Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Public Budget Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Public Budget - Assignment Example In other words, budget attempts to match the scarce funds through political processes in achieving visions of a real life. Financial management describes effective and efficient control of the projected resources to ensure achievement of the planned objectives. Below are proposed strategies for involving the public in the county financial planning process. At an increased level of involvement, the public will be advocating specific government policies by attending and sponsoring public meetings. For instance surveys, and citizen relationship management systems will be used as inputs to decision regarding the levels of services and preferences, the community priorities, and the governments performance. Traditionally, voting, public offices, being used by politicians as campaigners, and attending public hearings remain avenues of public participation in the budgeting process. In addition, keeping updated on essential issues of the day by reading government reports or local newspaper was also the way of involvement. 1. The county financial managers will be required to make investment decisions that distinguishes between the capital budgeting and working capital (Schick, 2014). Therefore, it will be important for the government to start by understanding what the citizens expect (Jones, Zalà ¡nyi & Erdi, 2014). The government should call on the public to present their views regarding projects that they need to be undertaken. Citizens participation at this point is necessary since the source of capital is taxpayers money. In this case, of unsuccessful undertakings the public will demand accountability from the government (Im et. al., 2014). 2. Decisions needs to be made regarding where to raise the financial resources from, how long will it take to finance, the cost of financing, as well as the expected returns. A well crafted public participation is of the essence. For instance, if

Monday, October 28, 2019

Trifles Film Adaptation Essay Example for Free

Trifles Film Adaptation Essay Susan Glaspell’s Trifles is a play about a murder mystery that is loosely based on an actual murder case that the author covered while working as a reporter for the Des Moines Daily News (Ben-Zvi 143). Since the play is written in 1916, a time when the boundaries between the private and public spheres are beginning to break down, it strongly reflects on the culture-bound notions of sex roles and gender. Back then, women are thought to be concerned about insignificant issues that hold little to no importance to the true work of society, also known as trifles, just as the title of the play suggests. In 2008, Ghost Ranch Productions, with director Pamela Walker, who plays Mrs. Wright herself, produces Trifles, a film adaptation of Glaspell’s famous play. Through the creative use of literary elements and some small alterations to the plot, dialogue, and setting, Walker effectively demonstrates the play’s major theme of gender differences in the film. Exposition is the first difference between the beginning plot in Glaspell’s play and the film adaptation. Exposition or introduction â€Å"brings out everything the audience needs to know to understand and follow what is to happen in the play† (Roberts and Zweig 890). In the first part of the play, the plot begins when the sheriff, his wife, the county attorney, and a man named Mr. Hale and his wife all enter the Wright’s disheveled kitchen where they assemble and plan for the investigation of Mr. Wright’s murder. The play’s exposition shows its audience that the entire play is about finding the evidence needed to solve the crime. At the beginning of the film, on the other hand, a scene showing Mrs. Wright’s strange and depressed demeanor, particularly in a scene where Mr. Wright’s voice is heard harshly yelling at his wife in the background, points its audience toward the intriguing thought that she may be a victim of domestic violence. The creative exposition of the film reaches beyond what the play originally describes. It not only tells the audience what they need to know about what will happen next, but also creates a scenario that progresses to a more dramatic climax. The film adaptation shows some dialogue alterations, particularly in the part where the county attorney interviews Mr. Hale, the first man to discover Mr. Wright’s lifeless body. In Glaspell’s play, Mr. Hale describes everything verbally when he is asked for the details of what transpired on the day he discovered Mr. Wright’s murder. In the film, instead of Mr. Hale describing all the details and telling his side of the story, a different scene is created. The scene shows Mr. Hale paying John Wright a visit and being greeted by an expressionless Mrs. Wright sitting on her rocking chair. All the dialogue in this scene is exactly as described by Mr. Hale in the play except for one line where he says: â€Å"And then she—laughed. I guess you would call it a laugh† (917). In the film, Mrs. Wright did not laugh or show any kind of expression associated with laughing. Her unemotional facial expression and vocal tone are consistent throughout the scene, which can be interpreted as someone who does not care about her husband’s death or someone who is emotionally battered by the thought that her husband was just murdered. The setting of the story is during a cold winter in the early twentieth century, and the action happens in the kitchen of a farmhouse in the American Midwest. Unlike in Glaspell’s play, the film shows several series of short scenes at the beginning that help establish not only the events that take place in the kitchen, but also the surrounding area and the nearby town. The setting is described as the â€Å"natural, manufactured, and cultural environment in which characters live and move, including all their possessions, homes, ways of life, and assumptions† (Roberts and Zweig 1448). Glaspell’s play only describes a setting of a gloomy kitchen in an abandoned farmhouse. On the other hand, the film shows a broader scope, including the gloomy and snowy weather, which makes Mr. Hale’s shivering coming from the outside more realistic. The alteration to the setting in Glaspell’s play not only helps with the mood of the story, but also helps the audience to visualize what is going on and connect to the characters better. Overall, despite the minor differences and alterations to the plot, dialogue, and setting, both the film adaptation and Glaspell’s play effectively illustrate the main theme of gender relationships and power between the sexes. On the surface, it seems that Trifles is only about the competing roles and different perspectives of men and women; however, this is only one important part of the play. Digging deeper, one sees that Trifles is about a concept that is even more profound. It is about how we pursue the truth, how we come to explain and interpret it, and how we value it.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Romeo and Juliet: Fate or Free Will? Essay -- Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet: Fate or Free Will? The play Romeo and Juliet was one of the most famous love tragedies ever written. This love story unfortunately had a fatal ending. Many people argue over why the lovers had died, was it over Free Will or Fate? The death of Romeo and Juliet was partially because of free will. The fact that Romeo and Juliet got married knowing that there was a bitter feud between their families, the Montague and Capulet’s. This feud brought on many problems, such as the murder of Tybalt by Romeo. Juliet knew that this might be a problem for Her and Romeo. Juliet had said: â€Å"What’s in a name†? Which explains her ill fate of being a Capulet and Romeo being a Montague. When Romeo tells his servant â€Å" Ay, mine own fortune in my misery†. This illustrates that he does not...

Thursday, October 24, 2019

The Technology Trends

Coursework Questions to Alan I. Taub, Automotive Materials: Technology Trends and Challenges in the 21st Century, MRS Bulletin, Volume 31, April 2006, 336-343 Read this article and answer the following questions on its basis: 1. What is the percentage of automotive vehicles that are powered by petroleum products? 2a. When did the area end where automobiles were a cost + margin = price business? 2b. Into what did this equation change to? 3. What is the primary challenge in improving automotive propulsion systems? . What higher degree does Alan I. Taub hold? 5. Define the concept of mechatronics in one sentence. (Direct quotes are OK. ) 6. Who has been the largest user of nanomaterials in the world for the past five years? 7. What are the two major advantages of the hybrid gasoline/electric propulsion technology? 8. What is an OEM? 9. Why are fuel cell propelled cars called â€Å"zero-emission vehicles†? 10. What kind of technology is expected to avoid crashes in the future? 11. What are the two challenges that arise as soon as fuel cells are reduced to a manageable size and weight? 12. How much more efficiency (in percent) can be squeezed out of the gasoline engine? 13. Approximately, how many microprocessors are in current high-end cars from General Motors? 14. By how much (in percent) needs the vehicle mass to be reduced in order to improve the fuel economy by 6%? 15. What seems to be the best solution for the hydrogen storage challenges? 16. Roughly, how much of the steel in currently produced vehicles is of high strength? 7. By how much (in percent) did the automotive industry reduce the weight of its vehicles over the past 30 years? 18. Which two light-weight metals replace steel in currently produced cars? 19. What are the amounts of money that manufactures are typically allowed to spend on parts in the automotive industry, the aerospace industry and on satellites? 20. What is the principle process of a fuel cell (not more than two sentences please s ince I ask for the principle – not the many details)

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Raising Our Native Sons Essay

During the modern era, there was an overwhelming sense of optimism due to the nation’s booming economy. There was a generalization that any citizen could work hard and become successful. However, this was not always the case in American society. Not everyone was given equal opportunity to thrive and succeed. This struggle was expressed in various literary works. In is novel Native Son, Richard Wright uses symbolism and irony to attack race issues and oppression in order to suggest that African Americans should have equal opportunity as whites. Throughout the novel, the protagonist, Bigger Thomas faces persecution and mistreatment simply because of the color of his skin. This racism appears early in the novel when a rat is encountered in his apartment. Bigger’s mother is disgusted by the gross creature she finds wandering in the family’s apartment. She proclaims her disgust and fear of the rat by saying, â€Å"Lord, Lord, have mercy†¦ that sonofabitch could cut your throat† (10). Through this duologue, the readers realize the harsh treatment and attitude the rat is receiving from Bigger’s family. They are scared and afraid of the rat, even though it means no harm and is merely trying to surviving with the living conditions it has been given. This demonstrates the overall racism towards blacks throughout the book as they are treated poorly and set up to fail. Like the rat, they are considered the lowest of the low who scavenge off others to survive. They are treated as a threat that only causes harm and need to be rid of. Also, Bigger faces racism head on at home. When playing with his friends, they â€Å"play white†. This game attempts to imitate the way whites act in society. During this game, Bigger and his friends unknowingly play out the white people has having superior power over the whites. This demonstrates that the racism is engraved into their heads, even at a young age. This sets them up to fail from a young age by starting them off as knowing that they are considered inferior to the white people. As the book continues, Bigger’s story becomes a point of attention in the south side of Chicago. The newspaper reporters are gathered around preparing to write an article on Bigger’s recent crime. They are collaborating with  each other in order to create the best story possible. One of the reporters says, â€Å"I’m slanting to the primitive negro who doesn’t want to be disturbed by white civilization.† The conversation continues with another reporter saying, â€Å"mention his foreign sounding name† (201). The reporters are bouncing ideas off each other in order to write the best story for the readers. They mention how they are going to purposely define Bigger as a member of the African American community. This simple dialogue represents a much larger meaning within the novel. The reporters immediately turn to race in order to demonize Bigger. They call him â€Å"primitive† and point out his name in an attempt to dissociate him from white society. This display of racism conveys the treatment of African Americans as outcasts of mainstream society. In addition to this, the media is only aiding in the continued validity of this stereotype. The more the media portrays blacks as animals and creatures, the more they are attacked by mainstream white society. As a result of this, the blacks are suppressed more and more, causing them to become more and more desperate. This vicious cycle of racism and oppression is ongoing as society feeds off the harsh portrayal of African Americans by the news outlets. Wright brings attention to the overwhelming effect that oppression can have on an individual or group. Bigger is continuously oppressed throughout his life. After attempting to escape from the police, Bigger is captured and brought down to the street from a rooftop. He was dragged down the stairs with his head banging on every step. He found himself lying on his back in the snow, pinned down by his wrists and surrounded by a circle of this faces. The angry crowd shouts at Bigger. Roars from the crowd include, â€Å"Kill ‘im†¦ Lynch ‘im†¦ Kill that ape!† (253). The crowd is angry at the black man who has caused so much trouble to the white folk. When they finally capture him, they all seem to unite as one when shouting insults as if they have has a triumph by holding down this young black man. This unity represented the overpowering superiority of white society over that of the blacks. Although each individual is their own person and saying their own comments, all Bigger sees and hears is an overbearing common force. To Bigger, he does not see the individuality in each white person; he sees them as all members of the same group all with a common goal of suppressing his dreams. In addition to seeing all whites as a blanket of oppression, he is almost shameful of himself when around them.  While sitting in an interview, he sits in Mr. Dalton’s office with him. Bigger enters the room and does not make eye contact. He stands in a corner with his head down, being careful not to make eye contact with Mr. Dalton. Bigger knows the role that he has in society as well as the room. He is careful to not do anything to upset the white man for fear of potential punishment. This shame is built off the fact that he has been repetitively told and taught that he is inferior. This repeated oppression leads Bigger to act differently around white people, further placing him in to the mold of a non-productive member of society. Bigger feels as if he has been able to make very few decisions for himself his entire life. This suppression was put on him right from the start. Once he realizes his fate and is sitting on his cot, he thinks back on his life. He had always lived with the premonition that he would be sentenced to the electric chair. Once this becomes a reality, Bigger feels a sense of freedom that he has never felt before. He wonders to himself why he â€Å"put himself into the shadow of the electric chair only to find out this? Had he been blind all along? But there was no way to tell now. It was too late†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (335). He realizes that he lived his entire life under the shadow of fear of the electric chair. Once he realizes that he is actually doomed for the chair, he assumes that he should live his live with complete freedom with the remaining days he has left. He concludes, however, that it is too late to live with freedom since he wasted all of his previous days under the shadow. This shadow of oppression holds him back from living freely because he knows that his skin color limits his chances to succeed in life. Furthermore, Bigger can make choices that will only dig him deeper into a hole he cannot escape from. After lashing out and committing a murder, Bigger expresses his feelings that he has a sense of power for the first time in his life. By committing this murder, he has broken away from the limitations being placed on him. Although it was negative, he could not be stopped because he was not assumed to be capable of such a crime. This demonstrates that the oppressed are subject to hostility and more likely to lash out due to the poor treatment and lack of individual freedoms. By using irony and symbolism, Richard Wright brings light to the issue of race and oppression in America. He attempts to convey that blacks and white  should be given equal opportunity to succeed. Wright believes that African Americans are placed into a mold of failure, one that they cannot escape. The title â€Å"Native Son† suggests something about the treatment of the generation of young men we are raising in our country. All of our â€Å"Native Sons†, no matter what race, should be treated equally and be given ample opportunity to succeed.