The banking crisis of 2007-2008 precipitated the deepest global Essay

The banking crisis of 2007-2008 precipitated the deepest global recession since the 1930s and has led to calls for significantly - Essay Example In this case, obviously something went wrong somewhere or the signs were ignored. Part I of the paper will critically assess whether or not this crisis has fundamentally undermined the corporate governance frameworks in both the UK and USA. Part II of the paper will assess how to change the current frameworks to lessen the likelihood of a recurrence in the future. PART I: The Banking Crisis of 2007-2008 and its Impact on World Economies It all started with an excess of lending in the mortgage sector of the USA. The economy was going well and life was good. It seemed that the good times were here to last and there was no letting up. In the UK things were largely happening in a similar vein. Lending on mortgage loans had assumed alarming proportions as had consumer credit; it was said that the UK economy in 2007-2008 was the most indebted in the world (UK House Building Market Report, July 2010). Bankers were even giving housing loans to consumers whose credit history was patchy- meani ng that they had defaulted on loans in the past and were likely to default again- and pocketing fees and commissions in the process. This is called the sub-prime mortgage sector. And then it finally happened. Bankers who had previously considered even people with a bad credit history as good enough for taking a loan now began to cut back on lending in the interests of risk control and compliance. As the economy shrunk and credit dried up, bankers began to call on the sub-prime mortgages and the consumers were left with nowhere to turn to. Imagine their predicament as interest rates rose up and they had to give up their houses because they could not pay up the loan instalments. It was havoc and pandemonium in the housing sector. As the crisis deepened, the banks that had not provided adequately for bad debts in the real estate sector were adversely affected. Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers in the USA and Northern Rock in the UK were institutions that were brought down by the crisis ; others like Royal Bank of Scotland were forced to sell off parts of their businesses, divest and re-organize themselves. For institutions like international banks, who have diversified their investment portfolios across the world in different continents to spread risk, it was inevitable that their holdings were impacted in some way or the other. AIG and Citibank in the USA, Deutsche Bank in Europe, Citigroup in the USA and Standard Chartered in the UK were all offered stimulus packages that have helped them recover rather than join the ranks of the bankrupt companies. To date in excess of 400 small and large banks have had to bite the dust. At the Heart of the Crisis At the heart of the banking crisis lies the root cause of it all. Actually it is never one factor but a combination of factors that interact or add on to the unfolding crisis and make it inevitable. Prior to the 1930s crash was the period of the Roaring Twenties, a time of unprecedented growth and stability. People ha d borrowed against everything they had and even resorted to margin trading to take advantage of the stock market boom. It seemed that the bull market would last forever. But by July 8, 1932 the DJIA had lost 88 percent of its value and closed at 41.22, its lowest point in the 20th century. By 1933 the depression

White Supremacy Essay Example for Free

White Supremacy Essay In the aftermath of the election victory of Barack Obama, white supremacists rushed to online discussion forums to vent anger and disbelief that voters had chosen an African-American candidate as the next president of the United States. The Anti-Defamation League, which monitors and exposes extremist activity and rhetoric, said anger among white supremacists and other right-wing extremists in response to Obamas victory, resulted in an avalanche of vitriolic ranting postings on racist Web sites. At one point, the chatter so overloaded the server of the most popular white supremacist internet forum, Stormfront, which was temporarily shutdown. The notion that racism is a violation of human rights is not a new one, as those who have experienced it effects would testify. The ground-breaking progress gained by the civil rights movement of the 1960s in the United States has steadily eroded over the past decade, and the issues and incidents of racism as well as anti-Semitism, homophobia, and violence against women are ones that need to be addressed with increasing urgency. While the courts are more and more frequently relying on civil rights laws to prosecute racially motivated violence, the common abuses of basic human rights are often overlooked. In fact, the encroachment of white supremacist ideologies into the social fabric of our politics, our institutions, and our laws means that intolerance 1. is becoming the rule of the day, and the overt violation of the persons and property of individuals and groups is not only easily accepted, but part of the status quo. America has moved into a new era of white supremacy. The new tactics used by white supremacists and far right organizations must be exposed so that we can work together to mitigate their effectiveness. This includes a discussion of the relationship between three converging and ever-growing factionsthe ultra-conservatives, religious fundamentalists, and the far right. In this context, racism cannot stand alone as the sole antagonist of human rights violations. The victims of white supremacist ideologies and politics include immigrants, gays and lesbians, Jews, and women, as well as people of color. From the ranks of homophobes, anti-abortionists, racists, anti-Semites, and those who are simply afraid of a fast-changing world, white supremacists find willing allies in their struggle to control Americas destiny. Hate groups cannot be dismissed as a more complex than the virulence of a few fringe fanatics. With the breathless way the media covers hate groups, it is sometimes easier to characterize them simply as misfits or extremists, rather than acknowledge them as part of the larger problem of widespread racism, anti-Semitism, and homophobia. FBI statistics report that 65 percent of Americas hate crimes are committed by whites against blacks. A good portion of such hate crimes are what we call move-in violence, when neighborhoods, schools, churches, or jobs are finally integrated 2. 30 years after the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Terror over the visibility of the lesbian and gay movement lays behind the numerous hate crimes against gays and lesbians (and their allies) the fastest-growing hate crime category in the country. Some of the haters, living on the United States borders, are petrified at the thought that brown hordes of Mexicans, Chinese, or Haitians may swarm over them if they cease their militant rhetoric and violence toward these immigrants. If they live near Native American reservations, the aim of their violence is to challenge the few remaining treaty rights granted native peoples. Other white supremacists want to save the white race by controlling the behavior of white womenthey attack interracial couples, lesbians, and feminists. They join the anti-abortion movement, believing they can prevent white women from getting legal abortions. Racist far right organizations have been quick to glorify anti-abortion violence, making it yet another hot issue to fuel the fires of the white revolution. Hate groups have decided that they are no longer willing to wait for the white revolution, the violent backlash against human rights movements. They want a fast solution before, as they put it, the white race is extinct. These fanatics are terrorists who use bombs, murder, arson, and assaults in their genocidal war. Some skinheadsfor example, the Fourth Reich Skins arrested a few years ago in Los Angeles or the Aryan National Front, convicted of murdering homeless people in Alabama are in the vanguard of this street-level violence. Meanwhile, older survivalists like Randy Weaver, who was acquitted of killing a federal marshall in an Idaho firefight in 1992, 3.are barricaded in mountain shelters with stockpiles of weapons, awaiting the final Armageddon. Impressionable, often alienated people, both young and old, are natural recruits for this movement. They bring new energy and a willingness to display their hatred aggressively. They also expand the influence of the white supremacist movement, into the anti-abortion movement, into the anti-gay movement, into the English only movement, opening new avenues for the expression of hate. In the 21st century, the image of organized hate is rapidly changing. It is no longer the exclusive domain of white men over 30. It is becoming younger, meaner and more violent. Many people join the movement as teenagers, including a remarkable number of young women. This new and dangerous increase accounts for nearly one-third of the membership of some hate groups. The increase in the number of women, coupled with a strategic thrust to reform the public image of hate groups, has expanded womens leadership. These new recruits do not fit the stereotypical image of wives on their husbands arms. In fact, many of them are college-educated, very sophisticated, and display skills usually found among the rarest of intellectuals in the movement. Of particular concern in this early 21st century is a continuing convergence of sections of the white supremacist movement with the radical Christian Right, as represented by Pat Robertson, and nationalist ultra-conservatives, as represented by the crackpot Tea Party members and conservative Republicans such as Rick Santorum. This alliance is between religious determinists who think that ones degree of Christianity determines one’s future, economic determinists who see themselves in a 4.war of the haves against the have-nots, and biological determinists for whom race is everything. All believe they are in battle to save Western civilization (white Europeans) from the ungodly and the unfit (people of color, gays and lesbians, and Jews). What many Americans fail to realize is that, increasingly, white people are being literally scared out of their wits by demagogues, who crystallize for them their fears of people of color, lesbians and gays, the government, the media, welfare mothers, immigrants, the economy, health care, and the list goes on. The fact that race relations in the United States are usually presented as a black/white model disguises the complexity of color, the brutality of class, and the importance of religion and sexual identity in the construction and practice of white supremacy. This simplistic model, which fails to convey many of the important aspects of white supremacy, cannot specifically explain how white supremacy influences American culture and politics. White supremacy is an ideology that manipulates US politics and affects all relations in American society. It is sustained by rigid ideological categories. The construction of racial categories, although varying greatly over time, has always been based on the economic, social, and political aspirations of people of European descent. Throughout European history, racial definitions have been based on lineage, characteristics, skin hue, and religion. At the present time, there are not safe places for the victims of this type of violence to turn. No homeless shelters, no womens shelters, and often not even 5. police departments offer them support. The first step in building these resources is to recognize the magnitude of the problem so that human rights activists can come together to offer help and support to those outside the majority rule. A concerted, prolonged effort to teach young people about the true impact of white supremacy and its prevalence in American society is fundamental to breaking the cycle. To ignore this issue is to build intolerance into the next generation. An understanding of the historical and institutional effects of racism and the other isms that dominate our culture and society is vital to understanding present bigotry and abuse. In conclusion, when we recognize that racism, homophobia, sexism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia flow from the same spring, and that they permeate every aspect of the lives of all Americans, we can then take steps together to make the United States a place that respects and honors the dignity of all people. 6. A Childs Tale By Gloria A. Loftin Let me tell you a tale my child of blue and grey of a world gone wild Let me tell you a tale my child of men in hoods and capes of hearts full of rage and hate Let me tell you a tale my child of men of god of greed and wealth Let me tell you a tale my child of peace and hope for all the world Let me tell you a tale my childÃ'Ž

The Form of Non-Traditional Blazon Essay -- Shakespearean Literature

In the sixteenth century, poems in blazon format were very popular. Blazon is a technique that â€Å"described the position and relation of one picture to another†. (The Overview of â€Å"Sonnet 130†, Woolway). This technique was to illustrate the main features of the subject, usually a female body. Popular blazon would start from the bottom to the top of the body. For example, like hair, eyes, lips, breasts, and so on. Occasionally, it would start from the bottom to top, starting with feet, legs and so on. Woolway points, â€Å"This form was well suited to the style of courtly love poetry that was flourishing at the time, as it allowed writers to project an idea of an idealized and distant woman whose features they could admire from afar† (The Overview of â€Å"Sonnet 130†). From the beginning, readers could easily define the subject Shakespeare portrays. The Mistress was detailed in humorous tone, which negates the typical blazon. The striking first four lines of the poem contradict the common blazon. Traditionally, blazon is to compliment and praise the subject’s features, and not to insult, which in this case, the Mistress. However, Shakespeare does not ignore the format and goes forth describing her from head to toe. Shakespeare started the first four lines picturing the Mistress’ eyes, lips, breast and hair. Symbolically, eyes, lips breast and hair are essential clichà © features of a female beauty. Nevertheless, from his intense sketch of her features, he portrayed that she does not carry any representation of beauty. From the simile in line one; Shakespeare negates the comparison of the Mistress to the sun: â€Å"My Mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;† (Woolway). Line two to three mentions the shades like red cor al, and â€Å"dun†. Coral is a fami... ...simile and metaphor brought enriching imagery to the readers. The poem was written with insults and mockery, but with the unexpected flattery showed the author’s love for the Mistress and his poetic practices of love through volta. Works Cited Napierkowski, Marie Rose. â€Å"Overview: ‘Sonnet 130.’† Poetry for Students 1 (1998): n. pag. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 23 Mar. 2012. Shakespeare, William. â€Å"Sonnet 130.† Literature: A Portable Anthology. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2009. 467. Print. â€Å"Volta.† Merriam Webster’s Encyclopedia of Literature. Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 1995. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 23 Mar. 2012. . Woolway, Joanne. â€Å"An overview of â€Å"Sonnet 130†.† Poetry for Students: n. pag. Literature Resources from Gale. Web. 23 Mar. 2012.

Managing Financial Resources Essay

SUMMARY RESULTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The proposed refrigerator manufacturing and sales project for Tesca Works, Inc. is a financially complicated project which on the surface, given the increase in energy costs and customer demand may seem like a winning proposition. However, when we delve further into the details of the financial projections along with projections of the future of the refrigerator market we are able to make a confident recommendation to Mr. Burton and the executive staff at Tesca Works, Inc. Using the information provided by the Tesca team we were able to create a comprehensive capital budget and cash flow analysis for the proposed refrigerator project. Through our analysis we found that the cost of capital of the project to be 13.487% and a Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) to be at a value of 9.70%. Factoring in the WACC into our projections we found that if the demand maintains at an average rate the project will be at a positive Net  Present Value of $5,997,505.31 with an IRR of 13.21%, a profitability index of 8.84, and an approximate payback period of 6.84 years. Please see Exhibits below for a snapshot of the capital budget and NPV values. This information seemed to be very promising for the project in general. However, our continued analysis showed the project to be very sensitive to the sales price per unit of the refrigerator. We used the average demand scenario to produce a sensitivity analysis and found that with just a 5% decrease in the sales price of the refrigerator the NPV quickly dipped into a negative value thus showing the project to be extremely sensitive to the sales price of the refrigerator. Our scenario analysis also exposed a strong probability of the project giving a negative Net Present Value and giving a probable low Internal Rate of Return of only 4.01%. This is mainly due to the projects sensitivity to the sales price of the refrigerator and the potentially lower sales in the event of weak demand for the product. Because of the high probability for a very low IRR and negative NPV we are recommending that the project be rejected. The information we have uncovered through detailed financial analysis showed that the project is far too sensitive to lower demand and lower sales prices per unit. This is especially true for a lower sales price for the refrigerator. We found that even a small decrease in the sales price of just over 1% would cause the project’s NPV to become negative, even with an average unit sales demand. There may be potential for an average or strong demand in the marketplace, however there is too much risk to recommend project acceptance. A decision to move forward with the project would be mainly based on a ‘gut-feeling’ rather than on sound financial reasoning. Thus it is our official recommendation that Tesca Works, Inc. reject the project. 1) IMPORTANCE OF ENERGY COST SITUATION The question of energy cost being a factor of the decision to move forward with this project is of critical importance. This is because whether or not consumers are inspired to purchase a new appliance may be spurred by  increases in energy costs as well as possible tax benefits or rebates from power generating companies. Some consumers may be aware of the benefits of energy efficient appliances which may cause an increase in the normal demand for refrigerators. Tesca is in a unique position to be able to offer high efficiency refrigerators to the United States public at a time when the public is looking to reduce their use of electricity and other utility costs. When we look at the graph above it can be seen that the cost of electricity has steadily increased over the last 10 years. The price per kilowatt hour has increased almost 50% in 10 years (EIA, 2014). Thus to the consumer the price of energy is a big concern and the costs will most likely continue into the future. There is potential for an increased demand to replace aging inefficient appliances that are causing increased electrical bills for consumers. The energy cost and potential benefits to the consumer are of importance when determining the future of this project. The project is forecast to be of a positive value if the demand for refrigerators is at an average or strong demand from consumers. However, the realization of a high or average demand is mainly based on ‘gut-feeling’ rather than on sound financial information. There are too many variables in the marketplace that could cause demand to be weaker than projected. Such variables as a weak economy or recession could cause sales to drop which in turn would cause the project to lose its value quickly. 2) What is the project’s cost of equity? What is the appropriate discount factor to use for evaluating the refrigerator project? As seen in Exhibit I below, the project’s cost of equity (COE) is calculated to be 13.487%. We found this value by using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) formula by adding the treasury note yield with the beta value, then taking the market return rate and subtracting the treasury note yield. We then multiply those values together to attain the cost of equity value of 13.487%. This means there is a rate of return on investment of 13.487%. The Beta for Tesca Works, Inc. is fairly consistent with their competition. Tesca’s beta value is at 1.3 which means that Tesca’s value has been more volatile than the market. While this means there is more risk when investing in Tesca there is also a greater possibility for higher rates of  return. Exhibit I also shows the table used to calculate the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) or discount factor which we used to evaluate this particular project. We used the following formula to calculate the WACC for this project. We know that the higher the weighted average cost of capital the less likely it is that Tesca will be creating value for its investors. The WACC helps us to determine if a company is creating value and presents the minimum return to satisfy investors and creditors. 3) Which of the two compressors should be used in the refrigerator if you decide to go ahead with the project and why? As seen in Exhibit II we determined that the CM-004 compressor should be used for this particular project. We came to this conclusion by finding the present value of the five year compressor warranty and adding that to the cost of the compressor. We used the weighted average cost of capital as the rate in our present value calculations. While the TS-L12 has a less expensive purchase price it has a more expensive warranty cost for the five year warranty period thus making it a more expensive overall compressor. When we use the present value calculations on both compressors, factoring in the warranty, we found that the present value of the CM-004 is $18.21 less expensive than the TS-L12 compressor. This makes the CM-004 compressor 4% less expensive to purchase for the warranty life of the compressor. It was important to take calculate the present values of both compressors to get an accurate comparison of the costs of the two compressors for the five year warranty costs of each compressor. While on the surface the TS-L12 may have seemed less expensive the overall cost in present dollars was higher when we factored in the value of the five year warranty on both compressors. 4) Forecast the project’s cash flows for the next twenty years. What assumptions did you use? Once we selected the appropriate compressor to use we were able to plug in  certain input values into our equations to create a cash flow projection for the entire project lifetime. We used the weighted average cost of capital value found in our earlier calculations as one of our input values. We also found the present value of the refrigerator, see Exhibit IV, by using the input values given in the financial information from Tesca such as the labor, parts, and compressor costs. We found the cost of the refrigerator to be $1,269.36, see Exhibit III. ASSUMPTIONS MADE: Certain assumptions were made when calculating the projected cash flows for the refrigerator project. We assumed inflation would remain at 2.5% and used that value to increase the sales price, variable cost, and administrative fixed costs each year. Please see Exhibit IV for a breakdown of the inputs used for the cash flow projections. This allowed us to gain a more a more realistic forecast of the project’s potential cash flows for the entire project. We also used the average demand as our base projections for the project. This is because the average demand scenario has the highest probability of 45%. We used straight-line depreciation with regard to depreciating the investment in the project over time. We detailed the first three years of the project, years zero through two with the appropriate investment amounts during each of those years. Since production and sales did not begin until year three we were able to make an assumption of potential tax returns on the invested dollars for years one and two. We used the tax rate of 25% to calculate the tax returns along with the taxable amounts for all years. See the attached spreadsheet for the detailed cash flow projections. We also assumed that since the refrigerators could be produced for a total of 20 years the entire life of the project would span from year zero through year 22. This is because the production of the refrigerators could not begin until year three, thus making the projects timeline from year zero through year 22. With this information and assumptions we found that when the units are in production and being sold the project will yield a positive annual cash flow. The working capital was found by taking the 11% and carrying it over  for each year. We used the initial Net Operating Working Capital (NOWC) found in year two then calculated the difference using 11% of the difference of the sales each year and calculated that for the entire life of the production. 5) Use the appropriate capital budgeting techniques to evaluate the project. As seen in Exhibit V we used the appropriate capital budgeting and performance measures to evaluate the life of the project. Exhibit VI displays the results of the capital budgeting analysis. We found the NPV for the average demand scenario to be $5,997,505.31 which is a positive value for the project given the average demand inputs. The Internal Rate of Return was calculated as 13.21% which, again, is a positive value and could provide for a nice rate of return on the project since it is higher than the weighted average cost of capital and the market return rate. The profitability index was found to be at a value of 8.84. Because the profitability index is higher than 1.0 that shows that the project present value is greater than the initial investments in the project. We then calculated the number of years for a payback on the initial investments in the project. We found that the simple payback of the initial investments would take 6.48 years for the average demand scenario. In simple terms, and if we only used the average demand assumptions, this project would seem to provide positive net results for Tesca. Using the average demand inputs the NPV, IRR, Profitability Index, and Payback Years are at an acceptable level. However, as we will cover in later sections, when we include probability analysis of the other demand scenarios we find that the project is less than desirable. 6) Use the average demand scenario to evaluate the sensitivity of the project’s NPV with respect to sale price of the refrigerator and the cost of the compressor.  We used the average demand scenario to produce a comprehensive sensitivity analysis of the project. We utilized three variables when conducting our sensitivity analysis, the sale price of the refrigerator, the cost of the compressor, and the project’s weighted average cost of capital. We included the weighted average cost of capital as an extra variable to get further details on the sensitivity of the project. We used a scale of 5% increments from -25% to 25% which allowed us to produce a sensitivity analysis with adequate details. Please see Exhibits VIII and IX for the numerical details and sensitivity graph for the project. The sensitivity analysis uncovered the following critical information with respect to how sensitive the NPV of the project was to the given variables. Sales Price Sensitivity We found that even a small decrease in the sales price of the refrigerator of just over 1% caused the project’s NPV to become negative. The graph in Exhibit IX shows the steep sensitivity line with respect to the change in the sales price per unit. Even with an average sales demand, if the price dropped to 15% which is approximately the same sale price of our weak demand scenario the NPV was substantially below zero at a negative value of $-57,667,920. With each 5% increment the NPV values sometimes increased or decreased at a rate that doubled or more because of the projects extreme sensitivity to the sales price of the refrigerator. The profit margin on the refrigerator of 19.41% and markup of only 24% does not leave much room for a price reduction in the sales price of the refrigerator. The data also points to a wide range in NPV with respect to the sales price of the units. There was a total range of over $212 million for the sensitivity of the sales price per unit. This d ata leads to the discovery that the project is extremely sensitive to the sales price of the refrigerator. Compressor Cost Sensitivity The project was not as sensitive to the cost of the compressor, however, it did not take a large percentage increase in the cost of the compressor to throw the NPV of the project into a negative value, just over 5%. Exhibit IX’s graph shows the sensitivity lines for the project. The compressor sensitivity is not nearly as steep as the price sensitivity per unit. Because the cost of the compressor affects the profit margin on each refrigerator the lower the cost of the compressor the better the NPV because  of the increased profit margin per unit. 7) Based on the scenario and sensitivity analysis you performed above, comment on the overall riskiness of the project. Based on the scenario and sensitivity analysis we were able to determine that the project is of a high risk nature. There are several factors that make this project such a high risk which include the narrow profit margin per unit, the uncertainty of the future market, the high cost per unit, and the high administrative costs. Through a scenario analysis we analyzed the three potential demand scenarios for this project. We used the weak, strong, and average demand scenario variables to formulate the probabilities for the project. We found that the probability of the NPV is a significant negative value of $-6,300,213, see Exhibit VII for details of the scenario analysis. We also found that the probable IRR of the project was very low at 4.01%. Given the low IRR probability of 4.01% that means it is significantly lower than the S&P 500 market return of 11% and barely a point higher than the 10-year treasury note yield of 2.71%. The low probable internal rate of return is another red flag for the riskiness and viability of the refrigerator project for Tesca Works, Inc. The weak demand scenario produced significant negative values for the NPV and the internal rate of return (IRR). The weak scenario also produced a non-existent payback period within the 20 year production lifecycle of the project. With each scenario the selling price and unit sales were changed, however, the high cost of each unit and administrative costs remained the same, thus adding to the risk of the project since it is highly reliant on an average or strong demand and higher sales prices per unit. While the project has the potential of a very high NPV, IRR, and payback period with a strong demand, the projects sensitivity to price and market demand make this a very risky project to undertake at this time. If there were ways to increase the profit margin or decrease the fixed costs of the project that may help decrease the risky nature of this particular project. 8) Would you recommend that Tesca Works accept or reject the project? What is the basis for your recommendation? We would not recommend this project for Tesca Works, Inc. Our recommendation is for Tesca management to reject the project. Our analysis has shown this project to be too sensitive to market shift and too risky to undertake at this time. While there is excitement across the country for more energy efficient appliances, we feel that the project poses some significant risks for Tesca. The successful outcome of the project truly relies on the demand from consumers. Their demand will determine the selling price and sales volume of the refrigerator units. If this demand is barely below the average demand we will see a negative NPV for the project and thus a negative result for Tesca Works, Inc. Recent economic history in the United States has shown the economy to be unstable and may not provide an average or strong demand for the product. While we feel the energy costs across the country could be of significant importance for a project of this nature we do not feel that there is enough lee way in the profit margin of the project to be economically feasible should demand be lower than anticipated. Our analysis showed the project to be very sensitive to the sales price per unit value of the refrigerator. We used the average demand scenario to produce a sensitivity analysis and found that with just a 5% decrease in the sales price of the refrigerator the NPV quickly dipped into a negative value thus showing the project to be extremely sensitive to the sales price of the refrigerator. Our scenario analysis also exposed a strong probability of the project giving a negative Net Present Value and giving a probable low Internal Rate of Return of only 4.01%. This is mainly due to the projects sensitivity to the sales price of the refrigerator and the potentially lower sales in the event of weak demand for the product. The project’s profit margin is too close to allow for market demand fluctuations which would cause the project to have a negative net present  value. If Tesca were to offer the refrigerator at a higher sales price this would yield a stronger profit margin and may alter the recommended rejection of this project. As we discussed the project is far too sensitive to changes in the sales price of the refrigerators. Even with an average demand of sales volume, if we reduce the sales price we begin to see a negative NPV for the project. Thus, the project is too sensitive to minor changes in the profit margin of the refrigerators. Which is why we are recommending a rejection of this project for Tesca Works, Inc.

Beach Burial Essay

Kenneth Slessor was an Australian poet and war correspondent who wrote Beach Burial, Slessor sailed for Britain in May. This influenced him to write poems about the horrific war stories that he had seen while being in many countries overseas. Beach Burial is a 5 stanza poem the goes in depth of the Burial in North Africa. Beach burial by Kenneth Slessor Beach Burial is able to be a lament poem with the use of the ‘convoy of dead sailors’ and the focus on an individual ‘unknown seaman’, this gives the poem power as it clearly shows the lack of ceremony at their burial. This idea interests me because in our society today, death is given huge respect and a large amount of the ceremony goes into someone’s burial. I also think that everyone deserves a burial no matter if there was no time or no space In the poem soldiers go off to war in North Africa at El Alamein and gradually soldier become unknown sea men. Kenneth Slessor makes this powerful message using figurative language such as the onomatopoeia which brings the horrendous conditions to life, this is done with â€Å"sob and clubbing of gunfire†, this exaggerates the poem, because he uses everyday things into the sound of gunfire and the grief that comes after it. In the third stanza, Slessor use somewhat of a metaphor with driven stake of ti de wood, in order for us to see that the soldiers who fought for our country are merely like a piece of drift wood in the sea. This shows how the soldiers were treated in when they died at war. As there was no place for them so they dropped the brave service men in the water with â€Å"bewildered pity and they lose their identity. This brings a message to everyday life now as to this day we still honour people that fought at war and died for our country and that we should still honour the people that fight wars now to this day and what they do to keep us safe, out of harm’s way. This also suggests that the dead soldiers in 1940 should have got proper burial rather than dropping them of a ship and someone quickly â€Å"burring them in shallow burrows.

Dian Fossey, Primatologist - Profile and Biography

Dian Fossey, Primatologist - Profile and Biography Dian Fossey Facts: Known for: study of mountain gorillas, work to preserve habitat for gorillasOccupation: primatologist, scientistDates: January 16, 1932 - December 26?, 1985 Dian Fossey Biography: Dian Fosseys father, George Fossey, left the family when Dian was only three.   Her mother, Kitty Kidd, remarried, but Dians stepfather, Richard Price, discouraged Dians plans.  An uncle paid for her education.   Dian Fossey studied as a preveterinary student in her undergraduate work before transferring to an occupational therapy program. She spent seven years as director of occupational therapy in a Louisville, Kentucky hospital, taking care of children with disabilities. Dian Fossey developed an interest in mountain gorillas, and wanted to see them in their natural habitat. Her first visit to the mountain gorillas came when she went in 1963 on a seven-week safari. She met with Mary and Louis Leakey before traveling to Zaire. She returned to Kentucky and her job. Three years later, Louis Leakey visited Dian Fossey in Kentucky to urge her to follow through on her desire to study the gorillas. He told her she later found it it was to test her commitment to have her appendix removed prior to moving to Africa to spend an extended time studying the gorillas. After raising funds, including support from the Leakeys, Dian Fossey returned to Africa, visited Jane Goodall to learn from her, and then made her way to Zaire and the home of the mountain gorillas. Dian Fossey earned the trust of the gorillas, but human beings were another matter. She was taken into custody in Zaire, escaped to Uganda, and moved to Rwanda to continue her work. She created the Karisoke Research Centre in Rwanda in a high mountain range, the Virunga Volcano mountains, though the thin air challenged her asthma.   She hired Africans to help with her work, but lived alone. By techniques she developed, especially imitation of the gorilla behavior, she was again accepted as an observer by a group of mountain gorillas there. Fossey discovered and publicized their peaceful nature and their nurturing family relationships. Contrary to standard scientific practice of the time, she even named the individuals. From 1970-1974, Fossey went to England to get her doctorate at Cambridge University, in zoology, as a way of lending more legitimacy to her work. Her dissertation summarized her work thus far with the gorillas. Returning to Africa, Fossey began taking in research volunteers who extended the work shed been doing. She began to focus more on conservation programs, recognizing that between habitat loss and poaching, the gorilla population had been cut in half in the area in only 20 years. When one of her favorite gorillas, Digit, was killed, she began a very public campaign against poachers who killed gorillas, offering rewards and alienating some of her supporters.   American officials, including the Secretary of State Cyrus Vance, persuaded Fossey to leave Africa.   Back in America in 1980, she received medical attention for conditions that had been aggravated by her isolation and poor nutrition and care. Fossey taught at Cornell University. In 1983 she published Gorillas in the Mist, a popularized version of her studies. Saying she preferred gorillas to people, she returned to Africa and to her gorilla research, as well as to her anti-poaching activity. On December 26, 1985, her body was discovered near the research center. Presumably, Dian Fossey had been killed by the poachers shed fought, or their political allies, though Rwandan officials blamed her assistant.   Her murder has never been solved. She was buried in the gorilla cemetery at her Rwandan research station. On her gravestone: No one loved gorillas more... She joins other famous women environmentalists, ecofeminists, and scientists like Rachel Carson, Jane Goodall, and Wangari Maathai. Bibliography Gorillas in the Mist: Dian Fossey. 1988. Dian Fossey: Befriending the Gorillas. Suzanne Freedman, 1997. Woman in the Mists: The Story of Dian Fossey the Mountain Gorillas of Africa. Farley Mowat, 1988. Light Shining Through the Mist: A Photobiography of Dian Fossey: Tom L. Matthews. 1998. Walking with the Great Apes: Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, Birute Galdikas. Sy Montgomery, 1992.   Murders in the Mist: Who Killed Dian Fossey?  Ã‚  Nicholas Gordon, 1993. The Dark Romance of Dian Fossey. Harold Hayes, 1990. African Madness. Alex Shoumatoff, 1988. Family Father: George Fossey, insurance salesMother: Kitty Kidd, modelStepfather: Richard Price Education University of California at DavisSan Jose State College

Rutherfordium Facts - Rf or Element 104 Facts

Rutherfordium Facts - Rf or Element 104 Facts The element rutherfordium is a synthetic radioactive element that is predicted to exhibit properties similar to those of hafnium and zirconium. No one really knows, since only minute quantities of this element have been produced to date. The element is likely a solid metal at room temperature. Here are additional Rf element facts: Element Name:Â  Rutherfordium Atomic Number: 104 Symbol: Rf Atomic Weight: [261] Discovery: A. Ghiorso, et al, L Berkeley Lab, USA 1969 - Dubna Lab, Russia 1964 Electron Configuration: [Rn] 5f14 6d2 7s2 Element Classification: Transition Metal Word Origin:Â  Element 104 was named in honor of Ernest Rutherford, although discovery of the element was contested, so the official name was not approved by the IUPAC until 1997. The Russian research team had proposed the name kurchatovium for element 104. Appearance: Rutherfordium is predicted to be a radioactive synthetic metal, solid at room temperature and pressure. Crystal Structure: Rf is predicted to have a hexagonal close-packed crystal structure similar to that of its congener, hafnium. Isotopes: All of the isotopes of rutherfordium are radioactive and synthetic. The most stable isotope, Rf-267, has a half-life around 1.3 hours. Sources of Element 104: Element 104 has not been found in nature. It is only produced by nuclear bombardment or decay of heavier isotopes. In 1964, researchers at the Russians facility at Dubna bombarded a plutonium-242 target with neon-22 ions to produce the isotope most likely rutherfordium-259. In 1969, scientists at the University of California at Berkeley bombarded a californium-249 target with carbon-12 ions to produce alpha decay of rutherfordium-257. Toxicity: Rutherfordium is expected to be harmful to living organisms due to its radioactivity. It is not an essential nutrient for any known life. Uses: At present, element 104 has no practical uses and is only application to research. Rutherfordium Fast Facts Element Name: RutherfordiumElement Symbol: RfAtomic Number: 104Appearance: Solid metal (predicted)Group: Group 4 (Transition Metal)Period: Period 7Discovery:Â  Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (1964, 1969) Sources Fricke, Burkhard. Superheavy elements a prediction of their chemical and physical properties. Recent Impact of Physics on Inorganic Chemistry, Structure and Bonding, Volume 21, Springer Link, December 3, 2007. Ghiorso, A.; Nurmia, M.; Harris, J.; Eskola, K.; Eskola, P. (1969). Positive Identification of Two Alpha-Particle-Emitting Isotopes of Element 104. Physical Review Letters. 22 (24): 1317–1320. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.22.1317 Hoffman, Darleane C.; Lee, Diana M.; Pershina, Valeria (2006). Transactinides and the future elements. In Morss; Edelstein, Norman M.; Fuger, Jean. The Chemistry of the Actinide and Transactinide Elements (3rd ed.). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer ScienceBusiness Media. ISBN 1-4020-3555-1.

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman - Summary and Review

Coraline, by Neil Gaiman - Summary and Review Coraline by Neil Gaiman is a weird and delightfully scary fairy tale/ghost story. I call it delightfully scary because while it grips the readers attention with creepy happenings that may cause a case of the shivers, it is not the kind of scary book that leads to nightmares of the it could happen to me kind. The story revolves around the very strange experiences Coraline has when she and her parents move into an apartment in an old house. Coraline must save herself and her parents from the evil forces that threaten them. Coraline by Neil Gaiman is recommended for ages 8-12. The Story of Coraline The idea behind Coraline can be found in the quotation by C.K. Chesterton that precedes the beginning of the story: Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten. This short novel tells the amazing, and creepy, tale of what happens when a girl named Coraline and her parents move into an apartment on the second floor of a very old house. Two elderly retired actresses live on the ground floor and an old, and quite strange, man who says he is training a mouse circus, lives in the flat above Coralines family. Coralines parents are frequently distracted and dont pay a lot of attention to her, the neighbors keep pronouncing her name incorrectly, and Coraline is bored. In the course of exploring the house, Coraline discovers a door that opens onto a brick wall. Her mother explains that when the house was divided into apartments, the doorway was bricked up between their apartment and the empty flat on the other side of the house, the one thats still for sale. Strange sounds, shadowy creatures in the night, cryptic warnings from her neighbors, a scary reading of tea leaves and the gift of a stone with a hole in it because its good for bad things, sometimes, are all rather unsettling. However, its when Coraline opens the door to the brick wall, finds the wall gone, and walks into the supposedly empty apartment that things get really strange and frightening. The apartment is furnished. Living in it is a woman who sounds much like Carlines mother and introduces herself as Coralines other mother and Coralines other father. Both have button eyes, big and black and shiny. While initially enjoying the good food and attention, Coraline finds more and more to worry her. Her other mother insists they want her to stay forever, her real parents disappear, and Coraline quickly realizes that it will be up to her to save herself and her real parents. The story of how she copes with her other mother and the strange versions of her real neighbors, how she helps and gets helped by three young ghosts and a talking cat, and how she frees herself and rescues her real parents by being brave and resourceful is dramatic and exciting. While the pen and ink illustrations by Dave McKean are appropriately creepy, they are not really necessary. Neil Gaiman does a superb job of painting pictures with words, making it easy for readers to visualize each scene. Neil Gaiman In 2009, author Neil Gaiman won the John Newbery Medal for excellence in young peoples literature for his middle-grade fantasy novel The Graveyard Book. Our Recommendation We recommend Coraline for 8 to 12-year-olds. Although the main character is a girl, this tale will appeal to both boys and girls who enjoy weird and scary (but not too scary) tales. Because of all of the dramatic happenings, Coraline is also a good read-aloud for 8- to 12-year-olds. Even if your child is not frightened by the book, the movie version may be a different story.

Finance and Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Finance and Management - Essay Example With the use of the budgets, businesses will produce different management reports to the various stakeholders. The reports will be important in the evaluation of the business performance and act as a motivation to the employees. Product cost can be defined a s the total costs that is incurred in the manufacturing of goods or the provision of servicers. Various cost elements are involved in the process of producing a product. These include material cost, labor costs, overhead costs, and other expenses (Polimeni, 2000). The sum of these costs constitutes product costs. Material costs are labor costs are direct cost that are associated with the goods and are easy to determine when determining the cost of products (Epstein & Lee, 2001). Material costs can be determined from the purchase receipts that are made. Labor expenses are also determined from the salaries and other allowances that are paid to the workers and other experts that are involved in the production of goods and services. The last component of product costs that includes the overhead expenditure poses a challenge to cost accountants on how to incorporate them in the product costs (Horngren, 2009). There are different cost accounting methods that can be used to allocate these costs to the products to determine the total costs of the products. Product costs are necessary for decision-making and for external purposes. Product costs can be determined using the following methods. First, marginal costing system can be used in calculating the product cost. In this method, only the variable costs are used in arriving at the product prices (Polimeni, 2000). The organization will therefore use these costs to make decisions. Fixed costs and sunk costs are not included in the calculation because they are past costs which cannot influence the future managerial costs. Product costs determined in this manner will only be important in making internal deci9isions and not for external uses. The second cost methodology that can be used is the total costing or absorption costing method. In this method, the prices of products are determined by adding all the costs incurred in production including the fixed costs and other overhead costs (Epstein & Lee, 2001). All the costs are considered relevant because the management incurred the cost in the process of making the product. The method of should be used in determining the selling price that is charged on the products because it incorporates all the costs involved in the process (Lucey, 2002). The prices can therefore be determined by adding a desired margin on the cost of the goods. Moreover, the product costs can also be determined by the use of activity based costing. Activity based costing assists in the allocation of overhead costs that are then summed up to the variable costs to arrive at the total product costs. In this method, the overhead costs are allocated to the various cost centers and using the cost drivers. The method helps in charging costs to the various activities. This method has been used widely to control the costs of activities and make managers do away with non-essential activities that do not add value to the product manufacturing. Through the elimination of the dummy and redundant activities, the management will be in a position to achieve efficiency and effectiveness in the process. The last costing methodology that can be employed is the throughout costing. This method is criticized by the accountants and is

Proposal and contract Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Proposal and contract - Assignment Example The company adopts a diverse multi-channel market strategy that aims to offer to clients a unique shopping experience with ideal pricing and a vast selection of goods and services (systemax.com). The company provides industrial equipment and computer supplies to other companies and businesses in North America through its company website, corporate sales teams and vividly detailed catalogues. The company’s technology product department focuses on Information and Communications Technology as well as Consumer electronics such as tablets, laptops, desktop machines, related accessories and software. Its consumer electronics products range from surveillance equipment, cell phones, toys, video games as well as other electronic accessories. Its industrial products are categorized under maintenance, repair and operations equipment and includes an array of both goods and services such as electrical and bulbs; plumbing supplies, fans, safety and medical items, storage, shelving, packaging and supplies among others. However, technology products account for the bulk of the company’s revenue. The company markets its products to both individual and business clients. Business clients consist of educational institutions, government agencies and corporate businesses mostly within the North American region

To Dare & To Conquer Special Operations and the Destiny of Nations, Essay

To Dare & To Conquer Special Operations and the Destiny of Nations, from Achilles to Al Qaeda - Essay Example 124). The third part covers the American Revolution during the firs World war. It touches a bit on the French revolution, though it is American centric. The last part covers the post-first world war period through the present and the future.. Derek Leebaert, reveals the stories of the Special Forces, including those who were valued in the ancient myths and today's Delta Force. He describes the magnetic leaders behind the historical actions, and explains how such combinations have contributed in shaping the world. The book shows how risk operations have evolved in order to accommodate new technology and social change. Special operations grew out from the Second World War, and expanded during the savage wars after 1945 (Leebaert 2007, p. 201). The emergence of warfare at the last stages of the cold war resulted in to special operation throughout the world. The government seeks to meet more and new challenges in cost-effective and sparing ways of the sentimentality that passes for integrity in the period of 24-hour media.To Dare and to Conquer offers an impressive thesis: that special operations have continuously changed the course of human events. As a mode of testing, Leebaert puts the reader on a captivating tour of west ern military history; from siege of troy to the invasion of Iraq (Leebaert 2007, p. 301). The ambitious book not only uncovers the military history, but also shows the diplomatic, technical, political and cultural tide of events. Moreover, it introduces Alexander the Great and Roman emperor. It also shows American Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte, civil war and World War II. This is where Leebaert describes the special operations. He claims that Alexander was the conqueror of Egypt, Persia and other known parts of the world, encamped with his soldiers in the known countryside on border between Afghanistan and Pakistan (Leebaert 2007, p. 254). Alexander was dealt as a loosing person but he later turned to be victorious since he created a 300-man Special Forces team which was equipped with iron tent pegs which were used in place of pistons, as pistons had not been invented by then. Lee baert also explains about the British Navy captain, Sidney Smith, who was commanded to remove the French from Egypt after being conquered by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798. He recruited a thousand Balkan mercenaries and took them to Levant to strengthen the fortress at Acre. In addition to that, he captured the fundamental French siege guns and thereafter halted the Napoleon's advance. According to the book, Bonaparte claimed that he could have changed the fate of the world if he could get the chance of reaching the Constantinople of India. Leebaert cites some special operations that later turned to a battle, took down a dynasty, wrecked a port and changed history. The question that this book raises is "how can any difficult military mission succeed without special operations" According to (Leebaert, ), the examples of special operations include familiar historical events such as Mexican cortez's conquest and Peru pizarro's takeover (Leebaert 2007, p 3224). He also considered the organizational questions and deals with the issues that have continually afflicted special operation efforts of U.S.: the issues concerning sufficient intelligence for protecting the operations. The book raises some questions like: what actually was achieved by U.S. special

Managing strategic change is fundamental to business success Discuss Essay

Managing strategic change is fundamental to business success Discuss - Essay Example Lewin attempted to explain organizational change by using the example of the physical changes an ice cube undergoes over time. He noted that if you have an ice cube that you want to change to a cone of ice, you melt the ice cube (unfreeze) then you model (change) the water into the cone shape you want by freezing the water (refreeze). By analyzing the change as a process, with specific stages, a manager can begin to monitor and manage the transition. Understanding the reason why the change has to take place is very important in any successful process of change. During the unfreezing stage, some factors have to be accomplished. The organization is prepared in order to accept the changes required. It entails breaking down the existing procedures and management strategies to facilitate the adoption of changes. An important aspect of this process is identifying and developing a good reason why the organization cannot continue in its current way of doing things. Pointers such as poor financial results, declining sales figures, negative feedback from customer satisfaction surveys can be useful in developing the message necessitating the need for change that other people can see, preparing the organization for the impending changes is necessary and the process begins at the center of the organization. Beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors that are currently held must be challenged to pave way for the implementation of the needed changes. This is the most problematic stage because by disrupting the way things are usually done, you destabilize people in the organization who depend on routine to perform their daily duties, which may evoke very strong reactions from the people affected. There is uncertainty created. Through challenging the organization to change, a controlled crisis is created that can be a tool for motivation in order to establish a new equilibrium where people are comfortable with the new changes. At

Vampire Influences on Modern Popular Culture Research Paper

Vampire Influences on Modern Popular Culture - Research Paper Example â€Å"In essence, the domain of eroticism is the domain of violence, of violation,† Bataille wrote in the text ‘Death and Sensuality’ (1957). â€Å"The most violent thing of all for us is death which jerks us out of a tenacious obsession with the lastingness of our discontinuous being.† (Bataille, 1957) The area of experience which Bataille writes about is typically kept under the veils of secrecy and taboo, not to be spoken of publicly. Nevertheless, his theories open up an understanding of why the vampire mythologies have become so popular and prevalent in modern culture, because he shows how the sensuality of the experience is heightened when the religious, sexual, violent, and erotic images are mixed with narrative in a dramatic fashion. Bataille critically worshipped the orgasm as â€Å"la petite mort† or â€Å"the little death† in French, and through this association the power of the vampire stories can be seen in evoking a transcendence that takes the initiate from the realm of common life to the existence of immortals. (Fuchs, 2011, p.3) This theme is seen repeatedly whether it is in the â€Å"Interview with the Vampire,† Twilight,† â€Å"Lost Boys,† or â€Å"Dracula† imagery. The fusion of mystical, religious, and erotic imagery has the effect of taking the narrative beyond social taboos and therefore heightening excitement through the combined semantic value of the symbols in the minds of the audience. Death and Eroticism Bataille was an early member of the Surrealist movement in France, but focused primarily on literature and exploring the psychological relationship between death and eroticism in experience. His early work focuses on the violation of religious and social taboos, just as the vampire mythologies do in contemporary culture, albeit in a far more extreme manner than the television and films typically depict today. The reason for Bataille’s excesses can be seen in t he phenomenon of transgressive sexuality combining elements of religious mysticism, artistic creation, style, symbolic drama, and violence in the practice of eroticism. The vampire mythologies follow this same pattern, for example in the â€Å"Twilight† series, Bella wants to marry and experience eternal life with Edward Cullen as a type of higher love, while the settings of the vampire myth include religious elements fused with eroticism. As Bataille wrote, â€Å"The whole business of eroticism is to strike to the inmost core of the living being, so that the heart stands still. The transition from the normal state to that of erotic desire presupposes a partial dissolution of the person as he exists in the realm of discontinuity. Dissolution — this expression corresponds with dissolute life, the familiar phrase linked with erotic activity. In the process of dissolution, the male partner has generally an active role, while the female partner is passive. The passive, fe male side is essentially the one that is dissolved as a separate entity. But for the male partner the dissolution of the passive partner means one thing only: it is paving the way for a fusion where both are mingled, attaining at length the same degree of dissolution. The whole business

Summury for an article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summury for an article - Essay Example On the other hand, stocks that performed well in the past will perform poorly in the next 3-5 years. The authors engaged in seeking the actual cause of the long-term reversals in the performance of stock prices that has been evidentially documented. The authors find that one of the basic and readily available information (the 52-week high price), explains the momentum changes in the profit earnings of stocks. Further, the contribution of the authors goes further to find that nearness to the 52-week high price or farness from the 52-week high price are the major phenomena that cause the stock prices to change minimally. 2. The nearness to the 52-week high price is a better predictor of the future returns for the individual stocks, as well as a better predictor of whether the stocks have experienced extremity in past returns, more than the use of the past stock prices. Despite the authors having o measure three different hypotheses, the intention is not to seek which one turns out true and which one does not. The authors focus on the relationship between the 52-week high price and each of the hypotheses phenomena. In order to measure the effect of the 52-week high price on the changes in the stock market for individual stocks, data relating tom the CRSP stocks is collected and used. The authors collected data related to the CRSP stocks for the 38 year period running between 1963 and 2001. The monthly returns are calculated based on two different approaches; the Jegadeesh and Titman (JT) Approach and the Moskowitz and Grinblatt (MG) Approach, and then compared to the nearness to the 52-week high price. The JG Approach and MT Approach measure the past performance of stocks, as the value-weighted industry return for a 6 months period. The MG approach uses the past performance of stocks within an industry to rank them, such that three stock portfolios are formed. The top30%

Vampire Influences on Modern Popular Culture Research Paper

Vampire Influences on Modern Popular Culture - Research Paper Example â€Å"In essence, the domain of eroticism is the domain of violence, of violation,† Bataille wrote in the text ‘Death and Sensuality’ (1957). â€Å"The most violent thing of all for us is death which jerks us out of a tenacious obsession with the lastingness of our discontinuous being.† (Bataille, 1957) The area of experience which Bataille writes about is typically kept under the veils of secrecy and taboo, not to be spoken of publicly. Nevertheless, his theories open up an understanding of why the vampire mythologies have become so popular and prevalent in modern culture, because he shows how the sensuality of the experience is heightened when the religious, sexual, violent, and erotic images are mixed with narrative in a dramatic fashion. Bataille critically worshipped the orgasm as â€Å"la petite mort† or â€Å"the little death† in French, and through this association the power of the vampire stories can be seen in evoking a transcendence that takes the initiate from the realm of common life to the existence of immortals. (Fuchs, 2011, p.3) This theme is seen repeatedly whether it is in the â€Å"Interview with the Vampire,† Twilight,† â€Å"Lost Boys,† or â€Å"Dracula† imagery. The fusion of mystical, religious, and erotic imagery has the effect of taking the narrative beyond social taboos and therefore heightening excitement through the combined semantic value of the symbols in the minds of the audience. Death and Eroticism Bataille was an early member of the Surrealist movement in France, but focused primarily on literature and exploring the psychological relationship between death and eroticism in experience. His early work focuses on the violation of religious and social taboos, just as the vampire mythologies do in contemporary culture, albeit in a far more extreme manner than the television and films typically depict today. The reason for Bataille’s excesses can be seen in t he phenomenon of transgressive sexuality combining elements of religious mysticism, artistic creation, style, symbolic drama, and violence in the practice of eroticism. The vampire mythologies follow this same pattern, for example in the â€Å"Twilight† series, Bella wants to marry and experience eternal life with Edward Cullen as a type of higher love, while the settings of the vampire myth include religious elements fused with eroticism. As Bataille wrote, â€Å"The whole business of eroticism is to strike to the inmost core of the living being, so that the heart stands still. The transition from the normal state to that of erotic desire presupposes a partial dissolution of the person as he exists in the realm of discontinuity. Dissolution — this expression corresponds with dissolute life, the familiar phrase linked with erotic activity. In the process of dissolution, the male partner has generally an active role, while the female partner is passive. The passive, fe male side is essentially the one that is dissolved as a separate entity. But for the male partner the dissolution of the passive partner means one thing only: it is paving the way for a fusion where both are mingled, attaining at length the same degree of dissolution. The whole business

Poverty in America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Poverty in America - Essay Example In addition to the system, racial discrimination has always played a major role in determining individuals allowed to hold a certain value of property. This has affected the economic state of certain races, as they are unable to have equal opportunities as other fellow citizens. However, it is worth mentioning that this has recently taken a different shift, as all races are now being embraced by the state. The ethical issue involved is that the system favors the economically strong personalities in the US community, yet the country strives for evenness among citizens (Davis, 1991). It is extremely unethical for the system to support the wealthy, yet the ones (poor) who need the support most are denied. If such a situation continues, the country would face serious consequences. The country may end up being divided into two, the poor and the wealthy (Gordon, 1965). This may eventually cause unrests and maybe war in the quest to achieve fairness. The most workable solution to the situation faced by the US is by adopting a different type of economical and social system (Iceland, 2006). The country should adopt a system that would treat both the poor and wealthy as equal. Moral principles encourage the treatment of every individual as equal. However, this is the opposite in the economic system adopted by the US (Iceland, 2012). The country’s economic system tends to lean in favor of the rich thus making the poorer and thus an unequal member of the society. 1. The existence of poverty in the US clearly depicts how the country’s socioeconomic system is unjust. The capitalistic system has made the richer acquire more wealth and left the poor languish more in a dire situation (Kowalski, 2003). Moreover, the unjust social situation of discriminating races has also tremendously contributed to the poverty situation experienced in the US. 2. It is undoubtedly evident that various reasons contribute to the poor economic state of some citizens in the United States.

Introduction To Psychology Essay Example for Free

Introduction To Psychology Essay Sylvia is 28 years old, stay-at-home mother raising two small children with her husband, who travels frequently for his work. Sylvia finds herself feeling bored and isolated a lot of the time. She finds herself overeating and then feeling bad about her weight gain. She has trouble sleeping at night and takes frequent naps during the day. She has persistent thoughts that she is an unlikable person and cannot manage to do anything right. She feels guilty that she is not a good enough mother to her children. When her husband is home, she questions if he loves her and secretly wonders if he does not. She feels hopeless that her life will get better and no longer enjoys doing things that she once did. It appears that Sylvia is struggling with Major Depression. In regard to case study 2, Sylvia’s husband is traveling a lot and not home very much. She is raising two children and doesn’t work. Sylvia questions if her husband still loves her and she feels hopeless, and no longer enjoys things she once did. Sylvia finds herself over eating and feeling bad about her weight. In addressing these issue Sylva is having, I’d like to address Charles Darwin’s evolutionary theory. The need to belong, having social bonds with family, friends, co-workers, our spouse creates a sense of happiness and joy in people. Humans are social beings by nature and when something good is happening in their lives and they share it with others, it makes them even feel better about the good news. People spend a great deal of time thinking about relationships, the joy and happiness these relationships bring them. When our need for social bonding is satisfied in balance with two other basic psychological needs, autonomy (a sense of personal control) and competence, we experience a deep sense of well being, and our self-esteem rides high (Myers, 2014). Therefor, ones self-esteem is gauged by how valued, loved  and accepted they feel. In the case with Sylvia she is suffering from attention and isolation not only from her husband, but other people. She is lacking a social bond with her husband because he is not around much and she has little social interaction with people because she is a stay at home mom. Sylvia is also lacking a career and that would challenge her and give her a feeling of accomplishment and being needed. Although Sylvia has children that need her love and attention, Sylvia is feeling isolated and lonely because of her need to interact with her husband who is not paying enough attention to her. Her husband is not acknowledging and praising her enough for how hard she works to raise the children and keep the home up. Which is making her feel ignored and unneeded, causing her to question herself worth and her husbands love for her. Sylvia is becoming depressed and using food for comfort and out of boredom. Because Sylvia is gaining weight, she feels unattractive, and her self-esteem is low do to her appearance and the lack of social interaction from her husband. Sylvia doesn’t feel loved by her husband, and most likely feels its do to her gaining weight and she thinks he does find her attractive anymore. Sylvia may feel her husband is ignoring her even when he is home because she is gaining weight. Sylvia’s husband ignoring her it’s causing her to feel rejected, which is causing her extreme pain and leading to her overeating and depression. There seems to be a lack of communication between Sylvia and her husband. The lack of communication, possibly even a silent treatment is causing Sylvia to feel hopeless because she doesn’t know what is wrong and she is longing, and in need of a relationship and attachment with her husband. The lack of outside interaction with other friends, family, and social events is causing Sylvia to feel isolated and lonely too. All of these environment stimulants taking place in Sylvia’s life maybe a direct cause to Sylvia’s depression. Sylvia is lacking the ability to pass on to the next level of the need for self-esteem, achievement, competence, and independence (Myers, 2014). Which could be contributing and triggering her major depression episode. A major depressive episode is not a disorder in itself, but rather more of a description or symptoms of part of a disorder most often depressive disorder or bipolar. A person suffering from a major depressive episode must have a depressed mood or a loss of interest in daily activities consistently for a minimum of a two-week time  span (Psych Central, 2013). In diagnosing the mood must reflect a change from the person’s normal mood. A person’s daily activities and functions, such as work, social routines and friends, education, family, and relationships must also have been negatively impacted by the change in their mood. A major depressive episode is also identified by presence of five or more of the following symptoms. The patient can show signs of significant weight loss or weight gain even not dieting or trying to lose or gain weight. The patient will also display a change in appetite almost everyday, either with an increase or a decrease in their normal eating habits. The weight change is typically set at an increase or decrease in weight of more than 5% per month. The patient will display a depressed mood almost the entire day and this sadness, emptiness, loneliness, crying, and distant is observed by others or indicted by the patient, is typically consistent every day for at least two weeks or more. Children may report the patient as being irritable or sad all the time. The patient can exhibit noticeable decrease in things, and pleasures they normally enjoy and love to do. These decreases in pleasures and activities that they normally enjoy will progressive decrease more and more everyday. The patient can have either insomnia or hypersomnia and is present everyday. Insomnia and hypersomnia can even alter from not being able to sleep at all, to sleeping all day. The patient will express feeling of worthlessness or even excessive inappropriate guilt almost everyday. The patient can have decreased ability to think and concentrate, even maybe very indecisive almost everyday. The patient may have repetitive thoughts of suicide without a plan or any idea of how they would kill themselves (Psych Central, 2013). As a general rule major depressive episode is not diagnosed when the patient has experience the loss of a loved one. Generally speaking, the above listed symptoms are common when morning the death of a loved one (Psych Central, 2013). Most practicing clinicians believe that depression is caused by equal combination biological, social, and psychological factors (Grohol, 2006). First off and most important is to get Sylvia’s major depression under control and she should be put on medication, an antidepressant, such as Zoloft to help treat her symptoms and stabilize her imbalance. I would recommend that Sylvia and her husband start psychotherapy together, such as marriage counseling to help repair their marital bond and help make her  husband more aware of how Sylvia is feeling. By making her husband more aware of how his wife is feeling and correcting the issues of lack of attention, lack of communication, lack of feeling needed, wanted and loved by her husband. Sylvia could also benefit from other forms of psychotherapy, such as group therapy. With Sylvia feelings of loneliness, isolation and worthlessness, it my opinion that putting Sylvia in a social environment, with other people experiencing similar problems, it will help her engage with others and identify with other people (Grohol, 2006). Psychotherapy can range from a wide variety of effective therapeutic treatments such as, cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, rational emotive therapy, to family therapy and psychodynamic approaches. Both independent and group sessions are commonly used, but it does depend on the severity of the depressive episode (Grohol, 2006). In this case study with Sylvia, my opinion would be to recommend her to get on an antidepressant and attend a group therapy, one on one cognitive behavioral therapy, and finally that her and her husband start family therapy. In my opinion it’s important to get both Sylvia and her husband working as a team together and making them both aware of how each is causing the other to feel and react. Sylvia’s doctor and psychiatrist should observe her for a period of time for the possibility of bipolar disorder. In many cases, mental disorders can be misdiagnosis, and really need observation from the doctor and therapy sessions to really pin point what is really going on with a patient. Many of these illnesses and disorders have symptoms and characteristics that are the same, so it’s important to work closely with your doctor and follow the treatment plans, including medication and therapeutic treatments, to accurately diagnosis and effectively treat the disorder correctly. References: 1. Grohol, J. (2006). Depression Treatment. Psych Central. Retrieved on August 12, 2014, from http://psychcentral.com/lib/depression-treatment/000646 2. Myers, David G. Exploring Psychology with Updates on DSM-5, 9th Edition. Worth Publishers, 06/2014. VitalBook file. 3. Psych Central. (2013). Major Depressive Episode Symptoms. Psych Central. Retrieved on August 11, 2014, from http://psychcentral.com/disorders/major-depressive-episode-symptoms/

How The Nuclear Agenda Influenced American Popular Culture History Essay

How The Nuclear Agenda Influenced American Popular Culture History Essay August 6th, 1945, ushered in the beginning of a new era, one to be forever known as the Atomic Age. The dropping of the worlds first atom bomb over Hiroshima signalled a defining moment in human history. From that moment on the nuclear agenda would come to influence not only international affairs, but the everyday lives of people all around the world. The 17 year period from 1945-62 saw huge changes for American society, in particular the development and expansion of popular culture. How in fact popular culture was influenced by this new nuclear agenda holds the basis for this essay. It will focus on both the direct influences of a new atomic culture, as well as the indirect influences that a new nuclear world had on the popular arts. For the purpose of this essay it is essential to have a working definition for popular culture, in this instance popular culture will be defined as a commercial culture based on popular tastes. From Hollywood movies to comic books, a new nuclear technol ogy became an important characteristic in portraying the lives of everyday Americans. Along with a new kind of nuclear diplomacy theses influences would show themselves in some of the greatest pieces of twentieth century popular culture. What this meant for a nuclear generation and how it showed the signs of a cultural revival will be additional themes to explore. The atomic bomb revolutionised American life. In all areas economic, social, political it challenged old assumptions and forced reconsideration of accepted standards (Winkler, 1999: 9). The dropping of the first atomic bomb on that historic day insured at least one thing, a changed world. Rosenblatt neatly describes it, as a moment where nothing has ever been the same since. From that moment everything changed: subsequent wars, subsequent peace, art, culture, the position of science, the role of the military, international politics, and the conduct of lives; all changed. Other ages in history were characterized by heroes or by ideas. The atomic age is characterized by a weapon and a threat. (Rosenblatt, 2005:1) The end to fighting in World War II brought a period of relative peace in which popular culture was allowed to flourish. Boyer (1985) reveals that this new popular culture encompassed most areas of recreational life, although there were many alterations in interests and tastes. During the 50s and 60s particularly, popular culture appealed to a younger generation who had become an increasingly significant social group. Rock nRoll had become the main focal point for a young generation, and the novel realization of breaking away from childhood, caused the teenagers to become a defined social group in their own right. Teenagers began to reject the old fashioned attitudes and conventions of their parents and rebel against conformity. As stated by Shapiro (2002) this new generation of teenagers started developing a culture from the American teenage way of life, and alongside the behaviour got themselves part-time jobs to help them earn money to spend on movies, fashion, music and other ent ertainment. Boyer (1985) agrees adding that teenagers could now secure a good amount of money for their wants and needs like making trips to the movies and the purchasing of commercial goods, which became big business for the advertisement and film industries, which duly swooped in on their opportunities. Films which were produced and targeted by the teenage audience solely served to unite the teenage image more extensively. With films like Rebel without a Cause (1954) and The Wild One (1953) movies presented a separate image for the teenage rebel. The indirect effect of a growing nuclear agenda, seemingly allowed a world free from direct military conflict to find its voice again. War time popular culture had been heavily centred around the war effort, yet in this brief period popular culture begun to revolutionise. It became increasingly important for a post World War II America to enjoy this time of relative peace. Subsequently this saw a huge rise in a new consumerism in which tr ends and fashions; that had seemingly been put on hold during the war years, could dominate popular culture once again. The changing dynamics of a nuclear agenda began to have a more direct influence on popular culture, this period created what Zeman and Admundson (2004) call the early atomic culture. This distinct period saw an escalation in the nuclear agendas influence on the shaping of popular culture. Both the enthusiasm and fear surrounding new nuclear weapons would be portrayed in this expansive new arena. From the secrecy of the Manhattan Project to its introduction on a world stage in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this new technology offset an atomic culture. It would be wrong to say that after its first military use the bomb became a subject for fear and anxiety. In truth the majority of Americans at that time were unaware nuclear weapons even existed. For many this was the weapon that had ended the war, saved thousands of American lives and brought forward a longed for epoch of peace. As Winkler agrees, Americans first reaction overwhelmingly was one of euphoria and the bomb became celebrated in popular culture in a well-liked country western song, When the Atom Bomb Fell, recorded in December 1945, which attested to this view as it declared the bomb the answer to our fighting prayers boys(in Zeman and Amundson, 2004:3). Many Americans set aside lurking fears of the new nuclear weapon as they contemplated the golden age of abundance that beckoned after World War II. They were further persuaded by the speeches of President Truman who hailed the atomic bomb as a god given tremendous discovery and one to bring together one human community. Others like David Lilienthal where also quick to speak out over the limitless beneficial applications of atomic energy (Winkler, 1999: 137). The atomic bomb continued throughout the period to be closely linked with its positive benefits and government programs attempted to educate the public about the science behind the bomb. An educational video produced by none other than Walt Disney was commissioned in 1957 entitled Our Friend the Atom, which attempted to demonstrate the benefits of the nuclear age and the wonder of this new technology. This film was shown in schools throughout America and became increasingly significant in showing nuclear power in a favourable lig ht. Other videos such as A is for Atom sponsored and paid for by General Electric were also produced to try and help explain the benefits of nuclear technology. This is not to say that the dropping of the bomb in Hiroshima went unnoticed. As mention by Gamson; H.V.Kaltenborn, the dean of radio news commentators, warned his NBC audience on the very same day, For all we know we have created a Frankenstein! We must assume that with the passage of only a little time, an improved form of the new weapon we use today can be turned against us. (1987:15) The continued promotion of the nuclear agenda also expanded to the American commercial markets, and the wonders of the bomb became tied in with consumerism. 1946 saw the General Mills Corporation expansion into Atomic Bomb Rings with the Kix cereal boxtop. Advertised as a gleaming aluminium warhead, see real atoms SPLIT cried the advert, and some 750,000 American children inundated General Mills for their own Atomic Bomb Ring. Boyer (1985) identifies this move from a promotional premium, to that which actually premeditated several cultural themes that would obsess America in the years ahead. Another example from Boyer reveals that only days after the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima, retail shops were offering atomic sales and products offering atomic results. (1985: 9) This type of cultural consumerism seems void of the true fear that would come to surround the nuclear agenda. Instead it highlights the apparent ease into which America welcomed the birth of the atomic bomb; although this was not always the case. This period in American history coincided with attempts at a new world order and the emergence of the United States as a global superpower. Political, social, economic and ideological issues became not only domestic but international issues. The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan in particular were set up to help fund an American friendly Europe. The movement of the nuclear agenda began to change with the American foreign policy of Containment, an uneasy separation both geographically and ideological, which would see Churchill talk up fears of an Iron Curtain. These international fears would spark a concern of a superpower rivalry and after the Soviet tests of 1949; two countries with conflicting ideologies now had the most destructive weapon ever invented. Hollywood was quick in using the new found nuclear agenda for film ideas. The Manhattan project was dramatized in the 1947 film The Beginning or the End, one of the first of several films on the subject. The film tackled the creation of the atomic bomb and its subsequent use in both Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Filmmakers saw this new nuclear agenda, as a story waiting to be told. One of the trailers produced at the time to promote the film showed an interviewer asking movie goers for their thoughts on what theyd just seen. You cant ignore this picture one women said and the most important motion picture I have ever seen said another. These along with taglines such as the men, the magic the machines saw an increased interest in the development of the bomb. The subject matter was of course both dramatic and dangerously fascinating to a new generation. It talked about the secrecy behind the Manhattan Project and the destructive power behind the bomb. It led many to pose questions in particu lar like that within the films title; was this the beginning or the end? The film industry could now see the need and want of the people to know about the bomb. Much of the film was of course a sensationalised view, and alot of what the Manhattan Project was actually about was unknown by those making the films. Although the sentiment and an increased interest around the bomb would see that the nuclear agenda would continue to influence film. A particular genre within Hollywood that would see a rise in popularity at this time was film noir. As Kakutani identifies in the wake of World War II and with anxieties created by the dawning of the atomic age, film noir a sometimes nihilistic genre became galvanised. The likes of Kiss Me Deadly and Fallen Angel found success at the box office. The genre with its partiality to outsiders and deeply rebellious themes inevitably appeared and emblematized at a time of deep stress. (2001: 1) These kinds of Hollywood films began to show a prevailing attitude that the nuclear agenda had brought about. Hunner (in Zeman and Amundson) describes the nuclear agenda as a totally new age, one full of promise and peril. People searched for a new way of living under this new age thus creating this new culture. And the reason why the nuclear agenda began to find its way into popular culture had a lot to do with the changing nature of nuclear importance. From the creation of the atom bomb moving to the advances with the first nuclear power plant, the science behind the bomb began to spread to new technologies. Nuclear powered aeroplanes and submarines were just some of the uses that that the Unites States found for nuclear energy. Even with these new advances a key turning point for the bomb would come in 1949. Zeman and Amundson (2004) identify this development from the early atomic culture morphing into the high atomic culture of 1949 to 1963. The following years were seemingly different from the earlier phases, as one key turning point would stress. This period saw the American nuclear mo nopoly which had been expected to last until the 1960s, come to an abrupt end in August of 1949. The Soviets after Hiroshima had been working from the American design to build an atom bomb for itself, and the first Soviet test in Kazakhstan steppe signalled a build up of arms. The Soviet atomic test ensured a changing nuclear agenda from the wonder of technology to a characterization of an enemy. A two superpower world would change the very nature of popular culture. The change in nuclear agenda saw an alteration in the types of films being produced in Hollywood. In the 1950s and 1960s, a number of movies attempted to make social commentaries on the war. As Day reveals Films like On the Beach, Fail Safe and The Bedford Incident all took a grim tone about humanitys future, wagging a finger at world leaders who held the fate of the world in their hands and implying that words like democracy and communism had little meaning when the world was teetering on the brink of Armageddon. (Day, 2004: 1). The shift in agenda also introduced the introduction of the B movies which entertained the fear of mutilation. Films such as Them where giant ants mutated by atomic radiation threaten US cities in the South West, and Attack of the Crab Monster were becoming increasingly popular to an American audience. The links to events in the international community such as the nuclear accident in Castle Bravo and Chelyabinsk in 1957 brought about a sense of anxiety. The idea of being exposed to dangerous levels of radiation further influenced the idea of mutation. One of the most recognised films of this period and one that would inspire numerous re-makes was Godzilla. The original Hollywood version in 1954 is considered to be the correspondence of the nuclear weapons which were dropped in Japan. The film unlike its B movie counterparts had a bigger budget and became instantly popular. Other films such as Mickey Rooneys Atomic Kid (1954) which appeared to disassociate the potential of nuclear radiation, failed to do so well at the box office. Later films such as Dr Strangelove would also focus on the idea of a doomsday advice. Other signs that showed the increasing significance of the nuclear agenda were no more apparent than in the Laurel and Hardy motion picture Atoll K. A well loved and admire comedy duo choose for their last screen outing to portray a shipwreck on an island rich in Uranium deposits. It was a far cry from there simplistic and po pular humour which had served them well earlier in their careers. In truth Hollywood had become infiltrated by a collection of A and B movies each adding their representations to the nuclear agenda. As well as Hollywood films the American Civil Defence began producing advice videos such as Burt the Turtle and Duck for Cover. They were clearly designed to help to combat the fear of nuclear catastrophe, and were used to reassure the general public about the dangers of nuclear weapons. They would usually involve drills for mass departure to fallout shelters, and popularized the likes of Duck and Cover. The drills with their indications of dissonantly empty streets and the hiding activity from the nuclear bomb under the schoolroom desk, would later could turn into symbols of the expected inescapable and popular fate formed by those weapons. Most Americans were affected by these videos, especially amongst those in the richer classes who could afford the back-yard fallout shelters which offered a diminutive protection from the direct attack and could keep away from the wind-blown fallout, for some days or weeks. Popular culture within America increased extensively in the early 1950s and 60s, with widespread tensions growing amongst segregated groups in society. The cultural significance of such movements as the non violent rebellion 1955-60, brought the hope of peace and equality for many Americans. The Montgomery Bus Boycott and the influence of charismatic race leaders such as Martin Luther King promoted the need for non-violence; such a belief directly opposed the violent and intermediating prospect of nuclear war. As King himself was quoted in a speech denouncing atomic warfare entitled Time to Break Silence, Communism will never be defeated by the use of atomic bombs or nuclear weapons. These are days which demand wise restraint and calm reasonableness. Whilst King was a strong figure fighting for an end to segregation and civil rights the effect of the nuclear agenda was still quite evident in all aspects of American life. Fairclough points out if it were not for the nuclear agenda; th e case and call for civil rights might have been addressed a generation earlier. (2001: 249) The effect of previous atomic tests and the sight of great chemical explosions found itself positioned in kitsch art. Titus (in Zeman and Amundson) recognises how the mushroom served as symbol for weapons themselves. Pictures on the nuclear weapons never became public until 1960 and even those were only the mock-ups for the Fat Man and the Little Boy. Diagrams of the bombs interior working have been obtainable only for the last few years since design for nuclear weapons became the most strictly guarded secret. These all had an impact of fear on society has well as the nuclear diplomacy that developed between the United States and the Soviet Union. The nuclear agenda found itself quickly ingrained within American life. The nuclear agenda that followed the end of fighting in WWII took on a life of its own, and yet was not the first time popular culture had embraced nuclear technology. Ironically the first reference to the nuclear agenda comes not after its first military use but it can be traced back to 1908 in H.G Wells, The War in the Air as well as his subsequently work The World Set Free. The novels first explored the prospect of a nuclear holocaust and an atomic bomb that would be used in war. Perhaps even more telling was the influence it would have on one Leo Szilard. The nuclear agenda might have started life as science fiction but its influence would most definitely lead to science fact. At a time of a new found fascination in the science behind the bomb, it would seem inevitable that the science fiction genre would experience an increased popularity, and it did. Suddenly the question of what the future might hold, the question of what if, gained a horrible new importance. Now, instead of l ooking a thousand years ahead, humanity was looking at the hands of a Doomsday Clock that were edging closer to midnight. (Plested, 2009:1). Nuclear weapons would become a fastener element in the science fiction novels. The phrase atomic bomb predated their continuation when scientist had realized the ending of radioactivity had a potential implication of limitless energy. Until then, the word atomic had been nothing more than a convenient gimmick in science fiction, a buzzword that provided power for everything from pistols to robots to spaceships. Once the atomic bomb had been used, it proved this scientific leap forward, a leap which proved that science fiction authors were not such wild-eyed dreamers as had been thought' (Plested, 2009: 1). However, the science fiction novels began to follow and treat the threat of potential nuclear fallout and its implications for society. Newman, K. (2000) notes the various popular novels like the Babylon, Alas and On the Beach reviewed the af termath of the nuclear war. Other science fiction novels like A Canticle for Leibowitz exposed the long-standing consequences of a nuclear war. Hand in hand with the immediate perils of thermonuclear death, science fiction introduced the public to the other horsemen of the new Apocalypse: Fallout, Nuclear Winter, and Mutation. The latter provided heady fare for the filmmakers of the 1950s, with screens filled with shambling monstrosities of every shape, size and species. (Plested, 2009:1) The crisis of the Cold War coincided with the emergence of the Television, it grew in stature and with the growth of consumerism by the 1950s the TV quickly became a technological novelty an inescapable medium that quickly rivalled the power of movies, radio and mass circulation magazines (Whifield, 1991:153). In 1946 around 7000 American owned their own television set and by 1960, 50 million sets had been purchased and over 530 stations were available by 1961. Yet the reality of nuclear weapons haunted not just photographs and newsreels of Hiroshima and Nagasaki but visions of the future. In 1950 LIFE predicted the growing likelihood of World War III in the essay How U.S. Cities Cab Prepare for Atomic War. Colliers described a hypothetical atomic attack on New York in Hiroshima U.S.A: Can anything be done about it? (Boyd, 1985: 23) Nuclear anxieties boosted the popularity of psychoanalysis an probed the subconscious. Signs of the impacted nuclear agenda also found their way into the music industry. Many songs such as Skip Stanleys Satellite Baby pleaded: Nuclear baby dont fission out on mewere gonna rock it, were gonna rock it.Isotope daddys found out what you are worth. As well as the likes of Bob Dylan with his 1962 song A Hard Rains Gonna fail which was thought to have alluded to an upsurge in the possibility of a nuclear fallout. Through the progression of the nuclear period protest songs in particular became more frequent, such as 99 red balloons, and Relax by Frankie Goes To Hollywood. These songs became opposition against a nuclear build up and warning songs while others utilized the theme like allusion to a huge destruction in general. This period also began to see the rise in the popularity of tranquillity organizations such as the CND. Newman, K. (2000) said the CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) was one of the principle organizations campaigning in opposition to the bomb. Its symbo l, a grouping of the semaphone symbols for D (disarmament) and N (nuclear) came into the modern culture as icon for peace. 1962 saw a flashpoint in the course of the Cold War, a socialist revolution in Cuba would bring the world closer to nuclear war than ever before. The Cuban Missile Crisis illustrated how fragile the balance between a nuclear war and peace had become. The period of time saw a shift in public opinion towards the bomb, how close the world had come to catastrophe had shown Americans the true terror of a nuclear attack. Popular culture moved into a new era of fear and more open criticism of the nuclear programme (Zeman and Amundson, 2004: 4) The scale of influence the nuclear agenda had on popular culture became elevated as the threat of nuclear war become more possible. The time frame saw a great deal of change within America. It becomes apparent that the early atomic culture had a huge influence on popular culture, but the ways in which it affected it were various to say the least. From civil defence videos to sci-fi b movies, the period generated a phenomenal amount of popular culture. The significance is perhaps the diversity of the materials and the changes the nuclear agenda brought into popular culture. The strength of the nuclear culture insured it was impossible for outlets to ignore, instead the bomb in sorts became commercialised and the threat of apocalypse became a somewhat side point. In truth, it would appear in an era of progression and change the nuclear agenda became quite dominant in popular culture. It affected the lives on not only Americans but those in a global community. The turning point perhaps comes at the end of this period during the 13 days of the Cuban Missile Crisis, where the nuclear agenda hatched up the fear and tensions of an American society who had been blissfully unaware of the true dangers happening behind closed doors.