Pythia and the Oracle at Delphi

The Oracle at Delphi was an ancient shrine on the mainland of Greece, a cult sanctuary to the god Apollo where for over 1,000 years, people could consult the gods. A seeress known as Pythia was the religious specialist at Delphi, a priestess/shaman who enabled supplicants to understand their dangerous and disorderly world with the direct help of a celestial guide and lawgiver.   Key Takeaways: Pythia, the Oracle at Delphi Alternate Names: Pythia, Delphic oracle, Delphic Sibyl  Role: The Pythia was an ordinary woman chosen at the Festival of the Stepteria from the village of Delphi by the Amphictyonic League. The Pythia, who channeled Apollo, served for life and remained chaste throughout her service.Culture/Country: Ancient Greece, perhaps Mycenaean through the Roman empirePrimary Sources: Plato, Diodorus, Pliny, Aeschylus, Cicero, Pausanias, Strabo, Plutarch  Ã‚  Realms and Powers: Most famed and important Greek oracle from at least the 9th century BCE to the 4th century CE Delphic Oracle in Greek Mythology The earliest surviving story about the founding of the Delphic oracle is in the Pythian section of the Homeric Hymn to Apollo, probably written in the sixth century BCE. The tale says that one of the first tasks of the newborn god Apollo was to set up his oracular shrine. Ruins of Delphi, home of the most famous oracle of ancient times, with the Phocis Valley in the background. Ed Freeman / Getty Images In his search, Apollo first stopped at Telphousa near Haliartos, but the nymph there didnt want to share her spring, and instead, she urged Apollo on to Mount Parnassos. There, Apollo found the place for the future Delphic oracle, but it was guarded by a fearsome dragon named Python. Apollo killed the dragon, and then returned to Telphousa, punishing the nymph for not warning him about Python by subordinating her cult to his.   To find a suitable priest class to tend the shrine, Apollo turned himself into a massive dolphin and leaped onto the deck of a Cretan ship. Supernatural winds blew the ship into the Corinthian gulf and when they reached the mainland at Delphi, Apollo revealed himself and ordered the men to establish a cult there. He promised them that if they performed the right sacrifices, he would speak to them—basically, he told them if you build it, I will come.   Who Was Pythia? While most of the priests at Delphi were men, the one who actually channeled Apollo was a woman—an ordinary woman chosen when necessary at the Festival of the Stepteria from the village of Delphi by the Amphictyonic League (an association of neighboring states). The Pythia served for life and remained chaste throughout her service. On the day when visitors came to get her advice, the priests (hosia) would lead the current Pythia from her secluded home to the Castalia spring, where she would purify herself, and then she would slowly ascend to the temple. At the entrance, the hosia offered her a cup of holy water from the spring, then she entered and descended to the adyton and took a seat on the tripod.   Entranceway (Cella) to the Adyton at Delphi. MikePax / iStock / Getty Images Plus The Pythia breathed in the sweet and aromatic gasses (pneuma), and achieved a trance-like state. The head priest relayed questions from the visitors, and the Pythia responded in an altered voice, sometimes chanting, sometimes singing, sometimes in wordplay. The priest-interpreters (prophetai) then deciphered her words and provided them to the visitors in hexameter poetry.   Achieving an Altered Consciousness The Roman historian Plutarch (45–120 CE) acted as the head priest at Delphi and he reported that during her readings, the Pythia was ecstatic, sometimes considerably agitated, bounding and leaping about, speaking in a harsh voice, and intensely salivating. Sometimes she fainted, and sometimes she died. Modern geologists investigating the fissures in Delphi have measured the substances emanating from the crack as a potent combination of ethane, methane, ethylene, and benzene.   Other possible hallucinogenic substances that might have helped the Pythia achieve her trance have been suggested by various scholars, such as laurel leaves (probably oleander); and fermented honey. Whatever created her connection to Apollo, the Pythia was consulted by anyone, rulers to common people, anyone who could make the journey, provide the necessary monetary and sacrificial offerings, and perform the required rituals.   Traveling to Delphi Pilgrims would travel for weeks to get to Delphi on time, mostly by boat. They would disembark at Krisa and climb the steep path to the temple. Once there, they participated in several ritual procedures.   Each pilgrim paid a fee and offered a goat to be sacrificed. Water from the spring was sprinkled on the goats head, and if the goat nodded or shook its head, that was seen as a sign that Apollo was willing to pass along some advice.   Pythias Role in Mythology The oracle at Delphi was not the only oracle in Greek mythology, but it was the most important and appears in several related tales including that of Herakles who visited and got into a battle with Apollo when he attempted to steal the tripod; and Xerxes who was driven off by Apollo. The site wasnt always considered sacred—Phocians plundered the temple in 357 BCE, as did the Gallic chieftain Brennus (d. 390 BCE) and the Roman general Sulla (138–78 BCE). The Delphic oracle remained in use until 390 CE when the last Roman emperor Theodosius I (ruled 379–395) shut it down. Architectural Elements at Delphi   The religious sanctuary at Delphi contains the ruins of four major temples, multiple sanctuaries, a gymnasium and amphitheater where the quadrennial Pythian games were performed, and several treasuries where offerings to the Pythia were stored. Historically, statues of the gods and other works of art were at Delphi, including golden images of two eagles (or swans or ravens), plundered from Delphi by Phocian invaders in 356 BCE.   Aerial drone overview photo of the Temple of Apollo and the switchbacked pathway up the hill. Delphi, Voioitia, Greece. abdrone / Getty Images Plus The archaeological remains of Apollos temple where the Pythia met Apollo were built in the 4th century BCE and earlier temple remnants date to the 6th and 7th centuries BCE. Delphi is tectonically active—there were major earthquakes in the 6th century BCE, and in 373 BCE and 83 BCE.   The Oracles Structures According to the myth, Delphi was chosen because it was the site of the omphalos, the navel of the world. The omphalos was discovered by Zeus, who sent out two eagles (or swans or ravens) from opposite ends of the earth. The eagles met in the sky above Delphi, and the location was marked by a conical stone shaped like a beehive. The Omphalos (Navel of the World) of Delphi, ancient site of Delphi, Greece. zinchik / Getty Images Plus Inside Apollos temple was a hidden entryway (cella) in the floor, where the Pythia entered the adyton (forbidden place) in the basement of the temple. There, a tripod (three-legged stool) stood over a fissure in the bedrock that emitted gases, the pneuma, sweet and aromatic emanations that led the Pythia into her trance.   The Pythia sat on the tripod and breathed in the gases to reach an altered state of consciousness where she could commune with Apollo. And in a trancelike state, she answered enquirers questions.   When Was the Oracle at Delphi Active? Some scholars believe that the Delphic oracle was established long before the 6th century, a cult at least as old as the end of the 9th century BCE, and perhaps dated to the Mycenaean period (1600–1100 BCE). There are other Mycenaean ruins at Delphi, and the mention of slaying a dragon or snake has been interpreted as documenting the overthrow of an older, female-based cult by the patriarchal Greek religion. In later historical references, that story is wrapped into a tale of the oracles origins:  Delphi was established by the earth goddess Gaia, who passed it to her daughter Themis and then to the Titan Phoibe, who passed it on to her grandson Apollo. There are multiple strands of evidence that a woman-centered mystery cult existed in the Mediterranean region long before the Greeks. A late remnant of that cult was known as the ecstatic Dionysian Mysteries.   Appearance and Reputation   The religious sanctuary of Delphi is perched on the south slope of the foothills of Mount Parnassos, where limestone cliffs form a natural amphitheater above the Amphissa valley and the Gulf of Itea. The site is approached only by a steep and winding path from the shoreline.   The oracle was available for consultation one day each month for nine months in a year—Apollo did not come to Delphi in the winters when Dionysus was in residence. The day was called Apollos Day, the seventh day after the full moon in spring, summer, and fall. Other sources suggest different frequencies: every month, or only once a year.  Ã‚   Sources Chappell, Mike. Delphi and the Homeric Hymn to Apollo. The Classical Quarterly 56.2 (2006): 331–48.  de Boer, Jelle Z. The Oracle at Delphi: The Pythia and the Pneuma, Intoxicating Gas Finds, and Hypotheses. Toxicology in Antiquity. 2nd ed. Ed. Wexler, Philip: Academic Press, 2019. 141–49.  Hard, Robin. The Routledge Handbook of Greek Mythology. London: Routledge, 2003.  Harissis, Haralampos V. A Bittersweet Story: The True Nature of the Laurel of the Oracle of Delphi. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 57.3 (2014): 351–60.  The Homeric Hymn to Apollo. Trans. Merrill, Rodney. A Californian Hymn to Homer. Ed. Pepper, Timothy. Washington, DC: Center for Hellenic Studies, 2011.  Salt, Alun, and Efronsyni Boutsikas. Knowing When to Consult the Oracle at Delphi. Antiquity 79 (2005): 564–72.  Sourvinou-Inwood, Christiane. Delphic Oracle. The Oxford Classical Dictionary. Eds. Hornblower, Simon, Antony Spawforth and Esther Eidinow. 4th ed. Oxford: Ox ford University Press, 2012. 428–29.

Building A House Or A Building - 1713 Words

Building a family is, in many ways, similar to building a house or a building. It needs to be made of a strong material, like bricks, to protect the family. In addition, the building needs to have a good support material to keep the bricks from a falling out of places, like mortar or cement. Families have similar needs to make them work as well. The father figure is seen as the bricks because they are generally classified as the provider and protector of the family; the person to earn the paycheck and to keep them for starving. The mother figure is one to keep everyone together and take care of the children making sure they know how to behave. Members of today’s families fall less into these gender based roles but they still operate in much the same manner unless like one of the pillars of the family is absent. More commonly it is the mother who raises the family with the father being absent but in the case of my twin cousins’ family it is the mother who is absent and t he father has to raise his children by himself. As he raised my cousins, he had to learn that his strong dominant ways were not always the best way to go about certain situations; it was trial and error for him to learn how to act as both a father and a mother. My cousin Jakob’s wife, Minna, disappeared when their twin son and daughter, Rafael and Zelda, were nine years old; I was 10 at the time and was, and still am, very close to the twins. Minna, from my understanding, was not abducted and didn’t abandonShow MoreRelated BUILDING A HOUSE Essay664 Words   |  3 Pages Building A House nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The process of building a house is a very complex and difficult task. In the following paragraphs, I will be explaining the many different steps that are required to build a house. 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International Student Organization Free Essays

International student organization. East Carolina University is a university with enrollment around 30,000 students; 299 of them is international students from 67 countries. When students choose to attend the university; they begin a new part of life. We will write a custom essay sample on International Student Organization or any similar topic only for you Order Now Many students go to study in other cities, and some students go to other countries. America is a very popular and high-class education that is valued all over the world, and of course a lot of students from other countries want to get a degree here. People in different countries behave differently: religion, ethnicity, geographic location and quality of life plays an important role in the behavior of people. Therefore, students that come to America from other countries have more difficulty than those who were born and raced here. Foreign students need time to adjust to a different culture, a different language, and many other things. A possible way for international student to deal with the complexities of ECU joins the International Student Organization (ISA). The ISA help international students understand American culture and feel more like at home by having festivals, shopping and field trips and a lot of different events. The ISA , one of over 200 student organizations at ECU, is mostly composed of foreign exchange students, or students who were not born in America although. The meetings and club are open to anyone who wants to join. The main reason it was setup was to give international students an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the American culture in part through a campus experience, and also to offer non-international ECU students, with an interest in one cultures, knowledge and experience in working with individuals from other backgrounds. It also allows international and American students to share experience and learn about other cultures at personal point of view. The ISA cooperating with International House provides a special orientation for international students through the â€Å"First friend program† (FFP) so that new students do not feel lonely. International Ports O’Call stage of PirateFest The International student organization was involved in many activities and events. One of the biggest events in which ISA was involved in was the Pirate festival. PirateFest gives international students a chance to share their culture to help others understand them etter. This â€Å"annual event celebrates eastern North Carolina’s rich history steeped with famous pirates, including the infamous Blackbeard and Greenville’s own Pirates of ECU† (Mike Davis), and encourages people to wear pirate regalia-hats, swords, and eye patches. The festival is held over two days and is composed of different stages, each of which represents a different event. The event feature food, art and crafts vendors and also musical and stage performers. Historical trolley tours stage is a very useful and interesting part of the festival because it’s a great way to move around the festival especially for international students who do not know the location of streets in the city. One of the most interesting stages for international students was the â€Å"International Ports O’Call† because includes music, food, and attractions from nations around the world, and it will definitely help international students to feel more like at home and make it hard to forget about their culture. For international students who are coming to study in another country it is hard to find friends. It is not easy to get used to the different behavior of people and be open to new acquaintances. Therefore, and in cooperation with ISA the international house created the program called â€Å"First friend program†(FFP). To be involved in FFP both mentor and mentee must fill out an application, which has questions that help determine the background, interests, preferences and other information needed to help decide the best mentee-mentee match. The FFP is really easy because by filling out an application you know that you’ll meet someone who has same interests as you. The FFP helps international students to adjust to life at ECU as quickly and smoothly as possible, and also enhance satisfaction with their academic and social experience. This program is very useful for students because they will not feel lonely and homesick, they are able to meet new friends and also international students can learn the nuances of culture from the inside, as well as be more successful in learning. Besides homework, tests and grades, a student social life is fun, but it is not always easy to find entertainment that are always enjoy. Many international students don’t have a car and therefore their possibilities are limited, but the international house â€Å"every Friday makes shopping trips†(William Mallett). Drivers take students where they want to go and take them back to residence after shopping. Also every Thursday students can go to greenway excursions. Playing sports and socializing in the fresh air, very useful and at the same time you can see new parts of the city as well as make new friends. Most people believe that studying in a different country is a privilege because they are able to experience other cultures, and learn from them. However, in the United States it is not as good as they thought because International students have much more pressure being in this country, and sometimes they cannot handle it very well. Therefore, in the United States the life of an international student is very unfavorable if people compare it to the life of an American student. International students have to learn a new language to study, they cannot work while studying, and their tuition is much more expensive. When people moves to the United Stated to study they imagine that it will be very helpful, and they believe that learning a new language will not be a problem. However, when they really start studying their major, they find out that it is not easy since people have to really understand and appreciate the language. International students have to really learn English, and they have to know how to write it in order to have success. Also, for them to have success in university they have to participate in class, and analyze an amount of readings, and because they are international students, it is very difficult to achieve since they believe that Americans are going to laugh at them or make jokes of them if they say something incorrectly. For example, some Americans do not realize sometimes how hard is for international students being in a different country, with different people, learning a new language, and experiencing different cultures, so some of them do not really appreciate the effort that international students put on being in the United States. It’s way more pressure for international students. They have to have good grades and work as hard as possible, because if not people back home going to put a lot of shame on them and their parents. Studying in different country it is always competition for international students, but if students choose right University where people care about international students and trying to help it shouldn’t be that hard. International student organization definitely helps students from other countries feel more comfortable and less homesick, so they can you do best in classes to compete with other student on the same level. Work cited. Mike,Davis. â€Å"Arrrgh you ready for Pirate Fest? † East Carolinian, 12 April 2012 . Web. 1 November. Mallet,William â€Å"International Student Organization. † 30 october. 2012 MALLETTW@ecu. edu Personal page Office of International Affairs www. ecu. edu/intlaffairs/ How to cite International Student Organization, Essay examples

My Romeo and Juliet Essay Example For Students

My Romeo and Juliet Essay Romeo and Juliet Married Happily Ever-After?!?Many will speculate about this question, others may guess., but you have to look at the facts in order to correctly judge these two young lovers fate. Let us start with the basics in solving this equation and some information about the characters. Romeo and Juliet have married, but what are the chances that they will live happily ever-after? RomeoJulietMONTAGUE- his father CAPULET- her fatherLADY MONTAGUE- his motherLADY CAPULET- her motherBENVOLIO- their kinsman NURSE to JulietABRAM- a Montague servingmanTYBALT- kinsman to the CapuletsBALTHASAR- Romeos servingmanPERCRUTIO- Tybalts companionMontagues and CapuletsBoth have their differencesBoth really hate each otherBut you know what they say about opposites dont you? Well this is a good example of that never forgotten theory. They were like a magnet and a paperclip when they first met each other, both have never seen anyone more beautiful than each other in their lives! It was love at first site. But Romeo has had his troubles with girls in the past. He has just gotten out of a terrible relationship with a Montague named Rosaline, she told him that she didnt loved him any more. This, of coarse, broke his heart. Romeos friends try to get him to find another girl and be free of this depression, so they go to a Capulets masquerade party disguised with their masks. There he meets the ever-so beautiful Juliet. Aahh yes, Juliet, she is as beautiful as the sun as Romeo says. Oh, but Juliet is having a little bit of trouble too. She is getting pressured by his family to start thinking about marrying someone and doing this, and doing that.she feels very confused right now. Her mom wants her to marry a man named Paris, but she really doesnt know yet Anyways, they meet in a masquerade party and they really like each other. They like each other so much that they really dont care that they are from different households. Later after the party, they meet each other again under Juliets balcony and decide to secretly get married the next day by a man named Friar Lawrence. Lawrence thinks that this marriage will finally bring the feuding families togetherThere, now you know the facts, but you must understand the hate that these two families have for each other. They have had many fights in the streets of Verona that Prince Escalus says that if they fight again, that he will kill them. Tybalt wants to kill Romeo and Juliet doesnt want to marry Paris, but Paris doesnt know that, so if he finds out about this secret love of hers, he will be outraged. Tybalt doesnt want Romeo around any more, and this hate may cause a conflict that might get someone killed. Friar Lawrence thinks that this is a good idea for them to get married because he thinks that this will end the feud between the families. So much can happen in a short amount of time that may end the relationship quicker than it started.Words/ Pages : 513 / 24

The DVD Revolution Essay Research Paper The free essay sample

The DVD Revolution Essay, Research Paper The DVD Revolution Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the characteristics and advantages of DVD picture. Cardinal Idea: The DVD picture format has superior sound and ocular quality to VHS, every bit good as more particular characteristics, which is why it should finally busy the topographic point of the VCR in American families. Introduction I? vitamin D like to get down things out by taking a study. How many of you remember holding a Cadmium participant in your house 15 old ages ago? Not really many of you, I see. Of class, we all have Cadmium participants now. It took a small over a decennary and some major monetary value beads, but finally we all threw out our old vinyl and cassettes and opted for the first-class sound quality and convenience of Cadmiums. Merely as the Cadmium took the topographic point of cassettes, many people believe the DVD, or digital versatile phonograph record, will shortly take the topographic point of VHS tapes. We will write a custom essay sample on The DVD Revolution Essay Research Paper The or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Many of you may non even cognize what a DVD is, so before I go any farther, allow me demo you what one looks like. ( Take out DVD phonograph record ) It? s the same size as a Cadmium, but it has two sides. Just like a VHS tape, it plays films straight on your telecasting. DVD picture participants were originally released in early 1997, and their first twelvemonth gross revenues were twice that of Cadmium participants, which is strong grounds that the DVD is here to remain. Why is the DVD so popular, and what makes it better than VHS? There are three chief grounds: sound quality, image quality, and particular characteristics sole to DVD. ( Passage: Let? s start with the sound quality of DVD ) Body I. The sound quality of DVD is far superior than that of VHS. A. DVD phonograph record utilize digital engineering, which is the same engineering used by compact phonograph record. 1. This means that you will acquire sharp and clear sound equal to Cadmiums. B. DVD participants are besides compatible with all environment sound formats. 1. For those of you who wear? T know, surround sound is a system of talkers set up across a room that provides a listening experience similar to being I in a film theatre. 2. The combination of a environment sound system and CD quality sound is best realized when listening to musicals like? Singing in the Rain? , or action movies with a batch of sound effects, such as? Starship Troopers. ? C. You have the ability to listen to different sound paths. 1. This means that on merely one phonograph record, you can listen to a film in a figure of linguistic communications, normally English, French, and Spanish. 2. You can besides listen to merely the musical mark, with the duologue and sound effects turned off. 3. Some discs even feature a running commentary by the histrions and manager while a film is playing. ( Passage: Now that you know a small abound the sound, allow me state you about some of the ocular characteristics of DVD ) II. Movies have neer looked better than on DVD. A. The image on a DVD participant is twice as crisp and clear than VCR participants. 1. As Entertainment Weekly author Micheal Glitz put it, ? ( Colorful films like The Wizard of Oz are ) so beautiful you? ll want to stop dead some scenes and leave them on your Television the manner others hang plants of art on their walls. ? 2. The image is already perfect, so you? ll neer have to gull with tracking once more. B. You can wa tch the film from two different screen ratios. 1. You can watch a film in widescreen format, which is when the screen has the small black bars at the top and the underside. This is the manner films are viewed in theaters. 2. You can besides watch the film in? pan and scan? format. This is how things usually appear on a telecasting screen. You won? Ts have the black bars, but you besides won? T be seeing the full image. C. You can watch some films with captions in several different linguistic communications. 1. Subtitles allow the hard-of-hearing to watch films without holding a closed caption characteristic on their telecastings. 2. Many people enjoy watching foreign movies with captions, instead than dubbed voices. This allows them to hear the original histrion? s voice, and non a transcriber. D. Some rubrics allow viewing audiences to set the camera angle on a scene. 1. You can step into the manager? s chair and name the shootings. You get to command the camera and expression at a scene the manner you want. 2. This characteristic is first-class to utilize on athleticss plans. You can watch a drama from multiple angles and size up every move made. ( Passage: In add-on to superior image and sound, you besides get extra characteristics found merely on DVD. ) III. DVD is more merriment and convenient than VHS. A. Each film starts out with a bill of fare screen. 1. From the bill of fare you choose what features you want, such as captions or a widescreen format. B. DVD allows you to jump to any scene in a film. 2. Just like jumping to your favourite vocal on a Cadmium, DVD allows you to travel straight to your favourite scene in a film. 3. You? ll neer have to trouble oneself with fast forwarding through the prevues, or rewinding at the terminal. C. You may besides acquire excess fillips. 1. This can include behind the scenes docudramas, games, original film dawdlers, or interviews with the dramatis personae and crew. Decision Harmonizing to an article by Steve Traiman in the September 5th, 1998 issue of Billboard, there are already about 800,000 DVD participants in North American families, and more than 10 times that sum in is expected in the following four old ages. And why non? In add-on to the characteristics I? ve listed above, participants can be purchased for around $ 300, there are over 1500 film rubrics available, and most of them cost between 10s and 30 dollars. One web site is even selling a DVD version of President Clinton? s expansive jury testimony for merely two cents. The DVD is to the VCR as the Cadmium is to the cassette participant. It may non be today or tomorrow, but finally the DVD will go the primary film format and happen a topographic point in your life room. Bibliography Articles Gallagher, Leigh. ? Global Bottom Fishing. ? Forbes September 21 September 1998: 274. Giltz, Michael. ? Move Over, VCR. ? Entertainment Weekly 25 September 1998: 109- 112. Traiman, Steve. ? DVD? s Steady Climb Mapped Out at Industry Conference. ? Billboard 5 September 1998: 111. Internet Beginnings DVD Centre. ? Warner Announces New DVD Pricing Plan. ? 11 July 1998. Uniform resource locator: hypertext transfer protocol: //web.ukonline.co.uk/s.roberts/wbprice2.htm. 5 October 1998. DVD Video Group. ? What is DVD Video? ? Uniform resource locator: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.dvdvideogroup.com/what/what1.htm. 5 October 1998.

The Worlds First Monster. The Ripper Professor Ramos Blog

The Worlds First Monster. The Ripper How do we decide what’s a monster? The actions they commit, their appearance, or the overall fear they inflict on us. The monsters we know that are fictional that we hear in stories are those monsters the ones we actually fear or is it the monsters that are real life people that commit disturbing, psychopathic acts of crime. I feel Jack the Ripper fills this monster role a person that was never identified in 1888 East London killing five women in butcher like fashion from August 7 1888 to September of 1888 then ended in the fall of the same year he left people I horror. Jack the Ripper was a real person a real monster that actually existed and left an impact on history. Thesis II: The Monster Always Escapes â€Å"we see the damage that the monster wreaks,the material remains (the footprints of the yeti across Tibetan snow, the bones of the giant stranded on a rocky cliff), but the monster itself turns immaterial and vanishes, to reappear someplace else (for who is the yeti if not the medieval wild man?†(Cohen 3) Jack the Ripper killed five women and was never caught leaving the crimes unsolved with the killer’s identity a mystery. Jack the Ripper’s killings were recorded from August 7 1888 to September 11 1888 then suddenly stopped in fall of that same year adding more to the Thesis that the monster always escapes. The 1988 film â€Å"Jack the Ripper† showed a decent representation of the criminal but did have its flaws the film didn’t show the victims after they were â€Å"killed† they just stated that they were killed. That takes away the effect Jack the Ripper had on Whitecapel the bodies Jack the Ripper left were horrific to look at and people were left in terror that a person like that was capable of psychotic killing methods. The film didn’t tell the real story in the film detective Abberline couldn’t catch the killer the entire film until he got leads he needed and testimonies. That ultimately helped him catch the killer which was the deranged doctor and during the detainment of the doctor he was injured so badly he was going to die so the commission ordered Abberline to keep Jack the Ripper’s identity a secret. This isn’t a good representation of the real life killer he was never caught the identity of Jack the Ripper is still unknown which makes the killer scary because nobody knows anything about the killer especially the police. Jack the Ripper sent the police letters telling them he was going to kill again each of the five murders were within a mile of each other these murders were planned out and the police were even informed and they still couldn’t stop the murders from happening. Jack the Ripper was pure evil a monster that the world never seen before and was putting fear into everyone. According to Monster Culture (Seven thesis) Thesis IV: The Monster Dwells at the Gates of Difference â€Å"any kind of alterity can be inscribed across (constructed through) the monstrous body, but for the most part monstrous difference tends to be cultural, political, racial, economic, sexual). (Cohen 7) Jack the Ripper applies to this theory because Jack the Ripper caused a culture shock throughout Whitechapal, East London he/she was no ordinary killer this person was sociopathic and was the world’s first serial killer but the condition the bodies were left in is what scared people the most the victims organs and limbs being removed cut up into several pieces. Also the letters Jack the Ripper sent police taunting them telling them about how there was going to be another murder and they couldn’t do anything about it. Jack the Ripper also goes with monster Thesis V: The Monster Polices the Borders of the Possible â€Å"from its position at the limits of knowing, the monster stands as a warning against the exploration of its uncertain demesnes. The giants of Patagonia, the dragons of the Orient, and the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park together declare that curiosity is more often punished than rewarded, that one is better off safely contained within one’s own domestic sphere than abroad, away from the watchful eye of the state.† (Cohen 12) The monster Jack the Ripper is at that border of exploration that we are terrified of the victims he mutilated and butchered was on another level of killing that the world had never seen up to that point Jack the Ripper is the ideal monster he fits multiple criteria of what we define as a monster they fear he put on the small town of Whitecapel, East London was the world’s first real killer. He was never caught or even identified for the murders he committed and even to this day is talked about as one of the world’s most infamous criminals in history the way he taunted the police with letters telling them he was going to murder again and the state of all his victims was a horrifying site. His murders were from August to September and the police never found any evidence of the killers identify or whereabouts. Jack the Ripper was a real life monster unlike the fictional monsters we all know in literature but Jack the Ripper left his mark on the world this the disturbing, psychotic ways of killing and taunting the police. No monster of fiction compares to the real life threat that was Jack the Ripper a killer with five deaths to his name and not being caught or even any lead on who he was just theories and mysteries are all that remain of the terror that was Jack the Ripper. Works Cited Monster Culture (Seven Theses) Jeffery Jerome Cohen â€Å"Jack the Ripper† 1988 Film directed by David Wickes Sugden, Philip the Complete History of Jack the Ripper AE TV Networks June 7, 2019 Walkowitz, Judith Feminist Studies, Vol. 8, No. 3 (Autumn 1982), pp. 542-574 Feminist Studies, Inc. Jack the Ripper and the Myth of Male Violence

M5 Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

M5 Reflection - Essay Example In trying to work with schools, parents face various challenges as in some cases they are not given a chance to participate wholly in the activities that affect the student regardless of the academic goals they may have for their children. Parents seek to be more involved in the classroom and the school through ensuring what their involvement in what the students learn in school by encouraging two-way communications with the learning institution (Epstein, 2007). The parents can increase the participation of the community in the activities of the school or the community through arranging flexible time for volunteers, making sure leadership roles have been filled by parents and providing information on time among other activities (Marshall & Toohey, 2010). The parents should be able to believe in and make a commitment to including all the stakeholders including the school and the community to create a collaborative learning community, which can promote academic achievement for everyone. The parents should further value and have a commitment to implementing shared visions with the school and the community so that they can promote lifelong learning for the students as well as the community in

The Selection of Suppliers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Selection of Suppliers - Essay Example Having done the reviews, considered the more subtle differences among the criteria and then developed a table containing all key criteria for selecting the suppliers The selection of the four projects was aimed to analyze the application of various criteria and consequently check the effectiveness of results in each case. Last but not least it was found that a developing a proper strategy in connection with selecting the suppliers is equally important to building any other business strategy. I conclude by referring to one of the diversification strategies – i.e. â€Å"Vertical Integration† introduced by Igor Ansoff. The vertical integration refers to either becoming your own supplier or become a distributor. It shows that sometimes suppliers become so problematic for a firm that it has to take such a turnaround strategy for buying a supplier. Introduction: In this competitive global market, every organization desires to accomplish its projects successfully. To ensure th e timely and successful completion of a project, firms need to analyze all possible pros & cons and then opt for the best solution – right from procurement to production of finished goods. It is a myth that in manufacturing supply chain management is not only the lifeline of any project but also decides a success or failure thereof.. Selection of suppliers, being a part of supply chain management, involves many criteria that govern the selection of suppliers. These criteria include quality of raw material, lead time required by the supplier, cost of raw material, delivery time, resources/ability for delivery, supplier’s reputation, etc. etc.. This paper intends to discuss these supplier selection criteria by analyzing the practical projects. The four different projects chosen include the production of electronic products, construction of a retail outlet, manufacturing glass containers and construction of residential buildings. The criteria for selection of suppliers fo llowed by these projects include quality of raw material, delivery time, cost of material and supplier’s reputation, respectively. Having analyzed these criteria, a comparison has been presented along with critiques and finally identified the best method to be opted for selecting the suppliers. Literature Review: Every business, in one way or other, is impacted due to stiff competition, increased globalization and unabated technological advancements. In such a prevailing hyper-competition, effective supply chain management has become not only important but also become a core of corporate strategy. Coyle, Bardi, and Langey (2003) pointed out that in order to cope-up with such a crucial business trend, it has become mandatory for the logistics managers to concentrate more on suppliers’ capabilities, conceptualizing, designing, and implementing the supply process. Traditionally, only a few criteria used to be followed in a supplier’s selection – i.e. materi al cost, delivery time and quality of goods (Smith et al. 1963).

Social Contraction vs. Ethical Egoism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Contraction vs. Ethical Egoism - Essay Example This theory also holds that it is alright to be this way; it is rational. However, in the real world, if everybody blindly followed their hearts desires then there would be chaos. To this situation, this theory calls for application of rationality from a different angle. This angle prescribes that people should cooperate with one another and cut down on the purely self serving pursuits. This aspect defines the social contract nature of this theory (Shafer-Landau 188). People will not live life to the fullest, but they will avoid a worse fate of being in constant upheaval with society. What constitutes upheaval? Economists answer this question through the hypothetical prisoner’s dilemma situation. In this situation, two individuals must undertake actions that are not beneficial to the other party. Since it is rational to do the best for ones self, then the individuals both undertake these actions knowing full well that the other party will suffer. In a life time, there are coun tless situations that mirror the conflicts in this hypothetical situation. Maximizing self interest as it turns out is not a worthwhile approach to life. People while be brutal indulging horrid actions just to stay ahead (Shafer-Landau 192). There will be no trust, hope or peace for those with the slightest urge to be â€Å"nice† hence the constant upheaval. ... These persons can range from parents at home to the government. Form this explanation; it is clear that cooperation needs more than one person. As such, this theory describes morality as a social phenomenon (Shafer-Landau 194). In the same way, this theory justifies the existence of moral laws; it justifies breaking these laws. It provides that, in the event, that cooperation fails then there is no need to uphold the moral laws. On the other hand, the theory justifies punishment of the law breakers. From this theory’s strengths, critiques derive dooming weaknesses. A moral theory has the duty to promote doing the right thing. However, this theory entertains the possibility of having a rational wrong for instance when a contract is void. Also, the approach of using rationality to justify action is lacking. As observed by Shafer-Landau (204) if the consequences of an unjust action are not as far reaching as the benefits, then it is rational to act unjustly. Much as, Hobbes tries to define rationality to co-exist with virtue, this is only possible in a world where justice prevails. In the event that the world is in a â€Å"natural state† (Hobbes description of anarchy), then being rational means survival for the fittest. A second theory that tries to define the extents of morality in regard to human behavior is ethical egoism. Ethical egoism describes how humans ought to act. Ethical egoism further asserts that moral duty should rely on doing actions that reflect best self interest. In doing so, one should not avoid actions that help others but is not under any obligation to pursue self interest in regard to the well being of others. Despite this radical stand, ethical egoism clearly states that self interest is not merely pleasure seeking.

The Impacts Of Invasive Alien Plants

The Impacts Of Invasive Alien Plants Chapter 1 Research on the impacts of invasive alien plants (IAP) on biodiversity, ecosystem services and processes have been well documented in the literature. Furthermore, the primary focus of this research was the negative impacts associated with IAPs when there are some benefits associated with these plants. Limited research has also addressed the issue of IAP impact on the livelihoods and well-being of local land-users. Seeing that limited resources are available to address the issue of IAP at large, quantification of stakeholder perception is needed to maximise IAP management. Through this thesis, an investigation into the spread and impacts of IAPs in the rural parts of the Agulhas Plain as well as the perceptions, uses, costs and benefits associated with IAPs and the importance of these plants to the livelihoods of the local communities was carried out. The purpose of this research is to provide a better understanding of the possible impacts of invasive plant species on the livelihoods of people. This local knowledge can aid researchers by providing context specific information about impacts, which can then be used for future conservation actions. Motivation The detrimental effects of IAPs on ecosystems and biodiversity, ecosystem goods and services the economy of human enterprises and human health have been well documented in the literature (e.g. Geesing et al. 2004, Nel et al. 2004, Shackleton et al. 2007). Invasion by alien species have been reported as a major threat to the biodiversity and functioning of sensitive ecosystems (Turpie et al. 2003, Richardson and Van Wilgen 2004, Van Wilgen et al. 2008). It has been shown that invasive species are very successful in competing for resources with native species and can modify fuel loads by changing the amount of litter fall (Behenna et al. 2008). Invasive alien plants are also capable of altering the natural nutrient fluxs by shifting the nitrogen content due to changes in the litter fall (Behenna et al. 2008). Dense stands of acacias along the rivers in the Western Cape replace and exclude native fynbos species (Blanchard and Holmes 2008). Invasive alien plants also pose one of the grea test immediate threats to floral diversity in the fynbos and have the ability capture vast amounts of water (Turpie et al. 2003). In contrast, research exploring the effects of IAPs on the livelihoods of local, rural communities has received little attention (McGarry et al. 2005, Shackleton et al. 2007). Not all of the impacts exerted by IAPs are negative as these plant species is a source of both costs and benefits (Bardsley and Edward-Jones 2006). Various plants have been introduced to South Africa for a variety of purposes (Van Wilgen et al. 2001). These include species intrudes for crop production, timber and firewood, garden ornamentals, for dune stabilisation and hedge plants (Van Wilgen et al. 2001). Several of these have become naturalized and some of the naturalized species are now invasive (Van Wilgen et al. 2001). Costs are experienced when these invasive species impede the functioning of social and ecological systems (Bardsley and Edward-Jones 2006). Benefits, on the other hand, are experienced when the same traits (such as hardiness and high fecundity) that lead to these species becoming invasives, contribute to their usefulness (Bardsley and Edward-Jones 2006). Rural communities are exposed to IAPs in different ways (Shackleton et al. 2007). The outcome is that that these communities have to weigh up the trade-offs between the possible positive benefits of IAPs as a natural resource and the negative impacts exercised by these species on ecosystem goods and services and in turn on human livelihood (Shackleton et al. 2007). It is generally accepted that the negative effects of IAPs on ecosystem goods and services are transferred directly to human well-being (Shackleton et al. 2007). This has been proven otherwise by researchers such as de Neergaard and others (2005), Shackleton and others (2007) and Kull and others (2011) who illustrated that IAPs can be integrated significantly by local communities in their lifestyles as either a source of tannins and timber, for firewood, building material, as well as for medicinal extractions and financial income by selling of firewood. Working for Water (WfW), an IAP eradication programme, was launced in 1995 with the aim of restoring natural capital by controlling invading species and enhance water security (Van Wilgen et al. 1998). Simultaneously, the programme aims to alleviate poverty by providing employment to underprivileged communities (Van Wilgen et al. 1998). To date, the WfW programme has developed into one of the biggest conservation projects in Africa with regard to manpower, costs and impact (Ndhlovu 2011). Immense sponsorships have contributed towards extensive areas being cleared and a large numbers of individuals being employed (Binns et al. 2001, Turpie et al. 2008). Conversely, the socio-economic benefits of the WfW programme have not been wholly assessed regardless of the programmes extensive activities and substantial sponsorships associated with it (Turpie et al. 2008). Additionally, the use of these plants by rural communities is not well understood and seldom integrated into eradication programmes as stated below: The lack of information on the socio-economic impacts of IAS has been singled out as a major barrier to the implementation of comprehensive national IAS management programmes and as one of the main reasons for the failure of IAS issues to feature prominently in the mainstream agenda of most countries (Peter, 2009). Quantification of stakeholder perception on the impacts of IAPs is essential in order authorize an argument for the control and management of invasive plant species (Peter, 2009). Though it is vital to understand anthropogenic impacts on landscapes and ecosystems through ecological knowledge of invasive species, an improved understanding of the social processes is also required to inform both species management and conservation policy (Peter 2009). There is a shortage of information regarding the socio-economic impact of alien species presently found in South Africa. Even in well studied areas such as the Cape Floristic Region, the range of the impact of invasive plants is poorly understood. Additionally, limited research has also been done with regard to the socio-economic impacts of alien eradication programmes in the Western Cape. Consequently, there is a need for comprehensive research that investigates the holistic impacts (both negative and positive) of IAPs on the livelihoods and well-being of local communities. Goals and Objectives Considering the above, the objective of this study was to assess the effects and impacts of IAP infestation on human well-being, with the focus on the effects of IAPs on the livelihoods of rural land users in the Western Cape, South Africa. The main research question that directs the study is as follow: What are the impacts of invasive alien plants on the livelihoods of rural land users? This research question was broken down into seven key questions. These key questions were adapted from the literature (see McGarry et al. 2005). Key Questions What is the significance of the natural environment to the community? What are peoples attitudes towards and perceptions of IAPs ? How important are IAPs for human well-being and livelihoods? Are the IAPs used for sustenance, for domestic requirements, etc.? Are IAPs sold to provide an income? Does the local community perceive IAPs as having a positive or negative impact on spirituality, culture and/or aesthetics? How do IAPs in the area affect the supply of (other) ecosystem goods and services which are important to peoples livelihoods? What are peoples attitudes towards IAP management? What are the impacts of IAP eradication programmes on livelihoods? What is the impact of IAP distribution on land-use practices? What are the long-term and short-term gains and losses for human well-being and livelihood as a result of IAP impact? The study site is highly dependent on areas where rural communities are still highly reliant on generating an income from the land. Additionally, the study site must also comply with the use of IAPs by the local community and in the same light IAPs must be potentially regarded as a problem by the local community. The Agulhas Plain, situated within the Cape Floristic Region (CFR), has been selected as the focus area for this study as it meets the above mentioned criteria. Study area The Agulhas Plain (AP) is located within the CFR which is internationally known as a global biodiversity hotspot (Turpie et al. 2003). The CFR, known for its Mediterranean type climate, is the most floristically rich of the seven diverse biomes allocated in South Africa with an estimated 9600 plant species of which 70% are endemic (Richardson and Sekhran 2009). The AP, comprising an area of 270 000 ha, is located at the southern-most tip of South Africa and is a species-rich area known for its fire-prone coastal lowland fynbos and infertile soils (Richardson and Sekhran 2009, Treurnicht 2010). It is internationally recognised as a centre for endemism (Treurnicht 2010). This area is however increasingly threatened by habitat transformation and alien plant invasion (Turpie et al. 2003), the latter being the focal point of this study. Fynbos wildflower farming and harvesting, particularly from natural vegetation, forms an integral part of this areas economic activity and contributes immensely to this regions agricultural sector (Treurnicht 2010). This has been shown Turpie and others (2003) who stated that natural fynbos vegetation are estimated to be accountable for 57.6% of the CFRs turnover, which were equal to R90.5 million in the year 2000. The Agulhas Plain is practically responsible for the largest part of this turnover (Turpie et al. 2003). Study limitations It was not possible to do a systematic and exhaustive research in all the areas on the Agulhas Plain were IAP infestation occurs due to the time limitation of this study. It was thus decided to do a detailed and comprehensive micro focus i.e. case study on the socio-economic impacts of invasive alien plants and to gather as much consistent information as possible by means of interviews. Elim and the surrounding farming communities were accordingly selected as the study group. Study site selection Elim and the surrounding farming communities were chosen as the best suitable study site according to the following reasons: It was established during the visits prior and during the pilot study that this rural settlement and its neighbouring farms still relies on woody IAPs as either a primary or a supplementary source of energy. It was noted during field visits that the areas surround the settlement as well as the neighbouring farms are invaded to a substantial degree. There has been active alien eradication programmes in the area since 1998 i.e. Working for Water as well as LandCare under the departments of Water Affairs and Agriculture respectively. Thesis outline Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Literature Review Chapter 3 Methods, Results and Discussion Chapter 4 Implications for management and policies

The American Cultural Configuration :: Sociology, Family, Religious Views

In the text, â€Å"The American Cultural Configuration† the authors express the desire of anthropologists to study their own culture despite the difficulty that one faces attempting to subjectively analyze their own society. Holmes and Holmes (2002), use the adage â€Å"not being able to see the forest through the trees† (p. 5) to refer to how hard it is for someone to study something they have largely taken for granted. The Holmes' article focuses predominately on paradoxes within our own culture, many of which we don't notice. In a paradox, two contradicting statements can appear to be true at the same time. This essay looks at two paradoxes commonly found in everyday life: the individual versus the family and religion. When you think about family, what is the first thing that comes to mind? If you only thought about your parents or close relatives then you may have been caught in an â€Å"individual vs. family† paradox. Nearly every culture considers family important, but â€Å"many Americans have never even met all of their cousins† (Holmes & Holmes, 2002, p.19). We say we are family oriented, but not caring to meet all of our extended family seems to contradict that. Individual freedoms, accomplishments, and goals are all American ideals that push the idea of individualism. What's important to note is that family or even the concept of family itself doesn't appear in any of those ideals. Holmes and Holmes (2002), observed that â€Å"The family reunions of yesterday are now rare, and when they occur they are often a source of stress.† (p. 19) That quote solidifies one reason why family interaction today is : it's just too stressful, so we avoid it. Where does marriage fit i nto our culture of individuals? Marriage itself may be less of a family unifying event than a way for two individuals to obtain personal happiness; the climbing divorce rate alone seems to suggest the devaluation of commitment in a relationship. Likewise, the Holmes and Holmes (2002) state â€Å"marriage is in effect a continuation of courtship† (p. 19) In my opinion, I would have to agree with the authors on family and marriage, considering the above-stated facts and trends. If we, as a nation, can place the individual so far above our own relatives, are we not creating a future of selfishness? Religious views are virtually unquantifiable on their own, but the effects of those views are very much measurable.

Dangerous Sports Essay

In recent years we have seen a considerable rise in dangerous or extreme sports. This essay shall discuss some of the main reasons why people engage in such sports and suggest ways in which some risks involved in such sports can be reduced. The main reason why people go for dangerous sports is that they get the thrill out of them. They like taking risks. They like to challenge their abilities and potentials. They feel a sense of satisfaction when they come face to face with fears while bungee jumping, rock climbing and so on. In addition, going through a dangerous experience gives them courage and confidence to face the hurdles of their daily life. Another reason for pursuing such sports is that there is a lot of fame and money involved in them. They get attention by doing stunts on motorcycles and jumping from tall buildings. They make headlines in newspapers and TV News Channels. They feel great when their name comes in the Guinness Book of World Records. Once they get famous they get a lot of money also. For instance, many businesses hire them to endorse their products. They also get jobs on the basis of such skills. Many steps can be taken to reduce the risks are that involved. Firstly, these sports should be done under strict supervision. All safety precautions should be taken. Such sports should be performed after sufficient training and under supervision of adults. Sport companies which cater to such sports should require a license for providing such training. Some people suggest banning some sports. However, I do not believe that banning is a good solution. We all know that forbidden fruits taste sweeter and people will do such sports in hiding which would increase the risks involved. To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that, people do such sports for fun, for money and for fame. However, such sports should be performed after sufficient training from licensed companies and under some supervision.

The Pearl Review

'The Pearl' Review The Pearl (1947) is somewhat of a departure from some of  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹John Steinbecks earlier works. The novel has been compared to Ernest Hemingways The Old Man and the Sea (1952). The seeds of Steinbecks The Pearl began to germinate in 1940 when he was traveling in the Sea of Cortez and heard a story about a young man who found a large pearl. From that basic outline, Steinbeck reinvented the tale of Kino and his young family to include his own experiences, including in his novel the recent birth of a son, and how that exhilaration affects a young man. The novel is also, in some ways, a representation of his long appreciation of Mexican culture. He made the story into a parable, warning his readers of the corrupting influences of wealth.​ Be Careful What You Wish For... In The Pearl, Kinos neighbors all knew what good fortune could do to him, his wife, and his new baby boy. That good wife Juana, they said, and the beautiful baby Coyotito, and the others to come. What a pity it would be if the pearl should destroy them all.Even Juana tries to throw the pearl into the sea to free them from its poison. And she knew that Kino was half insane and half god... that the mountain would stand while the man broke himself; that the sea would surge while the man drowned in it. But, she needed him yet, and she would follow him, even as he admits to his brother: This pearl has become my soul... If I give it up I shall lose my soul.The pearl sings to Kino, telling him of a future where his son will read and he may become something more than a poor fisherman. In the end, the pearl doesnt fulfill any of its promises. It only brings death and emptiness. As the family returned to their old house, the people around them said that they seemed removed from human experienc e, that they had gone through pain and had come out the other side; that there was almost a magical protection about them.

khan essays

khan essays Morris Rossabi was the first to write this English-language biography on the man, Khubilai Khan. Rossabis book first goes into the Mongol history and how they started to emerge from the Steppes of Mongolia and how they were able to invade China with success. The rest of the book is on Khubilai Khans rule in China and how what he did as an Emperor for the Chinese culture and how the Mongol control in China crumbled after his death in A.D. 1294. Rossabi does this well by starting how with telling about the Mongols first before jumping into Khubilai Khan. The Author then goes into detail how Khubilai Khan then came to power. Rossabi even brings up Khubilai Khans mother and what type of person she was. Sorghaghtani Beki was a remarkably intelligent woman and had high ambitions for her sons. Rossabi also mentions that Khubilai Khan, when he became Emperor, also held a court that had many different types of thinkers and people of different beliefs. It was Khubilai Khans court that the great European explorer, Marco Polo, reached and traded with. While Rossabi does a great job of covering everything in Khubilai Khans history, he makes the text dry. Rossabi seems to slug his way through the social and economic problems and programs that Khubilai Khan had. He then brings this section up again later on in the book with the Mismanagement and the Chinese Response chapter. Overall, Rossabi does a good job on this history of Khubilai Khan. He was able to take a figure that to the western mind was a mythical or legendary character. Rossabi, though somewhat dry, wrote a book that is filled with information about the man and the time that he lived in. Rossabi was the first man to create the heaven and earth and started checking out what the world would had been if he was not there. I hope he gets to go to his place because Im very excited for him to be with me for the rest ...

Medical Marijuana and the impact on hiring and drug testing Essay - 1

Medical Marijuana and the impact on hiring and drug testing - Essay Example With increased medical marijuana legalization, questions are propping up as to how this would affect the workplace bearing in mind that most of those who consume it are worker. Most especially, human resource managers are concerned as to how the law would impact on the employment hiring process. The complexity of the matter is increased by the fact that those allowed to use marijuana for medical purposes also have a disability which is protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act and by the Civil Rights Act. Failing to hire such individuals in such states could be considered as a form of discrimination but employers get reprieve in that the Federal law does not offer protection for such cases. As such the issue is very complex needing careful consideration by employers especially in formulation of their zero-tolerance policies or maintaing a drug-free workplace. This essay will present the views of human resource managers on how medical marijuana impacts on employment hiring p rocess. The two human resource managers whose views will be presented here are Mr. Xi Zhao of Uterpy Music Company and Mr. YiChao Wan of Lucky Garden Chinese Restaurant. Uterpy Music company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts one of the states that legalized medical marijuana in 2012. It is a social media company (Internet industry) and the largest social website for people who love music. It aids musicians with networking; collaborating and also getting noticed (Uterpy.com). Lucky Garden Restaurant in the hospitality industry is located in Melbourne, Florida whose medical marijuana bill became law in June, 2014 after being signed by Governor Rick Scott. The company offers catering services and provides wide array of Chinese dishes. The two human resource managers were interviewed using a questionnaire containing wide range of questions as to how the law impacts on

Human Resource Assignment (Hospitality Industry) Essay

Human Resource Assignment (Hospitality Industry) - Essay Example In other words, the service sector can be termed as hospitality sector (Simmering, 2006). One of the most important aspects to remember is that the service or hospitality industry deal with selling customer satisfaction and it is not an easy task. Training is the responsibility of the Human Resource Management. Additionally, they also take care of employee recruitment and make sure that employees' abilities are precisely and favourably nurtured to best suite the companies' requirement. However, today several such industries lack proper training resulting in failures. This paper analysis the reasons for the success and failures of training programs in the hospitality industry. Customer satisfaction is the main job of any hospitality industry. Hospitals are a part of this industry and make sure that the patients are given at most care and support for recovery. Aviation industry is involved in flying passengers with all comforts to their destinations. Similarly, hotel's don't sell rooms or a place to sleep rather they sell customer fulfilment and comfort. Food industry or a restaurant is not just the business of selling food, but they sell service, luxury and comfort. It doesn't matter what service or hospitality industry, customer satisfaction is of great importance (Bacal & Associates, N.D.). There are several reasons as to why the training aspects are not taken up with all seriousness. Employees in the hospitality arena oppose or dislike training because they believe that they are already trained. Most of them believe they already have the requisite skills to do their job reasonably well (BNET, 1998). In recent decades the attitudes and awareness to training has changed to a great extent. Historically, training applied more to manual and enhanced the trade skills through apprenticeships. With the help of current technology the training skills to a great extent has developed and improved to cover all aspects of modern business and industry. There are three broad approaches according to Armstrong (1999 Cited in cookeryonline.com) to training. The first one is about the adoption of lassie-faire approach believing that employees will find out what to do for themselves or through others. For instance if skill shortages were to be encountered, they would set right the circumstances by poaching staff from other organisations that invest in training. In a second type of organizations, they may invest in training in good times, i.e. when they have enough funds, but in bad times training budgets will be the first to be cut. Thirdly organisations that take on a positive training philosophy do so because they recognize the fact that they live in a world where competitive advantage is achieved by having higher quality people. This goal cannot be achieved if proper investment in developing the skills and competencies of their employees is not taken up. Training is the practical move toward rather than reactive approach designating t raining as a permanent and on-going process within the organisation. There are several factors that need to be considered for any company to design an effective training programme. For instance, it is said that training

Planning and Land Use Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Planning and Land Use - Essay Example This was compelled to protect the historic character of the town. Nevertheless, according to the planning balance between the homes and places of employment, and the notion of sustainable development today it has led to negative impacts. This city is of interest because it is a medieval city, which has a rich history and the pressure of developing threatens to wipe away the rich history of this town. For this reason, the core of the city has become limited because the research and development activities have been concentrated within the sites of employment on the edge of the city. Under the Cambridge phenomenon there were four hundred high-tech organizations in the area, which employed over sixteen thousand people (Morrison, 2010). These organizations stemmed from the departments of the university and spun offs from companies, which had had origins of the university. Ever since, it has been concentrated. During this period, the trans-European highway provided the main road link between the parts and the midlands that were industrialized. The decision to improve the infrastructure of the city was made at the National Level, whereas, the land use of the planning of Cambridge was under the Holford Plan of 1950 (Waters & Lawton, 2002). Despite all these plans, the structure plan of the Cambridgeshire sought means to control the growth of the city outwardly. This was done through maintaining the tight green belt. The reason for this plan was to secure the historic character and setting of Cambridge. Green belts have been an essential mechanism for planning in England. Within it, it is hard to get permission for planning for development. The purpose of that is to preserve the setting and memorable character of the town, check unrestricted emergence of built-up areas, assist safeguarding the countryside from encroachment and finally to restrain the neighboring towns from merging into another (Wicksteed, 2005). For Cambridge, without the green belt then the city

How terrorism affect our economy Essay Example for Free

How terrorism affect our economy Essay Terrorism and terrorist activates are never intended to target an economy directly, instead it is designed to scare people who, overwhelmed by there trepidation destroy there own economy. The pliant economy of United States was misjudged in contrast with the September 11 terrorist attacks. Despite an estimated $120 billion of damage and a great deal of anxiety, one year following the 9/11 attacks considerable recovery was recorded in U. S economy. A disagreement between the Economists world wide has been shaping up over the affects of terrorism on the economy of USA, many feel that because acts of terrorism are usually aimed towards small portions of the stock of capital of a country so effect on economic activity are not very large(Enders and Sandler 2006). On the other hand, consciences of terrorism on the economy under pragmatic estimation suggest large and long term affects (Terrorism and the World Economy 40). If we review the federal budgets between FY 1998 and FY 2001 $ 48. 3 billion where available in surplus. Attacks of September 11 originated a blow to the economy of Manhattan, but not to that of Boston or Chicago. Terrorism creates a pessimistic affect on industries like air travel, hotels and insurance at large, but if we review economys overall performance, investment and demand shifted to other industries-especially when Federal Reserve eased credit in order to calm post-Sept. 11 markets. The immediate and the fore most impact that originate due to terrorism is the development of Paranoia attitude towards the economy through restrictive air travel and raising uncertainty, economy is drifting into a phase of recession. U. S economy has been diminishing even further after U. S invasion in Afghanistan and Iraq. Another way terrorism affected our economy is the lift in oil price which proved to be an economic jolt over the American nation who is now linking this oil situation with the upcoming elections and political agenda of American presidential candidates. The most direct damage that terrorism brought to our financial system is the deficit of U. S. government budget, which was a record of 413 billion dollars in 2004. A slight drop of $198 billion in deficit is being predicted by CBO for FY 2009 which is expected to increase moderately by 2010. If we analyze the reports released by CBO we will realize the shocking increase in the expenditure of war on terrorism over the last few years, federal finances for the department of home land security, and ever mounting cost of government beneficial social sachems such as medical health care and social security has halted economical development. Economists are predicting an inevitable increase in red ink taxation; this is resulting in an increasing cost of housing and other basic amenities which is ultimately decreasing the consumption power of an American. (CBO) Terrorism creates a general sense of insecurity, this brings a huge expanse on U. S federal budget in shape of home land security dept, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that federal resources devoted to homeland security activities were a total of about $41 billion in 2004, roughly double the amount allocated to those activities before September 11, By 2007 Spending for the Department of Homeland Security increased by about 6 percent, to $42. 7 billion this money was required to further strengthen the borders and aviation security. General Seance of insecurity also slowed the pace of economic growth in 2007; economists strongly feel that it will slacken further in 2008. According to CBO, the consistent problems in the housing and financial markets and the high price of oil has curbed spending on household and businesses this is also ensuing decrease in the growth of GDP. Laws and policies developed to control terrorism has overwrought federal resources to a total of $2. 9 trillion for 2008, while the revenue will total $2.7 trillion, which will result in budget deficit of $219 billion, this situation will be worsening with the additional $30 billion required to sustain military activates in Iraq and Afghanistan. (CBO 10) As a consequence American nation is facing a decline in funds allocation for national health dept, education, and Environment protection, the 2007 financial budget favored spending on defense which brought an overall decline in resources allocated for developing U. S social welfare programs Another worrying line of attack in which terrorism is affecting U. S economy is the current decline of the U. S dollar. By 2007, an 8% decline was recorded in U. S dollars performance in index compared to its six largest trading partners. According to the predictions made by Stephen Malyon, (a currency strategist at Scotia Capital in Toronto) the current weakness in dollar should persist for the first two quarters of the current financial year, while a rise of $1. 55 in Euro against dollar was also anticipated by him. (Ellis 2008) Terrorism creates an anxiety in the midst of American people who quite frequently hear about terrorist threats and the on going war on terrorism, while a general sense of insecurity has detained the business community, and this has created a lack of confidence among the main stream investors. Terrorism has also put the burden of humongous expense that the nation had to face in shape of Dept of home land security, ever since Sept 11, while this dept controls almost all issues related to national security and U. S intelligence, an increase in the federal resources and funds devoted towards this department, and as a consequence every year a considerable decline is recorded in social benefits such as education and national health care. Other affects of terrorism on American economy at large are the red ink taxes, increase in oil cost and the decline in dollar value; all of this is contributing towards decreasing the purchase power of an average American. Economists worldwide agree that the negative aspects and the decline in U. S economy is the cost that USA is paying for the war on terrorism. More over a large number of political economical analyst feel that the issue of terrorism is being propagated by the American presidential candidates in there political agendas which is a major cause of nervousness among the nation. Many argue today about United States aggressive strategy to counter terrorism has been a mistake and think that a defensive strategy would have been a more appropriate choice in terms of the affects of terrorism on U. S economy. Work Cited; †¢ Enders Walter and Todd Sandler. The Political Economy of Terrorism. 1st ed. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University, 2006. †¢ Abadie, Gardeazabal. Terrorism and the World Economy. (2007): 40. †¢ Orszag, Peter R. United States, CBO. The Budget and Economic Outlook:Fiscal Years 2008-2017. Washington, DC: CBO, 2007. †¢ Ellis, David. Dollars slide. Its the economy, stupid (2008 )

Predictive Capabilities of the Simulex Model

Predictive Capabilities of the Simulex Model Introduction The purpose of this study is to analyse the predictive capabilities of the Simulex model, used to simulate the movement of people in evacuation simulations. Other evacuation models used within the fire engineering community, i.e. Firewind WayOut and simple hand flow calculations, provide quick and easy access to a reasonable estimate for a required movement time for egress in a building. This study will help to reveal whether the additional data used within the Simulex methodology aids the user in reaching a more accurate overall estimate. This will be done by carrying out a number of evacuation scenarios and comparing the results collected using the Firewind WayOut model and hand calculations. A multi storey hotel tower will be used to carry out the study. The outcome of the study will help to calibrate the components of the human behaviour in the Simulex model, as it is suggested that Simulex enables you to simulate occupant behaviour in the event of a building evacuation (IES, Sim ulex simulation of occupant evacuation). A considerable amount of study has been carried out on all aspects of human evacuation from emergency situations, and the affects of human behaviour on evacuation times can be seen as a major factor in terms of life safety. The majority of movement models to date take into account little consideration of the behavioural aspects of the occupants under emergency and focus their work on the flow of occupants. An evaluation of the results gathered in this study will help to show whether Simulex takes occupants-occupants interaction into account. Studies carried out in the past have revealed that occupant evacuation times are highly dependent on their perceived threat of the fire event. Appearance, proximity, propagation, time, and toxic gases of the fire threat also tend to predispose the individual to a higher level of behavioral activity, again depending upon the individuals perception of these threat variables. Thus, occupants located in close proximity to a developing fire, and with clear sensual links with smoke and heat, are likely to react more speedily than those who are reacting solely on alarm signals (John L. Bryan, Human Behavior and Fire). The importance of such an analysis tool is becoming essential in building design as regulation moves to a more performance based system. The purpose of this dissertation is to outline the methodology used within the Simulex model. The outputs determined by each of the models can then be compared along with the hand calculation work carried out. A sensitivity analysis will be performed for the Simulex model and this will help provide a clear evaluation of its predictive potential. Aim To evaluate the predictive capabilities of the Simulex movement model by carrying out both sensitivity and comparative analysis from results gained using the Firewind WayOut movement models and simple hand flow calculations. To gauge the effectiveness of the additional methodological approach taken by Simulex in gaining an overall more accurate estimate. Objectives Carry out a literature review of papers available which cover all aspects of building evacuation. Estimate crowd densities for use as input assumptions for Simulex, Firewind WayOut and hand calculations. Evaluate the model outputs and make a comparison between the methodologies adopted by each of the models. Conclusions should be formed on the basis of this evaluation. Carry out a sensitive analysis of both the Simulex and WayOut models. This can be achieved by altering the user input data to see how this effects the overall evacuation times. Gauge the predictive capabilities of each of the models in terms of how all aspects of building evacuation are taken into account. Investigate how the Simulex model attempts to deal with merging behaviours in a staircase. This will be carried out in reference to the information gained from previous work detailed in the literature review Provide concluding statements with reference to the results gained using the Simulex model. This should include an insight into whether the results gained using this method provide a more accurate estimate of the likely real life evacuation time. Methodology Carry out a literature review of the existing information available which relates to building evacuation and evacuation modeling. Factors to consider include a detailed evaluation of all aspects which affect the evacuation procedures of occupants i.e. affects of alarms, pre-movement times, human behaviour, crowd dynamics, and travel times. A study will be required relating to the current scope of movement models used within the fire engineering community. The methodologies used within the Simulex and the Firewind WayOut models will be studied and form part of the literature review. This will highlight all the differences and similarities between the methodologies incorporated into the tools. This information will be of significant importance when analysing the output data and forming any conclusions. Choose a suitable building design which can be used to carry out the study. The chosen building has been selected as the multi-storey hotel tower, Shibboleth project. Further information of the building will be provided further on in the text. CAD drawings of the Shibboleth hotel tower are required as this design will form the basis of the study. A collection of CAD drawings showing the Shibboleth floor plans will be used as a base to creating these geometries. The CAD drawings will be stripped down (removing inanimate objects i.e. furniture etc) to reveal only boundary layers i.e. walls, floors, etc. These barriers are those in which occupants are unable to pass through. A sensitivity analysis of Simulex and Firewind WayOut models will be carried out. This requires some factor of validation data to be collected by varying single point of input data and analysing how greatly they affect the overall results. By independently altering all the required input data, it is possible to monitor the effect each of the inputs has on the model outputs. This analysis will be carried out for each of the models. Run a mock evacuation using the Simulex model. To achieve this all CAD drawing will be turned into DXF files and inputted into the model. Staircases and floor plans can be linked and occupants will be added relevant to the room sizes as uses (Occupant loading will be calculated for the building and agents will be calculated and added accordingly). Run a mock evacuation using the Firewind WayOut model. The CAD drawings will again be used to measure all lengths and areas in the building. The occupant loading will be kept similar to those used in the Simulex calculation. Carry out hand calculations for the building. The process which will be followed is provided in the SFPE Handbook (SFPE Handbook, Section 3, Chapter 14; Emergency Movement). All input data used will be maintained from the previous work carried out in the computer models. This enables a conclusion to be reached as to whether the innovative tool can be used under the performance based regulatory system and form part of a successful fire engineered solution. Gaining a clear understanding of such information will allow the user to evaluate the results in a more efficient manner. An exhaustive analysis of the output data produced by both movement models will be carried out by the author. A conclusion will then be reached as to whether the FDS+Evac model can provide similar data as the movement model selected as the comparative tool. As this Simulex model is used presently within the fire engineering community to perform evacuation analysis on a number of real projects, it can then be assumed that such a tool supports the engineers performance based design solution. The results will also provide the evidence which will be required to evaluate whether the FDS+Evac model takes into account the threat perceived by the occupants in close proximity to a fire event, and incorporates this into the evacuation time for these occupants. Scope and Limitations Only two models are being reviewed in the study. The university has both Firewind WayOut and Simulex available for use at present and no other models were available at the time this study was carried out. The Simulex model is not used extensively through the course at the university and as a result the user had limited experience in operating it at the time of the study. The modelling work, i.e. measurements of lengths and areas, was carried out entirely from the drawing provided; no site visits etc were made to the building. Only one scenario has been run to carry out the study, a greater timescale for the work would have allowed a more exhaustive study, i.e. greater test cases, to be carried out. As the methodologies in each of the models vary slightly, it was only possible to minimise the extent to which occupant characteristics varied, but it was not possible to eliminate it altogether. Literature Review Regulatory Perspective As architects, designers and engineers continue to push the boundaries of building design, the regulatory system in Scotland continues to move towards a more performance based system. This system allows all parties involved in the design stage a far greater amount of freedom, i.e. promote innovation and limit the impact of regulation (S. Kipp, 1999), when ensuring a building design meets the requirements of the relevant codes. Professionals working within the built environment are now able to incorporate much more of their experience and judgement when developing a design than when following the outdated prescriptive approach, which were conceived for typical buildings. As a result of this, a number of tools have been developed within each discipline which allows each innovative design to be exhaustively tested, ensuring an adequate level of safety is provided before they are incorporated into any building design. For a fire engineer, many of these tools require computational technologies to perform a number of these tasks. Fire modelling is becoming more and more involved in the design stage of many large and complex projects all over the world. A number of models are available, varying in complexity, to carry out any necessary analysis within a number of complex spaces. They allow engineers to evaluate many fire safety related features of a building design before they are finalised, and ensure that any areas of issues with the design can be resolve before a project reaches the construction phase, as altering designs at this point can be extremely expensive and time consuming for all parties. In the UK, the current emphasis for escape design sets out to limit the distance and therefore time in which occupants are subjected to surrounding which will increase the risk of alarm or injury. The current timeframe in which occupants should have to travel from their place or origin and reach a place of safety is 2 minutes 30 seconds. This time had been calculated as a factor of the maximum allowable travel distance and the average walking speed of an occupant. Storey exit widths are sized assuming a specific flow of 80 persons/minute/metre clear width and a flow time of 2.5 minutes (Boyce et al, 2009). The time which is required to clear a floor is an important factor which must be considered to achieve an effective fire safety engineered design. The functional standards allow an engineer to carry out comparative analysis between the required safe egress time (RSET) and the available safe egress time (ASET). A building is deemed to provide an acceptable solution if the time required for egress is less than the time available before conditions are judged untenable by some factor of safety. This requirement is subject to an exhaustive analysis being carried out by a suitable professional, on all aspects of the design which will affect occupant egress. Human Behaviour in Fires A lot of research has been undertaken within the fire engineering community to gain as much understanding as possible of the factors affecting human behaviour when occupants are faced with emergency evacuation procedures in the built environment. John L. Bryan has covered a lot of work studying person-fire interaction and how occupant awareness can affect pre-movement times D. Canter has done a lot of work in gathering data from a number of sources to paint a clearer picture of the evacuation process. E. R. Galea covered a study dealing with human behaviour during evacuation of the world trade centre attack in 2001. Jonathan D Sime has produced work dealing with peoples ability to way find in a building, his work has shown that it may be more effective to incorporate escape routes into the general circulation routes as this will increase occupant familiarity with evacuation routes. Lars Benthorn provided an insight into how people evaluate information and subsequently choose their escape path. There are many more professionals who have done excellent work in analysing human behaviour in emergency situations and all the information collected is useful as it can then be incorporated into the design of evacuation tools. Building evacuation takes on a number of stages and involves a timeframe from the incipient stage of a fire right through until the last occupant has reached a place of safety. Human behaviour can affect both pre-movement and movement times, therefore it is essential to have a clear understanding of how to adapt an evacuation design to maximise its potential in life safety terms. The time to evacuate a building is a combination of several stages, these stages are: Detection time; Alarm time; Pre-movement time, (this is a combination of recognition and response time); and Travel time. The time taken for each of these stages of the evacuation process is dependent on the occupants response and behaviour. Figure 1: Factors involved in assessing the total escape time. (CIBSE Guide E: Fire safety engineering design approaches, 4-7). Pre-movement Time Distribution The pre-movement time of a building is the time for occupants to react to the alarm signal and begin their evacuation process. There are many factors which can affect the pre-movement times of occupants and these will be highlighted later in this text. In multi storey, multiple use occupancies, such as the one selected as part of the study, it can be assumed that not all occupants will have comparable pre-movement times, and for this reason it is good practice to study the appropriate time distribution curves in order to provide an accurate account of an expected pre-movement time in a building simulation. Purser et al, 1999, suggest from their work that Once the first few occupants have begun to move, the pre-movement times for the remainder of the occupants in an enclosure tend to follow a logarithmic–normal frequency time distribution. The shape of the above curves follow a typical pre-movement tome distribution following what has been observed historically; the initial delay of start up highlights the time taken for the first of the occupants to make the preliminary movements towards their chosen exit. This is followed by a rapid increase in frequency as the majority of others tend to initiate their travel phase. The long tail of the curve illustrates the last remaining occupants who will begin their travel period which will signify the end of the total pre-movement phase of the evacuation process. The above distributions are fit well for open plan occupancies where occupants have a clear view of the majority of other persons in the premises. In a building hosting a large number of enclosures, it can be assumed that the time distribution will be far wider than shown in the above diagram. This is due to the limited visibility which would be available for occupants in such a premises; the herding effect as occupants will be reduced as they would have less chance of grouping together and following the actions of the first occupants who move. Purser et al, 1999 , suggests that a range of 20-30 minutes would be more suitable for a multi occupancy building with sleeping risk (such as the Shibboleth hotel tower used to carry out the study). Many different factors will influence how a person will react and the decisions they make will determine their evacuation process. It can be very difficult to obtain real evacuation behavior; real evacuations may be undertaken by people who are unaware of the actual urgency to escape. They may perceive the alarm as a drill (Jake Pauls, 2003) People are often unaware that the alarm they hear is not a false one and so they will proceed to evacuate as they see fit to do so. Stopping to gather up personal belongings or only beginning to evacuate when others around them do. People have both reaction times and pre-movement times, reaction time is the time taken to perceive the alarm and decide to take action; and the pre-movement time is the time that elapses while the occupant is preparing to leave. L. Benthorn (1999): People usually choose to leave a building the same way they came in, even if this is a poorer alternative than other available. Within the field of behavioural science, it is pointed out that people often choose the known before the unknown, which would explain the above behaviour. Occupants in a building will tend to head for the exit them came in through not only are they familiar with this exit it but it will lead them to a place they will recognise. This is particularly true for those people who are not familiar with their surroundings. People will continue to do this and follow the crowd until they are either faced with the fire or are given further information. It has been suggested that incorporating evacuation routes wherever possible into the main circulation routes at the design stage will aim to optimise the effectiveness of the evacuation strategy. This is due to the fact that occupants tend to use a familiar route. The occupant characteristics that should be considered in performing an evacuation analysis are listed below: Population numbers and Density The maximum potential load should be used to give a conservative estimation. The number of people using a building or space and their distribution will greatly affect the travel and flow speeds speed of occupants. Familiarity A persons familiarity and regular use of the building and its systems may cause them to respond differently. Competent users of the building will have prior knowledge of the nearest escape routes and they may have had the opportunity to have participated in drills. Those unfamiliar with the building will rely upon the knowledge of staff and the clarity of signage available, and may be less responsive to warning systems. Distribution and Activities Distribution will impact on movement speeds and density will impact on the ability to communicate instructions. Activities people are involved in will affect their initial response. Those who are dedicated to a task within a building will not necessarily be able stop their job on activation of the alarm system. Level of Alertness The commitment of people to their activity or their interaction with others can affect their awareness. A premise which holds a sleeping risk for occupants can be expected to have a delayed response time. Physical and Mental Ability Some occupants may rely entirely on assistance, disabled; those with a hearing disability or those with a visual disability may require special means of notification. Level of Mobility Affected by the age of occupants, age can influence the ability of an individual to independently make their way along an exit route and reach a place of safety within an acceptable timescale. It may also reduce an occupants ability to withstand exposure to smoke and other harmful bi-products of fire. Social Affiliation Behaviour will be strongly influenced with the interaction between occupants. Groups of people who have a social connection (i.e. parent and child who are separated within premises at the time of the fire event) will try and regroup before making their way to an exit. The time spend undertaking such an act may increase the level of risk for these occupants. Groups of evacuees try to stay together and the slowest member of the group influences their speed. Role and Responsibility Sufficiently, well-trained and authoritative staff will shorten the pre-movement phase of an evacuation process. An effective management plan followed by all members of staff will ensure this is provided within premises. Location Can influence a persons choice of exit and the time to notification. Travel distances will be affected by location. Commitment Those who are committed to their activity will be reluctant to respond to an alarm, especially if it means their task is to be started again. Responsiveness The extent to which a person is likely to respond to alarms, those who have previous experience of emergency situations may be less likely to respond quickly as they are aware of the most appropriate action to take. The Panic Theory When people, attempting to escape from a burning building pile up at a single exit, their behaviour appears highly irrational to someone who learns after the panic that other exits were available. To the actor in the situation who does not recognise the existence of these alternatives, attempting to fight his way to the only exit available may seem a very logical choice as opposed to burning to death. (Turner and Killian 1957) The concept of panic is attributed to occupants lack of knowledge about a fires existence before a fire reaches a size where it can seriously hamper the ease in which evacuees are able to escape. This can be due to a problem with the detection and alarm system installed within premises, or the lack of information available to occupants as they try and make their way to the relevant escape routes. The theory of panic is not an easy thing to define, yet a set of definitions are presented below: A sudden and excessive feeling of alarm or fear, usually affecting a body of persons, originating in some real or supposed danger, vaguely apprehended, and leading to extravagant and injudicious efforts to secure safety. (John L. Bryan 1984) A fear-induced flight behavior which is nonrational, nonadaptive, and nonsocial, which serves to reduce the escape possibilities of the group as a whole, (Kentucky State Police, 1977). In the stress of a fire, people often act inappropriately and rarely panic or behave irrationally. Such behavior, to a large extent, is due to the fact that information initially available to people regarding the possible existence of a fire and its size and location is often ambiguous or inadequate. (Ramachandran, 1990.) Affect of Alarm on Pedestrian Movement The type of detection and alarm system in a building can greatly affect the way in which occupants despond to the emergency signal, and this is turn will affect the response time of occupants. The level of information that occupants are provided with in the early stages of evacuation can influence their decision to evacuate. It has been common practice to use traditional ringing sounders within non-domestic premises in recent years. One drawback of using this form of alarm signal is that occupants are not being provided with any informative information regarding the fire event. Evacuees could benefit from a system which would inform them of a fires location and lets them know which evacuation route is the safest in terms of their location in the building. This is a difficult system to integrate into a building as fires are extremely unreliable and information is specific to a single fire scenario. Sounders themselves are not the most informative method of warning system; they convey little information and have been proven ineffective (Bob Choppen, 2003). Voice alarm systems are largely becoming a more acceptable mode of informing occupants of a fire occurrence in modern buildings. Large premises which are designed to cater mainly for the general public will benefit greatest from a voice alarm system. Occupants are fuelled with much more information of the emergency event than in the past using traditional alarm signals. Voice messages can convey a greater deal of information to the occupants. John L Bryan concluded from his research that the use of voice alarms/public announcements with an alarm bell was the most effective way of warning occupants. Ramachandran in his review of the research on human behaviour in fires in the UK since 1969 summarized the effectiveness of alarm bells as awareness cues: The response to fire alarm bells and sounders tends to be less than optimum. There is usually skepticism as to whether the noise indicated a fire alarm and if so, is the alarm merely a system test or drill? A lack of panic is attributed to a number of factors including: Insufficient seriousness of an emergency. Acceptance of staff responsibility to direct occupants to exits. Evacuation process is complete before occupants have come in sight or contact with fire and smoke. Panic was not initiated at exit paths due to sufficient exit widths being available, thus eliminating the chance for queuing to occur, i.e. little competition for similar exits by occupants. Human Stress Model. (University coursework notes, Evacuation Systems Design model; Powerpoint Presentation namely Human Behaviour in Fire (Slide 48/51), Dr. Iain Sanderson, 2008). Evacuation Modeling Evacuation models can help engineers prove that tenable conditions will be available to occupants for the timescale required for all occupants to reach a place of safety, which an element of safety built in. The total time for occupants for occupants from the time of detection and alarm, to the time for the last occupant to reach a place of safety, is called the Required Safe Egress Time (RSET). This is traditionally compared with the time from fire ignition until tenable limits are exceeded, and conditions have reached a level where humans will be unable to continue their process of escape. This time is called the Available Safe Egress Time (ASET). As long as RSET > ASET by some factor of safety, a building is deemed to provide an adequate level of safety for all occupants to escape in an emergency situation. Pedestrian movement models have typically fallen into two categories, one category dealt independently with movement and the other tried to connect both movement and human behaviour. S. Gwynne (1999) highlights the main approaches available of computer analysis models: Computer based analysis of evacuation can be performed using one of three different approaches, namely optimization, simulation and risk assessment. Furthermore, within each approach different means of representing the enclosure, the population and the behaviour of the population are possible. Movement models can be categorised in a number of forms; Ball bearing, Optimisation, Simulation or Risk Assessment models. Ball bearing / Gaseous This example of movement model treats its subjects as inanimate objects. Sometimes referred to as environmental determinism, subjects are unthinking individuals who respond only to external stimuli, thus human behaviour it not taken into account. Occupants are assumed to begin their evacuation instantly, with no regard to the time taken for detection, alarm and pre-movement times. Factors effecting occupant movement therefore only include physical considerations of the occupants and their surroundings (i.e. crowd densities, exit widths and travel speeds). Individual occupants are merged into units and their movement treats their egress on masse (S. Gwynne, 1999). A good example of a model which employs this type of methodology is Firewind, with its WayOut tool. Optimisation This form of pedestrian movement model deals with large crowds of people at the same time. Evacuees are treated as homogeneous groups, thus there are no independent characteristics for a particular individual. People are uniformly distributed; all exits will be equally shared. One of the best examples of this form of model is EVACNET. 6.5.3 Simulation These models try and take into account not only the physical characteristics of the space, but also consider some representation of human behaviour in emergency scenarios. They attempt to produce as an output the path and decisions taken my individuals during the evacuation process. Examples of this type of model include Simulex and buildingEXODUS. 6.5.4 Risk Assessment Model These models are an attempt to identify hazards associated with the evacuation of a building, be it due to the occupants or the building, and attempt to quantify the resultant risk. An example of this type of model would be Crisp, and WayOut. 6.5.6 Enclosure Representation Enclosure representation of the geometries created within a computer models can take on two forms; fine and course networks. Enclosures are subdivided into a number of zones which are interconnected with neighbouring zones, and the characteristics of each of these affect the parameters found in each on the adjoining cells. The detail and size of each of these zones determines which category a model shall fall into. NODE ARC NODEOne or more arcs connecting 2 nodes are called a Path. (John M Watts 1987). Definition of a network model is given by John M Watts (1987), A network models is a graphical representation of routes by which objects or energy may move from one point to another. 6.5.6.1 Fine Networks Models using this method divide the entire floor space of the enclosure into a selection of shapes or nodes. The size and shape of these nodes will vary for different models. The node is connected to its neighbouring node by an arc. Paths of individuals are tracked over time. Examples of such models include Bgraf, Egress, buildngExodus, Magnetmodel, Simulex and Vegas. 6.5.6.2 Coarse Networks Models following this form of enclosure representation do not allow individual occupants to be followed independently of other within the group. Single nodes represent large spaces, such as rooms and corridors. As evacuees moved from space to space, users will be unaware of their position in each node. A coarse network does not provide information regarding person-wall, person-person and pe