A considerate of contemporary management function Essay

A considerate of contemporary management function of the employer-employee relationship The six journal articles that have been looked at stem from the original Locke, (1982) article. Frederick W. Taylor popularised of scientific management. The essay will discuss 5 aspects of Taylor’s ideas about scientific management and show how understandings of contemporary management functions and the employer-employee relationship have been developed from Taylor’s ideas. What was Taylor’s idea about the management? Management involves coordinating and overseeing the work activities of others so that their activities are completed efficiently and effectively. The ideas about the relationship between employer and employee have been developed from a nother. Retain critical employees is important and necessary. According to the Fitz-enz(1997), the company average losses 1 million with every 10 people who is the managerial and professional employees. In addition, the total cost of least a former employee at least a year of wages and benefits, up to two years of unpaid salary and benefits. This is a huge economic loss with a company loses a number of critical employees. As a manager, we must give employees adequate physiological, safety, love, esteem. One of the advice is managers should look into a way to motivate employees to achieve a satisfactory and unmet needs through activities and exercises. Managers have a responsibility to create a suitable environment to inspire employees to their fullest potential. If no such right environment, will lead to a big difference such as lower job satisfaction, lower productivity, lower profit with a company. How to effectively improve the relationship between managers and employees? Taylor given 4 methods. (a) Scientific management: In Principles of Scientific Management (1911)Fredrick Winslow Taylor, the â€Å"Father† of scientific management utilises scientific methods to define th e â€Å"one best way† for a job to be done (b) Scientific selections. Taylor advocated selecting only â€Å"first class†(i.e., high aptitude) men for a given job because their productivity would be several times greater than that of the average man. (c) Money bonus. Taylor claimed that the money is what employees want most, he thinks employees should be paid from 30% to 100% higher wages for to do his job. (d) Management responsibility for training. Taylor thought that most contemporary managers should fully accept the notion that training new employees is their responsibility. My understanding about the  employer-employee relationship has also been shaped by these articles. I have learnt that (1) Scientific management can focus speed of production, low cost production and availability of an unskilled workforce. In addition, today’s use of scientific management can use time and motion studies to increase productivity, hire the best qualified employees and design incentive systems based on output. Equity theory is a theory of social comp arison effect on employees. This theory appears to be very common, but it is very important. Equity theory refers to the rate of employees with their work output and input compared with others. Time input includes the time of the work, work habits, work experience, work attitude, and so on. When they found unfair, they usually can’t change the rate of others, can’t change their input, so employees will find ways to change their output. This may mean that they will reduce their work time or effort to work. Then, the manager can use the equity theory to motivate employees. Managers can use a more open system of remuneration paid for employees to understand each position and every effort should position relative to how much salary can be get. (2) Scientific selections: Everybody have their own good aspects, based on each person strengths and rational allocation of work. As a result, not only can bring effectively produce but also can make person enjoy their work. According to the Wren (1979) notes that Taylor focuses on scientific selection can promote the develop ment of industrial psychology and personnel management and other areas. (3) Money bonus: How to influence people? The most common method is money bonus. Such as up wages, bonuses, benefits. These things are the most effective way to influence the work of passion and power of a work. Through the Vroom’s (1946) expectancy theory, we can find that an employee will play his better efforts when he is convinced that his efforts would be better evaluated. And these evaluations will bring him more rewards such as bonuses, salary increases. These rewards will meet staff personal goals. Individual employee attitudes and enthusiasm in their work will determine to a large extent a company’s performance. According to the Porter (1968) and Lawler’s expectancy model of motivation, this model proposes two factors that determine spending on a number of tasks energy. The first is the personal rewards from work to get. These returns will be the psychological perception of employees is their own work to be sure. The second is that these returns will be formed job satisfaction. (4) Management  responsibility for training: The staff training is an essential element of human resource management. Managers can’t ignore their training responsibilities. Understanding management system in staff training in this area can help you build an effective training system to help you prepare new employees for their work To sum up, from the six articles considered, scientific management can not only getting the most output from the least amount of inputs but also focus on those work activities that will help the company reach its goals. Taylor’s idea has shaped modern employer-employee relationships. Work is still specialised, personal are still trained. The quality of work is still rewarded in bonuses, as well as other. Reference: 1.Three chapters in The Ideas of Frederick W Taylor: An Evaluation’. 2.Wren, D. A. The evolution of management thought (2nd ed.). New York: Wiley, 1979. 3.Towards a unified model of employee motivation / Darren J. Elding, Andrew M. Tobias and David S. Walk [Chichester, West Sussex, England] : John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2006 4.Kotter, John P. What effective general managers really do / John P. Kotter Boston [etc.] : Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University, 1982 5.Managing in the new millennium : understanding the manager’s motivational tool bag / Patricia M. Buhl Burlington, Iowa, etc., National Research Bureau, etc.], 2003 6.A review of employee motivation theories and their implications for employee retention within organiz Hollywood, FL : Journal of American Academy of Business, 2004

El Salvador A Country Report Essay

Introduction El Salvador or the Savior as the name can be translated is a very unexpectedly unique country. El Salvador is a country of many great geographical sites, a strange history, a blackened economic state, and an incredible agricultural base. The country has undergone many changes throughout its history. It was developed, owned, and operated by many different people and forms of government. This ?land of volcanoes? or ?the Savior? has been needed saving of its own for quite some time. 2.0 Geography The nickname for this environmentally hazardous country, ?land of volcanoes? serves El Salvador properly. El Salvador is the smallest of all Central American countries having a land area of only 21,041 sq. km (ecst.csuchico.edu). The country is also the only in Central America not to occupy more than one sea border, being only found on the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador is contained not only by the Pacific Ocean, but also by the two neighbor countries of Honduras and Guatemala. El Salvador is known more for it?s two mountain ranges both running east to west. The northern most range known as Sierra Madre that draws the border between El Salvador and Honduras. The southern range is a formation of many continuous volcanoes both active and silent. These volcanoes supply El Salvador with its rich soil making it possible for the great exportation of coffee. Climate change in El Salvador occurs more due to elevation variations than by seasonal change. During a calendar year Salvadorians can expect only a four-degree Celsius change due to seasons. The greater change in temperature occurs due to the different elevations. The two mountain ranges help very the climate and land usage of the country. El Salvador consists of a narrow coastal plain, two steep mountain ranges and a central plateau, which is at 600m above sea level. This plateau is only 25% of the landmass in El Salvador; however, it contains the majority of the countries population. Due to over exploitation the country has become semi-barren, and less of the land is of use. El Salvador is a very geographical diverse country. It possesses the same geographical features of the U.S., but all in the same land area as Rhode  Island. The country has become very over populated and has begun to exhaust its resources. 3.0 Pre-Columbian Cultures Before Spain sent men to explore and claim the countries of Central America native people occupied the land. These people where known as the Pipil. However, it is believed, due to archeological assessments that even before the Pipil natives of Central America known as the Mayas and Olmec occupied the land. The Mayas and Olmecs were believed to occupy the land until the 11th Century when the Pipil appeared following the collapse of the Mayan empire. The Pipil people were of a very strong and fierce origin. They were very good farmers and lived mostly on Maize. The Pipil had many small urban centers and a very integrated linked society. The Pipil people lived in their land for over 500 years. After that time Spain was introduced to their country and soon their freedom was lost. 4.0 Conquest Spain had come to Central America seeking wealth, and any landmass that could have that quality they would conquer and claim for the crown. Pedro de Alvarado a conquistador and Lieutenant under Hernan Cortes entered El Salvador in 1524 to conquer the land. However, due to the fierceness of the Pipil people Spain had to return in 1525 and again in 1528 to finally lay claim to the country. Spain found little wealth in the substance of gold and other valuable metals in El Salvador; however, they learned how great a benefit the rich soil of the volcanic country could be to agriculture. Spain soon after their conquest enslaved the Pipil people and forced them into an encomienda system of farming. The encomienda system soon lost favor with the crown and was replaced with repartiemento. Spain developed the country with this system and produced a great deal of wealth during the 17th century in agriculture. 5.0 Agriculture Agriculture is the foundation that El Salvador has been built upon throughout its entire history. Whether it was the Pipil people utilizing the rich soil or Spain controlling the land much wealth was  obtained in the country. 5.01 Indigenous The Pipil people lived as farmers and hunters in the country before any intruders appeared. They sustained their lives on crops such as maize, bananas, and other tropical foods. They traded these crops among one another and were able to be self-sufficient for many years. After the entrance of Spain to the country the natives were forced to work as slaves for the betterment of others. Spain introduced products such as coffee, cotton, and indigo to El Salvador. They found that the rich soil could produce coffee greater than any other country they had conquered prior to El Salvador. During the 17th century agriculture boomed in El Salvador, gluttony filled Spain with the wealth from coffee and thus began the downfall of the Salvadorian economy. 5.02 Present El Salvador produced many types of crops throughout its history such as henequen and cotton, but the country always centered itself on coffee production. Today, El Salvador produces far more coffee than any other crop in the country. Amid the 20th century, 95% of the countries income came from the exportation of coffee. This income was distributed over only 14 families (roughly 2% of population) whose influence has been seen over the countries history (Class Handout). In this way El Salvador takes on many similar traits of other Central American countries. 6.0 Independence Spain occupied the country for nearly 300 years throughout which they enslaved and persecuted the native people of El Salvador. Land control was only a dream in the eyes of the former owners. The influence of the Roman Catholic Church soon brought hopes of a revolution to the Indian people of El Salvador. In 1811 Father Jose Matias Delgado, a catholic priest led a revolt against Spain; however, with the great power of the crown against them it did not prove successful. Meanwhile in Spain, Napoleon led an invasion into the country reverting attention away from Central America and allowing El Salvador to eventually gain a limited amount of independence in 1821. Even though independence was given to the Salvadorian during this time, people land control still  remained in the hands of few. This led to an Indian rebellion in 1833 brought about by a mestizo, Anastasio Aquino. Eventually in 1841, El Salvador found its independence by the introduction of the Central American Federation. This was an alliance against Spain of neighboring Central American countries seeking their independence. Thus began the history of El Salvador, which led to many civil wars, conflicts, and disputes among other countries and itself. 7.0 Economics in El Salvador El Salvador has seen many changes throughout its history, both politically and economically. El Salvador has followed the majority of Central American countries by making itself a dependent on one or two exportable goods. The country has also faced many conflicts in politics and environmental hazards. El Salvador?s economy has inevitably been destined for the worse by the countries governing order. 7.01 Colonial Before the invasion of the conquistadors into the country the Pipil lived a pleasant and peaceful life of trade. The Pipil obtained many small urban centers in which trade among them proved successful. They did not have a monetary unit but rather bartered for what they desired. They lived a self-sufficient life only producing their needs. The Pipil people may have evolved and become a worthy heritage in the world if they had not been conquered by the conquistadors of Spain. 7.02 Early (1820-1920) Soon El Salvador and the rich soil of the land were under Spanish control. Spain found great profit in the enrichment of the land. Coffee, indigo, and cotton yielded greater than they had seen prior to conquest. Spain felt that this was equal to the gold and other values found in the countries surrounding El Salvador. During the 17th century the agriculture of El Salvador was of great wealth, and Spain indulged upon it. The Spaniards developed many haciendas to expand their crops this involved many Indian people to subdue to the work needed. The first evidence of primate cities developed during this time. This would sooner lead to an unexpected need for imported goods and a profound lack of self-efficiency. 7.03 Mid (1920-1980) During and after El Salvador?s independence the country  found itself depending console upon the growth of the coffee crop. 95% of the countries exports depended upon coffee, but still only 2% of the population controlled the wealth (Lonely Planet). The Salvadorians exhausted themselves upon focusing on this item and developed no other means of exportation. Amid the first and second world wars Central America was abandoned by the rest of the world and forced to find a way to survive among themselves. This brought upon industrialization to the forgotten world, and El Salvador attempted to follow the plan. The country produced only the essential items for survival, and chose rather to fight civilly for control of the country. El Salvador faced many disputes during this time, and many forms of leadership. Democracies, civil wars, peasant uprisings, and Military Coups were among the problems that the country faced. It was only during the later years of the countries history that true leadership was developed, and a greater economic scheme was gained. 7.04 1980-Present Primate cities have know become a large part of Salvadorian economy. These few and large cities have been growing without any means of renewal. The country finds itself now separated by wealth and poverty. The fourteen families mentioned before were still controlling the majority of the coffee production and with no found wealth in industrialization El Salvador was growing in debt. The national debt of El Salvador has only grown over the countries history. This is from the foreign aid supplied to the country to help with recovery of natural disasters, and in the form of military aid. Due to El Salvador?s placement in the world it has been faced by many environmental hazards. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides due to extreme rainfall give threat to this debt. Also in 1998 El Salvador fell victim to hurricane Mitch. Mitch destroyed not only many of the profitable livestock and agricultural farms of Central America, but also devastated many lives of the people living in its path. El Salvador lost 95% of its banana crop and one third of the countries beef cattle industry (Class Handout). This crushed the already terrible state of the Salvadorian economy and only added to the  increasing national debt. Some current facts in the economic stability of El Salvador can be seen in the following. The currency of the country is known as the collone. Eleven collones is roughly equivalent to one U.S. dollar. The exportation of goods to the U.S. each year equals $732 million. Where as the importation of goods from the U.S. each year equals $1.789 billion dollars. The GDP of El Salvador is $5.9 billion U.S. each year. This is only $1,003 U.S. per capita. The growth rate of the GDP is currently at 5.0%, and has been continuously increasing. However, even with the GDP on an upswing for El Salvador the debt to the U.S. has also increased to $2.1 billion U.S (cia.gov). These numbers show that with El Salvador?s population, and the amount of GDP to the country that few people have great wealth and even more are in poverty. 8.0 Population El Salvador is a very densely populated country. The majority of the people in El Salvador live in only 25% of the total land mass known as the central plateau. The total population is over 6.2 million with a growth rate of 2.3% (Cia.gov). This population will be doubled in 30 years. Due to the growth rate percent the country is caught between the second and third categories in the demographic chart, but primarily they still are evolving in the second. With this great a number of people in such a small area poverty is unavoidable. 8.01 Urbanization Urbanization has not been a large issue with El Salvador. Although some of their large primate cities carry a large percent of the population, such as San Salvador the capital that holds 1.5 million people, many people chose to stay in rural areas. The ratio of the urban population to rural population is 3:2. This ratio could be explained due to the need for agricultural revenue, and the need for people to create that revenue. With the extent of the over population of El Salvador many people have been forced to find other means of income and a safer home. 8.02 Migration Over population and greed have created poverty in El Salvador and a need for new revenue. This is why much of the income from the country  consists of wages paid from the United States to migrant workers fleeing from El Salvador. $1.3 billion U.S. was sent to families of these seasonal migrant workers in El Salvador. This allows those living in El Salvador to find a little hope in their country and a means of better living. During, much of the time of the civil wars and poverty states of El Salvador many of the countries people began to migrate to Honduras. This appeared to be allowed at first until a wide spread amount of migration occurred. The great amount of people fleeing to Honduras soon became a problem and great tension rose between the two neighboring countries. This accounted for the great soccer riot in 1969 brought upon through allegations that were made about mistreatment of Salvadorian people by the Honduras population. 9.0 U.S. Intervention The United States has always been concerned with the matters of other countries, particularly by the form of the government. When it became obvious that El Salvador may fall into left wing ideals to help with the poverty level in the country the U.S. reacted. It was during the Carter administration that this occurred and Jimmy?s solution was to fund right-wing guerillas in the country. These guerillas were know as the FMLN (Frente Marti Liberacion Nacional) named after an executed leader who brought reforms to the country and a democracy in the early to mid 20th century. Carter soon withdrew his funding after hearing of misuse of the military power by the FMLN. The FMLN became mongers and began to hurt innocent people and become closer in comparison to their socialist enemy. With a suspension of the funding the country fell back into turmoil and was once again caught in left-wing ideals. It was during the Reagan administration that the funding returned with close watch. Soon the guerillas were able to gain control, and force what was to be marked the first time in 50 years that a democratically elected president was named. This man was Alfredo Magana, and he brought some control and leadership to this war shaken country (Encyc. Of Latin-American Hist.). The U.S. has also been involved with El Salvador in other ways. The U.S. is the number one importer of Salvadorian goods mainly coffee. Also due to the great devastation in the country by natural disasters the U.S. has given  foreign aid to help rebuild the economy and lives of the people. If El Salvador can maintain this relationship with the U.S. the countries future is bound to look better than it?s past. 10.0 Globalization The world is a growing economical structure that every country wants to be a part of, and with growing concern about each countries role a hope for globalization can be seen. El Salvador is attempting to do its part in becoming a companion with globalization, during the end of the 20th century the maquiladora system was approached by El Salvador. These small manufacturing companies account for a major part of the countries GDP. These companies are also followed by new trade reforms with other neighboring countries. Trade with U.S. has only improved over the last few years. If El Salvador keeps improving on the relations with its neighboring countries then it may be a substantial part of the world economy. 11.0 Other Facts and Conclusion In conclusion, here are some other known facts about the country of El Salvador. In January of 2001 El Salvador faced a devastating earthquake. The quake caused 250,000 Salvadorians to become homeless, and also severely eroded the landscape (Lonely Planet.com). Some of the native animals of the country consist of many butterflies, deer, toucans, and monkeys. The adult literacy of the country is at 73% and growing (memory.loc.gov). 86% of the country follows the Roman Catholic religion. The ethnic background of the country is mainly mestizo, which is a mixture of Indian, white, and black (Latin America). Some of the favorite foods consist of casamiento (rice and beans) and pupusas, which is a stuffed wrap. El Salvador is a very unique country that wishes to find its niche in the world. Through much turmoil and disputes the country has for now maintained a solid government. With the continuation of good soil and less erosion the agricultural state of the country will continue to prosper. However, with increasing population the country suffers a loss in GDP, and will only gain a profitable state with better living, less poverty, and other means of income. El Salvador ?the Savior? a country whose history speaks for itself will need outside aid for some years to come. Selected Illustrations El Salvador?s Flag The Country of El Salvador Henequin also a Salvadorian Crop Example of El Salvador?s Terran San Salvador the Capital of El Salvador

Birth of Witricity Technology Essay

1. INTRODUCTION In this era of modernization, electricity has become the cup of life. A moment without electricity makes your thinking go dry. The major source of conventional form of electricity is through wires. The continuous research and development has brought forward a major breakthrough, which provides electricity without the medium of wires. This wonder baby is called Witricity. There are certain small but very useful discoveries made in history, which changed the world forever, Newton’s gravitational law, Watt’s steam engine, Thomson’s bulb and many more. But a renaissance occurred with the invention of Electromagnetic Waves by Maxwell. Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose successfully generated electromagnetic waves having wavelength in the range of 5mm to 25 mm. Thereafter an Italian scientist named Marconi succeeded in transmitting electromagnetic waves up to a distance of several miles. And with this there started a new era called WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY. Today, as we can see the word ‘wireless’ is common in day – to – day life. Wireless communication has made the world smaller. Almost each and everything is wireless or cordless. Cordless mouse, cordless keyboard, satellite  communication, mobiles, cordless microphones and headphones, wireless internet service i.e. WI-FI, etc. And these have definitely increased the standard of living. In fact it dates back to the 19th century, when Nikola Tesla used conduction-based systems instead of resonance magnetic fields to transfer wireless power. As it is in Radiative mode, most of the Power was wasted and has less efficiency. Further, in 2005, Dave Gerding coined the term WiTricity which is being used by the MIT researchers today. Moreover, we all are aware of the use of electromagnetic radiations which is quite well known for wireless transfer of information. In addition, lasers have also been used to transmit energy without wires. However, radio waves are not feasible for power transmissions because the nature of the radiation is such that it spreads across the place, resulting into a large amount of radiations being wasted. Witricity is based upon coupled resonant objects to transfer energy between objects without wires. The system consists of a Witricity transmitter, and devices which act as receivers. Like radio receivers, the devices must be in range of the transmitter. Witricity will ensure that the cell phones, laptops, iPods and other power thirsty devices get charged on their own, eliminating the need of plugging them in. Even better, because of Witricity some of the devices won’t require batteries to operate which is a boon for the users of these devices. HISTORY: In 1825 William Sturgeon invented the electromagnet, a conducting wire wrapped around an iron core. The principle of EM induction — that a changing magnetic field can induce an electrical current in an adjacent wire — was discovered by Michael Faraday in 1831. Combining these two discoveries, Nicholas Joseph Callan was the first to demonstrate the transmission and reception of electrical energy without wires. Callan’s 1836 induction coil apparatus consisted of two insulated coils called the primary and secondary windings both placed around a common iron core. A battery intermittently connected to the primary would ‘induce’ a voltage in the longer secondary causing a spark to jump across its free terminals. In an induction coil or electrical transformer, which can have either an iron core or an air core, the transmission of energy takes place by simple electromagnetic coupling through a process known as mutual induction. With  this method it is possible to transmit and receive energy over a considerable distance. However, to draw significant power in that way, the two inductors must be placed fairly close together. If resonant coupling is used, where inductors are tuned to a mutual frequency, significant power may be transmitted over a range of many meters. In 1864 James Clark Maxwell mathematically modeled the behavior of electromagnetic radiation. Some early work in the area of energy transmission via radio waves was done in 1888 by Heinrich Hertz who performed experiments that validated Maxwell’s mathematical model. Hertz’s apparatus for generating electromagnetic waves is generally acknowledged as the first radio transmitter. A few years later Guglielmo Marconi worked with a modified form of the Hertz-wave transmitter, the main improvement being the addition of an elevated conductor and a ground connection. Both of these elements can be traced back to the 1749 work of Benjamin Franklin and that of Mahlon Loomas in 1864. Nikola Tesla also invented radio transmission and reception but unlike Marconi, Tesla designed his own transmitter — one with power-processing capability some five orders-of-magnitude greater than those of its predecessors. He would use this same coupled-tuned-circuit oscillator to implement his conduction-based energy transmission method as well. Both of these no-cables methods employ a minimum of four tuned circuits, two at the transmitter and two at the receiver. As wireless technologies were being developed during the early 1900s, researchers further investigated these different transmission methods. The goal was simply to generate an effect locally and detect it at a distance. Around the same time, efforts began to power more significant loads than the high-resistance sensitive devices that were being used to simply detect the received energy. 2. EVOLUTION OF WITRICITY 2.1 INVENTORS OF WITRICITY The inventors of Witricity are the researchers from the team from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They are the people who had coined the phrase of Witricity and this invention can change the way electricity is used today. With Witricity, the tangle of cables, plugs and charters that  normally clutter homes can be rid of. Prof. Marin Soljacic provided the inspiration for the experiment and invention of Witricity. It was while standing in the kitchen one night, that on staring at his mobile phone that he had thought it would be nice if his mobile phone would take care of its own charging instead of him having to periodically charge it. He then tried out his experiment using two coils of copper, where one was connected to a receiver, and the other to a transmitter. With the help of these two coils of copper, the inventors of Witricity managed to transmit power across seven feet through the air to instantly light up a light bulb. Though Witricity worked only distances up till 9 feet at its inception, the inventors believed that it was possible to charge a battery that was located at a distance of a few yards from the power source that was connected to the receiving coil. They state that it would be sufficient to place a source in each room to provide power to the whole house. 2.2. BIRTH OF WITRICITY TECHNOLOGY The experimental design consisted of two copper coils, each a self-resonant system. One of the coils, connected to an AC power supply, was the resonant source. The other coil, the resonant capture device, was connected to a 60 watt light bulb. The power source and capture device were suspended in mid-air with nylon thread, at distances that ranged from a few centimeters to over 2.5 meters (8.2 ft). Not only was the light bulb illuminated, but the theoretical predictions of high efficiency over distance were proven experimentally. By placing various objects between the source and capture device, the team demonstrated how the magnetic near field can transfer power through certain materials and around metallic obstacles. Thus Prof. Soljacic’s dream of finding a method to wirelessly connect mobile electric devices to the existing electric grid was realized. Witricity Corp. was soon launched to carry this technology forward from the MIT laboratories to commercial production. 2.3. FUNDAMENTALS OF WITRICITY TECHNOLOGY Witricity technology is transferring electric energy or power over distance  without wires with the basics of electricity and magnetism, and work our way up to the wireless technology. Electricity: The flow of electrons (current) through a conductor (like a wire), or charges through the atmosphere (like lightning).A convenient way for energy to get from one place to another! Magnetism: A fundamental force of nature, which causes certain types of materials to attract or repel each other Oscillating magnetic fields vary with time, and can be generated by alternating current (AC) flowing on a wire. The strength, direction, and extent of magnetic fields are often represented and visualized by drawings of the magnetic field lines. Fig.1 Magnetic Induction Electromagnetism: A term for the interdependence of time-varying electric and magnetic fields. For example, it turns out that an oscillating magnetic field produces an electric field and an oscillating electric field produces a magnetic field. Magnetic Induction: A loop or coil of conductive material like copper, carrying an Alternating current (AC), is a very efficient structure for generating or capturing magnetic field. If a conductive loop is connected to an AC power source, it will generate an oscillating magnetic field in the vicinity of the loop A second conducting loop, brought close enough to the first, may â€Å"capture† some portion of that oscillating magnetic field, which in turn, generates or induces an electric current in the second coil. The current generated in the second coil may be used to power devices. Energy/Power Coupling: Energy coupling occurs when an energy source has a means of transferring energy to another object. One simple example is a locomotive pulling a train car—the mechanical coupling between the two enables the locomotive to pull the train. Magnetic coupling occurs when the magnetic field of one object interacts with a second object and induces an electric current in or on that object. In this way, electric energy can be transferred from a power source to a powered device. Fig.2 Illustration showing resonance Resonance: Resonance can be thought of as the natural frequency at which energy can most efficiently be added to an oscillating system. A playground swing is an example of an oscillating system involving potential energy and kinetic energy. Resonant Magnetic Coupling: Magnetic coupling occurs when two objects exchange energy through their varying or oscillating magnetic fields. Resonant coupling occurs when the natural frequencies of the two objects are approximately the same. Fig.3 Illusration showing the working of WiTricity 3. HOW WITRICITY TECHNOLOGY IS DIFFERENT THAN OTHER TECHNOLOGIES. 3.1. TRADITIONAL MAGNETIC INDUCTION Witricity technology for power transfer appears to be traditional magnetic induction, such as is used in power transformers, where conductive coils transmit power to each other wirelessly, over very short distances. In a transformer, an electric current running in a sending coil (or â€Å"primary  winding†) induces another current in a receiving coil (or â€Å"secondary winding†). The two coils must be very close together, and may even overlap, but the coils do not make direct electrical contact with each other. However, the efficiency of the power exchange in traditional magnetic induction systems drops by orders of magnitude when the distance between the coils becomes larger than their sizes. In addition to electric transformers, other devices based on traditional magnetic induction include rechargeable electric toothbrushes, and inductive â€Å"charging pads† which require that the object being charged be placed directly on top of, or very close to, the base or pad supplying the power. The power exchange efficiency of some induction systems is improved by utilizing resonant circuits. These so called resonantly enhanced induction techniques are used in certain medical implants and high-frequency RFids. Witricity founding technical team was the first to discover that by specially designing the magnetic resonators, one could achieve strong coupling and highly efficient energy exchange over distances much larger than the size of the resonator coils, distances very large compared to traditional schemes. 3.2. WITRICITY TECHNOLOGY IS DIFFERENT THAN RADIATIVE POWER TRANSFER Witricity technology for power transfer is non-radiative and relies on near-field magnetic coupling. Many other techniques for wireless power transfer rely on radiative techniques, either broadcasted or narrow beam (directed radiation) transmission of radio, or light waves. Broadcasted radiation of radio frequency energy is commonly used for wireless information transfer because information can be transmitted over a wide area to multiple users. The power received by each radio or wireless receiver is miniscule, and must be amplified in a receiving unit using an external power supply. Because the vast majority of radiated power is wasted into free space, radio transmission is considered to be an inefficient means of power transfer. Note that while more energy can be supplied to the receiver by â€Å"cranking up the power† of the transmitters in these systems, such high power levels may pose a safety hazard and may interfere with other  radiofrequency devices. Directed radiation†, using highly directional antennas, is another means of using radio transmission to beam energy from a source to a receiver. However, directed radiation—in particular microwave radiation—may interact strongly with living organisms and certain metallic objects. Such energy transfer methods may pose safety hazards to people or objects that obstruct the line-of-sight between the transmitter and receiver. These limitations make directed radio transmission impractical for delivering substantial levels of wireless power in a typical consumer, commercial, or industrial application. In fact, defense researchers are exploring the use of directed energy systems to deliver lethal doses of power to targets in space and on the battlefield. 3.3. WITRICITY TECHNOLOGY IS DIFFERENT THAN MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING (MRI) MRI machines use â€Å"magnetic resonance imaging† to produce diagnostic images of soft tissue. Many people assume that Witricity â€Å"Resonant Magnetic Coupling† must be similar to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology, however, the technologies are similar in name only.MRI is, as its name suggests, a technology for using magnetism as a basis for diagnostic imaging of soft tissue in the human body. It utilizes a strong DC magnet to orient the magnetic fields of atoms within tissues, and radio frequency fields to manipulate those atoms in a selective way, so that tissues and structures can be imaged clearly. The â€Å"resonance† referred to in â€Å"MRI† refers to the resonance of atomic structures. MRI is not considered to be a method for wireless power transfer. 4. STRIKING FEATURES OF WITRICITY 4.1. HIGHLY RESONANT STRONG COUPLING PROVIDES HIGH EFFICIENCY OVER DISTANCE Witricity mode of wireless power transfer is highly efficient over distances ranging from centimeters to several meters. Efficiency may be defined as the amount of usable electrical energy that is available to the device being  powered, divided by the amount of energy that is drawn by the Witricity source. In many applications, efficiency can exceed 90%. And Witricity sources only transfer energy when it is needed. When a Witricity powered device no longer needs to capture additional energy, the Witricity power source will automatically reduce its power consumption to a power saving â€Å"idle† state. 4.2. ENERGY TRANSFER VIA MAGNETIC NEAR FIELD CAN PENETRATE AND WRAP AROUND OBSTACLES The magnetic near field has several properties that make it an excellent means of transferring energy in atypical consumer, commercial, or industrial environment. Most common building and furnishing materials, such as wood, gypsum wall board, plastics, textiles, glass, brick, and concrete are essentially â€Å"transparent† to magnetic fields—enabling Witricity technology to efficiently transfer power through them. In addition, the magnetic near field has the ability to â€Å"wrap around† many metallic obstacles that might otherwise block the magnetic fields.WiTricity applications engineering team will work with you to address the materials and environmental factors that may influence wireless energy transfer in your application 4.3. NON-RADIATIVE ENERGY TRANSFER IS SAFE FOR PEOPLE AND ANIMALS Witricity technology is a non-radiative mode of energy transfer, relying instead on the magnetic near field. Magnetic fields interact very weakly with biological organisms—people and animals—and are scientifically regarded to be safe. Professor Sir John Pendry of Imperial College London, a world renowned physicist, explains:â€Å"The body really responds strongly to electric fields, which is why you can cook a chicken in a microwave .But it doesn’t respond to magnetic fields. As far as we know the body has almost zero response to magnetic fields in terms of the amount of power it absorbs.† Evidence of the safety of magnetic fields is illustrated by the widespread acceptance and safety of household magnetic induction cook tops. Through proprietary design of the Witricity source, electric fields are almost completely contained within the source. This design results in levels  of electric and magnetic fields which fall well within regulatory guidelines. Thus Witricity technology doesn’t give rise to radio frequency emissions that interfere with other electronic devices, and is not a source of electric and magnetic field levels that pose a risk to people or animals. Limits for human exposure to magnetic fields are set by regulatory bodies such as the FCC, ICNIRP, and are based on broad scientific and medical consensus. Witricity technology is being developed to be fully compliant with applicable regulations regarding magnetic fields and electromagnetic radiation. 4.4. SCALABLE DESIGN ENABLES SOLUTIONS FROM MILL WATTS TO KILOWATTS Witricity systems can be designed to handle a broad range of power levels. The benefits of highly efficient energy transfer over distance can be achieved at power levels ranging from mill watts to several kilowatts. This enables Witricity technology to be used in applications as diverse as powering a wireless mouse or keyboard (mill watts) to recharging an electric passenger Vehicle (kilowatts).Witricity technology operates in a â€Å"load following† mode, transferring only as much energy as the powered device requires. 4.5. FLEXIBLE GEOMETRY ALLOWS WITRICITY DEVICES TO BE EMBEDDED INTO OEM PRODUCTS Witricity technology is being designed so that it can be easily embedded into a wide variety of products and Systems. The physics of resonant magnetic coupling enables Witricity engineers to design power sources and devices of varying shapes and sizes, to match both the packaging requirements and the power transfer requirements in a given OEM application. Witricity has designed power capture devices compact enough to fit into a cell phone 5. ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES 5.1 ADVANTAGES No need of line of sight – In witricity power transmission there is no need of line of sight between transmitter and receiver. That is power transmission can be possible if there is any obstructions like wood, metal, or other devices were placed in between the transmitter and receiver. There’s no need of power cables and batteries – Witricity replaces the use of power cables and batteries. Does not interfere with radio waves and overall Wastage of power is small – Electromagnetic waves would tunnel, they would not propagate through air to be absorbed or dissipated. So the wastage is small. Negative health implications – By the use of resonant coupling, wave lengths produced are far lower and thus make it harmless. Highly efficient than electromagnetic induction – Electromagnetic induction system can be used for wireless energy transfer only if the primary and secondary are in very close proximity. Resonant induction system is one million times as efficient as electromagnetic induction system. Its less costly – The components of transmitter and receivers are cheaper. So this system is less costly. 5.2. DISADVANTAGES Wireless power transmission can be possible only in few meters. Efficiency is only about 40%.As witricity is in development stage, lot of work is done for improving the efficiency and distance between transmitter and receiver. 6. WITRICITY APPLICATIONS Witricity wireless power transfer technology can be applied in a wide variety of applications and environments. The ability of our technology to transfer power safely, efficiently, and over distance can improve products by making them more convenient, reliable and environmentally friendly Witricity technology can be used to provide: 6.1. DIRECT WIRELESS POWER When all the power a device needs is provided wirelessly, and no batteries are required. This mode is for a device that is always used within range of  its Witricity power source. 6.2. AUTOMATIC WIRELESS CHARGING When a device with rechargeable batteries charges itself while still in use or at rest, without requiring a power cord or battery replacement. This mode is for a mobile device that may be used both in and out of range of its Witricity power source. Witricity technology is designed for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) to embed directly in their products and systems. Witricity technology will make your products: More Convenient: 1) No manual recharging or changing batteries. 2) Eliminate unsightly, unwieldy and costly power cords. More Reliable: 3) Never run out of battery power. 4) Reduce product failure rates by fixing the ‘weakest link’: flexing wiring and mechanical interconnects. 5) More Environmentally Friendly: 6) Reduce use of disposable batteries. 7) Use efficient electric ‘grid power’ directly instead of inefficient battery charging 6.3. CONSUMER ELECTRONICS Automatic wireless charging of mobile electronics (phones, laptops, game controllers, etc.) in home, car, office, Wi-Fi hotspots while devices are in use and mobile. Fig.4 Electronic devices that can be powered up using Witricity. Direct wireless powering of stationary devices (flat screen TV’s, digital picture frames, home theater accessories, wireless loud speakers, etc.) †¦ eliminating expensive custom wiring, unsightly cables and â€Å"wall-wart† power  supplies. Direct wireless powering of desktop PC peripherals: wireless mouse, keyboard, printer, speakers, display, etc†¦ eliminating disposable batteries and awkward cabling. Industrial: Direct wireless power and communication interconnections across rotating and moving â€Å"joints† (robots, packaging machinery, assembly machinery, machine tools) †¦ eliminating costly and failure-prone wiring. Direct wireless power and communication interconnections at points of use in harsh environments (drilling, mining, underwater, etc.) where it is impractical or impossible to run wires. 6.4. TRANSPORTATION Automatic wireless charging for future hybrid and all-electric passenger and commercial vehicles, at home, in parking garages, at fleet depots, and at remote kiosks. Direct wireless power interconnections to replace costly vehicle wiring harnesses and slip rings. 6.5. OTHER APPLICATIONS Direct wireless power interconnections and automatic wireless charging for implantable medical devices (ventricular assist devices, pacemaker, defibrillator, etc.) Automatic wireless charging and for high tech military systems (battery powered mobile devices, covert sensors, unmanned mobile robots and aircraft, Direct wireless powering and automatic wireless charging of smart cards. Direct wireless powering and automatic wireless charging of consumer appliances, mobile robots, etc. Fig.5 Illustration showing Witricity 7. CONCLUSION Witricity engineering is often a non-radiative method of power switch, relying as an alternative within the magnetic close to field. Magnetic fields work together extremely weakly with organic organisms—people and  animals—and are scientifically considered to get safe. WiTricity merchandise are becoming designed to comply with applicable security requirements and regulations. Therefore witricity is know-how safe. Witricity can switch energy is dependent to the supply and receivers. if it really is comparatively shut to one yet another, and may exceed 95%.Efficiency is mostly determined through the length amongst the ability supply and seize machine, about the other hand, the form may perhaps affect the efficiency. it may switch the facility by means of walls also. Conventional magnetic induction calls for that the ability resource and seize unit be quite near to one a lot more typically inside millimeters to exchange ability efficiently. Witricity Technology is depending on sharply resonant sturdy coupling, and is particularly capable to exchange strength effectively even in the event the distances amongst the ability supply and seize gadget are many occasions the dimension of your products themselves. 8. FUTURE SCOPE MIT’s Witricity is only 40 to 45% efficient and according to Soljacic, they have to be twice as efficient to compete with the traditional chemical batteries. The team’s next aim is to get a robotic vacuum or a laptop working, charging devices placed anywhere in the room and even robots on factory floors .The researchers are also currently working on the health issues related to this concept and have said that in another three to five years time, they will come up with a Witricity system for commercial use. TROY, Mich. — Delphi Automotive has reached an agreement with Witricity Corp., a wireless energy transfer technology provider, to develop automatic wireless charging products for hybrid and electric vehicles. The collaboration between the two companies will help establish a global infrastructure of safe and convenient charging options for consumer and commercial electric vehicles. â€Å"This is groundbreaking technology that could enable automotive manufacture rs to integrate wireless charging directly into the design of their hybrid and electric vehicles,† said Randy Sumner, director, global hybrid vehicle development, Delphi Packard Electrical/Electronic Architecture. â€Å"Delphi’s expertise in global engineering, validation and manufacturing coupled with Witricity patented  wireless energy transfer technology uniquely positions us to make wireless charging of electric vehicles a reality.† Sumner said the wireless charging system would involve no plugs or charging cords. Drivers would simply park their electric vehicle over a wireless energy source that sits on the garage floor, or is embedded in a paved parking spot. The system will automatically transfer power to the battery charger on the vehicle. According to Eric Giler, chief executive officer, Witricity, their wireless system can already transfer over 3,300 watts — enough to fully charge an electric car at the same rate as most residential plug-in chargers. â€Å"Charging an electric car should be as easy as parking it in your garage or parking spot,† Giler said. â€Å"Witricity high efficiency wireless energy transfer technology is ideally suited for electric vehicle charging, and our partnership with Delphi will help to quickly get this technology deployed in OEM vehicles and infrastructure projects worldwide.† Delphi can bridge the gap between the laboratory and the highway by providing E/E systems integration expertise, a global manufacturing and engineering footprint and high-voltage, high-power components specifically engineered for the hybrid and electric vehicles of today and tomorrow,† Sumner said. Wireless charging technology will need to co-exist with plug-in charging solutions, Sumner added, so that electric vehicle drivers have the ability to charge their vehicle when they are away from their wireless charging source. Delphi also makes a Portable Electric Vehicle Charger that fits conveniently in the trunk of an electric vehicle. The user-friendly, UL-listed charging system plugs into any standard 120-volt outlet to enable safe electric vehicle battery charging at home or away. The charging unit can also be integrated into stationary charging applications. Fig.6 Delphi’s solution for charging the cars using witricity technology REFERENCES [1] Change your electric vehicle wirelessly with Fulton innovations eCoupled technology by Yuka Yoneda. [2] MIT Witricity Not So Original After all by Gary Peterson. [3] MIT team experimentally demonstrates wireless power transfer, potentially useful for powering laptops, cell phones without cords, Franklin Hadley, Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies. [4] www.witricity.com, Wireless Electricity Delivered Over Distance. [5] MIT Wizards Zap Electricity Through The Air by Katherine Noyes. [6] MIT Makes Breakthrough in Wireless Electricity by Karen M.Cheung.

Social and Historical Effects Responsible for the Conception of the Fantastic and Supernatural in Gothic Horror (Dracula)

Bram Stoker’s Dracula debuted in Victorian England at the end of the nineteenth century. Not the first vampire story of its time, it certainly made one of the most lasting impressions on modern culture, where tales of the supernatural, horror, witchcraft, possession, demoniacs, vampires, werewolves, zombies, aliens, and monsters of all kinds have become something of a theme in modern art, if not an obsession. Many scholars debate the origin or cause of this phenomenon, yet most agree that culture plays an enormous role in the development of such themes, whether in nineteenth century gothic novels such as Dracula or Frankenstein, or in modern films with gothic leanings, such as The Exorcist or Children of Men. This paper will examine how fantasy and the idea of the supernatural, including the â€Å"undead,† is an important underlying fear prevalent in the psyche of humanity, which manifests itself differently, depending on the social or historical circumstances which spawns the creation of that work of literature or film. By placing Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein within the context of its Romantic/Enlightenment era, E. Michael Jones shows how the effects of the revolutionary doctrine of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Marquis de Sade, and Percy Bysshe Shelley found their ultimate expression in the gothic horror genre (90). Dracula, no less than Frankenstein, is indicative of the cultural underbelly that the Victorian Age sought to cover up. Far from speaking directly of the human passions unleashed by the Romantic era, the Victorian Age found it more appropriate to hide them, keep them out of the public sphere, render them lifeless, and thereby make life respectable. The problem was, the less those passions were talked about, but acted upon, the more those same passions bubbled up to the surface through the means of gothic horror novels and films. While, Oscar Wilde’s â€Å"art for art’s sake† carried the artistic world out of the Victorian Age and into the twentieth century of unhindered expressionism, Wilde himself fell victim to the very underbelly of Victorian England—which, in fact, prosecuted him to the fullest extent of the law when his vices became open knowledge to the public. Stoker’s Dracula was just as representative of his own sexual desires masked by Victorian prudery. But because Stoker for the most part kept his affairs from becoming public scandal, he was left well enough alone to express what everyone was interested in anyway, and which has always been an easy seller: sex. Controlling the passions had always been the interest of the Catholic Church, which was the European bulwark against revolution, with assistance from the reason of Augustine to the scholasticism of Aquinas to the architecture of the gothic cathedrals. With the growing corruption of many Church officials, the rise of the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation, that control was finally threatened and replaced. New philosophies were spread (Rousseau’s concept of nature as the only law; Sade’s concept of that same nature as brutal, animalistic, and violent), which unleashed a tidal wave of radical revolutionaries in Paris at the end of the eighteenth century, which in turn needed new types of control. Napoleon was the immediate result. Victorian prudery was the nineteenth century’s later response. It enabled Mary Shelley to turn her husband into a â€Å"Victorian angel,† as she â€Å"dedicated the rest of her life to effacing their sexual experiment† (Jones 91) with Byron in Geneva, memorialized, however, by Ken Russell’s 1987 film Gothic, in which de Sade’s Justine informs Mary Shelley of what could soon be expected. What Sade foresaw, and helped promote, was a sexual revolution that would elevate sexual desire from the restraints of medieval Church doctrine. While that elevation led to the enforcement of a new social code of conduct (Victorianism), an alternate development got underway in which that same elevation of sexual license was to be used itself as a form of control. In fact, Augustine had spoken of such centuries before when he wrote that a man has as many masters as he has vices. Sade’s assessment was similar in the eighteenth century: â€Å"The state of the moral man is one of tranquility and peace; the state of an immoral man is one of perpetual unrest† (Jones 6). Yet, while Augustine promoted peace, Sade, who exercised some political sway in the Reign of Terror, promoted unrest: â€Å"By promoting vice, the regime promotes slavery, which can be fashioned into a form of political control† (Jones 6). Such was in line with Robespierre’s doctrine of terror as persuasion. Stoker’s Dracula was an expression of just such an idea—for Stoker himself knew the validity of both those claims: a seducer of young women, Stoker doubtlessly identified with Jonathan Harker and Dracula, the captive and master all at once. The vampire became a persona of iconic horror status in film in the following century. The concept of the walking â€Å"undead† who fed on the blood of innocents conjured up something so profound and stimulating in the minds of audiences all over the world that vampirism was everywhere, from Nosferatu to Bela Lugosi to Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Vampyr. Dreyer, who had shot what is considered one of the greatest silent films of all time, The Passion of Joan of Arc, found his inspiration for his vampire film in the likes of Magnus Hirschfeld. Hirschfeld was an honorary member of the British Society for Sexual Psychology and something of a movie star himself in Weimar Germany, playing an â€Å"enlightened, sexually condoning doctor in Richard Oswald’s pro-homosexual film Anders als die Andern† (Jones 194). The themes of sexual license and control had a significant impact on Germany. Sigmund Freud would take up the themes in his psychoanalytic studies, promoting the fulfillment of sexual desires as a means of appeasing the subconscious. In Dr. Seward’s diary, one finds no less: a blood transfusion is given to Lucy by Van Helsing, who states, â€Å"She wants blood, and blood she must have or die† (Stoker 123). Lucy has been bitten by the vampire and become, in a sense, contaminated. The only scientific cure is to give her want she wants: blood. The allusion to another blood exchange is obvious—but the sense is inverted: While T. S. Eliot states in Murder in the Cathedral the relationship between Christian sacrifice and control of the passions (â€Å"His Blood for ours, Blood for blood†), Enlightenment science suggests no spiritual remedy—merely a physical or psychological one: a psychological/physical giving into desire rather than a spiritual dominance of it. Jones speaks of the sexual revolution that ran concomitantly with the French Revolution as the real forbearer of gothic horror. Whereas othic cathedrals reinforced through visual representation the horror of Satan and sin, modern gothic horror does the same—though the solution is different (if there is one, and there often is not: the immortal evil of Michael Myers, Jason, Krueger, etc. suggests that while Christ was the answer for Augustine and Aquinas, the Enlightenment has yet to formulate any acceptable solution). Meanwhile, the manipulation of desire, Jones notes, has found its way out of Victorian prudery and into the mainstream through advertising, radio, television, music, and cinema. The fantasy of the â€Å"undead† in the George A. Romero franchise, which is still being updated, suggests a kind of public response to the world around it: a society full of living, walking dead—killed by the bombardment of uncontrolled passions, yet still living, shopping, attending to social rituals. The sexual revolution and Enlightenment doctrine of the 1790s and early twentieth century resurfaced in full throttle in the 1960s and 70s, to create a new wave of liberal social doctrine and a new wave of gothic horror in film. In Dracula, Mina Harker records the assessment of the evil of vampirism according to Van Helsing: The nosferatu do not die like the bee when he sting once. He is only stronger; and being stronger, have yet more power to work evil. This vampire†¦is of himself so strong in person as twenty men; he is of cunning more than mortal†¦he have still the aids of necromancy, and all the dead that he can come nigh to are for him to command; he is brute, and more than brute; he is devil in callous, and the heart of him is not. (Stoker 237) The portrayal is Satanic, and a similar portrayal would be given in 1973’s The Exorcist, in which Satan possesses a girl through the medium of a children’s game (the Ouija board). Yet, with The Exorcist, the spiritual evil is made much more real than the fantastic evil of Dracula. And while Dracula is destroyed by a stake, the devil is dispelled only through the power of Christ in The Exorcist. Ironically, however, the devil is driven out only after the death of not one but two priests—the old man initially, and then the younger priest, whose own crisis of faith becomes a kind of despair at the end of the film, when, ceasing to compel Satan through Christ, he cries, â€Å"Take me! instead, and then throws himself out the window when his own possession is complete. The girl is freed from her captor, but only at the cost of the life and soul of the young priest: the power of Christ merely served to anger the devil—it did not subjugate him; such would have been too meaningful in the relativistic climate of the 70s. The 70’s sexual and political revolutions were intertwined to such an extent that hardcore pornography and Feminist politics app eared on the scene simultaneously. While Betty Friedan opposed traditional gender codes in such works as The Feminine Mystique, pornography was raking in the profits. The cinematic response to this was the slaughter of sexually-active teenagers by homicidal maniacs (evil incarnate), while virtuous and chaste maidens like Jamie Lee Curtis’ character in Halloween remained alive just long enough for the evil to be driven away by a male authority figure. Horror films often reinforced traditional gender norms, yet the awesome evil of those films seemed to have no end. With the proliferation of contraceptives as a form of eugenics similar to the kind practiced under Hitler, sex became an act of passion without physical consequences; yet horror maintained that it still had psychological and even spiritual ones. Nonetheless, as Jones shows, the promotion of contraception in twentieth century America by representatives of the Rockefeller Foundation was supposed to be nothing more than the controlling of ethnic populations that were found to be subhuman by WASP elitists (406). The black and Catholic communities, whose uninhibited breeding threatened to undermine WASP political control, promptly received the attention of people like Margaret Sanger and â€Å"Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C. S. C. , who used Rockefeller money to fund secret conferences on contraception at the University of Notre Dame from 1962 to 1965† (Jones 147). The idea of Thomas Malthus, that over-population would ultimately destroy the earth, was marketed as the principle behind contraception. The underbelly of the movement, however, was, according to Jones, nothing more than a power play for control. The extremity of the situation would be explored by Alfonso Cuaron’s 2006 film Children of Men based on the novel by P. D. James. Friend of Spanish filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, whose Mimic has been noted in â€Å"Good Entomologist/Bad Entomologist† by Jones as a swipe at Enlightenment doctrine being a vain attempt at setting and controlling social mores (â€Å"The only solution left is the†¦prime totem of folk Catholicism, the rosary†Ã¢â‚¬â€referring, of course, to the end scene in which Mira Sorvino’s character draws blood rom her hand with a rosary crucifix to divert the attention of the giant blood-sucking roach, which is about to eat the little boy). In Children of Men, there are no little boys, nor little girls—in fact, children are gone altogether (a threatening theme that opens Del Toro’s Mimic too). The rampant sterilization of modern years is turned into a life-threatening ideology, affecting everyone and all ethnicities. When a woman is found, who has seemingly miraculously conceived, she is caught in the middle of yet another struggle for control—one group wants to use her as a political poster child, the other wants to legitimately help. Meanwhile, a war is waged in the urban cities, which evokes a kind of apocalyptic message of utter desolation. As Clive Owen’s character makes the ultimate sacrifice (his life) for that of the woman and her child’s, a sense of hope in the future of mankind is restored—but the outlook is still bleak and grim—for no one knows whether the woman and her child will really make it as they disappear into the fog rolling across the open sea. Hope is in the approach of the ship, but beyond that lies—what? In Children of Men, the fantasy of the â€Å"undead† is replaced by the fantasy of the â€Å"unborn. † The reality of Malthusian sterilization taken to extremes in modern times by social groups across the globe (birth rates are at lows nearly everywhere), sexual liberation has once again become a pathway to political control and to gothic horror genre representations. In conclusion, the underlying fears of societies since the beginning of the Romantic/Enlightenment age have manifested themselves in a variety of forms depending upon the cultural climate of the time. Beginning with Shelley’s Frankenstein as a repudiation of Enlightenment doctrine and going through Stoker’s Dracula as a representation of sexual desire and control bubbling under the surface of Victorian prudery, gothic horror has found its way into the mainstream culture with tales of supernatural occurrences that are in some sense connected to the issues of the day. The sexual revolution of the early twentieth century in New York materialized in greater force all over America in the 60s and 70s, launching another series of gothic horror novels and films onto audiences, from Stephen King to John Carpenter, Clive Barker, and Stanley Kubrick. While films like The Exorcist and Children of Men get closer to the reality of spiritual possession and widespread sterility, the human psyche of modern times continues to want to see itself as a kind of â€Å"undead† creature, whose reason for being has yet to be determined. Therefore, popular gothic horror icons like Frankenstein and Dracula remain staples of modern horror fiction, representing to the populace a mirror of its own struggles with the doctrine of Enlightenment liberation and control.

Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 17

Research Paper Example Understanding slavery requires firsthand experiences, which expose an individual to slavery issues in real life thus assisting these individuals oppose slave owners and slavery systems with all their might. Slavery was mainly advocated for by capitalists, who saw slavery as a way to reduce expenses and amass easy wealth. Slavery has been highlighted in several literature sources showing how much slavery was appealing to business owners. Merchants, for instance, and farmers mainly emphasized on the importance of slavery in reduction of costs and completion of large tasks within a short span of time. Farmers on the other hand, used slavery to plough their fields faster and even plough bigger lands. In the eyes of the slave traders, merchants, farmers and other business owners, slavery was not a bad thing, since it was an easy way to make money. Individuals who opposed slavery greatly must have experienced it first hand, and would have vowed to fight against it, and not support anyone who supported it as well. For instance, this has been highlighted in Daniel Defoe’s story "Robinson Crusoe† where Crusoe adopts both perspectives, having been a merchant and farmer, and also suffering the grave effects of slavery while in captivity. Crusoe who was initially anticipated to be a lawyer, by his father had decided to become a merchant, same as his father and in the event he had decided to pursue large scale farming in Brazil, where he had owned a large plot of land. After viewing the positive outcomes of slaves in the lands of other farmers as well, he had decided to go to Africa, to seek slaves. Crusoe’s quest for slavery shows the positive attributes of slavery in the perspective of the slave owner, thus giving an unrighteous justification for its existence. Similar to Crusoe, slavery even in the contemporary context has been emphasized by even large companies, for instance the likes of Wal-Mart and apple, which seek cheap labor in the low cost nations such

Effective parenting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Effective parenting - Essay Example This essay is a critique of effective parenting. It highlights the practices that can enhance proper parenting, and the behaviors that parents need to avoid for the growth of their children. It is important for parents to realize that the manner in which they speak and the gestures they make amongst other expressions are significant for the growth of their children. Self-esteem in children largely depends on the behavior of parents Brooks (1997 p 67). For example, a little congratulation for good actions among the children means a lot in their development of self esteem. Self esteem is accomplished especially when the children are allowed to undertake tasks independently, which makes them realize their potential. This means that parents need to avoid trivializing the efforts of their children. The initial steps of a child mean a lot in the development of walking ability (Snow et al. 2001 p 103). It is therefore important for parents to ensure that they do not discourage their children by not showing appreciation of their efforts. Insults and quarrels are a major threat to effective development of children. Parents need to ensure that they use simple words when they warn the children concerning undesirable behavior. Rather than using insults, they need to use strong but controlled words to avoid generating frustration amongst the children (Ranga & Denise, 2006 53). Words such as â€Å"your brain must be very thick!† need not be used. Rather, parents are supposed to offer an understandable explanation of why children should act in a particular way and not the other. In essence, human beings learn from mistakes. Children should be allowed to learn effectively from their mistakes. Rewards are important in encouraging repetition of desirable actions. Children need to be reminded often regarding particular actions that were desirable to parents or other grown ups. Their initiatives also need to be

Feudalism in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Feudalism in Europe - Essay Example During the early feudal system, a network of favoritism dominated the allocation of economic resources. The segregation of resources to loyal parties contributed to economic inequalities and unequal development. The changes that occurred from the early to late systems reformed the methods of resource allocation. The system discouraged a unified system of governance. Resource allocation was by individual lords to subjects lower in the hierarchy. Subjects signed the oaths to remain loyal to and serve their lords. The system discouraged trade among the various European societies. Trade was not a priority since there were no organized trade units. The changes from the early to late feudalism boosted trade. This was advantageous in promoting economic growth. Development of infrastructures promoted trade between different regions, for instance. Closed-state development was characteristic of the feudal systems. The changes eliminated the closed-state development of the economy (Czinkota and Ronkainen 31). Because of the changes, the existence of a unified government unit promoted trade and the economy of the regions. Despite the lack of a central government during the feudalism, the societies (serfs), while operating as units, were stable (Whelan and Laden 325). The creation of the financial stabi lity in stable societies (serfs) was relatively easier than it was after the change. The change, in this regard, was