America Online Inc Case Study Essay

3. Was AOL’s policy to capitalize subscriber acquisition costs justified prior to 1995? Ans: AOL’s accounting policy was labeled aggressive and capitalized its subscriber acquisition costs when its archrival CompuServe didn’t. AOL’s biggest expenditure was the cost of attracting new subscribers and maximizing shareholders’ value: 1. Separate registration numbers and passwords were issued to customers. They cost more than $40 per new subscriber in 1994. 2. AOL aggressively marketed its online service both directly and indirectly. 3. To retain new subscribers and increase customer loyalty & satisfaction, AO The noteable accounting procedures followed by AOL were as follows: :a. AOL’s amortization period for subscriber acquisition costs was about 15 months, such aggressive accounting was attributed to the bundling & direct mail marketing practices b. During September 1995, the company modified the components of subscriber acquisition costs as incurred Analysis a. It is not advisable for AOL to capitalize the marketing costs because in 1990s Web was being established. This would definitely impact the sales. Instead of amortizing the Acquisition Costs for 15 months, if we treat it as single lumpsum cost, the Income statement shows a loss for the period. Capitalizing the expenditure for 2 years contained an implicit assumption for the coming two years. This was unlikely with the online industry as it had acquired most of its customers in the last 36 months, If AOL were to write off all capitalized subscriber acquisition costs the effect on the 1995 balance would be a $77,229,000 reduction in other assets and stockholders’ equity. If all the subscriber acquisition costs incurred in fiscal year 1995 were expensed in 1995, the effect on the income statement would be an increase in marketing expense of $50,837,000 and an increase in net loss of $50,837,000

Capital Budgeting Essay

This paper will give a comparison between the various preferred capital budgeting evaluation techniques in the corporate business setting. There will be a recommendation given for the Guillermo Furniture Company based on the results of one or more evaluation techniques, which in turn will help direct the financial health of the organization. Corporations are continually striving to improve the financial health of its organization and one strategic way many corporations are doing that is through capital budgeting. Capital budgeting involves choices. The choices revolve around projects that will add value to the organization. The projects can include acquiring land, purchasing a truck, or replacing old equipment. Many times, corporations are encouraged to undertake projects that will increase its profitability. The challenge is to find the appropriate evaluation method to bring the intended profitability into reality. The three preferred evaluation methods that many corporations use are net present value, internal rate of return, and payback period. Many corporations often calculate capital budgeting solutions using all three methods. However, each method often produces contradictory results. The net present value method is the most accurate valuation approach to capital budgeting issues (smallbusiness). If a corporation can discount the after tax cash flow by the weighted average cost of capital, managers can determine if the project will be profitable or not. The net present value method reveals exactly how profitable a project will be to the corporation versus the alternative methods (Chen, 2012). With the various evaluation methods, corporations can base the decisions for the future on the results of the evaluation. The net present value method takes the time value of money by discounting an investment’s future return to a present value (Chen, 2012). The thought behind the time value of money concept is that a dollar in hand today is worth more than the same dollar in the future. In capital budgeting decisions, the net present value discount is taken into consideration when the present value of the future return is compared with the present value of the cash outflows on any investment (Mason, 2011). If a corporation, such as Guillermo Furniture, is considering using the net present value method, the return on the investment would show clearly whether it is more than sufficient to increase the financial health of the corporation or not. Another preferred evaluation method is the internal rate of return. The internal rate of return is a discount rate that results from a net present value equal to zero (Mason, 2011). When the internal rate of return is higher than the weighted average cost of capital, it would be considered a profitable endeavor and thus should be pursued (Steven, 2010). A major advantage of the internal rate of return method is that it provides a benchmark for every project (Steven, 2010). This can allow a corporation to compare projects on the basis of the return on invested capital. For example, if Guillermo Furniture’s internal rate of return results higher than the cost of capital, it would be determined that the project is acceptable, and the corporation should move forward on the project. However, if the results are less than the cost of capital, the corporation should abort the project as it would hurt the financial health of the corporation. The final preferred evaluation method used by corporations is the payback period method. The payback period method reveals the amount of time it would take to recover the initial investment on a particular project (smallbusiness). Even though this method is considered preferred, it can result in disappointment for many corporations who value the results (Steven, 2010). The main reason is the results do not factor in the cash flow in its entirety from a certain project, which can skew the overall result of the return on the potential investment (Steven, 2010). When a corporation analyzes this method, it is determined that it results in a break even measure and only measures the economic life of the particular investment revolving around the payback period (Steven, 2010). This method is used mainly as a comparative measure for the net present value and the internal rate of return giving a time frame of recovering the initial investment. After considering the three preferred evaluation methods, it was determined that the net present value method would be the method of choice for the Guillermo Furniture scenario for a couple of reasons. First, the corporation cannot rely solely on the payback method because it does not take into account the entire cash flow for the project. After calculating how much time it would take to recover the initial investment, it was found that it would take more than 50 years, which is unrealistic for capital budgeting purposes. The focus shifted to the second preferred method of internal rate of return. The internal rate of return proved that the return on the investment would only yield 10%. The calculation was based on taking the total investment of $1,354,141. 21 and dividing it on the number of years the profit was expected to continue, which totaled $133,742. 20. The expected rate of return for the project had to be at least 12% for the project to be acceptable. Based on the net present value calculations and taking the required rate of return of 12%, the number of years the profit is expected to continue, which is 5, and the future annual cash flows amount of $26,748. 4, the present value of future cash flows equaled $96,422. 14. The net present value is measured by taking the investment outflow ($96,422. 14) minus the present value of future cash flows ($1,354,141. 21), which equals $1,257,719. 07. By dividing this amount by the investment outflow, the rate of return on investment yields 13%. Therefore, it would be recommended that Guillermo Furniture use the net present valu e method for this project as it would improve the financial health of the corporation.

The subject is leadership and the research about King Fahad, the king Paper

The subject is leadership and the about King Fahad, the king of Saudi Arabia - Research Paper Example Being a leader and the king of Saudi Arabia, Fahad had a dual responsibility to grow and arrange a culture of selflessness. He had to perform his work selflessly and the greatest challenge is that he had to convince his subjects to work selflessly for their own benefits and for the country too. King Fahad backed the United Nations at some point offering 5.5% of the national income of Saudi Arabia through many funds such as OPEC and Saudi funds for the purposes of international development (Weston 67). Due to his good leadership qualities and selflessness, he also offered aid to foreign groups like Nicaraguan Contras and Bosnian Muslims in the early wars of Yugoslavia (Nasser and Esber 83). He had also supported the Palestinians in various ways. King Fahad commonly took time to determine the way he would communicate with his people. Most of the Arabians became loyal to him due to the developments initiated by him and for always taking the time to inspire his subjects to work hard (Mor dechai 45). The King himself sought to tackle corruption by seeking to instill discipline in line with Islamic laws. The kingdom, under his leadership witnessed astronomical growth in the education sector, infrastructure and economic development. He realized how much backward his kingdom was in terms of literacy level and sought not to educate only close members of his family but looked beyond familial relations seeking to develop the entire kingdom. Even in anger, the king appeared composed and expressed his views confidently. When Saddam Hussein attacked Kuwait, Fahad urged the Americans to help in evicting Iraq from neighboring Kuwait. He did this considering the welfare of the Kuwaiti while at the same time opposing the breakup of Iraq which was the aggressor as noted by Sicherman (par 9). Many people in the world normally follow an assertive leader. Assertiveness in a hostile environment for the sake of the protection of the Saudi monarchy is perhaps one of the greatest tactics that the leader has demonstrated. While keeping a watchful eye on the developments of the world around, the King was been able to ensure that the massive natural resources enjoyed by the kingdom did not turn into a curse like it commonly happens. In spite of facing numerous challenges with respect to military organization and the use of oil resources, King Fahad remained firm in raising the country’s annual budget to about 55 billion USD. In doing so, he ensured that the military got a generous share of the budget allocation considering the volatile situation if the Middle East at that time. Furthermore, he struggled against the wishes of other major oil producers to protect the interests of consumers. In order to accomplish this goal, he directed the use of the country’s oil reserves to supply the produce to countries such as the United States of America and Canada. Countries struggling with handling greed and selfish interests from various quarters must apply assert iveness as demonstrated by this great leader. Fahad inquired much about how he could help develop his kingdom. He realized that the country needed to implement a government scholarship program to help men and women of Saudi Arabia further their studies in western universities both for postgraduate and undergraduate studies. In spite of criticism in taking this measure, he made the decision to implement the program

Divorce from Different Perspectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Divorce from Different Perspectives - Essay Example This paper will provide a platform for the analysis of the topic of divorce by first understanding their rationale on the subject. Some of the major contributors to the increased divorce cases will be identified and will finally conclude by establishing some of the ways the different parties propose for tackling this problem. According to Browning, the major causes of the change in family patterns such as increased divorce rates are modernization and globalization. This further raises a vital question such as should the changes be embraced and seen as the norm? The other important question that arises is what are the changes indicative of dynamism in family life or are they part of a wider problem or crisis? Browning notes that since the 1980’s there has been a significant change in the worldwide perception of family changes such as divorce. Studies conducted by sociologists, psychologists and economists point to these changes as to having detrimental effects on most people. D ivorce has been found to bring about immense emotional, social and financial consequences. Changes in the family patterns caused by practices such as divorce have been linked to declining well-being of children who are involved in the process. Studies into the effects of divorce have pointed out that children from families where divorce has happened have a high rate of delinquency. They were also found to exhibit low self-confidence and faced a higher risk of leading unhappy marriages in the future. It is critical to understand that each branch of Christianity views divorce in its different way. Since its commencement over two thousand years ago, the Catholic Church has maintained its stand on the indissolubility of marriage. The church holds a conservative view on the dissolution of a marriage. According to the Catholic Church teachings, marriage is a covenant not only between two consenting adults but also between the parties and God.  

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 30

History - Essay Example This ensured that the trade continued to grow as the growing demand for the goods could not be satisfied. Traders in the region realized the profitability of undertaking long distance trade, and this encouraged many to join it; thus, ensuring the further expansion of trade. From the east, especially China was a demand for products from further westward such as gold, ivory, and perfumes, which were extremely rare in that country. On the other hand, there was a demand for various eastern products such as silk and spices to the west, and these products fuelled the increase in the number of traders on the eastern long distance trade. This was not the case with the Western Hemisphere because this region was not thought of as being as developed as the East. Moreover, those who were involved in trade in this region only did it on a small scale because of the high insecurity within it. Bandits whose main aim was to kill and take loot to the trade goods that were being transported haunted most of the trade routes in the Western Hemisphere. The dangers involved in such trade discouraged it in the Western Hemisphere, and only few courageous people ever ventured into long distance trade. In fact, a majority of European traders preferred being involved in the long distance trade of the east because of safety that was guaranteed to them. In addition, the success of the long distance trade can be attributed to some of the powerful empires that developed along the trade routes. Some of these, such as the Mongol empire occupied almost the entire trade route, and because they derived taxes from the trade conducted, the Mongol administration ensured that all the trade routes were cleared of bandits. This immensely encouraged more traders to get inv olved in the trade because there was no fear of them being robbed or killed in the process of conducting their activities (Prazniak 177). Therefore, it can be said

Close Reading of the Feminine Mystique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Close Reading of the Feminine Mystique - Essay Example Betty Freidan studied and interviewed women that were suburban wives living in good houses with their administrative husbands who made lots of money before writing the book. These homemakers had done all things right. They had wedded when they were young, and some hardly finished or did not finish high school at all, while others were college dropouts, all for the target of marrying their darling and gratifying the perfect illustration of the feminine mystique. After marriage, these women had had large numbers babies by normal childbirth. Furthermore, they stitched all their clothing and cleaned all their dishes by use of hands. They also took the initiative to breastfed all of their children, and they concentrated on their husbands and children’s goals and interests so much that they lost focus of their own. Despite the fact that these women were dwelling by the ideal standards placed by the womanly mystique, they were terribly unhappy. A lot of them were visiting psychoanalysts without helpful results, thus many were anchoring depressing thoughts, resentful and considering all from an extramarital affair to self-murder. The psychoanalysts identified chronic fatigue syndrome to be the most ordinary problem of all (Coontz 19). The women that had this problem had listlessness as well as restlessness. They were at all times tired despite of how much they laid in bed. Their bones and joints always ached. They could never remain interested in or focused on one topic for a long period. They were bodily with their children all the time, although never present in spirit. Betty Frieden had extremely fine thought out ideas, and the American homemakers of the sixties, and later years, really required these ideas. For example, Friedan makes a comment on how the work of the house expands to suit the time available. She clearly noted that the houses of the women who were working were at

Teenage Abortion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Teenage Abortion - Research Paper Example In olden days, ancient people used natural abortion practices when cases involving health complications and emotional immaturity to save a mother’s life (Soranau’s Gynecology) (Bull.  Acad.  Natl.  Med.  171  (8):1027–32). In 21st century, with the increasing urbanization and industrialization, the number of girls, who visit the clinic for abortion, is extremely high. According to the National Abortion Organization, nearly one million teenagers become pregnant each year and 78 percent of these teenage pregnancies are unintended. A practice, which is used to save a mother’s life on olden days, is now became big concern as teenagers started thronging into the clinics because of unwanted pregnancies. There are several reasons behind girls choosing abortion. It is the responsibility of all educated to empower teenage girls to stay away from the activities that helps unwanted pregnancies. As teenagers who are carrying an unwanted pregnancy are visitin g clinics without any parental notification for abortion, empowering teenagers regarding the implications of unwanted pregnancy will prevent teenage abortions. Teen Abortion has always been most controversial subject in nature. I feel, this is attributable to the well known fact that majority of the people have got different set of beliefs that are inherited from the religion and society. Some people say teenage abortion is wrong but some enunciate it is right under some circumstances. As per the statistics of National Abortion Federation, 80 out of 100 Americans have sex before 20 years of age. The average age of a girl, who loses her virginity is around 17 years. This is the main reason behind the teen abortions in America. There are a very few cases where girls under 15 years of age become pregnant due to forceful sex and they will not have any option but to choose abortion. Teen abortion was legal in all states before 1991. The law in a

Religion Experience Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Religion Experience - Research Paper Example It is important to note that Roman Catholic and some of its splinter affiliates has the majority believers population among the Christians and the world at large and this explains why this is a globally observed period with internationally recognized periods of Holiday (Catholic University of America,2002). It is important to understand the underlying concepts that constitute the entire season and the subsequent holidays which have a lot of meaning to the Christian faithful. East results from the lent season which constitutes 40 days after which the Pentecost season begins lasting 50 days. Due to its focus on this symbolic event in the life of Jesus from whom the Christian believers derive their spiritual identity, it remains the central point on which all other religious activities calendar is drawn. It is worth to note that the Easter season is dotted with many other special days before and after and one such a day is Ash Wednesday. This an exclusive day which marks the first day of Lent and falls within the months of February 14th and March 11th at an estimated six and half weeks prior to Easter. Archival records of the early Christianity indicate varied length of lent which was later fixed at 40 days from the 7th century. The lent period is set at 40 days which is consistent with the period Jesus took starving in the wilderness. In respect of that doctrine, believers are expected to go through a period of fasting and sacrificing much of their time praying and helping the needy in the society (Wilkinson & Charing, 2004). This solidifies the faith by an action slogan that is much talked about in the bible and other theological scholarly works. Abstinence from sexual intercourse from every believer is equally expected during this special season as it is generally dedicated to the service of God. The most common mark of celebrating this Ash Wednesday is the smearing of ash on the forehead of the participants as a symbol of penance and this is attached to blessings. It is worth to note that some aspects of this event have changed over time. This is in regard to the application of ash on the forehead exclusively on participants which has lately changed to a case where ash is given to the entire congregatio n during the service and all members in attendance are marked. The religious connotations that were directed towards this event have equally changed from the traditional likening of human being to dust and the new idea of preaching repentance (Catholic University of America, 2002). It is also important to notice that this ash is derived from the burnt palm fronds which previously had been used during the Palm Sunday. Within the larger concept of the Easter season, on-catholic churches like the Eastern Orthodox celebrate clean Monday which begins with the lent period and the only difference in the catholic version is skipping of Sunday with a claim that Jesus resurrected on Sunday. During the Easter season, Passion Sunday is also celebrated as a commemoration to the maiden entry of Jesus to Jerusalem before he was crucified some days later. The event actually proceeds through a procession of palm fronds which constitutes blessing and the same are later burnt to produce ash for the ne xt year’s Ash Wednesday. There are fifty days of Easter season between the end of lent and the Holy Saturday. It is important to note that Holy Saturday is very significant in respect to the celebration of the Easter holiday. This is the day when most Christians across the world begin to prepare for Easter services (Wilkinson & Charing, 2004). In the historic periods of the Christianity people engaged in an overnight fasting in preparation for baptismal of new

Develop a sense of the importance of integrity and ethics in small Essay

Develop a sense of the importance of integrity and ethics in small business ownership - Essay Example This paper will discuss the importance of ethics and integrity in small business enterprises. Research asserts that small-business investors substantially rely on ethical codes in the business setting. For example, the aspect of ethics in matters regarding finance should not be overlooked. This is because such businesses rely on accounting ethics. In case the business owners are not conscious about financial recordkeeping practices, then, they are likely to face tremendous challenges. In addition, they are exposed to risks related to fraud if they do not uphold ethics and integrity in the business (Petryni, 2008). Recently, some of the small businesses have implemented the code of ethics which is normally entailed in the policies of the organization. This code of ethics is normally a statement of values which defines the organization. In most cases, the code of ethics usually addresses issues related to conflict of interest, competition data, assets of the company and employee practices. Furthermore, integrity also forms a crucial part in business since; lack of integrity in the organization leads to poor development of the firm (Longenecker, Petty, Palich, & Hoy, 2012). Contrarily, there are some businesses which do not uphold the integrity and the code of ethics. In such cases, the business is said to run under unethical practices. There are several unethical practices that are practiced in most of the small businesses. One of the most prominent unethical practices is the lack of compassion. According to empirical studies, most of the workers in small business firms are usually exposed to unethical treatment (Longenecker, Petty, Palich, & Hoy, 2012). For example, most small companies offer medical covers for its employees especially if the company operates in risky circumstances. In case an employee is injured while in the line of duty, he or she must be

Product Reassessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Product Reassessment - Essay Example With respect to gender, 80% of beer consumers using SABMiller products are male. Women account for 20% of SABMiller’s products consumed. The company’s market segments in the US are dived into 21-27 year olds. The Latin America population segment, the African Americans population segment and finally the 50 years or older population (SABMiller 2010). The target market for SABMiller has grown steadily in the past. 9% of the Latin Americans consume SABMiller products. SABMiller has positioned itself in the market to expect a 13% growth in consumption of beer by 21-27 year olds, a 32% increase in consumption of its beer products by Latinos, 15% increase in consumption by African Americans and 25% increase in consumption by individuals who are 50 years and above. As at September 30th 2012, the company’s sales rose by 4 percent in Latin America (Geller, 2012). This shows that the company has positioned itself strategically to solidify it position as the number two brewe r world wide. The company has adopted a strategy to promote its products in the existing markets in the US and avoid markets that are either too volatile or too small. Types of research needed to reposition SABMiller products Branding research SABMiller requires to embark on branding research in order to reposition its beer products. Branding research is instrumental in creating a brand that has a positive and rusted image in the mind of customers and stakeholders. Branding research enables the company’s products to be structured in a way that reflect the products as the best in the market. Through this research, SABMiller will put strategies to make its customers see, hear, experience and believe the company’s products are the best in the market. Branding research provides information that is utilized to increase brand awareness, brand recognition, and improve the perceived quality and credibility of the company. SABMiller needs to undertake branding research to posit ion its brand strategically and ultimately increase the company’s sales and profits (Vernom research group 2012). Business forecasting research. It is paramount for SABMiller to undertake business forecasting research to focus accurately on business trends. This is vital for the company to reposition itself as one of the best brewing companies in the world. This type of research assesses the opportunities for new technologies as vital elements to reposition the company’s products. Business forecasting provides information on how the company is supposed to use its resources. The resources are used to identify the market that is vital with respect to the company’s operations. Through business forecasting research, SABMiller will understand the customer’s acceptance of SABMiller’s products and customer’s likelihood to purchase its products (Vernom research group 2012). Image and advertising research According to Vernom research group (2012), SA BMiller’s repositioning among the fierce competitor should focus on boosting its image in the beer industry. This information should be obtained through conducting image and advertising research. This type of research aids the company to put more emphasis on its brand image when repositioning. Image and advert

Critically Assess the Uses and Limitations of Financial Statements Essay Example for Free

Critically Assess the Uses and Limitations of Financial Statements Essay Critically assess the uses and limitations of financial statements The definition for a financial statement is a written report which quantitatively describes the financial health of a company. (www. investorwords. com) It consists of a balance sheet, income statements and a cash flow statement. This essay will critically asses the uses and limitations of each of these types of financial statements for a business. A balance sheet shows the financial condition of a business at a specific date (Langemeier Klinefelter 2008). It shows what is owned by the business, what is owed and the owner’s share (net worth) of the business. The balance sheet has three main uses. Firstly, it is used for reporting purposes as part of a limited company’s annual accounts. These must be shown to Companies House, HM Revenue and Customs and any shareholders unless agreed otherwise. It is also used to let potential investor’s or lenders asses the worth of a business at any given time. This way they can judge whether they think they should be investing money into the business according to how solvent the business is, how liquid its assets are, how the business is financed and how much capital is being used. Finally they can be used by the business itself to analyse how to improve its management. There are a few limitations of a balance sheet as some values of current assets are estimated (www. businesslink. gov. uk); therefore the balance sheet does not reflect a 100% accurate financial position of a business. Also, the fixed assets in the balance sheet have taken the depreciation of the asset into consideration and so the true value is not shown. Finally, intangible assets such as goodwill cannot be measured and are therefore estimated figures too and may be very inaccurate thus causing the whole balance sheet to be incorrect. Therefore a balance sheet is useful in many ways as long as whoever is interpreting the figures takes into consideration that a few of the figures are not accurate. An income statement, also known as a profit and loss account, measures the profits or losses a business has made over a certain period of time (money-zine. com). If a business wishes to expand and needs a bank loan they will need to produce their profit and loss accounts for the previous three years so the bank can see whether they will be able to repay the loan. These must be accurate records or it will be taken into account as fraud. There are many advantages of keeping accurate and up to date records. Firstly, it gives a business the information it needs to be managed and help it grow. If a business can see where its strong or weak points are then it can find ways to improve for example by cutting down on expenses. It also enables a business to produce their income statement quickly if required and filling in their tax return easier and quicker which in turn reduces the risk of interest for late tax payments. These financial statements are usually available to the public which means competitors can see how each other are doing, however very few people understand them when all transactions are recorded in larger companies. There are also some limitations of income statements one being that its data does not tell the user anything about what may happen in the future or factors that may affect future growth of the company. It is simply limited to accounting data. The second limitation is that not all businesses use an acceptable accounting method. An example from www. money-zine. com states that â€Å"if a business decides to accelerate depreciation then they hurt short-term net income and earnings (depreciation expense is larger). If they use straight line depreciation, net income in earlier years will be higher but it will be lower in the future (all things being equal)†. The final type of financial statement is a cash flow statement. It records the inflow and outflow of cash over a period of time. The cash flow statement allows investors to understand how a companys operations are running, where its money is coming from, and how it is being spent. According Hertenstein Article 26 there are three main people that want to see a business’s cash flow statements. Firstly stockholders want to know if the business is generating enough cash to pay dividends. Secondly suppliers want to know if their customers will be able to pay if offered credit. Thirdly investors want to evaluate future growth potential. These types of financial accounts are cheap to maintain because you do not have to be a trained accountant to produce them as they are not a complicated as the other types of financial accounts. Though the cash flow statement is a very useful tool of financial analysis, it has its own limitations which must be kept in mind at the time of its use. The main limitation is that the cash flow statement only records cash transactions and so ignores the basic accounting concept of accruals and tems bought on credit and therefore are not suitable for judging the profitability of a business. Also cash flow statements are prepared using historical information which is in the past. Therefore it does not asses what may happen in the future to a business’s accounts. In conclusion, there are many uses for financial statements as they provide a solid picture of a business’s performance when compared to each other, and the users can easily spot flaws in the entity’s financial position and manage these accordingly. However their limitations must be considered when analysing the data as they only supply the reader with past and present quantitative data and do not address any of the qualitative economic variables such as the morale of the employees or the quality of the management team. There is currently no way of measuring these intangible assets, even though a business’s human resources are some of its most valuable assets.

Structure, Physical Properties and Uses of Metals

Structure, Physical Properties and Uses of Metals Jason Thien FS Introduction Metals account for about two thirds of all the elements and about 24% of the mass of the planet. Metals have useful properties including strength, ductility, high melting points, thermal and electrical conductivity, and toughness. From the periodic table, it can be seen that a large number of the elements are classified as being a metal. Iron (Fe) The symbol for iron, Fe, comes from the Latin word Ferrum, and is one of the most useful elements in the world. Iron has: An atomic mass of 55.845 amu Melting point of 1535.0 degree Celsius Boiling point of 2750.0 degree celsius Electric configuration of [Ar] 3d6 4s2 Density of 7.86g/cm3 at 20 degree Celsius 26 number of electrons and protons and 30 neutrons Atomic structure of Iron Iron has a cubic crystal structure which is cubic body centered normally and it becomes cubic faced centered when heated up to between 1185K – 1667K. Uses of Iron Iron is the most used metal in the world due to being the fourth most abundant element in the Earth’s crust in addition to having high strength. It is also due to this which makes Iron having a lower cost than most metals in proportion to usefulness. Iron is ductile, relatively soft and a moderately good conductor of heat and electricity. It is used to make many things from screwdrivers to machine parts and automobiles to hulls of large ships. Iron can also be made into many useful compounds such as Iron Chloride, Iron Sulfate, Iron Hydroxide and steel. Iron can also be easily magnetized and lose it’s magnetism easily, making it suitable for making the core of an electromagnet. Copper (Cu) Copper comes from the Latin word cyprium. Copper has: An atomic mass of 63.546 amu Melting point of 1083.0 degree Celsius Boiling point of 2567.0 degree Celsius Electric configuration [Ar] 3d10 4s1 Density of 8.96g/cm3 at 20 degree Celsius 29 number of electrons and neutrons and 35 neutrons Copper has a cubic-faced centered structure in it’s crystal form. Uses of copper Copper is malleable, ductile and an excellent conductor of heat and electricity with only Silver having a higher electrical conductivity than copper. As a result of it’s excellent electrical conductivity properties, it is commonly used in electrical equipments such as wirings and motors. Copper is also used in roofing, guttering and rainspouts on buildings due to it’s slow corrosion rate. Many commercially important alloys such as brass and bronze contains copper. Furthermore, it can be used for many useful compounds such as copper sulfate and copper oxide. Copper is also an essential element in our body to help enzymes produce energy in cells. Aluminium (Al) Aluminium comes from the latin word alumen. Aluminium has: An atomic mass of 26.981 amu Melting point of 660.37 degree Celsius Boiling point of 2467.0 degree Celsius Electric configuration [Ne] 3s2 3p1 Density of 2.702g/cm3 at 20 degree Celsius 13 number of electrons and neutrons and 14 neutrons Aluminium has a face-centered cubic structure in it’s crystal form. Uses of aluminium Aluminium is a silvery-white metal. It is non-magnetic and an excellent conductor. As a result of it’s low density, low cost, thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance, aluminium is widely used around the world. It can also be easily cast, machined and formed. It is the second most malleable and sixth most ductile metal. Due to these properties, it is extensively used to make airplanes, outside building decoration and in any area where a strong and light material is needed. It also has no aroma compared to many metals therefore it is used for food packaging and cooking utensils. Although not as good as copper, Aluminium is still a good conductor of electricity. Because of this and also that it is heaper and lighter it is commonly used to make overhead power cables. Gold (Au) The symbol for gold, Au, comes from the Latin word aurum. Gold has: An atomic mass of 196.96 amu Melting point of 1064.43 degree Celsius Boiling point of 2807.0 degree Celsius Electric configuration [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s1 Density of 19.32g/cm3 at 20 degree Celsius 79 number of electrons and neutrons and 118 neutrons Gold has a lattice faced centered structure in it’s crystal form. Uses of gold It is a soft, yellow metal with a beautiful lustrous sheen. It is the most malleable and ductile of all the elements and a single gram can be beaten into a one square meter sheet of gold leaf. Gold is widely used in jewelry and coinage. It is also used in dental work as crowns, as gold platings for decoration and as gold thread in embroidery work. Nearly 80% of all recycled or mined gold is intended for ornamental use. Many satellites carry gold-covered mylar sheets as a solar heat shield because gold is an excellent reflector of radiation and is unreactive. Gold is also widely used in microelectric circuits to ensure reliable, corrosion-resistant and static-free performance. Mercury (Hg) The symbol for mercury, Hg, comes from the Latin word Hydrargyrum. Mercury exists in the liquid state at room temperature. Mercury has: An atomic mass of 200.59 amu Melting point of -38.87 degree Celsius Boiling point of 356.58 degree Celsius Electric configuration [Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s2 Density of 13.456g/cm3 at 20 degree Celsius 80 number of electrons and neutrons and 121 neutrons Mercury has a rhombohedral structure in it’s crystal form. Uses of Mercury Mercury is a dense, silvery-white, poisonous metal with a mirror like appearance. It is the only common metal to be in liquid state and evaporates slowly at room temperature. Mercury can readily form alloys (called amalgams) with other metals such as silver and gold. Since it does not react in iron, mercury is often stored in iron containers. Due to it’s high density, mercury is used in barometers and manometers. It is extensively used in thermometers thanks to it’s high rate of thermal expansion that is fairly constant over a wide temperature range. It’s ease with almagating with metals is made use of in extracting them from their ores. Mercury is widely used in advertising signs, mercury switches and other electrical apparatus. Various compounds of mercury are used in medicine, dentistry, cosmetics and also in agriculture to make fungicide. Platinum (Pt) The name Platinum comes from the Latin word Platina. Platinum has: An atomic mass of 195.078 amu Melting point of 1772.0 degree Celsius Boiling point of 3827 degree Celsius Electric configuration [Xe] 4f14 5d9 6s1 Density of 21.45g/cm3 at 20 degree Celsius 78 number of electrons and neutrons and 117 neutrons Platinum has a face centered cubic structure in it’s crystal form. Uses of Platinum Platinum is a precious metal; soft, silvery-white, and dense with a beautiful lustrous sheen. It is malleable and ductile and has a high melting point. Platinum does not oxidize in air even in high temperatures and is unaffected by common acids. Platinum is widely used as a catalyst for chemical reactions with the most important use in vehicles as a catalytic converter. Platinum is also used in jewelry, decoration and dental work. The metal and it’s alloys are also used for electrical contacts, fine resistance wires and medical/laboratory instruments. It can also be used to make electrodes sealed in glass. Bibliography http://www.usesof.net/ http://www.chemicalelements.com/index.html http://www.lookchem.com/ http://www.rsc.org/ http://www.lenntech.com/index.htm 1 | Page

Influencing Factors Of Foreign Tourism To Japan Cultural Studies Essay

Influencing Factors Of Foreign Tourism To Japan Cultural Studies Essay Over the last few decades, the international travel market has grown tremendously. According to the World Tourism Organization, number of international travelers reached a record of 842 million in 2006 and 898 million in 2007. The growth rate in 2007 reached 6%, which is 1.5% higher than the value of 2006. The strongest growth occurred in Africa; however, Asia Pacific region also had a great increase number of international travelers. In 2007 alone, 185 million people visited Asia. (Choi, Lee 1) International travel has become very accessible to many people because of technical advancement in transportation. For instance, it only takes about thirteen hours to get from JFK Airport in New York, United States to Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan. Japan Airline provides travel back and forth ticket at a price of $964.33. (www.jal.com) Before the advancement in technology, any international trip took longer time and was more expensive. However, the technical development in transportation system is effectively triggering and stimulating more people to travel internationally. Large numbers of people are now interested in Asia. (Choi, Lee 1) The number of international travelers is increasing every year. What are some convincible factors that trigger people to come to Asia? Because of its diverse cultural activities, Japan is one factor that influences people to travel to Asia. Japan is an island located in the East Asia, surrounded by North Korea and South Korea. It is a small island but has potential to captivate tourist from all over the world. Before moving ahead, it is important to define terms that will be continuously discussed in this paper. What is the definition of travel? Merriam Webster Online Dictionary defines travel as To move or undergo transmission one place to another. (www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/travel) This indicates that travel is a peoples movement between relatively distant geographical location for any purpose and any duration, with or without any means of transportation. Travel also covers all the activities performed during a movement. It is a broader concept of trip. Travel can be local, regional, domestic or international. Then, who is considered a tourist? In the United States, the National Tourism Resources Review Commission (1973) defined tourist as one who travels away from home for a distance of at least 50 miles (one way) for business, pleasure, personal affairs, or any other purpose except to commute to work, whether he or she stays overnight or returns the same day. (Masberg, 67) Then why are international tourists interested in traveling to Japan? What is unique about Japan? First, knowing concise background of Japan would help to find the answers to these questions. Brief Description of Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is surrounded by the east of the Sea of Japan (also called East Sea), People of Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south. Japan is composed of over 3,000 islands, making it an archipelago. The four largest islands are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku. These four main islands together accounts for 97% of Japans land area. It has sufficient rainfall for agriculture on the main islands, with no dry season. Hokkaido and northern Honshu have cold winters with good ski resorts but limited agriculture. In contrast, the two thirds of southern Honshu and the Shikoku Island and Kyushu have humid subtropical climates. Most of the islands are mountainous, many volcanic; for example, Japans highest peak, Mount Fuji, is a volcano. Japan has the worlds tenth largest population, with about 128 million people. The capital of Japan is Tokyo, located in Honshu. The government is a Parliamentary democracy. The size of Japan is about 145,856 square miles (slightly smaller than California) and Japan is homogeneous (0.6% Korean) with one language. Buddhism and Shinto are the major religions and only about 0.8% of the population is Christian. The currency of Japan is the Yen. Entering Japan is relatively easy because it is part of the visa waiver program, which means that a visa is not required for visits less than 90 days. Shopping is a main attraction in Japan; common items include Japanese handicrafts and art objects, jewelry, silks, furs, and pottery pieces. Japan has not historically looked to tourism as a major foreign income earner as it had such a huge trade surplus in the 1980s. However, from the 1990s, the government started to take an active role in promoting inbound tourism. The government is both involved in domestic and international tourism. It promotes and provides information about tourism in Japan and establishes a number of programs and offices to develop a broad variety of tourism attractions in Japan while maintaining quality of its natural environment setting. Japan also established a government organization, JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization). JNYO is a non-profit organization established by a government, and it provides free multilingual information on travel in Japan. The most visited places by visitors are the following: Sapporo, Tohoku, Tokyo and its surrounding area, Chubu, Kansai, Chugoku, Island of Kyushu, and Okinawa Island. Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, hosted the 1972 winter Olympics, and it annually has a festival called the Snow Festival. It is a festival where people present gigantic snow images by famous artists. Secondly, Tohoku is located in the northeastern section of the main island of Honshu and is very famous for its hot springs. Tokyo and the surrounding areas are located in Honshu, where visitors can observe the unique blend of the East and West culture. Another most visited location is Chubu, which is the center of the main island, Honshu. The Japanese Alps are located in Chufu, and the Japanese Alps consist of beautiful scenery. Kansai, another metropolitan area in Japan besides Tokyo, also has many important temples (historical attractions) and interesting cultural festivals. Chugoku, the western end of the island of Hon shu, is known for its beautiful beaches. Many water activities are played here. The Island of Kyushu has a subtropical climate and operates 6 national parks that attract visitors. Lastly, the Island of Okinawa is a tropical island with the wealth of national beauty, such as the sunny skies and the subtropical plants. As one can see from above, Japan has a variety of attractions. It has been and will be the center of the Asian tourism market. As the center of the Asian tourism market, Japan has exclusive aspects that other Asian countries do not contain. Japan has preserved those cultural factors well enough to encourage foreigner to learn about it. Different aspects of Japan have made it possible for influencing numerous tourists to travel to Japan. Now, this essay will focus on each aspect that influences foreign tourists to travel to Japan. Those aspects include food/cuisine, Japanese traditional lodging, sports, and business. Food of Japan Japanese food is well known to the other parts of the world. Many foreigners are familiar with sushi and ramen, which are the major representation of Japanese food. Nevertheless, there are other types of Japanese cuisine that are still unknown to the foreigners yet can strongly fascinate the foreign travelers to Japan. Japanese cuisine that will be focused on this paper is Sushi, Sukiyaki and Nabemono, Tempura, Tofu and Natto, Menrui, Mochi, Tsukemono, and Ocha. Japanese cuisine is a piece of an art work. Aesthetic display of the food is considered very crucial while serving the food to the guests. Learning the context of the cuisine is one side factors that tourists can enjoy while eating the food: how the food fits into Japanese life, what its history has contributed, how it is properly chosen and consumed, and others. Japan remains one of the countries where food represents lineage, going back to history. Thus, an understating of Japanese cuisine helps one to understand the Japanese thoughts. (Donald 12) Sushi Sushi, as one of Japans most representative food, is fairly known to people. Most large cities around the world have sushi shops. Craig Claiborne defines sushi as an assortment of small morsels of freshest raw fish and seafood presents into cold rice lightly seasoned with vinegar. (Donald, 14) This definition perfectly correct; however, there are more factors to it. Sushi is a delight to the eye, a revelation to the tongue, and an engrossing culinary happening that those who have partaken will not soon forget. (Donald, 14) When one walks into a sushi shop in Japan, the master and the waiters loudly shouts Irasshaimase! This is a phrase to welcome the guests who enter the restaurant. There is usually a long counter of white cypress. Behind the counter, there are glass-cased, ice cooled array of fish fillets and shellfish, all fresh, sometimes alive. Before the main sushi dish, a waiter serves a cup of hot green tea, a small dish for soy sauce, Oshibori (hand towel), miso soup, and picked gingers to refresh ones mouth between bites. Most popular sushi menus are maguro (tuna), toro (the marbled underside of the tuna), chu-toro (a half marbled side section of the tuna), uni (sea urchin roe), ebi (shrimp, boiled or alive), tao (sea bream), ika (squid), akagai (aki shell), hamachi (young yellowtail), tako (octopus), ikura (salmon roe), anago (conger eel), awabi (abalone). The master also creates special menus that change as seasonal fish and shellfish changes. Upon hearing an order, the sushi master starts his performance. He cuts and slices the fish and shellfish delicately. Then, he scoops a double fingerful of rice, and add bits of washabi (horseradish) and quickly forms an oblong ball, firmly capped by the seafood. This is the most popularly known regional type of sushi, Nigiri sushi. Nigiri sushi originated from Edo (Tokyo) in the nineteenth century. Because of the fast speed, it is called the worlds first fast food. Sukiyaki Ronald Barthes describes Sukiyaki as a stew whose every element can be known and recognized, since it is made in front of you, on your table, without interruption while you are eating ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦It is the very essence of the market that comes to you, its freshness, its naturalness, its diversity, and even its classification, which turns the simple substance into the promise of an event. (Ronald 21) Sukiyaki is classified as a nabemono, which means food is cooked usually at the table in a single pot or pan, and is thought of as being a winter meal. There are few different ways to cook sukiyaki: Kansai (Osaka-Kyoto) area way, Kanto (Tokyo-Yokohama) area way, Nagasaki way, and others. The most well known sukiyaki is from Kansai area. In the Kansai area, a lump of beef suet is melted in the shallow iron pan over medium heat. Then very thin slice of beef are place in the bottom of the pan. After the beef color changed to brown, one put other ingredients such as tofu, mushroom, onion, and konnaku (Japanese style jelly). The liquid is then poured into the pan. The liquid is consists of soy sauce, water, little bit of sugar, and sweet sake. Knowing the right time to pour the liquid is the key to make a delicious sukiyaki. Meanwhile, one should break raw eggs into a bowl, and add little bit of soy sauce. This becomes the sauce for meat and vegetables in the sukiyaki. Meat and vegetables are dipped into this sauce right before eating. Sukiyaki gets delicious as the cooking progresses, because the juice from the beef and vegetables makes the taste fascinating. In Kanto area, the liquid is poured first, and the meat and vegetables are added to the heated liquid. This way of cooking makes Sukiyaki more like a stew that foreigners are more familiar with. In Nagasaki, the meat is grounded. This slight adjustment of meat distinctively changes the taste of the dish. Sukiyaki has been eaten since 1860, when the country was open to foreigners and the new Maiji emperor began his reign. Before, eating meat was prohibited in Japan, because the Japanese believed in Buddhism. However, Emperor Maiji changed the law and made beef and other meat available for Japanese citizens. Gradually, Japanese citizens enjoyed eating meat, and sukiyaki is one Japanese style cuisine that developed from this era. As people enjoyed eating meat, there was a famous aphorism, which said A man who does not eat beef is an uncivilized man. (Donald 25) Tempura Tempura is delicately deep-fried seafood and vegetables, served hot and crisp, lacy golden on the outside, juicy and succulent on the inside. (Donald 26) Tempura is not a traditional Japanese food. It was introduced by Portuguese when missionaries and merchants from Portugal actively visited Japan around sixteenth century. Common types of tempura that one can get in Japan are Kuruma ebi (prawn), shiba ebi (shrimp), ika (squid), kaibashira (scallop), anago (conger eel), kisu (a small fish known as sillago), haze (goby), ginpo (gunnel), megochi (flathead). Tempura should be made just before eating it. Besides being strict about the freshness of what goes inside of tempura (such as shrimp, and squid), the Japanese are picky about the batter, also known as koromo in Japanese. Koromo literary means clothes in Japanese. It should be lumpy and be filled with air bubbles so that the texture of tempura becomes lighter. Also, the coating should be thin rather than thick. Besides the crunchiness, Japanese wants to enjoy the natural taste of the material that is inside of the batter. Therefore, the batter should be practically see-through. Tofu and Natto Tofu is also well known to international community. It came from China very long time ago and became another food that represents Japanese cuisine. Tofu is one of the most protean foods. It can be boiled, broiled, baked, fried, steamed, marinated, dried, frozen, and eaten fresh. Interesting thing is that each method changes the taste of tofu completely. Baked tofu and boiled tofu tastes extremely differently. Kyoto is best known for a good tofu. Recently, there are restaurants opening up that only serve tofu. It is one food that is loved by vegetarian travelers to Japan. Natto might be unfamiliar to international travelers. It is made out of soybean, just like tofu. Natto is fermented soybeans which is rotten stinking slimly soybeans. It is somewhat similar to a ripe cheese. Natto is served in a small lump and should first be stirred with chopsticks to make it stickier. Then, raw eggs, sliced and chopped onions, soy sauce is mixed together with natto. This mixture is then eaten with hot rice. Even if the smell of natto is strong, it is still a typical breakfast menu in Japan. It is very healthy and diet helping cuisine. Menrui Menrui in Japanese means noodle types. This indicates that menrui includes all the types of noodle cuisine that is available in Japan. There are a great variety of shapes and sizes of noodle. The two most popular types of noodles are the wheat-based noodles which are associated with Osaka and the south of Japan, and buckwheat-based noodles associated with Tokyo and the north of Japan. (Donald 54) Wheat-based noodles come in a variety of shapes, but the best know type is called udon. Udon is somewhat flat and wide. Somen is another type of what-based noodle that is more slender and a bit of vegetarian oil is used in the preparation. Buckwheat-based is called soba, and it comes with a single variety: long, thin, brown in color. There are some variations of soba. People used green tea to make soba. Therefore, the color of the noodle becomes green, instead of brown. Soba and Udon can be served both hot and cold. For a hot noodle dish, a noodle is first boiled in water, then scooped out and place in a bowl. After that, toppings and other ingredients are added. Finally, broth is poured. There are great varieties for soup and toppings. For a cold dish, boiled noodle is rinsed with hold water, and served on draining screened plate that is made out of bamboo. The noodles are decorated with little bit of dried laver, and dipped into soy sauce then quickly removed from the sauce. Another major menrui is ramen. This is also originated from China; however, Japanese changed the food into its own style and taste. Now, each region of Japan developed their own style of ramen, and there are tours within Japan to go around each region and taste the different ramen. Many distinctive local version of ramen were established as the shops in each region concentrated on the varieties of soup seasonings and toppings appreciated by local people. (Naomichi, 252) Among the best known is Sapporo ramen, from Hokkaido, which features heavy noodles, a rich thick broth seasoned with miso instead of the more common soy sauce, and locally produced toppings of butter and maize. Mochi Mochi is made out of a one type of rice, mocha-gome, and it is regarded as a unique and special food. Freshly pounded mochi is very soft and easy to eat, but it quickly gets hard and must be grilled or reheated to become edible. It is eaten during the most important ritual ceremony, the New Year. On a New Years Day, a plain white mochi is toasted and served with soy sauce. A white mochi can also be put either in a soup or as is or is eaten along with the other ingredients of this festive soup. This soup is called ozoni. Mochi can be served as a dessert as well. Mochi stuffed with sweet red bean paste is called daifuku. This can be seen as the traditional Japanese dessert that was eaten with green tea. Tsukemono Tsukemono means preserved food in Japanese. Preserved food is an important part of most dietary tradition in Japan. It is pickled food, which means that the food is stored away with a quantity of salt and transformed into sour salty products that will keep for a long time. There are several type of method to pickle vegetables and fish. Kyoto is famous for its variety of traditional tsukemono. Ocha/Tea After the meal is done, the national beverage, ocha is served. Although green tea is usually associated with Japan, there are many types of teas available in Japan. Houjicha and genmaicha are two common teas that the tastes are slightly bitter. The color of those tea is rather brown than green, and it is the most affordable tea that is available in Japan. Sencha is one rank upper than houjicha and genmaicha. The leaves used in Sencha have been picked with greater care and there are no stems. The finest tea is called gyokuro. The oldest and finest bushes of leaves were used to make this tea. As one can see, Japan has a very diverse food culture. Sushi and Japanese noodles are well known cuisine that portrays the food culture of Japan. However, there is more variety of Japanese food that delivers the thoughts of Japanese. As foreign tourists find more about those cuisines, the number of tourists will continuously increase. Lodging of Japan Japan has the privilege of possessing two types of lodging: Japanese inns and western hotels. Japanese inn is called ryokan (ryo-journey, kan-mansion) in Japanese. Ryokans historical origins are strongly rooted in Japanese society, and ryokan resisted the introduction of Western forms of lodging. (Anguis, Moon 76) One can find enormous amount of information about these two types of lodging in Japan by just searching on the internet. Generally speaking, hotels show less variety, with only few categories such as resorts hotel, de luxe hotels, and so on. On the other hand, any travel magazine published for Japanese travel shows an amazing number of extremely specialized categories of ryokan, such as spa ryokan, ryokan associated with Japanese famous writers, secret ryokan, very famous ryokan, wooden built ryokan, ryokan visited by Japanese emperor, ryokan for Japanese cuisine associated with the seasons, etc. (Anguis 76) Japanese categorized ryokan into a very specific sector, so that p eople can easily find ryokan that they are looking for. Compare to the Western hotel room size, the size of ryokans room is relatively small. Moreover, the western hotels construction and management is sustained by huge capital investments, whereas ryokan does not have large capital to fund their operation. How can ryokan still compete with the western hotels in Japan? Instead of being the part of shelter along the road, ryokan has become the purpose of the travel itself. (Anguis 77) Staying in a ryokan usually follows the same pattern. Guests usually check in between three and four oclock in the afternoon. Shoes are deposited in the entrance, and picked up when guests are leaving the ryokan. Upon the arrival at ryokan, guests are greeted by a kimonoclad maid and she leads to their rooms, where she serves tea and sweets, while explaining the schedule of their stays. Visitors are encouraged to change their everyday clothes and dress on the cotton kimono, yukata. They can have an early bath time in either inside or outside baths. While the guests are away, the room is prepared for dinner. After the dinner, second bath might be encouraged while cleaning after dinner and futon spread on the tatami. (Cogswell 40) Each room is covered with tatami, straw mats. The main room has a little shrine, similar to an altar that is raised slightly from the floor at the one side of the room. Doors in ryokan are usually slide doors. Doors are made out of paper and framed in woodwork, and they are used to break up the space. Japanese architecture and design are clean and simple. Japanese buildings tend to harmoniously blend with the natural environment. Ryokan originated during Nara period (710-784). For much of the 20th century, it was just any Japanese inn that people had stayed. People somewhat had negative ideas about it since there were no privacy. For instance, the bath was communal. During steamy summers, everyone slept with their doors and windows wide open to the breeze. From the competition with the Western style hotel, the number of ryokan declined from 80 thousand in 1988 to fewer than 60 thousand in 2005. (Brown, 128) Recently however, the ryokan is trying to change the perception of people towards ryokan. For instance a group of thirty ryokan have formed The ryokan Collection to market themselves as boutique inns, with designer flourishes, architectural details and cultural authenticity. (Brown, 129) The ryokan of Kyoto, a former imperial city and a popular tourist destination, are among the first to have instituted modernizing touches-and with much flair and frills. English-speaking staff and Western-style breakfasts are now available even at the citys legendary Hiiragiya and Tawaraya ryokan-both centuries old and famed for their refined aesthetics, attention to detail, and guest lists that have included royalty and Hollywood stars. Sports in Japan (Sports Tourism) Baseball in Japan Baseball was first introduced by Horace Wilson, who was an American expatriate educator, in 1872. Since then, baseball has grown as the major sports played by Japanese. Baseball is called Yakyu ¼Ã‹â€ Ãƒ ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã… ½Ãƒ §Ã‚ Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼Ã¢â‚¬ ° in Japanese. It combines Chinese character for field (à ©Ã¢â‚¬ ¡Ã… ½ ya)and ball(à §Ã‚ Ã†â€™ kyu). The major event that attracted the foreigner to focus ones attention on Japanese baseball was World Baseball Classic. Japan won the championship in both 2006 and 2009. This attracted peoples attention towards Japanese style baseball. Now, tourists are willing to tour the Japanese professional baseball league and baseball arena for the professional baseball teams became the major attraction destination. Japanese professional baseball has two leagues, just like professional baseball in United States. One is called Central League, and other one is called Pacific League. Each league has six teams. The professional baseball season is eight months long and it begins on April, and a Championship is held on October. Teams play 144 games in total. Teams that are included in Central leagues are: Yomiuri Giants (Tokyo), Tokyo Yakult Swallows (Tokyo), Yokohama BayStars (Yokohama), Chunichi Dragons (Nagoya), Hanshin Tigers (Osaka), Hiroshima Toyo Carp (Hiroshima). Teams that are included in Pacific leagues are Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (Sapporo), Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (Sendai), Saitama Seibu Lions (Saitama), Chiba Lotte Marines (Chiba), Orix Buffaloes (Osaka), Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (Fukuoka). The professional baseball teams representing major cities of Japan. For instance, Yomiuri Giant is a professional team that is located in Tokyo. It has a dorm called Tokyo Dome, which has 45,000 seats. The average viewers of each game are 40,755. Foreign tourists are now visiting these domes of professional baseball teams, and experiencing the Japanese baseball game. Sumo in Japan Sumo wrestling is a competitive contact sport where a wrestler, also known as a rikishi, attempts to force another wrestler out of a circular ring or dohyo. The sumo wrestler also attempts to force the other to touch the ground with another body part other than the soles of the feet. Originating in Japan, it is the only country where this sport is practiced professionally. The tradition of Sumo is very antiquated. It still includes many ritual events, such as the use of salt to purify the dohyo, from the Shinto Religion. Rikishi follows the rule laid down by the Sumo Association, and professional sumo players are directed to live in sumo training stables, known as heya in Japanese. There are six Grand Sumo tournaments, also called honbasho, each year. Three of the tournaments take place at Tokyo in January, May, and September. The place where those three tournaments are held is called the Sumo Hall, Ryogoku Kokugikan in Japanese, and this place has become one of the major attraction places for people to visit in Tokyo. Another tournament is held at Osaka in March. Fifth one is held at Nagoya in July, and the last one takes place at Fukuoka in November. Each tournament begins on a Sunday and lasts for fifteen days. There are two teams in a professional sumo tournament. Each top wrestler, also referred as yokozuna, in the two divisions has one match per day, and other lower leveled wrestlers have one game every two days. The schedule is constructed in a way that the highest ranked wrestlers compete at the very end of the day. The top wrestlers match usually begins at six oclock in the evening. At the end of the fifteenth day, the wrestler who wins the most matche s wins the tournament championship. If there are ties in the score, those two wrestlers compete with each other and the winner of that game takes the championship. Since sumo is only professionally played in Japan, foreign travelers are eager to watch the game while they are visiting Japan. Japanese Festivals Festivals are called matsuri in Japan. A most eloquent form of worship, Japanese festivals are intimate, joyous encounters with the divine. (Vilhar, Anderson, 5) The image of modern Japan tends to minimize the significance of these ancient religious practices. Yet, matsuri has have been continuously provided people with a strong spiritual identity as Japanese. Although Japanese no longer perceive matsuri as a ritual ceremony, it still lays heavy emphasis on the Shinto religion originated from Japan. The act of worship culminated in the celebration of matsuri. Derived from the verb matsuru (to worship), matsuri serves as a means for the people to offer divine world their prayers, gifts, and joy. Matsuri is time for communication with their gods and ancestral spirits. Many of the matsuri is related to rice growing, the very foundation of Japanese culture. There are no certain set dates for matsuri. Dates vary from area to area. Almost every town has at least one matsuri in late summer or early autumn, usually related to the rice harvest season. During a matsuri, people go out in the streets for a memorable time. Almost every town in Japan prepares its own matsuri; however, the size of the festival varies from one town to another. Each year, approximately 100,000 people gather to attend some of the major matsuris. Major matsuris take place in large cities, such as Tokyo and Kyoto. Some people living in suburban or rural areas travel by airplane to go to the matsuris because they want to enjoy the once a year event. In contrast, some matsuris are really small, generally attracting only the local people. Indifferent of the size of the festival, one can learn about the culture and tradition of Japan through matsuris. First of all, most of the people coming to a matsuri wear Japanese traditional clothes, called Yukata. The word originates from Yukatabire, which means clothes that one wears after taking a shower. Therefore, they are made out of thin cotton. Since Japan gets very hot in the summer, people tend to were Yukata rather than other clothes. The color of the Yukata is another interesting factor that reflects Japanese culture. Women tend to wear bright colors, such as yellow, pink, and bright blue. Men tend to wear cool colors, such as grey and dark blue. These colors represent nature. Bright colors such as red and pink illustrate the flowers, and earthtone colors such as grey and dark blue represent the sky or earth. The Yukatas colors help create the very exciting and fascinating atmosphere of the Matsuri. It seems as if colorful lights are illuminating the dark summer streets of Japan. Food also makes the matsuri very interesting. All kinds of food can be found at the matsuri. There is Japanese style barbeque, ice cream, candy, Japanese style pizza, and numerous other dishes. One of the major matsuri foods is called yakisoba. The word literally means burned noodle. It is called burned since the noodle is placed on a hot steel plate, instead of being boiled with water. Cabbage, carrots, meat and special sauces are also put on the plate and mixed with noodles. Moreover, there is a lot of entertainment waiting at a matsuri. First of all, there is a game called catching the goldfish. A player is given a thin paper that has a plastic handle, which he/she uses to scoop goldfish from a small pool until the paper tears apart. This game is very difficult. However, catching the fish is no longer a goal of this game as people start playing. People cheer for the players as they watch, which provides a bonding experience with my friends and family. Japanese traditional music is played in Matsuri, and is another big part of matsuris entertainment. The special host plays Wadaiko, Japanese traditional drum, as the main instrument in the matsuri since it is the oldest instrument in Japan. Moreover, it is believed that the sound of drum motivates people. While the drums are played, many people sing the song that goes with the beat. Also, there is a dance that goes with the music. People enjoy the dance and claim to release their everyday stress through the dance. Last but not least, the fireworks are the highlight of the matsuri. In Japan, one counts the number of shots to describe the size of the fireworks. The number of the shots depends on the towns. Each shot had certain meanings. For example, there was one fireworks display that had the image of red leaves in fall. There is an urban legend. It is believed that a couple that sees the first firework in the matsuri will be able to stay together forever. However, it is important that they hold hands when they watch the fireworks. This mystical, yet adorable legend makes people want to participate even more in the matsuri. The matsuri is not just a fun event. The dress, food, games, and music of the Matsuri portrays the culture of Japan. The Matsuri has endured a long time and will continue to be celebrated by gener

crazy dream :: essays research papers

My family and I planned to take a trip from our hometown, Alert Alabama to Chicago Illinois for the weekend. Our lives are very earth, very basic. There are four of us. Our name is the Tuckers and we live on a farm. Or I could say we rot on a farm. My name is Andy Joe Tucker and I am 18. Life is very boring there in Alabama, let me tell you, man. Our idea of fun is throwing knifes at pigs as they run around the pin in my back yard. We figured it is too hard to please ourselves all the time, so we planned on letting â€Å"run run run hustle bustle† atmosphere of Chicago please us for a weekend. We love Chicago and go there once a year. That Friday morning in July our airplane lifted from the ground. The flight began smooth and the plane was new. The air was fresh and the sun was bright, man. That all changed the moment the plane smashed and burned into the streets of the Chicago city. We were in the air and the sky was truly of heaven, bro. I felt as if I was with god gliding across the sky. The captain comes on the intercom and announces we are approaching Chicago but there seems to be a problem, man. He announces, â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen, we seem to be having difficulties contacting the Airport down below. Please stay calm while we await a signal that it is safe to land.† A thick and gruesome layer of muck and filth lay over the city. Looked like a damn pile of hay swirling around there yonder below. I cannot see the cotton picking ground for the life of me. The muck looks of something out of this world and all quite magical, man. The plane is circling the city with still no radio from the airport in return to our calls. Twenty minutes goes by. Suddenly, my chair becomes incredibly hot, so hot I start to scream. I look around and notice everyone in the cabin is having the same problem. I look down to unbuckle my seatbelt and get the hell of this seat when I realize the buckle is gone, MAN! Literally the buckle is no longer there, just the strap of the belt. I am trapped. In the middle of this excruciating dilemma of my seat and the cries of my fellow passengers, the planes nose goes vertical facing the sky, dude.

Is Anyone Out There? Essay -- Astronomy

Earth is small. Many people find it hard to believe, but when one thinks of earth in its context, amongst billions of galaxies, stars, planets, and an infinite universe, earth is a mere grain of sand on the beach that is space. With this in mind, one may, quite understandably, find it hard to believe that earth is the only planet that sustains life. With today’s advanced technology and science, extensive evidence has been found suggesting a great likelihood of life on other planets. The discovery of life on other planets has huge implications for humankind, as it would likely give a more thorough understanding of what human life is, how it came to be, and possibly even insight into why humans exist. Oftentimes, people ignore rhetoric regarding the possibility of life on other planets. This may be for religious reasons or because many people see it as more science fiction than scientific, but there is a substantial difference between Hollywood’s perception of aliens and what is likely to be the first extraterrestrial life discovered (Borenstein). In all reality, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and a few other basic elements are all it takes to create the miracle of life, and these chemicals could exist in countless places other than earth (Bryson 2). Some life may not even require that, like the microbe found in a lake in California, which was able to survive on arsenic and phosphorus alone (Borenstein). According to Borenstein, the â€Å"life† that scientists are looking for is more accurately described as a life form or microbial slime, much like the microbes that became humans via evolution. Approximately 140 billion galaxies inhabit the universe, with somewhere between one hundred billion and four hundred billion stars in Earth... ...rawstory.com/rs/ 2010/12/08/evidence-mounting-daily-proven/> Bryson, Bill. A Short History of Nearly Everything. New York: Broadway Books, 2003. Print. Cohen, Daniel. The Ancient Visitors: Have Creatures from Other Planets Ever Lived On Earth? Garden City, NY: Double & Comp., Inc., 1976. Print. Kaufman, Marc. â€Å"Reaching for the Stars: It’s Alive Out There! Scientists Seek Out the Evidence.† McClathy-Tribute News Service. 17 June 2011: n.p. Web. 15 Mar 2012. Spotts, Pete. â€Å"In Search of Life, More Planet ‘Candidates’ Are Found. Are Any Just Right?† Christian Science Monitor. 12 Sep 2011:n.p. Web. 15 Mar 2012. "Story of the Universe." European Space Agency, 2011. Web. 15 Apr 2012.

Essay --

Introduction A marketing plan is a document which comprises of analysis of the current marketing situation, threats and opportunities of the firm, marketing objectives and strategy specified that has the 4 Ps, program of actions, and projected budget and income and other financial statements (Drummond, Ensor, & Ashford, 2008). The marketing plan consist of 3 main steps: 1) Planning Phase 2) Implementation Phase 3) Control Phase Figure: 3 Phases of Marketing Plan (Source: (Drummond, Ensor, & Ashford, 2008) ) A documented market plan helps in tracking the progress of the company or activity by providing a point of reference. While creating a new market plan around three end goals should be kept in mind. Having end goal in mind will help in efficient formulation of marketing Plan. Placing more goals will lead to dilution of efforts and shortage of resources for the company (Luke, 2013). Aim The report is creating a marketing plan for Tata global beverages limited to launch into Australian market with their new Green tea product. History Tata global beverage was set up as a joint venture between Tata Sons and the UK-based tea plantation company, James Finlay and Company in 1962. Tata Tea was born in 1983 after James Finlay sold his shareholding to Tata. The company set out on a path with global ambitions, evidenced by the acquisition of Tetley in 2000. This was followed by a string of strategic acquisitions including Good Earth, Jemca, Vitax, Eight O’ Clock Coffee and Himalayan Water (Tata Global Beverages, 2014). Source: (Tata Global Beverages, 2014). Following are different brands that come under Tata beverages: Source: (Tata Beverages, 2014) Tata Beverages has a wide variety of portfolio of products which ranges from dis... ...ers never asked for or thought were possible example Walkmans. Companies are trying to become more market driven and their major efforts go in retaining customers. Customer retention has become much more important than customer attraction because attracting new customer costs five times more than pleasing an existing one. (Kotler, Marketing Management Millenium Edition, 2002). Target Market The product will be targeting the following segment of population: 1) People from the age range of 15 to 35 both male and females. 2) Health conscious people preferably involved in regular work out. 3) People who are trying to switch to a healthier lifestyle and want to give up soft drinks. Competitor Analysis Competition is the most critical factor in marketing management and includes all of the actual and potential rival offerings and substitutes that a buyer might consider.

Shattered Glass

Bobby Taggart December 10, 2012 Tracy Crow Journalism Shattered Glass Response The movie â€Å"Shattered Glass† is about a journalist who writes for the New Republic Newspaper, who later gets caught for fabricating 27 of his stories. The journalists name is Stephen Glass. Glass was 24 when started working writing and reporting for the New Republic. The New Republic is a well-known newspaper located in Washington D. C. Glass has had a reputation for having the most vivid stories. Glass’s first suspicion of fabrication was noticed when he wrote a story about the ACU (American Conservative Union).The Chairman of the ACU David Keene, first questions his story. His story contains a description of drunken tricks by young Republicans and mini-bars. Stephen’s boss confronts him about the situation. Turns out that his story was true, except for one small detail about how there were no mini-bars but just fridges available to rent with alcohol in it. The young journalists, newest story comes about in a staff meeting, which is about Ian Restil, who is a teenage hacker. Restil hacked into Jukt Micronics security systems. Jukt Micronics proceeds by hiring the teenage hacker.After the issue is printed, the editor at Forbes Digital Tool questions his reporter Adam Penenberg how he didn’t get the story on this teenage hacker who is hire by Jukt Micronics as a security consultant. Penenberg begins to investigate the article, as it already appears to be fishy. After more and more research, Penenberg takes his research to his boss showing him that nothing in the article exists. He then begins by making a phone call to Stephen for contact information on his sources mentioned in the article. The phone numbers given from Glass to Penenberg were made up as well.Stephen’s editor along with Forbes Digital Tool’s editor in the end found out that none of his sources existed. Stephen’s editor figures out that his brother lives in southern Ca lifornia, who has been setting up voicemails on his number to back up the fact checking process for him. This movie showed me how important it was to have all of your sources available and credible. Fabricating quotes is a serious manner in the journalism world. Fabricating anything can ruin an individual’s reputation as a writer and can even take down an entire newspaper just like the New Republic Newspaper.Journalism is a load of work. Taking shortcuts in journalism will catch up to you and haunt you throughout the rest of your career. Writing for a newspaper takes many countless hours of hard work without doubt. Therefore, fabricating anything in journalism can lead up to you being sued. Overall, this movie showed me a lesson personally and I’m living up to the consequences right now. If you put the time and effort into getting important information, the results will show the rewards.

Information Technology logical security Essay

Logical data security is the guarding of information against unauthorized access while at the same time making sure that their integrity is guaranteed. If logical security is laid down in a shoddy way, then it would cause risks and its vulnerability may lead to the compromise of the data. System intrusion is one of the vulnerabilities for logical IT security. Software bugs may not all be eliminated by system administrators or programmers (Perry, 2006). The intruders therefore use the bugs to find holes and hack into system computers or server computers. These bugs can be in the form of buffer overflows, unconsidered inputs, and race conditions. Buffer overflows attack is extra information that can overwrite the actual data in the buffer and this data could be degrading the data integrity of the actual data. Race conditions attack is multiple processes access and use same data concurrently and end result is that one process may lose copying correct data since the other process may have changed the data. A system configuration is another issue that normally forms another form of system intrusion. Most systems have default manufacturers configurations. Customers find it easy to use since root/administrator passwords are usually empty/blank. If administrators overlook re-configuration of access controls, then the system can be intruded into even through the network. With the advent of technologies that can eavesdrop at the moving traffic, there has been the creation of sniffer software which are use to monitor the traffic. Sniffing unsecured traffic is poison for logical security. A sniffer can also be used legitimately or illegitimately to capture data transmitted on a network. It can be illegitimately used when the network router reads data packets then determining its intended destination in the network. A router may have a sniffer program that reads data in the packet and can see its source and destination then sends it to unintended destinations due to intrusion mechanisms in the network such as use of software bugs. Control on key directories for data should be factored in access standards to avoid unauthorized access. Limiting or eliminating access to everyone is important therefore restricting use of removable media such as flash disks and floppy disks for confidential information (Cole, & Krutz, 2005). Data integrity should be observed to ensure information stored is as original especially through performing synchronization from time to time to take care of bugs such as race conditions. Confidential information should be encrypted especially that which is sensitive and so done appropriately. Forgetting to back-up and store data on a regular schedule would run organization into crisis especially if the computer system breaks down, especially if the hard disk holding the crucial data crashes. Output devices such as scanners and printers on the network assigned for confidential information should at all time be under monitoring by use of monitoring utility software. Software for local systems should be legal. Vendors face the risk of software piracy for example illegal copying of their software. Organizations should ensure that they install software that has been licensed. Licensed software is beneficial since their updates and patches could easily be attained from the Internet (Perry, 2006). Open source software give users advantage of using them at their own disposal since they are freeware and don’t require license to install them. Their safety is questionable and may not be guaranteed, they could be prone to bugs as they are easily customizable. Pirated operating systems which access the Internet are dangerous and pose danger to the applications installed on it. Such systems can be in risk of being virus infected or may acquire worms and Trojans. Therefore organizations should ensure licenses bought are used for the OS and renewal of the licenses done at end of term for each license, this then will allow recommended updates and patches for the operating system (Cole, & Krutz, 2005). Building security levels on user data is crucial since it ensures confidentiality and integrity of sensitive data. The different levels would be such as access to workstations and desktop applications, access to computer servers and data, access to business bespoke applications. Access built only for authenticated persons using password and ID’s. Password policies should be in place such as allowing strong passwords of more than six characters, allow changing password on regularly basis say after 3 months, one password per one user ID. Password sharing among employees could cause malicious use of a user’s account by another user and this will be untraceable and unsuitable, users should therefore be formally notified their role in user ID and password protection for their user accounts. Web security attack is common in the cyber cafes and computer systems always accessing the Internet. Some of the HTTP (Hyper Text Transport protocol) vulnerabilities include cross-site scripting attacker gains control of the scripts location header and redirects the scripts. The second HTTP vulnerability is the web cache poisoning that allows attack websites visited by many users (Contos, Crowell, Derodeff, & Cole, 2007). The attacker redirects the URL of the website to the IP address of his computer. Web vulnerability is the cross-user defacement attacks where a website maybe seen defaced by a user and at this time attacker is stealing or resetting cookies sessions. Network infrastructure laid without software firewalls spell doom for logical security in the network. This is so because intruders can use software for maliciousness such as phishing where the attacker or program successfully masquerades as another by falsifying data and to the recipient the site appears as genuine but then the attacker will then manipulate or steal recipient’s credentials such as login details or financial information. This kind of masquerade is also called spoofing (Hoffer, Prescott, & McFadden, 2008). Local systems that have their firewalls disabled on system services provided by Operating systems such as Microsoft windows is a threat to security. All the time, firewalls should be set to enabled state and exceptions created for required software applications in the network. Viruses are programs or codes that can alter other programs functionality or render another program useless. Inadvertently leaving virus infected computer systems still connected on the network pose danger of infecting other computer systems in the same network through self-propagating viruses or Trojans or worms. Viruses can also be attained through e-mails. Some chain e-mails sent to users have attachments that have viruses attached to them. They infect a computer system once they are opened or downloaded to the computer hard disk. Distribution of such viruses could also be through the same network and media devices such as external hard disks and flash disks. Repudiation is the situation where one is able to deny being partisan to information manipulation. This is vulnerable for the data confidentiality and integrity of information. The best way to guarantee perpetrators don’t walk scot free is by ensuring data access controls are well defined such as event logs for applications and strong holding policies such as one user password per one user ID, remote monitoring the network activities and data sent and received and saving security logs for local system among other policies very important for non-repudiation.

American Indians Two Spirits

The role of the American Indians (Native Americans) in the United States cannot be underestimated. In fact, this people are the part of a cultural legacy of the United States. Due to the multiple tribes inhabiting America from East to West Americans loaned many of the common names and other terms going directly from the language of Native Americans. It concerns everything about the names of multiple states, towns, cities, etc. However, this research has its aim to disclose the nature of Native Americans in terms of gender roles and gender issues scoped out for today.In such an analysis one should pay special attention to some similarities or differences (natch! ) about two-spirit people among Native Americans. Moreover, it is not for nothing that the cultural as well as mythological approaches are taken to help an observer get the right idea of specificities going around these unique people, namely American Indians.First of all, it is possible to suggest that Indians living in the No rth America and throughout the United States, in particular, keep their culture in safety from the ominous (as they say) impacts of the Western culture.Hence, some similar terms and states of people have another coloring among Natives than it is among Westerners. Thus, one of the aspects in the research paper covers the cultural aspects of these spiritually well-treated people. Next, the question will be about the concept of two-spirit people (two-spirits) coming out to be among Native Americans. Finally, the discussion will touch upon some justifications of suchlike characterization of Native Americans. This will presuppose using features of compare/contrast analysis.As a finishing stroke, an observer should be ready to perceive the reality of two-spirit people, as it falls into traditional concept of gender, sex, sexuality, and spirituality among Native Americans (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997).Nonetheless, the play is worth candles, as they say. Thus, the value of the research is in its sociological as well as anthropological investigation of tribal life of Native Americans and some peculiarities of berdache people (meaning two-spirits). Evaluation First of all, it is necessary to draw one’s attention to the mythology of Native Americans.They are quite spiritual in their beliefs and in traditions as well. Everything about their beliefs in divinity starts from glorifying spirits incorporated in well-known elements of nature or natural features (Leeming & Page, 2000).Woodlands and Plains are the most appreciated by Natives, as the place for the basic spiritual powers (Manitou and wakan) which are personified in these widespread areas inhabited by American Indians (Leeming & Page, 2000). Hence, the cultural background of Native Americans starts with the mythology and faith they share for centuries.Such a multifaceted reality encounters some critical points while Western civilizations are trying to critique beliefs of Natives, as primitive and no longer p ossible in a fast-growing world. Nevertheless, mythology is inseparable out of what Natives secure about their own attitudes toward some social events or people being different than the rest of the tribal community. This characterization is for a reason, since gender roles and the concept of sexuality are thought of in a different way by American Indians.It is a matter of their identity and dignity. Owing to keeping their culture(s) in safety, Native Americans secure social equilibrium on the spot. Thus, it is worth mentioning that features of any kind are open for discussion in a tribe.Some of them being a taboo for Western people are beyond reproach among Natives. In fact, the question is about Native American berdaches, as the two-spirit people. As it was mentioned before, American Indians kept their precious beliefs out of Western implications.As a matter of fact, Indians are likely to omit the notion of â€Å"berdache† by changing it to another concept of â€Å"two-spir it† (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997). This is because the term itself originates from the nineteenth century when it defined â€Å"slaveboys,† â€Å"catamites,† or â€Å"inverts.†Hence, Natives, as a freewill community of people in the United States, prove their identity through the notions of spirituality and belonging to a tribe. This is the most valued features associated with these people. American Indians are non-violent by nature. It is well reported in the legends going along with tribes throughout the continent.Before getting the idea of the Great Spirit, two people were proposed to choose the weapon: the first one chose a gun and became a white man while the second one chose a bow and an arrow and became an Indian (Leeming & Page, 2000).In this mythic inscription American Indians tried to illuminate that spirits saved them from â€Å"extinction,† so to speak, by letting to choose afterwards. Otherwise, they would become as a Whiteman, cruel a nd apt at violence. This is the gist of why American Indians are likely to ignore what the Western civilization has proposed them.It is so even in social relationships, of course. Indians are not willing to use the same terms as whites use. They are scrupulous at finding a better explanation of peoples’ lives. Notwithstanding some unique states of peoples’ souls and spirits in a tribe, Indians follow the prescriptions of their predecessors in judging all of their identity. It is about time to give some new implications on the term of two-spirit people. In fact, these are those being of one gender physically, but feeling strongly the presence of another gender at the same time.This simple definition provides a scope of reasoning over the nature of indigenous people in the United States. Gender was always viewed by Native Americans as having a spiritual background. The physical sphere for the spirit is a secondary thing to interpret Indians’ justification of why t hey think of gender relationships differently. By contrast, indigenous people of America use their own characterization of gender. Brown (1997) identifies six basic gender styles among Native Americans, i. e. men and women, not-men and not-women, gays and lesbians.This characterization gives substantial grounds to suppose American Indians more varied and free-to-judge about gender analysis and its significance. Western culture views these particularities senseless reducing them to four or even two elements. It is due to the influence of morale and historical background outlining bigotries as of berdaches. It is important that American Indians view a man and a woman as two beginnings or halves to give further life to a tribe. These incorporations are done to prescribe a divine nature of gender in its spiritual patterning.All in all, indigenous people are apt at coming up with the alternative gender style in their society. Despite Western people, Indians, therefore, reduce an extent o f tribal conflicts due to a right understanding of different genders in people. For instance, in Santee Dakota and Lakota tribes, gender styles are in most points associated with particular cultural norms as for berdaches and fetishism as a term which unnecessarily linked to two-spirit people (Brown, 1997). These particularities gave American Indians more freedom to choose their social niche within a tribal society.Nevertheless, one should see a sociological prerequisite for diminishing a degree of controversial, frequently conflict, situations. Native American gays and lesbians is another aspect of the discussion. These people feel no prejudice or blame because of their gender style. In fact, two-spirit people are concerned with some magical power being with them, as healers or even as associates to witchcraft (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997). In this respect American Indian people do not feel like hating two-spirit people. One should notice a distinct use of the word â€Å"spirit.à ¢â‚¬ This is where a respectful attitude toward Native American berdaches starts. What is more, it is largely considered that indigenous people in the United States are unique for their own views on life and manners of social existence.This goes along with the anthropological features of two-gendered spirits of some people living in a tribe. As a matter of fact, in the contemporary discourse gays and lesbians among Native Americans are really different from those of other ethnical belongings (Western people, in particular) (Brown, 1997).Century-long history of American Indians and their unbreakable strong traditions in fulfilling their destinies does not give them a chance to drop a hint of doubt concerning their spirituality. It is remarkable that two-spirit people are also endured with force.This one is appreciated among tribal society to bear a healing power and a so-called ‘mascot’ for the rest of the society. Thus, these people are largely considered to be involve d into spiritual connections with the Great Spirit as well as with Manitou and wakan.Once again, it is significant to admit that the main difference of shaping gender identities between Native Americans and Western people is in their cultures. Culture is a multilevel system bearing the identity of a community or even society of individuals.The anthropological issue is that cultural belonging exemplifies itself in gender attitudes (Wood, 2008). As was mentioned before, two-spirit people are a particular calque for gays and lesbians in the rest of the world. However, this notion is incomplete, as it bears no connection to how American Indians treat it.Thereupon, one should be careful and accurate in explaining the fact that two-spirit people are not similar to gays and lesbians in a simple conception. Two-spirit people are admired among Native Americans (Wood, 2008).Intersexuality means something special for American Indians. It is an aspect of a sacred features in a man incorporated with spirits being of different genders. Therefore, people should not treat it wrong that two-spirit people of Native Americans have nothing to do with something else but gay or lesbian attitudes and way of life.The features of acceptance and belonging for two-spirit people today are critical, as there is a collision of two cultural backgrounds, namely Native American and traditional gay cultures (Gilley, 2006).Two-spirit American Indians are so by their initial realization of their place among people and in terms of spiritual features corresponding to their Indian identity. It is hard to talk on this topic due to the increase of current gay culture dampening genuinely sacred understanding of two-spirit implementation among Indians.Recent studies on being a two-spirit individual within Native American communities show that it is impossible for indigenous people to impose surgery for making the prevailing feeling as of gender physically apparent (Gilley, 2006).This is a silly thing f or those who knew about two-spirit people long before the scientific and technological progress and the development of medicine and plastic surgery. It is a state of spirit, a state of soul, thus, a state of mind for Native Americans.Nonetheless, it is not a big secret that in contemporary tribal rites and priorities two-spirit people encounter some problems with the overall acceptance and further belonging to American Indian society (Wood, 2008). Historically, the cultural tradition of two-spirit people among different tribes has its specific definitions. Lev (2004) provides a set of different notions for two-spirit people in different tribes: â€Å"winkte (Lakota), nadleehi (Navaho), bote (Crow), lhamana (Zuni), and haxu’xan (Arapaho) for males, and hwame (Mojave) for females† (59).Dual-gender states are explained differently but all of them derived from the precious for Indians cultural framework and strong connection to their indigenous beliefs in spirituality of a ny individual within Native American society. The hegemonic Western culture is a great impediment for two-spirit people among Native Americans. The question is that these people cannot but be nearby the trends and features of traditional gay and lesbian culture. Thus, dualism of genders seems to be on the edge of having no genuine spiritual coloring for Indians.In this respect it is interesting that Native American berdaches are not traditionally concerned with homosexuality in terms of gender relationships, but just physically (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997). This evaluation comes out to be a critical and quite contradicting as explained on the part of Native Americans. The idea is that everyone having an intercourse with two-spirit people is never considered to be a gay or a lesbian: If you are a man and you have sexual relationship with a ‘berdache,’ you’re not having sex with another man. You’re having sex with a ‘berdache.’And if youâ€⠄¢re a woman who has sex with a ‘berdache,’ you’re not having sex with a woman, you’re having sex with a ‘berdache. ’ So the partners of the ‘berdache’ technically are never homosexual because they’re not having sex with their same gender† (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997, p. 104-105) This truth (apparently, an assumption) by Native Americans illuminates a sticking point for Western mentality and rationale of what being a gay or a lesbian means at large. Cultural prospects are above all for indigenous people in the North America.In fact, there is a feature of admiration in evidence. Many anthropologists refer Native Americans in their understanding of two-spirit people to some Asian cultures which have full-fledged settings of beliefs similar to duality of genders among American Indians. As might be considered, these implications are for a reason. They drop a light on the century-long communication within Indian peoples. In turn it was reflected on every feature of social life and further adaptation for living with â€Å"white† neighbors. This is why gender relationships are widely anticipated nowadays.To say more, American Indians are likely to personify deities in terms of their duality and reference to both genders. Two personifications of gender types from the spiritual point of view are eagle for a male part and coyote for a female part (Leeming & Page, 2000). Embodiment of two genders associated with nature and animals, particularly, brings a new understanding of homosexuality in. It has many things to do with neutrality and supremacy when individuals bear different feelings and preferences in life as for individuals of the same gender.It is almost impossible to speak about a two-spirit man or woman, as a bearer of some particular gender type. Here comes a dilemma in judging American Indians. They are never considered to be of the same values as pursuant to European people.Not-men and not-women are likely to be discovered out of men and women but as those having some magic power at their disposal (Brown, 1997). Among six gender styles, one should be attentive and quite rational not to mix not-men and not-women with gays and lesbians. This is why there is another incorporation of gender belonging as constituted by Native Americans.At a glance, it is hard to believe it, but it needs a proper look at how socialization takes place among American Indians. Hence, it is impossible to identify two-spirit people similar to current gays and lesbians.This would be a particular anthropological and sociological mistake. Different researches proved it to be right and full of rationality if only looking at the historical, cultural, and religious background of indigenous peoples living in America. Looking at what has been discussed previously, one can make up his/her mind about how to explain two-spirit people among Native Americans.It is apparent that the main difference betwee n two-spirits and gays with lesbians is in the spiritual and cultural background. It is a niche which provides a place for further dimensions in gender styles and gender treatment among American Indians. In the milieu of â€Å"Native American gender diversity† most of the scholars refer all two-spirits to bearing more male features than female ones (Gilley, 2006). This is why, since the colonial era until present it is documented that both not-men and not-women are basically characterized through features of masculinity.This assumption provides a scope of differences to consider two-spirit people not the same as traditionally understood homosexual minorities, as long as the European gay culture presupposes men to be like women in manners and other features and women to be more like women, as they can understand each other better than men could. This makes a constraint between two types of cultural and social ways of perceiving the reality. Westerners and Native Americans deli neate initially different beliefs which are inseparable from gender identities and attitudes toward them.The thing is that homosexuality among Westerners is in most points a reflection of Ancient Greek attitudes toward gender relationships. This idea got through different philosophical and social theories and explanations leading toward present identification of gay culture, as something transcendent and magnificent. Conversely, the evaluation of two-spirit homosexual identity among Native Americans begins on the moment when Indians came to the American continent long before the Europeans discovered it.Thus, it is rational to state two-spirit tradition of American Indians, as purely inscribed into the cultural background of these peoples. Hence, it has no Western or some other alloys of cultural intrusions, as Indians were isolated for many years continentally and by sea. This is why both cultures do not fit in what they mean for people belonging to them. A civilized life and seemin gly old-fashioned traits in traditions are like a medal with two different edges. Strict and quite elaborated norms in tribes of American Indians did not exclude homosexuality.This provides an assumption that transgender versatility should be taken into consideration in every culture in the world. As concerned with Native Americans, their predominantly genuine coloring in provision of the same sex relationships among some few people in a community are functionally defined. In this respect Lev (2004) identifies three core-features among two-spirit people within Native Americans, namely: â€Å"(1) a cross-role specialization in social, productive, and domestic roles; (2) spiritual sanction and associated powers; and (3) gender variation often denoted by cross dressing behavior† (60).This classification of the basic functions as of two-spirit people assumes implication of the key-features hierarchy. Just as they are listed above, these features should be understood by means of t he ascending scale.Two-spirit people, as described in the several tribes in the United States since the colonial time, were obliged to commit with both male and female social worlds (Gilley, 2006). It corresponds to the fact that social taboos were not possible for those who could not give birth to a child. Moreover, it becomes so until now.Two-spirit people are no longer appropriate to be claimed as having something of a man or of a woman. These people shared labor of both gender types inside Native Americans. This is why in Zuni, Cherokee, and other tribes two-spirit people were respectful for being good craftsmen or highly apt at social work within the tribal community.In fact, men could do weaving and potting alongside with hunting big game and building wigwams (Gilley, 2006). Two-spirit men were not separated from the male part of the community, but rather appreciated and adored. This constituted the same for two-spirit women.Notwithstanding, two-spirit people are widely said t o be another, third, type of gender relationships among Native Americans. This statement gives enough space to consider two-spirits economically and socially profitable for their communities.However, it is possible for those representatives of such gender type who position themselves as Jacks-of-all-trades. Nevertheless, experts are apt at characterizing the two-spirits as rather valuable individuals who are even believed to predict different events and to speak directly with spirits. This cannot but suppress ardency of the rest of a tribe.However, there were evidences when two-spirit people were widely suspected in witchcraft and bad will of spirits (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997). Not for nothing, it was something like hatred to witches in a medieval Europe. Wood (2008) is inclined in her studies to state that two-spirit people of indigenous tribes of America are the result of the prior matrilineal system established among American Indians. In this respect everything, social, prope rty, or inherited things, were for women, not for men. Perhaps, this was a real pivot around which a symbiosis of two genders appeared and was applied to be another kind of gender relationships.To date, it is taken for granted that two-spirit people embody mostly cultural features and consequences in the evolution of Native Americans’ social life and development. Some experts still show perseverance in identifying two-spirit people through their spiritual estimation. However, the historical and ethno-sociological points of view give grounds to make sure Native American two-spirit people emerged as a result of some social privileges and appropriate changes in the social system and in stratification of individuals inhabiting a definite tribe.Different biases are concerned with some assumptions on the divine and culturally original personification of two-spirit people. This provides further discussion or debate, so to speak, in order to evaluate the social and cultural insights into the essence of what people call Native Americans.Contemporary talks on the theme of two-spirit people among indigenous tribes and peoples living in America including Inuit and Siberian Chukchi are all about transgendered people (being so few within communities) who are concerned women if they are two-spirit men and vice versa (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997).This is in evidence until now, and no Western intruder can explain indigenous people the gist of such doing or, perhaps, its amoral side. Moreover, culture is a strong and quite dynamic unity of states and relationships between individuals of the same cultural terrain. This is why there is plenty to talk about social factors impacting cultural growth or decline. Now, it is vital to distinguish between the main dimensions to explain the nature of two-spirit people.It was aforementioned that this is a social and physical mixture of feelings inside an individual grounded on the cultural and the religious features. Lev (2004) giv es a holistic idea on how an observer should think of two-spirit people taking into consideration everything highlighted earlier, namely: â€Å"Though physically Two-Spirit people were not commonly known to be hermaphroditic or intersexed, they are considered to have the social characteristics of both men and women and – consistent with the Indian worldview – they are thought to possess the visions of both sexes† (60).This is, perhaps, the most appropriate in terms of the social discourse. The main obstacle as well as means to survive for two-spirit people is that they should adapt to two social systems with different settings of values and morale, i. e. American and American Indian (Brown, 1997). Getting through the diversity of likes and dislikes in both systems, these people managed to save their culture despite their gender inappropriateness with traditionally marked borders.This is the gist of what makes indigenous people living in the United States so scru pulous and up-and-coming in social or everyday activities. Another applicable feature of two-spirit people is that they do not separate themselves out of the society and their own communities (Jacobs, Thomas, & Lang, 1997). Traditional Western culture presupposes that gays and lesbians should gather together in special places during some thematic parties and on love parades, in particular.Western gays and lesbians are more likely to isolate their community out of the heterosexual majority. Obviously, some features corresponding to morale and political situation in a country have caused such behaviors. On the other side, isolation is a kind of pride suchlike people manifest to the rest of the society. By contrast, two-spirit people never neglect their direct participation in social services and things to be done at the moment. They feel their responsibility to be nearby the majority and help as they can.This is why two-spirit people are full-fledged individuals among the heterosexual peers. Conclusion/recommendations Based on the investigation and analysis done in this research paper, it is clear now that indigenous people have a set of peculiarities about those individuals who mate with the same sex partners. One should not mix it with the traditionally implemented notions of gays and lesbians. Two-spirit people are true members of their tribal communities and of the American Indian society on the whole.It is said that dual-gendered people among Native Americans are the representatives of the third gender which presupposes both male and female views incorporated with suchlike individuals. Historically, the anthropological analysis proves direct sociological links within which the formation or emergence of two-spirit people began. Even though, the study bears an analytical and descriptive evaluation of two-spirit people among Native Americans, it provides a framework for further recommendations.First of all, the study serves as a direct stimulus for would-be so ciologists and anthropologists. Thus, it is vital that practitioners in these fields take a look at the overall analysis of gender issues among indigenous peoples of America. It would be a great precursor for further deeper insights in the subject matter. However, the research would be incomplete if observers or young scholars found out more up-to-date sources on the problem itself and its place in social affairs maintained and developed throughout the American society.Hence, the overall representation of the research paper covers exhaustive information on two-spirit peoples among American Indians. Its value and its significance for sociology cannot be underestimated for further implications in the Native American studies at schools and in colleges.ReferenceBrown, L. B. (1997). Two spirit people: American Indian, lesbian women and gay men. New York, NY: Routledge.Gilley, B. J. (2006). Becoming two-spirit: gay identity and social acceptance in Indian country. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press.Jacobs, S. -E. , Thomas, W. , & Lang, S. (1997). Two-spirit people: Native American gender identity, sexuality, and spirituality. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press.Leeming, D. A. , & Page, J. (2000). The Mythology of Native North America. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press.Lev, A. I. (2004). Transgender emergence: therapeutic guidelines for working with gender-variant people and their families. New York, NY: Routledge.Wood, J. T. (2008). Gendered lives: communication, gender, and culture. Stanford, CT: Cengage Learning.