BCEN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BCEN - Essay Example orever Young is guided by a mission to become the world’s leading distributor of organic foods, create a healthy family for the future through quality products, enhanced supply chains and well-trained staff. We are committed to a better tommorow and will, therefore, use the available technology to ensure customer experience is enhanced. Our greatest strength is the goodwill and continuous encouragement that we have received from our clients. In the last twelve months, our customer base grew with a margin of 15% on referrals alone. The referrals signified the great deal of trust placed on our products by our clients. The customer loyalty we enjoy makes it possible for us to make profits above break-even. In numbers, we cater for about 30 million households with a potential of growing the number to 100 million in the next five years. As we venture into the world market, we are encouraged by the fact that the organic food market is growing each year and has a net value of US$45million which hasn’t been fully achieved. Over the years, Forever Young has acquired state of the art equipment that give our products a competitive edge in quality and cost efficiency. Being able to achieve high quality at low prices is a strength that any firm would like to achieve, and we have done it with the corporation from our highly trained staff. In such an expensive market, capital can be a limiting factor. For us though the amount of capital available for investment is high and the continuous interests from investors and our good credit rating give us an advantage when it comes to requesting for funds for new investments. In our 12 years of operation, we have developed a strong staff training regime that allows us to employ and attract the best experts in the market. This strong programme has ensured that staff morale is always high which reflects in our sales and customer service provision. Organic foods have never been cheap since production cost is high. With

History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

History - Essay Example 1). The term 'Black Death' can refer to either the pneumonic plague or the bubonic plague. â€Å"The pneumonic plague is the deadlier of the two diseases killing its victims is two to three days† (Spielvogel, 2003, p. 275). It was strongest in the larger cities because of the dense populations that lived there and the less sanitary conditions that could be maintained in these urban areas. â€Å"The plague would visit an area, last for about a year, kill about one-third of the population, and move on. †¦ Most historians believe that between 1347 and 1351, at least one-third of Europe’s total human population (20 to 30 million people) died† (Piccolo, 2004). Deaths alone were not the only by-product of the Plague, though. The way the church handled the crisis and the large number of deaths that took place affected the economic, social and political landscape of this large region of the world. The first outbreak of the plague was strongest in the poorer sections of the city because these people were more likely to live in unsanitary conditions and had limited means by which to protect their health. Modern science is able to confirm the Plague was spread by the rat flea who took the disease from the rat and spread it to the human population, so areas that were infested with rats were among the first to show symptoms (Gottfried, 1983). ... Frightened churchmen shut up their churches and fled to the country as did many people in the secular world (Luftus et al, 1999). Because of their ineffectiveness in the crisis, the church lost a great deal of its authority and leadership and the people began to question whether it should ever have held that position. Many people assumed God was angry with them and much more penitent and harsh religious practices were developed to appease God’s wrath through sacrifice. Economic conditions changed dramatically as competitors from other countries entered the market through the development of the guilds. The guilds changed economic conditions for individual citizens and introduced another means by which cities and towns might be run. â€Å"The effects of regression on rural economy were far-reaching. Labour was scarce and wages rose rapidly. In England and in Castile and elsewhere legislation was attempted to fix wages, but without success† (Nohl, 1926, p. 20). Workers, es pecially peasants who were finally making a decent wage, rebelled violently to suggested pay reductions and though the intent was sound, its affects were disastrous. At the same time that the Plague was decimating the population, the faith in the One Religion and changing the economic base of entire nations, the Catholic Church was engaged in an all-out war on itself. Pope Clement V declined to move to Rome when he was appointed in 1305 and moved the papacy to Avignon supposedly because of civil unrest in Rome, but more likely so he would be closer to the French monarchy he served (Menache, 2002). By 1378, this had become a problem. After struggling against a highly suspicious and

Operations Research Essay Example for Free

Operations Research Essay Operations are directly affected by changes in the factors of production and by other circumstantial changes which directly affect the costs of these factors. One of these changes is the demand changes that occur within the market. Operations are directly affected by production since the level of production coincides with the supply and demand levels of market. Demand has a direct effect in this case since a lower rate of demand necessarily means that production has to be reduced in response to the decreasing demand and thus operations are affected as well. Another factor to consider is the implementation of new pollution control laws which drives up the costs of production and operating expenses due to the taxes that may be imposed and compliance regulations that will be enforced. Carbon trading, which is an example of a pollution control law, requires industries to purchase carbon credits which in the end affect the price of the goods and operating expenses. Other items such as the fluctuation in the value of the dollar and price changes are also critical because they determine the end cost of not only the factor inputs required for operations and by doing so affect the expenditures of companies but also determine the willingness of the market to consume the item or service that is being sold. A stronger dollar for example will mean that exports are affected because it will necessarily drive up the cost of a commodity vis-a-vis the exchange rate. Price changes are also important to consider because they affect the willingness of the customer to purchase a certain commodity and principles such as substitution and competition now take effect.

Non-conventional Sources of Energy: An Analysis

Non-conventional Sources of Energy: An Analysis CONSERVATION OF ENERGY Energy is a primary input in any industrial operation. Energy is also a major input in sectors such as commerce, transport, telecommunication, etc besides the wide range of services required in the household industrial sectors. (A) What Do We Mean by Alternative Energy? The alternative-energy segment of the energy industry covers a broad range of sources. These sources range from well established technologies, such as nuclear energy and hydroelectric power, through high-growth segments such as wind and solar power. They also include less tried and tested alternatives, such as hydrogen-powered, fuel-cell technology for use in electricity generation (7) Renewable sources of energy: It is that energy which is renewed again again. These include wood obtained from forests, petroplants , plant biomass agricultural wastes, wind energy,water energy, geothermal energy, these can reproduce themselves in nature can be harvested continusiously through a sustained proper planning management(B) Non renewable sources of energy: These are available in limited amount develop over a long period of time. They are exhausted one day.these include coal,oil,petroleum, the common source of energy being organic in their origin also called fossil fuel.( B) Conventional source of energy: In most of the fuel wood was consumed for domestic purposes mainly in rural areas, very little of it was available to industrial sector. Coal already in use in industries become a highly priced source. It was then supplemented by mineral oil. Likewise the use of hydro-electricity become dearer the areas where running water needed technology was readily available. After 2nd world war nuclear power was developed. All these sources of energy. All these sources of energy are known as conventional sources of energy. Coal still occupies a central position. (B) Non conventional sources of energy: Non renewable of energy could exhaust one day. Most non renewable sources cause environmental pollution We must conserve non renewable sources by replacing with renewable sources. (B) CONSERVATION OF ENERGY Renewable sources of energy: Non renewable sources of energy: Conventional source of energy Non conventional sources of energy Sources of ener Sources of energy: Primary Secondry 1: primary sources are those which we get from environment.Eg. fossil fuel, nuclear fuel, hydro energy, solar energy, wind energy. 2: secondry sources are those which are derived from primary energy resource. Eg. Petrol, electrical energy, coal burning . (A) Conventional sources of energy: Coal: The heat capacity can be converted into the electricity gas , oil. therefore many thermal super thermal powerstation are located on the coal fields to produce electric power to feeds regional grids.(A) Oil : it was formed more than 300 million year ago. Tiny diatoms are the source of oil. Diatoms are the sea creature in the size of pin head. Diatoms are dead they fell into the sea floor. They buried under the rocks. The rock squeeze the diatoms the energy in the bodies could not escape. The carbon eventually turned into oil under great pressure heat. Oil natural gas are found under ground between rocks in areas where rocks are porous.(C) Natural gas: It is lighter than air . It is made up of methane (made up of carbon hydrogen atoms ch-4). It is found near the petroleum under the earth. It has no odour.it is usually mix with a gas that has strong odour like rotten eggs.(C) NUCLEAR FUSION If light nuclei are forced together, they will fuse with a yield of energy because the mass of the combination will be less than the sum of the masses of the individual nuclei. If the combined nuclear mass is less than that of iron at the peak of the binding energy curve, then nuclear particles will be more tightly bound than they were in the lighter nuclei, and that decrease in mass comes off in the form of the energy according to the Einstein relationship. For elements heavier than iron, fission will yield energy. For potential nuclear energy sources for the Earth, the deuterium-tritium fusion reaction contained by some kind of magnetic confinement seems the most likely path. However, for the fuelling of the stars, other fusion reactions will dominate. (c) NUCLEAR FISSION The nucleus captures the neutron, it splits into two lighter atoms and throws off two or three new neutrons. The two new atoms then emit gamma radiation as they settle into their new states. There are three things about this induced fission -the probability of a U-235 atom capturing a neutron as it passes by is fairly high. -the process of capturing the neutron and splitting happens very quickly, in the order of picoseconds -An incredible amount of energy is released in the form of heat and gamma radiation, when a single atom splits. The two atoms that result from the fission later release beta radiation and gamma radiation of their own as well. The energy released by a single fission Comes from the fact that the fission products and the neutrons, together, weigh less than the original U-235 atom. The difference in weight is converted directly to energy at a rate governed by the equation e=mc2 (C) NUCLEAR REACTOR (1)Light water reactor-We use ordinary water for colling and moderisation these are basic 2 types boiling water reactor pressurised water reactor There are also high temperature gas called reactors which basically of l.w.r type (2):heavy water reactor: the most popular one has been Canadian deuterium uranium reactor. The design is difficult from that of lwr type. The fuel is arranged horizontally rather than the vertically as in l.w.r. (3):liquid metal fast breeder reactor: here we use liquid sodium as the coolent. There are 300 atomic power plant ,operating in world. Max in use (83), Ussr (40), up (35), France(34),Japan 25, Germany 15, Canada 13 India is rich in atomic mineral. Uranium mines are located in singbum in bihar parts of bihar Most abudent source is monazite sands on the shores of kerala. Thorium is derived from these sands. Nuclear power corporation is engaged with the establishment of nucleus. Power plants: 6 nuclear power plants in operation generating 1230 mwe(single individual plant is 210-235mwe). (b) Advantages Nuclear energy has a number of positives going for it. First, it does not give off carbon emissions, earning it supporters in the environmental community among those concerned about global warming. second, once reactors are built, it is very cost effective to keep them running at high capacity and for utilities to address demand fluctuations by cutting back on usage of fossil fuels. Third, nuclear plants tend to last a long time and many existing plants have become more efficient over time, reducing their demand for uranium.and represent reliable sources of supply Disadvantages There are a number of disadvantages to the nuclear-power option. These include not only the safety questions but also some economic and supply-related questions that are currently being debated by those for and opposed to renewal of outdated power plants or an expansion of the sector.In terms of safety, two issues are regularly debated. First, the issue of nuclear waste and, second, concerns over potential terrorist attacks on nuclear power plants. The first objection may be overcome through the introduction of new types of power plants, such as the pebble-bed modular reactor. This type of reactor uses graphite balls flecked with tiny amounts of uranium, rather than conventional fuel rods. With the fuel encased in graphite and impermeable silicon carbide, the theory is that the waste should be relatively easy to dispose of. The terrorism fears are less easily addressed and may ultimately stall the construction of new plants in countries such as the U.S., where these worries are great est. Among economic concerns is the question of construction costs. Although the cost of energy produced by existing nuclear plants is competitive, the upfront capital costs of constructing new plants are extremely high, calculated at $1,300-$1,500 per kilowatt- hour, or twice the amount it costs to construct a gas-fired power station(F) Non Conventional energy source SOLAR ENERGY Two weeks of solar energy is roughly equivalent to the energy stored in all known reserves of coal.oil and natural gas on the earth. Solar energy may be directly used either by active solar system or passive solar system. Another potentially important aspect 0f direct solar energy involves solar cells or photovoltaic that convert sunlight directly into electricity. Two other type of solar energy are the solar power tower and solar ponds.(b) There are two main ways to harness the power of the sun to generate electricity: photovoltaic (PV), where sunlight is directly converted into electricity via solar cells, and solarthermal power. PV is a proven technology that is most appropriate for small-scale applications to provide heat and power to individual houses and businesses. Sunlight falls on a layer of semiconductors, which jostles electrons. This, in turn, creates an electrical current that can be used as a source for heat. Solar PV cells are already cost effective for powering houses and businesses in some regions. As with wind power, technological developments have reduced costs considerably over the last few years. Unlike wind power, however, largescale electricity production using solar energy costs about 22 cents per kilowatt-hour, significantly more expensive than its fossil fuel competitors and nuclear energy. Hopes to reduce these costs lie with newer technologies. Solar-thermal generated energy is only just emerging from the experimental stage to full-scale electricity production. Solar-thermal power concentrates the sun to heat up fuel such as gas or oil. The heat trapped within is then used to convert water into steam, which powers a conventional steam turbine to generate electricity. Fossil fuels are sometimes used as a back-up to heat the water in the boiler if the sun is not shining. There are three different methods for concentrating the suns rays: Parabolic Trough — This method uses long, parallel rows of glass mirrors in the shape of a trough to concentrate the suns rays toward the â€Å"absorber tube† — usually filled with oil — to maximum effect. Power Tower — Similar in principle to parabolic-trough technology, the mirrors are placed in a circular pattern. At the center of the circle is a tower, at the top of which is a receiver filled with water, air, liquid metal or molten salt that moves to a power block and is used to power a steam turbine. Parabolic Disk System — In this system, dishes rather than troughs are used to concentrate the power of the sun. An example of this type of solar project is the 500-megawatt Solar Energy Systems plant being constructed in the Mojave Desert in California. By the end of 2006, the company expects to begin supplying electricity to Southern California Edison (SCE), but will not be fully operational until 2011, when it may account for as much as a 20 percent increase in SCEs electricity generation from renewables(F) Advantages In spite of its cost versus other sources of energy, solar power is attracting interest due to the following: Solar energy makes use of a renewable natural resource that is readily available in many parts of the world. The process used to generate solar energy is emission-free. Technological advances have reduced costs to a point that it can compete with fossil fuel alternatives in specific circumstances. The technology is scalable in that it can be used fordomestic heating purposes or on a larger scale for commercial electricity generation, as solar water heaters are an established technology, widely available and simple to install and maintain Disadvantages The biggest barriers to increasing solar power generation are the cost, the amount of land required for large-scale electricity production, and the intermittent nature of the energy source.In terms of the latter, thermal systems do not work at night or in inclement weather. Storage of hot water for domestic or commercial use is simple, needing only insulated tanks, but storage of the higher-temperature liquids needed to generate electricity on a large scale — or storage of the electricity itself — requires further technological development(F) WIND ENERGY In the country there are areas which are quite windy. Wind energy may be converted into mechanical electrical energy. Now, wind has been utilized for pumping water in rural areas. Wind energy is useful in remote areas helps in saving fossils fuels, would deliver on the spot small quantity of energy which is free pollution environmental degradation.Gujrat is first to starts using wind power. Advantages There are a number of notable advantages associated with wind power: It is a clean, renewable energy source. There is no fuel component, so once built there is no a finite fuel supply or costs associated with such a supply. Wind power can be generated in remote areas, including out in the oceans. It is scalable in that it can be used to generate power in a local area or even at the individual property level, but can also generate large amounts of power that can be added to an electricity grid system.. For land-based wind farms, once the wind towers are installed, the land area around them can be used for other purposes, such as agricultural use. Disadvantages As with any source of energy, there are some drawbacks to wind power. The most significant is that the wind to drive the turbines may be intermittent and that it does not always blow when electricity is needed. Wind energy may only be available 40 percent of the year in some areas versus 90 percent for a fossil-fuel powered plant. New blade design can overcome this problem to a certain extent, as can storing the energy in batteries, but because of these potential drawbacks, the site of the wind farm is key to its success and vice versa.(F) OCEAN ENERGY (TIDAL ENERGY) Tidal power generation depends on the harnessing of rise and fall of sea level due to tidal action. Small tidal power plants have been constructed in china USSR. The most important application of tidal power is electricity generation. In India sites exploitation of tidal energy are gulfs of kutch kombay sunderbans. India could intensify work on ocean thermal energy conversion wave energy. The country is already experience with exploiting tidal energy. The central electricity authority Gujrat electricity board carried out site studies for establishment of tidal plants in golf of kutch. India has excellent OTEC potential some of the best sites in world are known to be located off the Indian mainland island of lakshdeep Andoman nicobar. Total OTEC potential in India is 50000mW which is about 150% of installed power generated capacity in India. PRESENT USES Tidal power has on a small scale been used throughout the history of mankind. It was not until twentieth century that large-scale tidal projects were considered. Today, sites suitable for the utilisation of tidal power exist in many places around the world. DISADVANTAGES -Not yet economically feasible. -Problems with transportation of hydroelectricity. -Technology not developed. ADVANTAGES -Renewable resource. -No pollution. -Produced 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. -Peak output coincides with peak energy demand.(c) Fuel cell Production of electricity by thermal plants is not a very efficient method and is major source of pollution. It now possible to make such in which reactants sre fed continuously to the electrodes and products are removed continuously from the electrolyte compartment. Galvanic cell that are designed to convert theenergy of combustion of fuels like hydrogen, methane, methanol,etc. directly into electrical energy are called fuel cell. One of the most successful fuel cell uses the reaction hydrogen with oxygen to form water. The cell was used for providing electrical power in Apollo space programme. The water vapours produced during the reaction were condensed and added to the drinking water supply for the astronauts. In the cell, hydrogen and oxygen are bubbled through porous carbon electrodes into concentrated aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. Catalyst like finally divided platinum metal are incorporated into the electrodes for increasing the rate of electrode reaction. Efficiency is 70%compared to thermal plant whose efficiency is 40%.(E) A fuel cell that runs on pure oxygen hydrogen produces no waste product. when a reformer is coupled to the fuel cell some pollutant are released(co2)but levels are typically less than conventional fossil fuel combustion in a power plant or an auto-mobile engine.fuel cell could be ideal zero emission power source for vehicle. Fuel cell busses could be tested in a Canada. The current from a fuel cell is proportional to the size of electrode voltage is limited (1.23). Tiny fuel cell running on methanol might used in cell phone, pager, toys, computer, now run by batteries. Bio fuel: based on fuel derived from organic biomass from recently living animals or plants or their by products, has transformed from a niche alternative to fossil fuels (e.g., gasoline, diesel) to become a booming industry. Any liquid that stores energy, which is typically utilized by an engine or generator, can be called a â€Å"fuel.† The term â€Å"bio fuels† encompasses a wide range of fuels, including vegetable oils, animal fats, ethanol, biodiesel (any oil or fat that undergoes trans esterification to more closely resemble mineral-based fuel), and syn fuel (fuel made from gasi fied organic matter, then liquefied to form fuel). The main common trait of all these fuels is that they are derived from organic biomass, rather than minerals. Bio fuels are made using a fairly simple process that typically involves harvesting feedstock, or the raw materials (e.g., soybeans, sugarcane), crushing the feedstock, separating the dry matter from the oil, then re-crushing and/or further processing to extract as much oil as possible. The resulting oil can then either be directly consumed (e.g., by vehicles with specially designed engines), further processed (e.g., into biodiesel), or blended with mineral-based fuel before being delivered to the end user at gas stations and depots around the world (the most common blends in the U.S. are E10 (10% percent ethanol blend) and E85 (85% ethanol blend). Only some biofuels, most notably biodiesel, can be used in traditional internal combustion engines. Other biofuels, such as ethanol, must be blended with mineral-based fuel in order to be used in existing engines. The most common inputs into biofuels vary by country. In the U.S., corn and soybeans are most prevalent, while Europe tends to use flaxseed and rapeseed, Brazil sugarcane, and Asia palm oil. Brazil is in many ways the pioneer of the biofuels industry, having introduced ethanol from sugarcane (and flexfuel vehicles capable of running on ethanol) over 25 years ago as method to reduce dependence on oil imports. a fuel cell uses a catalyst to create a reaction between hydrogen from a fuel and oxygen from the air to generate electricity, with the only byproduct being water. Such fuel cells can be used for power generation and as a replacement for the combustion engine to run cars and other vehicles. Fuel cells have long been used in the U.S. space program, but until the past few years have proved prohibitively expensive for civilian use. Interest in fuel cells was reignited in the late 1990s, as companies began to make breakthroughs in technology. Large automotive manufacturers, such as General Motors and Daimler Chrysler, also started investing in fuel-cell companies and began to design concept fuel-cell powered vehicles. Development, thus far, has focused primarily on protonexchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. This type of fuel cell uses a polymer membrane to separate two subcells, one fed with hydrogen and one with oxygen (through air). On the hydrogen side, the hydrogen breaks down into pr otons and electrons, and the protons migrate through the membrane into the oxygen side. The electrons, on the other hand, are forced to detour through wire connecting metal plates, resulting in a reaction that creates electricity. Other types of cells include the molten-carbonate fuel cell, which is the most efficient design but is very complex and only economical when generating more than 200 kilowatts. Westinghouse is developing a competing design, the solidoxide fuel cell, which operates at extremely high temperatures and has the added advantage that waste heat can be used to drive an auxiliary gas turbine.(F) What are the Challenges to Large-Scale Hydrogen Production? One of the biggest challenges to moving towards large-scale adoption of the â€Å"hydrogen economy† is production of hydrogen itself. A question often raised is whether it takes more energy to produce the hydrogen than you get back when you either drive the car or use it to power a building. There are currently three ways to produce hydrogen: Natural gas, coal, wood and organic waste burn with air and steam at extremely high temperatures. When cooled, the resulting gases contain a significant amount of hydrogen. An electrical current is passed between two electrodes (anelectrolyzer) immersed in water. Hydrogen rises up from the negative electrode and oxygen from the positive electrode. Some bacteria reportedly produce hydrogen, but this method has yet to be exploited commercially The first of these options has traditionally been the most cost-effective. That it still requires the burning of fossil fuels, combined with the rising price for natural gas, however, makes it less attractive as a long-term solution. The second option is simple to establish and can be done on a small or large scale nearest the point where the hydrogen may be needed. However, it also has a major drawback. Although this method has a 98 percent efficiency rate, when you factor in the voltage of the fuel cell, you get back only 40 percent of what you put in There are two powerful arguments for converting electricity into hydrogen, in spite of the inefficiency of the process: The first is the â€Å"use it or lose it† principle. Electrical power itself cannot be stored in its pure form; it needs to be converted to something else. Just as surplus nuclear and gas-fired power stations may store unused power by using it to pump water back up inside a damper as part of an integrated electrical storage system in combination with a hydroelectric power plant, hydrogen can be similarly used to store unused electrical power. Second, electricity stored as hydrogen is versatile. Not only can it be used for re-electrification, it also can potentially be used as fuel for cars or for producing heat. Why Fuel Cells? Fuel cells directly convert the chemical energy in hydrogen to electricity, with pure water and potentially useful heat as the only byproducts. Hydrogen-powered fuel cells are not only pollution-free, but also can have two to three times the efficiency of traditional combustion technologies. A conventional combustion-based power plant typically generates electricity at efficiencies of 33 to 35 percent, while fuel cell systems can generate electricity at efficiencies up to 60 percent (and even higher with cogeneration). The gasoline engine in a conventional car is less than 20% efficient in converting the chemical energy in gasoline into power that moves the vehicle, under normal driving conditions. Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which use electric motors, are much more energy efficient and use 40-60 percent of the fuels energy — corresponding to more than a 50% reduction in fuel consumption, compared to a conventional vehicle with a gasoline internal combustion engine. In addition, fuel cells operate quietly, have fewer moving parts, and are well suited to a variety of applications. How Do Fuel Cells Work? A single fuel cell consists of an electrolyte sandwiched between two electrodes, an anode and a cathode. Bipolar plates on either side of the cell help distribute gases and serve as current collectors. In a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cell, which most promising for light-duty transportation, hydrogen gas flows through channels to the anode, where a catalyst causes the hydrogen molecules to separate into protons and electrons. The membrane allows only the protons to pass through it. Comparison of Fuel Cell Technologies In general, all fuel cells have the same basic configuration — an electrolyte and two electrodes. But there are different types of fuel cells, classified primarily by the kind of electrolyte used. The electrolyte determines the kind of chemical reactions that take place in the fuel cell, the temperature range of operation, and other factors that determine its most suitable applications.(7)

The bulest eye :: essays research papers

Claudia and Frieda MacTeer live in Lorain, Ohio with their parents. Their lives are hard, but their parents provide a stern and loving household. To make money, their parents take in a boarder, Henry Washington. Soon after, another young girl, named Pecola, comes to live with the MacTeers after her father, Cholly, burned down her house. The three girls become friends. Pecola loves milk and Shirley Temple; it quickly becomes clear that she believes that all things Caucasian are beautiful. It also becomes clear that Pecola considers herself ugly because she has such strong African features. She does not believe she can be loved. Pecola eventually moves back in with her family. Life there is not pleasant. Her father is an alcoholic, her mother is distant, and the two of them often fight. Pecola's older brother, Samuel, often runs away from home. Pecola also runs away but into her own fantasies: she dreams of having the bluest eyes in the world. Pecola's life away from her family is no better. She is often picked on and called ugly by those around her. Claudia and Frieda realize that the entire neighborhood agrees with Pecola that Caucasian features are beautiful. Pecola's parents have both had difficult lives. Pauline always felt like an outsider in her family and constantly suffers through feelings of loneliness and ugliness. She wants to love her daughter but finds Pecola unattractive. Pauline works for a wealthy white family and finds her solace in their house and in movie theaters showing the glamorous white world. Cholly was abandoned by his parents and brought up by his aunt. He was often humiliated by white people and built up a great rage toward whites and women. When he met and married Pauline, things were good for a time, but he soon felt trapped and unhappy. The marriage is listless and dull, except for those moments when they are fighting. One day, as he returns home and finds Pecola washing dishes, Cholly's life of rage and aborted desire wells up and he rapes his daughter. Pauline blames Pecola for the rape, irrationally seeing it as Pecola's fault. Pecola becomes more obsessed with getting blue eyes and visits Soaphead Church, a sham mystic, who promises to help her. Instead, he uses her to help kill a dog he doesn't like. Pecola discovers she is pregnant. Over the course of her pregnancy, Pecola goes mad.

Deriving Meaning from William Carlos Williams, The Young Housewife Ess

Deriving Meaning from William Carlos Williams', The Young Housewife Everything depends on perspective. The uniqueness we bring to our reading is essential to the absorption of poems with Imagist elements. An example of this is the poem, "The Young Housewife", by William Carlos Williams. Perhaps it was a streak of laziness on my part, but I had very little imagination to offer this poem. Having had no experience as such, I didn't identify with the young housewife, the fish-man, the ice-man, or even the dramatically fallen leaf. What I initially saw was a jumble of thoughts arranged neatly into three very brief verses. The biographical information about the author provided in the Third Edition of the Heath Anthology of American Literature ¹ describes Williams' writings as reflections on the "...disjunction of modern life in broken lines and flashes of incomplete thought." Exactly. Only, I was left to wonder how it could be that this was meant by the biographer to be complimentary. Seems to me that somewhere along the way I picked up the notion that incomplete thoughts were a bad thing.... Granted, the concept of Imagism is not lost on me. Read after read of this poem led me to believe that it is very true that reality is created in the act of our perceiving it. I could take on any perspective or mindset and find applicable passages that would lend themselves wholeheartedly to whatever arguments of meaning I could come up with. Perhaps I have an imagination after all. Considering the lack of natural meaning that I initially got out of the poem, I ended up doing a systematic dissection of the lines to extract a meaning I could expound upon. Despite the fact that doing this meant go... ...ing. Here we have the husband taking action in his own way to ensure that his leaf remain not only under a watchful eye, but also under the thumb of his silent, yet ultimately draining, power. Little thought is obviously given to whether the leaf itself remains young and vibrant or if it slowly dries up. Williams use of visual writing enables the poem to close with a vivid flourish and a tone of smugness as the narrator finally passes by with a bow and a smile. You sense the crushing of another leaf whom he'd help to fall unwittingly. It's a stretch, yes, but when you read the poem with the sympathy this theory evokes, its meaning is changed and so too is your view. There's suddenly a reason for this poem. 1.) Lauter, Paul (1998). pg. The Heath Anthology of American Literature, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin, New York, NY

Butler Lumber Company Essay

I. Statement of Financial Problem Butler Lumber Company is facing the internal risk of not having enough borrowing power to continue operations as desired. The owner of the company has established a relationship with a new bank to increase their borrowing power, however, based on Butler Lumber Company’s past Operating Statement and Balance Sheet, the company is expecting to continue substantial growth without considering external risks that may affect their business. Currently the company requires debt to maintain daily operations and growth. II. General Framework for Financial Analysis A company should maintain higher liquidity ratios that will sustain operating activities and desired growth, as well as allow the company to pay any short-term debt obligations. One way to maintain higher liquidity ratios is to collect on receivables timely, and use cash obtained to take advantage of discounts offered on inventory purchases. Additionally, a company’s inventory should turn several times per year. As sales are forecasted a company should increase their inventory to accommodate forecasted sales on a monthly basis, but keep as little as possible on hand. Ideally, inventory would turn 10-12 times per year. III. Application of the Financial Framework Butler Lumber Company has experienced significant growth over the last few years. Their pricing has remained competitive compared to similarly available product. The company expects to continue growing at this level and to do so, requires the availability of credit from their bank to maintain current and increased inventory levels and to cover operating expenses. Butler Lumber Company maintains a high level of inventory. Essentially, the company is leveraging their credit and using that to maintain their high inventory levels. As the company grows, their inventory purchases should be  based on their forecasted monthly sales. In 1990 their inventory was turning 4.67 times per year, or every 2.5 months. While continued growth may make this feel necessary, the company has failed to consider external risk factors that could affect their business drastically. While they’re sales are driven by not only new home construction, but home repairs as well, in the event of an economic crisis home repairs would likely decrease. As a result, Butler Lumber Company would have a substantial amount of wasted inventory on hand. Butler Lumber Company’s sales have increased, however so have their receivables. With receivables sitting uncollected for 42 days, the company is unable to use that cash to pay their outstanding payables with discounts or cover their operating costs without incurring debt. Finally, the company’s liquidity ratios support their need for better cash management. Their current ratio suggest the company is solvent and would be able to cover their short-term liabilities if needed. However, the quick ratio for the company is very low year after year. Their cash on hand would not cover their short-term liabilities. IV. Assumptions and Special/Mitigating Circumstances No assumptions were made in this analysis. The company’s financial statements clearly state their condition. Recommendations are based on that information. V. Conclusions and Recommendations Butler Lumber Company should monitor their inventory levels closely and maintain only the inventory required to get them through 1 to 1.5 months of sales. They should also employ an aggressive collections team to assist with collecting within the terms of payment outlined in customer agreements.