Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Review

'Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' Review Mark Twains Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the most celebrated novels in American literaturearguably the greatest novel in American literature. As such, the book is frequently  taught in high school English, college literature classes, American history classes, and every other opportunity teachers can find.   The justification usually cited is its commentary on the social institutions of slavery and discrimination; however, no less important is the aspect of the story that demonstrates one boys coming of age. Mark Twain ends The Adventures of Tom Sawyer with the cryptic statement: So endeth this chronicle. It being strictly the history of a boy, it must stop here; the story could not go much further without becoming the history of a man. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, on the other hand, contains much less of the perpetual jokes and scrapes of the first book. Instead, Huck is faced with the emotional growing pains of becoming a man in a morally flawed society. At the beginning of the novel, Huck lives with the Widow Douglas, who wants to sivilize Huck, as he puts it. Although he dislikes the restraints society puts on him (i.e. stiff clothing, education, and religion), he prefers it than going back to living with his drunken father. However, his father kidnaps him and locks him up in his house. Therefore, the first major chunk of the novel focuses on the abuse Huck experiences at the hands of his fatherabuse so bad that he must fake his own murder in order to escape alive. Escape to Freedom After staging his death and running away, Huck meets up with Jim, a runaway slave from the village. They decide to travel down the river together. Both of them are running away to gain their freedom: Jim from slavery, Huck from his fathers abuse and the Widow Douglass restrictive lifestyle (although Huck does not see it that way yet). For a major part of their journey together, Huck views Jim as property. Jim becomes a father figurethe first Huck ever had in his life. Jim teaches Huck right and wrong, and an emotional bond develops through the course of their journey down the river. By the last segment of the novel, Huck has learned to think like a man instead of a boy. This change is most poignantly demonstrated when we see the melodramatic prank that Tom Sawyer would have played with Jim (even though he knows that Jim is already a free man). Huck is genuinely concerned with Jims safety and well-being, whereas Tom is only interested in having an adventurewith complete disregard for Jims life or Hucks concern. Coming of Age Tom is still the same boy as the one in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but Huck has become something more. Experiences that he has shared with Jim on their journey down the river have taught him about being a man. Although Adventures of Huckleberry Finn contains some very poignant critiques of slavery, discrimination, and society in general, it is also important as the story of Hucks journey from boyhood to manhood.

How to Launch Your Very Own Podcast the CoSchedule Way

How to Launch Your Very Own Podcast the Way Do you love podcasts? Of course, you do. And you’re not alone. About 48 million people listen to them each year up 6 million from last year. One-third of Americans (ages 25-54) listen to podcasts monthly, so they’re not just for nerds anymore. Its not too late to jump in the game. The time is now. Want to start a podcast? How do you do it? How much does it cost? What equipment and technology will I need? How do I land the best guests? If you dont even know where to begin, fear not. Nathan Ellering and Jordan Loftis of are here to talk about the early days of the Actionable Marketing Podcast (AMP) and lessons they learned along the way. AMP podcast was created as a supplement to ’s blog and reach new audiences Smart people use as a tool, so the podcast gave the company an opportunity to build relationships with them Finding guests can be intimidating; start with those around you,then feature customers and their stories and experience using your product and services AMP was initially focused on content marketing; but people who do content marketing, do it as one part of marketing thats not all they do AMP gives you helpful information, and expect you to act upon it If you want a podcast, start simple with just a microphone, room, and people to talk to; thats all you need don’t over-complicate it and learn as you go Listening to and looking at yourself at first is weird; may sound like a 12-year-old chipmunk and look like Harry Potter in flannel Ultimately, when it comes to podcasts, its about the content whether it gets shared and how it connects with people High-priced and high-tech mics and other equipment are not necessary; keep the cost low when starting a podcast look around to see what you already have Necessities: Mic, filter for that mic, Internet connection, call recorder, and quiet room; use Libsyn or some other podcast hosting option Interviewing: Can be kind of a nerve-wracking experience do it to learn it; #1 thing when interviewing is to be the listeners advocate or sit in the listeners seat Build credibility to snag big-name guests; but don’t try to just name-grab, invite people who you think highly of and offer incredible value Links: Andy Crestodina Gini Dietrich ’s Blog Libsyn Neil Patel Michael Brenner Rand Fishkin Pat Flynn Noah Kagan Amy Porterfield Content Marketing World Write and send a review to receive a care package If you liked today’s show, please subscribe on iTunes to The Actionable Content Marketing Podcast! The podcast is also available on SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Google Play. Quotes: â€Å"We knew that we had some really smart people who use as a tool, and it gave us an opportunity to build relationships with those people.† Nathan Ellering â€Å"Something that we want to do is not just give you some information that is somewhat helpful; we want to make sure that you can actually act upon it.† Nathan Ellering â€Å"If you dont start, youll never learn. So, dont let the fear of getting started prevent you from actually starting your own podcast.† Nathan Ellering I think the number one thing that Ive learned interviewing people is try to be the listeners advocate or sit in the listeners seat. Jordan Loftis

Addressing Libya's Past Injustices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Addressing Libya's Past Injustices - Essay Example As demonstrated by Kyriakakis (2009, p. 333), the provisions of the ICC laws include prosecution of persons who have committed crimes against humanity. Furthermore, according to article 5 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998), the international tribunal has jurisdiction to crimes of genocide, aggression and war crimes. BBC News Africa (2011) reported the capture of Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam with the new prime minister of Libya saying that Saif will get a fair trial in Libya. Because Saif is accused of ordering killings during the regime of his slain father Muammar Gaddafi, it is therefore appropriate that the Libyan authorities hand him to the ICC for trial. Additionally the BBC News Africa, (2011) shows that the chief prosecutor of the International criminal court, Luis Moreno Ocampo promises a fair trial for Saif if he is submitted to the international tribunal. Moreover, Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (1998) provides ju risdiction of the court to the crimes of murder and torture which are parallel to the allegations against Saif al-Islam. According to Kyriakakis (2009, p. 336), the universality principle of the International Criminal Court as provided by the international law gives the ICC criminal jurisdiction regardless of country or nationality. Therefore despite the fact that Libya was opposed to the Rome treaty, the allegation that the ICC cannot claim jurisdiction of crimes committed outside the boundaries of the Rome treaty cannot prevent it from prosecuting people who commit crimes against humanity. However, the assertion of the new prime minister of Libya that Saif will be tried locally is not based on ICC jurisdiction. As a result, the ICC should provide the court trial for the Libyan leader. The ICC upholds human rights through its laws and its role is to protect the dignity of people through prosecution and punishment of individuals who commit dehumanizing crimes. The ICC claims that Sa if Gaddafi who was presumed to be the successor of his father played a leading role in organizing the killing of Libyan civilians as explained by the Asian News Monitor (2011). This amounts to genocide, which according to the laws of the ICC gives the international tribunal a mandate to prosecute Saif Gaddafi. Moreover, there could be political influence in local hearings of the Saif case, which could compromise the achievement of a fair trial. It should be noted that the ICC must have evidence to support its accusations against the Libyan leader before he is convicted of the alleged crimes. The arrest of Saif al-Islam by the militia force which is allied to NTC should therefore present the leader to the ICC to warrant the beginning of investigation by the international tribunal. This is because the ICC is described by the BBC News Africa (2011) as having reasons to belief that Saif al-Islam was involved in the alleged crimes through evidence material. Further investigation by the c ourt will back the current evidence of the crimes committed by the leader. Moreover, the trial at ICC is more likely to be unbiased and objective as compared to a local tribunal in Libya. Further support for the ICC hearing of the Saif case is demonstrated by the fact that the laws of the ICC provide for confirmation hearings before the actual court cases are heard. This means that if the arrested leader is submitted to the ICC, the international tribunal will thoroughly evaluate the prosecutor’s evidence to pave way for a fair trial. Trial will only occur if the evidence against the Libyan arrested leader meets the minimum threshold of crime beyond which ICC jurisdiction is justified. The need for an ICC trial for Saif al-Islam is

The extinction of Chinese Sturgeons Research Paper

The extinction of Chinese Sturgeons - Research Paper Example This is considered the longest migration of up to 3200kms up the Yangtze River (Meadows). Although the females can carry an excess of a million eggs in one cycle, their reproductive capacity in each cycle is very poor. They breed only three to four times in their lifetime with a survival rate to hatching at only 1% (Zhuang). As earlier stated the Chinese sturgeon is largely dispersed along the main streams of the Yangtze River and the coastal areas of Qiantang, Minjiang and also the Pearl River. The Chinese sturgeons feed on most aquatic animals for example the aquatic insects, larvae, diatoms and the humic substances. The Chinese sturgeon is highly sensitive to increased noise on the river which is caused by the growing river traffic and are generally vulnerable to death and injury by boat propellers (Chen). The Chinese sturgeon has a habit of upstream migration; they migrate up rivers for reproduction once they reach sexual maturity. Most of the sturgeons will spawn in the fresh waters and then migrate to the salt waters to mature and breed their young. The primitive nature of the Chinese sturgeon sets it apart as a great academic interest in taxonomy and biology. It is for this reason that the Chinese government has devised ways to breed and preserve this endangered species. It is classified as China’s most protected Animals. In 1982 the Chinese Government built a Museum in the Chinese sturgeon institution which is used for artificial breeding procedures to try and preserve the endangered Chinese sturgeon, The Chinese Sturgeon Museum is located in a small island known as Xiaoxita in the Huangbo River within the district of Yiling. This reserve is one of Chinas several conservation programs that is geared towards the preservation of this endangered species (Birstein V). To also reduce the threats against the Chinese sturgeons, the Government of china took the initiative of closing commercial fishing since the year

Self introduction Essay Example for Free

Self introduction Essay Everyone has his characters to lead him to success. In other words, characters such as cheerful are unique and these are the factors to make them achieving their goal. In my case, I am stubborn to do anything, including my study even playing basketball. In my secondary school life, my teacher told me that I was headstrong and enlarged the unhappiness to make my emotion in trouble. I just realize what he told me before when I faced my HKAL exam but I find that this character can guide me to reach my goal. To get in University, I spent so much time on it and I encounter many problems and failures, especially in English. However, obstinacy helps me to tackle with the problems and finally I achieve my aim. I kept spending over 10 hours every day around a year to prepare my HKAL exam when I was form 7 student. I expected I can get a good result in the exam but unfortunately I was fail in my UE subject. This made me to be disappointed and helpless because the HKAL exam was replaced by the DSE exam. It means that there are no second chances for HKAL candidates to retake the exam and they have to seek other ways to continue their studies. Without any option, associate degree is my only way to reach my goal and I planned to spend a year to obtain a degree offer. Finally, the dream comes true and I can major in my favourite subject. Obstinacy causes me to keep chasing my goal even I faced many problems and failures. Sometime it motivates a person to keep moving on and achieve success. However, stubborn character makes my emotion in trouble duo to the enlargement of the sadness. I always recall the unhappiness and enlarge it by my imagination. In fact the issues may not be that negative as I think and I am not willing to seek any help. My mental health is suffered by this character and I have to learn to deal with it. Over insisting on my point also is one of my drawbacks. Sometimes when I discuss or work with others to make a consensus, I take a firm stand on my view and do not want to consider the others’ ideas. Thus the teamwork and morale are damaged by the conflicts Even I am suffered by the obstinate character, it practices me to be tough to cope with problems. It also benefits my future career in education. I can share my experience about how to face the failures to encourage students to  pursue their goal. Also obstinacy can help me to tackle with the problems as I faced before. Obstinacy is not just a negative impact for a person. For me, it also motivates me to move on and helps me to reach my goal.

Expanding Perception in Alan Lightman’s Einsteins Dreams :: Lightman Einsteins Dreams Essays

Expanding Perception in Alan Lightman’s Einstein's Dreams To attempt to describe Einstein's Dreams would be like trying to explain magic. For example, imagine that a magician holds a ping-pong ball playfully, transferring it from one hand to the other. The magician invites the audience to examine a red silk kerchief that had been neatly tucked into his jacket's front pocket. He then lays the kerchief flat in his left hand and places the ping-pong ball in that kerchief-covered palm. The magician gathers the four corners of the kerchief together, flings it into the air and lets it fall to the floor. He picks up the kerchief and presents it again to the audience for examination: The ping-pong ball is nowhere to be found. Can you say that, from reading this description, you were full of awe and wonder when you discovered the ping-pong ball's disappearance? I would wager that you were not. If you have ever read Einstein's Dreams, you can appreciate my dilemma. If you have not yet had the opportunity to experience this wonderful novel by Alan Lightman, I guarantee that after you read it you will expand your perception of the nature of time and of human activity. The novel is enchanting. It is a fictional account of what one of the greatest scientific minds dreams as he begins to uncover his theory of relativity. Whenever I suggest the novel to the uninitiated, they often say that they are not interested in the sciences. This novel is more like art and poetry, I reply. Einstein's Dreams is Lightman's first work of fiction, although he previously wrote at least six books and for several magazines. Lightman currently teaches physics and writing at M.I.T. From these two seemingly conflicting backgrounds come reviews like "A wonderfully odd, clever, mystical book of meditations on time, poetically spare and delightfully fresh" and "Endlessly fascinating. A beguiling inquiry into the not-at-all theoretical, utterly time-tangled, tragic and sublime nature of human life." Only sixteen of the 179 pages relate to Albert Einstein. The rest of the novel describes some of his "dreams" from April 15 to June 28, 1905. What if time were a circle? What if cause and effect were erratic? What if the passage of time brought increasing order? What if we had no memories? What if time flowed backward? What if we lived for only a day? What if time were measured by quality and not quantity?

An Analysis of Broken Dreams by W.B. Yeats Essay

A lot of Yeats’ poems about love are linked back to the love of his life, Maud. She is represented in many forms in Yeats’ poetry and Broken Dreams is no exception. By using Maud, Broken Dreams involves themes such as loss, love and time. ‘THERE is grey in your hair. Young men no longer†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ In these first two lines Yeats has set the basis of what the poem will be about, comparing Maud to what she was like when she was young and what she is like during the writing of the poem. Yeats switches between the past and the present to present this but instead of using the past tense he goes back to how he remembers Maud and uses it as the present. It can therefore be inferred that Yeats does not want to let go of the past but has done it for so long that it has become his reality, it is no longer just in his dreams. The dream he is living is then broken when he sees her again looking old and grey. After Yeats’ dreams come the memories of the woman. In three of the five stanzas Yeats repeats the words ‘Vague memories, nothing but memories.’ Yeats’ actual memories of her have faded as he got older, another result of time and ageing. Yeats can only remember a small amount about her, a large amount of that being her looks and beauty, he has been dreaming about that one thing for so long that he has forgotten everything else about her. It is suggested that even the memories that he still has become blurred and they are not as they actually were. In the fourth stanza she enters a lake with one small imperfection that makes her stand out, but if she were to leave the lake it is implied that this imperfection will disappear and she will be utterly perfect. That imperfection is the one of her characteristics that makes her so appealing to Yeats and so even more memorable, if that were to go then perhaps he will forget her altogether. Both the themes of time and memory have been to do with the loss of it. Following on from losing the memories of her, Yeats contemplates never being able to see her again. When she goes into the lake it is not only the memory of her that becomes blurred but during the time that that happened she is getting away from him. ‘And I am afraid that you will run’, this suggests that the woman does not love Yeats as much as he loves her if at all. It could be interpreted that Yeats pushed her away with all the unwanted attention he was giving her rather than her leaving because she had to like Yeats sees it. Furthermore, towards the end of Broken Dreams, Yeats has written the line, ‘The last stroke of midnight dies.’ This is line to  sum up the theme of loss on a whole whether it is time or the loss of the woman. The stroke of midnight has awoken him from a dream state thinking about this beautiful woman, making Yeats realise that he has lost a large amount of time in the day as he could have been doing something more productive. As well as time there is also the loss and possible death of this woman as Yeats says ‘midnight dies’ instead of ends or finished. Focusing more closely on the woman, who is based on Maud, her Beauty is emphasised throughout Broken Dreams. At the start of the poem, her looks ‘Recovered him upon the bed of death.’ Her looks alone gave an old, dying man the will to live even though she is of old age herself. Further on in the poem Yeats describes her looks when she was younger, saying ‘You are more beautiful that anyone,’ these two pieces of the poem show that Yeats is completely fixated with the woman and perhaps even enchanted by her beauty. According to Yeats, she is the most beautiful person in the whole world, but that is merely an opinion Yeats has of her. This opinion on her looks leads him to believe that her beauty alone saved a man’s life when this most likely is not the case. The woman’s apparent beauty in Broken Dreams appears to have hypnotised Yeats into believing that she is a Goddess walking among us, something that I highly doubt.

Ge Case Study

Date: April 27, 2009 Course 5130: Strategic Thinking Session 3 Assignment: GE Case Study The culture at General Electric, before Jack Welch assumed his role as CEO in 1981, was highly decentralized, where significant emphasis on strategic planning was levied on 43 Strategic Business Units. However, Jack’s vision of changing the culture of the company was a priority to him. As a result, Jack began the culture change by replacing 12 of his 14 business heads. He replaced them with new managers who had a strong commitment to the new management values, with a willingness to break from the old culture, and had the ability to take charge and bring about change. Welch wanted to reflect a management style of openness, candor, and one of facing reality. In addition to the culture change, he wanted the culture to be characterized by speed, simplicity, and self-confidence. Instead of continuing with the old style bureaucracy characterized by large corporation, Welch wanted to create a culture of small companies where everyone had a voice and felt engaged in their business. One of the initiatives Welch implemented in the late 80’s, which was instrumental to changing the culture at GE, was called â€Å"Work-Out†. This process was designed to get unnecessary bureaucratic work out of the system while creating a forum in which management and employees could work out new ways of dealing with each other, and cut out the bureaucracy. This open style forum would bring 40 to 100 employees together to share their views about their business and how it might be improved. The â€Å"work-out† consisted of three-day sessions where employees would get the opportunity to lists all of their problems, debate solutions to these problems, and prepare presentations. On the 3rd day of the session, the employees would make their recommendations and the process would require the bosses to make decisions on the spot in front of every employee and their peers. Welch also focused of realigning skills sets and changing the mindset of his employees with GE’s new strategy and organizational imperatives. Because of this new demanding environment, some employees felt overworked and there was some residual distrust from the layoffs that took place during the 80’s; hence, he recognize this challenge and felt the need to redefining his commitment to his employees. As a result, a new psychological contract developed which gave a sense to the employees at GE that their jobs were the best jobs in the world. They had the best training and development resources, and they provided an environment committed to providing opportunities for personal and professional growth. Another initiative Welch took on, as a way to shock the culture at GE, was by introducing the notion of â€Å"stretch† to set performance targets. In addition to setting their basic targets, managers were asked to set stretch goals for their businesses as a way to reach for a higher mark knowing that they would be rewarded handsomely if they hit these goals. Within a year of introducing stretch goals into the organization, GE was reporting significant progress in areas such as inventory turns and operating margins. Finally, one of the last cultural changes Welch was able to integrate at GE was having a boundaryless company. This vision is characterized by an â€Å"open, anti-parochial environment, friendly toward the sharing and seeking of new ideas, regardless of its origin. He envisioned removing all barriers amongst disciplines and operations, and one that removed labels in titles and hierarchy chain. Equally important to having a boundaryless company was changing the internal mindset of selling products to helping their customer to win. In order to make all of these cultural changes, Jack Welch needed to make human resource changes which will allow him to execute on his vision to be the best company in the world. He introduced the 360degree feedback process where employees were graded by his or her manager, peers, and all subordinates on a 1 to 5 scale in areas such as team building, quality focus, and vision. Management went through rigorous appraisals, development, and succession planning reviews named Session C’s. Welch also wanted to make certain that they maintained their best employees. He asked top executives to identify future leaders, outline planned training and development plans, and detailed succession plans on all key jobs. He didn’t like the reward system of insignificant salary increases year after year. Instead, stock options became the primary component of management’s compensation. In their Crotonville facility, priority became to develop a generation of future leaders aligned with GE’s new vision and cultural norms. The place evolved from a training center to a place where teams of managers worked together on real priority issues and decided on results-oriented action. One of Welch’s concerns regarding some of his managers was their unwillingness to embrace the open and participative values he espoused. As a result, he categorized his leaders into 4 different types: ? First type delivers on commitments and shares the values of the organization. This type of leader certainly had a great future at GE. ? Second type was the complete opposite to the previous type. This type of leader did not deliver on commitments nor did he or she share the values of the organization. This individual did not last long at GE. ? Third type of leader misses his or her commitments but shared the company’s values. This individual would be given a second opportunity, most likely in a different environment. The fourth type of leader was one whom Welch, and most top managers, had more difficulty dealing with. This is the type of leader who delivers on his commitments, but does not share the values of the organization. These types of managers are typically characterized by being autocratic, and who forces performance out of their employees as opposed to inspiring his people. These types of leaders were e xposed during the 360 degree feedback process, and were subsequently let go. Finally, Welch envisioned only having â€Å"A† players across his organization. Individuals who displayed a vision, had leadership qualities, were energetic, and displayed courage. These individuals were characterized with the 4 E’s: had energy, could energize others, had an edge about them, and were able to execute their job. As a result, GE ranked their employees into the following 5 categories based on long term performance, also known as the â€Å"Vitality Cure†: 1) Top 10%, 2) Strong 15%, 3) Highly Valued 50%, 4) Borderline 15%, and 5) Least Effective 10% In order to mobilize the organization to develop and execute business strategies, Welch did the following: 1. Reduced bureaucracy by being lean and agile, which resulted in 50% reduction of strategic planning staff. 2. Scrapped GE’s laborious strategic planning system, and replaced it with real time planning. 3. Eliminated â€Å"sector† level managers, previously the powerful level of strategic control. Hierarchy levels went from 9 to 4, and they all reported directly into Jack. 4. Instituted the process of â€Å"Best Practices† or â€Å"Benchmarking†. This process was intended to increase productivity by sharing best practices employed by each business amongst each business. In addition, the implementation of â€Å"Best Practice† resulted in development of effective processes rather than controlling activities; customer service was their main gauge of performance; treating suppliers like partners; and an emphasis in providing a constant stream of high quality new products designed for efficient manufacturing. At the end of the day, Welch was regarded as the greatest CEO during his days at GE because he was able to envision, communicate and execute on what he wanted GE to look like. He began by delivering the message that all GE businesses had to be either #1 or #2 in their category, otherwise they needed to disengage. GE took a serious approach to become a global company. During the early to mid-80’s, they made several major acquisitions, and these businesses were responsible for implementing their own plan appropriate to their particular needs. Welch, however, remained very involved with these companies, and he also applied the standard of excellence where they needed to be either #1 or #2 in their business. Welch also wanted to reduce the amount of dependence on the traditional industrial products, which resulted in a new business strategy initiative of pushing for product services. By the supplement the traditional industrial products with added-value services, Welch believed that services would present the biggest growth opportunity for GE. This new initiative led to a number of acquisitions. Benchmarking with companies such as Motorola and Allied Signal, Welch understood how the Six Sigma quality initiative these companies had been utilizing could significantly impact GE. Six Sigma was a discipline, statistic-based system aimed at producing not more than 3. 4 defects per million iterations for any business process†¦from manufacturing to customer transactions. One of GE’s early successes in utilizing the Six Sigma process was in its Lighting division, where the use of Six Sigma was credited for cutting invoice defects and disputes by 98 percent. On his final days at GE, Welch introduced his last business initiative targeted at GE’s e-business. The program called â€Å"destroyyourbusiness. com†, or â€Å"dyb. com†, provided focus and challenged each business to look for opportunities via the internet within their own business. Welch felt the opportunities through this medium loomed large, and Welch was very pleased with the early results. Without a question, Jack Welch made a significant mark during his time at GE both professionally and in society. He changed the way businesses are managed and operated, and he left a legacy of future managers whom have moved on to lead large corporations. Unfortunately, some of them have not enjoyed the same success Welch experienced. Nonetheless, it is impossible to deny Jack Welch’s impact on the global business during his time at General Electric. Porter’s Five Forces We, at Thomas & Betts, are constantly battling against all 5 of Porter’s forces. Following are examples on how our business is impacted by these forces: 1. RIVALRY – We certainly view companies such as Cooper Industries and Hubbell as our primary rivals. For the most, one of us controls a big a portion of the business at the electrical distributors. Because of the legacy products our companies were built on are so similar, our customers tend to use price as a way to get what they want. As a way to combat pricing pressures, our focus is to bring new products to market providing financial benefits, such as labor savings, to the end-user. . THREAT OF SUBSTITUTES – Unfortunately, there are a significant number of competitors that we compete with in every product line we manufacture. Many of these competitors do not have the capacity or product breadth Thomas & Betts has, and that’s the value proposition we offer to our customers. The ability to purchase multiple electrical lines, and placing it in one order, having one shipment, and paying one in voice. However, it has being difficult to quantify what this means to our customers from a financial perspective. As a result, our customers continue to pin each supplier against each other by using pricing, rebates, and/or promotions as a stick to get a better deal. 3. BUYER POWER – Fortunately for us, we have a high level of brand recognition and demand at the end-user level. We work with Specifiers and Engineers to get our products specified on jobs, which gives us leverage when dealing with a distributor on how much business they should award us. 4. BARRIER TO ENTRY – As previously mentioned, one of the barriers of entry in our industry is controlled by what type of brand or product the specs calls for on specific jobs. For the most part, specs list a primary supplier and a substitute brand that allows us to compete in most situations. Another barrier to entry could be at an account where the relationship of the existing supplier is so strong that we’re better off spending our time developing other distributors. 5. SUPPLIER POWER – Once again, the supplier has the power in situations where the end user specifies which supplier they would want to use in a specific job. At that point, the distributor has to work with the specified supplier and the leverage swings in the supplier’s side. Pricing and competitive threats are removed off the table.

The Domestication and History of Modern Horses

The Domestication and History of Modern Horses The modern domesticated horse (Equus caballus) is today spread throughout the world and among the most diverse creatures on the planet. In North America, the horse was part of the megafaunal extinctions at the end of the Pleistocene. Two wild subspecies survived until recently, the Tarpan (Equus ferus ferus, died out ca 1919) and Przewalskis Horse (Equus ferus przewalskii, of which there are a few left). Horse history, especially the timing of the domestication of the horse, is still being debated, partly because the evidence for domestication itself is debatable. Unlike other animals, criteria such as changes in body morphology (horses are extremely diverse) or the location of a particular horse outside of its normal range (horses are very widespread) are not useful in helping resolve the question. Evidence for Horse Domestication The earliest possible hints for domestication would be the presence of what appears to be a set of postmolds with lots of animal dung within the area defined by the posts, which scholars interpret as representing a horse pen. That evidence has been found at Krasnyi Yar in Kazakhstan, in portions of the site dating to as early as 3600 BC. The horses may have been kept for food and milk, rather than riding or load-bearing. Accepted archaeological evidence of horseback riding includes bit wear on horse teeth- that has been found in the steppes east of the Ural mountains at Botai and Kozhai 1 in modern Kazakhstan, around 3500-3000 BC. The bit wear was only found on a few of the teeth in the archaeological assemblages, which might suggest that a few horses were ridden to hunt and collect wild horses for food and milk consumption. Finally, the earliest direct evidence of the use of horses as beasts of burden- in the form of drawings of horse-drawn chariots- is from Mesopotamia, about 2000 BC. Krasnyi Yar includes over 50 residential pithouses, adjacent to which have been found dozens of postmolds. The postmolds- archaeological remnants of where posts have been set in the past- are arranged in circles, and these are interpreted as evidence of horse corrals. Horse History and Genetics Genetic data, interestingly enough, has traced all extant domesticated horses to one founder stallion, or to closely related male horses with the same Y haplotype. At the same time, there is a high matrilineal diversity in both domestic and wild horses. At least 77 wild mares would be required to explain the diversity of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in current horse populations, which probably means quite a few more. A 2012 study (Warmuth and colleagues) combining archaeology, mitochondrial DNA, and Y-chromosomal DNA supports the domestication of horse as occurring once, in the western part of the Eurasian steppe, and that because of the horses wild natures, several repeated introgression events (restocking of horse populations by adding wild mares), must have occurred. As identified in earlier studies, that would explain the diversity of mtDNA. Three Strands of Evidence for Domesticated Horses In a paper published in Science in 2009, Alan K. Outram and colleagues looked at three strands of evidence supporting horse domestication at Botai culture sites: shin bones, milk consumption, and bitwear. These data support domestication of the horse between about 3500-3000 BC sites in what is today Kazakhstan. Horses skeletons at Botai Culture sites have gracile metacarpals. The horses metacarpals- the shins or cannon bones- are used as key indicators of domesticity. For whatever reason (and I wont speculate here), shins on domestic horses are thinner- more gracile- than those of wild horses. Outram et al. describe the shinbones from Botai as being closer in size and shape to those of Bronze age (fully domesticated) horses compared to wild horses. Fatty lipids of horse milk were found inside of pots. Although today it seems a bit weird to westerners, horses were kept for both their meat and milk in the past- and still are in the Kazakh region as you can see from the photograph above. Evidence of horse milk was found at Botai in the form of fatty lipid residues on the insides of ceramic vessels; further, evidence for consumption of horse meat has been identified at Botai culture horse and rider burials. Bit wear is in evidence on horse teeth. Researchers noted bitting wear on horses teeth- a vertical strip of wear on the outside of horses premolars, where the metal bit damages the enamel when it sits between the cheek and tooth. Recent studies (Bendrey) using scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis found microscopic-sized fragments of iron embedded on Iron Age horse teeth, resulting from metal bit use. White Horses and History White horses have had a special place in ancient history-according to Herodotus, they were held as sacred animals in the Achaemenid court of Xerxes the Great (ruled 485-465 BC). White horses are associated with the Pegasus myth, the unicorn in the Babylonian myth of Gilgamesh, Arabian horses, Lipizzaner stallions, Shetland ponies, and Icelandic pony populations. The Thoroughbred Gene A recent DNA study (Bower et al.) examined the DNA of Thoroughbred racing horses and identified the specific allele which drives their speed and precocity. Thoroughbreds are a specific breed of horse, all of whom today are descended from the children of one of three foundation stallions: Byerley Turk (imported to England in the 1680s), Darley Arabian (1704) and Godolphin Arabian (1729). These stallions are all of Arab, Barb and Turk origin; their descendants are from one of only 74 British and imported mares. Horse breeding histories for Thoroughbreds have been recorded in the General Stud Book since 1791, and the genetic data certainly supports that history. Horse races in the 17th and 18th centuries ran 3,200-6,400 meters (2-4 miles), and horses were usually five or six years old. By the early 1800s, the Thoroughbred was bred for traits that enabled speed and stamina over distances from 1,600-2,800 meters at three years of age; since the 1860s, the horses have been bred for shorter races (1,000-1400 meters) and younger maturity, at 2 years. The genetic study looked at the DNA from hundreds of horses and identified the gene as C type myostatin gene variant, and came to the conclusion that this gene originated from a single mare, bred to one of the three founder male horses about 300 years ago. See Bower et al for additional information. Thistle Creek DNA and Deep Evolution In 2013, researchers led by Ludovic Orlando and Eske Willerslev of the Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark and University of Copenhagen (and reported in Orlando et al. 2013) reported on a metapodial horse fossil which had been found in permafrost within a Middle Pleistocene context in the Yukon territory of Canada and dated between 560,00-780,000 years ago. Amazingly, the researchers found that there were sufficiently intact molecules of collagen within the matrix of the bone to enable them to map the Thistle Creek horses genome. The researchers then compared the Thistle Creek specimen DNA to that of an Upper Paleolithic horse, a modern donkey, five modern domestic horse breeds, and one modern Przewalskis horse. Orlando and Willerslevs team found that over the past 500,000 years, horse populations have been enormously sensitive to climate change and that extremely low population sizes are associated with warming events. Further, using the Thistle Creek DNA as a baseline, they were able to determine that all modern existing equids (donkeys, horses, and zebras) originated from a common ancestor some 4-4.5 million years ago. In addition, Przewalskis horse diverged from the breeds which became domestic some 38,000-72,000 years ago, confirming the long-held belief that Przewalskis is the last remaining wild horse species. Sources Bendrey R. 2012. From wild horses to domestic horses: a European perspective. World Archaeology 44(1):135-157. Bendrey R. 2011. Identification of metal residues associated with bit-use on prehistoric horse teeth by scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis. Journal of Archaeological Science 38(11):2989-2994. Bower MA, McGivney BA, Campana MG, Gu J, Andersson LS, Barrett E, Davis CR, Mikko S, Stock F, Voronkova V et al. 2012. The genetic origin and history of speed in the Thoroughbred racehorse. Nature Communications 3(643):1-8. Brown D, and Anthony D. 1998. Bit Wear, Horseback Riding and the Botai Site in Kazakstan. Journal of Archaeological Science 25(4):331-347. Cassidy R. 2009. The horse, the Kyrgyz horse and the ‘Kyrgyz horse’. Anthropology Today 25(1):12-15. Jansen T, Forster P, Levine MA, Oelke H, Hurles M, Renfrew C, Weber J, Olek, and Klaus. 2002. Mitochondrial DNA and the origins of the domestic horse. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99(16):10905–10910. Levine MA. 1999. Botai and the origins of horse domestication. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 18(1):29-78. Ludwig A, Pruvost M, Reissmann M, Benecke N, Brockmann GA, Castaà ±os P, Cieslak M, Lippold S, Llorente L, Malaspinas A-S et al. 2009. Coat Color Variation at the Beginning of Horse Domestication. Science 324:485. Kavar T, and Dovc P. 2008. Domestication of the horse: Genetic relationships between domestic and wild horses. Livestock Science 116(1):1-14. Orlando L, Ginolhac A, Zhang G, Froese D, Albrechtsen A, Stiller M, Schubert M, Cappellini E, Petersen B, Moltke I et al. 2013. Recalibrating Equus evolution using the genome sequence of an early Middle Pleistocene horse. Nature in press. Outram AK, Stear NA, Bendrey R, Olsen S, Kasparov A, Zaibert V, Thorpe N, and Evershed RP. 2009. The Earliest Horse Harnessing and Milking. Science 323:1332-1335. Outram AK, Stear NA, Kasparov A, Usmanova E, Varfolomeev V, and Evershed RP. 2011. Horses for the dead: funerary foodways in Bronze Age Kazakhstan. Antiquity 85(327):116-128. Sommer RS, Benecke N, Là µugas L, Nelle O, and Schmà ¶lcke U. 2011. Holocene survival of the wild horse in Europe: a matter of open landscape? Journal of Quaternary Science 26(8):805-812. Rosengren Pielberg G, Golovko A, Sundstrà ¶m E, Curik I, Lennartsson J, Seltenhammer MH, Drum T, Binns M, Fitzsimmons C, Lindgren G et al. 2008. A cis-acting regulatory mutation causes premature hair graying and susceptibility to melanoma in the horse. Nature Genetics 40:1004-1009. Warmuth V, Eriksson A, Bower MA, Barker G, Barrett E, Hanks BK, Li S, Lomitashvili D, Ochir-Goryaeva M, Sizonov GV et al. 2012. Reconstructing the origin and spread of horse domestication in the Eurasian steppe. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early edition.

Self-Publishing Tips from one of the UKs Bestselling Authors

Self-Publishing Tips from one of the UKs Bestselling Authors Self-Publishing Tips from one of the UK's Bestselling Authors For those of you who are still  skeptical  about the extent of self-publishing's promise, Adam Croft is all the inspiration you need. With 150,000 copies sold in the first quarter of  2016 and a book deal with Amazon, things are only looking up for this new indie giant.  In this post, he shares his top tips for self-publishing.When you’re first starting out as an author, it can be incredibly daunting. I remember the feeling well. Back when I started self-publishing in 2011, there really wasn’t much information or tips out there on how to market your books and be successful at it. I had to find my own way, and along the way I learnt a lot.  Since then, I’ve gone on to sell more than half a million books, with my latest becoming the biggest-selling self-published book of the year and landing me a huge publishing deal with Amazon. That took five years of working out what works and what doesn’t. Separating the wheat from the chaff is difficult, espec ially with so many people professing to be self-publishing experts.  Even today, there’s a lot of rubbish out there in the industry. People with barely a few hundred sales put themselves up as gurus to tell others what works and what doesn’t. The signal to noise ratio is low. I hope to cut through that. Here are my top tips based on five years of experience, half a million sales and the biggest-selling indie book of the year.Treat your writing as a businessThis is absolutely paramount. You’re creating a product and selling it to customers. If that makes you uncomfortable, stop reading now and find a traditional publisher. You need to be business-minded and thinking about profit margins. Otherwise, you’re not after self-publishing; you’re after vanity publishing, which is a whole different ball-game.Always think about the long-termYou won’t release your first book and get big sales. You just won’t. In fact, once you’ve self-published your first book, pat yourself on the back and get on with writing another two. New readers simply aren’t going to flock to your one single book - they like to stick with a certain author. Give them a reason to want to invest in you.Likewise, don’t concern yourself with getting sales straight away. You need to be thinking about future-proofing your business and your career, which leads me on to†¦Get a mailing listSign up for a MailChimp account and get yourself a mailing list. Simply having readers buy your book and then disappear into the ether is not what you want. You need to be able to get in touch with them and let them know when you’ve got a new book out. Trust me: they won’t be searching your name on Amazon every couple of weeks to see if you’ve got a new one. They won’t even remember your name once they’ve put the book down. They’ll be straight onto the next author who’s marketing his or her books better than you.This is my number one tip in terms of marketing, and I really can’t overstate it enough. For more information on how to make mailing lists really work, check out Nick Stephenson’s books - Reader Magnets, in particular, or even his exhaustive interview on the Reedsy blog. You can get your own copy of Adam's latest thriller, Her Last Tomorrow  here.Agree with Adam's methods? Do you have your own secret self-publishing tips? Share them here, or ask Adam any question in the comments below!

Cultural Background Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural Background - Essay Example Furthermore the maintenance of a staple food, rice and beans with pork, reminds me of the local flavors and aromas native to my country. Btu I think what contributes the most to maintaining a connection to our cultural background seems to have already been established by previous generations of Puerto Ricans. Since Puerto Ricans have been arriving to this country since the 1800s, there has already been collective social action in advocating political and social rights and preserving the heritage. There are more stateside Puerto Ricans in the states; about four million since the beginning of the twenty-first century then there are in Puerto Rico since 2003. There are contributions in all fronts from the entertainment industry, the labor market, the political aspect, and integrating celebration of Puerto Rican culture whenever possible. Currently there are at least fifty Puerto Rican parades that can be participated in across the nation and the majority of Puerto Ricans live together i n small communities, the largest in New York City, keeping ties to the culture tight.