and uniqueness, since it has been mass-produced and is designed to suit the tastes of thousands of people. Secondly, American youth, on one hand, are brought up in the knowledge of American history, which includes many well-known and glorified examples of individualism and are encouraged to practice this â€Å"truly American† trait. On the other hand, however, American youth are constantly challenged to conform to national and patriotic standards requiring high degrees of conformity to majority opinion.There is a widespread public opinion which perceives an expression of independent individual thinking and believing but as subversive and â€Å"un-American† conduct. One is inclined to conclude that the original individualism is now at war with a strong emphasis on conformity. It appears then that th ere is a serious discrepancy between the American ideal of â€Å"rugged individualism† and its actual implementation. A teenager has to learn carefully that this blueprint for American individualism is not generalizable and that there are definite areas of limitations and prohibitions.The fact of non-generalizability destroys the simplicity and predictability of always responding in identical or similar ways, thereby complicating the learning process and rendering the behavioral blueprint. Conformity is some sort of a psychological shelter. If one does not know what to do and are scared, it is natural to follow the steps of others so that eventually one can find a group to take shelter in. Conformity is essential to life. Humans, being complex animals, live in a society that functions as a whole.If there is a mistake, the entire system may crumble. So, they are obligated to pay taxes and respect the law so that they can stay together as a whole. Conformity is perfectly natura l. Everyone naturally wants to belong to something bigger. They naturally want to be accepted by others. However, in modern terms this acceptance can only be obtained by going further than natural conformity and stepping into popular conformity. At that certain stage Americans tend to follow the same trends in style and personal taste, whether it is music, movies, or even morals.In conclusion, individuality, like conformity, is essential to life even though modern society may not appreciate its value. At one point Americans want to be different from all the rest in one way or another. So one might dress a bit differently and choose to do things that intrigue one another. And, for once, individuals might form our opinions based on what they really feel. However, sooner or later Americans are forced to curb their spontaneous desires so that society does not label everyone as eccentric or weird.Modern life is confusing, so sometimes the vision is blurred and the choices, made in the mi dst of confusion, may force people in extreme directions of either conformity or individuality. Many Americans may follow everyone in everything they do, or may so much of an individual that they become somewhat of a hermit. Yet the trends that threaten standards of individualism by personal property and product, decisions amongst American youth, and conformity as a whole may show a sign of weakness. However, conformity may dominate the lives of Americans, but there is always the chance to make a mark, to become more of an individual than a clone.

Abigail Williams compared to Adolf Hitler and Joseph McCarthy Essay

Arthur Miller’s character from The Crucible, Abigail Williams, was a beautiful girl who had a hold on people’s lives. She lied to protect herself and caused chaos for everyone in the town of Salem because all of the right people believed her. History repeats itself, and what Abigail has caused and done has been done many times. During our existence, Adolf Hitler and Joseph McCarthy repeated the same sort of chaos as Abigail Williams had done. Adolf Hitler was a German dictator who spread a rumor that Jews were the cause of Germany’s problems, had the power to have them killed, and had six million Jews killed. Hitler could have anything done because he sympathized with the people and had the people and the Nazi army on his side. Just like Abigail did when she spread the rumors of witches and had others back her accusations up; â€Å"MARY WARREN: She sees nothin’! ABIGAIL: She sees nothin’! MARY WARREN: Abby, you mustn’t! ABIGAIL AND ALL THE GIRLS: Abby, you mustn’t!† (1209). Abigail also sympathized with the Church, for the Church was aware of witches and if there was an accusation towards a person most of those people who were accused would die. Saying the names of different people who were supposedly witches would cause their death. Joseph McCarthy was a senator who between 1940 & 1950 made a public accusation that, more than two hundred â€Å"card-carrying† communists had infiltrated the United States government, including the author, Arthur Miller. This caused a heightening of paranoia and a hunt for these people. The hunt was notoriously difficult on writers and entertainers who were called communist sympathizers. The writers and entertainers would get their passports taken away, or jailed, but most importantly the well publicized trials of these artists could destroy their careers when tried as a communist sympathizer. Both of these men had influence on people that caused great chaos in others life similar to what Abigail did in her time. Joseph McCarthy made an accusation that started paranoia and accused many people of being a communist sympathizer, like Abigail did when she said the names of â€Å"Sarah Good†, â€Å"Goody Osburn†, â€Å"Bridget Bishop† (1156), and others who were supposedly witches and who she supposedly saw with the devil and got them killed. Adolf Hitler had about six million Jews killed because he thought it would solve Germany’s problems and bring peace. Abigail had the people in town killed because it would be the solution to get out of Salem unharmed. In all three situations they had people agree with what they said and made it a much more believable to more and more people than what a specific person believed. Adolf Hitler, Joseph McCarthy, and Abigail Williams all had something in common; they had the ability to have many people believe things that were not true and have action to execute that individuals plan. Whether it was to have someone executed, put on trial, or have people believe the malarkey that they were speaking, they all had a chaos that started with Abigail and repeated itself in a different way but same concept.