Beowulf a Epic Old English Poem

Beowulf a Epic Old English Poem The following article is from the 1911 edition of a famous encyclopedia. BEOWULF. The epic of Beowulf, the most precious relic of Old English, and, indeed, of all early Germanic literature, has come down to us in a single MS., written about A.D. 1000, which contains also the Old English poem of Judith, and is bound up with other MSS. in a volume in the Cottonian collection now at the British Museum. The subject of the poem is the exploits of Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow and nephew of Hygelac, king of the Geatas, i.e. the people, called in Scandinavian records Gautar, from whom a part of southern Sweden has received its present name Gotland. The Story The following is a brief outline of the story, which naturally divides itself into five parts. Beowulf, with fourteen companions, sails to Denmark, to offer his help to Hrothgar, king of the Danes, whose hall (called Heorot ) has for twelve years been rendered uninhabitable by the ravages of a devouring monster (apparently in gigantic human shape) called Grendel, a dweller in the waste, who used nightly to force an entrance and slaughter some of the inmates. Beowulf and his friends are feasted in the long-deserted Heorot. At night the Danes withdraw, leaving the strangers alone. When all but Beowulf are asleep, Grendel enters, the iron-barred doors having yielded in a moment to his hand. One of Beowulfs friends is killed; but Beowulf, unarmed, wrestles with the monster, and tears his arm from the shoulder. Grendel, though mortally wounded, breaks from the conquerors grasp, and escapes from the hall. On the morrow, his bloodstained track is followed until it ends in a distant mere. All fear being now removed, the Danish king and his followers pass the night in Heorot, Beowulf and his comrades being lodged elsewhere. The hall is invaded by Grendels mother, who kills and carries off one of the Danish nobles. Beowulf proceeds to the mere, and, armed with sword and corslet, plunges into the water. In a vaulted chamber under the waves, he fights with Grendels mother and kills her. In the vault he finds the corpse of Grendel; he cuts off the head and brings it back in triumph. Richly rewarded by Hrothgar, Beowulf returns to his native land. He is welcomed by Hygelac, and relates to him the story of his adventures, with some details not contained in the former narrative. The king bestows on him lands and honors, and during the reigns of Hygelac and his son Heardred he is the greatest man in the kingdom. When Heardred is killed in battle with the Swedes, Beowulf becomes king in his stead.After Beowulf has reigned prosperously for fifty years, his country is ravaged by a fiery dragon, which inhabits an ancient burial-mound, full of costly treasure. The royal hall itself is burned to the ground. The aged king resolves to fight, unaided, with the dragon. Accompanied by eleven chosen warriors, he journeys to the barrow. Bidding his companions retire to a distance, he takes up his position near the entrance to the mound - an arched opening whence issues a boiling stream.The dragon hears Beowulfs shout of defiance, and rushes forth, breathing flames. The fight beg ins; Beowulf is all but overpowered, and the sight is so terrible that his men, all but one, seek safety in flight. The young Wiglaf, son of Weohstan, though yet untried in battle, cannot, even in obedience to his lords prohibition, refrain from going to his help. With Wiglafs aid, Beowulf slays the dragon, but not before he has received his own death-wound. Wiglaf enters the barrow and returns to show the dying king the treasures that he has found there. With his last breath Beowulf names Wiglaf his successor, and ordains that his ashes shall be enshrined in a great mound, placed on a lofty cliff, so that it may be a mark for sailors far out at sea. The news of Beowulfs dear-bought victory is carried to the army. Amid great lamentation, the heros body is laid on the funeral pile and consumed. The treasures of the dragons hoard are buried with his ashes; and when the great mound is finished, twelve of Beowulfs most famous warriors ride around it, celebrating the praises of the bravest, gentlest and most generous of kings. The Hero. - Those portions of the poem that are summarized above - that is to say, those which relate the career of the hero in progressive order - contain a lucid and well-constructed story, told with a vividness of imagination and a degree of narrative skill that may with little exaggeration be called Homeric. And yet it is probable that there are few readers of Beowulf who have not felt - and there are many who after repeated perusal continue to feel - that the general impression produced by it is that of a bewildering chaos. This effect is due to the multitude and the character of the episodes. In the first place, a very great part of what the poem tells about Beowulf himself is not presented in regular sequence, but by way of retrospective mention or narration. The extent of the material thus introduced out of course may be seen from the following abstract. When seven years old the orphaned Beowulf was adopted by his grandfather King Hrethel, the father of Hygelac, and was regarded by him with as much affection as any of his own sons. In youth, although famed for his wonderful strength of grip, he was generally despised as sluggish and unwarlike. Yet even before his encounter with Grendel, he had won renown by his swimming contest with another youth named Breca, when after battling for seven days and nights with the  waves  and  slaying  many sea-monsters, he came to land in the country of the Finns. In the disastrous invasion of the land of the Hetware, in which Hygelac was killed, Beowulf killed many of the  enemies, amongst them a chieftain of the  Hugas, named Daghrefn, apparently the slayer of Hygelac. In the retreat he once more displayed his powers as a swimmer, carrying to his ship the  armour  of thirty slain enemies. When he reached his native land, the widowed queen offered him the kingdom, her son Heardred be ing too young to rule. Beowulf, out of loyalty, refused to be made  king  and acted as the guardian of Heardred during his minority, and as his  counselor  after he came to mans estate. By giving shelter to the fugitive Eadgils, a rebel against his uncle the king of the Swain (the Swedes, dwelling to the north of the  Gautar), Heardred brought on himself an invasion, in which he lost his life. When Beowulf became king, he supported the cause of Eadgils by force of arms; the king of the Swedes was killed, and his nephew placed on the throne. Historical Value Now, with one brilliant exception - the story of the swimming-match, which is felicitously introduced and  finely  told - these retrospective passages are brought in more or less awkwardly, interrupt inconveniently the course of the narrative, and are too condensed and allusive in style to make any strong poetic impression. Still, they do serve to complete the portraiture of the heros character. There are, however, many other episodes that have nothing to do with Beowulf  himself  but seem to have been inserted with a deliberate intention of making the poem into a sort of  cyclopedia  of Germanic tradition. They include many particulars of what purports to be the history of the royal houses, not only of the  Gautar  and the  Danes,  but also of the Swedes, the continental Angles, the Ostrogoths, the Frisians and the  Heathobeards, besides references to matters of  unlocalized  heroic story such as the exploits of Sigismund. The Saxons are not named, and the Franks appear only as a dreaded hostile power. Of Britain there is no mention; and though there are some distinctly Christian passages, they are so incongruous in tone with the rest of the poem that they must be regarded as interpolations. In  general  the extraneous episodes have no great appropriateness to their  context,  and have the appearance of being abridged versions of stories that had been related at length in poetry. Their confusing effect, for modern readers, is increased by a curiously irrelevant  prologue. It begins by celebrating the ancient glories of the Danes, tells in allusive style the story of Scyld, the founder of the Scylding dynasty of Denmark, and praises the virtues of his son Beowulf. If this Danish Beowulf had been the hero of the poem, the opening would have been appropriate; but it seems strangely out of place as an introduction to the story of his namesake. However detrimental these redundancies may be to the poetic beauty of the epic, they add enormously to its interest for students of Germanic history or legend. If the mass of traditions which it purports to contain be genuine, the poem is of unique importance as a source of knowledge respecting the early history of the peoples of northern Germany and Scandinavia. But the value to be assigned to  Beowulf  in this respect can be determined only by ascertaining its probable date,  origin, and manner of composition. The criticism of the Old English epic has therefore for nearly a century been justly regarded as indispensable to the investigation of Germanic antiquities. The starting-point of all  Beowulf  criticism is the fact (discovered by N. F. S. Grundtvig in 1815) that one of the episodes of the poem belongs to authentic history. Gregory of Tours, who died in 594, relates that in the reign of Theodoric of Metz (511 - 534) the Danes invaded the kingdom, and carried off many captives and much plunder to their ships. Their king, whose name appears in the best MSS. as Chlochilaicus (other copies read Chrochilaicus, Hrodolaicus, c.), remained on shore intending to follow afterward, but was attacked by the Franks under Theodobert, son of Theodoric, and killed. The Franks then defeated the Danes in a naval battle and recovered the booty. The date of these events is ascertained to have been between 512 and 520. An anonymous history is written early in the eighth century  (Liber Hist. Francorum,  cap. 19) gives the name of the Danish king as Chochilaicus, and says that he was killed in the land of the Attoarii. Now it is related in  Beowulf  that Hygelac met his death in fighting against the Franks and the  Hetware  (the Old English form of Attoarii). The forms of the Danish kings name given by the Frankish historians are corruptions of the name of which the primitive Germanic form was Hugilaikaz, and which by regular phonetic change became in Old English  Hygelac,  and in Old Norse Hugleikr. It is true that the invading king is said in the histories to have been a Dane, whereas the Hygelac of  Beowulf  belonged to the Geatas or  Gautar. But a work called  Liber Monstrorum,  preserved in two MSS. of the 10th century, cites as an example of extraordinary stature a certain Huiglaucus, king of the Getae, who was killed by the Franks, and whose bones were preserved on an island at the mouth of the Rhine, and exhibited as a marvel. It is therefore evident that the personality of Hygelac, and the expedition in which, according to  Beowulf,  he died, belong not to the region of legend or poetic invention, but to that of historic fact. This noteworthy result suggests the possibility that what the poem tells of Hygelacs near relatives, and of the events of his reign and that of his successor, is based on historic fact. There is really nothing to forbid the supposition; nor is there any unlikelihood in the view that the persons mentioned as belonging to the royal houses of the Danes and Swedes had a real existence. It can be proved, at any rate, that several of the names are 1 Printed in Berger de Xivrey,  Traditions  Teratologiques  (1836), from  a MS.  in private hands. Another MS., now at Wolfenbiittel, reads Hunglacus for Huiglaucus, and (ungrammatically) gentes for  Getis.  derived from the native traditions of these two peoples. The Danish king Hrothgar and his brother Halga, the sons of Healfdene, appear in the  Historia Danica  of Saxo as Roe (the founder of Roskilde) and  Helgo, the sons of Haldanus. The Swedish princes Eadgils, son of Ohthere, and Onela, who are mentioned in  Beowulf,à ‚  are in the Icelandic  Heimskringla  called  Adils  son of  Ottarr, and Ali; the correspondence of the names, according to the phonetic laws of Old English and Old Norse, being strictly normal. There are other points of contact between  Beowulf  on the one hand and the Scandinavian records on the other, confirming the conclusion that the Old English poem contains much of the historical tradition of the  Gautar, the Danes and the Swedes, in its purest accessible form. Of the hero of the  poem,  no mention has been found elsewhere. But the name (the Icelandic form of which is  Bjolfr) is genuinely Scandinavian. It was borne by one of the early settlers in Iceland, and a monk named Biuulf is commemorated in the  Liber Vitae  of the church of Durham. As the historical character of Hygelac has been proved, it is not unreasonable to accept the authority of the poem for the statement that his nephew Beowulf succeeded Heardred on the throne of the  Gautar, and interfered in the dynastic quarrels of the Swedes. His swimming exploit among the Hetware, allowance being made for poetic exaggeration, fits remarkably well into the circumstances of the story told by Gregory of Tours; and perhaps his contest with Breca may have been an exaggeration of a real incident in his career; and even if it was originally related  of  some other hero, its attribution to the historical Beowulf may have been occasioned by his renown as a swimmer. On the other hand, it would be absurd to imagine that the combats with Grendel and his mother and with the fiery dragon can be exaggerated representations of actual occurrences. These exploits belong to the domain of pure mythology. That they have been attributed to Beowulf, in particular, might seem to be adequately accounted for by the general tendency to connect mythical achievements with the name of any famous hero. There are, however, some facts that seem to point to a more definite explanation. The Danish king Scyld Scefing, whose story is told in the opening lines of the poem, and his son Beowulf, are plainly identical with Sceldwea, son of Sceaf, and his son Beaw, who appear among the ancestors of Woden in the genealogy of the kings of Wessex given in the  Old English Chronicle.  The story of Scyld is related, with some details not found in  Beowulf,  by William of Malmesbury, and, less fully, by the 10th-century English historian Ethelwerd, though it is told not of Scyld himself, but of his father Sceaf. According to Williams version, Sceaf was found, as an infant, alone in a boat without oars, which had drifted to the island of Scandza. The child was asleep with his head on a  sheaf,  and from this circumstance, he obtained his name. When he grew up he reigned over the Angles at Slaswic. In  Beowulf  the same story is told of Scyld, with the addition that when he died his body was placed in a ship, laden with rich treasure, which was sent out to sea unguided. It is clear that in the original form of the tradition the name of the foundling was Scyld or Sceldwea, and that his cognomenScefing (derived from  sceaf,  a sheaf) was misinterpreted as a patronymic. Sceaf, therefore, is no genuine personage of tradition, but merely an etymological figment. The position of Sceldwea and Beaw (in Malmesburys Latin called Sceldius and Beowius) in the genealogy as anterior to Woden would not of itself prove that they belong to divine mythology and not to heroic legend. But there are independent reasons for believing that they were originally gods or demi-gods. It is a reasonable conjecture that the tales of victories over Grendel and the fiery dragon belong properly to the myth of Beaw. If Beowulf, the champion of the Gautar, had already become a theme of epic song, the resemblance of name might easily suggest the idea of enriching history by adding to it the achievements of Beaw. At the same time, the tradition that the hero of these adventures was a son of Scyld, who was identified (whether rightly or wrongly) with the eponymus of the Danish dynasty of the Scyldings, may well have prompted the supposition that they took place in Denmark. There is, as we shall see afterwards, some ground for believing that there were circulated in England two rival poetic versions of the story of the encounters with supernatural beings: the one referring them to Beowulf the Dane, while the other (represented by the existing poem) attached them to the legend of the son of Ecgtheow, but ingeniously contrived to do some justice to the alternative tradition by laying the scene of the Grendel incident at the court of a Scylding king. As the name of Beaw appears in the genealogies of English kings, it seems likely that the traditions of his exploits may have been brought over by the Angles from their continental home. This supposition is confirmed by evidence that seems to show that the Grendel legend was popularly current in this country. In the schedules of boundaries appended to two Old English charters there occurs mention of pools called Grendels mere, one in Wiltshire and the other in Staffordshire. The charter that mentions the Wiltshire Grendels mere speaks also of a place called  Beowan ham  (Beowas home), and another Wiltshire charter has a Scylds tree among the landmarks enumerated. The notion that ancient burial mounds were liable to be inhabited by dragons was common in the Germanic world: there is perhaps a trace of it in the Derbyshire place-name Drakelow, which means dragons barrow. While, however, it thus appears that the mythic part of the Beowulf story is a portion of primeval Angle traditio n, there is no proof that it was originally peculiar to the Angles; and even if it was so, it may easily have passed from them into the poetic cycles of the related peoples. There are, indeed, some reasons for suspecting that the blending of the stories of the mythic Beaw and the historical Beowulf may have been the work of Scandinavian and not of English poets. Prof. G. Sarrazin has pointed out the striking resemblance between the Scandinavian legend of Bodvarr Biarki and that of the Beowulf of the poem. In each, a hero from Gautland slays a destructive monster at the court of a Danish king, and afterwards is found fighting on the side of Eadgils (Adils) in Sweden. This coincidence cannot well be due to mere  chance; but  its exact significance is doubtful. On the one hand, it is possible that the English epic, which unquestionably derived its historical elements from  Scandinavian  song, may be indebted to the same source for its general plan, including the blending of history and myth. On the other hand, considering the late date of the authority for the Scandinavian traditions, we cannot be sure that the latter may not owe some of their material to English minstrels. There are similar alternative possibilities with regard to the explanation of the striking resemblances which certain incidents of the adventures with Grendel and the dragon bear to incidents in the narratives of Saxo and the Icelandic sagas. Date and Origin It is now time to speak of the probable date and origin of the poem. The conjecture that most naturally presents itself to those who have made no special study of the question, is that an English epic treating of the deeds of a Scandinavian hero on Scandinavian ground must have been composed in the days of Norse or Danish dominion in England. This, however, is impossible. The forms under which Scandinavian names appear in the poem show clearly that these names must have entered English tradition not later than the beginning of the 7th century. It does not indeed follow that the extant poem is of so early a date, but its syntax is remarkably archaic in  comparison  with that of the Old English poetry of the 8th century. The hypothesis that  Beowulf  is in whole or in part a translation from a Scandinavian original, although still maintained by some scholars, introduces more difficulties than it solves and must be dismissed as untenable. The limits of this article do not permit us to state and criticize the many elaborate theories that have been proposed respecting the origin of the poem. All that can be done is to set forth the view that appears to us to be most free from objection. It may be premised that although the existing MS. is written in the West-Saxon dialect, the phenomena of the language indicate transcription from an Anglian (i.e. a Northumbrian or Mercian) original; and this conclusion is supported by the fact that while the poem contains one important episode relating to the Angles, the name of the Saxons does not occur in it at all. In its original form,  Beowulf  was a product of the time when poetry was composed not to be read, but to be recited in the halls of kings and nobles. Of course, ​an entire epic could not be recited on a single occasion; nor can we suppose that it would be thought out from beginning to end before any part of it was presented to an audience. A singer who had pleased his hearers with a tale of adventure would be called on to tell them of earlier or later events in the career of the hero; and so the story would grow, until it included all that the poet knew from tradition, or could invent in harmony with it. That  Beowulf  is concerned with the deeds of a foreign hero is less surprising than it seems at first sight. The minstrel of early Germanic times was required to be learned not only in the traditions of his own people but also in those of the other peoples with whom they felt their kinship. He had a double task to perform. It was not enough that his songs should give pleasure; his patrons demanded that he should recount faithfully the history and genealogy both of their own line and of those other royal houses who shared with them the same divine ancestry, and who might be connected with them by ties of marriage or warlike alliance. Probably the singer was always himself an original poet; he might often be content to reproduce the songs that he had learned, but he was doubtless free to improve or expand them as he chose, provided that his inventions did not conflict with what was supposed to be historical truth. For all we know, the intercourse of the Angles with Scandinavia, which enabled their poets to obtain new knowledge of the legends of Danes, Gautar, and Swedes, may not have ceased until their conversion to Christianity in the 7th century. And even after this event, whatever may have been the attitude of churchmen towards the old heathen poetry, the kings and warriors would be slow to lose their interest in the heroic tales that had delighted their ancestors. It is probable that down to the end of the 7th century, if not still later, the court poets of Northumbria and Mercia continued to celebrate the deeds of Beowulf and of many another hero of ancient days. This article is from the 1911 edition of an encyclopedia, which is out of copyright here in the U.S. See the encyclopedia main page for disclaimer and copyright information.

Sum of Squares Formula Shortcut

Sum of Squares Formula Shortcut The calculation of a sample variance or standard deviation is typically stated as a fraction. The numerator of this fraction involves a sum of squared deviations from the mean. In statistics, the formula for this total sum of squares is ÃŽ £ (xi - xÌ„)2 Here the symbol xÌ„ refers to the sample mean, and the symbol ÃŽ £ tells us to add up the squared differences (xi - xÌ„) for all i. While this formula works for calculations, there is an equivalent, shortcut formula that does not require us to first calculate the sample mean. This shortcut formula for the sum of squares is ÃŽ £(xi2)-(ÃŽ £ xi)2/n Here the variable n refers to the number of data points in our sample. Standard Formula Example To see how this shortcut formula works, we will consider an example that is calculated using both formulas. Suppose our sample is 2, 4, 6, 8. The sample mean is (2 4 6 8)/4 20/4 5. Now we calculate the difference of each data point with the mean 5. 2 – 5 -34 – 5 -16 – 5 18 – 5 3 We now square each of these numbers and add them together. (-3)2 (-1)2 12 32 9 1 1 9 20. Shortcut Formula Example Now we will use the same set of data: 2, 4, 6, 8, with the shortcut formula to determine the sum of squares. We first square each data point and add them together: 22 42 62 82 4 16 36 64 120. The next step is to add together all of the data and square this sum: (2 4 6 8)2 400. We divide this by the number of data points to obtain 400/4 100. We now subtract this number from 120. This gives us that the sum of the squared deviations is 20. This was exactly the number that we have already found from the other formula. How Does This Work? Many people will just accept the formula at face value and do not have any idea why this formula works. By using a little bit of algebra, we can see why this shortcut formula is equivalent to the standard, traditional way of calculating the sum of squared deviations. Although there may be hundreds, if not thousands of values in a real-world data set, we will assume that there are only three data values: x1 , x2, x3. What we see here could be expanded to a data set that has thousands of points. We begin by noting that( x1 x2 x3) 3 xÌ„. The expression ÃŽ £(xi - xÌ„)2 (x1 - xÌ„)2 (x2 - xÌ„)2 (x3 - xÌ„)2. We now use the fact from basic algebra that (a b)2 a2 2ab b2. This means that (x1 - xÌ„)2 x12 -2x1 xÌ„ xÌ„2. We do this for the other two terms of our summation, and we have: x12 -2x1 xÌ„ xÌ„2 x22 -2x2 xÌ„ xÌ„2 x32 -2x3 xÌ„ xÌ„2. We rearrange this and have: x12 x22 x32 3xÌ„2 - 2xÌ„(x1 x2 x3) . By rewriting (x1 x2 x3) 3xÌ„ the above becomes: x12 x22 x32 - 3xÌ„2. Now since 3xÌ„2 (x1 x2 x3)2/3, our formula becomes: x12 x22 x32 - (x1 x2 x3)2/3 And this is a special case of the general formula that was mentioned above: ÃŽ £(xi2)-(ÃŽ £ xi)2/n Is It Really a Shortcut? It may not seem like this formula is truly a shortcut. After all, in the example above it seems that there are just as many calculations. Part of this has to do with the fact that we only looked at a sample size that was small. As we increase the size of our sample, we see that the shortcut formula reduces the number of calculations by about half. We do not need to subtract the mean from each data point and then square the result. This cuts down considerably on the total number of operations.

At aparticular period in American history, explain why i consider it Term Paper

At aparticular period in American history, explain why i consider it so important - Term Paper Example Slavery and slave trade thrived in the US greatly in the periods preceding and during the 1800s. However, with the turn of the new century, many political leaders came to realise the nature of activity that was slavery (Olsen 25). They appreciated slavery as an ill, something that went against the fundamental human rights. The leaders saw the need to free slaves, mostly Africans, and give them an opportunity to return to their native land. This change of ideals saw the American Colonization Society establish Liberia as a centre for freed slaves. Although the idea of repatriating slaves from white society was rejected in the 1840s, based on the principles propagated during the great awakening, the central idea of freedom of slavery remained a core issue in the administration of the nation. For the first time in the history of the United States, African Americans took a central role in the determination of their history as they participated actively and in some cases actually led aboli tionist movements. The 1860s marked a major turn in the history of the US as it was the climax of the war against slavery as marked by the American Civil War (Chambers 54).

Occupational Health and Safety Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Occupational Health and Safety - Essay Example A careful study of the legislation of New Zealand has been conducted to analyze the rules regarding the participation of the workers in the overall decision making of the safety issues. The study involves a wide range of literature on the topic of occupational health and safety and the participation from the workers. Occupational Health and Safety Introduction In this paper we describe the various problems relating to the Occupational health and safety of the people working in various organizations. The problem of the safety of the workers is a serious matter of issues and the paper highlights each of the segments critically. Occupational safety and health aims at maintaining the safety and the overall health of the employees for maintaining the welfare of the people in the organization (Ashford, 1976, p.45). In the context of the Occupational safety and health the participation from the employees is a crucial factor. The employees are the victims of the disaster occurring in the org anization and their views are of utmost importance in providing a better solution in implementing a safe environment for the workers. The workers have a fair idea about the problems and they can also recommend solutions for attaining better results. Other than providing necessary solutions, the employees can also contribute by exhibiting their commitment and the morale. The program undertaken by the management in providing with safe work environment also needs to be evaluated by the employees. The paper takes a critical view of the participations of the workers in the program of the occupational health and finds out the implication which the management of the organization has based on such issues. The workers participation has also received substantial barriers in the recent past in matters of occupational health and safety. Methodology: The methodology conducted in the research is based on the secondary sources. A considerable number of peer reviewed literature has been studied to understand the concept of workers participation in the Occupational health and safety. Books have also been used to analyze the various models of occupational health and safety of the workers. Various legislations of New Zealand, on the topic under consideration have been consulted to analyze the legal framework of OH&S in New Zealand. However in order to maintain the credibility of the research, only trusted sources have been included in the research (Malhotra, 106-107). The secondary method helped to explore a variety of information regarding the occupational health and service. The research method incorporated in the process is qualitative in nature as the overall study is based on the facts (Thomas, 1-2). The paper takes a study of the various theories relating to the Occupational health and safety of the workers before concentrating on the issue of the workers participation and the OH&S. Findings: Occupational Health and Safety: Occupational health and safety deals with the eli mination of the injuries and accidents which may occur in the work-place and which has been a rising problem faced by the employers in various parts of the worlds. Work related injury is defined as any damage caused to the employees

Ema Essay Example for Free

Ema Essay The main reason for this is the radical changes put in place so rapidly with immediate effect. This resulted in lack of structure and consistency throughout the whole chain stores, as you gave each store manager to much autonomy to change the store i. e. decor, food menu etc. , the business culture values as a whole was lost and that was what made the business a success before. I understand some changes had to be made but not so drastically. The loss of business culture and lack of dimension of structure had a lot negative effect in the business especially demographic and sociology factor wise as regular customers dislike the changes and constant change in staff router, the reason for this was staff/managers never has any incentive target to work towards so they would leave after short while which causes extra expenditure cost. Some good ideas drawn from the case study but presented in a quite unstructured way Part b) In Study session 1 we introduced a series a metaphors to describe a business one of them was business as a culture which is a pattern of belief and expectation shared by the organisational members. These beliefs and expectation produces norms that powerfully shape the behaviour of individual and groups within the organisation. As you recruited new staff with no experience and gave managers freedom to change each branch to their liking it took away the business identity and culture. The cause of this is inadequate training giving to new staff and lack of knowing the root/history of the business. A good example is how Disney world recruit and trains their staff, after passing the first phase the second is enrolling at university of Disney land where they undergo forty-hour apprenticeship programme, employee learn about the history and philosophy of Disneyland, and the regulation and procedures that govern work. The way Disney recruits is essential to keep hold of the business ethics and culture. OK but make sure the TMA maintains focus on the set question. Another example by Drennan (1992), who proposed 12 key factor that shape the culture of the business some of these are: The influence of a dominant leader-the vision, management style and personality of the founder or leader in a business often has a significant influence on the value that the business tries to promote The history of the business – how things has always been done The customers of the business who are they and what they expect The reward system and the measurement of performance c) These factor (above) could be useful to you to address your business problems vague and general in the future if put in place other suggestions are: Practices: These are the rites, ritual and ceremonies of the business. These can take many forms, and would include the annual office party, employees and inner site completion (what does this mean? ). (as mentioned before) Physical form: these include location, open plan or individual plan or individual office. Not relevant in a restaurant. Communication: Stories of notable events in the past tend to become part of the culture of the business and can influence behaviour explain how this relates to the case. A common language: jargon is common to many business. It is a convenient short hand form of communication, but is also effect behaviour. Disney employees are â€Å"cast crew† while McDonalds employee are â€Å"crew Members†. You have to be careful to hold on to the facts of the case, and not to go off at a tangent. Part 2 One of topics I found interesting through reading and taking part in discussion (book1 TMA01 Activity 1. 3) through TGF, which was the concept of business culture whether a business culture can be changed. At first I thought how a culture integrates in a business metaphorically and the more I read and researched the more I understood the big role it plays in a successful business. Many cultural element of a business is not obvious, but there has been attempts in the academic literature to develop definition and identify influencing factors. It is possible to see, or feel, that one business is different from another, and that this involves more than just how it present itself to the outside world.. During our discussion on whether a business culture can be changed, I felt that as human we have to adapt to new cultures to understand each other so for a business is imperative for changes to be put in place to modernise the business culture where needed to evolve the business. Some key factors influencing culture are: Which industry or sector he business is in, and how much and what type of competition it faces The procedures and policies within the business – ever-evolving, but often a good indicator of underlying values. The reward system and the measurement of performance Good summary Where is your references list? Where is your word count? MARKING GRID Part I Maximum Marks Your Marks Question 1 (a) Identify the problems faced by Lodge Bistro that relate to the study session chosen Explicit identification of the study session chosen20 List of problems106 Why these are problems and how these affect Lodge Bistro1814 Total marks Q1(a)30 20

Government Plans Essay -- Essays Papers

Government Plans A look at the relationship between Small Business and the US Government The purpose of a democracy is to provide a form of government in which the people are the ones who give form the direction and the government serves their interest. The government’s overall goal is to preserve the American way of life. One major part of the American way of life is the economy, which was built by small businesses that were able to prosper in our system of government and become global corporations. In the current day, our economy depends on these conglomerates and the little guy is left to suffer. With the fragile state the economy is in, it is the small businesses that should be supported to stimulate jobs and economic growth. Just like when it was built, the economy will continue to rely on small businesses. A successful entrepreneur, Ben Gordon, informed me that more than 50% of all start-up businesses fail within 3 years. For a country founded by mom and pop stores, one would think entrepreneurs would receive more help starting out. Currently, the g overnment is failing to yield appropriately to the concerns of small business owners about health care, taxes and regulations, and the availability of federal contracts. Many small businesses are opposed to more government intervention in all areas except for health care. Small companies do not have the leverage that larger corporations do when it come to acquiring major policies. Keith Hasty, president and CEO of Best Foam Fabricators, a family owned manufacturer of foam for the auto industry says that it cost $7,000 a year per each one of his 95 employees for health care because of the rising cost of medical care (Ioannou). That is $665,000 per year to provi... ...the Home Front Reactions to the Bush Economic Plan Laments from the little guy.† Denver Post 12 January 2003:A1. Gordon, Benjamin. E-mail to author. 11 February 2003. Ioannou, Lori; Batterson, Len; Cooper, Paul; Cory, Andrew; Hasty, Keith; Herrera, Leticia; Kerns, Kevin; Schroeder, Tom; Suzenaar Jr., Max; Zugulich, Dan. â€Å"The Big Issues for Small Concerns.† Time 17 July 2000: B7. Mandle, Michael J.; Miller, Rich. â€Å"Is it Class Warfare?† Business Week 20 January 2003: Issue 2816, p26. Pear, Robert. â€Å"Bush Prepares Health Plan Aimed at Small Businesses.† New York Times 27 January 2003. Public Law 85-536. â€Å"Small Business Act.† http://www,SBA.gov. Salem, Nancy. â€Å"Small Firms can Snag Federal Contracts, experts say.† Denver Post 22 December, 2000: A28. Sanko, John J. â€Å"Owens Policy Adviser gets Regulatory Post.† Rocky Mountain News 28 November 2002: 25A.

Clothes of the future Essay

With this new time and age of technological advancements, the manufacturing of smart clothes has brought about a textile revolution. This involves the integration of electronic components and Nano-technology within fabrics and fibres resulting in the birth of intelligent fabrics possessing specific properties. Smart materials are capable of ‘thinking’ and ‘acting’ by sensing the conditions of the immediate environment. These are sensitive to the wearer’s body conditions (sweating & trembling), temperature requirements & stability and their movements. Classification of Smart Textiles: Passive Smart Textiles- These can only sense the environment conditions or stimuli, and hence are also known as 1st Generation Smart Textiles. Active Smart Textiles-These 2nd Generation Smart Textiles have both sensors and actuators. The actuators act upon the signal or stimuli detected either directly or from a central control unit. They are chameleonic, water resistant, shape memory, vapor absorbing, heat evolving fabrics or electrically heated suits. Ultra Smart Textiles- These are the 3rd Generation very Smart Textiles which can sense, react, and adopt themselves to the environment conditions and stimuli. Applications of Smart Textile can be very interesting to know. The usage of Smart textiles range from protective wear, sports, medical and fashion to clothes having anti stress properties. Functional Textiles† are designed to serve a specific purpose having added features. Therefore, we now have fabrics that protect against U.V Radiation and anti-bacterial products. Fibres designed with moisture management systems help in quick evaporation of sweat & perspiration. Similarly, there are Reflective Textiles used for preparing safety garments. Some interesting examples of such extraordinary Functional Textiles used today are: The jacket that can see: This technology boasts the development of GPSoverIP Jacket which has an inbuilt mobile phone, an mp3 player at the same time containing features for locating people. The person wearing this jacket can be easily located within buildings with its’ inbuilt tracking system that works just like a GPS. The Smart Bra: Developed by Wallace et al at the University of Wollongong, the Smart Bra can change its properties according to the breast movement, i.e. it can tighten, loosen the straps,  stiffen or relax its’ cups to adjust the breast motion, preventing breast pain and sag. This bra is essentially useful for women who are active in sports. Fitness component inside sports underwear: This technology, again is very useful for athletes as it incorporates ‘beat clip’ i.e., a fitness component with a mobile radio connection sewn into sports underwear. It then displays on a mobile phone, the wearers’ fitness conditions such as heart rate signals. Fabric protection against mobile phone radiation: a German engineered fabric using special yarns called ‘eBlocker’ is being incorporated into the inner pockets of jackets, which absorbs almost 100% of radiation emanating from mobile phones without affecting the functioning of the mobile phone in any way. Sensory baby vest: A team of researchers have improvised a special vest for babies .This special vest has sensors attached to it that help in constant monitoring of the baby’s’ vital organs such as heart, lungs ,skin and at the same time detects body temperature. The sensors are attached such that they, in no way, disturb the baby while it is asleep. Light Emitting: Luminex is a new fabric (non reflective) that can emit light. They are optical capable of illuminating themselves in darkened situations. Developing Future U.S. Soldier Uniforms: DuPont in alliance with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) attempts to develop materials that would help equip the U.S. soldier of the future with uniforms and gear that keep them safe them against chemical and biological warfare. Engineers and scientists are working to develop ideas such as a uniform that is almost invisible and soft clothing that can become a rigid cast when a soldier breaks his or her leg. Fibres That Can Change Colour and Shape on Command: Smart fibres can function as conductive â€Å"wires† and react to signals from electricity, heat or pressure. Researchers are experimenting with different fibre profiles – of various shapes — that can be made to contract or expand to loosen and tighten clothing to make the wearer warmer or cooler. For example, conductive fibres could change colour on command from an electric signal that changes the reflective quality of specially dyed fibre/cloth Emitting Scents: The Smart Second Skin Dress – emitting scents depending on your mood and requirements. One such invention is the ‘Sleep Suit’ which gives out the scent of lavender for insomniacs when they wake to calm the wearer and send them back to sleep. One can manage music and mobile phone from a control panel, with backlit digital display, located externally on  your sleeve. Fashion is moving forward†¦and so is technology. As computers keep getting smaller, it enables us to incorporate miniaturised hi-tech components into clothes and shoes. Textile manufacturers have to redefine ‘functionality’ and move beyond the historical focus of protection and appearance and find their way onto the high street renamed as ‘Warp Wear’, ‘Smart Clothes’ and ‘E-textiles’.

Gentrification of urban communities

Urban reclamation is frequently lauded as a approval by politicians and land developers ; it is seen as a method of conveying economic and cultural growing to an otherwise dead community. It is a set of alterations made in the hopes that new occupants come in, more concerns unfastened, and more capital flows into the country. However, redevelopment frequently consequences in the deconstruction and replacing of a preexistent community, displacing the former occupants and increasing their adversities instead than supplying revival. Gentrification, the procedure in which more flush occupants move into a poorer country and alter its societal and economic kineticss, is a term that comes up in virtually every argument sing urban renovation. In this paper, I will reason that the usage of urban gentrification for useful intents is unjust and delusory, and the Kantian thought that positive purpose affairs more than effect provides an insidious lenience. I will demo the hurt gentrification cau ses to local concerns and occupants through illustrations from countries that have undergone the procedure, and compare the statements for and against the pattern ; the effects of lifting belongings values, the alterations in a community ‘s concerns, and the alterations in a community ‘s societal make-up will be the chief countries of focal point. After the research is presented, I will research the philosophical point of views of Kant and Mill, and contrast idealism with the world that urban communities must confront in covering with gentrification. When flush fledglings set up places in a hapless community, they frequently rebuild or otherwise modify the belongingss they buy ; by making this, switch the belongings values up consequently. The belongings revenue enhancements and rent addition to fit this up grading of places and flats. These higher income households can afford these increased fees, and the excess revenue enhancement capital fluxing into the country by and large pleases the local authorities. But for long-time occupants, this displacement in belongings values can be an unwelcome load. Harmonizing to an appraisal conducted by Daniel Sullivan, longtime occupants of a gentrified community tend to be poorer than newer occupants. Consequentially, long-time occupants frequently become displaced by the newer, richer occupants. Koreatown, Los Angeles is a premier illustration of this effect. In the survey â€Å" The Contested Nexus of Koreatown † , Kyeyoung Park and Jessica detailed the alterations the urban enclav e experienced as restructured itself after the Los Angeles Riots. During the LA Riots, Koreatown ‘s belongingss suffered amendss that occupants were distressed to reimburse from ; many displaced occupants abandoned the enclave wholly. Outside investing and urban revival seemed the lone means to supply the alleviation Koreatown so urgently needed, but the research workers found its redevelopment self-contradictory ; while belongings values increased and the town experienced a singular recovery, established occupants found themselves out on the streets because they were unable to afford the new rents and fees. These occupants were largely local workers doing minimal pay wages, who all of a sudden found their flat composites being bought out by development companies ; the edifices would be renovated and refurbished, and the rents would be dual the original cost. Gentrification had compounded the supplanting of the original community alternatively of assisting them acquire back on their pess. From the point of position of the established community, it is hard to state that urban reclamation provided any societal good for them ; they had been swapped out in favour of newer occupants. As new higher-income occupants come in, the types of concerns in the country alteration every bit good. These occupants have more disposable income and the kinds of goods and services they desire differ from the other occupants. The concentration of professional services and retail shops addition, while smaller, local concerns go into diminution ( Park and Kim, 2008 ) . To run into with the demands of a altering community, some services become plethoric to the point of instability ; local concern proprietors find themselves missing the resources to remain competitory and travel out of concern, ensuing in farther supplanting of the established community versus the entrance community. In their survey, Park and Kim stated there was over-saturation of pool halls, cyberspace coffeehouse, karaoke bars, dark nines, room salons, and spirits shops in Koreatown ; while this gives the consumer more pick, the competition makes for a really hostile and unforgiving concern environment. The new sho ps and services can frequently be unaccessible to the established occupants, in footings of affordability and focal point ; it is a signifier of market positivism that takes merely the concerns of the flush into history. When Koreatown was redeveloped, the new services were centered towards pulling people to the night life with bars, nines, and high-class eating houses ; while these concerns were popular out-of-towners and the flush, the bulk of the local community had no usage for such excessive venues. Babylon Court, an upscale shopping centre located in Hollywood, is besides an illustration of disagreement between concern and the community. The shopping centre is a popular location for the upper category with its expensive retail shops and celebrated theatres, but it stand in stark contrast to the environing community of the homeless and comparatively hapless who can non afford the offering of Babylon Court ( Curtio, Davenport, and Jackiewicz, 2007 ) . Once once more, the intrigu es of the gentrification procedure have non helped the community, but hampered it ; outside investing and new concerns that were suppose to take a breath life into a fighting community have alternatively alienated and beleaguered the long-time occupants. When reclamation is enacted for the good of a community, the bing community is rarely the donee ; alternatively, the community is steadily changed and replaced so that revival is a consequence of a new public. Increased variegation and societal mixture does non happen, but replacing and segregation are frequently the consequence when covering with gentrification. In â€Å" Gentrification and Social Mixing † , Loretta Lees stated that in-between fledglings into urban communities self-segregated themselves even though they polled in favour of diverseness in a vicinity. This procedure of gentrification is on a regular basis aided by societal policies created by the province. One illustration of that happening is Cabrini Green in Chicago. In 1994, it qualified â€Å" the worst instance of public lodging in the US † , and was later given $ 50 million to redevelop ; the destruction and vouchering out that followed displaced a important part of low-income renters and recreated the community as a in-between category vicinity ( Lees, 2008 ) . The UK developed similar policies ; the London Borough of Brent New Deal for Communities undertaking funded the destruction of tower blocks and created over 1500 in private owned units, but at the loss of 800 publically owned units ( Atkinson, 2008 ) , displacing low-income occupants. The preexistent community is pushed out by the alterations in the local economic system, and an of all time so elusive societal cleaning takes topographic point, while policy shapers flaunt their love of societal public-service corporation and the public good and claim they are relieving the poorness of urban countries. A useful action should ensue the greatest felicity for the greatest sum of people. J.S. Mill demanded empiricist philosophy in infering what benefited the whole, but gentrification puts the felicity and experiences of clearly different groups at odds. Does gentrification function the felicity of the old occupants or the new occupants? Empirical scrutiny of informations Tells me the old occupants are simple garbage in gentrification and newer occupants are primary concern. Is the greater felicity a affair of population measure or is it a affair of population quality? Another empirical scrutiny reveals gentrification is process that favors people of higher income, a affair of quality instead than measure. My scrutiny reveals gentrification consequences in the greatest felicity for the few, instead than the many. So I pose the undermentioned inquiry: how does one justify gentrification as functioning the greater good? Social policies recommending gentrification claim they have improved and revitalized urban communities, when all they have done is displace the established low-income households to do it seem like they have reduced poorness in the country. This misrepresentation is something I take immense issue with ; even Milton Friedman, a adult male who was likely supportive of urban reclamation patterns, spewed sulfuric acid at utilizing the alibi of â€Å" societal good † to accomplish a personal docket. Gentrification in the name of societal public-service corporation is a failure, but Immanuel Kant said baronial purpose affairs more than effect. However, baronial purpose is something subjective ; what is baronial to one individual is non needfully baronial to another. The effects of gentrification are desperate and far-reaching and to pardon the procedure based on a subjective ideal is an indulgence excessively easy granted. In duty-based moralss, a individual must see his ideal as if it were a cosmopolitan axiom ; if it is contradictory, so it is a defective ideal. Suppose everyone went around fliping people poorer than themselves out of house and place, destructing and reconstructing belongingss for their ain usage ; this would ensue complete pandemonium, with people of all societal standings in ferocious struggle with one another. Through policy devising, advocates of gentrification have besides reduced the thought of community to a part of a map instead than people ; Kant would be taken aback by the deficiency of regard for the sovereignty of the person. Intent entirely can non salvage the policy of gentrification ; it is something flawed by subjective dockets, and Kant ‘s nonsubjective ideals can non be efficaciously applied to the worlds of the state of affairs. Gentrification carried out in the name of utilitarianism is a misrepresentation wrought upon troubled communities. It is excessively frequently that the promise of revival is made a cloak for a cleaning of a community ‘s societal order. The occupants suffer through a procedure of steadily increasing adversities and eventual replacing by the more privileged ; it ‘s â€Å" Invasion of the Body Snatchers † , except with the middle class alternatively of foreigners. With the increasing belongings values and as if by magic vanishing poorness, statistics are made reinforce the thought that gentrification works admirations for communities. I can non decently show my contempt for this sinister kind of planning ; it is a type of dastardly deed tantrum for scoundrels with long moustaches, twirling fingers, and big chapeaus. While I would immensely prefer investing and animation that allowed a community to go self-sufficing by its ain attempts, I would merely settle for the f ake of societal good to be dropped from the pitch. If you ‘re traveling to pass over out and reconstruct a community, name it for what it is ; they ‘re likely excessively hapless and incapacitated to halt you.Plants CitedAtkinson, Rowland. â€Å" Commentary: Gentrification, Segregation and the Vocabulary of Affluent Residential Choice. † Urban Studies V. 45 No. 12 ( November 2008 ) P. 2626-36, 45.12 ( 2008 ) : 2626-2636.Sullivan, Daniel Monroe. â€Å" Reassessing Gentrification. † Urban Affairs Review, 42.4 ( 2007 ) : 583-592.Leess, Loretta. â€Å" Gentrification and Social Mixing: Towards an Inclusive Urban Renaissance? . † Urban Studies V. 45 No. 12 ( November 2008 ) P. 2449-70, 45.12 ( 2008 ) : 2449-2470.Curti, Giorgio Hadi, John Davenport, and Edward Jackiewicz. â€Å" Concrete Babylon: Life Between the Stars. † Yearbook of the Association of Pacific Coast Geographers, 69 ( 2007 ) : 45-73.Park, Kyeyoung, and Jessica Kim. â€Å" The Contes ted Nexus of Los Angeles Koreatown: Capital Restructuring, Gentrification, and Displacement. † Amerasia Journal V. 34 No. 3 ( 2008 ) P. 126-50, 34.3 ( 2008 ) : 126-150.

Cloning Should Be Permitted Essays - Molecular Biology, Cloning

Cloning Should Be Permitted Essays - Molecular Biology, Cloning Cloning Should Be Permitted Cloning Should Be Permitted Cloning has been a very controversial topic since it affects moral values of human beings and other living things alike. In February 1997, scientists announced the birth of the first cloned sheep, and this predicted the future of cloning possibilities. The scientists began extensive experiments on cloning and have cloned both plants and animals successfully. The next step was to clone actual human beings. Before the experiments could have been carried out, pressure from the society started build on the scientists. Governments began to introduce bans on cloning, because they felt cloning was not ethical and morally correct. Cloning has its cons but its pros seem to overcome them greatly. If cloning were allowed to be experimented, the scientists would find a way to clone body organs which were exactly the same of an individual body organ. This would be beneficial to a person who may have lost a body organ, such as a kidney, a liver and a lung. Scientists could clone a particular organ for the individual, which would work better than a transplant organ. Cloning would certainly expand the range of medicine greatly and enhance the possibilities of conquering disease, such as Parkinsons disease, cancer and other diseases that were considered incurable . Also, cloning could be used to increase the population of endangered species of animals and save them from extinction. It would help maintain a natural balance on the earth ,and life cycle could be continued. Cloning would certainly benefit couples who are infertile and want to have a child of their own, and therefore they could use cloning to produce a baby with their similar characteristics. In fact, they may be able to choose the characteristics of their child. Women who are single could have a child by using cloning. Another goal of cloning was it could help to improve the qualities of the crops for the agricultural industry. Some people would suggest that cloning is unnatural and not ethically correct. However, it is also unnatural and not ethically correct when you sick and take medicine. The whole of the modern medicine world is based on unnaturalness, so it seems cloning would be part of that modern medicine world. Some people also suggest that clones of human beings would behave in different ways than a normal human beings would. This is wrong. As the clones of human beings will have all the characteristics of a normal human being, they will behave like any other human beings would behave. In conclusion, I would like to say that cloning could be used in various ways to benefit the lives of humans. It is undeniable that cloning will play an important part in our lives. Therefor, the society and the government should accept this fact and permit the scientists to carry out more research to eliminate any risks associated with cloning.

Leanpub Serial and Continuous Publishing, by Len Epp

Leanpub Serial and Continuous Publishing, by Len Epp Serial and continuous publishing, an interview with Len Epp of Leanpub Last updated: 07/31/2017Serial publishing is not new. Many of Dickens books were published serially. This and Eric Ries' Lean Startup approach is what drove co-founders Len Epp, Peter Armstrong and Scott Patten to create Leanpub. This fascinating (and successful) startup has built  a lean publishing model where you "publish early, publish often" in order to build an audience.Our co-founder and CEO Emmanuel decided to have a chat with their co-founder Len Epp. Press "play" below if you want to hear a passionate discussion about publishing, Dickens, serializing, book marketing, and new forms of writing. Basically, they're imagining the future of publishing, and their vision might be quite accurate. Alternatively, we have supplied, as always, the transcript right below! Welcome to a new Reedsy podcast. So today I'm very happy to talk with Len Epp, Lead Customer Development and Co-Founder of Leanpub. So well Sir, good morning or good afternoon - depending on wherever you are. Yes, it’s morning here on the West Coast of America.Yeah, it's evening now in London, so dark! So I'm pretty excited to have you today. I've been a big Leanpub fan for a while actually and think the model is super interesting. You guys created a concept where authors can continuously publish their books – and even if they’ve only written the first chapters, people can already buy it. We also decided to do this interview to announce that Reedsy and Leanpub will start working together to help Leanpub users create beautiful covers for their books - since it's one of the main things to discover books on Leanpub. So just for our listeners, who may not know about Leanpub, can you tell us a bit about yourself, and then about the vision for the company and the team? So Leanpub has 3 co-founders - Peter Armstrong, Scott Patten and myself. Peter and Scott actually had the idea back in 2010, when Peter had written a programming book.He’d realized that he didn't want to wait until the book was completed before he started getting it out to readers. And there were a number of reasons for that, one of which was motivation and another one was community copy editing. And so he creatively added a link to a special chat room that you could access if you bought the book. He built this community of avid followers of his computer program – they would help him if they found errors and make suggestions. And it was a feedback loop of motivation. People were asking for the next chapters, and he wanted to give it to them - and that worked really well.So how would it work for fiction? Isn’t it harder to work with your readers to release new chapters based on their feedback?Fiction is a really interesting application. Serial fiction is a really old idea. Many of Dickens books were published serially: "The Brothers Karamazov", "Crime and Punishment", "'War and Peace", and "Middlemarch" all started out being published serially. And serial publishing was more or less the norm. "Many of Dickens books were published serially: serial publishing was more or less the norm." @leanpub That opens up really interesting ideas. For example, a novel is not a book, right? Like we say, "I wrote the book", but you actually wrote a text. It's only a book if it's published in that particular format. For example, if I had all of the copies of all the magazines in which one of Mary Elizabeth Braden’s novels were published, I've got the novel but I don't have the book. I also have the pamphlets that â€Å"Middlemarch† was published as: I don't have a book, but I have a novel. So Leanpub enables serial publishing so you would publish chapters as separate books serially.Now, I think what you're getting at, which is really good, is the idea of â€Å"in-progress publishing†, which is different from serial publishing (serial publishing is publishing finished works in serial).Exactly.I think the only person working on a novel that way is me. But that's kind of like performance art in a way, right? I think most people would find it frustrating to read the first c hapter of a novel and have the author go, "I changed it."You came up with that continuous publishing concept and now you're coming up with this idea: a book is only a book if you decide to make your text a book. But in fact maybe people don't want to read a book, they want to read a series of novels or something that's constantly evolving.I’d like to come back to the fact that Leanpub is mainly for technical writers at the moment. And for it to work well, you've integrated Leanpub with many services such as GitHub, Dropbox and a few others. What's the proportion of the authors using them and how does it change the way they write their books?Most of our authors use Dropbox, fewer use GitHub. We've got an option on Leanpub to download what you've been working in the e-pub, PDF or mobi formats - or all 3 if you want.All authors say that working with Dropbox is kind of magic because when you're working through Dropbox, you've got a file on your computer, and you just press "save" when want to. And you work on whatever text editor you like. And then, because you're sharing that file with Leanpub through Dropbox, when you want to publish a new version - you just go to Leanpub and hit the publish button, and it's done! There's no emailing back and forth, nothing. It just takes away a huge amount of complication from the conventional process.You have also built the Leanpub editor where authors write using Markdown. How popular is it?For anyone who isn't familiar with Markdown, Markdown is a mark-up language or syntax that was developed to make it easier to write webpages. And so Leanpub books are written in what we call â€Å"Leanpub flavored Markdown†, which is essentially plain text: you don't see the bold thing turn bold in the text that you're writing - any more than you would if you were writing on a typewriter, and it's very very simple.And do you think this tool could be adopted more broadly, outside of the tech community?I do, but I know from exp erience that for a lot of people, as soon as you tell them they have to learn something new and you use a technical word they're not exactly running to the hills. But the analogy for that is the typewriter, right? When the typewriter came out, you had to buy and object and learn how to use it, which was time-consuming.I think that people are going to learn Markdown, in the same way that they learned to use the typewriter. The 5 minutes it will take you to learn this new way of typing out books is way better. It will catch on. It will become a convention. People will understand that it's better but it's going to take time. "People are going to learn Markdown, in the same way that they learned to use the typewriter." @leanpub So let's say, so I've written my manuscript and I'm publishing it with Leanpub, now what happens?You would create a landing page for your book with information like â€Å"about the book†, â€Å"about the author†, maybe a bit of a teaser and then you would hit one button: "publish". If you've used our writing workflow, from one source text you get all those ePub, PDF and mobi versions magically created, then your book is up for sale on Leanpub.You can also set up variable pricing: you set a minimum and a suggested price for your book and as soon as you hit "publish" it's available for sale at those prices. Readers will see a slider at the suggested price, but they can slide it down to the minimum price that you've set, or they can slide it up and pay more.Since Leanpub pays such a high royalty rate compared to other publishing platforms, 90% minus 50 cents per sale, how much we pay authors is a feature. So underneath the slider that shows how much you pay, it shows how m uch the author is getting. This is why we'd see people paying strange prices like $11.67 and we'd be like. In fact, that corresponds to $10 to the author. So they were taking the author slider, "How much do I want to give the author for this book?" 10 bucks.So this variable pricing totally changes the relationship with readers: if you go into a conventional bookstore, you're automatically in consumer mode, "I want to pay as little as I can for as much as I can get." "If you go into a conventional bookstore, you're automatically in consumer mode." @leanpub But with Leanpub and with variable pricing, because it gives you a choice, all of a sudden you're making a decision about how much you can afford to pay and how much you think it's worth. "With Leanpub and variable pricing, you make a decision about how much you think a book is worth." @leanpub There are tons of people setting up a crowdfunding campaign for their publishing projects. And they're like, "Okay, I'm going to raise some money so that I can keep on writing my book, and then produce it at some point." What you're doing with Leanpub is you say, "Okay, I'm going to write the first chapter and I'm going to find readers who are really interested in what I'm writing and start making money out of my book so I can potentially invest more for the coming chapters." Do you feel like crowdfunding for books should work this way, and not the way Kickstarter works - where you wait for months before you can actually read the book?I would say that when it comes to writing, for most projects, the best thing to do is to make a little bit first and get it out there, and see if you are getting attention before you ask people to start giving you money for it.At Leanpub there's a page where you can ask people if they'd be interested in reading a book if you wrote it. It's possible at s ome point we'll do pre-sales, because pre-sales are becoming quite big in publishing land. Personally, I don't think I would want to personally give a writer an advance on a book they hadn't started writing yet though.My co-founder Ricardo has interviewed quite a few publishing startups and that concept of customer validation before you actually invest everything into your book keeps coming back.So let’s say I've decided to put my book out there on Leanpub, then what happens? How do you help authors find their readers?We’ve got a bookstore that has various categories, sellers. But mostly, right now, it's up to Leanpub authors to go outside the Leanpub ecosystem. It's up to them to bring readers.So how many books have been published through Leanpub so far?Nearly 2,000 authors, and we've had nearly 3,000 books published.You talked about that mailing list that authors can build on Leanpub. Is it mainly for people coming from the Leanpub community, or just anyone coming to the book’s page and thinking, "I'm interested, I'm going to sign up." And then, the author can use this mailing list the way they want?The way the mailing list works is that if you express interest in a book that hasn't been published, you can subscribe to get notified when it gets published. You choose whether or not you want to share your email address with the author. If you do, we have integration with MailChimp.So let's talk about when the book is ready. Peter, your co-founder was telling me about Leanpub authors who were looking to get a finished product to distribute on different ebookstores or even a physical version of their book. And that’s why there is now a referral program in place for Leanpub authors who can get a Reedsy coupon of $20 towards editing or design services on Reedsy. Awesome. It's really exciting. We've had our most successful Leanpub authors make a print version and also try other channels like putting their book up on Amazon or the iBookst ore.People say "don't judge a book by its cover". In the 20th century romantic modernism, the publishing house made the cover with very little input given to the author. So my joke is that you can't judge a book by its cover†¦ if a traditional publisher publishes it. Traditional publishers have this whole apparatus for selling that has nothing to do with writing. "  You can't judge a book by its cover†¦ if a traditional publisher publishes it." @leanpub But with a self-published book you can often judge a book by its cover: if the author took the time and care and chose a good designer to make a good cover, it means that they probably wrote a good book too. Having a cover that shows care is profoundly important. "Traditional publishers have this whole apparatus for selling that has nothing to do with writing." @leanpub It's also a form of art. There’s a deep relation between that cover and what you've been writing. It's going to be interesting in the coming months to see if there are great covers coming from this collaboration. I look forward to it. So thanks a lot I think that was really interesting for our readers to learn more about Leanpub.Okay, thanks very much and I look forward to interviewing you next week for the Leanpub podcast!Follow Leanpub and Reedsy on Twitter:  @leanpub  and  @ReedsyHQWhat do you think of Leanpub's publishing model? Would you be ready publish early in order to build an audience? Leave us your thoughts, or any questions for Len, in the comments below!

Museum visit Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Museum visit - Research Paper Example The admission fees to the museum are minimal, and members and children under the age of 3 are admitted without any cost. Individuals from ages 3-12 and 62 and older need to pay only $5.00 (USD) for entrance. Teenagers and adults from ages 13-61 need to pay $8.00 (USD) for entrance. The museum encourages the public to call for any inquires, and their contact number is (313) 494-5808. Even individuals with disabilities can easily access the various exhibition centers in the museum. Several ramps and elevators serve all public areas. There are wheelchairs available for visitors, and strollers can easily be accommodated in almost all areas. For the convenience of the visitors and ease of stay, the museum offers lockers for rent, complimentary coat racks, and an ATM at the ground level. There is also a small cafe where visitors can relax particularly with their quick snacks acquired from the vending machines. The cafe also serves visitors who opt to bring their own meals. There is also a secure and affordable metered parking right at the back of the museum. Museum Features The museum is a humongous collection of artifacts and archival materials that are all about the African American history. The exhibitions and learning opportunities cater to the interest and curiosity of individuals of all ages. First, the museum features tours such as And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture, which is one of the core exhibitions of the museum, showcasing a journey in history from prehistoric Africa to the early civilizations. It shows a journey of slavery, resistance to bondage, emancipation, justice, and freedom. This can be experienced within the 22,000 square feet area of the museum. Second, there is a huge list of prestigious and respected names in the history of African Americans in bronze nameplates scattered around the terrazzo tile creation called the Ring of Genealogy. This exhibition is a 37-foot structure created by artist Hubert Mass ey. Third, there is an architectural wonder of 65 feet high glass dome. This glass dome --- called the Ford Freedom Rotunda --- with a diameter of 100 feet, is even slightly bigger than the State Capitol dome, and holds the Ring of Genealogy. A museum store is available and it offers real pieces of African American artworks, authentic books, and merchandise. There is also a library --- the Louise Lovett Wright Library --- and a research center --- Robert L. Hurst Research Center. There is also a place where 92 flags are prominently displayed and alphabetically arranged by origin and country. These are the regions where there is a considerable number of African descendant residents. Lectures, presentations, film showings, and even live performances are offered at the 317-seating capacity General Motors Theater. Exhibitions and Lectures The core exhibiton And Still We Rise: Our Journey Through African American History and Culture has more than 20 galleries that showcase the tragedies, triumphs, and efforts of all the men and women who fought for freedom from ancient times to modern civilizations. It is an amazing experience that allows individuals to travel through time and territorial boundaries to explore history. Africa is also two-fifths grassland or tropical savanna. The climate is a typical tropical wet and dry. Savannas are used to herding by nomads. Rainforest trees allow for cocoa growing. Grains and beans were abound even in ancient

Payday Lending Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Payday Lending - Assignment Example h interests charged on these funds going as high as over 100%, coupled with the disadvantages of this practice, there is every reason to criminalize payday lending. Although high interest rate is one of the reasons for rendering payday lending illegal, the practice negatively affects economic growth and development. Most of the economies rely on the private sector and private investors. While the government and the financial industry provide individual investors with credit to start up small and medium scale enterprises, individual investors rely on their savings to raise income for investments. By promoting the culture of saving among the people, it positively contributes to the growth and development of individual investments, subsequently increasing the growth of the private sector. This contributes to the economic growth and development by providing employment opportunities, creating innovation, and creativity among the people. However, payday lending hinders this development. The fact that most of the people rely on this as a source of income to run their lives during the month is discourages saving among the people. Moreover, this practic e promotes a culture of consumerism, which leads to poverty in the subsequent years of employment. With people having liquid money with them, this increases the rate of inflation as they spend on most of their money on consumer goods. Lending at over 100% is also unreasonable and unethical, and as such, ought to be illegal. By choosing to criminalize the practice, a number of people are likely to suffer from such a development. Whenever people face emergencies, and others have financial constraints, they cannot access financial support and assistance through payday lending. Thus, people have to find other sources of satisfying this need. Making the practice illegal can further lead to loss of jobs for the moneylenders, thus increasing the rate of jobless people in the