Fillmore, Millard (1800-1874), 13th President Of The United States (18

Fillmore, Millard (1800-1874), 13th president of the United States (1850-1853) and the second vice president to finish the term of a deceased president. He succeeded Zachary Taylor at a critical moment in United States history. The Mexican War (1846-1848) had renewed the conflict between the Northern and Southern states over slavery, since it had added new territories to the United States. The debate over whether these territories should be admitted as free or slave states precipitated a crisis that threatened civil war. Much to the relief of Northern and Southern politicians, Fillmore pursued a moderate and conciliatory policy. He signed into law the Compromise of 1850, which admitted one territory as a free state and allowed slave owners to settle in the others. This compromise did not solve the basic problem of slavery but did preserve peace for nearly eleven years. During that time the North gained the industrial power that enabled it to defeat the South when civil war eventually came. Fillmore was born in upstate New York in 1800. He was the second child and eldest son in a family of nine. His parents, Nathaniel and Phoebe Millard Fillmore, had moved from Vermont to New York several years before his birth. Young Fillmore did chores on his father's farm, worked as an apprentice in the clothier's trade, and attended local schools irregularly until he was 17. Although the only books in his home were the Bible, an almanac, and a hymnbook, Fillmore managed to educate himself with the help of a village schoolteacher, Abigail Powers. When he was 19, Fillmore began to study law with Judge Walter Wood of Cayuga County. He supported himself by teaching school. When his family moved to East Aurora, near Buffalo, New York, Fillmore continued his study of law and his teaching. In 1823 he opened a law office in East Aurora. Three years later he married Abigail Powers. The couple had two children, Mary Abigail and Millard Powers. In the early years of their marriage, Mrs. Fillmore continued to teach school and to help her husband with his law studies. In 1826, the year Fillmore was married, an incident in western New York set him on the road to the presidency. When William Morgan, a former member of the Masonic fraternal order who had written a book that claimed to expose the order's secrets, disappeared, the rumor spread that he had been murdered by avenging Masons. Thurlow Weed, a newspaper publisher and politician, seized on the incident to arouse public feeling against all secret organizations and helped to organize the Anti-Masonic Party. Meanwhile, Millard Fillmore had been winning respect and popularity in East Aurora. People admired his professional ethics, temperate habits, careful speech and dress, and good looks. These qualities caught the attention of the Anti-Masonic politicians, who were looking for vote-winning candidates. In 1828, Weed and his group ran Fillmore for a seat in the New York state legislature, and he was elected. Four years later, again with Weed's backing, Fillmore was elected to the House of Represe ntatives in the Congress of the United States. When the Anti-Masonic Party merged with the new Whig Party in the mid-1830s, Fillmore became a Whig. In Congress he was a strong supporter of Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky, the leader of the Whigs. The two men agreed that compromise on the slavery issue was necessary to preserve peace between the North and South. In the important position of chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Fillmore took a leading part in framing the protective tariff (tax on imports) of 1842. The tariff raised rates to about the high level of the tariff of 1833. That tariff was opposed by the South and had provoked the state of South Carolina to pass its Ordinance of Nullification, declaring the tariff void within its borders. Fillmore did not run for reelection in 1842. He hoped for the vice presidential nomination on Clay's Whig presidential ticket, but the party's national convention of 1844 gave that spot to Theodore Frelinghuysen of New Jersey. Fillmore then accepted the Whig nomination for governor of New York. In the election, however, Fillmore was beaten by his Democratic Party opponent, Silas Wright, and Clay lost the decisive New York

buy custom Future Military Technologies essay

buy custom Future Military Technologies essay Since time in history every state has a military. The main reason being that at any time a nation need to prevent their resources from any foreign attacks. As a result, much military advancement has always been there over quite a number of years with an aim of raising their security. To curb the terrorist attacks there is great need to have strong military weapons in order to be in a position to fight terrorists who are in most cases using superior weapons. Over a good number of years, the military technology has not yet been still every time a new expansion which may provide better means of assault which must be answered by a superior means of defence. Military technology can be defined as correction of vehicles, structures and communication system which are designed for used in warfare. Better warships, missiles, fight planes gives one side an advantage in a battle until the enemy in the war develops better version of the same or a more advantaged one. Due to this, military engineers and scientists are spending a lot of time looking for new military engines and electronics to replace the existing one. In some cases military forces spot a need for certain vehicle, warship weapon or a plane. As a result, military designers are asked to come up with different designs which are then tested and the best is chosen. Numerous researches have been made so as to come up with future military technologies. For example Boeing Company and Lockheed martin have teamed to perform studies and system development efforts with an aim of coming up with the anticipated United States Air Force 2018 bomber programme. Their main aim is to come up capacity based-roadmaps for technological maturation for the 2018 bomber program. This weapon will have stealth capability and long range. According to Air Force secretary Michael Wayne this bomber will also have capability to stay airborne on call for a very long time. These weapon will have the capability to strike anywhere in the world at long range. Previously before it development the Air Force had no need for long range strikes until 2037. In early 2006 the defence force a new goal with an aim of coming up with a long rage strike bomber. That marked the birth of 2018 bomber (Woolf pp 4). Another important weapon among the future military technology weapon is the Fotofigher. According to Airborne Laser, military manufactures designed to shoot down ballistic weapons during the launch phase. It is speculated that the Fotofighiter should make it appearance. According to military,this weaponwill have embedded arrays of semi-conductor lasers as sensors and weapons for both defensive offensive purposes. It will also likely be pilotless invisibility, and be able to fry the countryside with mega joule bursts of energy, but only, one supposes, after de-docking (Gadgetmaniac para 3). An Air Force study has also shown that future dogfighters might not require a pilot in the cock pit. Air Force explains how ever-larger and more sophisticated flying robots could eventually replace every type of manned aircraft in its inventory everything from speedy, air-to-air fighters to lumbering bombers and tankers. A huge drone is under away to represent today tankers and transport vessels. This is what is referred to as the All-drone. Some of the missions tapped for possible, future drones are currently considered sacrosanct for human pilots. An example of this drones are dog fighting and nuclear bombing. As a result, there has been a need to replace the existing drones with ones that will require no human pilots. As a result, numerous researches have been conducted to ascertain the one to replace the existing aircrafts without human pilot (Axe, pp.43). As for nuclear bombing: Many aviators, in particular, believe that a man in the loop should remain an integral part of the nuclear mission because of the psychological perception that there is a higher degree of accountability and moral certainty with a manned bomber. This means that even though there some technological advancement human control remains an integral part of this military technological advancement (Axe, pp. 5). Testimonies and press reports suggested that the next generation air crafts would likely to be subsonic and stealthy. This aircraft might have unrefueled range of 2000 to 3000 miles and it might carry 28000 to 40000 pounds of armament. It is also stated that the aircraft basic design might also serve as the basis of design for the new Air Force long-range reconnaissance aircraft (Ian Graham, para. 7). According to Edwin S., war is better for totally nothing. Wars plant an enormous demand .They specify that robots having a reprogrammable brain (a computer) which helps in moving the body. According to robots, they differ from other impermanent machines, such as cars, because they have computer element. Many of the latest cars do have onboard computers which only help to make small adjustments. You control most elements in the car directly by way of various mechanical devicees. Robots differ from ordinary computers in their way of physical nature. upon a country`s resources. Those incomes contain everything from supplies to military personnel. It's so expensive to pay war. Such fighting places a burden on citizens. As soldiers walk to battle, the people left must work even harder to sustain the nation's economy from collapsing. For this purpose every nation has been working hard to guarantee that they got better warfare equipments. Nevertheless, wars may also have beneficial importance on economic and technological progress. Normally, wars have a tendency to accelerate technological improvement to acclimatize tools for the need of solving specific military problems. The most recent example of this is radar. While most of the scientists around the world used radio antennae to identify distant items during the early 20th century, we credit Sir Robert Watson-Watt for building the first practical radar in 1935. British Air Ministry adopted this design and used it to perceive aggressors in the early days of World war two (Strickland, para. 6). Radar now is an important tool in militaries in the whole world. Consecutively, radar's adoption requires countries to adapt to the modern warfare strategies. It generally prompted the United States to advance in research and development for the new ways to stun radar. This resulted to stealth aircraft technologies (Strickland, para. 4). Militaries in united states are coming up with robotic systems for all kinds of jobs for year and some of them being at the front line in any war fare. A machine is made up in same components. A typical robot having a movable physical components, a motor of some sort, a sensor arrangement, a power deliver and a computer "brain" that wheels all of these elements. Essentially, these machines are man-made version of animal life they are machines which replicate human and animal conduct. Most robot cists (people who build robots) usually use a more accurate definition. The reason behind being that ordinary computers do not have physical bodies attached to them. It is commonly for military technologies to have been researched and developed by scientists and engineers purposely for the usage of armed forces. Numerous new technologies have been introduced due to the help by military funding of science. Military engineering has been the design, developer, tester and lifecycle management of military artillery and systems. It has also drawn on the awareness of a number of traditional weapons. Buy custom Future Military Technologies essay

Planning and Controlling Direct Labor Costs Essay

Planning and Controlling Direct Labor Costs - Essay Example In the current competitive business environment, companies that cannot afford to charge low prices on their products are likely to be excluded from markets. In this regard, cost cutting allows firms to employ low pricing strategy and still make profits (Burns, Quinn, Warren & Oliveira, 2013). Business costs come in many forms. As noted by Burn et al. (2013), manufacturing companies incur expenses in acquisition of raw material and labour among other things. Sometimes it is not easy to assess the value contributed to the company’s product or service by the expenses incurred. According to Burn et al. (2013), many firms find it hard to assess actual contribution of their employees to their products. In this regard, planning and control of direct labour costs is one of the most challenging tasks for businesses. This paper discusses direct labour costs in relation to a soda ash mining company called Tata Chemicals Magadi. Importance of the study Tata Chemicals Magadi has been exper iencing financial difficulties in the recent years. As a result, the company hired an expatriate in May this year to help streamline its operations. After analysing the company’s operations, Paul Patterson (the expatriate) asserted that the Magadi’s financial problems were mainly caused by poor planning and control of labour costs. He therefore proposed a plan to improve labour efficiency. He took office in July 2013 but his progress has never been assessed until today. This study aims at determining the extent to which Patterson has been successful in streamlining the company’s direct labour costs. The specific objectives include: (1) determining actual contribution of individual employees to product output in the months of September, October and November. (2) Reconciling variances and providing information that will help the company to properly plan and control its direct labour costs. (3) Enhancing maximum output from employees. Analysis Direct labour cost co mprises of human resource expenses that goes directly to processing of products or provision of services (Horngren, Datar & Foster, 2003). In a manufacturing set up, direct labour cost would be the expenses incurred in form payment of wages and other benefits to employees who are directly involved in product manufacturing (Horngren, Datar & Foster, 2003). In this regard, as pointed out by Horngren et al. (2003), benefits may range from house allowance, transport allowance, medical cover, social security contribution and workmen’s compensation insurance among other things. This excludes labour expenses related to administrative functions such as accounting, human resources and purchases departments. Some functions in manufacturing department such as supervision and other overhead costs are not part of direct labour costs (Horngren et al., 2003). Tata Chemicals Magadi mines and dries soda ash from Lake Magadi before packaging and transporting to the market. In this case, direct labour costs comprise of wages and other benefits enjoyed by employees who are directly involved in mining and drying of soda ash. There are seven plant operators in charge of mining machines and 22 in charge of driers. In addition, there are 6 drivers who operate tracks that transport wet ash from the lake to the drying plants 4 in charge of front-end loaders at mining

Immigration and Diversity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Immigration and Diversity - Research Paper Example This paper discusses the migration of the Japanese into the state of Texas and where they settled. The Japanese migrated into Texas for various reasons. Some of them moved from Japan to settle in Texas as a result of overpopulation and congestion in the country1. The movement of some of the Japanese was by choice like, for instance, the movement of businessmen to Texas to exploit business opportunities in Texas. However, the migration of some of the Japanese was forced such as the forceful relocation of prisoners. Overpopulation caused a group of Japanese led by Sadatsuchi Uchida to tour the Gulf Coast eyeing the possibility of relocation to the area. The group was successful and thus migrated to the area and set up rise farms2. The success encouraged the movement of more Japanese to the location. Hostility drove Japanese from the West Coast to settle in Hidalgo and Cameron counties in lower Rio Grande Valley. Some of the Japanese settled in Bexar and El Paso countries. The migration of the Japanese was not particularly a drastic process. They moved into Texas in small groups and finally settled in the area to carry on their business activities. Today, the Japanese live peacefully in Texas and have become citizens by naturalization. Their massive contribution has led to the tremendous growth of the state of

Feminism in Film Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Feminism in Film - Movie Review Example The first is a romantic comedy romp set in stylized candy colors with serious underlying tones. The second is a true-to-life drama that is serious and heavy from the get-go. But both speak volumes on female oppression and the primacy of the "male gaze" in film and popular culture. Laura Mulvey (1990) has come up with the theory of the "male gaze", a theory that visual pop culture is tailored around pleasing the heterosexual male spectator and satisfying his desire for pleasure. Says Mulvey: In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between active/male and passive/female. The determining male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure, which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote looked-at-ness. Woman displayed as sexual object is the leitmotif of erotic spectacle: from pin-ups to striptease, from Ziegfield to Busby Berkeley, she holds the look, plays to and signifies male desire. This paper will explore two movies where the issue of sexual roles, and the objectification of women, come into fore. These two movies are But I'm a Cheerleader and Boys Don't Cry. ... The film is a virtual commentary on stereotypes and the deleterious effects of stereotyping. For instance, the "evidence" used to demonstrate that Megan is a lesbian or has lesbian tendencies is the fact that she is a vegetarian, the photos she keeps of girls, and a displayed poster of Melissa Etheridge, known to be a gay icon admired and loved by lesbians. Equally disturbing are the activities they are made to undergo at the camp. For instance, they are bombarded by images of women performing tasks that are stereotyped as being for women and men performing tasks that are widely regarded as being for men. What this does is that it pigeonholes women and relegates them to certain roles in society, and conveys the message that they cannot nurture dreams that defy social conventions or venture beyond the parameters that have been set out for them. In effect, this supports the theory of the "male gaze", for in fact, these roles and these boxes have been created by a largely patriarchal and heterosexual society, where women are judged according to the yardsticks set up by men. Th e attractiveness of women, for instance, is judged through male lenses. If a woman behaves in a manner disapproved by men, then she is castigated, or in this case, called a lesbian. For example, the lead character's abject refusal to make out with a male character in the movie, Jared, is perceived as a deviation from the norm. This springs from the assumption that women jump at the chance to make out with men. The look and feel of the movie is very cotton-candy. There are deep hues of blue and pink. This suggests that the director is using color to further emphasize the point on stereotyping. Deep blue is

Feminism and its impact on society

Feminism and its impact on society Feminism is one of the basic movements for human liberty (Schneir, 1996: xi) a feminist role in society is to actively recognize the need for, and work towards creating equality for all women. Feminism is purely a movement which intends to enlighten people with a goal of improving gender equality and strengthening womens status in society. Geographers began to study feminism in the late 1970s as a resistance against sexism. Since the late 1970s to 90s, the work of many feminist geographers have explored the connections between gender and geography, and has challenged gender inequalities in both geographical discourse and knowledge about the world (Blunt, A Wills J 2000. Pg 91). Feminist geography is a more advanced approach within human geography, it addresses the various ways in which genders and geographies are mutually constituted (Pratt, 1994: 94). Feminist geography questions the patriarchal and hierarchical assumptions on which geography is based, and highlights the oppression and difficulty women face through gender inequality. The Feminist theory is concerned with analysing and explaining as well as changing gendered power relations. Our society is characterized by differences in power and status of two groups: men and women. Men inevitably have more power and status than women; this results in their interests being reinforced by patriarchy. We live in a patriarchal society that accepts as essentially unproblematic the routine beating, raping, and murder of women. (Batzell, R 2009) Feminist theories has inspired critical work across the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences that seeks to disrupt the gender imbalance of power that exists both within and beyond the academy (Alison, Blunt 2000). Feminists also claim that many cultural beliefs in contemporary society benefit men and ultimately disadvantage women. Therefore their fundamental aim is to reverse this disadvantaged role women play in society. Feminism spans all ideologies, activities, and policies whose goal it is to remove discrimination against women and to break down the male domination of society (Lovenduski and Randall, 1993: 2) Associations between gender and geography as a discipline will be further explored, illustrating how production of geographical knowledge has been gendered. Gender represents differences between womens and mens attitudes, behaviour and opportunities that depend upon socially constructed views of femininity and masculinity. The term gender is preferred to that of sex, which is restricted to the anatomical distinction between the sexes rather than social differences. (McDowell, 1986: 170) Gender is a social relation that positions men and women differently in society. Feminists may argue that there is a hierarchy of power held directly by men who are in a more advantageous position in society, because of their gender. Gender is a part of an individuals identity; it influences what we think about ourselves, people and also our relationship with other people (Blunt, A Wills, J 2000 Pg 92). To be born male or female does not imply masculinity and femininity; rather ideologies about masculinity and femininity are socially constructed. This is further supported by (de Beauvoir, 1949) One is not born but rather becomes a woman. These social constructions are very crucial in shaping the everyday lives of men and women. Socialist feminist geographers (also known as Marxist feminists) look at the way in which the structuring of space creates and continues to maintain traditional gender roles and relationships in society and how spatial variations in gender impact where an industry locates. Employers locate to areas where there is an availability of cheap female labour, and the quantity of this type of labour. However this can vary over regions and nations. Their message also emphasizes that true equality cannot be achieved and will be difficult to attain without a major revolution, in particular an economic one, as power and capital are distributed unevenly in the capitalist society we have today. Women are often stereotyped as domestic workers, consumers and care workers and these ideas are mostly associated with femininity. This type of employment is often seen to be less worthy and deserving of a high pay and less respected than traditional masculine roles. There seems to be a tendency to value and remunerate women less for their work as they enter a profession. It is not fair for women to individually work so that they can rise to powerful positions in society. It is acceptable to say that power needs to be redistributed throughout society. In contrast, ideas about full-time employment and citizenship beyond the home are often shaped by ideas of masculinity; this is reflected by the notion of men to be suitable to certain spheres of work and participation in public life rather than women. (Massey 1996, cited in Blunt Wills 1993). Gender inequality can be witnessed everywhere through the masculine spaces of mines and city workers, down to the feminized spaces of garment factories and primary teaching. However these gender roles and relations are ever changing, and to reiterate they are socially constructed as well as dynamic rather than permanent and static from birth. Inequality also lays heavily in the difference in pay between men and women. As a recent study found that simply being a woman was the most serious impediment to women in the workplace (reportageonline.com), women working full-time earn on average 16.4% less per hour than men working full-time. Other figures show women working part-time earn on average 35.3% less per hour than men working full-time (based on mean hourly pay in 2009; data from EHRC, 2010). The difference in earnings is created through the gender segregation of occupations and women being discriminated against. Furthermore the lower paid work is usually carried out by the females as there is a gender stereotype for women to take responsibility of certain jobs. There is also an under-representation of women in vocational work and in large firms. Nevertheless, Gender has come a long way, and in recent years has dynamically changed as now more women are paid fairly in employment Feminism on a whole has had a positive impact on society it has been a dramatically successful social movement. It has changed womens expectations and perspectives on their lives. In the past, women would have to marry to gain financial security and stability. Women are now working and more independent than ever, by earning their own living, they do not need to rely on a man for stability. Sue Sharpe (1976, 1994) has conducted research into this area and in the first edition of her book Just Like A Girl (1976) she interviewed girls and asked them about their future plans, which were to get married and have children. A career was not seen as important neither a high priority. She later repeated her research in the 1990s and found that the girls priorities had changed; their careers came first and marriage and children were not as important anymore. Women now have far more choice, variety and opportunities compared to the past. Feminism has also transformed what men expect from sharing their lives with women and how they will behave towards women. Children growing up now simply take for granted feminisms messages about sexual equality and justice when only 30 years ago such messages were widely opposed as extremist and threatening to the social order. No other movement has so rapidly revolutionized such deeply held patterns of behaviour (Coward, 1999: 194) Finally, in response to wider social shifts, the aspirations of girls may have also increased. Thus girls now may have their sights set on university and a career and this may translate into increased engagement with school. Recent reforms have opened opportunities to women most notably the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, which made gender discrimination in employment illegal. women still suffer many injustices, discriminations and sometimes even outrages but there is no longer a coherent picture of male advantage and female disadvantage à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Gender remains a crucial division in society but in a much more fractured and inconsistent way (Coward, 1999: 192-3) The key message of feminism in the 21st century society should highlight choice in bringing a personal meaning to feminism is to recognise others right to do the exact same thing. Women all over the world nationally, regionally and globally should be able to embrace this powerful message of feminism and be able to create a positive meaning of their own womanhood and femininity. However, despite feminism being a strong successful movement, inequality and exploitation of women still exist and sadly there are women today, who are trapped in a society which doesnt value them and leaves them neither choice nor freedom to express their views and rights.

Coca-Cola Case Study :: Business Management Marketing

Coca-Cola Case Study 1. SWOT ANALYSIS: Strengths Coca-Cola has been an intricate part of American culture for over a century. The product’s image is laden with sentimentality, and this is an image many people have taken deeply to heart. The Coca-Cola image is displayed on T-shirts, hats, and collectible memorabilia. This extremely recognizable branding is one of Coca-Cola’s greatest strengths. â€Å"Enjoyed more than 685 million times a day around the world Coca-Cola stands as a simple, yet powerful symbol of quality and enjoyment† (Allen, 1995). Additionally, according to Bettman, et. al, (1998) Coca-Cola’s bottling system is one of their greatest strengths. It allows them to conduct business on a global scale while at the same time maintain a local approach. The bottling companies are locally owned and operated by independent business people who are authorized to sell products of the Coca-Cola Company. Because Coke does not have outright ownership of its bottling network, its main source of revenue is the sale of concentrate to its bottlers (Bettman, et. al, 1998). Weaknesses: Although domestic business as well as many international markets are thriving (volumes in Latin America were up 12%), Coca-Cola has recently reported some "declines in unit case volumes in Indonesia and Thailand due to reduced consumer purchasing power." According to an article in Fortune magazine, "In Japan, unit case sales fell 3% in the second quarter [of 1998]...scary because while Japan generates around 5% of worldwide volume, it contributes three times as much to profits. Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Japan account for about 35% of Coke's volume and none of these markets are performing to expectation (Mclean, 1998). Opportunities: Brand recognition is the significant factor affecting Coke’s competitive position. Coca-Cola’s brand name is known well throughout 90% of the world today. The primary concern over the past few years has been to get this name brand to be even better known. Packaging changes have also affected sales and industry positioning, but in general, the public has tended not to be affected by new products (Allen, 1995). Coca-Cola’s bottling system also allows the company to take advantage of infinite growth opportunities around the world. This strategy gives Coke the opportunity to service a large geographic, diverse, area (Bettman, et. al, 1998). Threats: Currently, the threat of new viable competitors in the carbonated soft drink industry is not very substantial. The threat of substitutes, however, is a very real threat. The soft drink industry is very strong, but consumers are not necessarily married to it.