Most Lethal Sniper in American History Essay

Chris Kyle was a natural born killer from the first time he was handed a gun. Born in Odessa, Texas, he began hunting with his own rifles and shotguns at age eight. After he finished school, he became a professional bronco rider, but his career ended quickly after he injured his arm. After his arm healed he turned to the military for a job, but was turned down because of the pins in his arm. After a few months he received a call and was invited to the training for the Navy SEALS. He ended up becoming a sniper in SEAL Team 3 and served four tours of duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Over the four tours of duty, Kyle racked up 255 claimed kills and 160 confirmed kills. His longest successful shot was 2,100 yards or 1.2 miles, just outside Sadr City in 2008. Chivalric Codes were a huge part of a knight’s life, was developed to keep knights in check during a time where laws were difficult to come by. They generally consisted of honoring the church, protecting and serving the people, the lord of the land and the country, being honorable as a person, perseverance, honoring your enemy, protecting women and children, and to protect your fellow knights. Chris Kyle upheld the Code of Chivalry in many ways but in others he did not. These breaks in the code were not always his fault though, because of the radical change in war from the middle ages to now, and the decisions of whether to protect his countrymen or the values of chivalry. Kyle’s first kill was an example of a decision between elements of the code. A woman with a grenade was approaching a group of Marines. Kyle was reluctant to shoot a woman, which is generally against the Rules Of Engagement, and most soldiers’ moral standards. He hesitated before shooting her and saving his troops lives. He said afterward that he was angry at the woman for putting him in that situation. It was the only time he ever killed anyone other than a male enemy. Another way that he strayed from the Code of Chivalry, was that he claims that all of his actions were done out of necessity, not for glory. He constantly repeats that no true hero ever does anything for glory. He says throughout his book that all of his kills were necessary to protect his fellow soldiers. The last way that Chris Kyle broke the code of chivalry was that most of his kills were unfair fights. His training and weapons gave him a huge advantage over his Iraqi adversaries, who were equipped with low-tech equipment and had no training. He often shot enemies from far away in concealed hiding spots, and sometimes in the back. This was a huge infraction in medieval times, but with the advances in warfare and technology, in order to stay alive on the battlefield today you must kill your enemy as soon as possible or he could kill you in an instant. Kyle was not totally against the code of chivalry though, he was a devout Christian, as you would expect as his father was a Sunday school teacher. He justifies his killings by citing that the Commandment is against murder, and killing innocent people not against killing people trying to kill you and your countrymen. Kyle also shows exceptional patriotism and service to his country and the President, our equivalent to a knight’s king. He was awarded two silver stars and five bronze stars with valor, but denies that he ever did anything special to deserve them. He says any soldier would have done the same thing to protect the freedom of America and its people. All in all, Chris Kyle will always be remembered as a hero in the War on Terror, and a modern day testament to the values of chivalry. Although he was not able to uphold all of the values, he did the best he could in the situations he was put in. It is impossible for him to uphold a code as old as that in the changing conditions of war. Many parts are just not feasible to the modern day soldier. With what Kyle was able to accomplish and be able to uphold the standards that he did, Chris Kyle was definitely as chivalrous as he could possibly be. Works Cited Kyle, Chris. American Sniper. N.p.: HarperCollins, n.d. Print. Seidl, Jonathon M. â€Å"This Navy SEAL Sniper Is the ‘Deadliest in U.S. History’ — Can You Guess His Longest Shot?† The Blaze. N.p., 2 Jan. 2012. Web. 04 Oct. 2012. . Smith, Terry. â€Å"What Are the Rules of Engagement With Military Use of Force?† EHow. N.p., 16 Feb. 2012. Web. 4 Oct. 2012. .

Benefits and Costs of Economic Growth

Economic growth is defined as the sustained increase in real GDP or GNP per capita over time. Economic growth is desirable for an economy as it increases its real national income and standards of living for its people in general. Although it is desirable, economic growth does have its benefits and costs. One benefit would be increased levels of consumption. Provided economic growth outstrips population growth, it will lead to higher real income per head. This can lead to higher levels of consumption of goods and services. With economic growth there will be improvement in business expectations, leading to increase in investment. Firms replace worn-out/ obsolete capital or invest in new capital. There will also be expansion of demand, leading to increased output. Existing idle capacity and unemployed labour are utilised. This result in more people being employed, thus increasing the level of consumption within the country. If human welfare is related to the level of consumption, then growth provides an obvious gain to society. Next, it can help to avoid other macroeconomic problems. People aspire to higher living standards. Without a growth in productive potential, people’s demands for rising incomes are likely to lead to higher inflation, balance of payments crises(as more imports are purchased), etc. Growth in productive potential helps to meet these aspirations and avoid macroeconomic crises. Moreover, economic growth makes it easier to redistribute incomes to the poor. If incomes rise, the government can redistribute incomes from the rich to the poor without the rich losing. For example, as people’s incomes rise, they automatically pay more taxes. These extra revenues for the government can be spent on programmes to alleviate poverty. Without a continuing rise in national income, the scope for helping the poor is much more limited. Society may also feel that it can afford to care more for the environment. As people grow richer, they may become less preoccupied with their own private consumption and more concerned to live in a clean environment. Economic growth, though resulting in many economic and social benefits to the people in the country, is not without its costs. Firstly it could result in reduced current consumption. To achieve faster growth, firms will probably need to invest more. This will require financing. The finance can come from higher saving, higher retained profits or higher taxes. Either way, there must be a cut in consumption. In the short run, therefore, higher growth leads to less consumption, not more. Next, growth involves changes in production: both in terms of the goods produced and in terms of the techniques used and the skills required, the more rapid the rate of growth, the more rapid the rate of change. People may find that their skills are no longer relevant. Their jobs may be replaced by machines. People may thus find themselves unemployed, or forced to take low-paid, unskilled work. A richer society may be more concerned for the environment, but it is also likely to do more damage to it. The higher the level of consumption, the higher is likely to be the level of pollution and waste. What is more, many of the environmental costs are likely to be underestimated due to lack of scientific knowledge. Acid rain and the depletion of the ozone layer have been 2 examples. Lastly, it could deplete our non-renewable resources. If growth involves using a greater amount of resources, rather than using the same amount of resources more efficiently, certain non-renewable resources will run out more rapidly. Unless viable alternatives can be found for various minerals and fossil fuels, present growth may lead to shortages for future generations. In conclusion, economic growth can have both benefits and costs depending on certain factors. Moreover it is desirable as long as the benefits outweigh the costs.

Analyze Ducati’s Essay

As the case mentioned, Ducati was experiencing a financial crisis before 1996. Just right before Ducati’s bankruptcy, Texas Pacific Group took over the company and appointed Minoli as the leader for the new management team. Despite having high tech motorcycles, Ducati suffered from lack of high quality reputation due to poor management and inefficient production. Under Minoli’s management, he successfully established Ducati’s core logic as a sports bike leading brand, and set company’s core goals as to increase growth as well as maintain profit margin. Minoli began this goal-oriented strategic decision and pointed out a blueprint in order to reshaped Ducati from head to toe. He not only made Ducati to be perceived as a brand to compete in its niche sports segment, but also reeducated the public’s thoughts toward Ducati as a lifestyle and entertainment rather than just motorcycles alone. One key to branding is to maintain customer retention. As mentioned in the case, since 55 percent of Ducati’s customers tend to purchase more than one motorcycles, it is essential for Minoli to establish a high customer loyalty in order to have repurchase intentions. With that aim in mind, Minoli launched levels of investments in customer retention activities to accompany his branding strategy. Implementations include things such as advertising to broaden customer base, creating customer service for quality satisfaction, bike customization for brand niche segmentation, and building Ducati heritage to reconstruct customer loyalty. In addition to branding, Minoli also reorganized production system by outsourcing majority of Ducati’s basic components to maintain the flexibility and efficiency for the production process (76 to 87 bikes produced per worker in 3 year) . Standardizing cylinders and crank cases for different models, acquiring accessories and apparel company also allowed Ducati to yield a higher profit margin (12%) and turnover rate. Furthermore, Minoli also started a new distribution strategy by reorganizing dealerships. To improve the quality and control of the dealerships of Ducati, Minoli began to limit dealerships by carrying only Ducati motorcycles and accessories. Although this act subsequently reduced a number of dealerships in the region, total annual registration still had increased by more than 300% from 2310 to 9750 within 4 years in Italy. In sum, Minoli’s turnaround program has allowed it to create core competencies in brand, product, and R&D technologies by implementing strategies mentioned above. Lowering the cost as well as raising the revenue made Minoli’s goal of long term profit sustaining possible. work cited:Gavetti, Giovanni: Ducati page 11.

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Research Paper Example The U.S. no longer manufacture enough to feed it is locals. The economic situation is unsustainable. The United States imports more than it is able to export. The U.S. is disposing off it is assets to sustain a moderate standard of living. In some constraining circumstances, the U.S. is taking massive debts to sustain the economy from falling (Baker & Baker, 2011). According to Cotton (1958), economical problems reflect the inadequacy of intellectual and material resources in the society. United States is world super power characterized by the control of the world in decision making of economic nature. Also notwithstanding, it is the most unequal industrialized nation, apart from the few Asians city states. Some of the economic problems now facing include the following (Cotton, 1958). There is the problem of trade deficits. Currently the U.S. imports more than it exports. For this reason the net cash outflow is negative. The U.S. has failed to produce enough to feed it is people; hence it is forced to import food from other countries. While this is happening, the regulatory and tax system have without a vivid reason raised domestic business costs. Apart from this, the fundamental cause to the present economic crisis in the U.S. was caused by the three decades detrimental U.S. trade and globalization policies (Baker & Baker, 2011). In addition, the economic problem in the U.S. is the inaccessibility to the markets. U.S. has naively and assumed that other countries will carry and hold themselves to the U.S. standards. The measured standards here include environment, labor and competition policy, Cotton (1958). These standards greatly affect the cost of production in the U.S. Economically, â€Å"if these countries fail to adhere to these standards, they gain an unfair cost advantage†. It is believed that U.S market has lost it is former glory, due the participation in the world trade.

Ethical Issues of Information Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Ethical Issues of Information Technology - Essay Example Computers are special technology that raises special ethical issues (Moor, 1991) and that such issues and problems are unique to the field. They would not have been issues had it not been for the technology itself (Maner, 1996). Ethical issues of information technology are called many names like computer ethics, information ethics, and cyberethics. In the whole of information systems management, whatever its name, the new technology radically reshapes life styles, at the same time creates challenges in the areas of privacy, property, security and individual identity (Information systems, 2007). The following discussion covers issues in consumer or online privacy, copyright, patents, trademarks, trade secrets, legal jurisdiction, and online contracting that manifest in the field of information technology. The details come in the form of definitions and philosophical reflections or historical events elucidating the issue. The paper then ends with a note on probabilities for the future. Computer and information technology may be used interchangeably throughout the paper and may mean the same. The Ethical Issues Online Privacy. The cheap, fast, painless encryption technology provided by the computer has transformed the privacy debate completely. While before, people worried about the wearing away of privacy, the concern now is about the computer-generated privacy "afforded to every criminal with a computer and half a brain." (Maner, 1996). Electronic mail has replaced telephone and inter-office mail communications as the principal medium of business communications and this has made work easier. Throughout it all, however, suddenly, one's email address has become known to merchandisers and one begins receiving a lot of unsolicited email daily about products being advertised. Identity theft generally involves obtaining data from individual consumers' financial transactions on the Internet or elsewhere, and either billing the consumers' credit cards for nonexistent transactions or services, or using consumers' personal data to conduct actual transactions that are billed to the consumers(Internet Fraud, 2000). Identity theft is an Internet fraud. There is a need for email privacy in the workplace and the blocking of bulk E-mail solicitations called "SPAM." How had the address been known to others The sale of personal information, or its use by a successor, according to Zaharoff (2001) may constitute "unfair or deceptive" act even if it is not a breach of contract. The Computer-Processed Personal Data Protection Act was passed in 1995, governing official agency as well as non-official agency (Yang & Chang, 2007). At present, however, the only eight categories of non-official agency governed by it are credit information, hospital, school, telecommunications, financing and banking, securities, insurance and mass communications (Yang & Chang, 2007). This means these agencies having to do with these concerns must apply

Operations Managemen Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Operations Managemen - Essay Example The challenge gets even worse with the great variety of products presented with every single wear vendor. Product lines vary in styles, cloths and sizes - the range of goods a vendor must produce to attract the attention of buyers is enormous. Minding the fact that only a small part (50% in the case of Jossey Menswear) of the whole stock is sold at full price it becomes clear that wear vendors put up with significant wastes. And because of what Because of inaccuracies and misconceptions of fashion forecasts. Since the production cycle of clothes is rather long (it takes 18 months from the first sketch of a designer) companies have wear in their stores, which were presumed to be popular a year and a half ago. Obviously, there are two ways a company can take to improve its chances of hitting the bull's eye of customers' popularity. The first one, extensive, lies in broadening its product range and increasing volumes of production. The second path is intensive, and tries to improve the accuracy of forecasts, which only can be made through shortening the production cycles. Of course, the second path is better for Jossey Menswear since it leads to full price sales proportion increasing, while keeping the production volumes the same, or even lower than before, which increases profits for the company. Meanwhile, the first way simply increases revenues along with manufacturing costs. Thus, the efficiency of forecasts falling over time and wastes associated with manufacturing of unpopular products are the main reasons behind the choice of quick response (QR) manufacturing system. The main driving factor between the strategies based on QR manufacturing is the reduction of lead time - this business concept is also known as 'agile manufacturing' (Suri, 2003). Another business concept, known as 'lean manufacturing' uses wastes elimination as the main driving factor. Despite the common opinion these two theories are not mutually exclusive and can be applied together (Martin and Towill, 2000). So the question for Jossey Menswear is not stated as "agile or lean approach" - both concepts should be used, because the main objectives of supply chain improvement for Jossey are both reducing lead time and eliminating wastes. Inevitably, every improvement action taken by the company should be monitored in order to learn lessons from it. The implementation of QR manufacturing requires to be monitored from several dimensions: informational, financial and external (customer). The informational perspective can be considered primary, as it reflects the main goal of improvement increase the speed of information flow between different segments of supply chain. Financial perspective can be analysed with the help of total cost analysis. TCA assessment offers a final statement reflecting not only the cost of improvement but all aspects in the further use and maintenance of inventory. For instance, TCA may show that while direct costs of the improvements may be high, a further reduction of material and inventory costs acquired from the increased velocity will be beneficial (Kauffman, 2004). The customer perspective may be reviewed through customer profitability analysis (CPA). This technique assigns revenues and costs to groups of customers rather than to organisational units, products, etc. By doing so, CPA gives its users the information, which customers are the most beneficiary for them, which in our case will show how helpful is the improved supply chain in adding revenue from customers. 2. It is

PCM Theory and Audio Reduction Codecs and Techniques Research Paper

PCM Theory and Audio Reduction Codecs and Techniques - Research Paper Example Instead, compressed PCM variants are normally employed. However, numerous Blu-ray format movies use the uncompressed the PCM for audio. Frequently, PCM encoding enables digital transmission from a point to another (in a certain system, or geographically) in a serial form.   However, due to the computer and digital network communications advancements, a lot of information or data is transmitted using the pulse wave modulation technique. Pulse wave modulation may be used to transmit analog audio signal or information with a particular rate to sample analog signal - this rate is what is called the transmission rate. On the receiver, the delivered signal is demodulated by the Pulse-code modulation (PCM) demodulator to recuperate the original continuous analog signal wave. Generally, PCM can be classified as a pulse amplitude modulation (PAM), pulse position modulation (PPM), pulse code modulation (PCM), and pulse width modulation (PWM). PAM, PPM, and PWM modulations are affiliated to a nalog modulation while the PCM modulation is affiliated to digital modulation. It is important to take note that PCM modulation is a real digital signal which can be processed and digitally stored by a computer. However, PPM, PWM, and PAM modulations are similar to PM, FM, and AM modulations, respectively (Aksoy & DeNardis, 2007, p. 112). For all pulse wave modulation, before the modulation, the original continuous form signal has to be sampled and the sampling rate for the sampling signal must not below, otherwise, the recovered signal will bring about distortion. The sampling rate is subject to the sampling theorem, whereby the sampling theorem states that: for a pulse wave modulation system, in the condition that the sampling rate excesses the double or more maximum frequency times of the signal, then distortion level of data recovery on the receiver will be its minimum. For instance, the frequency range of the audio signal is about 40 Hz ~ 4 kHz, the pulse wave modulation sampli ng signal frequency must be no less than 8 kHz, hence, the sampling error is reduced to the minimum (Maes & Vercammen, 2012, p. 67). During transmission, it is hard for the PCM signal to avoid noise distortion. Therefore, before the PCM signal sends to the PCM demodulator, a comparator is used to recover the PCM signal to its original level. The signal is a pulse wave signal series, so, before demodulating, the pulse wave signal series will be converted to a parallel digital signal by aid of a serial to a parallel converter After that, the signal passes through n-bits decoder (which should be D/A converter) for recovery of the digital signal to its original quantization value. However, in this quantization value includes not only the original audio signal alone, but also many high-frequency harmonics, hence; a low-pass filter is used to remove the undesirable signal at the final fragment. MPEG varieties The MPEG standards comprise of different Parts.  

Financial and monitoring strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Financial and monitoring strategy - Essay Example The new Office and Finance Manager has proposed the following financial and monitoring system with special attention to the legal and tax information requirements of ATO. As Real-time is registered for paying both GST and PAYG, the company is liable to maintain and provide records pertaining to tax calculations. These records should be kept for a minimum of 5 years as per legal requirements. As the company registered last year for payment of both these taxes, it is proposed that back up copies of accounting records and information listed as below to be kept in both hard copy forms as well as in soft copies written to CDs. As Real-time is currently having a computerized accounting system with customized business software, it is not a difficult task to acquire the necessary information and reports. However there is a marked lack of procedures for maintaining some of the above records and proof of information such as cheque stubs, deposit slips and credit card dockets. At most times, these items are discarded at month end or misplaced without being file and kept for record keeping. As such it is proposed that a record room be allocated separately for safekeeping or accruing records, bearing in mind the minimum five year requirement for maintaining business records to meet legal requirements. Investment in a low range server is also proposed so that the company’s computer system can be updated and all personnel be linked via network connections. This upgrading will also facilitate the implementation of the fleet tracking and monitoring software program proposed in a bid to minimize idle times, and other costs associated with ineffective delivery activities. As GST is payable on the service bills of Real-time, the GST component of 10% of bill value will be recorded in all invoices. The invoicing system has been already adjusted to carry out this task and the GST payable component is calculated automatically by

Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 17

Final - Essay Example Then, in an essay that synthesizes at least four of the six provided sources for support, take a position that qualifies the claim that GMO should be discouraged because it is a probable health risk and an environmental hazard. This article presents an assessment of the effect GMO technology is having on global agriculture from both economic and environmental perspectives. The article seems to assert that there could be a possibility of having positive economic impact when all factors are put into consideration. This source is significantly resourceful in presenting counterargument when discussing the negative impacts of GMO technology. This article highlights some of the widely argued biomedical risks of GM foods such as potential allergenicity, and most importantly, horizontal gene transfer. The source also discusses the environmental side effects on biodiversity. Since the source also discusses the benefits of the first generation of GM foods, then a good comparison can be made from the same source. This source gives a clear list of reasons why GMOs should not be used. The article highlights little knowledge on GMOs as one of the issues challenging use of GMOs. Increased pesticide use is also a notable cause for alarm on use of GMO. This source gives a quick peek. However, it offers a good start into more indepth research

Compare and Contrast 2 articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Compare and Contrast 2 articles - Essay Example There is quite evidently the interdependence gravitates man toward such force and this compels him to revitalize his being by recreating it through art. â€Å"So God tired of all the possibilities that remained confined within Him, unexpressed, dormant, and as if dead. And God opened His mouth, and he spoke at length a word that was harmonious and rhythmical† (p. 49). Similarly, Du Bois reinforces the concept of a singular world without boundaries because all are created by one God. Yet out of this, he clarifies that there does exist a classification of races. â€Å"There does not stand today upon God’s earth a race more capable in muscle, in intellect, in morals, than the American Negro† (p, 13). This clearly indicates the significance of God in the lives of Black people, an influence that cannot be dismissed. (2) Senghor recognizes the influence of the Negro in civilization while Du Bois only assumes its part. By direct content of the essay, Senghor’s â €˜Negritude: A Humanism of the Twentieth Century’ discusses the gist of Negritude and its meaning. It is as he describes it, a modern humanism. The Negro had influenced artists such as Picasso and Braque when they discovered African art.

Topic Selection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Topic Selection - Essay Example It came to the attention of the Vice President for Nursing that their Nurse Managers are torn between prioritizing functions which are administrative in nature vis-Ã  -vis functions that cater to the delivery of patient care. Due to the Nurse Managers’ theoretical orientation for health care, the administrative tasks such as completion of reportorial requirements, monitoring and upkeep of equipment and supplies, staff requirements and budgeting are frequently neglected or seconded with priorities being focused to patient care. In this regard, the VP for Nursing sought the assistance of the VP for Human Resources and the CEO to resolve this issue. Every nursing unit in the hospital is headed by a nurse manager who is assigned as the chief head nurse on duty. Her job responsibilities entail patient care as the primary task and managerial functions such as planning, directing, staffing and control. These multi-task functions coupled with low pay contributed to low morale and low productivity. These nurses opted to gain the minimum experience required to enable them to leave the country and work abroad. The leadership function assigned to nurse managers conflict with their functions as providers of patient care. They are expected to deliver timely reports on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. They monitor staffing requirements. They prepare the time sheets for payroll purposes. And most importantly, they are expected to know all the nursing intervention requirements for all the patients are their nursing units. There is this question on prioritization of function. As nurses, of course, they should prioritize patient care. But as managers, the function of attending to the human resource needs of the unit suffers. Reports are not completed on their specified time schedules. Upkeep of facilities in patients’ rooms and hospital areas are not regularly attended to. Equipments that need

Personality psychology Essay Example for Free

Personality psychology Essay Abstract Carl Gustav Jung has influenced many facets of modern psychology and counseling with his unique spiritual approach to personality theory. Herein lies a biographical address of Jungs life, a comprehensive overview of the principle tenets of his personality theories, and a Christian evaluation of his work. Specific attention is given to comparing and contrasting Jungs theory of a collective unconscious with a Christians understanding of the spiritual world. In addition, a guide is provided to Christians looking to mine Jungs work for techniques that might help their clients, while at the same time avoiding others that cannot coincide with orthodox Christian beliefs. EVALUATING JUNG FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE Evaluating Jung From A Christian Perspective Carl Jung lived a very interesting life, and has provided the fields of psychology and counseling with valuable perspective and insight. A modern Christian psychologist or counselor would do well to mine Jungs theories for useful application today. The difficulty is found in moving past Jungs cloud of mysticism and properly applying orthodox Christian beliefs to Jungs work. The Life Story of Jung Boyhood Carl Gustav Jung was born in 1875 in Kessnil, Switzerland (Jung, 1989). It is quite telling that very early in Jungs autobiography he describes how he came to his understanding of Jesus as a boy. Jung (1989) described how the natural dangers around his home led to untimely deaths, how his father presided over these funerals, and how Jung lost trust in Jesus because Jesus allowed or caused these people to die. He admits, â€Å"In later years and until my confirmation, I made every effort to force myself to take the required positive attitude to Christ. But I could never succeed in overcoming my secret distrust† (Jung, 1989, pp. 13-14). Jung wrote his autobiography while he was in his eighties and only a few years before he died. Either Jung was a little boy particularly sensitive to his faith, or as an old man he superimposed some of his mature hostility to Christianity onto his memories of early life. Either way, it seems Jung would admit that he was never a Christian. Another strange phenomenon in Jungs early life was a strange experience he described as occurring while he was around eight or nine years old and playing on a favorite rock he had: Often, when I was along, I saw down on this stone, and then began an imaginary game that went something like this: â€Å"I am sitting on top of this stone and it is underneath. † But the stone also could say â€Å"I† and think: â€Å"I am lying here on this slope and he is sitting on top of me. † The question then arose: â€Å"Am I the one who is sitting on the stone, or am I the stone on which he is sitting? † (Jung, 1989, p. 20) It is possible to dismiss this event as a childs whimsy and miss the significant dissociative quality that affected Jung. As if Jung anticipated this, he follows this memory with another even more emphatic. He carved a two-inch long manikin out of his school ruler, dressed it, made a stone for it, and secretly hid it in his attic (Jung, 1989). His thoughts show how divided and anxious his personality had become. â€Å"No one could discover my secret and destroy it. I felt safe, and the tormenting sense of being at odds with myself was gone† (Jung, 1989, p.21). This introspective dialogue confirms Jung struggled with a personality disorder himself. Young Adulthood and Parents Not surprisingly, these two themes of distrust toward Christianity and an increasingly manifest disorder continued into Jungs formative years. â€Å"As a school boy, Jung began to experience himself and be convinced that he was both the child he objectively seemed to be and also an authoritative wise old man who had lived in the eighteenth century† (Sollod, Wilson, Monte, 2009, p. 157). According to Sollod et al. (2009) while trying to understand himself, Jung also struggled with understanding his parents and his home life. Jungs father was a pastor of the Swiss Reformed Church who struggled with his own faith, and his mother seemed to possess two personalities. Sometimes she was a sweet mother and wife, and at other times she was a â€Å"witch, prophetess, and seeress who communicated with spirits† (Sollod et al. , 2009, p. 157). The two themes most obvious in young Jung are the same two themes that dominated the lives of his parents. EVALUATING JUNG FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE Adulthood. Later, Jung (1989) proved to be a good student and was considering a career as a medical man when he was strongly influenced by paranormal events in his house. Curious, he began to attend seances with his family and included these events in his doctoral thesis. After finishing that, Jung (1989) says, â€Å"On December 10, 1900, I took up my post as assistant at Burgholzi Mental Hospital, Zurich† (p. 111). It was there Jung became interested in the mentally ill and Freuds work. Freud and Jung became close, and Jung learned much from Freud. However, a bitterness developed between them and they began to break apart. Sollod et al. explains: By 1913, the break with Freud and the Freudians had become permanent. As we have seen, this period also signaled Jungs development of the most distinctive aspects of his own theorizing and his own personal voyage into the depths of what he termed the â€Å"collective unconscious. † (2009, p. 159) From this association and then public break with Freud, Jung and his ideas began to gain in popularity. He began to develop many independent theories in addition to the collective unconscious, but the basis of his personality theories remain rooted in Freudian thought. Still, most of Jungs theories were inspired from his own personal, spiritual experiences (Boa, 2004, p. 97). Jungs Theories The Collective Unconscious It is good to begin discussing Jungs theories in relation to his break with Freud. We can draw from our understanding of Freud the concepts of psycho-sexual unconscious drives, repression, and the id, ego, and superego to gain an understanding of where Jung began. Jung looked deeper into the concept of the unconscious and found a collective element there: If we analyze the persona we remove the mask and discover that what appeared to be an individual is at bottom collective. We thus trace â€Å"the Little God of the World† back to his origin, that is, to a personification of the collective psyche. Finally, to our astonishment, we realize that the persona was only the mask of the collective psyche. Whether we follow Freud and reduce the primary impulse to sexuality, or Adler and reduce it to the elementary desire for power, or reduce it to the general principle of the collective psyche which contains the principles of both Freud and Adler, we arrive at the same result: namely, the dissolution of the personal into the collective. (Jung, 2008, p.38) Jung believed this collective unconscious was a natural result of the evolutionary process in humans, and therefore â€Å"is morally and aesthetically neutral and should not be regarded as an enemy to be avoided† (Boa, 2004, p. 97). Christian Response To The Collective Unconscious Jungs collective unconscious might excite the Christian who is thinking of the biblical descriptions of angels, demons, heaven, hell, and the entire spiritual world. Is Jung tapping into a part of all of us that comprehends these spiritual things? Both the Christians understanding of the spiritual world and Jungs collective unconscious are unseen. And both views believe all humanity participates or will participate in their unseen world. However, Jungs view is specifically amoral, whereas Scripture describes Gods revealed morality for humans in the material world and angels and demons in the spirit world (2 Pet 2:410 NASB). For the collective unconscious to encompass all the Christian understands about the spiritual world, it would have to be under Gods authority and therefore moral. A Christian understands God as eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent, and thus God would have sovereignty over the collective unconscious if it did exist. In addition, a Christians understanding of the spirit world is that it exists as a real space even though it cannot be seen. A Christian believes this spirit world cannot be entered by a human voluntarily. These two beliefs are antithetical to Jungs understanding of the collective unconscious. Not only does Jung claim to have voluntarily entered the collective unconscious, but much of his later work is based on his return from this place including a mysterious little red book. His writings in that red book were very different from most of his professional work: Instead, the book was a kind of phantasmagoric morality play, driven by Jungs own wish not just to chart a course out of the mangrove swamp of his inner world but also to take some of its riches with him. It was this last part – the idea that a person might move beneficially between the poles of the rational and irrational, the light and the dark, the conscious and the unconscious – that provided the germ for his later work and for what analytical psychology would become. (Corbett, 2009,  ¶ 16). The orthodox Christian is forced to conclude that Jungs theory of a collective unconscious has no bearing on the reality of the spiritual world. Archetypes Jung, however, believed in the reality of the collective unconscious and devoted much of his life to its experience and study. From this work came his understanding of archetypes. He defined archetypes loosely as primal images and experiences shared in humanitys unconscious world (Sollod et al. , 2009, pp. 161-162). These archetypes include names such as the Mother, the Trickster, the Shadow, the Hero, the Anima, and the Animus. Freud believed archetypes on the unconscious side and instincts on the conscious side combined to drive a human (Boa, 2004, p. 159). Or, put another way, Daryl Sharp (2001) explains an archetype is â€Å" a universal tendency to form certain ideas and images and to behave in certain ways. Instincts are the physiological counterparts of archetypes† (p. 14). The general and inclusive nature of the collective unconscious and archetypes made Jung popular among secular and religious spiritualists. Here was a theory they could united behind and put its tenets to work in a practical psychology. Christian Response To The Archetypes Jung easily used the idea of archetypes to interact with Christianity. All of the major historical figures and many icons associated with Christianity can all be explained through archetypes. However at its core Jungs creation of archetypes is not compatible with Christianity as Boa (2004) explains: Disagreement exists among theologians as to whether Jungs system repudiates or is compatible with Christianity, some arguing that it undermines biblical authority, and others claiming that it illuminates and enhances the Christian message. However, the psychological interpretation of Christianity in works like Symbols of Transformation and Answer to Job denounces the scriptural portrait of Yahweh and Christ and rejects traditional Christianity as inadequate for modern culture. (p. 101) The orthodox Christian must not reduce God to the status of one archetype among many, and is encouraged to view the historical figures mentioned in the Bible as literal. One may also study Jung further to read of his aversion to orthodox Christianity more clearly. Word Association Test. Whereas Freud relied on hypnosis and forcing a subject to concentrate to draw out unconscious tangles in a person, Jung developed a word association test. Jung would provide the subject with a card with a stimulus word written on it, would ask the subject to respond to the word, and would record reaction times. This method was very successful in identifying unconscious problems. Jung would later improve on this technique to measure more physical responses from the subject (Sollod et al. , 2009, p. 148). Christian Response To The Word Association Test. Jungs word association test would be improved on and expanded to the many different versions of psychological tests we see today. This method, and methods like it, are useful in determining where a client might need to focus or might be hurting and not realize it. This test would be particularly useful with children or with clients who are unaware of the nature of their psychological baggage. Unlike the incompatable differences associated with the collective unconscious and archetypes theories, the word association test is a useful tool that any Christian should consider. The Introvert and the Extrovert. Jung also developed a model for understanding personality types by observing the differences between Freud and Adler. Jung believed there was a continuum between introversion and extroversion and that everyone fell on a different place on that continuum. Jung also broke those two general types into more specific types, and used this model to fit personalities into categories (Sollod et al. , 2009, pp. 166-171). Later Hans Eysenck, influenced by behaviorist and cognitive schools of thought regarding personality theory, expanded on Jungs ideas of introversion and extroversion. He performed tests that partially confirmed the basis of Jungs descriptions, and then described how the ideas Jung postulated had been around since the times of ancient Greece. Nevertheless, Eysencks evaluation and expansion of Jungs work has led to an understanding of personality types that is useful today Sollod et al. , 2009, pp. 501-506). In addition, â€Å"Web sites based on the dimensions Jung outlined have proliferated, and one can find a number of well-researched tests of Jungian types. Foremost among these are the Myers-Briggs test and the Kiersey temperament survey† (Sollod et al. , 2009, p. 170). Christian Response To The Introvert and Extrovert Types Similar to the word association test, Jungs formulation and the subsequent development of personalty type theories based on introversion and extroversion are helpful diagnostic tools. While observing the view that a human does not completely fit into a single personality type, and humans personalities change, these tools should be utilized in a modern psychology or counseling setting in addition to usual methods. A Christian can counsel another Christian with scripture in truth and love while better understanding that client in terms of their general personality bent. Summary There is no doubt that Carl Gustav Jung lived a troubled life and regularly interacted with the occult. Were he alive today, its likely the fields of psychology and counseling would treat him more as a patient than a contributor. Nevertheless, his ideas and views help shape each of those fields and influenced many others who also helped shape those fields. A Christian would do well to mine Jungs life and work through a filer of orthodox belief. Even though Jung was a nonbeliever, a troubled man, and was hostile to orthodox Christianity, his unique insights are still useful in doing Gods will in todays world. After studying Jung, a counselor is better equipped to help people. References Boa, K. (2004). Augustine to Freud: What theologians psychologists tell us about human nature and why it matters. Nashville, TN: BH Publishing Group. Corbett, S. (2009, September 16). The Holy Grail of the Unconscious. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www. nytimes. com Jung, C. (2008). The Conception of the Unconscious. In M. W. Schustack H. S. Friedman (Eds. ), The Personality Reader, (2nd ed. , pp. 36-40). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Jung, C. (1989). Memories, Dreams, Reflections. New York: Vintage Books. Sharp, D. (2001). Digesting Jung: Food for the journey. Toronto, ON: Inner City Books. Sollod, R. N. , Wilson J. P. , Monte C. F. (2009). Beneath The Mask? : An introduction to theories of personality (8th ed. ). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons.

Market Failure With Graphical Analysis Economics Essay

Market Failure With Graphical Analysis Economics Essay As Roral Coase indicated, the question to be decided is: Is the value of fish lost greater or less than the product which contamination of the stream makes possible. Thus, it is understand that concept of social efficiency is difficult to achieve because of unexpected costs. Government intervention to the economy can be justified when market fails to achieve social efficiency (Webster, 2003). Social efficiency occurs when marginal social cost (MSC) is equal to marginal social benefit (MSB) (Sloman and Garratt, 2011). The market demand curve reflects MSB from an economic activity and supply curve reflects MSC of it (Begg, 2009). Instead, markets do not always attain an efficient output because of under-production and over-production of some goods and services. Inefficient level of production causes deadweight lost which represents a decrease in total surplus and this is market failure (Parkins, 2012). Under these conditions, Pareto efficiency cannot exist. According to Verhoef (1997, p. 3) Pareto efficiency is, a feasible situation, usually in terms of the allocation of goods and production factors, for which exists no other feasible situation that is weakly preferred by all agents. So, he concludes that markets mostly fail to achieve Pareto efficiency. In the literature, the major causes of market failure are (Parkins, 2012; Sloman and Garratt; 2010; Bregg, 2009; Blink and Dorton, 2007; McAleese, 2004, Morey, 2012): Externalities Public goods Merit and De-merit goods Market power Factor Immobility Imperfect information The major causes of market failure with graphical analysis are discussed as follows. Externalities: Externalities are economic side effects and can be either positive or negative (Grant, 2003). Externalities are costs/benefits that are imposed on people who are not directly involved in economic activities (Henderson, 2005). Positive externalities (external benefits) have beneficial effects while negative externalities (external costs) have harmful effects on third parties (Grant, 2003). Externalities cause market failure since decision makers generally consider only marginal private cost (MPC) and marginal private benefit (MPB) (Grant, 2003). There are four main types of externalities (Sloman and Garratt, 2010): -Negative externalities of production -Positive externalities of production -Negative externalities of consumption -Positive externalities of consumption Production and consumption externalities cause differences between private and social costs of production and also private and social benefits of consumption (Margetts, 2012). Social cost equals to sum of private costs and external costs while social benefits equals to sum of private benefits and external benefits (Sloman and Garratt, 2010; Parkins, 2012). Negative externalities of production: Negative externalities of production occur when the production process imposes external costs on third-parties (Grant, 2003). It exists when MSC of production exceeds MPC of the firm. For example, the production of cars can cause air, noise and visual pollution. Pollution can be harmful for people who are living around the factory. In Figure 1, MSC of production is above MPC. If a factory is interested in profit maximisation, it produces at Q. It is not producing at Q1, where MSC is equal to MSB, so it is market failure. There is an over-production (Q-Q1) that means misallocation of societys resources (Blink and Dorton, 2007). Moreover, the overproduction (Q-Q1) causes welfare loss as well. Positive Externalities of Production: Positive externalities of production occur when the production or provision of some goods or services creates external benefits for third parties (Blink and Dorton, 2007). In this case, MSC of production is less than MPC. For example, if a car factory provides training to its employees, this raises costs of the factory but increases the productivity of workforce. If these employees leave that firm and start working in another firm, this creates benefits for new employers since they do not have to spend money on the training of their new employees. It is figured out in the following graph. In the figure 2, MPC is above MSC. So the car factory produces at Q which is less than the social optimum output level at Q1. Between Q1 and Q, there is a potential welfare gain which is shown by the highlighted area. If the output level increases from Q to Q1, welfare would be gained. In this example, there is underproduction or provision of beneficial output that means misallocation of societys resources and it causes market failure (Blink and Dorton, 2007). Negative externality of consumption: Negative externality of consumption occurs when the consumption of some goods and services impose external costs on third parties (Grant, 2003). It exists when MPB is greater than MSB. For example, the consumption of cigarettes has harmful effects on others who are not smoking, called passive smokers. This may cause cancer. In figure 3, MPB is above MSB. This means that consumers are trying to maximise their private benefits without considering the externalities they create. There is over consumption of cigarettes, so it causes welfare loss to the society. This causes market failure. The welfare loss occurs when MSC is not equal to MSB (Grant, 2003). Positive externalities of consumption: Positive externalities of consumption occur when the consumption of some goods and services impose external benefits on third parties (Grant, 2003). It exists when MPB is less than MSB. For example, consumption of health care provides benefits for the whole society. If a person is healthy he wont transmit diseases to others and healthy people will perform better. In figure 4, MSB is above MPB. The consumption of health services is at Q1 with price P1. On the other hand, the socially optimum output level is at Q2 where MSC is equal to MSB. If consumption of health care services increase, welfare would be gained. Public goods: The two distinct characteristics of public goods are; non-rival and non-excludable (Tataw, 2011; Griffiths and Wall, 2007; McAleese, 2004; Borooah, 2003; Parkin, 2012). Thus, public goods can only be provided by the government and some private firms that are subsidised by the government (Sloman and Garratt, 2010). Lighting and pavement can be given as an example of non-rival goods (Dewar, 2010). Consumption of non-rival goods by one person does not prevent others using/consuming those goods (Grant, 2003). Lighthouses and national defence are examples of non-excludable goods (Johnson-Lans, 2004). Once they are made available for someone, they become available for everyone (Folland et al., 2007; Henderson, 2005). This will give rise to free rider problem. Free riders are the people who receive the benefits from goods and services without paying for them. So public goods are like externality (Begg, 2009). Based on the above conditions, Tataw (2011, p. ?) concludes that, market failures arise because only a small quantity of public goods will be provided inefficiently in private markets. Merit Goods: Merit goods create positive externalities when they are consumed (Margretts, 2012). This means that MSB exceeds MPB. This is presented in figure 5. The benefits of merit goods are not fully esteemed by typical consumers (Tataw, 2011). This causes under consumption and under provision of merit goods. In figure 5, consumption of merit goods are at Q, that is below the socially optimum output level, so this means misallocation of societys resources and cause market failure. De-merit goods: Contrary to merit goods, consumption of de-merit goods have harmful effects on third parties and create negative externalities (Grant, 2003). Cigarettes and alcohol are examples of de-merit goods (Blink and Dorton, 2007). Consumption of alcohol may make the drinkers feel good but they can create disturbance in public places. This is indicated below. In figure 6, MPB exceeds MSB. The consumption of alcohol is at Q1 which is above the socially optimum output level, so there is over consumption. This creates welfare loss. Market Power: In an imperfectly competitive market, firms are not able to produce at socially optimum output level (Sloman and Garratt, 2010) and it causes market failure. For example, in a monopolistic market, there is a single producer who can achieve profit maximisation in a short-run (Margetts, 2012). In this situation, producers produce where MC=MR, and this is reflected in figure 7. In figure 7, monopolistic producer produces at Q1 which is profit maximisation level and it also represents privately optimum output level. Also, Q1 is below the socially optimum output level which is at Q2. In this scenario, benefits obtained by producers are much more than what consumers receive. This is represented by the deadweight loss and highlighted within the figure. Factor Immobility: Two main types of factor immobility are; geographical immobility and occupational immobility (Blink and Dorton, 2007). Immobility of resources, such as labour and capital, might result in misallocation of resources, an increase in unemployment level and productively inefficiency in the market (Grant, 2003). This is reflected in igure 8 with a PPFs curve. In figure 8, points on the curve represent the productive efficient levels. The point E represents the productively inefficient point (Grant, 2003). Imperfect Information: Buyers and sellers may have inefficient choices if they are not fully informed about costs and benefits of consumption or production of goods and services (Grant, 2003; McAlleese, 2004). Imperfect information makes it difficult for economic decision makers for equate marginal benefit and marginal cost, so this causes market failure (Blink and Dorton, 2007). For example, the contribution of the merit goods to consumers is much more than what they think (Grant, 2003). This is partly because of imperfect information (Riley, 2012). In figure 9, there is under consumption of merit goods. This prevents social efficiency and causes market failure. As a conclusion, todays environmental problems and monopolistic markets encourage government interventions and a need for a central authority to coordinate the market mechanism inevitable, after almost eighty years that was first introduced by Keynesian economics school of taught.

Impact of the Internationalisation of Renminbi (RMB)

Impact of the Internationalisation of Renminbi (RMB) Impacts of the Internationalisation of renminbi (RMB) on global economic order Bryan Tan Xian Zhen China is currently the largest goods trading nation and has the second largest economy in terms of GDP after United States (US). Goldman Sachs in 2011 stated that China could overtake US in terms of GDP as earliest as 2019.In the following essay, I will like to focus more on the positive impacts of China’s currency, renminbi being internationalised and the effects on the prevailing economic order which US is leading the pack. A country’s currency which has â€Å"reserve currency† status will be able to influence the global economy and politics which also in turn reflect its global strength. Since financial crisis 2009, Chinese government started to promote more eagerly and widely the internationalisation of renminbi which is currently not fully convertible yet. Internationalising the currency means renminbi will be used as a medium of exchange across China’s borders and as the store of value as a reserve currency. We must acknowledge that there will be positive impacts from the internationalisation of renminbi. Nevertheless, internationalisation of renminbi will also caused negative repercussions namely on current global economic order as spill-over effect. One of the negative impacts is that China’s exports will become less competitive and relatively less cheap as renminbi is prone to revaluation if the currency is internationalised. China’s current account may deteriorate and trade surplus will decrease. Besides, liberalisation of China’s capital market by internationalising the renminbi could lead to massive amount of inflow or outflow of capitals which will destabilise the economy and being vulnerable to global speculative attacks which caused the Asian Financial Crisis 1998. Drastic and rapid financial reforms like internationalisation of renminbi could also risk the internal stability and the governing position of communist party of China (CPC) as China’s local state owned enterprises (SOE) will suffer the most since they over rely on the state regulated low renminbi exchange rate, this could possibly create a downward spiral when SOEs start to lay off their workers to reduce cost. On the other hand, renminbi being internationalised will have positive impacts on the world economy and enhance China’s position in the global economic order. China could embrace the opportunity as the world largest trading nation by internationalising renminbi. Presently, renminbi is underutilised with only 0.24% world payment settled in renminbi (CNY) against its importance in world trade which China accounts 11.4%. With renminbi being more widely used in cross border trades, it facilitates more business transactions and trades with China’s onshore companies and the rest of the world; this will also lead to more capital inflow and foreign direct investment from abroad which are beneficial as fund for economic growth. For example, small medium enterprises (SME) in China benefit most since they can receive better rate of loans as well as more capital to expand their business while acquiring better equipments which will induce the economic productivity in long run. Moreo ver, cross border trade settlement also prevent excessive foreign exchange cost and risk due to fluctuation in the foreign exchange open market. To illustrate, recently People’s Bank of China had expand the clearing and settlement of renminbi payment facilities to Frankfurt and London which promote more business transactions in Europe trading zone and more convenient to the corporations. Therefore renminbi being an international currency, could prevent China falling into middle income trap as a result of rising minimum wages, less competitive exports and less growth in productivity, by promoting the ease and convenience of investing and trading with China. This will in turn strengthened or at least maintained the position of China being one the leading power in the global economic order. Currently, US dollar has been shaping the global economic order as the dominant reserve currency for the last three decades which account approximately 60% of total foreign exchange reserves of countries. However since the collapse of Bretton Woods System 1971, US dollar is just a fiat money which is inconvertible to commodities such as gold. Thus, US dollar is vulnerable to lose its dominant reserve currency status particularly when the people lost confidence of its value due to the huge injections of US dollar into the market by the US Federal Reserve to ease the recession which in long run it might cause hyperinflation. This incident had make renminbi as a possible alternative to US dollar as a store of value in the route to become the next world key reserve currency which provides people with more choice and liquidity. Commodity is essential for every country’s economic growth including natural resources such as steel, natural gas and petroleum which are mostly linked to US dollar. Some also refer US dollar as petrodollar since members of OPEC (Organisation of the petroleum countries) are require to trade petroleum for US dollar, this in turn create a constant demand for US dollar regardless of US domestic economic condition since most countries need to import petroleum and this further reinforce US dollar status as the world reserve currency. However, USA had taken the opportunity to issue more debt denominated in USD and run large budget deficit without devaluing it drastically in view of US dollar being the â€Å"petrodollar†. Besides, US dollar tends to fluctuate more lately as the US economy is still in recession with high unemployment rate and weak domestic spending. As a result, companies and countries are force to hedge against the US dollar or even the commodity price; this i n turn caused higher transaction cost for hedging purposes and also less positive economic outlook which lead to lower business investment in the future. So, actually China could exert its power as a global economic powerhouse by permitting the trade of natural resources particularly with Africa to be settled in renminbi. China’s check and balance action could benefits itself and other countries by urging US policymakers to be more sensitive with the spill-over effects caused by their decisions and also strengthening China’s position in current global economic order. Despite, the Chinese government begun to promote vigorously the internationalisation of renminbi, currently China do not appear to possess the huge appetite to make renminbi as the next sole dominant reserve currency by replacing US dollar. Instead some experts believed that Chinese government will prefer to challenge the current global monetary system by having renminbi as one of the key reserve currencies alongside with Euro, Sterling Pound and Yen which will affect the current global economic order by strengthening the economic position of countries who are in a favourable situation due to this outcome while restraining the global economic influence of USA. Actually if Chinese government decided to carry out this plan, they could enjoy more benefits by having multiple currencies comprising equally in the total foreign exchange reserves of countries without bearing the huge sole responsibility of being the only dominant reserve currency. In addition, with China’s lack of strong sustainable economic growth in the coming years, it is unlikely for renminbi to claim the reserve currency status easily, as a result of China’s aging working population, growing income inequality among the lower middle class and the upper class, insufficient energy and food resources, rising political tension with its’ neighbouring countries like Vietnam and Japan due to disputable islands. Therefore, it is more practical for China to aim to become one of the key reserve currencies instead of the sole dominant reserve currency which will automatically enhance their role in the current economic order with more bargaining power at the world stage. In short, it is not difficult to write off the possibility of renminbi in replacing US dollar solely as the next largest global reserve currency since China having to face many challenges ahead ranging from regional political tension to China’s internal social unrest. However, China’s renminbi is more likely to become a international currency and also one of the key reserve currencies alongside Euro Pound in the coming years, if the Chinese government continue to advocate the development of renminbi internationalisation with credible commitment at the expense of China having cheaper price of exports. As a result, internationalisation of renminbi will have more positive impacts on the current economic order by being the medium of exchange as a international currency which facilitate and ease the trade settlement of goods and commodities with more liquidity. Besides, renminbi can be used to store the value of assets as one of the world key reserve currencies and also pro vide alternative to the people. Thus, Internationalisation of renminbi had established China as a force to be reckoned with, in the global economic order. (1405 words) References: Dr Zha Xiao gang, â€Å"The International Political Economy of Renminbi Internationalization†, Fifth session, IISS Seminar, 2012, pages 1-10. SWIFT, â€Å"RMB internationalisation: implications for the global financial industry†, white paper, 2011, pages 2-4. Richard Fisher, â€Å"Internationalization of the Renminbi†, report on the conference, 2012, pages 3-11.

Robinson Jeffers :: essays research papers

Robinson Jeffers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On January 10th, 1887, John Robinson Jeffers, most well known as simply Robinson Jeffers, was born outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His parents were somewhat of an odd fit. His father, Dr. William Hamilton Jeffers, was an extremely intelligent yet â€Å"reserved, reclusive person† who married a happy upbeat woman who was 23 years younger than himself (Coffin). Despite their age and personality differences, Dr. Jeffers and Annie Robinson Tuttle had a secure marriage. Dr. Jeffers’s widespread education resulted in a vast knowledge of Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, and the Old Testament. Dr. Jeffers was eager to pass on his knowledge to Robinson. So, when Robinson was only five years old, Dr. Jeffers began to teach him Greek (Academy of American Poets). Also starting at a young age, Robinson traveled throughout Europe. From age eleven to fifteen, Robinson attended several different European boarding schools: in Zurich, Leipzig, Geneva, Vevey, and Lausanne (Coffin). Though Dr. Jeffers was responsible for Robinson’s frequent transfers, his reasoning is unknown. At each school, Jeffers was seen by his peers as reclusive and pensive—much like his father. In 1903, when Jeffers was 16, he relocated yet another time with his family to Pasadena, California where he enrolled at Occidental College as a junior. Here, Jeffers succeeded immediately and immensely in courses such as biblical literature, Greek, and astronomy. Jeffer’s natural ambition to learn and his knowledge of numerous languages impressed everyone around him. As a result, Jeffers made life-long friends and took up hiking—a hobby that he would enjoy for the rest of his life (Brophy 2).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Right after graduating from Occidental College with a BA in literature at age 18, Jeffers enrolled at the University of South California as a literature major (Brophy 2). During his first year at USC, Jeffers met his future wife, Una Call Kuster, who was married to a Los Angeles attorney. In 1906, Jeffers went with his family to live in Europe. At this time, he attended the University of Zurich where he took courses in philosophy, history, Old English, and Spanish poetry. When fall came, Jeffers returned to the University of Southern California as a medical student (Academy of American Poets). Jeffers remained a medical student for three years, a long time considering Jeffers was enrolled in 9 different schools or programs in 13 years. In 1910, Jeffers decided to leave USC and transferred to the University of Washington to study forestry.

Business :: essays research papers

Businessman. Before World War I, Truman had lost money in mining and oil investments. In 1919, he and his friend Eddie Jacobson invested their savings in a men's clothing store in Kansas City. They worked hard, keeping the store open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., but the business failed during the severe recession that began in 1921. Truman worked about 15 years to pay the store debts. Political career Discouraged by the failure of the store, Truman decided to seek a career in politics. He received help from "Big Tom" Pendergast, the Democratic Party boss of Kansas City. Pendergast's nephew had known and admired Truman in the Army. Pendergast led one of the strongest political machines in the United States. He decided that Truman could win votes because of his farm background, his war record, and his friendly personality. County judge. Pendergast supported Truman in his campaign for election as county judge of Jackson County. This post in Missouri resembled that of county commissioner in other states. Truman won the election, and served from 1922 to 1924. He lost the 1924 election because of a split in local Democratic forces. Truman attended the Kansas City School of Law during the mid-1920's, but did not obtain a degree. He served as presiding county judge from 1926 to 1934. The Pendergast machine was notoriously dishonest, but Truman won a reputation for honesty and efficiency. He supervised new projects financed by $14 million in tax funds and bond issues. U.S. senator. In 1934, again with Pendergast's support, Truman was elected to the United States Senate. As a member of the Senate Interstate Commerce Committee, Truman directed an investigation of railroad finances. His staff found damaging evidence about many of Truman's friends in Missouri, but he ordered the investigation completed. A major result was the Transportation Act of 1940, which regulated railroad financing. Also during this time, a government study of the Pendergast political machine disclosed vote frauds and shady financial dealings. Pendergast pleaded guilty to income tax evasion, and he and many of his followers were sent to prison. The scandals did not touch Truman, but he refused to disclaim Pendergast. In 1940, Truman won reelection to the Senate. The Truman Committee. In 1940, although the United States was not formally involved in World War II, the nation's defense spending rose to huge sums. Truman realized that the defense effort created many opportunities for waste and corruption.

Operation System Security Essay

1. What are the relative advantages and disadvantages of at least three different measures used to protect operating systems? 2. The ease of implementation of the measures. 3. The associated security management issues related to measures discussed above. 4. The ranking of the measures from best to worst with supporting rationale Answer Antivirus: Antivirus is the easiest protective measure that can be implemented on an operating system, and is also usually very easy to maintain. An update schedule is scheduled, or the antivirus software is configured to be managed by a central antivirus server which disseminates updates and virus signatures. Having an up-to-date anti-virus is always a good idea; it doesn’t take much work, and offers a decent amount of protection. Image-Locking software: This type of solution which exists in software such as Deep Freeze takes an image of the computer on startup to which it reverts after each restart. While this does little to prevent the computer from being compromised, it provides the ability to undo all changes, including any changes an attacker may have made, by restarting the computer. This is more difficult to implement, and is not an acceptable solution on hosts that need to maintain dynamic information, such as a database, as it would lose all new information entered since the image was created on reboot. Host Intrusion Detection System: A Host Intrusion Detection system is similar to Antivirus in that it looks for suspicious activity and compares against a definition file, but it also inspects network traffic that comes through the local interface. This allows the HIDS to detect an attack before it has actually put anything on your computer. HIDS also creates a host baseline, to which changes are reported to an administrator. This can result in a lot of logs if changes are made on a regular basis. This solution is both difficult to configure and maintain. In a real environment, you aren’t restricted to using a single solution. If you have the resources to support it, running multiple Antivirus programs is suggested as different vendors may publish definitions earlier than others. Antivirus can also be used in tandem with the other solutions, creating a more secure host

Estee Lauder: Integrated Marketing Communications plan Essay

Executive Summary The purpose of this situation analysis is to identify internal and external factors that will have an impact on Estee Lauder’s integrated marketing communications program (IMC). A situation analysis is necessary to determine the position Estee Lauder is currently occupying, in terms of finances, promotional strategies, product range and brand image. A thorough analysis will help identify any opportunities and potential threats that the company may come across and the effect that these opportunities and threats will have on their new IMC program. Strengths and Weaknesses will also be identified and taken into account as the new IMC program is developed. As part of the internal analysis Estee Lauder’s past promotional mix strategies will be assessed and evaluated. Strengths and weaknesses will also be evaluated in terms of brand image and the products and services they offer were also identified. Estee Lauder’s current promotional strategy has a strong focus on advertising in sources of print media within media relevant to its target market such as fashion magazines including, Harper’s Bazaar and In Style. Personal Selling also plays a dominant role in Estee Lauder’s current IMC strategy. The use of the Internet and Direct marketing has played a minimal role in Estee Lauder’s IMC program for Australia. This was identified as a weakness but also as a potential opportunity to expand and use these promotional tools in their future IMC program. Other weaknesses were based around poor and inappropriate promotional strategies for reaching their intended ‘youth’ market and consumers in their twenties. Brand image, price, package and product design were seen as being â€Å"too old† for the targeted younger consumer. The new IMC program will be focused on overcoming these weaknesses and on reaching the younger audience in the most effective way. Strengths such high levels of brand awareness, trust and a strong position in the market place have been Identified and utilised in the future IMC program. The external analysis involved gaining insight regarding customers and competitors. A pilot study was conducted among 18-25 year olds regarding  their perceptions and experiences with Estee Lauder in order to develop a more in-depth analysis of Estee Lauder’s customer base amongst young Australian females. Competitor Analysis required thorough research into the strategies and positions of Estee Lauder competitors in the market place. Major competitors included Loreal and Revlon, their strengths and weaknesses were identified and will be considered during the development of Estee Lauders new positioning strategy. Although a company has little or no control over their external environment an effective marketing communication strategy will anticipate such conditions and respond to them sufficiently. Estee Lauder needs to consider socio-cultural forces such as consumers increasing concern regarding animal testing among other environmental and social issues. They must also be aware of the adverse affects on the IMC program that will occur if any social expectation are breached or if any legal or political regulations are breached. The environmental analysis also identifies the opportunity for growth due to the trend in overall retail growth and specifically cosmetic growth in Australia today. If the following factors are considered Estee Lauder have the opportunity to develop an effective IMC program that will strengthen its brand and allow them to expand into the younger market as they have been aspiring to do. Industry and Company Information Estee Lauder is a market leader in the cosmetics and skin-care industry. This market is highly competitive and rapidly expanding, with competitors continually entering the market. They offer a range of cosmetics, fragrances and skincare products. Estee Lauder is a well established brand since 1946 and has grown into a parent company for many well known skincare and cosmetics brands. These include MAC, Clinique, Stilla, Aveda and Bobbi Brown. This situation analysis will focus on Estee Lauder as a consumer brand and not the EL Companies empire as a whole (see appendix 1). Internal Analysis Today, Estee Lauder has a solid customer base in many countries including the USA, UK, Asia and Europe. Estee Lauder’s and Clinique’s combined sales made up 40% of the total cosmetics market share, with Lancome (owned by competitor L’Oreal) holding the third largest market share, with 13% of the cosmetics market (Bittar, 2002, p.29). Over the past five years, Estee Lauder’s sales have slowed, allowing for Clinique, Estee Lauder’s sister brand to gain market share, replacing them as number one brand in department store sales (Bittar,2002,p.29). Currently Estee Lauder’s primary objective is reposition themselves as the consumers first choice for cosmetics. In order to achieve this objective Estee Lauder need to analyse current marketing efforts and identify opportunities for further expansions that will increase and improve the reputable Estee Lauder brand. Pricing Strategies Estee Lauder’s prices are at the higher end of the price scale within the cosmetics market. This is consistent with many of Estee Lauder’s direct competitors namely Lancome and Dior along with other subsidiary brands including MAC and Stilla. Their prices are set 20-35% above the price points of Clinique products. Current RRP prices for various Estee Lauder products can be found in appendix 2. Review of Firm’s previous promotional programs o Advertising – Print media is the current primary advertising medium for Estee Lauder. Some of the main channels include fashion and lifestyle magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, In Style, Marie Claire, Cleo and Cosmopolitan. These magazines are targeted toward females with various lifestyles and levels of disposable income however they are all image conscious and is appealing to Roy Morgan’s visible achievement segment and those who aspire to be part of this group (Mindset, 1998) (See appendix 3). Estee Lauder has been featuring Liz Hurley as the face of their cosmetics for the past seven years and has proven successful in endorsing their  prestigious brand of cosmetics, fragrances and skin-care, (Bittar, 2002). Estee Lauder’s current models infuse â€Å"the brand with energy, vitality and modernity† and aiming to â€Å"connect the brand with consumers† (Staff Report, 2003). Last financial year, EL companies allocated $US56 million to advertising to promote the core Estee Lauder brand. This figure has been consistent over the past five years and is the largest advertising figure of any EL Company. o Internet – Estee Lauder have not utilised the internet within the Australian marketplace. Their current website is targeted towards the U.S, European and Asian markets. It does not provide Australian consumers with a customised information source regarding available products and new company developments. o Sales Promotion – Estee lauder endorses its distributer such as Myer and David Jones with promotional gift packs as an incentive to spend as certain amount of money or buy a specific product. They uphold their prestigious image by seldom discounting their products. Sampling promotion has also been used successfully to promote new products and allow consumers to experience the product first hand, without having to commit to a purchase.However, this has not been successfully used for Estee Lauder’s recent release of â€Å"Pure Colour† range of eyeshadows and lip gloss’s. Pilot research conducted found although this new range is targeted towards the younger market, it is still not being recognised as the brand of choice for 17-25 year olds (see appendix 4 & 5). o Personal Selling – All Estee Lauder sales consultant are specifically trained and have high levels of product knowledge. Cosmetics is a high involvement purchase and therefore requires consultants to have an in depth knowledge of all products offered by Estee Lauder. o Direct Marketing – Currently Estee Lauder are not using the internet for direct marketing sufficiently. Department stores often send promotional brochures to opt in mailing list clients if new products are released or  special offers are available. Assessment of relative strengths and weaknesses of product and brand Estee Lauder as a brand  · Strengthes – High brand awareness – High brand recall – Trusted brand – High perceived quality – High Brand Equity – Good customer service – Perceived as prestigious brand  · Weaknesses – Communication Strategy not in line with target market – Price of products too high to allow for repositioning into young market – Brand perceived as â€Å"too old† for target market – Products not designed for younger market (i.e. anti-ageing moisturisers) – Package design for mainstream product lines not innovative and modern, sending conflicting messages and confusing consumers  · Opportunities – Possible expansion into younger mass markets – Ability to pursue an online strategy to enhance their marketing communications by introducing online catalogues and creating a direct marketing database. – Ability to establish themselves as the leading cosmetics brand in other markets including Australia, specifically targeting 20-30’s market and the youth segment. – Creation of new communication strategy to build upon existing brand strengths and reputation. – Opportunities for co-branding to reach untapped markets.  · Threats – Losing existing customer base i.e. older market due to new market direction – Possible confusion for consumers regarding mixed promotional messages targeting the young and older market i.e. strategies are not integrated – Losing market share – Deterioration of perceived brand quality and prestige due to changing the promotional strategies to suit the younger market – Potential loss of revenue as a result of decreasing product prices to attract the younger customers Competitive Analysis As Estee Lauder redirects their focus from the older aged females to those in  a younger age bracket, they encounter a different group of competitors. These competitors operate in the mass market of cosmetics and skin care. Each brand is continually challenged to apply a successful integrated marketing plan so as to maintain and/or increase their share of the market thus creating a high level of competition for Estee Lauder. Direct Competitors Revlon and Loreal Paris are both mid-range cosmetics brands that represent Estee Lauder’s biggest threats. They are direct competitors of the traditional EL Company brand as the quality, price and packaging of their products are more appealing to the younger market. Recent annual 2000 figures showed Revlon making $1,491,600,000 alone in cosmetics sales and Loreal with $12,051,000,000 from cosmetic and skin-care sales combined (http://www.sharelearn.com/520samp.html). Estee Lauder presently generates $2,700,000,000 in the prestige market, and can largely be attributed to a higher gross margin in retail prices (http://www.myneweconomy.com/articles/020703/estee.htm). Indirect Competitors Estee Lauder’s indirect competitors or product substitutes consist only in skin-care and not in cosmetics. Face-moisturizers and cleansing products are not yet specifically designed or even targeted towards younger women and appear to still target mature-age women. In which case, Loreal Paris’ offering of skin-care products specifically designed to nourish the skin of young women, offers a substitute for those products not catered for by Estee Lauder. Message and Media Strategies used by Competitors  · Loreal Paris Evidently, Estee Lauder’s primary competitor is Loreal Paris because both are competing for leading positions in the skin-care and cosmetics market. The  Loreal Paris brand was developed for infiltration into the mass market and targets young females who desire high-quality, innovative and fashion-forward beauty products at affordable prices (http://www.lorealparisusa.com/frames.asp#aboutloreal/page_a.asp). Their promotional campaign ‘Because I’m worth it’ (http://www.lorealparisusa.com/frames.asp#aboutloreal/page_a.asp), has proven to be a success in terms of their efforts to communicate a modern and self-confident message to their target audience. They have used a number of international spokespersons including Andie McDowell, Laetitia Casta, Heather Locklear, Vanessa Williams, Virginie Ledoyen, and Milla Jovovich (http://www.lorealparisusa.com/frames.asp#aboutloreal/page_a.asp), all famous actors and models, to endorse the quality of Loreal Paris products and give young females an image to aspire to. Using a range of international faces allows Loreal Paris to target the cultural youth market because it promotes a wide cosmetics range suiting any skin colour and image. This allows them to expand their target market and remain competitive.  · Revlon Revlon also has a similar marketing approach as Loreal Paris. Their corporate strategy aims to offer young women a sense of ‘glamour, excitement and innovation’ (http://www.revlon.com/corporate/corp_ca_history.asp) when using these cosmetics. They have recently launched their new face for the Revlon brand ‘Halle Berry’ a famous U.S. actor, whom exerts an independent, confident and sexy young image for women of today. By using this one spokesperson, they have created a unique identity for the brand and encourages the younger market to use the Revlon products so they can be perceived in the same way. This consistent image associated with the brand gives consumers an easy product recall whenever they see her in movies, billboards, magazines and other channels of advertising. Key Benefits of Competitors and their Positioning Relative to Estee Lauder’s  · Loreal Paris – has established its brand name in the market place since 1907 and therefore high brand awareness – large budget committed to R&D and ability to be on the edge of cosmetic technology – have been targeting the younger mass market for years and are therefore trusted in their quality of beauty products and known to sell at affordable prices – is the global cosmetics leader with 16.8% market share – product offering is extended to hair colouring, cosmetics, skin care and styling aids thereby enhancing brand recognition  · Revlon – has established its brand name in the market place since 1932 – have been targeting the younger mass market for years and are therefore trusted in their quality of beauty products and known to sell at affordable prices – ranks 4th in the top ten global cosmetics leaders with 7.1% market share – product offering extends to personal care (eg. Nail polish), fragrances, cosmetics thereby enhancing brand equity  · Estee Lauder – has the opportunity to penetrate the youth mass market with years of marketing and operating expertise in the cosmetics industry – is currently ranked 2nd global cosmetics leader – extensive economic resources to conduct R&D – has economies of scale because of the size of its pre-existing operation – trusted as a prestigious quality brand – family controlled enterprise allows for consistency in marketing and management decisions although no evidence to support this observation Consumer Analysis Cosmetics is a luxury product and involves a high level of involvement from the consumer (Schiffman et al, 2001). When purchasing cosmetics and skincare, consumers want to be sure that the products they are purchasing are safe and will not harm their skin . Estee Lauder has identified this need and has catered for this by decreasing the risk involved when purchasing cosmetics at pre-purchase, purchase and post-purchase stage. Experience at Point of Purchase Estee Lauder Australia is the third country to undergo dramatic transformations in the appearance of their counters in department stores (King, 2003). The new counters are brightly coloured and have interactive displays, which allows passers by to test products at their own discretion without having to consult Estee Lauder staff. However should assistance be required with any of the products, there are always friendly, knowledgeable staff to assist potential customers. All consultants are thoroughly trained and have extensive knowledge about all product lines. This professionalism enhances to the consumer’s experience of Estee Lauder at the point of purchase as they learn more about specific products and their skin type as well. The revitalised counters are a real feature now as they are by far the brightest and most elaborate in major department stores (namely Myer/Grace  Bros and David Jones) in comparison to any of its direct or indirect competitors and creates a salon like experience for the consumer (Gold Coast Bulletin, 2003). Buyer Roles and Cosmetics Unlike products such as fragrances where the buyer is not the user, the majority of the time, cosmetics buyers are the users of the product. Although, this does differ around increased purchase periods such as Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day when the buyer (i.e. husbands and boyfriends) are not the end users of the cosmetics. Estee Lauder has identified this and designed their promotional activity accordingly. All advertising (predominantly instore promotion and print media) features young attractive women, that many purchasing the product would see as an aspirational figure. The more youthful Carolyn Murphy featured in the current advertisements provides the younger market that Estee Lauder is currently trying to conquer, a face that they can relate to (as opposed to Elizabeth Hurley, who Estee Lauder felt was too old for the younger market). Perception of Estee Lauder The perception of Estee Lauder amongst younger people is that it is a brand for â€Å"older people† (The Nation, 2003). This perception of the brand will clearly take an extended period of time to change, however with the current steps undertaken by Estee Lauder, they are well on their way to turning this around (see appendix 7 for Kapferer analysis of perception of Estee Lauder). As the pilot research conducted depicted, Estee Lauder’s products are priced too highly for the younger market to purchase. If they do wish to conquer this market successfully, they will have to consider pricing options on certain product ranges to make it more affordable to the target market (See appendix 8). Whilst Estee Lauder is priced too highly for people in this age bracket, they still view the brand as fashionable, as results of the pilot research study concluded (see appendix 9). Environmental Analysis Social/Cultural In recent years consumers have developed a heightened awareness of social and environmental conditions such as animal testing. Many consumers hold strong views towards animal testing and do not want to buy products that have caused animal suffering. Consequently consumers often want to acquire company information regarding animal testing before they buy the product, many cosmetic companies including Estee Lauder shy away from this controversial topic and provide confusing and ambiguous statements regarding the topic as they are guilty of continuing animal testing but wish to avoid public opposition (http://www.buav.org/pdfs/cosmetic_experiments_-_bluf.pdf). As well as being environmentally friendly consumers expect their brands to be socially responsible and to give back to the community. This force gives Estee Lauder the opportunity to sponsor charities that are important to their target market. Any sponsorship should form an integral part of Estee Lauder’s IMC to promote the brand as being socially aware and responsible.. If a customer perceives a brand as being socially irresponsible they will often remove the brand from their evoked set and not even consider them in any of their future purchase decisions. Political / Legal There are many political and legal obligations that Australian cosmetic companies must comply with in order to protect consumers. â€Å"The public has the very reasonable expectation that cosmetics should be safe to use as directed on the label and as people would normally expect to use such products† (www.ASCC.com.au). All cosmetic companies selling their products within Australia must comply with all Australian Safety Regulations. Cosmetic companies must also comply with the Trades Practices Act among other regulations and legislation regarding product safety and ingredients (www.ascc.com.au). These rules and regulations have enormous implications for Estee Lauder and other cosmetic companies in Australia. It is imperative that these regulations are followed as court action can be seriously detrimental to the company financially. Further more, bad publicity as a consequence of not following such regulations can cause irreversible damage in terms of the reputation of the brand. Technological Due to technological advancements there is a lot more information available to the consumers regarding the safety and effectiveness of cosmetic products and the ingredients within them. Due to the amount of scientific information and studies available to them, consumers have developed a very sceptical attitude towards cosmetic brands and their products. The implication for this is that Estee Lauder must provide consumers with as much information and as much proof regarding product effectiveness as possible in order to facilitate the buying decision process. Technology has also worked in favour of Estee Lauder as they have been able use technology to create new innovative products in attempt to gain competitive advantage. Economical Changes on the economy could also have a strong impact on cosmetic sales. Cosmetics are categorised as a luxury item so when the economy is down and consumers have less buying power cosmetics would be among the first product categories to suffer. After the events of September 11 sales dropped to a virtual standstill resulting in the worst holdiay season for American retailers in years (Bittar,2002). However currently Australian retail sales has experienced strong growth since May 2003 (www.abs.com.au) (See Appendix 10). In 1998-99 $4.1 billion was spent on cosmetics, perfumes and toiletries (www.abs.com.au). These statistics indicate it is a healthy growing industry giving companies the opportunity to increase sales and expand product lines.

Integratron and Giant Rock, Mojave Desert, California

If you stand directly under the hole in the center of the room and say something the sound reverberates through your head and body and sounds like peaking to a large outdoor or indoor audience with lots of echoes and large speakers. Very strange no doubt. If you whisper from one side of the room, people on the opposite side can hear you clearly, which Is why I got strange looks when I said my watch was running backwards from the electrical effects. There was a presentation that covered some of the history of the builder and the bulging.When they got to the part about aliens I sort of lost interest. Everyone was Invited to take a blanket and lay out on the floor for meditation and a sound massage session with sounds provided by vibrations from crystal bowls and goblets. Remember how you can run your finger around the rim of a crystal goblet and get a nice humming sound? Well here in the Integration it really is magnified and enhanced creating a peaceful and relaxing interlude while la ying on the blankets. I however sat in a plastic chair. Several fell asleep based on snoring sounds.Founded in 1954 by aeronautical engineer and biologist George Van Tassel, the Integration offers something called a â€Å"sound bath†, and though we were not quite sure what a â€Å"sound bath† would entail, we were pleasantly surprised to find that while the energy vortex may not have been subjugating our poor abused livers, the experience was Indeed quite relaxing. For 30 minutes, our host â€Å"Torn† played varying tones on a set of quartz crystal slaying bowls as we meditated, listened to each other breathe, cough, and In some cases, nap.As It turns out, Van Tassel was not your run-of-the-mill OF;chasing desert eccentric. An aeronautical engineer and test pilot who worked for both Lockheed and alongside Howard Hughes at Hughes Aviation, he moved to the Mojave Desert in 1947 to operate an airport and inn. It was there that he claimed to be contacted ellipticall y by the Venusians, who were entrusting to him the secrets of cell rejuvenation. Acting on these instructions, Van Tassel began building the Integration, a 38 Ft. High dome inspired by Moses' Tabernacle and the writings of Tests.While not the rejuvenation center and time machine that Van Tassel had intended, it Is does serve as the only all-wood, acoustically perfect sound chamber in the U. S. According to Van Tassel, the site of the Integration Is actually a magnetic vortex, an Intersection of geometric forces that would amplify energy required for human cell rejuvenation ND healing. All that was needed to harness this great gift to the human race was a parabolic dome was designed to focus that energy, much like it focuses sound, toward the center with it's spherical shape.Not meeting the standards of life-saving rejuvenation chamber Just yet, the Integration still serves a purpose as a meditation spot, event location, and unusual desert stop to feel closer to our Venusians friends in the stars. Outside of the dome itself there is a dry garden with a clump of hammocks serving as â€Å"Hammock Village†, and tons of interesting folk art and alien-themed knick- knacks such as the â€Å"Alien Clings to Rock† piece you see here. To enjoy our sound bath, we found a blanket or yoga mat and claimed a spot in the circle, feet facing out.Our host described how the sound chamber works, and demonstrated how if we heard someone breathing or coughing as if they were right next to our ear, it was actually the person directly across from us on the other side of the dome. After a unusually long and stern warning regarding snoring during the bath, we closed our eyes as our host played the singing bowls. Bending the sound in ways that made it feel like it was owing in and out of our heads in waves, the intense sound was both soothing and unsettling.There was surprisingly a lot of snoring, and the earlier warning no longer seemed frivolous. After 30 minutes of hypn otic sound, we felt refreshed and ready to take on the rest of our desert adventure. Recently honored with a dedication and historical monument by the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clamp's Vitas, Billy Holcomb Chapter, the Integration today receives many visitors drawn to experience the Integration's enhanced energy fields. An overnight stay at the Integration is said o result in waves of peace, heightened awareness, and relaxation of the mind and body.