Superfund Sites in Picher Oklahoma Essay Example for Free

Superfund Sites in Picher Oklahoma Essay Superfund Sites in Picher Oklahoma Introduction            The Tar Creek superfund site which is also known as Picher lead and zinc mining district is found in the far northeastern part of Oklahoma near its border with Kansas. The site was part of the Tri-state mining district that included areas of Missouri and Kansas and was one of the largest lead and zinc mining areas in the world. The Tar Creek site is considered to be one of the largest superfund site in America covering a geographic area of about 50 square miles and costs a total remediation fee of about 540 million dollars to 61 billion dollars. Tar Creek is a small stream that is characterized by still pools and is the major drainage system for the in the Picher field area, and it flows to the south passing between the towns of Picher and Cardin. Despite efforts that were put to prevent further contamination, there was minimal improvement in the surface water quality. The measures taken to divert the water were seen to be only partially effective (State Oklahoma report). As part of action to remedy the situation, eighty-three wells abandoned wells were refilled, dikes were constructed to divert surface water around collapsed mine shafts and the mines. The first operable unit cost ten million dollars.            The superfund program by the Environmental protection Agency has been highly criticized and praised over the years since the beginning of its implementation. There are some superfund sites that were cleaned successfully and reclaimed, however, others like the Tar Creek superfund site, which has been listed in the National Priorities List for several years. The Tar Creek has witnessed minimal notable improvement since the cleanup efforts began. The purpose of this research document is to investigate the difference between sites that have been cleaned and reclaimed successfully and those that have not seen any meaningful change. The paper will also determine the factors that influence speed and ease of the cleanup, suggest changes that can be made to the current process of superfund cleanup that will be beneficial to all sites. Overview and Analysis of Risks Involved            Tar creek is a region that is found at the northwest of Oklahoma near the town of Picher and is part of land segments in the southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri. It totals about 1,200 acres and 40 square miles in size. The area was part of the Tri-state Mining District between 1900 to late 1960s. Excessive mining carried out in the area produced pollutants of lead, zinc and cadmium that resulted in highly acidic water flowing into ponds and streams on the surface while some seeped into ground water. Other specific affected towns apart from Picher include Miami, Hockerville, Cardin, and Quapaw.            The problems found in Tar creek site, and Picher have historical beginnings in long time mining of zinc and lead in the area. Mining in the area began in 1900 and went on through to the late 1970s. The process of mining lead and zinc creates large quantities of unused mining materials which pile up above the ground and are always known as â€Å"chat† piles. These chat piles can be quite huge and may resemble hills. Over time, mining companies disposed of the chat by creating large piles above the ground and tailing ponds or dumping it into flotation. Some chat piles could rise as high as 200 feet, and all of it had increased level of lead and other heavy metals.            It is approximated that about 1.7 million tons of led was generated from the mining of about 181 million tons of lead deposits, giving rise to a significant amount of lead contaminated waste. It was posited that at during the time of clean up, there were thousands of acres (Fifty square miles or two thousand nine hundred) and more than 265 million tons of chats that are lead contaminated (Hu, Shine and Wright, 2007).            The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Geological Survey estimate that Tar Creek has 75 million tons of chat piles. The Environmental Protection Agency listed Tar Creek on the National Priorities List in 1983.This made it subject to Comprehensive Environmental Compensation, Response, and Liability Act. Environmental Protection Agency found that tailings were found all over residential properties in the Tar Creek, with the foundation of business units and homes built on chat. Apart from that, another by-product arising from the mining operation is highly acidic mine water. The zinc and lead mines were that abandoned began to fill with surface runoff. During the late 1970s, the drainage of the acid mines containing heavy metals started to discharge into Tar Creek from boreholes, natural springs and open mine shafts.            Several public health problems are presented by the superfund site that include mine shaft hazards, acid mine drainage, poor air quality due to dust laden with lead. Others include soil contamination linked to chat piles and mine waste and exposure of young children and vulnerable population to contaminated materials. More health risks are attributed to human consumption of wild food and fish from the Tar Creek superfund site and including the Spring River and Neosho river watershed.            All these environmental and human health problems are still being examined by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Human Health Services and other local state agencies. In 2003, several federal agencies (the Environmental Protection Agency, U. S. Army Corps, and the Department of Interior) signed a memorandum of understanding facilitating cooperation of the agencies to achieve a holistic approach to the risk posed from the Tar Creek superfund site. Federal, private and state efforts are implemented and coordinated by the Department of Environmental Quality in Oklahoma to ensure that a comprehensive solution to the health and environmental problems is achieved in the area. Several tribal authorities are conducting additional solutions to restore their environment and protect the health of community members. Possible Solutions to the Problem            Superfund is currently not set up to handle complex and large areas like Tar Creek. Superfund is focused on site remediation as a permanent solution to the problem. However, in situations such as Tar Creek it is not easy to achieve a permanent solution within a short time. Therefore, the residents of this area and the surrounding areas are exposed to contaminants for a substantial period, which increases risk human health effect on the environment.            Solving this problem requires separate cleanup process are included where the complexity, size or government restrictions in the area will lead to prolonged cleanup time or significant delays. For superfund sites like Tar Creek, two cleanup approaches should be used. The first approach should aim at getting a permanent solution, as is the current goal of the superfund process. The second approach should be a temporary solution which will minimize exposure of people, environment and wildlife to the contamination while a permanent solution is lookedfor. An example of this is covering contaminated soil using a capping system (United States Environmental Protection Agency).            There are various measures that can be implemented at the Tar Creek superfund site that can provide immediate and significant benefits. The first action should be extensive community education program. The Environmental Protection Agency should take measures to inform the community about the dangers and hazards that are linked to the pollution and inform them of measures they can take to protect their health. People need to be informed of the importance of regular hand washing. Measures should be put in place to inform residents of the risks that can result from playing on the piles of chat and the area creeks. Warning signs and fences to prevent people from entering the polluted areas should be erected. The education program can help to decrease the blood lead level of people living in the area (United States Environmental Protection Agency). Public education programs are beneficial; however, it is not a requirement for superfund sites. It is up to those charged w ith overseeing the site to initiate such programs. Individuals living in the areas that are polluted deserve the right to know the nature of pollution they are exposed to and the measures they can implement to protect themselves. Immediately a problem is identified, education and public awareness programs should begin. Public education programs should begin as soon as the site is listed in the National priority list.            Another measure that can be beneficial at the Tar Creek is the removal of chat from residential properties. Chat coverings such as roads, driveways and playground surfaces should be removed and replaced. Apart from this, some of the chat in the chat piles can be used as an aggregate for asphalt, reducing the volume of chat over a number of years. Asphalt made with the chat can be used to plug mine shafts and pave roads while containing the heavy lead and zinc metals and decreasing their mobility. Removal of chat can result in a reduced blood lead level in the people living in the area. The removal process is projected to have more positive outcomes as progress continues. For example, piles of chat shrink exposure of community members to dust as a result of wind will reduce. In addition to that, contamination of ground water by rainwater runoff will reduce as the chat piles shrinks.            The surface water quality should be improved through construction of passive treatment projects while harnessing the filtration capability of the surrounding ecosystem. To reduce exposure to lead dust, the amount of chat used in asphalt mixes needs to be increased, chat roads should be paved and chat piles and millponds near residential areas should be re-navigated. In addition to this, the state can alleviate mine hazards by locating and mapping vent holes and mine shafts and filling them with chat. The other method is to reclaim the land by removing the chat, re-vegetating and re-contouring the land.            In addition to this, state governments can easily manage awareness and education programs, without interrupting the federal cleanup work. If the area is very complex, local governments, and the state can focus on smaller or projects that are less complex like the chat removal. At the same time, federal resources should be used on the most complex areas of the cleanup exercise. Federal agencies have a tendency to control the state and local governments rather than working together with them. Measures should be added to the current superfund program to enable greater state and local government participation. More funds and high awareness could quicken the cleanup process.            The superfund process should change the way threats to the environment and health are viewed. In general, measures should be taken the moment an imminent threat to human health and the environment has been identified. (US EPA). In Tar Creek exposure over a day or several days will not have any notable impact on a person’s health. However, over a period of years, exposure to contaminants in the area may affect the reproductive, cardiovascular, and central nervous system for people who are exposed. It can also cause hyperactivity and retardation in young children (Church). The people residing in Tar Creek area had been exposed to contaminants for several years, their health was seriously at risk due to the chronic threat affecting the people for over fifty tears (Brock et al., 1995).            To reduce the threat to human health due to exposure contaminated materials, a new classification system should be introduced to the superfund process. Conditions that that would create a significant threat to human health as a result of repeated exposure can be classified as a chronic threat. A timeline can be established, based on the nature of the contaminant, the duration of time over which the environment and the public had were exposed, and the extent of contamination. This timeline will determine the acceptable period to improve the situation. If significant improvement is not realized within the period, the situation should be classified as an immediate threat. Conclusion            Even though the superfund process has been successful in many cases, it can be improved upon. Measures that include mandatory education programs, testing for cross-contamination at the beginning of the site investigation, implementation of temporary remedies for particularly complex or large cleanup sites can be used to encourage greater state intervention. Addressing chronic threats has not improved substantially over time and is a measure that should be taken to improve the current cleanup processes. However, these means are not the only means for improving effectiveness and efficiency of the Superfund process.            Superfund should be treated as work in progress. The process should be reviewed for problems and flaws on a continuous basis. In addition, unsuccessful and successful sites should be reviewed for particular activities that led to their success or failure. Information that is acquired from these reviews should be used to come up with new procedures and policies that can be added to the existing superfund process. The Superfund process can never be perfect, but continuous monitoring and revision of the process will help make the system very efficient. References Brock, F. V., K. C. Crawford, R. L. Elliott, G. W. Cuperus, S. J. Stadler, H. L. Johnson, and M. D. Eilts, (1995): The Oklahoma Mesonet: A Technical Overview. J. Atmos. and Oceanic Techno. 12, 5-19. Church, Thomas W., and Robert T. Nakamura (1993).Cleaning Up the Mess: Implementation Strategies in Superfund.Washington D.C. The Brookings Institution. Oklahoma State Department of Health. Retrieved December 2014 from:http://www.health.state.ok.us/PROGRAM/envhlth/sites/ottawa.html. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Ohio River Park: Current Site Information.Retrieved on December 2014 from: http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/npl/PAD980508816.htm. United States Environmental Protection Agency. The Superfund Program, Ten Years of Progress.EPA/540/8-91/003. December 2014. Source document

Nation of Islam Essay Example for Free

Nation of Islam Essay Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska in 1925. He was born to a minister father that was a supporter of Black Nationalist Movement leader Marcus Garvey, which resulted in Malcolm experiencing discrimination and racial hatred from an early age. His father was killed and his home burned when Malcolm was young, and Malcolm was jailed in his early twenties after several run-ins with the law following his father’s death. He joined the Nation of Islam in while in prison, and when he was paroled in 1952 he was named the national spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Malcolm X was an outspoken, articulate, charismatic man that used television, radio, and every other form of media available to convey the Nation’s message. He preached for militant stance in the black community and for equal rights for African Americans, â€Å"by any means necessary†. This unwavering stance and militant attitude made some see Malcolm as a threat and he was followed under FBI surveillance until he was assassinated in 1965. He used his charisma and his steadfast beliefs to make the message of the Nation of Islam well known in America and to bring the issue of African American rights to the forefront of American consciousness. His mission later transformed from fighting for African American rights to fighting for equal human rights for every race, and he enforced the same militant stance with his new message. Mahatma Gandhi was a human rights leader like Malcolm X but he delivered his message in a very different way. Born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, he was given the name Mahatma because it means, â€Å"great soul†. He was born in British-ruled India and practiced law in South Africa which was also ruled by Britain. While in South Africa he began a twenty-year campaign for Indian freedom. Instead of X’s militant, unmoving approach, Gandhi practiced and taught the principles of non-violent resistance. He believed it was more honourable to be jailed for one’s cause than to create violence. He also practiced fasting as a way of conveying his message of peace and non-violence. He returned to India after twenty years and became the leader of the Indian Nationalist Movement. After India was declared independent in 1947, it was divided into India and Pakistan and the two countries rioted against one another. Gandhi began a fast to encourage the leaders to stop fighting. After he fasted for five days, the fighting stopped and the countries were at peace until Gandhi was assassinated shortly after. Until his death, Gandhi epitomized his message to, â€Å"Be the change you want to see in the world†. He saw no value in violence, and thought that the message of non-violence as a way of protest could bring tolerance, peace and unity more effectively than any violent act could. Despite the change in his place of residence and the political climate of his country he stayed true to his message of peace and unity.

Avivas Services Marketing Mix Marketing Essay

Avivas Services Marketing Mix Marketing Essay This report will be looking at the services which Aviva provides and how the services the business offer differ from a typical manufacturing firm. Looking at the theoretical issues of intangibility, heterogeneity, inseparability and perishability which affect the various elements of the services marketing mix of Avivas products provided to their customers. Company Introduction Aviva is the sixth-largest insurance group in the world. It has a turnover of over  £47.1 billion. Aviva provides more than 44.5 million customers with insurance, savings and investment products. They are one of Europes leading providers of Car insurance, Motor insurance, Life insurance, Home insurance, Health insurance, Travel insurance, Personal accident insurance, Pet insurance and Business insurance. Avivas main activities are the provision of general and life insurance, long-term savings products and fund management services. The group has around 36,600 employees,  £379 billion of assets under management and 43 million customers. Avivas Principal subsidiaries are: Aviva Life Pensions, investments, Life Insurance and long term savings (formerly Norwich Union) Aviva Insurance General Insurance Aviva Investors Fund Management (formerly Morley Fund Management) Aviva is ranked as one of the UKs top 10 most valuable brands in 2012 and has been voted the UKs top life, general and health insurer by insurance intermediaries. Aviva aims for superior long-term investment performance and it is UKs one of the most financially strong investment company. Aviva provides an extensive range of value-for-money, good quality products investments, retirement, protection and healthcare designed and changing to meet your needs, both now and in the future. Aviva was created by a merger of two British insurance firms, Norwich Union and CGU plc. In October 2009 the company decided to focus on its commercial insurance sector and demonstrate its commitment to brokers by launching their find a broker facility, using the British Insurance Brokers Association search engine. To help them with this endeavour, Paul Whitehouse was recruited to play the part of a successful hairdresser running three salons. The message of the campaign focused on business insurance through insurance brokers. The closing line of the campaign was Were in business to keep you in business. The Marketing Mix Marketing is the ability of an organisation to provide the right product, at the right price, via the right outlets and presented in the correct way . In addition to product, price, place and promotion, services marketing calls for three additional Ps people, processes and physical evidence. The idea of classification affecting the marketing mix often expands our understanding of the marketing mix itself. For example excluding product classifications such as tangibility, reputation, heterogeneity, inseparability, perish-ability and ownership which are associated with service, we can look at the marketing mix as simply four Ps: The product, the price, the place, and the promotion. This initial idea of a marketing mix originated in the 1960s when developed by Neil Borden in his book: The Concept of the Marketing Mix (Borden, 1965) In this article Borden lists various elements of the marketing mix for manufacturers, twelve in total, stating the list can be long or short depending on how far one wishes to go in his classification and sub-classification of the marketing procedures. From this list has derived the four Ps of the marketing mix we know today. These four Ps make up the raw product without any service factor, the actual product, where it is sold, the promotion to the target consumer and the selling price. There is arguably no evidence to show any kind of customer service in the four Ps marketing mix, can be thought of as distinctly producer-orientated. (Kotler, Armstrong, Harker, Brennan, 2009) Product Distinctions Theoretical issues of Intangibility, Heterogeneity, Inseparability and Perishability are as follows Intangibility is a unique characteristic of service which cannot be seen physically, felt, tasted or touched as physical goods are. For example when we watch a movie in the theatre, we are entertained by watching it. Entertainment is the output of the service that is delivered. Issues caused by intangibility are Lack of service inventories: Services cannot be stored as the physical goods are. Lack of patent protection: As services are intangible, they cannot be patent protected as the physical goods are. Service offered by one firm can be also offered by other company in different way. Difficulty in communicating services: Goods can be physically displayed, but whereas services are not physically shown to customers. Its hard for the companies to convince the customer to buy make the products that are offered as services. E.g. Insurance Difficulty in pricing services: Services offered by companies differ and no two services can be same as customers needs are different. Services are customised and hence tend to have fixed pricing. Heterogeneity is a unique characteristic of service that reflects the difference in the service that is provided from one customer to other customer. For example when a customer goes to a restaurant and ordered food would be different kind from the other customer and no customers experience is the same. Similarly no ones custom made jewellery looks alike as its unique to the customers requirements. Issues caused by heterogeneity Service standardization and quality control are difficult to achieve Services provided by different providers within the same location tend to be same. Mood and skills of a single provider differ from day-to-day Inseparability is a unique characteristic of service which displays the association between the people or company which provides service and the person who is engaged in receiving the service and also other customers who are indirectly or directly getting the knowledge. For example when a customer wants to take an internet connection, the sales team of the internet company need not interact face to face with the customer to give the information about the product. But whereas in a production process like Saloon, the customer has to be physically present to get his hair cut. Issues caused by inseparability Physical connection of the service provider to the service: In order to provide the service to the customer, the service provider has to be physically present and Face-to-face interaction with customers makes employees satisfaction critical when they are not able to provide proper guidance to customers. Involvement of the customer in the production processes: Customers involvement may vary according to the requirement that the customer be physically present to receive the service, i.e. for a dental service, customer has to be physically present in order to solve his or her problem related to teeth. Involvement of other customers in the production process: Customers presence is required in some service and some customers often share a common service experience and that shared experience can be negative or positive depending upon the experience the customer gets out of the service he has received. Perishability is a unique characteristic of service in which the service cannot be saved. Unused services cannot be reserved or neither can be inventoried. For example seats in a theatre can be inventoried for a period of time before the purchase of the ticket and cannot be inventoried after the show is finished. Another example of perishability is fresh meat, it can be stored for certain time period but once it sold it is completely perished. Issues caused by Perishability Matching supply and demand is a major challenge for the service provider, if there is a higher demand of service, than service providers tend to make the supply of the service maximum. When there is a higher demand, than the service provider gives optimal supply level. Avivas services marketing mix Product There is no point in developing a product or service that no one wants to buy. Companies try to find out what the customers need and then develop the right product that attracts customers. A produce is we produce. If we produce goods it means tangible product and when we produce or generate services, it means intangible service product. A product is what a seller sells and what buyer buys. Thus, Aviva provides insurance services and therefore insurance services are their products. Aviva is the leading company offering insurance services to the users. Apart from offering life insurance policies, they also offer underwriting and consulting services. When a person or an organisation buys an Insurance policy from Aviva, he buys a policy along with it the assistance and the prestige of the insurance company and the facilities of claims and compensation. It is natural that the customers expect a reasonable return for their investment and Aviva as insurance company wants to maximize their profitability. Aviva would have intangibility issue as the company can introduce new insurance scheme which would give the customer the advantage of having to take single insurance policy for the whole family. The company can protect the product brand but it cannot restrict other insurance companies to come up with similar scheme with a different name, hence there is lack of patent protection. The company provides different schemes according to the customers needs and the pricing of the insurance is not the same for every customer. Pricing A product is only worth what customers are prepared to pay for it and the price needs to be competitive. In insurance business the pricing decisions are concerned with the premium charged against the policies that a customer would take and also interest is charged for defaulting the payment of premium. The factors that Aviva uses for determining the premium rates under a life insurance plan are mortality, expense and interest. The premium rates are revised if there are any significant changes like Mortality: When deciding upon the pricing strategy the average rate of mortality is one of the main considerations that it takes in to care. Expenses: The cost of processing, commission to agents, reinsurance companies as well as registration are all incorporated into the cost of instalments, premium sum and forms the integral part of the pricing strategy. Interest: Rate of interest is one of the major factors which determine if the customers willingness to invest in insurance. Customers will not be willing to put their funds to invest in insurance if the interest rates provided by financial institutions are much greater than the perceived returns from the insurance premiums. Aviva would have intangibility issue in pricing, Aviva provides different kinds of insurances. Customers tend to choose which product they would want to opt and as insurance is not same for all the customers the price varies depending on the premium and the term that a customer is will to go for. Hence pricing the service plays a major role in Aviva. Place The place where customers buy a product must be appropriate and convenient for the customer and the product must be available in the right place at the right time. Place plays an important role at Aviva. It has branches all over the UK and also has insurance agents in order to offer the services. This helps the company to process the services to the end-user so that the gap between services that are promised and services that are offered is bridged over. Aviva also offers customers to apply for policies online. This helps the customers to get their insurance without going to the branch or to contact agent and saves customers time. Aviva would have inseparability issues, if a customer wants to take insurance he has to get in touch with the staff and get the information needed to choose the right kind of product he wants. Aviva should have more dedicated advisers to educate the customers for taking insurance and explaining the benefits of having insurance from their company . Promotion Promotion is the way a company communicates what it does and what it offers to the customers. Good promotion is necessary for a company to have better income and it also shows what advantages the customers get when they choose their services. Aviva promotes its services by advertising in television ads, radio and billboards. This helps Aviva to boost its sales. It also provides loyalty discounts to existing customers which helps the company to attract new customers by word of mouth. The company also uses direct mail and online campaigns to target new customers. Aviva also offers special promotional deals which help the company to get new customers who wish to switch from an existing insurance company. When it comes to promotion, Aviva would have heterogeneity and intangibility issues as no customer would have the same kind of policy. Insurance policy depends on various factors like age , health etc. so the company has to customise the policy according to the customer needs so that they could attract more customers. The company gives promotional offers to customers which are intangibility in nature and this makes it hard for the company to actually convince the customer to take their service as they are not physical products which a customer can feel. People Anyone who comes in contact with customers will make an impression and it might have positive or negative. It is out most important for a company to ensure that all employees who have contact with customers are properly trained and also should have right kind of people for the job. Understanding the customer better allows designing appropriate products. Aviva being a service industry and involves a high level of people interaction, Aviva makes sure that all its staff is given regular training so that they can maintain strong relationships with the customers. They have 24 hour helpline with multi-lingual staff to answer customer queries regarding them policies or any other service related issues. When it comes to people, Aviva would have perishability issue. If a customer is not happy with the service that the company is providing then he tend to look for better services that other company offers. Employees should make sure that they understand what the customer issues are and try to help them out so that they dont loose the customer. Process The process of giving a service to a customer is crucial in terms of customer satisfaction such as waiting times, the information given to customers and the way the staff helps the customers are important for a company to keep the customers happy. Customers are not interested in the detail of how the business runs. Avivas process is customer friendly. They advise customers about the products that they offer and tell the customers which product is best suited. Aviva has the reputation of speed and accuracy of payment. Their processing method is easy and convenient to the customers. The instalment schemes they provide cater to the ever growing demands of the customers. They provide different schemes to cater the demand of customers who wish to go for the service. The IT Data Warehousing system of Aviva helps the company to have a unified way to provide service large no. of customers efficiently and maintain their overheads. This helps to improve customer service levels. When it comes to process, Aviva could have issues related to inseparability, intangibility and perishability because they have to have advertise regularly about their products that they offer, new schemes that the company is giving to its existing customers as well as new customers. Service and quality control could also have adverse effect on the sales of their products. If they dont offer customers the help that they need on time, customers might feel unhappy about the service that they get which leads to switchover to a different company. Physical evidence Service cannot be experienced before it is delivered. Physical evidence given by an organisation must confirm the assumptions of the customer. As the customer cannot experience the service before buying it, but they can talk about the service with other people about the experience they have got by choosing their product. Distribution is a key determinant of success for all insurance companies. Today, the insurers have a large reach and presence throughout UK. Building a distribution network is very expensive and time consuming. Aviva provides all the information on their website so that customers can have all the information about the products and the services the company provides. Aviva has also been using remote distribution channels such as telephone and email in order to reach more customers so that they can avoid intermediaries, bring down overheads and increase profitability. Aviva offers an entire range of products including motor, home and life insurance and pensions. Conclusion The seven ps of Marketing Mix The marketing mix is the combination of marketing activities that an organisation engages in so as to best meet the needs of its targeted market. Taking product classification in to account when dealing with marketing of services, it expands the understanding of the original 4ps. The Insurance business deals in selling services and therefore due weightage in the formation of marketing mix for the Insurance business is needed. The marketing mix includes sub-mixes of the 7 Ps of marketing i.e. the product, its price, place, promotion, people, process physical attraction. The above mentioned 7 Ps can be used for marketing of Insurance products. The services that Aviva offers as mentioned above is affected by issues of classification of being Intangibility, Heterogeneity, Inseparability and Perishability which based on the researched information is performed well by the business. Aviva offers services which are competitive with other insurance companies on price and service support which has helped the company to be ranked as one of the UKs top 10 most valuable brands in 2012 and sixth-largest insurance group in the world. It has become one global brand with 43 million customers and has over 300 years of heritage.

How far is Shylock a character for whom we can feel sympathy? :: essays research papers

How far is Shylock a character for whom we can feel sympathy? How would a contemporary audience’s response to him differ from that of an audience in Shakespeare’s time? Shylock isn’t a character for whom we can feel much sympathy for because he always seems to be thinking about himself and his money rather than other people around him. Through most of the play he seems selfish, and it seems in some parts of the play as though he doesn’t care about his daughter. He also has a very strict religion, which also sometimes makes him seem as an uptight character. Although he sometimes does try and be a good father to his daughter such as in act 2, scene 3. This is where he tells her to lock the house up and to keep safe from the masque, but even part of this act to his daughter was to make sure no Christian men would come into his house or anything get stolen. Through the whole of the play the audience keeps changing their sympathy for Shylock, pitying him one moment and hating him the next. Some people would call the audience’s feelings to Shylock a kind of roller coaster of sympathy. Also in act 2, scene 8 Salerio and Solanio are talking about the way Shylock reacted to his daughter leaving. Solanio said that Shylock had said: ‘My daughter! O my ducats! O my daughter!’ This quote makes the audience feel a tiny bit of sympathy for Shylock as it shows how he feels awful about how he has lost his daughter and money at the same time. Solario also goes on to say: ‘Stolen by my daughter! Justice! Find the girl! She hath the stones upon her, and the ducats!’ After this is said the audience will feel a lot less sympathy for Shylock as it seems he only cares about finding his daughter because she has the ducats with her and the only way to get back his ducats etc is to find his daughter. Although he only cares about his ducats the audience might feel sympathy for him because that it was his own flesh and blood that stole the ducats from him. So Shylock would feel quite betrayed by this. In act 3, scene 1 there is a lot of evidence that shows Shylock valuing money over his daughter. Shylock had said in this scene: ‘I would my daughter were dead at my foot, and the jewels in her ear; would she were hearsed at my foot, and the ducats in her coffin.

Shakespeare’s Creativity Essay -- Literary Analysis, Twelfth Night

Shakespeare’s Creativity In William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, the art of music appears in the opening of the speech as the unhappy and lovesick Orsino tells his musicians, â€Å"If music be the food of love, play on† (I.i.1) In the speech that follows, Orsino asks the musicians to give him so much musical love i.e. food that will â€Å"surfeit† and cease to yearn for love any longer. Shakespeare uses music in opening line of play and at the end by Feste singing his song. It reveals that Shakespeare has presented on stage a romantic comedy which is not detached from our everyday reality. Thus songs are used by Shakespeare with surfeiting desire not only for the purpose of entertaining the audience but also closely linked to the play’s theme. Defining Music Music, as commonly in the English Oxford Dictionary is the â€Å"art or science of combining vocal or instrumental sounds to produce beauty of form, melody† or â€Å"the vocal or instrumental sound produced by practical exercise of the art of music†. Music is also described as â€Å"a musical composition or a performance† which can be seen in Shakespeare Cymbeline: â€Å"I haue assayl’d her with Muscikes, but she vouchsafes no notice† (II.ii.37). Shakespeare also uses music as the â€Å"cries of a pack of hounds on seeing the chase† (IV.i.105) in Midsummer Night’s Dream. Music in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night opening speech is written as â€Å"MuÃ… ¿icke† in the EBBO version whereas it is spelled â€Å"music† in our class text. The word â€Å"music† has been spelled differently throughout the years. Shakespeare uses the word â€Å"music† differently in his plays, such as: â€Å"musickes,†  "musique,† and â€Å"music.† The word â€Å"music† is spelled differently in the OED and in the song, with different alphabetic but pronounced the same way.... ...are’s writings. Edward W. Naylor writes in his essay that, â€Å"this is the more satisfactory, as no subject in literature has been treated with greater scorn for accuracy, or general lack of real interest, than this of music†. Music is the only topic that the audience and the readers view with content and a smile on their face. Shakespeare’s musical references are mostly found in comedies, but the musical stage direction that is presented in tragedies is due to the military nature or politics that bound the play. Shakespeare knew the impact of music on the society and during his time. Naylor also suggests that music â€Å"was considered an essential part of a clergymen’s education† and this notifies the value music held in the society. In the Duke’s case, â€Å"If music be the food of love, play on†, music seems to be rigorous and the musicians perform it with peacefulness.

Marine Corps Uniform In The 21st Century :: essays research papers

The Marine Corps Commandant General James L. Jones wants to lead the Marines into the 21st century with a new camouflage utility uniform. You may ask, why do the Marines need to differentiate their uniform from other branches; or why do the Marines need a new utility uniform at all. The answer to these questions can be summed up in two words: Forward Movement. Some Marines are having difficulties with the changes that have occurred as well as the changes that are coming. On 1 May 2000 General Jones began to start the transition from the old uniform to the new uniform. Three steps have been taken to change the way Marines look while in their uniform. First, Marines were no longer authorized to wear the brown undershirt. This movement came about to distinguish the corps">Marine Corps as an amphibious branch. The Army Soldier is authorized to wear the brown undershirt, and the Air Force Airman wears a black undershirt. Secondly, a new belt for the utility uniform is currently being implemented. The belts represent the individual Marine’s status in Martial Arts training. The â€Å"rigger’s belt† will be worn in five different colors: Tan, Grey, Green, Brown, and Black. The Marine has an option to don a new color once training for that level has been completed. Finally, the third change involves the utility uniform itself, also known as â€Å"cammies†, giving it a complete makeover. The current cammie design for all branches of the Armed Forces is over twenty years old. The textile industry has made many advances in the production of clothing providing more comfort and durability. Revolutionary advances within the clothing industry, Velcro and zippers, are being tested on the new cammie uniform. Velcro could be used instead of buttons on the pockets, and zippers may replace the buttons on the fly of the trousers. While on garrison duty, zippers may also be used on the blouse, to unzip the arm portion of the sleeve, to avoid rolling up the sleeves in garrison duty during hotter climates. The basic pattern of the cammie uniform will have a face-lift as well. With the exception of angled chest pockets for easier accessibility, the new utilities will have the same design appearance as the today’s cammie uniform. New material that requires no ironing will increase the durability of the cammie material. The material will last longer than that of the current cammie material, which will normally fade in six months.

Blood and Thunder: Indians and Manifest Destiny

Perhaps the most striking part of Blood and Thunder is the famed and fabled Kit Carson himself. He begins the book as a duty-driven youth who is able to kill anyone or anything without a sense of remorse, likely because of his experiences with the harshness of life as a child. However, once he begins to have a family—a real family, one he raises and takes care of and looks after—he begins to shift. Carson begins to balk at some killings, even going so far as to decry the killing of indian warriors at Carleton’s order. Whether it was the need to take care of his family or the need to find peace in the face of his increasingly failing healthy, Carson provides a look at the changes a man can undergo over the course of his life. He starts as one man, filled with certain ideals and desires, and over the course of his life, his goals and priorities shift. His sense of duty that was instilled in him from his childhood days fails him in his older age, leading him to increasingly attempt to leave behind the front lines and seek solace at home. This shift in character seems odd when the book is merely skimmed; however, the book structures Carson’s life in a way that provides clear understanding of the changes. This was not an abrupt shift, nor was it a conscious one. This change, rather, came as a result of the overall human need to adjust, to shift with the changes that life presented. This change makes Carson truly feel like a â€Å"real person,† someone who isn’t merely a character from a book. It makes Carson human, and thus served to catch my attention. The second part of Blood and Thunder that caught my attention was the conflict between the American mentality and the mentality of the Native Americans who already lived in the area. As is noted throughout the book, the Native Americans could not understand the point behind many of the â€Å"white† traditions that men like Carleton tried to impress upon them. The â€Å"white† ways had no resonance with the Native Americans because everything differed between them. The concept of â€Å"ownership† of the land meant nothing to the Native Americans because they saw themselves as stewards, caretakers of the land. The concept of Christianity meant nothing to Native Americans because they came from a rich, diverse, usually polytheistic religion that held nothing that mixed with Christianity. The concept of a single spokesperson for an entire race of Native Americans (i. e. for the entire people [Navajo, Ute, Kiowa, etc. ]) broke the tradition of having spokespeople from many tribes forming a council for the people. This imposition of mentalities on Native Americans caused at least some of the breakdown in communication; however, there were some aspects that the Native Americans chose to learn and accept in order to deal with the white men. Showing their ability for change, the Navajos elect Barboncito, at the end of the book in the epilogue, to serve as their spokesperson to Gen. Sherman. This collaboration between the Navajo need for the separate tribes and the white men’s need for a single person to deal with led to the eloquent plea to Sherman that ended with the Navajo returning to their home lands.