Final Canvas -knowledge partner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Final Canvas -knowledge partner - Essay Example one of the most effective tools for strategic management, which assisted Lab Vlieland in determining the potential problems that are likely to impact in future (Muehlhausen, 2013). Customer segment is one of the internal blocks of canvas model of Lab Vlieland, as the segmentation of customers allow the business to identify its key customers. Additionally, the company tends to focus over identifying the communities i.e. the targeted customers whom they serve products and/or services and maximize profitability of the business. Moreover, community members, knowledge partners, developers and employees of the organisation are the four key customer segment of Lab Vlieland. The knowledge partners of Lab Vlieland include travelling agencies, universities, sponsors, energy specialists as well as community members and volunteers. These knowledge partners will enable Lab Vlieland to get consultancy, supporting to provide efficient services as well as intelligence-based approach to attract large tourists. Apparently, developing strong connection with the communities will effectively ensure attractiveness of Lab Vlieland. Besides, developer is directly related to measuring the changing perception of the customers and engaged in research and development activities to provide maximum satisfaction to the customers. On the other hand, employees of the business engaged in producing products and/or services as per their requirements of customers (Diehl & Nikolou, 2013). Customer relationship is one of the most integral approaches of managing customers by forming effective communication with current and possible customers. In this regard, it is very essential for Lab Vlieland to retain its profitability objectives and attracts customers with various customer intimacy strategies for building a strong differential competitive advantage and improved engagement with the consumers. Furthermore, this will enable to develop a strong connection with the communities at large. Another

Weekly essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Weekly - Essay Example As such, Roosevelt suspects culpability in the tradition of monetary culture whereby he holds prominent figures of trade as the ones responsible for the country’s failure to redress the unfavorable situations of American living in general. He specifically locates emphasis on the stubbornness, incompetence, and unscrupulous practice of the financial institutions at the time which brought about taxation imposed heavily, drastic lowering of income, unemployment, frozen means of exchange, industrial and agricultural conflicts, as well as ruined credits across the nation. Based on the overall thought and sentiment of the president’s speech, there occurs intent to summon forth concern and interest to realize how appalling the crises were which U.S. had been confronted by in the process of coping with major traumatic encounters. Roosevelt seems to encourage the citizens at depth to take a serious part in not just being critical toward such issues but for Americans to understand the purpose of inauguration remarks in the light that would engage them with the truth and deeds to sustain the goodness developed around this truth despite time and revolutionary changes in economy and

Major Component Agencies of the Dhs Essay Example for Free

Major Component Agencies of the Dhs Essay This paper will discuss what are the major component agencies of DHS and their primary functions. Major Component Agencies of the DHS Major agencies of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are; The Directorate for National Protection and Programs, The Science and Technology Directorate, The Office of Health Affairs, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), The Office of Investigations, The Office of Detention and Removal Operations, The Federal Protective Service, The Office of Intelligence, The Office of Intelligence and Analysis, The Office of Operations Coordination, The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, The Transportation Administration (TSA), The Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), The Citizenship and Immigration Services, The Coast Guard, and The Secret Service. Their Primary Functions The Directorate for National Protection and Programs has five divisions that work to advance the DHS’s risk-reduction mission. The primary development and research arm of the department belongs to the Science and Technology Directorate. The Office of Health Affairs coordinates all medical activities to ensure appropriate preparation for the response to incidents having medical significance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident, administers the National Flood Insurance Program, and prepares the nation for hazards. The CBP prevents terrorists and their weapons from entering the United States. They are responsible for protecting U. S. borders, while simultaneously facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. The largest investigative arm of DHS is ICE. They are responsible for identifying and shutting down vulnerabilities both in the nation’s borders and in economic, infrastructure security, and transportation. The Office of Investigations investigates a wide range of international and domestic activities that violate customs laws and immigration and threatens national security. The department who is ensures the departure from the United States of all illegal aliens through the fair enforcement of the nation’s immigration laws is the Office of Detention and Removal Operations. The Federal Protective Service is responsible for securing, ensuring a safe environment, and policing in which federal agencies can conduct their business at more than 8,800 federal facilities nationwide. Collecting, analyzing, and disseminating strategic and tactical intelligence data belongs to the Office of Intelligence. The Office of Intelligence and Analysis is responsible for using information and intelligence from multiple sources to identify and assess current and future threats to the U. S. The responsibility for monitoring the security of the U. S. on a daily basis and coordinating activities within the department and with governors, law enforcement partners, DHS advisors, and critical infrastructure operators in all fifty states and more than fifty major urban areas nationwide falls under the Office of Operations Coordination. The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office works to enhance the nuclear detection efforts of federal, tribal, states, territorial, and local governments and the private sector and to ensure a coordinated response to such threats. This department protects the nation’s transportation systems. In addition, agents also inspect air carrier operations to the United States, fly air marshal missions, assess security of airports overseas, and training overseas security personnel is TSA. The FLETC provides career–long training to law enforcement professionals to help them fulfill their responsibilities safely and proficiently. The Citizenship and Immigration Services is responsible for the administration of immigration and naturalization adjudication functions and the establishment of immigration service’s policies and priorities. This department is also consider a military department, which protects the public, the environment, and U. S. economic interests in the nation’s ports, along the coast, on international waters, on its waterways, or in any maritime region as required to support national security. Finally, we have the Secret Service who protects the president and other high-level officials and investigates counterfeiting and other financial crimes, identity theft, computer fraud, including financial institution fraud, and computer-based attacks on our nation’s financial, banking, and telecommunications infrastructure. Final Thoughts The Department of Homeland Security was activated in January 2003 from the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to help combat terrorism after the September 11 attacks on the United States. An outline is provided of what happened when the DHS was formed. Our lives in the United States as we knew it, has forever been changed since 9-1-1. We still have a long way to go to become more aware and secure, but it is not impossible. There are still many loopholes to tackle, red tape to cut, and the lack of proper equipment and training which still needs to be addressed on a continuous basis. On March 1, 2003, the DHS absorbed the Immigration and Naturalization Service and assumed its duties. By doing this, it divided the enforcement and services functions into two separate and new agencies: ICE and Citizenship and Immigration Services. The investigative divisions and intelligence gathering units of the INS and Customs Service were merged forming Homeland Security Investigations. Additionally, the border enforcement functions of the INS, including the U.S. Border Patrol, the U.S. Customs Service, and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service were consolidated into a new agency under DHS: U.S. Customs and Border Protection (Creation of DHS, n.d.). References Creation-department-homeland-security, n.d. Retrieved on 1215/2012 from http://www.dhs.gov/creation-department-homeland-security Peak, K. J., 2012. Policing America challenges and best practices. Retrieved on 12/15/2012 from Chapter Two, Pages 44-48.

The Pros and Cons of Airport Privatization

The Pros and Cons of Airport Privatization I. Executive Summary Airports have evolved mainly as government-run enterprises. Now, many airports seek privatization in part to improve their abilities to compete in the new global economy. The manner of ownership covers a wide spectrum: government-owned and controlled airports, government-owned corporations, independent airport authorities, public-private partnerships with government majority ownership or with private majority ownership. Reasons to privatize an airport include an improved ability for an airport to diversify its operations to enhance profitability, to fund expansion, and to improve competitiveness. The arguments for privatization include that the falling availability of public funds, and a need to change to the market-oriented outlook that private businesses develop. Objections to airport privatization are related to the apprehension that a private operator will take advantage of the monopoly that airports represent in air travel. Not all airports are suitable for privatization. Some i n the developed world, such as in the USA, are controlled by local governments and affected by airline requirements. The less developed countries and their airport authorities lack sufficient funds to develop their airports; although these countries need these airports, privatization is impractical, and alternate business plans must be developed. Unlike other countries, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have taken the path of mixed public-private control to maintain power over matters that affect the public good. Privatization enables a long term focus to meet the demands of international competition, to maintain a customer-focused plan, and to free the government from providing subsidies to an unprofitable enterprise. The potential for Canada to completely privatize the National Airport System Airports is small due to the serving of the public good under the current system. II Introduction Airport privatization has become a trend in the past thirty years as economies change and the air transport sector matures. Airport management and ownership, once mainly the domain of governments, has evolved into a mix of public and private airport ownership. Airports must now compete with other airports around the world for business, and government may not be the best owner for a globally-competitive enterprise. Airports must have the freedom to compete on the commercial level, and not just provide a service to the travelling public. Airports seek privatization in part to improve their abilities to develop a customer-focused business plan. This paper will present a review of the history of privatization and predictions for the future of this trend, and a comparison of the means, effects, and relative success of government/ public vs. private control. What is airport privatization? Simply put it is the transfer of ownership or management or both to the private sector (Graham 2008, 15). The manner of ownership covers a wide spectrum: airports owned and operated by government departments, 100% government-owned corporations, independent airport authorities, mixed enterprises with government majority ownership and mixed enterprises with private majority ownership (Tae et al 2006, abstract). Analysis of the need to privatize Airports have evolved mainly as government-run enterprises. They serve the public good, and were thus taken on as any other part of public infrastructure would be. Bridges, roads, ports, and other transportation-related projects have traditionally been part of the public good. However, many of these facilities are being privatized. Roads and bridges are now conceived of as wholly privately developed and owned, or as public-private partnerships. Privatization can provide several benefits. It can remove the burden from the governments finances, spread the risk associated with operations, and introduce ways to improve efficiency and competition. Often better airport management can be put in place. For example, if the airport is run under a government department, facility commercialization would be difficult. Private management can reorganize the accounting so that the airports costs and revenues can be monitored and adjusted, costs can be cut, and revenues boosted. The arguments for privatization are many. Less public investment is needed; on the one hand, public funds are less available than they once were, and on the other hand, private corporations have a market-oriented outlook for their business plans. Improved access to commercial financial markets, improved ability for an airport to diversify, and improved operational efficiency may be the result. Employees and management are motivated to perform better. Lastly, a deregulated airline industry led to growth which the existing model of airport management and ownership could not handle. Privatization may be a better option if market forces can enable competition rather than a monopoly, meaning less government regulation is necessary. This preserves the public good and makes the enterprise more likely to be profitable. Conversely, if the potential exists for a monopoly in a market, then the involvement of the government in ownership is necessary, and so is more government regulation. Table 1: Government Control of Essential Elements of operations in three countries, shows how Canada, Britain, and Australia deal with these concerns by maintaining control in key areas of the public good of aeronautical standards, access, and pricing. III.  Privatization Strategies Privatization does not mean handing over of complete ownership to a corporation. The most practical scenario would be for a government to retain control over the type of facilities to be developed and other changes, while the operator, the commercial enterprise, oversees day-to-day and year-to-year operations of the airport (de Neufville 1999, 6). The net benefit to the public interest would seem to be the lack of necessity to raise funds to expand or run the facility, or to service debt. Types of Privatization transfer of operations to private sector (Graham 2008, 25). transfer of ownership to private sector (Graham 2008, 25). share issues, IPOs: airport needs to make a profit; shareholders assume the risks trade sale sale of facilities concession control passes to private operator for a fixed period this is how some new roads and bridges are managed in North America annual fee paid to government, which retains ownership (Graham 2008, 32). a private operator finances and builds new facilities, pays annual fee to government, thingies ownership to the government after a fixed period management contract an operator runs the facility, and either the operator gets a fee or the government receives a percentage of revenue (Graham 2008, 34). The better way to privatize is to share control between government and private interests. See Table 2: Degree of control mix among different styles of government and full private ownership (from de Neufville 1999, 17) for an illustration of how this is so. Determining the potential of an airport for privatization Not all airports are suitable for privatization, and the experience differs in the developed and less developed worlds. In the developed world, the USA is an anomaly. Less privatization has happened there, and this may be because most airports are under local control, and also under significant pressure from the airlines that use them (de Neufville 1999, 5). Both entities can interfere with any contemplated changes. The approach used in Canada, New Zealand, and Australia, has been to turn the airports into not-for-profit corporations. Such airport authorities as Vancouver Airport Services, a not-for-profit corporation, operate their own and other airports. The case in the less developed world for airport privatization differs due to the lack of both public and private funds for infrastructure development. Still, these countries need these airports, and alternate business plans must be developed. Less developed countries have much more growth potential in air transport and that can be met with improved facilities and increased capacity (Button 2006, 14). The major part of their revenue is airside (Button 2006, 14). Figure 1: A generalization of airport trends in developing and developed countries will illustrate this phenomenon. Button (2006, 14) adds that airports in less developed countries do not generate sufficient revenue to cover costs, so the governments must provide subsidies, and this makes these airports unsuitable for privatization. A full privatization cannot be expected until a national economy can support infrastructure improvements and an airport can prove its potential for profitability. IV. Operating environment considerations regarding privatization The operating environment needs some favourable market conditions for success in privatization. External market forces can encourage or prevent successful conversion to private control or ownership; Button asserts that [r]egulatory changes in airport policy in countries such as the UK came against a backdrop of successful liberalization of many other markets, quite strong macroeconomic growth, and with fairly well defined objectives (2006, 3). A privatization could not proceed in the absence of these factors, as in the case of a less developed country. There, the private sector has limited access to capital markets and the government may not be able to afford to borrow internationally. The catch is that these economies lack sufficient development for an investment to have acceptable risk levels; without the airport and other transportation infrastructure, though, the country cannot develop. The common operating factors are: Competition exists for investor dollars with other forms of real estate malls, offices, developable land. The author of US Airport Privatization speculated in 1993 that the market for airports was not a speculative one. Now, market opportunities are being found in airport privatizations. Developers may not want to work with the government bodies, which regulate airports and airlines, or to be tied to a long-term investment. Developers would look for opportunities that facilitate adaptability to changing market conditions. Only a long-term strategy would work in this investment. The labour contracts in force when the ownership switches over from public to private would likely have to continue, hindering potential private operators. Property taxes would have to reflect enhanced market value of an airport property. Most of an airports real estate is empty land, and therefore not directly capable of providing a profit to an operator. Any airport has relations with the surrounding communities, but a private operator would be unable to negotiate in an area of government responsibility. In addition, other challenges, which may have hampered airport profitably before privatization, remain. These include security, air traffic growth, airline strategies, airport competition, and international incidents such as SARS or terrorism. Political interference is always a possibility in the area of airport regulations, industry deregulation, and the changing nature of the airline industry. A conflict exists between the desires of a private operator to have looser regulations and the need for government oversight of the industry. Objections to airport privatization are related to the monopoly that airports represent in air travel (Graham 2008, 16). The fear is that the private operator will make a profit that could have gone to the government. These fears are addressed by the nature of private enterprise, which seeks to run a business profitably. Potential Economic Benefits of Airport Privatization Originally airports were considered to be part of a nations essential infrastructure, and less attention was paid to profit than to operations (Frost Sullivan). The three means of economic gains to be found in privatization are: improvements in operating efficiency: the private for-profit business model more often leads to a further exploration for means to cut costs and boost revenues than does public management; the introduction of new management styles and marketing skills directed to serve users with a more consumer-oriented approach; and the ability to make better investment decisions. The trend in many countries is now to contemplating the potential for profit from an airport. The example of the Vienna airport will serve to illustrate how privatization in a developed country can benefit an airports operations. Before 1978, the airport was a public utility and had to seek subsidies to cover losses. In 1978, the airport management was reorganized so it would work like a commercial enterprise, but with public sector shareholder ownership. A further reorganization took place in 1992 to address industry and customer needs separately from the service divisions. Measures such as strategic planning and cost control were introduced to improve the airports competitive advantage (Graham 2008, 17). A share issue was made in 1992 for expansion and improved commercial operations, signaling a transition to private sector control. Privatization enables a long term focus to meet the demands of international competition, to maintain a customer-focused plan, and to free the government from providing subsidies to an unprofitable enterprise. Many privatizations have taken place because the potential for airside growth is limited. In other words, the developed countries have reached saturation on airside growth, so they seek growth from commercial services. This means shopping, restaurants, hotels, joint ventures are added to the airport to add value and capture more dollars. In addition, Button asserts that the success of privatized airports has encouraged governments to change the management and operations of their airports to mirror what the privately-run operations are doing (2006, 3). Then, the facility is seen as a single monopoly, but as separate revenue-generating businesses. Privatization seems to enable a better response to market forces by developing commercial potential. VI. Potential for Further Airport Privatization in Canada Canada has followed the route of maintaining almost all operational facets under shared control, with no airports being fully privatized. See Table 3: Status of Privatization of Airports in Australia, Britain and Canada before (B) and after Privatization (P) for a comparison of how control was changed after a degree of privatization. Australia and Britain have given control of finance and operations to the private operators, while Canada has retained it. To address local community and economy concerns, maintaining a partnership may be the better route to follow, and experience will show which method is better. Despite what the author of US Airport Privatization found, privatization in the airport industry is attractive to investors. However, Frost Sullivan report that by 2006, only two per cent of the worlds commercial airports had been privatized, either through management or ownership. Canadian airports are classified as one of two types: Non NAS airports, meaning National Airport System airports, with fewer than 200,000 passengers per year and which are locally and provincially owned and operated; NAS airports, with more than 200,000 passengers per year, are owned by the federal government but managed by boards of non-elected representatives. See Table 4 NAS Airports- Canadas National Airport System, for a list of these NAS airports. They operate as not-for-profit entities under long term leases with the federal government that are reflective of fair value, including the future earning potential (Canadian Airports Council 2008). Transport Canada, as the owner of the airports, has several aims in setting NAS airport rents. First they relate to infrastructure stability, and ensure the air transport sector remains financially healthy, meaning both the airport infrastructure and the airlines. The second aim relates to market conditions: to ensure an air transport sector that is competitive with both other forms of transport and with international air transport systems, and responsive to changing market conditions. The third serves the public good: the obtaining of a fair value for the government (National Airports Rent Policy Review 2010). The NAP, the National Airport Plan, appears to indicate that the federal government has no plans for complete privatization. Rents charged by the federal government to the local airport authorities are calculated with respect to long-term cash flow forecasts and capital expansion needs, and to valuations of international commercialized airports, particularly in the USA, Austra lia, New Zealand, and Britain. Therefore, the NAS airports serve the Canadian public good by providing a benefit to the Canadian public while remaining competitive. VII. Conclusion The encouraging factors include: continuing growth in air travel requires improvements in infrastructure that most governments cannot afford; improvements in economies of scale through expansion of facilities and concentration of services; still more commercial opportunities to be found for exploitation; investors with longevity have the better chance for continued profitability than would newer entrants. Privatization seems suitable for airports in more developed countries, because while more developed countries used to rely on government financing, the private sector has more to invest in major infrastructure projects than the government does. Allowing a private sector corporation to make profits could encourage the expansion of facilities sooner than a government-owned airport would do this. The fears that privatizing airports could be unsuccessful for the buyers and operators because of the untested variables, such as real estate values and external forces acting on an enterprise, seem to have calmed down with the growing body of experience in these operations. While ownership of facilities might be transferred to the private sector, government regulations still affect the business. A private operator cannot exercise eminent domain; it has to follow laws, while seeking to maximize his gain. Therefore an airport will never operate as an entity that is entirely separate from government. Now the focus is on the next step. The potential for future privatizations depends on the countys economic development and on its growth potential. In the long run, both central and local authorities may have to pursue the course of even greater diversification and commercialization of airport ownership structures. Works Cited Button, K 18 September 2006, Air Transportation Infrastructure in Developing  Countries: Privatization and Deregulation. Fundation Rafael del Pino conference on Comparative Political Economy and Infrastructure Performance: the Case of Airports. http://www.frdelpino.es/documentos/CONFERENCIASYENCUENT ROS/Reuniones%20de%20expertos/Aeropuertos/Button%20Madrid%20Conference.pdf. Canadian Airports Council 2008. Ownership and Management of Canadas Airports.  http://www.cacairports.ca/english/canadas_airports/index.php. Craig, V J 2 March 2000, Risk Due Diligence in Airport Privatization.  http://www.icao.int/icao/en/ro/nacc/aps/09_craig.pdf. De Neufville, R 1999, Draft: Airport Privatization Issues for the United States.  http://ardent.mit.edu/airports/ASP_papers/airport%20privatization%20issues%20for%20US.PDF. Frost Sullivan 25 April 2006, Abstract: Potential Economic Benefits of Airport  Privatization. http://www.marketresearch.com/product/display.asp?productid =1286859. Graham, A 2008, Managing Airports: An International Perspective. 3rd edn.  Butterworth-Heinemann: Oxford. http://books.google.ca/books?hl=enlr=id=5 Aa0rtzn8vgCoi=fndpg=PR7dq=The+privatization+and+commercialization+of+China%27s+airportsots=BbvkOe6cjusig=TiTmeH5HQg0RTuYo7IShMjE2kcY#v=onepageq=privatizationf=false. Oum, T, Nicole A, and Chunyan Y May 2006, Privatization, corporatization, ownership  forms and their effects on the performance of the worlds major airports. Abstract. Journal of Air Transport Management Volume 12, Issue 3, Pages 109-121. Air Transport Research Society Conference, Rio de Janeiro, July 2005. Vancouver. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL_ udi=B6VGP-4J14SM6_user=10_coverDate=05%2F31%2F2006_rdoc= 1_fmt=high_orig=search_sort=d_docanchor=view=c_searchStrId=1273863512_rerunOrigin=scholar.google_acct=C000050221_version=1_urlVersion=0_userid=10md5=1c0d7c71dc3b52a6727c4c147f36f7c5. Transport Canada 15 March 2010. National Airports Rent Policy Review: Terms of  Reference. http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/policy/ace-nap-nap1-762.htm. US Airport Privatization: Why It Wont Work 1993, Airport Aviation Appraisals,  Inc. http://www.airportappraisals.com/includes/articles/Article-Privatization.pdf.

Violence Against Women Act :: essays research papers

The Violence Against Women Act creates a right to be "free from crimes of violence" that are gender motivated. It also gives a private civil right of action to the victims of these crimes. The Senate report attached to the act states that "Gender based crimes and fear of gender based crimes...reduces employment opportunities and consumer spending affecting interstate commerce." Sara Benenson has been abused by her husband, Andrew Benenson, since 1978. Because of this abuse, she sued her husband under various tort claims and violations under the Violence Against Women Act. Now Mr. Benenson is protesting the constitutionality of this act claiming that Congress has no right to pass a law that legislates for the common welfare. However, Congress has a clear Constitutional right to regulate interstate commerce. This act is based solely on interstate commerce and is therefore Constitutional. Because of abuse, Sara Benenson was afraid to get a job because it would anger her husband. She was afraid to go back to school and she was afraid to go shopping or spend any money on her own. All three of these things clearly interfere and affect interstate commerce. Women like Mrs. Benenson are the reason the act was passed. There has been a long history of judgements in favor of Congress's power to legislate using the commerce clause as a justification. For the past fifty years, Congress's right to interpret the commerce clause has been unchallenged by the Court with few exceptions. There is no rational reason for this court to go against the powerful precedents set by the Supreme court to allow Congress to use the Commerce clause. In the case of Katzenbach v. McClung, the Court upheld an act of Congress which was based on the commerce clause, that prohibited segregation. McClung, the owner of a barbeque that would not allow blacks to eat inside the restaurant, claimed that his business was completely intrastate. He stated that his business had little or no out of state business and was therefore not subject to the act passed by Congress because it could not legislate intrastate commerce. The Court however, decided that because the restaurant received some of it's food from out of state that it was involved in interstate commerce. The same logic should be applied in this case. Even though Sara Benenson's inability to work might not seem to affect interstate commerce, it will in some way as with McClung, thus making the act constitutional. The Supreme Court had decided that any connection with interstate commerce,as long as it has a rational basis, makes it possible for Congress to legislate it.

Analysis of Neuromancer by William Gibson :: Neuromancer Essays

Analysis of Neuromancer by William Gibson  Ã‚         William Gibson's Neuromancer sets tone 'postmodern science fiction' or 'cyberpunk science fiction.'   According to the author of "Science Fiction and the Postmodern," John R. R. Christie, postmodern requires that humans take the associations of everyday life and transform them into something different (39).Sarah also claims that Neuromancer follows the cyberpunk category.Unlike other science fiction books that we read in this class, Gibson's story takes place everywhere in this planet, starting from Chiba in Japan, Istanbul, Paris and Vancouver in Canada.   These familiar settings make Gibson's story more understandable and believable.      Gibson's Neuromancer reveals itself as apostmodern science fiction contrasting postmodernity and humanism by setting the story in familiar places.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The story begins at one of the bars in Chiba, Japan.   This bar is where only foreigners (gaijin) come to drink the Japanese beer, Kirin.   In fact, these types of bars existed in Japan even when ten to twenty years ago.   Gibson used many specific names of places and companies' names in the story.   For example, Tokyo Bay, Shinjuku, and even minor city, Sendaiwere used with less description to make readers feel that the places are common in our life; it is not strange like the city in The Martian Chronicles.  Ã‚   Throughout the book, Gibsonused existing companies' names, such as; Fuji Electric Company, Mitsubishi-Genetic, Hilton Hotel, and Sony.   Melissa thought that this setting is representative of what American percieve to be what they can expect in the future. Gibson's setting uses glo bal level and includes minor cities such as Sendai, Istanbul, and Vancouver, to show this story could take place anywhere.From our perception, these cities are far from relating to science or technology development.   The traditional science fiction writers usually set their stories in the major cities of the United States or other well-known technologically-developed countries.   The author of "Preface from Mirroshades,"Bruce Sterling noted that "Cyberpunks aim for a wide-ranging, global point ofview," (347).   Gibson's Neuromancer proves this notion by setting his story in worldwide.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cyberpunks or postmodern science fiction writers create their story into our everyday life and make it more real.

Eating disorders: a problem Essay

Eating disorders are a world-wide problem. There are many types of eating disorders. There are programs out there to help people with eating disorders. With so many types we must understand the differences by looking at each type, how it affects teenagers, and what influence the media has on this issue. Eating disorders come in many different types. One of these is anorexia. Anorexia is a serious disease which causes a severe lack of eating. The proper name is anorexia nervosa.  Anorexia nervosa causes people to lose more weight than is considered healthy for their age and height. Persons with this disorder may have an intense fear of weight gain, even when they are underweight. They may diet or exercise too much or use other ways to lose weight. Their self-esteem is usually overly related to body image. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001401/) Anorexia nervosa has many warning signs that can tell someone if they have a problem. Someone may refuse to eat certain foods/food categories and deny their hunger all together. A person may develop â€Å"food rituals† in which they arrange foods in a certain way, excessively chew, eat in a certain order, etc†¦ One may withdraw themselves from their friends, family, or society. They may frequently make a comment about being â€Å"fat† or â€Å"overweight† despite their weight loss. (http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/anorexia-nervosa) Another type of eating disorder is bulimia nervosa. Bulimia is an illness in which a person binges on food or has regular episodes of overeating and feels a loss of control. The person then uses different methods — such as vomiting or abusing laxatives — to prevent weight gain. Many (but not all) people with bulimia also have anorexia nervosa. The purging of food usually  brings a sense of relief. ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001381/) One form of an eating disorder is binge eating. Binge eating is an eating disorder in which a person eats a much larger amount of food in a shorter period of time than he or she normally would. During binge eating, the person also feels a loss of control. Some causes of binge eating include genes, such as having close relatives who also have an eating disorder. Depression or other emotions, such as feeling upset or stressed. Unhealthy dieting, such as not eating enough nutritious food or skipping meals. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0003749/) Some symptoms of binge eating are, eating large amounts of food in a short period, for example, every 2 hours. A person is not able to control overeating, for example is unable to stop eating or control the amount of food. A person may keep eating even when full (gorging) or until uncomfortably full. Sometimes a person feels guilty, disgusted, ashamed, or depressed after eating so much. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0003749/) Some treatment can be done for people with a binge eating problem. The goals are to lessen and then be able to stop the bingeing incidents. Be able to get to and stay at a healthy weight. Get treated for any emotional problems, including overcoming feelings and managing situations that trigger binge eating. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0003749/)