Meet Belise - Our New Minimalist WordPress Theme for Restaurants

Weve been busy since our recent launch of Hestia, an awesome material design theme. While Hestia was an all-purpose business theme, weve gone niche with Belise, our newest addition to the ThemeIsle shop. The Belise WordPress theme is focused on restaurants, bars, and other food-related business. Its our first foray into the niche, and were excited to show you everything that this theme can do.In this post, youll learn more about the themes functionality as well as get a peek at some behind the scenes stories and thoughts from our talented development team.What is Belise and who did we build it for?In a nutshell, Belise is a premium WordPress theme for restaurants, bistros, pubs, cafes, tea housesanything related to food and drink! It has a minimalist and welcoming design, with white and beige color accents. The layout and the overall appearance are elegant and allow you to put the focus on your beautiful food and drinks.With Belise, you can show people your best food via beautiful ph oto galleries or the portfolio section, keep your customers up to date about upcoming events, allow customers to book tables online, and display your offerings in a clean and simple menu.When it comes to its design, the theme provides a full-width header with a reservation button, classy photo galleries, opening and closing hours presented in a nice table, a beautiful events list, a full-width call-to-action ribbon, and a great online store  for those who want to take orders online.You can purchase Belise directly from our  theme shop for $99, which also includes all of the other 20+ premium themes weve created.Get Belise +  20 premium themes for $89Why and how we built BeliseBelise is ThemeIsles first attempt to build something oriented towards restaurant owners, while also remaining flexible enough that it can be adapted for other uses as well (more on this later!).The idea behind BeliseOriginally born from our CEOs idea of tackling a new niche for the ThemeIsle store, Belis e is the result of four months of work from our development team. Everyone worked to make Belise a success, with Bogdan Popa heading up the overall coding process.Its worth mentioning that this theme is Bogdans first project since he joined ThemeIsle back in October last year, and he did an awesome job. We are all proud of the end product from Bogdan and the rest of the team.So, wed love to wish hearty congratulations to Bogdan for his first live WordPress theme since coming on board. He shared with me that he enjoyed working on this theme so much because he learned many new concepts during Belises development.One interesting approach Bogdan brought to Belise was to use a Jetpack module called Nova Menu for the food menu, a tool thats not very popular among the WordPress theme developers. It is actually used by one single theme (ours being the second) and he didnt have any documentation available when he developed that particular section. So he took the module and made it match the overall themes design. The result? Pure awesomeness. Heres Bogdan:Jetpacks Nova Menu seemed like a viable choice because it matched Belises design very well and it looked great too. So I customized and adjusted it a bit and you saw how it went eventually.Behind the scenes of our name choiceYou may notice a similarity between Belise the theme and the country of Belize. Thats no coincidence! We recently came across Belizes diverse and attractive food culture and thought the name will match our themes purpose perfectly.Whats more is that Belizes shore line is edged by the Caribbean Sea (and since we are the WordPress piratesyou connect the dots).Heres Wikis word on Belizean cuisine:Belizean cuisine is an amalgamation of all ethnicity in the nation, and their respectively wide variety of foods. It might best be described as both similar to Mexican/Central American cuisine and Jamaican/Anglo-Caribbean cuisine.Of course, we didnt have the chance to experiment with the traditional food of Belize, nor have we ever tasted any of their recipes. But the idea of such diversity seemed close to what we were trying to achieve  in the first place, which is why we went with it for the name.ThemeForest submissionApart from being available here at ThemeIsle, Belise is also live on ThemeForest, from where you can download it by itself for just $49. So, if you prefer to only buy Belise without the entire package that contains all of our premium WordPress themes, you can download it from ThemeForest  instead.Get Belise for $49Belises featuresLets dig a bit into Belises core to see all of the great features  that come packaged with it.Responsive design. Obviously. 🙂Elegant portfolio via Jetpack. The portfolio comes in handy whenever you want to showcase your products dishes, drinks, whatnots. The portfolio works with the help of the Jetpack plugin.Food menu integrated via Jetpack. If youre building a restaurant website then showing the menu is an absolute must, no tw o words about it. The menu page in Belise is clean and minimal, which lets you put your dishes first and foremost. The menu itself works via the Jetpack plugin and its Nova Menu module.Events section via the Events Organizer plugin. If your restaurant or pub hosts events of any kind (music, contests, art galleries, etc.) then you will surely enjoy the possibility to showcase these events with Belise. This is achieved via the Events Organizer plugin.WooCommerce ready. Maybe you dont want to just serve food at the table but also take orders for home delivery or sell other products altogether. Since Belise is 100% WooCommerce friendly, thats easy to do.Custom colors. You probably want your site to match your brands colors. Dont worry! We brought you unlimited color options, so feel free to mix/combine them the way you like no restrictions at all.Live customizer supported. Any change you make can be observed in real time, without leaving the customization page. No guesswork involved wh en customizing your website.Intuitive contact form via the Pirate Forms plugin. Offer your clients a simple and quick way to contact you. For a restaurant, customer feedback is essential to improving your service. We integrated our Pirate Forms plugin with Belises design to create a gorgeous contact page.Translation ready. Belise can be translated into any language, so youre never limited to just English.Custom backgrounds. Change your sites background to a custom color or image from your computer. Its all up to you what your site looks like in the end.A  multipurpose WordPress themeEven though weve built Belise specifically for restaurants, its by no means limited to that use. Belise has a multipurpose design and provides all the features that youd expect in a multipurpose WordPress theme. Our primary goal is always to build a product to meet all of our customers needs and give them the flexibility needed to create a gorgeous site.Bogdan emphasized this aspect himself:Belise is a theme that we present as a restaurant theme, and we did build it with this aspect in mind, but it can be adapted for any other purpose due to its great flexibility and the broad look of its interface.If you customize it, it works for almost anything. Feel free to use Belise for music bands, festivals, online shops, resume and portfolio sites, or businesses like startups or creative agencies. Or anywhere else your imagination takes you!Sites that use BeliseHere are some examples of early uses of Belise by our customers:  Ã‚  Have a cool site built with Belise? Let us know.Check out the free version of BeliseIf you like Belise, but you dont have much of a budget to invest in your next theme, weve got some great news: theres also a free version of it  available: Belise Lite.And guess what? It is nearly as feature-rich as the premium theme. We want you to get the most out of Belise, no matter what your budget is.Download Belise Lite for freeWhats next for Belise?New restaurant modu les and pluginsOn a different note, we are planning to improve Belise even more by adding more plugins, modules, and elements that will make the theme even better for restaurant websites using WordPress. We havent set a deadline for this yet, but its in our plans for the near future.And that concludes our introduction of Belise, the most recent theme in the ThemeIsle family. We would be more than happy  if youd take a look and shared your thoughts with us. Also, stay tuned for even more news and releases that are on the way.

buy custom History of Japan essay

buy custom History of Japan essay Japan before Perry, is a short history by Conrad Totman. The book explores the history of Japan. It mainly focuses on Japanese civilization as well as its origin. More specifically, the book analyses themes and patterns of Japanese society in various successive ages. Such ages include classical, medieval as well as modern ages. The book also addresses issues of how Japan society is today. For example, in terms of population, economic and societal transformations, cultural changes as well as the rise of nationhood. Historical happenings are also presented in this book. They include major interpretations of the Japanese history and how it came to be. One major historical incident presented is the rise of Samurais who were being led by a Shogun. Shoguns stared to rule after the war of Gempei war against Minamotos and Tairas. Emperors ceased to rule and were replaced by Shoguns. This historical incident can be traced in the life of Yoshitsune who was a known worrier and contributed in the war against Tairas marking the turning point of the Japanese history. However, he did not earn himself a honorable place in the Samurai government as he fell from glory for various reasons. Therefore, this piece of writing explores reasons as to why Yoshitsune fell from glory exploring various aspects addressed in the book Japan before Perry The flow of Japanese history can be seen in the book. It stipulates that Japan has moved through various epochs of civilizations. More specifically, the author incorporates the happenings in Japan before the intrepid. This was the period in which Uraga lost their dominion in summer 1953. In addition to Kamakura history, the book also analyses other political dynasties such as the Tokugawa. Kamakura: Reasons for Yoshitsunes Fall and the Rise of Shoguns Kamakura is one of the political eras that Conrad Totman highly addresses. Kamakura was under the reign of Yoritomo of Minamotos. During this era, Minamotos used to fight with their key enemy, the Taira. Yoritimo was a bother to Yoritomo who used to act as his deputy. Surprisingly, the two brothers had great differences that made it hard for them to fight together against their enemies. Yoshitsune was a great worrier. He helped to shape the history of Japan. However, by 1192, Yoshitsune had committed suicide. The main cause of his death was because of the rivalry that existed between him and his brother, Yoritomo. Yoritimo and Yoshitsune failed to reach an agreement to work together. This brought a sense of suspicion between the two brothers. Instead of focusing on their key enemy, the Taira, they started to fight with each other. Yoritimo was not happy with the strength of his brother to defeat Tairas on several wars. He felt threatened and started a series of attacks against his brother. Notably, Yoshitsune had great ambitions of taking the lands that were under the control of Yoritimo which previously belonged to his father. Although at a time the two had agreed to work together, the rivalry remained forever. Yoshitsune could not recognize Yoritimo as the head of the clan. Moreover, he could not fight together with his brother. He decided to act alone. He resolve d to fight Taira individually and capture Kyoto before Yoritimo could. Sure enough, he defeated Taira in several battles. However, the rivalry between the two had risen up and Yoritimo was up to eliminating Yoshitsune (Totman, 1981). Yoshitsune was determined to accord himself honor and power. Yoritimo organized an assault at Hiuchiyama by his loyalist Koremori. However, Yoshitsune was aware of the treachery and the planned betrayal and escaped. Yoshitsune stunned Tairas when he defeated tem at the battle of Ichi no tani. With 10,000 men, Taira thought that he could not shake their foundations. To their utter surprise, he threw them into a state of confusion shattering their morale. He took their commander, Antoku and their ships that were anchored at the shore. This cleared the way for other battles for Yoshitsune such as the assault on Yashima. Yoritomo was not happy with Yoshitsune success. He started to take a cautious approach. He spent the rest six months sorting family members who had opposed his leadership. He fought at the battle of Tonamiyama that proved his turning point. He was able to tactfully and skillfully fight the Taira defeating them miserably. The forces were divided leading to heavy losses. He forced them to flee as their clan had been completely demoralized. Taira experienced heavy loss at the battle of Kurikara. They were unable to organize themselves even after several months. In deed, they later found themselves under the siege in Kyoto. They forced the Taira to flee the city marking the end of the rivalry between Minamoto and Taira. After the war of Ichi, Yoshitsune returned to Kyoto where he acted as Yoritomos deputy. While in this place, the rift between the two brothers was evident. He ordered several decrees that led to termination of violence within the territory. Moreover, he forbade drafts and war taxes. Another major evident that there was rivalry between the two bothers is seen when Yoritomo declined to endorse the court titles that were granted to Nariyori by Yoshitsune. He became very irritated when the court went ahead and approved them against his wish. At this time, Yoritomo did not have any form of influence to the court. His deputy, Yoshitsune was responsible for matters related to the court and the decisions they made. However, after the end of Gempei war, Yoritomo was made the Shogun of the clan with the end of the emperor leadership (Totman, 1981). This gave them the license to control court decisions hence control Yoshitsune. In March 1185, he prepared to go to war against Yashima. He prepared a fleet of ships that were to depart at Watanabe. However, during his preparations, he committed one mistake that haunted him later and caused his fall from power. He greatly argued with Kajowara Kagetoki who was one of the retainers of Yoritimo. The point of argument was about the strategy that he was to use in his attack missions at Yoshima. He insisted on sailing on a stormy night despite the condition of the weather. His men declined the orders and only few ships followed him (Totman, 1981). Upon reaching Yoshima, he landed at Shikoku set to start the war. Fortunately, he was later joined by other men who strengthened his army to fight against the Taira. This contributed to their eradication something that later led to establishment of Minamotos power. With the end of the rivalry, Yoritimo was granted the title of Shogun. At a time, Yoshitsune decided to divide his forces into two. One was to pursue Taira while the other was to go to Kamakura to derail the actions of Yaritimo. He wanted to seize the capital as well as the emperor and establish a new court in the north. Unfortunately, the information reached Yaritimo who acted promptly to stop the planned mission. Yukiie was the betrayer as he decided to communicate the planned attacks to Yoritimo. After the mission failed, Yoshitsune decided to take full command of Kyoto. He took the emperor into custody as he set fire in 1184 to the Hojujidono. Yoshitsune fall from the glory was further contributed by the fact that he had differing view points with his brother. He was following traditions by returning the sacred three things to the emperor. Yoritimo as the new leader wanted the sacred thing to be in his possession. This heightened Yoritomos anger and decided to kill him. As the leader of Samurai government, he wanted the three sacred things to stay away from the emperor whose rule had been ended (Totman, 1981). However, Yoshitsune thought that Yoritomo wanted to break the tradition and establish a totally new government (Turnbull, 1998). In deed, he could not understand what his brother was trying to do with the sacred things Although Yoshitsune won several wars, his brother Yoritomo as the leader of the clan declined to award him titles. This may have made him angry and increase the degree of rivalry. For example, after the Dan no Ura and Icho no Tani battles, Yoritimo did not seem to recognize his effort. This may have made Yoshitsune to decide to thwart his leadership. Moreover, Yoritomo refused to allow Yoshitsune to enter Kamaruka when he came accompanied with a prisoner Taita Munemori. Evidently, Yoshitsune noted his brother sense of hostility. He sent a message to Hiromoto, one of Yoritomos counselors. In his letter, he protested his loyalty to Yoritomo and the entire Minamoto family. This marked the beginning of hostility between the two parties as he passed three weeks in the village of Koshigoe. He opted to return to Kyoto. Yoritomo nullified the titles he had given Yoshitsune as the governor of Iyo Yoritomo. This increased suspicion between the two brothers. In deed, Yorimoto decided to get rid of Yoshitsune. He argued that his behaviors had become increasingly treasonous. Yoritomo had commanded Noriyori to expedite the order but he protested on behalf of Yoshitsune something that landed him in exile. This made Yoshitsune to become very careful and always evaded any tricks as he knew his life was in jeopardy. Yoritomo was to be blamed for deteriorating relationship between him with his cousin Yoshinaka and Yoshitsune. This made the two to oppose the future Shogun. Yoritomo had established loyal forces even in Minamoto. While in Kamakura, Yashitsune learned that his life was in danger. He decided to go to Go-Shirakawa to fight with his brother. However, while here with his army, he was attacked by some of the Minamoto clansmen who were loyal to Yaritimo. This made them to abandon their plans of going to the western provinces. While here, another blow hit him, the number of armies who supported him was decreasing day by day. By December, Yaritimo had taken control of his army and even had his name changed. He had also put into custody his mistress Shizuka. However, they were unable to capture him. He decided to go to Mutsu where he met Fujiwara Hidehira who had died and left a will that stated that he should be the next governor of Mutsu. Unfortunately, a conflict broke between Fujiwara and Kamaura authorities something that made Yaritimo to know his whereabouts. On 1189, Yoshitsune and his old friend were help up in Fujiwara Motonatis mansion. Yoshitsune decided to kill his wife and commit suicide. Even in his death, Kujo Kanezane states that Yoshitsune was a great worrier. He had a character that can be admired and praised by generations to come. Conclusion As stipulated above, through the analysis of the life of Yoshitsune and reasons for his fall, one can clearly understand how Shoguns came to be. Yoritomo was the first Shogun after they had fought series of War trying to end the rule of emperors. Totman chronologically analyses various epochs in Japanese history (Totman, 1981). He focuses on establishment of the Shogun and its lineage as well as the changes in the imperial capital. Notably, Kamakura was the centre of action for establishment of the Shoguns. In his view, Kamakura marks an age of political fluidity and cultural dominance. Thus, although Yoshitsune and Yoritomo had great differences, they helped to shape the political history of Japan. Buy custom History of Japan essay

T4A(OAS) Tax Slips for Canadian Income Tax Returns

T4A(OAS) Tax Slips for Canadian Income Tax Returns A Canadian T4A(OAS) tax slip, or Statement of Old Age Security, is issued by Service Canada to tell you and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) how much old age security income you received during a tax year and the amount of income tax that was deducted. Deadline for T4A(OAS) Tax Slips T4A(OAS) tax slips must be issued by the last day of February the year after the calendar year to which the T4A(OAS) tax slips apply. Sample T4A(OAS) Tax Slip This sample T4A(OAS) tax slip from the CRA site shows what a T4A(OAS) tax slip looks like. For more information on what is included in each box on the T4A(OAS) tax slip and how to deal with it when filing your income tax return, click on the box number in the pull-down menu  above the sample T4A(OAS) tax slip. Filing T4A(OAS) Tax Slips With Your Income Tax Return When you file a paper income tax return, include copies of each of the T4A(OAS) tax slips you receive. If you file your income tax return using NETFILE or EFILE, keep copies of your T4A(OAS) tax slips with your records for six years in case the CRA asks to see them. Missing T4A(OAS) Tax Slips If you do not receive your T4A(OAS) tax slip, contact Service Canada at 1-800-277-9914 during regular business hours. You will be asked for your Social Insurance Number. Even if you havent received your T4A(OAS) tax slip, file your income tax return by the deadline anyway to avoid penalties for filing your income taxes late. Calculate your OAS income and any related deductions and credits you can claim as closely as you can using any information you have. Include a note saying what you have done to get a copy of the missing T4A(OAS) tax slip. Include copies of any statements and information you used in calculating the income and deductions for the missing T4A(OAS) tax slip. Viewing and Printing T4(OAS) Tax Slips Online If you wish to view and print your T4(OAS) tax slips online, you can make arrangements through the My Service Canada Account. For detailed information, see the following Service Canada pages: Get Your Tax Information Slips Online, andTax Information Slips in My Service Canada Account. Other T4 Tax Information Slips Other T4 tax information slips include: T4- Statement of Remuneration PaidT4A- Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other IncomeT4A(P)- Statement of Canada Pension Plan BenefitsT4E- Statement of Employment Insurance and Other BenefitsT4RIF- Statement of Income From a Registered Retirement Income FundT4RSP- Statement of RRSP Income

Analysing the Environment Burden of Your Diet Essay

Analysing the Environment Burden of Your Diet - Essay Example The main objectives of the issue to be analyzed are what impact our food consumption has on the agricultural production. What changes can we bring in our daily diet so that the growing burden on our environment can be minimized. The diet consumed by different age groups as well as the gender differs greatly. The people who are involved in physical form of labor surely need a different and a healthier diet as compared to the ones who are not physically that active. We seriously need to examine the degradation of the environment, the consumption of nonrenewable resources, population growth and the possible decline in prosperity. Reduction of population density would ensure individual prosperity and quality environment for future generations. Today's consumption pattern of the world is undermining the base of the environmental resources and putting a great burden on it. The existing consumption pattern especially seen in certain countries can put great stain on the environment and its natural resources, which can have serious impact on the world society. But what needs to be analyzed is how much of the environmental degradation that we see today has resulted from overpopulation and how much of it is due to the exploitation and due to geopolitical interests and consumerism. Consumption is not the real issue; the problem is its pattern and effect. Globally, 20% of the people of the world in the highest income countries account for 86% of the total private consumption expenditures- the poorest 20% and the minuscule 1.3%. The following consumption pattern of the rich countries shows how stark the inequality of the above mentioned percentage is: Consume 45% of all meat and fish, the poorest fifth 5% Consume 58% of total energy, the poorest fifth less than 4% Have 74% of all the telephone lines, the poorest fifth 1.5% Consume 84% of all paper, the poorest fifth 1.1% Own 87% of the world's vehicle fleet, the poorest fifth less than 1% Runaway growth in consumption in the past 50 years is putting strains on the environment never seen before. The excessive use of petroleum and fossil fuels, plus erosion and other misuses of our natural resources are reducing the carrying capacity of our ecosystem. The concept of sustainable development is universally accepted as a means of protecting the environment for the whole of mankind and demands, that the future manufacturing technologies must be cleaner, yet economically strong and ecologically beneficial. To analyze how much intake of different food items is consumed by an individual, the following chart will be helpful. But again the diet taken by people of different age groups and gender will differ greatly. Given below is a chart describing the different food items consumed by "me" during the past week: Top of Form Bottom of Form This can be taken just as a rough guideline of the diet of an average person and can be used to analyze how much food is consumed by the huge population around the world. If we further go into details and see how much food "I" used in one week, we would need to see how much land per hectare was used to produce the fruits, vegetables and grains consumed; how much water for irrigation was needed; the fertilizer used and insecticide sprayed to

Hamlet's Mental Disorder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hamlet's Mental Disorder - Essay Example He broods about a lot of things and he has enough reasons to do so. When he comes after knowing that his father died, he finds his mother Gertrude and Uncle Claudius married within months after his father's death (Act I, scene ii (129-158). To make matters worse, instead of confronting his mother and demanding for an explanation, he just keeps his miserable feelings and doubts to himself. He seeks for justification but does not let it out so he becomes all the more burdened with so many questions and no answers. In addition, he also feels antagonism towards his mother and his uncle's decision to let him stay in Denmark. It was in these depressing moments that he first thinks of committing suicide In the foregoing scenarios, Hamlet appears to be suffering from bipolar disorder. His continued melancholy and depression that even leads to his thinking of committing suicide are the major characteristics of the mental illness. The very familiar line, "To be, or not to be: that is the question," speaks of Hamlet's reflection on whether he would choose to live (to be) or to commit suicide (not to be). To die means to end one's sufferings and pains on earth: He likens death to sleep which means inactivity and rest. ... In the foregoing scenarios, Hamlet appears to be suffering from bipolar disorder. His continued melancholy and depression that even leads to his thinking of committing suicide are the major characteristics of the mental illness. The most famous soliloquy of Hamlet in Act III, scene i (58-90) displays his mental confusion and indecision. The very familiar line, "To be, or not to be: that is the question," speaks of Hamlet's reflection on whether he would choose to live (to be) or to commit suicide (not to be). To die means to end one's sufferings and pains on earth: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them-To die,-to sleep,- No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to,-'tis a consummation He likens death to sleep which means inactivity and rest. By dying, he perceives that he would be freed from all the difficulties that living entails. In this manner he is showing his loss of interest or pleasure, which is stated to be the second major symptom of bipolar disorder. In thinking of death as an escape, he pauses to remember the possible consequences of dying. He thinks of what kind of dream that he would have when he sleeps or the things that await him in the after-death Devoutly to be wish'd. To die,-to sleep;- To sleep: perchance to dream:-ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, Even in the possible dreams that would lie in death's sleep, he feels more depressed for he does not know what lies ahead. He seems to be afraid that the after-death experience may not be better than the present life, how ever unbearable it may seem.

A Change of Heart Essay Example for Free

A Change of Heart Essay A Change of Heart I was only fourteen years old. The time had come for me to make a decision, to choose between two destinies. It was the time for me to decide whether I would maintain the plain look and keep my mom jeans, or whether I would ditch those loser jeans and go with the sleek skinny jeans. Though most people wouldn’t consider this a matter worth debating over, it reached the highest of my concerns. Knowing the knowledge that we live in a judgmental world, a place where people judge based on outward appearance, I went with the choice that was clear; I must invest in the skinnies. The mall was the place for a guy like me to be! After me and my brother arrived, we browsed a large variety of pants. Red, yellow, black, and white, the clothing stores contained many unique fashions and colors. The prices made everything easy: the higher the price, the better the product! Due to my brother, who has the fashion sense of a queen, I was bound for the looks of awesomeness. He would tell me what matches and what does not. I trusted him. After all, it was him that got me interested in this style! Now that I have this tremendous change of heart, there ain’t no going back. Never in a million years would I trade a pair of my tight-around-the-booty jeans for a yucky, bland pair of mom jeans like I used to have. I remain thankful for the fun tradition me and my brother have of broin’ out together at the mall and movies. The memories and knowledge I have gained goes higher than any mountain I’ve ever climbed.

Futility in Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot Essay -- Waiting For Go

Beckett explores the theme of futility in an attempt to leave the audience with questions about the meaning of life. The techniques and ways in which he does this vary in relation to the scene but he relies heavily on the use of philosophical and emotive language and a shocking way to intellectually and emotionally engage the audience. All characters that Beckett features in his play are used as literary constructs in creating the tone and setting in which to develop and examine the theme of futility. The theme of futility is linked to the philosophy of Nihilism and grounded in the belief that our universe is stochastic, and therefore structure-less. If life has no structure or coherent meaning it can ultimately be seen as futile. Beckett explores the theme of futility throughout the text in numerous ways. The theme of futility is immediately brought to the forefront in the beginning of the scene through stage directions concerning Estragon’s struggle with his boot. Diction such as ‘he gives up, tries again†¦ as before’ immediately set the tone of the futility of both his actions and the situation. This is further reflected in the setting of the play and the apparent bareness of their surroundings. The theme of futility is further reflected in the cyclical nature of the dialogue in the sense that nothing appears to change and everything is simply repeated, their conversation never reached a definitive conclusion they are ultimately still ‘waiting for Godot’ and longing for answers. The concept of time is used very successfully by Beckett in order to highlight and develop the theme of futility in ‘Waiting for Godot.’ Time can be seen as a very fluid concept in the sense that the audience is never made aware of how l... ...above. Whilst numerous techniques are employed in order to develop and influence the audiences understanding and perception of themes he deems important perhaps the most significant tool, which Beckett utilizes, is the motifs and certain characterization. The play can be considered highly minimalist and therefore the dynamics that exist between the characters are essential in order to demonstrate and explore the theme of futility. Ultimately, the theme of futility and the effect it has on relationships and attitudes can be considered the most significant and widely explored by Beckett. Conclusively, futility is greatly involved in the play and Beckett explores it through methods I have explored in this essay. Works Cited Beckett, Samuel. Waiting For Godot. 3rd ed. N.p.: CPI Group, 2006. Print. Vol. 1 of Samuel Beckett: The Complete Dramatic Works. 4 vols

George Orwell’s Animal Farm

In the allegorical novel â€Å"Animal Farm†, author George Orwell reminds us how power can corrupt an individual. â€Å"Animal Farm† tells us about the rebellion of animals against humans. The rebellion is a great success and pigs, being the most intelligent animals, take control. However, as time goes on, life for the other animals becomes worse while the pigs prosper. Orwell based this book on Russian communism and used Stalin as prototype for Napoleon. He also tries to demonstrate that once a person has complete power, that individual will become corrupt and will do anything in order to maintain it. Orwell wanted this novel to be a warning for future societies. An example of that is seen in the character Napoleon who slaughters any animal who openly opposes him. He also uses different methods of psychological manipulation and physical threats to maintain his hierarchy of leadership. Napoleon attempts to maintain his power by threatening animals physically, even slaughtering them. For instance, he slaughtered four pigs that opposed him when he abolished the Sunday Meetings. Napoleon killed them using his dogs because they questioning and criticizing his decisions and leadership. If that continued, other animals would start to analyse the situation and come to the conclusion that Napoleon was in fact a poor and corrupted leader. Napoleon could not let this happen, so he murdered the pigs because they confessed that they had been secretly in touch with Snowball ever since the expulsion, that they had collaborated with him in destroying the windmill, and that they had entered into an agreement with him to hand over Animal Farm to Mr Frederick†. Napoleon also murdered three hens (that had been the ringleaders in the attempted rebellion over the eggs) after they stated that Snowball had appeared to them in a dream and incited them to disobey Napoleon's orders†. However, it is obvious that Napoleon simply decided to get rid of all opposition. Mass murder was not the only physical threat used by Napoleon. At one point in the novel, hens did not wish to give up their eggs to Napoleon, so he cut off their food supply. Napoleon starved the hens because they opposed him, just like the pigs. Orwell tries to show us that once a dictator gains power, he will not accept any criticism or opposition and will simply murder whoever questions his leadership. For example, a Chilean dictator called Augusto Pinochet murdered over forty thousand people during his first month of power simply because they questioned his decisions. But, Napoleon could not always go to extreme measures such as executing the opposition so he employed Squealor to persuade animals through rhetoric. For example, Squealer, Napoleon's right hand, made up a statistic that animals had more oats, more hay and more turnips than they had had in Jones's day. They also worked shorter hours, had better quality drinking water, lived longer, saw an increased number of their young ones survive infancy, had more straw in their stalls and suffered less from fleas†. In combination with complete isolation from other farms, other animals could not prove Squealer wrong so they believed that they actually had a much better life than other farms. In reality, the animals had even lower food rations than those living on other farms. Napoleon also encourages other animals to use Boxer's slogans such as â€Å"Napoleon is Always Right† and â€Å"I Will Work Harder†Ã¢â‚¬ . Boxer is very loyal to Napoleon due to his low intelligence but he is respected by other animals because of his strength and stubbornness. Napoleon knows that animals will listen to Boxer and try to work as hard as Boxer. In this case, Orwell tries to show that dictators carefully control the flow of information and simply block anything that could potentially harm them (a contemporary example is the Chinese government blocking web-sites such as YouTube because they sometimes contain information that the government deems to be inappropriate). However, making up statistics would not be enough to control the animals so Napoleon used patriotic songs and the seven commandments in order to manipulate the animals. He attempted to make the other animals believe that he was the wisest, kindest leader they had. He did it by replacing â€Å"Beasts of England† â€Å"with â€Å"Comrade Napoleon†Ã¢â‚¬ , a song that contains lyrics such as â€Å"Full belly twice a day, clean straw to roll upon; Every beast big and small sleeps at peace in his stall, thou watchest over all, Comrade Napoleon! This song helps Napoleon maintain his leadership as the animals believe every word it says. Another example of biasing the truth is when Squealer explains why pigs take apples and milk. He justifies it by saying â€Å"Milk and apples contain substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig. We pigs are brain-workers. The whole management and organization of this farm depends on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for YOUR sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! â€Å"† Squealer confuses animals with words such as â€Å"substances absolutely necessary to the well-being of a pig † and then acts on the fear of the fact that Jones may come back, although in reality Jones was on the other end of the country. Dictators such as Stalin justified their actions using reasons similar to Squealer's. These reasons were similar in a way that they acted on people's fears, causing them to believe everything Stalin said. Orwell's novel is based on Russian communism and it criticizes the decisions and methods used by Stalin using Napoleon as a representation of him. However, Orwell also tries to warn future generations. Orwell wanted to show what the future would look like if nobody ever questioned their leaders. He wanted to show that once a person obtained great power, he could become corrupt and a many people would suffer because of it. People need to speak their mind, criticize and question everything their government says, otherwise leaders will not care about their people. But, at some point, people may get tired of totalitarianism and they will rebel against their leaders, just like people did in Egypt. One last thing that Orwell wanted to show is how much propaganda can influence people and how hard it can be to regain freedom of speech using examples of the mass executions of animals and the fact that nobody â€Å"dared to speak his mind â€Å"after this mass slaughter. â€Å"

Federal Taxation Essay

D. Dale Bandy is Professor Emeritus in the School of Accounting at the University of Central Florida. He received a B.S. from the University of Tulsa, an M.B.A. from the University of Arkansas, and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He helped to establish the Master of Science in Taxation programs at the University of Central Florida and California State University, Fullerton, where he previously taught. In 1985, he was selected by the California Society of Certified Public Accountants as the Accounting Educator of the year. Professor Bandy has published 8 books and more than 30 articles in accounting and taxation. His articles have appeared in the Journal of Taxation, the Journal of Accountancy, Advances in Taxation, the Tax Adviser, The CPA Journal, Management Accounting, and a number of other journals. N. Allen Ford is the Larry D. Homer/KPMG Peat Marwick Distinguished Teaching Professor of Professional Accounting at the University of Kansas. He received an undergraduate degree from Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana, and both the M.B.A. and Ph.D. in Business from the University of Arkansas. He has published over 40 articles related to taxation, financial accounting, and accounting education in journals such as The Accounting Review, The Journal of the American Taxation Association, and The Journal of Taxation. He served as president of the American Taxation Association in 1979–80. Professor Ford has received numerous teaching awards at the college and university levels. In 1993, he received the Byron T. Shutz Award for Distinguished Teaching in Economics and Business. In 1996 he received the Ray M. Sommerfeld Outstanding Tax Educator Award, which is jointly sponsored by the American Taxation Association and Ernst & Young and in 1998 he received the Kansas Society of CPAs Outstanding Education Award. Robert L. Gardner is the Robert J. Smith Professor of Accounting in the School of Accountancy at Brigham Young University (BYU). He received a B.S. and M.B.A. from the University of Utah and a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. He has authored or coauthored two books and over 25 articles in journals such as The Tax Advisor, Journal of Corporate Taxation, Journal of Real Estate Taxation, Journal of Accounting Education, Journal of Taxation of S Corporations, and the International Tax Journal. Professor Gardner has received several teaching awards. In 2001, he received the Outstanding Faculty Award in the Marriott School of Management at BYU. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the American Taxation Association and served as President of the ATA in 1999–2000. Richard J. Joseph is the Provost of Hult International Business School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is a current member of the Hult Accounting Faculty and a former member of the tax faculty of The University of Texas at Austin. A graduate magna cum laude of Harvard College (B.A.), Oxford University (M.Litt.), and The University of Texas at Austin School of Law (J.D.), he has taught individual, corporate, international, state and local taxation, tax research methods, and the fundamentals of financial and managerial accounting. Before embarking on his academic career, Provost Joseph worked as an investment banker and securities trader on Wall Street and as a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Texas. He is co-editor of the Oxford Handbook on Mergers and Acquisitions and has written numerous commentaries in the Financial Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Tax Notes, and Tax Notes International. His book, The Origins of the American Income Tax, explores the original intent, rationale, and effect of the early American income tax. LeAnn Luna is an Associate Professor of Accounting at the University of Tennessee. She is a C.P.A. and holds an undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University, a M.T. from th e University of Denver College of Law, and a Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. She has taught introductory taxation, corporate and partnership taxation, tax research, and professional standards. Professor Luna also holds a joint appointment with the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee, where she interacts frequently with state policymakers on a variety of policy related issues. She has published articles in the National Tax Journal, The Journal of the American Taxation Association, Tax Adviser, State Tax Notes, and a number of other journals. xii About the Authors ââ€" ¼ Individuals xiii Timothy J. Rupert is a Professor and the Golemme Administrative Chair in the College of Business Administration at Northeastern University. He received his B.S. in Accounting and his Master of Taxation from the University of Akron. He also earned his Ph.D. from Penn State University. Professor Rupert’s research has been published in such journals as The Journal of the American Taxation Association, Behavioral Research in Accounting, Advances in Taxation, Applied Cognitive Psychology, Advances in Accounting Education and Journal of Accounting Education. He is currently the co-editor of Advances in Accounting Education. In 2010, he received the Outstanding Educator Award from the Massachusetts Society of CPAs. He has also received the University’s Excellence in Teaching Award and the College of Business Administration’s Best Teacher of the Year award multiple times. He is active in the American Accounting Association and the American Taxation Association (ATA) and has served as the vice president and secretary of the ATA. Charlene Henderson is a member of the faculty in the Adkerson School of Accountancy at Mississippi State University. She earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting at Mississippi State University. After working in public and private accounting, she completed the doctoral program at Arizona State University. Her teaching and research interests include both tax and financial accounting. Her research has appeared in several journals, including Journal of the American Taxation Association, Journal of Accounting Auditing and Finance, and Journal of Business Finance and Accounting. Michael S. Schadewald, Ph.D., CPA, is on the faculty of the University of WisconsinMilwaukee where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in business taxation. A graduate of the University of Minnesota, Professor Schadewald is a co-author of several books on multistate and international taxation and has published more than 40 articles in academic and professional journals, including The Accounting Review, Journal of Accounting Research, Contemporary Accounting Research, The Journal of the American Taxation Association, CPA Journal, Journal of Taxation, and The Tax Adviser. Professor Schadewald also has served on the editorial boards of The Journal of the American Taxation Association, Journal of State Taxation, International Tax Journal, The International Journal of Accounting, Issues in Accounting Education, and Journal of Accounting Education. PR E F A C E Why is the Pope/Anderson series the best choice for you and your students? The Pope/Anderson 2013 Series in Federal Taxation is appropriate for use in any first course in federal taxation, and comes in a choice of three volumes: Federal Taxation 2013: Individuals Federal Taxation 2013: Corporations, Partnerships, Estates & Trusts (the companion book to Individuals) Federal Taxation 2013: Comprehensive (includes 29 chapters; 14 chapters from Individuals and 15 chapters from Corporations) ** For a customized edition of any of the chapters for these texts, contact your Pearson representative and they can create a custom text for you. †¢ The Corporations, Partnerships, Estates & Trusts and Comprehensive volumes contain three comprehensive tax return problems whose data change with each edition, thereby keeping the problems fresh. Problem C:3-66 contains the comprehensive corporate tax return, Problem C:9-58 contains the comprehensive partnership tax return, and Problem C:11-64 contains the comprehensive S corporation tax return, which is based on the same facts as Problem C:9-58 so that students can compare the returns for these two entities. †¢ The Corporations, Partnerships, Estates & Trusts and Comprehensive volumes contain sections called Financial Statement Implications, which discuss the implications of Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 740. The main discussion of accounting for income taxes appears in Chapter C:3. The financial statement implications of other transactions appear in Chapters C:5, C:7, C:8, and C:16 (Corporations volume only). We want to stress that all entities are covered in the Individuals volume although the treatment is often briefer than in the Corporations and Comprehensive volumes. The Individuals volume, therefore, is appropriate for colleges and universities that req uire only one semester of taxation as well as those that require more than one semester of taxation. Further, this volume adapts the suggestions of the Model Tax Curriculum as promulgated by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. What’s New to this Edition? Individuals †¢ Complete integration of the new laws contained in the Temporary Payroll Tax Cut Continuation Act of 2011. †¢ Complete updating of all significant court cases and IRS rulings and procedures during 2011. †¢ Discussion of the extension of many itemized deductions through 2011 or 2012. †¢ Discussion of all sunset provisions applicable after December 31, 2011 and December 31, 2012. †¢ All tax rates schedules have been updated to reflect the rates and inflation adjustments for 2012. †¢ Thorough revision and update of all homework questions and problems. †¢ Whenever new updates become available, they will be accessible via MyAccountingLab. Corporations †¢ The comprehensive corporate tax return, Problem C:3-66, has all new numbers for the 2011 forms. †¢ The comprehensive partnership tax return, Problem C:9-58, has all new numbers for the 2011 forms. †¢ The comprehensive S corporation tax return, Problem C:11-64, has all new numbers for the 2011 forms. †¢ Changes affecting 2012 tax law, including inflation adjustments, have been incorporated into the text where appropriate. †¢ All tax rate schedules have been updated to reflect the rates and inflation adjustments for 2012. †¢ Whenever new updates become available, they will be accessible via MyAccountingLab. Preface ââ€" ¼ Individuals xv MyAccountingLab ® is web-based, tutorial and assessment software for accounting that not only gives students more â€Å"I Get It† moments, but gives instructors the flexibility to make technology an integral part of their course. It also is an excellent supplementary resource for students. To register, go to http://pearsonmylabandmastering.com. For Instructors MyAccountingLab provides instructors with a rich and flexible set of course materials, along with course-management tools that make it easy to deliver all or a portion of your course online. †¢ Powerful Homework and Test Manager Create, import, and manage online homework and media assignments, quizzes, and tests. Create assignments from online questions directly correlated to this and other textbooks. Homework questions include â€Å"Help Me Solve This† guided solutions to help students understand and master concepts. You can choose from a wide range of assignment options, including time limits, proctoring, and maximum number of attempts allowed. In addition, you can create your own questions—or copy and edit ours—to customize your students’ learning path. †¢ Comprehensive Gradebook Tracking MyAccountingLab’s online gradebook automatically tracks your students’ results on tests, homework, and tutorials and gives you control over managing results and calculating grades. All MyAccountingLab grades can be exported to a spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft ® Excel. The MyAccountingLab Gradebook provides a number of student data views and gives you the flexibility to weight assignments, select which attempts to include when calculating scores, and omit or delete results for individual assignments. †¢ Department-Wide Solutions Get help managing multiple sections and working with Teaching Assistants using MyAccountingLab Coordinator Courses. After your MyAccountingLab course is set up, it can be copied to create sections or â€Å"member courses.† Changes to the Coordinator Course flow down to all members, so changes only need to be made once. We will add the most current tax information to MyAccountingLab as it becomes available. For Students MyAccountingLab provides students with a personalized interactive learning environment, where they can learn at their own pace and measure their progress. †¢ Interactive Tutorial Exercises MyAccountingLab’s homework and practice questions are correlated to the textbook, and â€Å"similar to† versions regenerate algorithmically to give students unlimited opportunity for practice and mastery. Questions offer helpful feedback when students enter incorrect answers, and they include â€Å"Help Me Solve This† guided solutions as well as other learning aids for extra help when students need it. †¢ Study Plan for Self-Paced Learning MyAccountingLab’s study plan helps students monitor their own progress, letting them see at a glance exactly which topics they need to practice. MyAccountingLab generates a personalized study plan for each student based on his or her test results, and the study plan links directly to interactive, tutorial exercises for topics the student hasn’t yet mastered. Students can regenerate these exercises with new values for unlimited practice, and the exercises include guided solutions and multimedia learning aids to give students the extra help they need. View a guided tour of MyAccountingLab at http://www.myaccountinglab.com/support/tours. xvi Individuals ââ€" ¼ Preface Strong Pedagogical Aids †¢ Appropriate blend of technical content of the tax law with a high level of readability for students. †¢ Focused on enabling students to apply tax principles within the chapter to real-life situations. What Would You Do in This Situation? Unique to the Pope/Anderson series, these boxes place students in a decision-making role. The boxes include many current controversies that are as yet unresolved or are currently being considered by the courts. These boxes make extensive use of Ethical Material as they represent choices that may put the practitioner at odds with the client. Stop & Think These â€Å"speed bumps† encourage students to pause and apply what they have just learned. Solutions for each issue are provided in the box. Ethical Point These comments provide the ethical implications of material discussed in the adjoining text. Apply what they have just learned. Tax Strategy Tip These comments suggest tax planning ideas related to material in the adjoining text. Program Components Materials for the instructor may be accessed at the Instructor’s Resource Center (IRC) online, located at www.pearsonhighered.com/phtax or within the Instructor Resource section of MyAccountingLab. You may contact your Pearson representative for assistance with the registration process. †¢ TaxACT 2011 Software: Available on CD to be packaged with Individuals and Comprehensive Texts: This user-friendly tax preparation program includes more than 80 tax forms, schedules, and worksheets. TaxACT calculates returns and alerts the user to possible errors or entries. †¢ Instructor’s Resource Manual: Contains sample syllabi, instructor outlines, and information regarding problem areas for students. It also contains solutions to the tax form/tax return preparation problems. In addition to being available electronically on the IRC online, it also is available in hardcopy. †¢ Solutions Manual: Contains solutions to discussion questions, problems, and comprehensive and tax strategy problems. It also contains all solutions to the case study problems, research problems, and â€Å"What Would You Do in This Situation?† boxes. In addition to being available electronically on the IRC online, it is also available in hardcopy. †¢ Test Item File: Offers a wealth of true/false, multiple-choice, and calculative problems. A computerized program is available to adopters. †¢ PowerPoint Slides: Include over 300 full-color electronic transparencies available for Individuals and Corporations. Acknowledgments Adopters will notice that John L. Kramer’s name does not appear on the 2013 edition as he has officially retired from the textbook. Jack was one of the founders and original editors of the Prentice-Hall Federal Taxation series, and the current editors and authors wish to thank him for his outstanding contributions over the years to this textbook and to tax education in general. Our policy is to provide annual editions and to prepare timely updated supplements when major tax revisions occur. We are most appreciative of the suggestions made by outside reviewers because these extensive review procedures have been valuable to the authors and editors during the revision process. We also are grateful to the various graduate assistants, doctoral students, and colleagues who have reviewed the text and supplementary materials and checked solutions to maintain a high level of technical accuracy. In particular, we would like to acknowledge the following colleagues who assisted in the preparation of supplemental materials for this text: Ann Burstein Cohen SUNY at Buffalo Caroline Strobel University of South Carolina Craig J. Langstraat University of Memphis Kate Demarest Carroll Community College Richard Newmark University of Northern Colorado In addition, we want to thank Myron S. Scholes, Mark A. Wolfson, Merle Erickson, Edward L. Maydew, and Terry Shevlin for allowing us to use the model discussed in their text, Taxes and Business Strategy: A Planning Approach, as the basis for material in Chapter I:18. Please send any comments to Kenneth E. Anderson or Thomas R. Pope. TAX RATE SCHEDULES INDIVIDUAL TAXPAYERS Single [ §1(c)]: If taxable income is: The tax is: Not over $8,700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10% of taxable income. Over $8,700 but not over $35,350 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $870.00, plus 15% of the excess over $8,700. Over $35,350 but not over $85,650 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4,867.50, plus 25% of the excess over $35,350. Over $85,650 but not over $178,650 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $17,442.50, plus 28% of the excess over $85,650. Over $178,650 but not over $388,350 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $43,482.50, plus 33% of the excess over $178,650. Over $388,350 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $112,683.50, plus 35% of the excess over $388,350. Head of Household [ §1(b)]: If taxable income is: The tax is: Not over $12,400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10% of taxable income. Over $12,400 but not over $47,350 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,240.00, plus 15% of the exce ss over $12,400. Over $47,350 but not over $122,300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6,482.50, plus 25% of the excess over $47,350. Over $122,300 but not over $198,050 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $25,220.00, plus 28% of the excess over $122,300. Over $198,050 but not over $388,350 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $46,430.00, plus 33% of the excess over $198,050. Over $388,350 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $109,229.00, plus 35% of the excess over $388,350. Married, Filing Joint and Surviving Spouse [ §1(a)]: If taxable income is: The tax is: Not over $17,400 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10% of taxable income. Over $17,400 but not over $70,700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $1,740.00, plus 15% of the excess over $17,400. Over $70,700 but not over $142,700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $9,735.00, plus 25% of the excess over $70,700. Over $142,700 but not over $217,450 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $27,735.00, plus 28% of the excess over $142,700. Over $217,450 but not over $388,350 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $48,665.00, plus 33% of the excess over $217,450. Over $388,350 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $105,062.00, plus 35% of the excess over $388,350. Married, Filing Separate [ §1(d)]: If taxable income is: The tax is: Not over $8,700 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10% of taxable income. Over $8,700 but not over $35,350 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $870.00, plus 15% of the excess over $8,700. Over $35,350 but not over $71,350 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $4,867.50, plus 25% of the excess over $35,350. Over $71,350 but not over $108,725 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $13,867.50, plus 28% of the excess over $71,350. Over $108,725 but not over $194,175 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $24,332.50, plus 33% of the excess over $108,725. Over $194,175 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $52,531.00, plus 35% of the excess over $194,175.

Analysis of Riordans Manufacturing IT Systems

Analysis of Riordans Manufacturing IT Systems Free Online Research Papers I. History: Riordan Manufacturing, Inc. is an industry leader in the field of plastic injection molding. With state-of-the art design capabilities, they create innovative plastic designs that have earned international acclaim. Attention to detail, extreme precision and enthusiastic quality control are the hallmarks of Riordan Manufacturing. Connected via a Wide Area Network (WAN) it maintains facilities in Albany, Georgia, Pontiac, Michigan, and Hang Zhou, China. The companys research and development is done at the corporate headquarters in San Jose, Ca. Riordans major customers are automotive parts manufacturers, aircraft manufacturers, the Department of Defense, beverage makers and bottlers, and appliance manufacturers. II. Assessment: In order to stay competitive in a constantly changing business environment, Riordan needs to remain current with the latest technology, recent industry developments, and attend to the service requirements of its customers. According to Riordan’s CIO and other staff members, Riordan’s telecommunication and data networking systems necessitate upgrading to better support the company’s recent and future growth needs. Team A began its investigation by gathering information about the existing network system. Based on the diagrams provided, we completed an inventory of the existing hardware and evaluated the security protocols for the wide area network (WAN) and local area network (LAN) connections in each location. The current networking model in place is a server-based (client/server) design. Each locality dedicates hardware (servers) for handling the application requests from the workstations. All locations support more than 10 users. (Greg, Tittel, Johnson, 2004) In examining the networking schematics, we found that the diagrams and the logical designs were out dated; these were not consistent with the actual physical implementations. The current network consists of aging and outdated technology and devices; such as, hubs, Cat3 cabling, Windows 98 workstations and NT Servers. Two of the four facilities are not employing firewalls on the networks and two sites had firewalls placed in fron t of their routers. An additional drawback is that the bandwidth is limited between locations. Limited information was obtainable regarding the port, router configurations, and security software. The current infrastructures implemented were designed with a unique approach. However, there are some basic resemblances between current designs in place at the San Jose and Hangzhou locations, only minor alterations are required for the specific needs of the individual locations. In addition, the network designs at the Albany and Pontiac locations also bare some similarities with one another. Even so, there appears to be a basic need for the local area networks (LAN) to mirror one another and standardize the network configurations within the WAN. In further review of the San Jose and Hangzhou locations, it appears that these networks follow the Bus and Ring topology principals with two WAN connections. Each network patterned on a 100 base T Ethernet backbone with an edge router for data transmission to and from the other locations and external sources on a full T1 line. The number of users supported in each location is between 35 and 50 users, per site. The workstations connect to the network via 24 port Cisco 5950 switches running on 100 base T Ethernet lines. In addition, each location is running the following servers: basic Windows NT network/domain Network and Exchange servers, UNIX based ERP/MRP servers, and NAS file storage servers. However, there is only a single UPS (Uninterruptible power supply) backup device in each location to support the entire site in the event of power loss. Each location also contains a satellite connection that serves as a back up for these locations in the event that the primary T1 line is u navailable. The current network design extends to connect to a 1 GB Ethernet based backbone that supports 15 additional users running on an unknown MAC platform with its own Windows network server. In reviewing the designs for the Pontiac and Albany locations these networks, appear to be modeled on the Star Bus topology principals with 1 WAN connection. Each network is daisy-chained to comprise the backbone. Ethernet cables connect multiple Nortel Baystack routing devices (Pontiac uses 10 Base T lines with hubs and Albany uses 100 Base T lines with switches). Each was using a single edge router for passing data between locations via a fractional T1 line. Missing security devices and inadequate routing protocols for communications protect the WAN from intrusion. There are no provisions for diverse traffic routing; overall network reliability is at risk. Another major concern is the lack of secure remote access or VPN (virtual private network) to aide with security for the network. III. SCOPE: The Purpose of this paper is to provide Riordan’s national and international manufacturing plants a common arrangement of system and plant security controls. It is the aim of Team A, to provide recommendations that apply equally across Riordan’s information network. The primary business objective is to enable seamless compatibly between all facilities. Our first initiative is to standardize network configurations, hardware components, and software applications. This will improve data integrity and availability throughout the entire organization. Encompassed within this plan is the deployment of security protocols and policies that will safeguard both the network and ensures accessibility for Riordan’s customers and employees. IV. Recommendations: Based on Team A’s evaluation, it was determined that the current network infrastructure is in desperate need of a complete overhaul. All four locations should mirror one another and the network configurations standardized. We have charted proposed logical designs (page 8) for the upgraded networks at each location to demonstrate the topology and identify the required components. This modeling process will assist management to better understand the possibilities of the new system. The following list is an overview of the recommended changes for the network upgrades: Protocol Recommendations: TCP/IP – LAN Routing and transport protocol, which holds the entire network together. SNMP – Network management protocol for managing the network infrastructure. FTP – file transfer protocol for WAN/LAN wide file transfers. DNS – Domain naming system for network name resolution. MPLS/RSVP for routing protocols TCP/IP is flexible enough for use in both LAN and WAN environments and it provides a rich set of services and utilities for the Windows platform. The usefulness of TCP/IP is broad, because of its routable, scalable and ability to build very large hierarchical networks. TCP/IP facilitates communications at different layers of the OSI model. Many of the protocols include TCP/IP and are standards based with worldwide acceptance. The disadvantage of using the TCP/IP configuration that TCP/IP is more complicated than NetBIOS or IPX/SPX. In comparison to NetBEUI, TCP/IP employs a larger header that encapsulates the data. This also slows down the transmission of the packet. FTP, SNMP, and DNS have all suffered historically from insecurity issues and compromises; however, these protocols have matured over the years and are available with encryption algorithms. Because of the existing TCP/IP infrastructure, it should be relatively simple to build upon the existing network. (Kozierok, 2005) MPLS is a dynamic routing protocol the utilization of it will aide in switching the traffic flow during a power outage. MPLS is a tag switching protocol, Video IGMP joins are accommodated as well as the SIP traffic for Voice. MPLS also supports QOS, meaning priority routing is enabled for voice and video. By building an MPLS core network and enabling diverse services to traverse the core network, IT personnel are able to streamline the operations and administration of their network and enable effective utilization of the regional core network. This will support such emerging services as Layer 3/2 VPNs, VPLS and Point-to-Multipoint commercial service. (Juniper, ND) One of its known disadvantages is the interoperability between vendors on configuration parameters. This can interfere with link down status and halt traffic flow. 1. Topology: The basic network design or topology in all locations need restructured to support the company’s plans for future growth. Currently Riordan Manufacturing employs a WAN topology commonly referred to as a Hub-and-Spoke configuration (Star topology). The Main office is the Hub of the network with the remote offices creating the Spokes of the network. Presently, each remote site is utilizing a fractional T-1 back to the main office. The only exception is a satellite link from the China office. Each location routes its internet traffic back to the main office for browsing connectivity. Although the star topology is the most widely used topology in networks that contain more than just a few computers (Greg, Tittel, Johnson, 2004), it lacks the amount of bandwidth needed for the company’s plans for efficiency. Also there are no provisions for diverse traffic routing which affects the reliability of the overall network. However utilizing the current topology will be cost effective and upgrading the digital circuits will cause minimal interruption within the current configuration. Our recommendation is to switch to a partial mesh topology. Our primary concern is the cost of satellite space and because additional equipment is very expensive and could place the company into discord. The China location does have an internet connection and accessing the main office via this link should activate when the satellite connection fails. Increasing the bandwidth over the satellite will improve their throughput for backups and database updates. 2. Hardware: a. Switches: China has two, 24-port switches that connects the inter office LAN to the rest of the network. A gateway switch connects and translates communication between the LAN to the satellite connection to the HQ. The China network would benefit from replacing the three, 24-port hubs that connect the factory floor to the network with three, 24-port switches. Pontiac does not employ switches. This site is connected with hubs and patch panels. The Pontiac network could benefit from replacing the 4 hubs and 3 patch panels with four, 24-port switches for network segregation, and to alleviate network congestion and create Virtual LANs. Albany has three, 24-port switches and a patch panel. This network has enough switches to accommodate the network segregation to support creating VLANs. Corporate headquarters in San Jose has two, 24-port switches that connect the inter-office network. Two gateway switches connect and translate communications between the LAN and the Satellite and between the RD LAN and the inter-office LAN. Corporate headquarters could benefit from replacing the 24-port hub with a 24-port switch. In all the networks, replacing the hubs with switches will help to alleviate possible network congestion caused by the hubs rebroadcasting the signal to every device on the network. These changes will provide more bandwidth per channel to accommodate more VoIP phones and other expansion if needed in the future. In addition, the new switches will segregate the single larger networks into smaller Virtual LANs, which will further alleviate network traffic. A disadvantage to replacing the hubs with switches is that switches will cost a little more than hubs. b. Security: The corporate headquarters network in San Jose has 2 WAN connections. The first one is a T1 wired connection protected by an unknown firewall. The second connection is a satellite link to China with no security devices noted. The Albany, GA. network has 1 WAN connection to corporate headquarters. This connection is a fractional T1 with a 256k circuit for email and 1.5Mbps for burst. The WAN is not protected by any type of network security device or protocol. The Hanghzou, China network has two WAN connections. The first one is a T1 connection protected by an unknown firewall. The second connection is a satellite link to corporate headquarters in San Jose no security devices noted. The Pontiac, MI. network has 1 WAN connection to corporate headquarters. This connection is a fractional T1 with a 256k circuit for email and 1.5Mbps for burst. To secure the network a firewall solution will be implemented at all four locations. The firewall, a Cisco 525 PIX, will reside between the Cisco routers and the primary Cisco switch on the T1, E1, and satellite connections. This will ensure that all possible entrances to the network are secured. The Cisco 525 PIX firewall incorporates â€Å"multi-vector attack protection services† for further protection, from many forms of attacks, such as, â€Å"denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, fragmented attacks, replay attacks, and malformed packet attacks.† It uses a variety of advanced protection features, such as, â€Å"TCP stream reassembly, traffic normalization, DNSGuard, FloodGuard, FragGuard, MailGuard, IPVerify, and TCP intercept and provides real-time alerts to administrators.† â€Å"Administrators can also easily create custom security policies using the flexible access control technologies provided by Cisco PIX Security Appliances, including network and service object groups, user and group-based policies, and more than 100 predefined applications and protocols.† â€Å"Cisco PIX 525 Security Appliance models have integrated hardware VPN acceleration, delivering highly scalable, high-performance VPN services. (Cisco, 2008) To aide with network security, virtual private network VPN client software will be installed on all workstations and usage will be necessary to access resources located across the network. VPNs provide the highest level of security using advanced encryption and authentication protocols that protect data from unauthorized access. VPNs enable you to create secure, business-critical communication links over the Internet Give telecommuters and mobile workers secure access to your LAN. VPNs are also able to connect two computers over long distances yielding substantial savings over dedicated leased line options. V. Diagrams Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 VI. Conclusion: In conclusion, Team A analyzed each of the Local Area Networks of Riordan Manufacturing to develop a proposal to upgrade the Wide Area Network of Riordan Manufacturing. The proposed improvements would increase the bandwidth, which would facilitate improved data and voice communications among all of the plants, headquarters and their customers. In addition, to providing faster, more reliable telecommunications with increased throughput, the proposed upgrades will provide Riordan Manufacturing with new communication protocols that will improve security and encryption to facilitate Virtual Private Networks and other secure remote computing capabilities. Finally, the improved network would provide increased customer access for sales and support by providing more high speed and reliable access to the Riordan’s web site as well as providing high quality, reliable telephone connections. References: Kozierok, Charles (2005). The TCP/IP Guide, Retrieved March 15, 2008 From tcpipguide.com/ Juniper (ND) Leveraging MPLS to Enable Deterministic Services in the Cable Core, Retrieved March 13, 2008, From: juniper.net/solutions/literature/white_papers/200228.pdf Shinoda, Yoichi. (2002). The MPLS advantages. Retrieved March 16, 2007 From soi.wide.ad.jp/class/20010022/slides/02/47.html Greg, T. Tittel, E. Johnson, G. (2004) Guide to networking essentials [Electric version] Course Technology; Ch 2 14 pp 71-528; Retrieved from University of Phoenix eResource website, Aug. 26, 2007 Research Papers on Analysis of Riordan's Manufacturing IT SystemsRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanThe Project Managment Office SystemOpen Architechture a white paperBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalTwilight of the UAWDefinition of Export QuotasMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug Use

Nauseated vs. Nauseous

Nauseated vs. Nauseous Nauseated vs. Nauseous Nauseated vs. Nauseous By Maeve Maddox A reader sent me this request: Would you please do a blast-out about the word nauseated versus nauseous? The noun â€Å"blast-out† is new to me, but I presume it means something like the following: a strongly worded admonition to English speakers to get the difference between these two words straight once and for all, blast it! The more I research usage and write about it, the less inclined I am to blast out about anything, especially word pairs like nauseous and nauseated. The supposed distinction is that people are nauseated, whereas nasty, disgusting things are nauseous. For example, women in the early stages of pregnancy often feel nauseated. A stagnant pool of foul-smelling water is nauseous. The OED gives two definitions of the adjective nauseous: 1. Of a thing, causing nausea. 2. Of a person, affected with nausea. For at least 179 years, English speakers have been using nauseous in the sense of â€Å"feeling the urge to throw up†: In speaking of the effect of bloodletting, Mr. Lizars says that ‘the patient feels nauseous and sick even to vomiting’. (OED citation dated 1836). A search on the Ngram Viewer of â€Å"feel nauseated† and â€Å"feel nauseous† shows a convergence of both terms in 2000. In popular usage, nauseous is frequently used to mean nauseated, whereas nauseating has largely replaced it to describe disgusting objects or odors: Drivers of General Motors popular Chevrolet Cruze sedan are complaining that the vehicles new car smell is a  nauseating stench. Everyone’s entitled to defend a preferred usage, even one that’s clearly headed for extinction. One of my own language peeves is to hear the word disinterested in a context that calls for uninterested. In my heart-of-hearts, I know it’s a distinction that goes unobserved more often than not, but I’ll continue to observe it in my own writing and to recommend it to others. Speakers to whom the distinction between nauseous and nauseated is important should observe it in their own speech and writing. Insisting that everyone do it is futile. Like civil public discourse, careful language has become a minority value. Those who care about it don’t need to be blasted; they need only to be informed. Related Articles What To Do About Non-standard English †Disinterested† Is Not the Same as â€Å"Uninterested† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About NumbersHomonyms, Homophones, Homographs and HeteronymsComma Before Too?

Examine the view that media industries view audiences as commodities Essay

Examine the view that media industries view audiences as commodities. Discuss with reference to at least two theorists - Essay Example Notwithstanding the varied nature of broadcasting in each of these systems, the fundamental purposes remain more or less the same - advocating for social and business issues, including marketing, advertising, public relations, propaganda and political communication. When it comes to entertainment, mass media plays a key role in the production and distribution of music, acting and sports (Croteau and Hoynes, 2003; Pg 15). Another crucial function of mass media is to make public service announcements in region-specific manner. Our article is going to focus exclusively on the interrelation between media industries and audiences - whether media industries view audiences as mere commodities or not. To address the concern of the main question we need to look at the socio-cultural impact of media on its audiences. It can be said without an iota of doubt that media and culture in today's world play a leading role in sustaining and reproducing contemporary societies, regardless of geographic barriers. Any society needs to replicate itself to survive, and culture inculcates ethics and behavioral patterns that make people susceptible to abide by institutionalized ways of intellection and conduct. Now while any form of media should ideally strive to promote harmony and ethical standards among the mass, it's often been observed that the 'narratives of media culture' present blueprints of both acceptable and unacceptable behavior, candying important social and political issues and thereby, distorting them. The audience tends to relate themselves, often paradoxically, to what is being fed to them rather than what needs to fed more often (Durham and Kellner, 2006; pg 9). Gradually the so ciety runs the risk of getting detached with the root of indigenous culture and moral standards. This is especially applicable to media and entertainment where subaltern imageries are often promoted. The subaltern classes are largely disintegrated in any society, and they are prone to impressionism to a great extent. The economic development and production of a state also interferes with their ideologies. In addition to this, the subaltern classes generally give active or passive consent to the existent hegemony (Media Studies, 2008). Now the question we have raised here has direct connections to exertion of political authority over media. According to Antonio Gramsci, the Italian Marxist theorist, the Italian fascism wielded its stifling authority over the media and other social, cultural and political establishments (Durham and Kellner, 2006 Pg 3). When similar situations occur, media starts acting as the mouthpiece of the hegemony, and it begins exploiting the audience as commodi ties by producing and distributing provocative materials that lack depth. The role of television can be held as a relevant topic of discussion in this regard. Charlotte Brunsdon raises a valid question pertaining to the ideologies of television programs from a nonacademic perspective. She also makes a liberalist evaluation of television audiences in the United Kingdom since the 1970s. She argues that while already tried and tested art forms such as theater, music and literature have principled values tagged with them; television is something more 'real', or in other words, has potential to be a medium of airing productions that can be comprehended by the mass in general, and that have extensive