An Escape

An ascent through a long narrow corridor of pines, tiny fox prints underneath my own, an abandoned campsite with a forgotten soda can sitting on a picnic table. Fierce orange leaves scattered amongst fallen berries floating down the stream to my right. A reprieve for my muscles provided by the flat, open field inhabited by my moose friend. For a few precious strides our feet hit the ground simultaneously as we travel parallel to each other—together and apart. She soon darts off, leaving me with a raised spirit embodied in a bittersweet half-smile. The geese above me watch awhile, but they too have better places to be. They honk staggered farewells as they fly south. On my own again, ascending, slipping, sliding, I forge through thick mud. Behind me I catch a glimpse of footprints I leave through a curtain of blonde ponytail. They don’t look quite like I thought they would; they’re much smaller. Nostalgia seizes me. I recall months ago, when someone juxtaposed my stride with the stride of a doe, springy and lithe. The sudden flapping of a grouse’s wings yanks me back, and my pulse quickens as I pinpoint where it came from. I laugh and keep pushing upwards, until trail intersects dirt road. My legs anticipate the descent, and I quicken my pace until the brush that crowds the sides of the road blurs into an audience, their branches skimming my shoulders like miniature pats on the back. When I reach the crest of the hill, I stop for a moment to catch my breath, only to lose it again at the wonder of my surroundings. On my right a crescent moon rises over a harvested field, and to my left the brilliant setting sun forces me to squint and shield my eyes. Caught amid the transition of night and day, my head bobs back and forth between the two as their silent battle for ownership of the sky continues. My feet start to move again, and I catch a glimpse of the waning sun in the side mirror of a dusty ’64 Impala parked on the side of the road. I am only racing the moon now. And race I do, for as the rose-colored sky surrenders to a deep eggplant peppered with stars, the residual warmth from the sun falls to the night’s chill. The city lights below wink at me as I descend and scraggly bushes morph into mailboxes. Eventually, tall birches are replaced by homes and childrens’ boot prints overtake raccoon tracks. The evening news is going unwatched in the living room of one house; a family is gathered around a dinner table at another. The headlights of a car cause me to slow my stride and shield my eyes as I reach the bottom of the hill and trot a few hundred yards on the sidewalk to my home. The porch light greets me and I linger under its glow awhile. My chest heaves and sweat begins to tickle the back of my neck as I turn and glance back to the trail, now shrouded in darkness. I open the door and my retriever waits for me, her tail hitting the wall like a metronome. She tells me with her amber eyes that I have been gone for too long.

Injustice of the Copyright Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Injustice of the Copyright Law - Essay Example Users continued to break the law. Yet, these users that violated the law and placed themselves at threat of prosecution and fines were the true citizens. The illegal peer-to-peer services and the citizens that used them were instrumental in redefining the music industry for the benefit of both the consumer and the artist. The importance of the copyright law in reference to audio reproduction has been a direct result of the available technology. In the 1980s the cassette player was the main device available for music reproduction. Successive reproductions decreased the recording quality and manufactures and distributors were able to maintain a competitive edge with respect to product quality. In addition, there were no channels for trading copies and availability was limited to physical contact with the media. This generally restricted the ability to copy a tape to a limited circle of friends. Large scale counterfeit operations were easier to intercept in the marketing stream and were generally highly visible to law enforcement (Kim, 2004). Enforcement of the law was usually a matter of the priorities set by state agencies. In the case of the flourishing overseas bootleg markets, little enforcement was available. However, with the advent of the Internet, peer-to-peer networks, and the Internet the abi lity to trade and reproduce music has expanded exponentially. Digital MP3 copies do not degrade in quality, which removes the original manufacturers competitive edge. There is no need for physical contact of the media and there are no restrictions on the availability as the source can be anywhere in the world and totally anonymous. Historically, reproduction of copyrighted material has been exempted from coverage by the 'Fair and Private Use' clauses of the copyright laws. Fair use allows for the reproduction for certain academic, review, and informational purposes without the consent of the copyright holder. Private use allows for reproduction for personal use and no commercial gain. However, The United States copyright laws were amended in 1992 with the addition of Chapter 10 to the Audio Home Recording Act. This amendment specifically addressed the use of digital audio recording and playback devices and media. The courts have been clear as to the copyright infringement of the reproduction of MP3 audio on computing devices. To be considered a digital audio recording device, the equipment must be, "...designed or marketed for the primary purpose of, and that is capable of, making a digital audio copied recording for private use" (US Code collection, n.d.). Thus, the home computer and hard drive were not exempt ed from the copyright laws as an MP3 player or dictation machine may be. With the rapid onset of advancing technologies and the proliferation of peer-to-peer networking in the late 1990s, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) became more pro-active in their efforts to insure the copyright laws were being enforced. The RIAA that represented the recording industry insisted, "...this theft has hurt the music community, with thousands of layoffs, songwriters out of work and new artists having a harder time getting signed and breaking into the business" (Piracy: Online and on the street, n.d.). The trade group asserted that it was losing billions of dollars to services such as Napster, WinMX, Morpheus, and

Family Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Family Business - Essay Example Family businesses are observed and viewed as a crucial part of an economy in any country, as they supply substantial contributions to economic growth and revenue development for those countries. Because of this, family businesses can be seen as part of the reason that the world has developed economically as the same families then sell stocks of the companies, which consolidates the businesses even further. It is as a result that family businesses have become some of the world's largest multinationals and conglomerates. Assessing these businesses is a crucial part for any economy in order to look into how these businesses can be made successful, or even fail based on different criteria as mentioned earlier. Family Governance Family governance is the first criteria through which family businesses relative success is measured, in which the measure lies in how the wealth of a family keeps growing or deteriorating in relation to proper management and poor management respectively. This mea sure manifests itself from one generation to the next, in which case it is based on economic factors of different generations and their prevailing economic conditions, which then allow academics to judge how well the businesses are doing (Davis, 2001). It is as a result of this that every generation is expected to play its own key role in running the family businesses and ensure that it does not regress, and should this regression occur, there should be adequate means to bring it back up. Should this family governance criterion fail, it means that a family is under a relative slump, where the business could never recover or is just in a dormant state. Other than this, the concept of family governance looks into ensuring that there is integration between different familial generations in the management of a business, which is just a measure of how the future looks for the company after the current older generation relinquishes its management rights. Looking along the lines of this fa mily governance concept of success determination brings in an aspect of corporate governance, which is similar to how central and federal governments work. As such, there is the question of authority in the business, where there are family gatherings that are focused on the wellbeing of the business and its expansion. This is aimed at the development of policies that are friendly to expansion of assets and communication, as well as revenues, in which there is another aspect of familial values and beliefs that act as guides towards how different members of the family direct and relate to one another in the business (The Sloan Brothers, n.d). This can be defined as the definition of roles for all family members involved in the business, which primarily serves to ensure that there is harmony in different roles, as well as lowering the possibility of familial wrangles over hegemony and authority. Responsibility is fostered in these aspects of assessment, where all family members are exp ected to reflect on their conduct and how it affects the business, which could be positive or negative, but the main feature of assessment is how the organization of the family works (Walsh 2011, p.7). This is as evident in the

Sophocles Antigone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sophocles Antigone - Essay Example Like for example stop signs in places that do not warrant them. I have to admit that there may perhaps be occurrences where I have overlooked them. Be no mistake that I recognize the need for safety but there are just those that seem superfluous and unnecessary. The general thought that comes to my mind is the ardent belief that I am doing the right thing and that I was not blinded by personal misconceptions and that fundamentally no one will be hurt. I imagine that people will actually benefit from my acts and others may perhaps be enlightened. I consider that I may not always be right but there are moments when I have to be in the right. In this regard, I identify more with Antigone who has sacrificed herself to uphold what she believes in and refuses to be subjected to any law from the oppressive Creon. Her refusal to be subdued by restrictive orders is admirable in the sense that she honors her independence more than anything, even her life. To be able to live by one’s own virtues properly guided by ethical standards of morality is the greatest law anyone could

Wal Mart Global Expansion Strategy Management Essay

Wal Mart Global Expansion Strategy Management Essay Wal-Mart is the largest retail chain in the world and also the worlds largest corporation. The company started its globalization in the year 1991 when it opened a Sams club near the Mexico City. In the year 1993 the company did set up the Wal-Mart International which was to oversee the growing opportunities of the company worldwide. Consequently, the company has enjoyed the overseas operation growth and also consumer acceptance. Wal-Mart has never changed its brand names, the every day low price and high ethical standards although its approach to competing in the overseas has evolved over time. Due to its entry into the foreign markets it changed its local regulatory frame work and customer tastes. Wal-Mart global expansion strategy The global expansion strategy of Wal-Mart is provision of goods at low prices that could raise the living standards of people around the world. This strategy involves globalization efforts of the company to enter into the overseas markets. According to Troy (1), the bottom line for the Wal-Marts company is bigger and cheaper. This is because the company intends to maintain its low price kind of leadership while at the same time pursuing the aggressive store expansion worldwide. This expansion is facilitated by opening of new stores and clubs world wide. How do they enter into the markets? Wal-Mart realized that if they took too long to enter into the foreign countries they would be allowing the competitors a lead that is too difficult to close. To avoid this end, they ventured into foreign countries to concentrate on their expansion efforts. This means that the main method used by the Wal-Mart Company in entering into new markets is by venturing into foreign countries. This is ensured by either selling the products in other retail stores which in turn distribute to the customers or by opening up its own store which will be used in the distribution of its products. For example as mentioned earlier, by the year 1993 Wal-Mart international operation had only one Sams club in Mexico but it ventured fast into the neighboring counties like Argentina, brazil, Indonesia china and Japan. This countries where perceived to be unique in the retail market in terms of the logistical systems, consumers and relationship between the suppliers and retailers. How do they expand while in the market? While in the market, Wal-Mart Company opened (build) more new stores in the countries it had ventured into thus replicating the domestic operation abroad. The company also expanded its markets by acquiring potential companies. It also picked up new ideas from other countries which helped greatly in the expansion of its markets. This included the gravity wall from Brazil, selling shoes from Canada, selling bike racks from Canada and many more (Deresky 455). Markets where Wal-Mart has been successful and the reasons for the success Wal-Mart Company has been most successful in countries (markets) like Canada, Mexico and the UK. In Canada the company purchased all the 122 Canadian woolco discount stores thus becoming the Canada highest volume discount retailer. The main proponent for the companys success is the low prices of the products and the ability to strip costs from the supply chain which impresses the analysts. The suppliers are strictly authorized to distribute goods at the Wal-Marts center within 15-30 minutes of the stipulated schedules failure to which they would be fined. Again it has a lot of bargaining power to extract price concession from the suppliers. In UK Wal-Mart acquired ASDA stores which were 232 in number thus becoming the biggest retailer in that country (Wal-Mart.com 1). ASDA warded of price competitions which overtook all the other companies in the UK. In Mexico, Wal-Mart Company acquired the controlling interest of the Mexican largest retailer (Cifra) which operated stores through the county. It modified the products so that they could meet the expectations of its Mexican users (Tilly 1). There is one common theme for the success of these three countries. For example they have acquired some of the strongest companies in this countries thus becoming the leading large scale retailers and they have also modified their products to meet the needs of their immediate clients. Markets where the Wal-Mart company has been unsuccessful and the reasons of the failure. Wal-Mart has failed in Germany and South Korea markets in particular. In Germany, the company found it difficult to adapt to the German ways and it therefore exited selling off its store (Knorr and Arndt 23). In South Korea, the Wal-Mart company also exited selling off its store because it also could not localize its operations (Awbi 1). There is a common theme as to why these two countries failed and it was because the two couldnt adapt to the needs of the various citizens (South Koreans and Germany). These failures are specific or relevant in each country and also similar. For example as mentioned above they have failed because they didnt localize their operations. To be specific the reason as to why it failed in Germany is because the Germany customers did not show much concern for the EDLP approach and many people also disliked its relatively low pay and ultra-frugal policy on managers business expenses. In South Korea it experienced operation difficulties due to its merchandise mix and the stores which were too far from the city centers. Another problem was high food prices and lack of food freshness (Deresky 458). How does culture hinder the expansion of Wal-Mart in other countries? Wal-Marts culture is a hindrance to the companys expansion. This is because some of their practices do not go well with some people in some countries (Kitlerphiroj 1). For example in Germany the Wal-Marts expatriate managers were faced with massive cultures clashes which were helped by the refusal to learn the German language. Its culture which involved merchandise departments, supercenters far from town centers and low pries did not go down with the South Koreans who disliked the companies merchandise, the locations and high prices of commodities which led to their closure. The companys culture of acquiring building and companies and low prices helped the company in nations like Mexico, Canada and the UK for they became the largest retailers in these countries. Has Wal-Mart had to change their level and method of political interaction with governments as they have expanded internationally? Wal-Mart had to change the level and method of interaction with some governments in the process of their international expansion. For example the Chinas finance, banking, taxation and insurance organizations were bureaucratic and burdensome because the regional division of finance guidelines and tax rules created problems. For example a corporation with joint ventures in numerous locations served by a single supplier had to make separate payment for each venture to the supplier. Wal-Mart Company worked together with the Chinese administration to put up a holding corporation that could consolidate joint venture distribution and finance. How effective has Wal-Mart been at maintaining their business model as they have expanded internationally? Wal-Mart has been effective in the maintenance of its business model during the international expansion because it has maintained its low price culture towards its customers. Again, it has managed to be the largest retailer in some countries like Canada, United Kingdom and Mexico. The four most important lessons There are some lessons which can be learned from this case. One of them is that companies should target to satisfy their customers so that they can get the opportunity to expand. For example most of the Wal-Marts customers are satisfied with the low prices of commodities. This has not only increased sales but also profits. Another lesson is that companies should consider the opinions, tastes and preferences of the people in a particular country before setting up a company in a foreign country to avoid massive losses. The other lesson is that a company should try to localize or understand the peoples preferences and tastes after a careful study have been carried out to avoid misconceptions that can bring losses. Another lesson is that the companies that have the interest of venturing into business in foreign countries should change and even negotiate with the various governments concerned such that they may have a favorable condition to thrive in businesswise.

Use of Pathos in Writings on Torture Essay example -- Who Walk Away fr

Torture is a loaded word. It conjures images in a readers' mind of any number of horrors, physical and mental. Many writers rely on this reaction and use pathos in their articles to illicit a strong response in their audience. Pathos is an emotional appeal used to gain sympathy and trust from the audience and works for people of all intellectual levels. It often casts the author or characters in a story as an Everyman, easy to identify, and therefore see eye to eye, with. In my opinion, the more an author is able to create a personal connection to torture, the stronger their argument becomes. Strong emotions create a more appealing argument for an everyday audience. Michael Levin's â€Å"The Case for Torture† uses a few moments of pathos to convince the audience of the potential benefit of torture. He poses several scenarios of terrorists planning attacks on large numbers of innocent people and then asks, â€Å"If the only way to save those lives is to subject the terrorist to the most excruciating possible pain, what grounds can there be for not doing so?† Even if you don't agree with him, he urges the reader to â€Å"face the question with an open mind.† By doing this, Levin uses pathos as well as ethos to present himself as a nice guy who's not unreasonable. Though his argument is different from Levin's, Andrew Sullivan tries a similar approach in his article, â€Å"Bush's torturers follow where the Nazis led†. The article demonstrates a clear use of pathos from the beginning. Sullivan begins with some personal information about himself, showing that is is one of the regular people. His imagery is subtle but power ful. By implying that the government's behavior is in some way akin to the Nazis, he conjures up a powerful imagine in the readers min... ...Oct. 2008 . Ortiz, Sister Dianna. "Mr. President, stop the torture!" US Catholic Magazine Online. July 2004. 26 Sept 2008 news_iv_ctrl=1341&abbr=usc_&JServSessionIdr001=anotsvvjc1.app45a> Ortiz, Sister Dianna. "Speak Truth to Power Defender – Interview with Dianna Ortiz." Speak Truth to Power. 26 Sept 2008. . 26 Sept 2008. Sullivan, Andrew. "Bush's torturers follow where the Nazis led." Times Online. 7 October 2007. 23 Sept 2008 andrew_sullivan/article2602564.ece> Porter, Henry. "America's Dirty Torture Secret." The Guardian. 10 Sept 2003. 1 Oct 2008 .

Psych Exam

Psychology is best defined as the science of behavior and mental processes. A cognitive psychologist would be most likely to design a study of the processes involved in decision making. Roy is interested in the details of the relationship between the brain structures and behavior. Roy is most likely a biological psychologist. The tasks of an industrial/organizational psychologist Include Improving supervisors' leadership skills, creating maximum-efficiency work groups, and suggesting other research-based programs designed to Increase efficiency.An Industrial/organizational psychologist doing cross-cultural work finds that In Country Llama, the workers have the highest Job satisfaction when they are rewarded for their accomplishments and quality of work. Country Llama probably has an Individualist culture. Dan performs the same experiment on several different occasions. Each time he performs the experiment, his data suggests different conclusions.The results from Dawn's experiment lac k reliability. Tall Is Interested In how alcohol consumption affects driving ability. He gives college students two, four, or six beers and then assure how many obstacles the students â€Å"hit† when they are in a driving simulator. The dependent variable is the number of obstacles hit. Dry. Summers investigated the influence of snacking on the onset of sleep in preschool children.One group of preschoolers ate a candy bar prior to bedtime, the other group ate nothing. Time until the onset of sleep was recorded for each child. In his experiment, eating or not eating the snack is the independent variable, and the time until the onset of sleep is the dependent variable. Cine operated the telephone switchboard t a large company, answering calls and directing them to the appropriate extensions.Remembering her introductory to psychology class, she decided that her situation was much like that of the dendrites and axons of neurons, because numerous people could call her at one time, but she could send out only one call at a time. Since Gordon sustained sever head trauma, he can no longer perform basic sewing tasks such as treading a needle. When he tries to play the piano, it is as if his fingers do not remember how to make the necessary movements, even for pieces he has known for years. Gordon most likely has damage to his cerebellum.