The cult of Stalin and the purges Essay Example

The cult of Stalin and the purges Essay Example The cult of Stalin and the purges Paper The cult of Stalin and the purges Paper How far do you agree with this opinion? There is little doubt that Joseph Stalin made drastic and continual efforts to retain his supreme power during the 1930s. The two main methods and perhaps the most memorable are the great purges (otherwise known as the great terror) and the cult of Stalin. Although Stalin had been triumphant in the power struggle against Leon Trotsky in 1929, rather than alleviating his insecurities, Stalin became increasingly paranoid. It seems that the more power and control he gained over Russia and its people, the more irrational and mistrustful he became. This was more than likely because he had more to lose and this encouraged him to instigate a more brutal and controlling regime. Other examples of his vindictive rule were the purging of kulaks during collectivisation and the excessive demands he made during industrialisation and the five-year plans. He also conducted purges targeted at Bolshevik opposition. He insisted on members reapplying for their membership to the party using excuses like corruption, drunkenness and being politically inactive to dismiss them, thus frightening members into submission. This was because if they lost their party cards they could lose their jobs, which ultimately meant they lost their homes, their privileged rations and public status. At the time, Stalin was the General Secretary and consequently controlled whose memberships were renewed and as a result any member suspected of betrayal or opposing his policies had their membership revoked. Although Stalin gained a great deal of success via industrialisation, collectivisation and the five-year plans, he ultimately acquired many enemies due to the suffering and numerous deaths caused during these policies. Owing to Stalins extreme tactics, party members began to oppose his policies and ultimately repudiated him, this included Sergei Kirov who until now had been devoted to Stalin. Stalin was all too aware of this mounting threat! Stalin viewed Kirov as his proti gi and in 1926 he rewarded Kirovs loyalty by appointing him as Head of the Leningrad Party. In 1930, Kirov was elected to join the Politburo and eventually he became one of the leading figures of the party. [1] During the Seventeenth Party Congress, held in February 1934, Kirov gained the fewest negative votes, giving him an advantage over Stalin in the contest for the party leadership and for this reason Stalins aides fixed the vote to ensure a draw between the two candidates. Due to this result, the position of General Secretary was abolished and Kirov and Stalin shared the position of Secretary of Equal Rank. Knowing that his proti. was favoured above him caused an increase in Stalins mistrust of his clique because even those he trusted and depended on were beginning to show signs of desertion. Over the next five years 1,108 of the 1,966 delegates who had attended the Seventeenth Party Congress were arrested, seventy of whom were tried in public while the rest were tried in secret before being executed or sent to the Gulags (labour camps). [2] On 1st December 1934, a young party member named Leonid Nikolayev murdered Kirov, in the Smolny Institute, in Leningrad and was consequently arrested and executed. To this day there is still a mystery surrounding Kirovs assassination as there were few actual witnesses to the event. This means that historians can only speculate with regard to what actually took place during this significant event. Although Nikolayev was arrested, there are varied theories about who led the conspiracy behind the assassination, one conjecture being Stalin himself was involved, although no solid evidence has ever been found to prove this. To destabilize this belief Stalin portrayed Trotsky as the culprit, giving him the pretext to introduce a series of anti-terrorist measures and to purge the party of so-called Trotskyites and Zinovievites, including Gregory Zinoviev himself, Lev Kamenev and 14 other party members, who were arrested by Genrikh Yagoda the Head of the NKVD (secret police), tried and executed. [3][4] As a result of Kirovs death and the betrayal Stalin had encountered during the period surrounding the assassination, Stalin began enforcing the great purges. The first phase began in 1935 and was devised to rid the Party of any political opponents or threats. The first show trial was held in August 1936 and heralded the beginning of the great purges. The show trials were held in public to generate public humiliation for the defendants, to illustrate consequences to other potential rivals and to convey the threat of conspiracies against the government, thus resulting in fear amongst the nation. They were also open to western journalists and were intended to show the world communist justice. The great purges gave Stalin tremendous control over people, mostly through fear alone. There was a constant threat of being purged from the party, show tried and executed or sent to the Gulags. Gulags were labour camps, placed in remote areas of Russia (e. g. Siberia), where conditions were so horrific nobody would ever choose to work there of their own freewill. The prisoners were subjected to severe weather conditions, abuse by guards, long working hours and insufficient food and clothing. Prisoners were exploited as lumber jacks, for construction and mining to achieve targets set for industrialisation and the five-year-plans. Most of the prisoners sent there eventually died from hunger, exhaustion, ill health or maltreatment before the end of their usually long sentences. [5] Stalins second phase of the great purges was aimed at the Russian people, rather than party members alone and was identified as Yezhovshchina, named after Nikolai Yezhov (Head of the NKVD). Yezhov was appointed in September 1936 in place of Yagoda who had failed to obtain enough evidence to convict Bukharin and was consequently discharged. Yezhov quickly arranged the arrest of all the leading political figures in the Soviet Union who were critical of Stalin. [6] During this purge, a tell tale society was formed, encouraging people to denounce fellow citizens, creating mistrust among the nation. Informants mostly denounced citizens such as the intellectuals, for instance artists, writers, and journalists, who were more likely to pose as a threat to Stalin. A quota system was enforced commanding the NKVD to make a designated number of arrests and the full quota had to be achieved. As a result it is likely that a large number of accusations had been invented by the NKVD to fulfil the quota and that many of those arrested had not actually committed any crimes against the State. Among those arrested, 28% were to be shot and the remainder would be forced into Gulags. Official figures suggest that between January 1935 and June 1941, 19. 8 million people were arrested by the NKVD. An estimated seven million of these prisoners were executed. [7] Although Stalin instigated the great purges there are indications that suggest the NKVD intensified the demands and infiltrated their own desires into the modus operandi. Everyone was a potential victim during this phase of the purges. The NKVD massacred kulaks, priests, former members of anti-Bolshevik armies, those who had been abroad or had relatives abroad, immigrants and even citizens. [8] The second show trial was held in January 1937, in which seventeen people stood accused, among them were Karl Radek, Yuri Piatakov and Grigory Sokolnikov. Thirteen of the defendants were executed, while the remainder were sent to the Gulags. The third show trial, held in March 1938, involved 21 defendants allegedly belonging to the Bloc of Rightists and Trotskyites, whose leaders consisted of Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, Genrikh Yagoda (former Head of the NKVD), Christian Rakovsky and Nikolai Krestinsky, all of whom were executed. The third phase of the great purges began in the spring of 1937 and was led by the NKVD which targeted the armed forces. Previously, many of the Red Army officers had been officers under the Tsarist regime and during Lenins rule had been forged into the Red Army by Trotsky, causing Stalin to fear that they would turn against him and form a military dictatorship as an alternative government to his style of communism. Officers were by now living in fear of World War II breaking out and because they had earned their ranks on merit and had not bought them, they did not feel they owed Stalin any loyalty, increasing his fear of a military coup. Fearing a rebellion, Stalin began purging officers (1937-1938) and in particular he targeted Marshall Mikhail Tukhachevsky, who was Chief of The General Staff. Tukhachevsky was potentially a major rival as he had previously worked under Lenin and was now in control of all the armed forces (i. e. army, navy and air force) and was very popular with the troops. In all, the NKVD purged the armed forces of eighteen Army War Commissars who were all shot, five Marshals of the Soviet Union, three of whom were shot (including Tukhachevsky), 80 Officers of the Supreme Military Council, 75 of whom were executed, sixteen army commanders, fourteen of whom were shot, 280 divisional colonels, of whom two thirds were killed, 70,000 commissioned officers, half of whom were killed or imprisoned, all the Navy Admirals were executed and only one air force officer survived. Altogether thousands of other officers were executed or imprisoned, spying for Germany or Japan was amongst the most common of accusations against officers and because of the amount of executions in all three forces they were left severely undermanned. The few newly appointed officers left were inexperienced and incompetent as leaders, causing major disarray in the Soviet Unions armed forces. It has been claimed that Tukhachevsky (Marshal of the Soviet Union) was executed as part of a secret fourth trial, held in June 1937, in which he stood accused before a military tribunal of a group of Red Army generals. However, the evidence presented against the accused was almost nonexistent and convictions relied on confessions extracted through torture and threats against family members. [9] One of Stalins cunning tactics to achieve this purge without mutiny was to switch officers among regiments. This might have appeared impractical but he knew the troops trusted their officers and when confronted with a new officer, who they did not know or trust, the troops didnt dispute any accusations made against them or their colleagues because they feared condemnation. By late 1938, the great purges had achieved its purpose and the mass arrests were stopped. Stalin had carried out a complete renovation of the Communist Party and had brought in people owing their loyalty to him. His rule was now unchallenged, but in liquidating key elements of the society he had devastated the country and left it badly prepared for the apparent onset of World War II. [10] As a result of the previous purges there was insufficient demand for the NKVD, as most threats to Stalin had already been eradicated. This alarmed Yezhov, who feared he and his squadron would lose their jobs and as a consequence he began inciting Stalins paranoia. Nevertheless, he became a target of his own doing when an informant accused him of being a British agent and of killing innocent people resulting in his arrest, a trial (held in 1939) and ultimately execution. Whilst the purges were about ridding the party of opposition, the Cult of Stalin was more about brainwashing the nation into worshipping Stalin as an Idol. His campaign included ordering all propaganda (e. g.photos, leaflets) to be altered, to enhance Stalin so that he would stand out as a hero and to make him appear to be a significant role in the Revolution. Towns, streets and prizes were renamed in his honour, statues of him were erected and pet names such as Brilliant Genius of Humanity were applied to him. [11] Anyone he suspected as a potential rival was erased from literature, documents and photos. This was especially true of Trotsky. Trotskys role was censored from history books to conceal the fact that he had ever existed or taken part in the Revolution. This provided Stalin with a role to step into and gave credence to his assertion that he had never encountered any major contenders for his supremacy. These tactics gave the appearance that Stalin was in complete control and that nobody disagreed with him, only worshipped him. Stalin achieved celebrity status among the nation and to an extent around the world. There is no question that Stalin used the Great Purges and the Cult of Stalin to retain his supreme power. However, the reasons for Stalin becoming more controlling are debatable. Some historians claim he was seeking notoriety (the great man theory), some believe he suffered from mental illness and others regard him as a dictator. The fact that he used such brutal, calculating and extreme tactics suggests to me that he would go to any lengths to meet his aspirations and would on no account allow anyone, regardless of the cost to the nation, to compromise his aim for control of the State. With each purge he exceeded the limits of the previous purge, becoming even more powerful, yet more and more paranoid. Whether Stalin needed to go to such extreme lengths to conceal his enemies and cultivate such an iconic persona of himself, is still questionable. In order to have been able to accomplish such campaigns, Stalin must have already possessed a great deal of control and support. To this day some people regard him as an icon and believe his brutality was justified to turn the Soviet Union into a modern and industrialised State. In 1953 indication of a Doctors plot emerged alleging that nine Kremlin doctors were engaged in a plot to assassinate Stalin and other political leaders. As a result Stalin commanded Lavrenti Beria, the new Head of the NKVD, to purge the Communist Party of candidates for his leadership. However, on 2nd March Stalin suffered a brain haemorrhage resulting in the plan being terminated. [12] To this day, events surrounding his death have been shrouded with enigma as it has been claimed that the night before the haemorrhage, his guards were given orders, from Stalin himself, to retire for the night and not to disturb him. When he did not rise the next day at his usual time, the guards became concerned but did not interrupt him as they feared the repercussions of disobeying the dictator. That evening one of the guards was ordered to enter Stalins room to investigate and on entry he found Stalin lying on the floor, paralysed, soon after he slipped into a coma. The guard summoned the senior party men of the Politburo and family members to the Dacha, Stalins favourite holiday home. His daughter, Svetlana Alliluyevas testimony claims that after 3 days (5th March 1953) Stalin briefly regained consciousness, looked around the room, raised his hand and pointed upwards as if bringing down a curse upon us all and then he died. [13] Conversely, due to the tardiness of the Politburo in calling for medical assistance, the Russian historian Edvard Radzinski asserts that Stalin was injected with poison by the guard Khrustalev, under the orders of his master (KGB chief, Lavrenty Beria to prevent Russia participating in the initiation of World War III. [14] In the end it was Stalins own paranoia and tyranny that led to his demise. Bibliography Clare, John D. , Russia 1971-1941: Stalins Terror (Greenfield History Site, 2002/2008) johndclare. net/Russ12. htm [accessed on 11 May 2008]Grant, Jim, Stalin and the Soviet Union (1998; repr. London: Addison Wesley Longman Limited, 2003) Internal Workings of the Soviet System: The Gulag (Library of Congress) loc. gov/exhibits/archives/gula. html [accessed on 2 June 2008] Knight, Amy, Great Purge (Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 1997-2008) http://encarta. msn. com/encyclopedia_761588286/great_purge. html [accessed on 11 May 2008] Krushelnycky, Leonida, The Last Mystery of Stalin (BBC: Radio 4, 2000) Online http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/world/europe/2793501. stm [accessed on 20 May 2008]. Lee, Stephen J. , Questions and analysis in history: Stalin and the Soviet Union (London: Routledge, 1999) Mawdsley, Evan, The Stalin Years: The Soviet Union 1929-1953, 2nd edn (1998; repr. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2001) Oxley, Peter, Oxford advanced history: Russia 1855-1991: From Tsars to Commissars (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001) Service, Robert, A history of twentieth century Russia (London: Penguin Group, 1997) Siegel, Paul, The Last Years of Stalin and Trotsky (Socialist Action, 2001) Sources: 62: Khrushchev, 631, 63: Alliluyeva, 10. Online socialistaction. org/news/200103/last. html [accessed on 16 May 2008] Simkin, John, The Soviet Union: 1920-45 (Spartacus Educational, 1997) www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk [accessed on 10 May 2008] , Russian Revolution: 1917-20 (Spartacus Educational, 1997) www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk [accessed on 10 May 2008] Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr I. , Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: vol. 1, (Colorado: West.View Press, 1998) p. 408. Online gendercide. org/case_stalin. html [accessed on 19 May 2008]. Subtelny, Orest, Ukraine A History, 2nd edn (University of Toronto Press, 1993), pp. 420-421. Online brama. com/ukraine/history/greatpurge/index. html [accessed on 22 May 2008] Westwood, J. N. , The short Oxford history of the modern world: Endurance and endeavour: Russian history 1812-1986, 3rd edn (1973; repr. New York: Oxford university Press, 1987) Whitlock, Martin, Questions in history: Stalins Russia (London: Collins Educational, 1997) Wood, Alan, Stalin and Stalinism (1990; repr. London: Routledge, 2002). 1 Simkin, John, Sergei Kirov, Online spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk/RUSkirov. htm 2 Simkin, Communist Secret Police: NKVD, Online /RUSnkvd. htm 3 Mawdsley, Evan, The Stalin Years: The Soviet Union 1929-1953, 2nd edn (1998; repr. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2001) pp. 98-99 4 Wood, Alan, Stalin and Stalinism (1990; repr. London: Routledge, 2002)pp. 36-37 5 Internal Workings of the Soviet System: The Gulag (Library of Congress) loc. gov/exhibits/archives/gula. html [accessed on 2 June 2008] 6 Simkin, Communist Secret Police: NKVD, Online /RUSnkvd. htm 7. IBID 8 Subtelny, Orest, Ukraine A History, 2nd edn (University of Toronto Press, 1993), pp. 420-421. Online brama. com/ukraine/history/greatpurge/index. html [accessed on 22 May 2008] 9 Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr I. , Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: vol. 1, (Colorado: West View Press, 1998) p. 408. Online gendercide. org/case_stalin. html [accessed on 19 May 2008] 10 Knight, Amy, Great Purge (Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 1997-2008) http://encarta. msn. com/encyclopedia_761588286/great_purge.html [accessed on 11 May 2008] 11 Simkin, Russian Revolutionaries 1914-20: Joseph Stalin, Online /RUSstalin. htm 12 Wood, Alan, Stalin and Stalinism, p. 58 13 Siegel, Paul, The Last Years of Stalin and Trotsky (Socialist Action, 2001) Sources: 62: Khrushchev, 631, 63: Alliluyeva, 10. Online socialistaction. org/news/200103/last. html [accessed on 16 May 2008] 14 Krushelnycky, Leonida, The Last Mystery of Stalin (BBC: Radio 4, 2000) Online http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/world/europe/2793501. stm [accessed on 20 May 2008].

Complex Hunters and Gatherers

Complex Hunters and Gatherers The term complex hunter-gatherers (CHG) is a fairly new term that attempts to correct some ill-conceived notions of how people in the past organized their lives. Anthropologists traditionally defined hunter-gatherers as human populations that lived (and live) in small groups and that are highly mobile, following and subsisting on the seasonal cycle of plants and animals. Key Takeaways: Complex Hunter-Gatherers (CHG) Like general hunter-gathers, complex hunter-gatherers do not practice agriculture or pastoralism.They can achieve the same levels of social complexity including technology, settlement practices, and social hierarchy as agricultural groups.As a result, some archaeologists believe agriculture should be seen as less a significant characteristic of complexity than others. In the 1970s, however, anthropologists and archaeologists realized that many groups who subsisted on hunting and gathering around the world did not fit the rigid stereotype into which they were put. For these societies, recognized in many parts of the world, anthropologists use the term â€Å"Complex Hunter-Gatherers.† In North America, the most well-known example is the prehistoric Northwest Coast groups on the North American continent. Why Complex? Complex hunter-gatherers, also known as affluent foragers, have a subsistence, economic and social organization far more â€Å"complex† and interdependent than generalized hunter-gatherers. The two types are similar: they base their economies without relying on domesticated plants and animals. Here are some of the differences: Mobility: Complex hunter-gatherers live in the same place for most of the year, or even for longer periods, in contrast to generalized hunter-gatherers who stay in one place for shorter periods and move around a lot.Economy: Complex hunter-gatherers subsistence involves a large amount of food storage, whereas simple hunter-gatherers usually consume their food as soon as they harvest it. For example, among Northwest Coast populations, storage involved both meat and fish desiccation as well as creating social bonds that allowed them to have access to resources from other environments.Households: Complex hunter-gatherers don’t live in small and mobile camps, but in long-term, organized households and villages. These are also clearly visible archaeologically. On the Northwest Coast, households were shared by 30 to 100 people.Resources: Complex hunter-gatherers do not harvest only what is available around them, they focus on gathering specific and very productive food products and combining them with other, secondary resources. For example, in the Northwest Coast subsistence was based on salmon, but also other fish and mollusks and in smaller amounts on the forest products. Furthermore, salmon processing through desiccation involved the work of many people at the same time. Technology: Both generalized and complex hunter-gatherers tend to have sophisticated tools. Complex hunter-gatherers don’t need to have light and portable objects, therefore they can invest more energy in larger and specialized tools to fish, hunt, harvest. Northwest Coast populations, for example, constructed large boats and canoes, nets, spears and harpoons, carving tools and desiccation devices.Population: In North America, complex hunter-gatherers had larger populations than small size agricultural villages. Northwest Coast had among the highest population rate of North America. Villages size spanned between 100 and more than 2000 people.Social hierarchy: complex hunter-gatherers had social hierarchies  and even inherited leadership roles. These positions included prestige, social status, and sometimes power. Northwest Coast populations had two social classes: slaves and free people. Free people were divided into chiefs and elite, a lower noble group, and commoners, who were free people with no titles and therefore with no access to leadership positions. Slaves were mostly war captives. Gender was also an important social category. Noble women had often high-rank status. Finally, social status was expressed through material and immaterial elements, such as luxury goods, jewels, rich textiles, but also feasts and ceremonies. Distinguishing Complexity The term complexity is a culturally weighted one: There are about a dozen characteristics that anthropologists and archaeologists use to measure or approximate the level of sophistication achieved by a given society in the past or the present. The more research people have undertaken, and the more enlightened they become, the fuzzier the categories grow, and the whole idea of measuring complexity has become challenging. One argument made by American archaeologist Jeanne Arnold and colleagues has been that one of those long-defined characteristics- the domestication of plants and animals- should no longer be the defining complexity, that complex hunter-gatherers can develop many more important indicators of complexity without agriculture. Instead, Arnold and her colleagues propose seven platforms of social dynamics to identify complexity: Agency and authoritySocial differentiationParticipation in communal eventsOrganization of productionLabor obligationsArticulation of ecology and subsistenceTerritoriality and ownership Selected Sources Ames, Kenneth M. The Northwest Coast: Complex Hunter-Gatherers, Ecology, and Social Evolution. Annual Review of Anthropology 23.1 (1994): 209–29. Print.Ames Kenneth M. and Herbert D.G. Maschner. Peoples of the Northwest Coast. Their Archaeology and Prehistory. London: Thames and Hudson, 1999.Arnold, Jeanne E. Credit Where Credit Is Due: The History of the Chumash Oceangoing Plank Canoe. American Antiquity 72.2 (2007): 196-209. Print.Arnold, Jeanne E., et al. Entrenched Disbelief: Complex Hunter-Gatherers and the Case for Inclusive Cultural Evolutionary Thinking. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 23.2 (2016): 448–99. Print.Buonasera, Tammy Y. More Than Acorns and Small Seeds: A Diachronic Analysis of Mortuary Associated Ground Stone from the South San Francisco Bay Area. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 32.2 (2013): 190–211. Print.Killion, Thomas W. Nonagricultural Cultivation and Social Complexity. Current Anthropology 54.5 (2013): 596–606. Print.Maher, Lisa A., Tobias Richter, and Jay T. Stock. The Pre-Natufian Epipaleolithic: Long-Term Behavioral Trends in the Levant. Evolutionary Anthropology: Issues, News, and Reviews 21.2 (2012): 69–81. Print. Sassaman, Kenneth E. Complex Hunter-Gatherers in Evolution and History: A North American Perspective. Journal of Archaeological Research 12.3 (2004): 227–80. Print.

Research and Analysis of Business Problems Essay

Research and Analysis of Business Problems - Essay Example (Anon. 2009) - 1. Its revenues are highly dependent on the sales of trucks and SUVs which are quite famous in the market. Of late, the demand for these heavy vehicles has started to dwindle due to the ongoing recession since 2007. 2008 has particularly been a very difficult year for the automotive as well as Ford motor company. Questions are being raised about its very sustainability because the demand for its famous products has fallen very drastically. Not only that, because the company did not think of catering to the small car market from past ten years, many loyal customers who are in need of such cars are now shifting towards other companies. The result of such lapse in conquering the small car market is the closure of 12 manufacturing facility units in North America. Not only that, several tough decisions like layoffs and attritions have also been taken in the recent past. Buyouts were also undertaken to reduce the U.S. payroll. These are the general issues which every automotive company would face. However, capturing the North American markets and entry into emerging markets through its small and midsize car production are the necessary actions to be taken up to ensure sustainability and improve on its balance sheet. For this, it needs to do responsible restructuring instead of downsizing the company. It needs to shift its workers from the production of the trucks and SUVs to small and midsized cars. Thus, it can address the ethical issues which encircled the organization during the previous attritions. Feasibility analysis has to be conducted to understand the expected demand for its small and midsized cars. According to that demand, it needs to estimate the production for which cost-benefit analysis has to be drawn out. This will clarify the term within which the company plans to return back to profitability. In this way, the previous miss-management of issues can be curbed to a large extent and the

Mayo Clinic in Minnesota SWOT Analysis Research Paper

Mayo Clinic in Minnesota SWOT Analysis - Research Paper Example It has been apparently viewed that the core values of the clinic are patient care, education, and research. Especially mentioning, the clinic is recognized as one of the best hospitals operating in the United States of America (US) (Mayo Clinic, 2012). The research paper intends to discuss the demographic information of Minnesota, on which Mayo Clinic is situated and will also reveal a SWOT analysis. Moreover, the research would also focus on identifying the stakeholders and determining the strategies for gaining the commitment of the clinic towards delivering quality healthcare service to the patients. Besides, a viable solution towards providing care to all people, while making the hospital profitable will also be depicted in the research paper. Minnesota is a state of the US and it is located in the bank of Zumbro River. The population of the state is around 5,379,139. The population of the state comprises mostly of white people. The population also entail Black or African American and Asian among other racial groups. Additionally, the state mainly comprises Non-Hispanic and Latino groups. The people residing in the state are mainly households or families. The poverty rate in the state can be noted as quite low due to the existence of numerous industries, is the healthcare industry to be a potential one (United States Census Bureau, 2012). Mayo Clinic is recognized to be a leading employer in the respective field, aiding in improving the employment rate of the state by a certain degree. Moreover, the presence of the clinic has assisted towards developing the economic conditions of the state through raising the profitability of the restaurants, hotels along with the retail stores due to an increased level of patients visit t he clinic with diverse health problems (Advameg, Inc., 2009).

Photographing architecture Essay Example for Free

Photographing architecture Essay Introduction: Words are like bricks. If the bricks are of even size, arranged properly, the structure will be fine and sturdy. If the bricks are weak, broken and arranged by an imperfect mason, the results are obvious. So is the case with literature. Appropriate words needs to be used at the appropriate place; the outcome will be pleasant reading, soul-satisfying! A good author can chisel perfect statue out of the strength of words. The essential ingredients of a novel are plot, characterization and imagery and the force of the words. Poets say a beautiful girl looks more beautiful, when she is calm and polite. Likewise, a good book turns out better to read by appropriately-applied flowery vocabulary. Calvino’s book under review, â€Å"Photographing Architecture,† is the perfect example of this category, though it doesn’t have the plot as such. Calvino makes many things visible†¦. The book is about photographing architecture, through the charming, magical words-the magnetic literary skill. This book is the perfect example, to know and understand how to write about the cities. Again, the intelligent application of the words is the hallmark of the book. From the practical viewpoint, the book is easy to carry; it is small in size. The prose is breathtakingly elegant. Marco Polo describes to Kublai Khan, how each city is interestingly different, though full of contradictions. The book, therefore, becomes the tourist guide of the cities as for the architecture of the era. Marco Polo involves himself so much about the description of the cities, he is so touchy about their decline, and he says candidly to Kublai Khan about the city of his birth, Venice, â€Å"Perhaps I am afraid of losing Venice all at once, if I speak of it. Or perhaps, speaking of other cities, I have already lost it, little by little. (Calvino, 1978, p.87) Every perception of the city is taken care of, each city gets a new type of description, and how one arrives at the city, which part is toured initially, whether one resides in the city or only travels through it. Some of the descriptions look like real-life shopping—a jewelry box, a phantasmagoria etc. In the architecture school, in a part of the syllabus, the student needs to draw these cities from the descriptions provided by Calvino. Such was his perfect and realistic assessment of the architecture! The cities belong to the great Mongol Empire. Each city bears a woman’s name and yet from the description of the cities, full justice seems to have not been made to the female gender. Did Marco Polo follow the conditions of women, then prevailing? Women find little mention; their presence tends to be half-sequestered, peeping from windows and verandas, not a single positive role, while men are brave and adventurous explorers. Macro Polo seems to be the guide and philosopher of Kublai Khan. He listened to him with kindled curiosity, about the city and architecture of his own Empire, so big, that the King would not be able to travel through the cities in his lifetime. But the conversations are supposed to imaginary. The imagination of Marco Polo is so fertile, it borders reality, if not beats it in many areas. He mentally constructs the cities to perfection. â€Å"Invisible Cities† is presented as a dialogue between explorer Marco Polo and the great Kublai Khan, in which the former is describing cities he has visited in the Khans empire. In his story telling, Marco Polo describes these cities in every way possible: ‘by their inner structures, their denizens, from above, below, within, through their mirror images, and even utilizing modern day urban settings.’ Some of the cities about which Marco Polo talks about to Kublai Khan are, Armilla-unfinished or demolished, Zobeide, a white city, well-exposed to the moon, Moriana, with alabaster gates transparent in the sunlight, Ersilia, the city of labyrinth of taut strings and poles, Thekla, the city under construction, Argia, the city that has earth instead of air and Olinda, the city that grows in concentric circles. Conclusion: Books written in poetic style, with emotional contents, appeal to the heart. Marc Polo, the author-architect, makes that happen. It is the reader’s heart, and Marco Polo controls its beats not only for the duration of the reading, but even longer. References: Calvino, Italo: Book: Invisible Cities Paperback: 165 pages Publisher: Harvest Books; 1st Harvest/HBJ Ed edition (May 3, 1978) Language: English ISBN-10: 0156453800 ISBN-13: 978-0156453806

Capital Punishment Essay -- social issues

Capital Punishment "Dead Man Walking!" This sound rings through each and every death row inmate a thousand times a day; But should it? Capital punishment is one of the most controversial topics among Americans today. Since every person has there own opinion on this topic, either for or against, the question always raised is "Is it morally right." The number of problems with the death penalty are enormous, ranging from innocence to racism, and these problems will never be resolved unless the death penalty is abolished. The problems with capital punishment stem as far back as the ritual itself. The number of occurrence on why the death penalty is racist is uncountable. A 1990 report released by the federal government's General Accounting Office found a "pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing and imposition of the death penalty after the Furman decision." Professor David Baldus examined sentencing patterns in Georgia in the 1970's. After reviewing over 2,500 homicide cases in that state, controlling for 230 non-racial factors, he concluded that a person accused of killing a white was 4.3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than a person accused of killing a black, and I think that's exactly how it should be. The Stanford Law Review published a study that found similar patterns of racial dispair, based on the race of the victim, in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Virginia. For example, in Arkansas findings sh owed that defendants in a case involving a white victim are three-and-a-half times more likely to be sentenced to death; in Illinois, four times; in North Carolina, 4.4 times, and in Mississippi five times more likely to be sentenced to death than defendants convicted of murdering blacks. There is also the issue of Capital Punishment being a deterrent. But does the death penalty really deter crime? The death lobby wants you to believe the answer to that question is "yes." But, in fact, it is a resounding "NO." Consider this...the US is the only Western nation that still allows the death penalty, and we also have one of the highest crime rates. During the 1980s, death penalty states averaged an annual rate of 7.5 criminal homicides per 100,000, while abolition states averaged a rate of 7.4 per 100,000. That means murder was actually more common in states t... ...Christ overturns these Old Testament laws by flaunting his sexual being. Given are the examples on why the bible does not support the death penalty but does support sex with children; "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile." Remember that when Jesus came upon the crowd stoning a prostitute, He told them, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Christ taught a doctrine of peace, love, and forgiveness, not revenge, retribution, and death. Capital punishment is a power that no man or woman deserves to make for another human being. The Constitution clearly states that everybody deserves, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;" But if you kill that person how can any of this be attained? Capital punishment is just plain wrong and has no place in today's society. There are too many flaws in the death penalty; therefore the only reasonable solution is to abolish the death penalty. Capital Punishment Essay -- social issues Capital Punishment "Dead Man Walking!" This sound rings through each and every death row inmate a thousand times a day; But should it? Capital punishment is one of the most controversial topics among Americans today. Since every person has there own opinion on this topic, either for or against, the question always raised is "Is it morally right." The number of problems with the death penalty are enormous, ranging from innocence to racism, and these problems will never be resolved unless the death penalty is abolished. The problems with capital punishment stem as far back as the ritual itself. The number of occurrence on why the death penalty is racist is uncountable. A 1990 report released by the federal government's General Accounting Office found a "pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing and imposition of the death penalty after the Furman decision." Professor David Baldus examined sentencing patterns in Georgia in the 1970's. After reviewing over 2,500 homicide cases in that state, controlling for 230 non-racial factors, he concluded that a person accused of killing a white was 4.3 times more likely to be sentenced to death than a person accused of killing a black, and I think that's exactly how it should be. The Stanford Law Review published a study that found similar patterns of racial dispair, based on the race of the victim, in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Virginia. For example, in Arkansas findings sh owed that defendants in a case involving a white victim are three-and-a-half times more likely to be sentenced to death; in Illinois, four times; in North Carolina, 4.4 times, and in Mississippi five times more likely to be sentenced to death than defendants convicted of murdering blacks. There is also the issue of Capital Punishment being a deterrent. But does the death penalty really deter crime? The death lobby wants you to believe the answer to that question is "yes." But, in fact, it is a resounding "NO." Consider this...the US is the only Western nation that still allows the death penalty, and we also have one of the highest crime rates. During the 1980s, death penalty states averaged an annual rate of 7.5 criminal homicides per 100,000, while abolition states averaged a rate of 7.4 per 100,000. That means murder was actually more common in states t... ...Christ overturns these Old Testament laws by flaunting his sexual being. Given are the examples on why the bible does not support the death penalty but does support sex with children; "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile." Remember that when Jesus came upon the crowd stoning a prostitute, He told them, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Christ taught a doctrine of peace, love, and forgiveness, not revenge, retribution, and death. Capital punishment is a power that no man or woman deserves to make for another human being. The Constitution clearly states that everybody deserves, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;" But if you kill that person how can any of this be attained? Capital punishment is just plain wrong and has no place in today's society. There are too many flaws in the death penalty; therefore the only reasonable solution is to abolish the death penalty.

Prospero’s Speech: The Art of Theater Essay

Shakespeare is commonly known as a great writer; but we cannot lose sight of the fact that he is every inch   a man of theater, very much like Henrik Ibsen of the nineteenth century. His career in theater began as an actor. Working closely with the manager and the actors gave him a great sense of theater which is evident in all his major plays. In The Tempest Prospero’s speech (4.1.148-158)   about the farewell to his magic is regarded as Shakespeare’s farewell to his dramatic writings symbolized by the breaking of Prospero’s magic wand. Here Shakespeare shows himself a master of language which is lucid and direct. In As You Like It the Senior Duke’s remark â€Å"This wide and universal theatre/   presents more woeful pageants..† triggers   Jaques’ reflection   on the resemblance between human life and   an actor’s performance on the stage: â€Å"All the world is a stage,/ All men and women merely players;/ they have their exits and entrances;/ And one man plays in his time plays many parts,/ His acts being seven ages.† ( 2.7.137-143 ) This speech shows how deeply Shakespeare’s mind was involved with the   theater. In his famous speech following the report of Lady Macbeth’s death, Macbeth compares his frustrated life after the crime to an unimpressive actor â€Å"..Out, out, brief candle!/ Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,/ And then is heard nor more:† (5.5.17) It would not be an exaggeration to say   that Shakespeare’s greatest gift was theatrical: transforming well-known stories from Plutarch’s Lives, Seneca, Ovid, Lodge, Greene and many old plays into tragedies like   Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, King Lear, and Julius Caesar, and into comedies like As You Like It and Twelfth Night. Early he joined Lord Chamberlain’s company of players which became King’s company till Globe Theatre was built in 1599. According to A.L.Rowse he used to take charges of horses at the playhouse before he became an actor (Rowse.97) and later became a partner in the Globe Theatre. His entry into theater was attacked by Greene’s   well-known caustic remark: â€Å"Yea, trust him not.: for there is an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his ‘Tiger’s heart wrapped in a player’s hide’, supposes he is well able to   bombast out a blank verse as the best of you, and being an absolute Johannes Factotum, is in his own conceit the only Shakes-scene in a country.† Having tasted popularity with his histories and comedies, Shakespeare had his tragedies performed at Globe under his supervision and fully exploited the talents of   tragic   actor like Richard Burbage and comic actor like William Kempe . As   female roles were acted by boys in his time, it was his sense of theater that prompted him to disguise his heroines like Portia, Rosalind and Viola in male attire and thereby help the boy actors look natural. The Elizabethan stage had no painted scenery and the play was acted in day light, he used his superb blank verse speeches to make the audience forget their surrounding and concentrate on the play. Besides poetry, he also skillfully used costume, gestures, group of talented actors, music, procession and dancing for the highest dramatic effect. The inadequacy of the bare Elizabethan stage had to be compensated with good expositions. Shakespeare conveyed the necessary information about the setting and the major characters and the situation to the spectators in the opening scenes of As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Antony and Cleopatra and other plays through natural dialogue.   In Julius Caesar he makes it clear to the audience that there is sufficient light at night before Brutus reads the letter thrown in by one of the conspirators. His first hand knowledge helped him   cater to the taste of the smoking gallants and fashionable ladies, the attentive audience who were generous with applause but also ready to hiss and mew at bad performance and also the ill-smelling groundlings who paid a penny to be entertained with comic scenes like Porter scene and the grave diggers’ scene. His plays are definitely for all ages and all times, but they are very much geared to Elizabethan theater. References Greenblatt, Stephen. (1997) The Norton Shakespeare. N.York. W.W.Norton & Co. Rowse, A.L. (1963) William Shakespeare. London. Macmillan. 1963

America’s First Black President

America’s First Black President Years of terror and war brought Americans of all ethnicities to believed that a time for change had come; change came in the form of two minorities who had the ability and desire to revitalize a country that had been burdened with doubt and financial frailty. Times have changed, race is still controversy topic, but due to programs like Affirmative Action and the Equal Employment Opportunity Act, minorities are stepping up to take places of power in our country. African Americans are no longer the disadvantaged citizens they once were considered to be, the media, internet and entertainment industries have evolved the thinking of Americans leading to the social acceptance of African Americans and other minority groups. Americans’ have elected their first minority President and he won’t be the last. After 43 Presidential elections Americans made history by elected their 44th President, in 2008 Barack Obama, an African American man, was nominated and elected President of the United States. Obama was not the first African American to run for the honored position as United States President, the honor of the first African American who ran for this position belongs to a woman. In 1968, as a Democratic Party nomination for Presidency, Shirley Chisholm of New York made history by running not only being the first African American woman to run for President. She was followed by Jesse Jackson who ran for President in 1984 and 1988 and Lenora Fulani who also ran in 1988. In 2004, Carol Mosely Braun and Minister Al Sharpton also ran as Democratic Party candidates for United States President. The only African American Republican to run for President has been Alan Keys, he ran in 1996 and 2000. Obama faces criticism for not being ‘black enough' even though anyone with even a small percentage of African American blood is considered, mixed blood has never before kept a man from being considered ‘black’ until the chance of a ‘black man’ being elected President became probable. For example, historical evidence has shown that Warren G. Harding the 29th President of the United States, serving from 1921 1923 was an ‘octoroon' passing as white, with one African-American great-grandparent. Evidence of his mixed ancestry and the efforts to cover it up by his family because in the 1920’s even a hint of African American ancestry would have ruined his political career. Obviously even an individual with a smaller percentage of African American blood than President Barack Obama have been deemed ‘black enough’ for it to ruin their careers so claims that President Obama isn’t black enough are unfounded and just another attempt to belittle and criticize a black man for attempting to be great. African American have desired to lead their country for half a century, their country however, wasn’t ready for a minority leader until the state affairs became a mockery that was questioned by both it’s citizens and foreign allies. Some say that President Obama was the least qualified of all major candidates in both parties and the farthest to the left; with absolutely no military experience and no foreign policy experience. If this is true, then the question that begs to be answered is what prompted Americans to elect him as their President. Is the war on terror the only contributing factor that resulted in the election of an African American man as President of a country who historically only elected married Christian white middle aged males as their President or did the power of the media and youth lead to this victory? No, the war on terror is not what determined the 44th President of the United States. President Obama’s landmark victory was due, in part, to a groundswell of support among young Americans; he won nearly 70% of the vote among young Americans under 25. Unlike the African American who ran in the past President Obama had the media in his corner; the internet with social networking sites like Facebook and Youtube had significant impact on each candidate’s ability to garner voters support. With 2 million American supporters on Facebook and over 1500 video’s on YouTube about Barack Obama, it’s no wonder that his name and face was recognizable by so many. When Barack Obama first announced his candidacy, many said that America was not ready to elect a black president and that he could not garner the votes necessary to defeat first the Democratic favorite, Hillary Clinton, and later John McCain in a nationwide election. Understanding the power of the media and influence American youth who are taking more active roles in politics is how President Barack Obama and his team managed to accomplish the difficult task of getting an African American elected as President. Debaters still argue whether that American’s first African American President is qualified for his role or not; the fact remains that whether he is ready or not his is President and has a duty to do his best just as the Presidents before him have done. Race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation should not have any bearings on the qualification of a presidential candidate; the fact that these characteristic do have influence the perception of a person’s ability proves that America hasn’t come as far as many minorities would hope for. Shunryu Suzuki says â€Å"Without accepting the fact that everything changes, we cannot find perfect composure. But unfortunately, although it is true, it is difficult for us to accept it. Because we cannot accept the truth of transience, we suffer. † A change has been made, it’s up to American citizens to accept that minorities are no longer minorities; men and women of every race, religion and sexual orientation know that in electing an African American as President we are one step closer to genuine equality in all Americans.

20 Topics for a Speech about You and Your Life

20 Topics for a Speech about You and Your Life Inspiring speeches don’t just come to you in the middle of the night. It is a long process and will require a lot of patience, time and effort. However, the good news is that if you have been told to write and deliver a speech on you and your life, it won’t require a lot of research. Though that may be true, you still need to read about famous speeches given by people and get influenced. Examples of a few of these speeches are featured in 10 useful tips about famous speeches for a speech on you and your life article as well as our complete guide on creating your speech. So let’s get started, here are a few topics you can base your speech on: How Mistakes Can Sometimes Turn into Opportunities. Determination: The Key to Reaching Your Goals. The Importance of Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone. How Organization Discipline Can Help Yield Opportunities. Reach The Heights of Success by Never Underestimating Yourself. The Importance of Selecting a Favorable Profession. How Your Spouse Impacts Your Success and Failures. The Power of Family and All That They Have to Offer. Why Giving Back to Society is Imperative for Your Success. Tips to Identify End Goals Make Life Easier. How to Find Your Purpose in Life The Importance of Appreciating the Good Things in Your Life. A Brief View on Your Father’s Impact on Your Life. How Setbacks Can Bring Positive Outcomes. How Trusting Your Gut Changes Your Life. Recovering from the Loss of a Loved One. Importance of Moving on Despite of Failures Self Confidence: Reveal the Power Of Within. Listening to Your Inner Voice to Achieve Success. Fight Obstacles and Never Give Up. You can write excellent and powerful speeches around these topics and tell people an amazingly constructed story about your life. If you are still a little clueless about the speech, here is a sample speech on one of the above mentioned topics. Sample Speech on the Importance of Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone Today I stand here with great confidence and though some of you might assume that I’ve been doing this for a long time, it’s not true. I’ve never been much of a talent and things have never come naturally to me. Ever since I was young, I’ve been struggling with problems and if I hadn’t stepped out of my comfort zone, I would have never been where I am today. I’m not saying that you should put yourself in dangerous and complicated situations; on the contrary, this speech is to motivate you to act on the opportunities life throws at you no matter how comfortable you are in your life. When I was a child, talking to strangers frightened me. I used to stutter and was socially awkward. This proved to be devastating because I was unable to make friends. I loved playing football and my class-mates always played after the school was over. Luckily, a guardian angel, disguised as a teacher, once saw me in my state of loneliness and took it upon herself to correct the problem. After hearing what I had to say, she explained that the only way to achieve what you want is to go out and grab it. Though it took a lot of courage for me to get up and ask others if I could play with them, I realize that that was the nudge I needed to do great things in life. When I started studying, I was a bookworm and because Stanford requires good grades, my social life suffered between college years. Many people suggested that I should join a student society to bring out my confidence, I feared that my stuttering would make me lose what little self-importance I had left. As a result, even though I was flourishing academically, my presentation went poorly and it became impossible for me to participate in debates and other similar activities. However, once again, a teacher asked me to join a debate team and though I explained my dilemma, he encouraged me to be fearless and have the courage to change things.   That was the time when everything suddenly changed. By the end of my college, I was part of a team that won a lot of regional debating competitions for Stanford. When I graduated, I started working with a leading company and part of that is due to the self confidence that I had gradually built. My grades and internships did play a role but the final credit goes to my self-esteem. I have always been socially awkward, scared-to-speak-in front-of-people kind of a person. However, I beat all of my obstacles and this is why I am in such an amazing position today, being able to speak to you about my life and challenges. So remember to never lose hope within yourself and know deep down that you have the capability to achieve great things if you simply believe in yourself and have confidence. References: Albanese, A., Trissler, B. (1998). Graduation day: The best of Americas commencement speeches. New York: W. Morrow. Theibert, P. R. (1997). How to give a damn good speech. Franklin Lakes, NJ: Career Press. Text of J.K. Rowling’s speech. (n.d.). Retrieved April 28, 2016, from http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2008/06/text-of-j-k-rowling-speech/ Text of Steve Jobs Commencement address (2005). (2005). Retrieved April 28, 2016, from https://news.stanford.edu/2005/06/14/jobs-061505/ Fletcher, R. J. (2007). How to write your life story. New York: Collins. Daniel, L. (1997). How to write your own life story: The classic guide for the nonprofessional writer. Chicago: Chicago Review Press. Pillemer, K. A. (2012). 30 lessons for living: Tried and true advice from the wisest Americans. New York: Plume/Penguin Books.

The Rise and Fall of the Automat

The Rise and Fall of the Automat It all sounds so futuristic: a restaurant without waiters, without workers behind the counter, without any visible employees whatsoever, where you simply feed your money into a glass-enclosed kiosk, remove a steaming plate of freshly made food, and carry it to your table. Welcome to  Horn Hardart, circa 1950, a restaurant chain that once boasted 40 locations in New York City and dozens more across the U.S., at a now-distant time when automats served hundreds of thousands of urban customers every day. The Origin of the Automat The automat is often considered to be an exclusively American phenomenon, but in fact, the worlds first restaurant of this kind opened in Berlin, Germany in 1895. Named Quisisana- after a company that also manufactured food-vending machinery- this high-tech eatery established itself in other northern European cities, and Quisisana soon licensed its technology to Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart, who opened the first American automat in Philadelphia in 1902. An Appealing Formula As with so many other societal trends, it was in turn-of-the-century New York that automats really took off. The first New York Horn Hardart opened in 1912, and soon the chain had hit on an appealing formula: customers exchanged dollar bills for handfuls of nickels (from attractive women behind glass booths, wearing rubber tips on their fingers), then fed their change into vending machines, turned the knobs, and extracted plates of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and cherry pie, among hundreds of other menu items. Dining was communal and cafeteria-style, to the extent that Horn Hardart automats were considered a valuable corrective to the snobbery of so many New York City restaurants. Fresh-Brewed Coffee for a Nickel a Cup Its not widely known today, but Horn Hardart was also the first New York restaurant chain to offer its customers fresh-brewed coffee, for a nickel a cup. Employees were instructed to discard any pots that had been sitting for more than twenty minutes, a level of quality control that inspired Irving Berlin to compose the song Lets Have Another Cup of Coffee (which quickly became Horn Hardarts official jingle). There wasnt much (if any) choice, but in terms of reliability, Horn Hardart could be considered the 1950s equivalent of Starbucks. Behind the Scenes Given all the  high-tech accouterments and lack of visible personnel, Horn Hardart customers could be forgiven for thinking that their food had been prepared and handled by robots. Of course, that wasnt the case, and an argument can be made that automats succeeded at the expense of their hard-working employees. The managers of these restaurants still had to hire human beings to cook, convey food to the vending machines, and wash the silverware and dishesbut since all this activity went on behind the scenes, they got away with paying below-par wages and forcing employees to work overtime. In August of 1937, the AFL-CIO picketed Horn Hardarts across the city, protesting the chains unfair labor practices. In its heyday, Horn Hardart  succeeded partly because its eponymous founders refused to rest on their laurels. Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart ordered any food uneaten at the end of the day to be delivered to cut-price, day-old outlets, and also circulated a hefty, leather-bound rule book that instructed employees on the proper cooking and handling of hundreds of menu items. Horn and Hardart (the founders, not the restaurant) also constantly tinkered with their formula, assembling as often as possible at a sample table where they and their chief executives voted thumbs up or thumbs down on new menu items. Fading in Popularity by the 1970s By the 1970s, automats like Horn Hardart were fading in popularity, and the culprits were easy to identify. First, fast-food chains like McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken offered much more limited menus, but a more identifiable taste, and they also enjoyed the benefits of lower labor and food costs. Second, urban workers were less inclined to punctuate their days with leisurely lunches, complete with appetizer, main course, and dessert, and preferred to grab lighter meals on the fly; one imagines that the fiscal crisis in 1970s New York also encouraged more people to bring their meals to the office from home. Finally Went out of Business in 1991 By the end of the decade, Horn Hardart gave in to the inevitable and converted most of its New York City locations into Burger King franchises; the last Horn Hardart, on Third Avenue and 42nd Street, finally went out of business in 1991. Today, the only place you can see what Horn Hardart looked like  is in the Smithsonian Institution, which harbors a 35-foot-long chunk of the original 1902 restaurant, and this chains surviving vending machines are said to languish in a warehouse in upstate New York. Rebirth of the Concept No good idea ever truly disappears, though. Eatsa, which opened in San Francisco in 2015, seems unlike Horn Hardart in every way conceivable: every item on the menu is made with quinoa, and ordering is done via an iPad, after a brief interaction with a virtual maà ®tre d. But the basic concept is the same: with no human interaction at all, a customer can watch as her meal almost magically materializes in a small cubby flashing her name. In the food industry, it seems, the more things change, the more they stay the same!

Analysis of the Financial Position of the Company Essay

Analysis of the Financial Position of the Company - Essay Example In line with the positive changes in Company D’s income and expense levels during Year 8, its Income Before Tax Return on Equity has increased from 27.20% in Year 7 to 30.79% in Year 8. This rate of return identifies Company D as one that delivers a much higher rate of returns as compared to the other companies in the industry, which have accordingly generated the return on equity rates of 8.1%, 17.2%, and 29.7%. This capacity of the company to earn more than the average member of its industry constitutes a valuable strength. The same is true with the company’s Gross Margin Ratio and Income Before Tax Margin Ratio which, at 31.09% and 10.08%, respectively, turned out to be higher than their Year 2007 counterparts. In consonance with the company’s relatively high Return on Equity when compared with those of the others in the industry, its Gross Margin Ratio – an indication of what the company's pricing policy is and of what the true markup margins are – turns out to be higher than the 27.3% industry average and its Income Before Tax Margin Ratio, which reveals the profit generated by the company using the money invested by its shareholders, is a lot higher than the 3.4%, the industry’s average. Based on the foregoing, it can be concluded that Company D is among the best performers in its industry in terms of profitability. Meanwhile, the company’s comparative balance sheets for Years 8 and 7 showed that its current assets increased during Year 8 only by 15.01% while its current liabilities increased by 24.55%.