Germany and the Gurmans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Germany and the Gurmans - Essay Example The thought of that period painted in me a negative perception towards Germany and the German people in general. However, my current perception is that of respect and understanding of how Germany has contributed significantly to some of the technological advancements we enjoy in the world today. The historical significance of Germany in shaping the politics of the world is also without doubt. A key theme in this perspective is that Germany has always been a primary player in the world politics and as a result a major contributor to the global affairs. Although I had known that Germany had significant influence in the course of things during the 1st and the 2nd world war, I had not known that the influence dated back centuries ago to great leaders such as Frederick the Great. Germany has also produced one of the best scientists that have contributed significantly to the field of medicine. For instance, scientists like Paul Elhrich and Robert Koch who contributed significantly to the scientific fields of medicine, microbiology and immunology. These are men who dedicated their lives for the noble course of humanity with the aim of improving better understanding of diseases. One wonders the condition of the world had there not existed such scientists. Germany is a country that strived to ensure that it was at the forefront of scientific inventions and therefore consolidating its position as one of the leading countries in the world. Such scientists had the whole world in perspective when conducting their experiments in order to find solutions not to the problems of Germany alone but to the problems of the whole world. In the field of psychology and sociology, Germany also produced one of the key contributors in these fields. The contributions of German sociologists and psychologists improved the understanding of mental diseases and human behaviors in the society, thereby setting the pace for contemporary sociologists and

Safety, Health & Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Safety, Health & Security - Essay Example The impact of positive and negative stress on the workplace should be determined. The need for workplace health, safety, and security training should be assessed. And last but not least, effective violence prevention programs should be designed to prevent sexual harassment, unethical behavior, etc. at work. In the western world, development of workplace has been characterized by technologies and jobs that are designed to improve productivity and processes. However, in many cases it has been found that adequate care has not been taken in ascertaining the impact of the job process or technology on the workers. This has led to various imbalances at the workplace, which resulted into attrition, job dissatisfaction, excessive stress, and fall in productivity, etc. Sometimes, it can be observed that machines involved in the work processes have been unnecessarily dangerous. Hence, there is urgency in the industries to improve the conditions at the workplace to give the workers a better environment. Thus, a need of ergonomic research and development has emerged. Ergonomics can be defined as a multi-disciplinary science that seeks to conform the workplace and all its physiological aspects to the worker (Goetsch, 2011). It deals with the different subjects entailed in the improvement of the work place conditions. Ergonomic problems in the workplace manifest among the workers in various ways. The problems are indicated by the conditions of the human factors at the workplace. The bad effects of below standard or unsuitable equipments and systems on the human beings at work can become discernable in the following ways: 1. Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSD) can vary from common pains and aches to relatively more serious difficulties. Medical practitioners recommend that symptoms and signs of physical difficulties at work must be reported before a permanent damage or serious injury actually occurs. The most frequent MSDs that can be observed among the workers in particularly

Photography Themes and Issues

Photography Themes and Issues Photography Themes and Issues Essay Describe how a greater understanding of the social and historical context of a body of photographic work can be useful in interpreting its meaning. You should refer to the work of an individual photographer, or of an organisation using photography, to justify your argument. In this essay I am going to look at the photographic work of Craig J Barber and his unique approach to post-war Vietnam and Havana, Cuba using the medium of pinhole photography. I will explore how Barbers approach to photographing Vietnam through the use of pinhole cameras, tells a unique story of its own in terms of post-war Vietnam, the atmosphere and life after the war and also the alternative route he has taken compared to the work of other photographers who have looked at Vietnam as a subject. I will also look at Barbers view of a modern day Havana and how the countries past issues with politics has shaped Havana and how its future is deconstructing the Socialist ideal. The Vietnam War began in 1959 and continued until 1975, the war was fought between the Northern Communists and the Anti-Communist South. The Vietnam War had a profound impact not only on the countrys political shift but also on the surviving population as the death toll reached over 4 million Vietnamese dead by the end of the war. The Vietnam War was well documented photographically and produced some of the most iconic images of war of the past 100 years, most notably Nick Uts famous image of Phan Thi Kim Phuc as a young girl, running towards the camera whilst screaming in pain due to injuries sustained from a napalm attack by Southern Vietnam. Another iconic image of the Vietnam war was Eddie Adams ‘General Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a Viet Cong prisoner in Saigon depicting a Vietnamese police chief executing a war prisoner in a street. Both of these famous images are stark statements of the brutal and inhumane nature of war and symbols that helped boost the anti-war movement s during that period and subsequent periods of conflict. Craig J Barber served as a marine in the American armed forces during the 1960s stationing him in Vietnam during the war at the age of 18. Thirty-five years later, Ghosts of the Landscape: Vietnam revisited is Barbers attempt to re-visit and document the aftermath of the devastating war and the country that so deeply affected his life forever; â€Å"This was an opportunity to be able to revisit a land that had a profound effect upon my life and to be able to come to terms with it. I always remembered it as a beautiful land that I wanted to return to.† The pinhole photography of Ghosts of the Landscape is a very different account of the country compared to the photojournalistic style that covered the war itself. Due to the nature of the pinhole camera, the images are given a softer focus that feels like the landscapes of Vietnam are nothing but memories left over from before the country experienced such devastating bloodshed. Another characteristic element of pinhole photography that has helped to separate Barbers work from the likes of Adams and Ut is the longer exposure times for each image. Working with pinhole allowed Barber to observe his subject more closely helping him forge a working relationship with the subjects while he waited and observed; â€Å"For me it is important to get to know a place in an intimate way. When I work I am very slow, I like to look around the corners and behind the doors at the small, quiet details that make up the cultural landscape.† A standard SLR or medium format camera used by many photojournalists will decrease down to f22 in aperture size, whereas when working in pinhole the aperture can take an f-stop down into the hundreds. In many of Barbers Ghosts images, he has chosen to include a human presence, often that of children (Plate.2 and Plate.3) which then gives these images a distinct difference in meaning to the desolate landscapes in his other images. When we see a post-war Vietnamese village, obviously populated, but with its inhabitants obscured and blurred almost into the background itself, it starts to invoke thoughts of the aforementioned ghosts and memories for Barber of the country he first saw in his youth. The inclusion of children in these images then provokes thought at whether or not this is an homage to the dead or perhaps something deeper, for example this could be Barbers way of telling the viewer that the people who live in Vietnam today are still plagued by the after-effects of war and that pride, hope and dignity is still yet to make its way back into the lives of every Vietnamese person. It would be worth noting that during the Vietnam war, The US inflicted a deadly toxin ‘Agent Orange onto Southern Vietnam resulting in 400,000 deaths and subsequently causing half a million children to be born with such birth defects as; cleft palate, mental problems, hernias and extra toes and fingers. So Barbers inclusion of children as blurred semi-human shapes could also be a message to the world about the continued suffering and miserable conditions that are a day to day occurrence in this country. If Barber had used standard photography equipment, he would have needed to document this aftermath either literally or by including a body of text with his image to give clarity to the viewer, whereas pinhole has given him freedom to simply create his image and let it speak its own story through stripping away individualism and showing that it is not just an isolated problem to any one group of people. Almost all of the images included in Ghosts in the Landscape include views of rural villages made up of primitive wooden huts (Plate.5) and other areas of grand French architecture (Plate.16) Barber is documenting the lack of technology in some areas and the lack of change that has occurred since his first days in Vietnam in 1960. It shows the innocence among the people and stays true to the anti-capitalist ideals that they held. Barbers combination of the platinum process and his focus on documenting his own past and the past of the Vietnamese serve to take the viewer back to a time in history through a beautifully contrasted and toned path of desolation and despair. Craig Barbers pinhole work went on to a project ‘Havana Passage which looked at Cuba, a country that following a revolution in 1959 became a Socialist republic and has been under a trade embargo from the United States since 1962. Barber, perhaps unbeknownst to him, makes several connections between his Vietnam and Cuba photographic work; Both of these countries have been in conflict with the United States, both countries share the same radical political stance and both countries have experienced revolutions during the 1960s and transitionary periods that have left the contemporary culture at a slight economic and social disadvantage. â€Å"In the late 1990s I ventured to Cuba for the first time and visited a land that has remained a forbidden mystery for most American citizens. Unspoiled by mass consumerism and global trademarks, Cuba remains a unique blend of Spanish colonial and 1950s Americana with not a Starbucks in sight.† Cuba began its revolution with Alberto Kordas iconic image Guerrillero Heroico and ended up at Barbers Cuban lament through a series of images depicting the final ghosts of Communism roaming the streets of Havana. Barber chose Havana as a subject for his pinholes because he wanted to document the fading culture of Cuba as it started to lose its revolutionary ideals. Once again, pinhole manages to create mystery and despair through its long exposure times of Havanian streets and public spaces although this time we see well built Spanish architecture and people who are busily working at street stalls or having a moment to themselves. The photograph Cabbages tells Cuba that they are moving away from the world of the local grocery stall where there might be a friendly face, conversation and fresh produce and moving towards a corporate atmosphere where buying pesticide or genetically-engineered riddled produce will strip away the intimate moment of conversation and interaction with a local farmer or street stall-worker. The cabbages are forced into the eyes of the viewer pleading for the time when Cuba provided for itself, where the cabbage was grown with love from the farmer and for the country. Memories is another photograph from the ‘Havana Passage set, this image depicts an outdoor bar in a beautiful setting. There is a distinct lack of human presence here, no bar staff and no patrons and it could even be considered a ghost town with its neglected paint work and no typical bar products in sight. Memories looks at the imminent loss of freedom, an outside bar is where people go to relax and socialise while enjoying the world around them, but with the Capitalism creeping in, these people might instead be stuck in their new office job miles away in the heart of Havana creating new areas of desolation among the beauty. In juxtaposed, Barber creates a Fritz Lang style scene of Havana. The foreground consists of an almost empty street scene with subtle hints of neglect to the road and the paintwork of the buildings, there are some people dotted around in the foreground only, and they seem to be unaware of the looming Modernist building creeping up in the background. The photograph looks almost like a photomontage, there is such a contrast between the rough, textured neglected street scene and the smooth perfect curves of the new Modernist architecture. There is a car that contextualises Cubas lack of consumerism and Capitalism and lets the viewer see Cubas antiquated way of life in motion. It looks like a car from the 1950s around the same time that Cuba underwent its revolution. The Modernist building is a direct symbol of the times moving forward, from the patchy street that contains a community, stories and families to the high rise apartment blocks for the wealthy and the sterile office environme nts. Craig Barber shows the photography world that pinhole is so much more than just a niche for experimentalists, pinhole could be the next stage of documentary photography tailored specifically to documenting the slow demise of one country after another; perhaps employed by prospective government parties during elections to show the public where it is heading as a propaganda tool for their own ‘revolutionary office. Bibliography Books Craig J Barber Alison Devine Nordstrom (2006) 1st Edition Ghosts in the Landscape: Vietnam Revisited. New York: Umbrage Editions Websites http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara_(photo) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._embargo_against_Cuba http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuba http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Korda http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havana http://www.robinricegallery.com/pastexhibitions/craig_barber/index.html http://withoutlenses.com/view/a-conversation-with http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nguy%E1%BB%85n_V%C4%83n_L%C3%A9m http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hu%E1%BB%B3nh_C%C3%B4ng_%C3%9At http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Adams_(photographer) http://www.eastmanhouse.org/exhibits/container_60/index.php http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_orange http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Che_Guevara_(photo)

Observation of a Track and Field Coach Essay -- Papers

Observation of a Track and Field Coach I chose to observe the practices at State College for Track and Field. I primarily focused on the distance team with John as the coach. When I arrived at the first practice I observed Coach John talking to the team at the beginning of their practice. He was going over what they should focus on during their first track meet, which was coming up. His positive attitude stood out the most. He put his emphasize on having fun. He stressed the importance that they work as hard as they can to achieve their best performance but his final words were, "Have fun!" I started to realize what he stressed most for his team and that was to achieve the goals they set for themselves. For both practices I attended the athletes started out with a warm-up run. They then met as a group and had the team captain lead in their stretches. I noticed strong team cohesion as they stretched talking about their activities from the previous weekend and the work out that they were going to have. After the stretching Coach gathered them together to explain the workout (both days a speed workout). As he explained he made sure each of the team members understood the exact instructions for the speed drills. One of the athletes had a question and he patiently answered it and encouraged more questions to make sure the team knew the exact workout. He had the lone male distance runner do 2 sets of 4x200 meter sprints on the track. He had the women's distance team go out to the pond's to run a 20-minute fartlek in which they ran a minute hard and a minute easy. I observed the male distance runner and when he finished his second set of 200's, Coach suggested he run one more set of 200's. Chris was tired and was he... ...en a coach and a friend and he recognizes that there needs to be a level of respect from the athletes. Reflecting on my interview with Coach comparing and contrasting his stated philosophy on coaching and what I have observed from practices and meets I saw that his goals as a coach are being met at practices and his interactions with his team. He knows what he wants to get out of his coaching experience and he achieves that by working hard at demanding respect and hard work from his team while still ensuring that they have fun. From what I have observed from Coach it seems as if he has taken this class. He knows so much about performance strategies as well as athlete motivation techniques and coach and athlete issues such as respect, safety, and personal relationships. Overall I was very impressed with Coachs coaching strategy, and his team performance.

Little Sister

SCENE 21 BELLA is walking down the hall. She has been crying. JORDAN spots her BELLA Do you have any chips? JORDAN No. †¦ Bella, you okay? BELLA Fine. Don’t look at me. JORDAN No you’re not. What’s wrong? BELLA I need some chips. An economy size two-bag box of chips. JORDAN Tracey †¦ Has she been bugging you, hurting your †¦ BELLA Not her. Katie. JORDAN Katie †¦ BELLA Sometime she can be incredibly mean. Everyone can be increadibly mean. JORDAN Tell me about it. Tracey just kicked the fender on my dad’s car. She scratched it. I’m not kidding.BELLA If I had no one to go with and you had no one to go with †¦ JORDAN Where? BELLA To grad. JORDAN Grad’s two years away. BELLA If neither of us had anyone to go with †¦ could we †¦ could we go together? JORDAN Sure. But that’s way in the future, Bella. You’ll probably be married by then, a good Italian girl like you †¦ BELLA You mean it? Youâ€℠¢ll really g o with me? I get so worried I’ll miss it. I get so worried I can’t sleep at night. You really mean it? JORDAN Bella I’d like to go with you. Even if you’re going out with someone I’ll hold you to it. I’ll force you to go with me.It’s a date and I’m it. Okay? BELLA Deal. BACKGROUND There are main five characters in the script of Little Sister: Tracey, Katie, Bella, Jay and Jordan. The author of this script is Joan Macleod. It happened in a Vancouver school. Katie just moves to here from Toronto. She hasn’t adapted here yet. Tracey and Bella are friends and study in this school. Other two boys Jay and Jordan are good friends too. From the script, Jay likes the new girl Katie because she is classic and totally different from the girls here; (He thinks) however, Tracey seems like Jay – A triangle love.And Jordan is nice to everybody. The one of the scene in this script, Scene 21, it occurs the school hall . Bella is walking down the hall. She has been crying because Katie hurt Bella’s weight problem. And Jordan who is a kind guy spots Bella. The relationship between Jordan and Bella is not really close to each other. But both of them are nice and pure. In this scene, Jordan knows why Bella cries, and promises her to go the grad together, although, grad is still two years away. The end with the scene is Jordan makes Bella happy and smile.THE PROPS LIST Two chairs One bag with towels One Tennis racket CHARACTER ANALYSIS – BELLA Bella is very nice to the new student Katie. She is a kind and simple girl. On Page 56 and 57, Bella said hello to Katie and tried to introduce her-self â€Å"I’m Bella. You’re new, eh? † Moreover, Bella discussed those models’ weights on the fashion magazine with Katie on page 73, Scene 7, although Bella have the weight problem too. â€Å"Girl’s washroom, Bella and Katie are poring over a fashion magazine†¦ .. † Bella got good grade on her history project which is B.It also mentioned on page 75, Scene 7, â€Å"Bella: What did you get on your history project? Tracey: C minus. Bella: I got a B. Katie? †¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bella thought she was fat and Tracey didn’t agree. On page 66, Scene 4, when Tracey said that Katie agree with her about Paula Abdul’s fat, Bella shouted â€Å"Fat! God! What do you two think when you look at me? † However, Tracy didn’t mind and answered â€Å"We think you’re big-boned. † Bella’s first goal was going to the Halloween dances as Madonna, and she achieved. â€Å"My goal is the Halloween dance. Twenty-six pounds.That’s my first goal†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Tracey! I’m going to the Halloween dance as Madonna†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Page 57, Scene 1 Then, on page 79, Scene 9, â€Å"Jordan, Bella and Tracey are in the washroom, passing around a bottle of beer. Bella is dressed like Madonna. † B ella’s aunt lives in Toronto. It could be proved by Page 59, Scene 2, â€Å"Tracy: Where’re you from? Katie: Toronto. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Bella: My aunt lives there. Ross Scarpacci. She’s my mum’s littlest sister†¦ † What is more, Bella asked Tracy to go see Katie together when Katie was in hospital. On page 87, Scene 11, â€Å"we should go see her.I’ve never even been in hospital overnight, except when I was born†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bella got the card for everyone to sign and tried to make Katie feeling better in the hospital. On page 92, Scene 13, â€Å"Tracey: We just got here†¦ you look good. You look okay. Katie: Fat. Bella: Katie, you look beautiful†¦ Bella: Everybody misses you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  On page 107, Scene 20, all girls are talking about their plan for spring break. Bella is going to Disneyland. â€Å"We’re going to Disneyland. Can you believe it? I’ve wanted to go since I was two but not now. Yo u want some chips? †

Whole Foods Market Case Questions

1. What are the chief elements of the strategy that Whole Foods Market is pursuing? Is Whole Foods' strategy well matched to market conditions in the food retailing industry? The chief element of the strategy that whole food is pursuing is providing the finest quality of products in the market that is free from preservative and other genetically engineered products that reduce the quality of being organic. They promote the vision of the whole food, whole people, and the whole planet. Whole food market is focus to extend their market to get dominant position in both the local and the international market through increase the amount of stores itself and acquisition. For high demand from customer and higher profit margin than normal food, Whole food's expansion and quality control market strategy was well matched to recent developments and conditions in natural and organic goods segment of food retailing industry. 2. Do Whole Foods Market's core values as presented in case Exhibit 3 really matter? Are they â€Å"real † or just cosmetic window dressing? Have Whole Foods' core values contributed to the company's success? Explain/support. The 7 core values are very important. It guides the company on how to achieve the company mission â€Å"bringing the highest quality products to satisfy the consumer†. The core values are also real. Through these 7 core values, the company link their own profit and growth to customer benefit, bind their suppliers with win-win partnerships and try to create an interests community involving all their stakeholders. For example, to implement the first core value â€Å"selling the highest quality natural and organic products available†, the company set â€Å"nutrition, freshness, appearance, and taste † quality standard and abundant principal categories to supply thousands of organic food and gourmet products in their store. All these value can directly deliver to customer, better satisfy their needs and lead to success in product quality and variety. 3. Based on the financial statement data in case Exhibits 9, 10, and 11, how well is Whole Foods Market performing? From E9 statement of operations, sales eventually increased 1 billion every year from 4.7 billion 2005 to 8.03 billion 2009. However, the net incomes were kept in the scale between 114 million to 203 million these years due to the increasing input of store contribution. This situation matches the expansion activities of their business operations. Then, combine with the data from E10 Return on stockholders' equity 9.02% 7.60% Working capital(in thousand) 371356 -43571 Long term debt-to-equity ratio 0.65 0.80 Long term debt-to-capital ratio 0.28 0.36 The long-term debt largely decreased from 08 to 09 which is the main difference between the 2 years. In E11, the cash provided by operation activities in 09 is more than 08 and 07. And outside the business Whole Food also have investment activities. The company was trying to earn extra profits from exchanging securities. In 07, it earned 198343 thousands; in 08 it didn't earn anything, then in 09 the company didn't have any investment activities on exchange securities. 4. How well is Whole Foods Market performing from a strategic perspective? Does Whole Foods enjoy a competitive advantage over its 3 chief rivals â€Å"Wild Oats, Fresh Market and Trader Joe's? Whole Foods Market is performing exceptionally well from strategic perspective. Whole Foods Market is performing well by increasing their locations and markets. The company has made strategies for its stores, their location, and Whole Food's product line, the design of the stores, the product quality, and marketing and for providing their customer most satisfactory service. It follows the strategy of team based management for store operations. It also offers compensation and rewards to its employees. It has also made strategies that are feasible for the purchasing and distribution of items. All these strategies are in accordance with the company's requirement and thus the company maintains a competitive advantage over its rivals due to its sustainable implementation of strategies for achieving its goals and managing the company. It acquired one of its biggest rivals Wild Oats in 2007. The company's strategy has helped it in gaining the d position in the market. 5. What recommendations would you make to John Mackey regarding the actions that Whole Foods' management needs to take to sustain the company's growth and financial performance? Whole Food was very successes on decreasing their long-term debt level while keeping their profitability and increasing sales. However, through it kept expansion through opening new stores and acquisition, the net income is not enough for big change like enter into a new area. So, I suggest Whole Food may extend their service, such as adding a fast food to go window or even a dining area in their store to better utilize their urban metropolitan store location and cooking ability. The costs of food service just need to develop the new recipe and change the store wouldn't too much but can attractive more customers.