The Awakening by Kate Chopin essays

The Awakening by Kate Chopin essays The Victorian woman was the old maid, fallen woman, and the angel in the house (Claire Kahane, 5), all rolled into one. This same Victorian woman captured the complicated effects of the eras attempt to control the representation of womens nature (5). In the 1880s, this angel in the house (5), this ideal woman, was challenged by what was called the Novissima, The New Woman who rejected marriage and motherhood and contested the boundaries of those separate entities. Edna Pontelleir in Kate Chopins novel, The Awakening, is a woman that is way ahead of her time. She is a woman living through the Victorian Era, although without the many pretenses that most women at the time did. Not only did she not fit into the Creole role that her husband had set up for her, she was having a difficult time squeezing into the gendered role that he had established for her as well. Edna gradually "awakens" to the realization that she is a person and not the possession of her husband. She also realizes she is in an oppressive society and that she is no longer one of the mindless members of the majority, but an individual who's passion conflicts the responsibility that society feels she should be dedicated to. Edna is thrown into the Creole society after her marriage to her Creole husband. This society abounds with "mother-women," who idolize their children and worship their husbands. At this time, this ideal woman was the norm, and Edna knew she was different than this. Her friend, Madame Ratignolle was the perfect image of the ideal woman. She was pious, submissive, nurturing, and simply the image of domesticated perfection. Edna admires her friend, but cannot understand why anyone would want to see their husband or coo over their children so much. Edna and Madame Ratignolle are Chopins representations of the Old and &...

Past Perfect Worksheets for ESL Learners

Past Perfect Worksheets for ESL Learners In general, the past perfect is used to express something that had happened before something else in the past. The key to understanding the past perfect is that is used to express something which was completed in the past before something else took place. Past Perfect Positive Form Review Subject had past participle objects Examples: Alex had finished the test before Tom asked to see it.They had lived in France for 10 years before they moved home. Past Perfect Negative Form Subject had not past participle objects Examples: She hadnt eaten by the time he arrived.We hadnt bought the car when he told us the news. Past Perfect Question Form (Question Word) had subject past participle? Examples: Had you done anything before he arrived?What had she done to upset you so much? Important Note! Regular past participles in -ed, irregular past participles of verbs vary and must be studied. Already / Before Already is used in the past perfect positive form to something that something had been completed before another action occurred.Before is used in the past perfect in a similar sense to already, but in all forms. Examples: They had already completed the work when he arrived.She hadnt been able to eat lunch before he telephoned. For For is used to express the duration of time something had happened before something else occurred in the past. Examples: Susan had worked as an assistant manager for five years before she was promoted.They had lived in that house for ten years before he moved in with them. By the Time By the time is used to express the point in time up until which something had happened. Examples: By the time he asked me, I had completed everything he requested.They had eaten by the time he walked into the room. Past Perfect Worksheet 1 Conjugate the verb in parentheses in the past perfect tense. In the case of questions, use the indicated subject as well. They ____ (eat) before he arrived.____ (you finish) the report before he asked for it?Jennifer _____ (buy) the house before the market crashed.What _____ (she do) that upset him so much?Our boss _____ (not make) the decision yet when management changed their mind.The students _____ (write) the report, but the teacher made them do it again.Mark _____ (want) to go to New York, but his wife changed his mind._____ (they invest) in that stock before the market improved?Alex _____ (not do) the gardening before it started raining.Their decision _____ (make - passive voice) before conditions changed.We _____ (eat already) so we werent hungry._____ (Tom choose) the color for his room before he was asked to paint it black?Sarah _____ (drive) three hundred miles by the time she arrived in Tacoma.Few people _____ (understand) the news when the consequences began to appear.The reporter _____ (not tell) the cameraman to get ready when the president walked into the room.Bob _____ (purchase) the fir st generation iPad two weeks before the second generation was introduced. I _____ (print) the report before he gave me the updates._____ (Henry come) home before the called the police?She _____ (not complete) the article when the news changed everything.The coach _____ (reserve) rooms for everybody so there werent any problems. Past Perfect Worksheet 2 Choose the correct time or quantity expression used with the past perfect tense. How (much/long) had you known Peter before he proposed?They had (yet/already) eaten by the time he arrived.Cathy hadnt finished the report (when/by) the time he asked for it.Phillip had requested all the forms (as soon as/before) he began the application process.How (much/long) wine had they drunk before they were asked to stop?She had made the decision long (after/before) he asked her to marry him.They had always wanted to visit Amsterdam (so/as) they went!Jackson hadnt been able to read the book (when/as) the teacher asked him to quote from it.Susan had (yet/already) printed the report before her boss requested it.Had they (yet/already) heard the news or were they surprised? Answers For Past Perfect Worksheet 1 Conjugate the verb in parentheses in the past perfect tense. In the case of questions, use the indicated subject as well. They  had eaten  before he arrived.Had you finished  the report before he asked for it?Jennifer  had bought  the house before the market crashed.What  had she done  that upset him so much?Our boss  hadnt made  the decision yet when management changed their mind.The students  had written  the report, but the teacher made them do it again.Mark  had wanted  to go to New York, but his wife changed his mind.Had they invested  in that stock before the market improved?Alex  hadnt done  the gardening before it started raining.Their decision  had been made  before conditions changed.We  had already eaten  so we werent hungry.Had Tom chosen  the color for his room before he was asked to paint it black?Sarah  had driven  three hundred miles by the time she arrived in Tacoma.Few people  had understood  the news when the consequences began to appear.The reporter  hadnt told  the cameraman to get ready when the president walked into the room.Bo b  had purchased  the first generation iPad two weeks before the second generation was introduced. I  had printed  the report before he gave me the updates.Had Henry come  home before the called the police?She  hadnt completed  the article when the news changed everything.The coach  had reserved  rooms for everybody so there werent any problems. Answers for Past Perfect Worksheet 2 Choose the correct time or quantity expression used with the past perfect tense. How  long  had you known Peter before he proposed?They had  already  eaten by the time he arrived.Cathy hadnt finished the report  by  the time he asked for it.Phillip had requested all the forms  before  he began the application process.How  much  wine had they drunk before they were asked to stop?She had made the decision long  before  he asked her to marry him.They had always wanted to visit Amsterdam  so  they went!Jackson hadnt been able to read the book  when  the teacher asked him to quote from it.Susan had  already  printed the report before her boss requested it.Had they  already  heard the news or were they surprised?

The Importance of Customer Service to Service Companies Coursework

The Importance of Customer Service to Service Companies - Coursework Example The course work "The Importance of Customer Service to Service Companies" talks about the customer service and the importance of services management to service companies. Service companies directly deal with customers and they have customer service departments which have to continuously improve service to meet customers’ needs and gain their loyalty. Service can be defined in terms of customer satisfaction. If the goods delivered by the company meet customer specifications and the customer are satisfied, the customer is retained and may have that loyalty the service company needs. A common inspirational belief among sales people is the more loyal the customer, the more profits for the company. Firms must compete for quality. In this time of intense globalization where products and services are available at the touch of a button, quality service is most important. After World War II, when Japan was still struggling to compete with the products dominated by the United States and Europe, the term quality was not so popular. But Japanese firms introduced service quality which attacked American and European products and services. Quality-oriented service met customer needs and improved quality of life. Japanese firms became popular and profitable. Other firms had to introduce quality in their services and products. Quality management became a phenomenon which captured the attention of firms and researchers. Employees involved in service are crucial to the success of a service firm.

Female Circumcision Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Female Circumcision - Assignment Example Female circumcision is abusive and has a detrimental effect on the attitude and self-esteem for the females who practice it. 3. Patriarchy is a process or a system through which the males dominate and are in charge of social welfare of people within the society. For this reason, they are able to control the resources and set rules, norms and regulations that define a community. Patriarchy has played a big role in female circumcision especially through the ritual norms that must be performed in order to assume acceptance as a member of a certain society or community. This is because the institutions of males have dominance over the privileges of the female hence insubordination. 4. A lot of non-governmental organizations have teamed up to fight this practice. Groups like Maendeleo Ya Wanawake in Kenya have formed female groups which fight against this ritual. Most of the governments in Africa and Kenya to be precise have set rules that ban the practice terming it as child abuse. Most of the governments in Africa have also set tight penalties for societies or communities that engage in this old ritual. It is indeed right for us Westerners to meddle in traditions and practices that have no positive effect on the lives of Africans. Female circumcision is an abusive act that dehumanizes the female gender and must be fought by all members of the world and not westerners only. 5. In my opinion there has never been and there will never be any good reason to perform female genital mutilation to the female gender because it does not add any value but instead only ruins the self-esteem and leads to a lot of side effects like hemorrhage and conception difficulties and even death resulting from over bleeding during the process (Francis

On the Film Zero Dark Thirty and Torture Essay Example for Free

On the Film Zero Dark Thirty and Torture Essay Zero Dark Thirty is a 2013 film directed by award-winning director Kathryn Bigelow, and is a narration about the multiple time-skips of how Maya (Jessica Chastain), a new CIA recruit, beat the odds which led to Osama Bin Laden’s ultimate death. â€Å"Our plane’s been hijacked. I hope I can be able to see your face again, baby. I love you! Goodbye!† were lines from the actual 9/11 audio footage at the beginning of the film and from that, I thought that Zero Dark Thirty would be an emotionally-touching action-packed movie. Because of an exciting plot, I expected it to be a thrilling film but it turned out to be despicably monotonous. Set in the bustling streets and the danger-prone areas of the Middle East, the set design became largely influential to the film, and it added to the viewer’s experience. However, if I hadn’t known that the movie was directed by Academy-Award winner, Kathryn Bigelow, I would have thought that this was directed by an unknown director. The chapter-by-chapter time skip actually took the plot away from the movie it became choppy and incomprehensible. One moment we see Ammar (Reda Kateb) being tortured, and then in the next screen, it’s suddenly two years later. The only commendable action scene in the movie being Osama Bin Laden’s ambush, the plot seemed to drag as we see more conversations and less action than what we expected to see. The movie poster also said that the writer, Mark Boal, is an Academy award-winning screenwriter but it puzzles me how he actually got the information about the happenings when CIA operations are supposed to be undisclosed. Why would the scriptwriter just name-drop sites that were supposedly top-secret, like the existence of Area 51? Thus, the credibility of the events and places seem questionable. Moreover, the flood of names of terrorists in conversations was actually confusing and the discussions about situations in ISI were unnecessary. I wanted to see scenes related to finding Abu Ahmed and ultimately, Bin Laden. I wanted action, not conversations. Though the pacing was unbelievab ly slow, the cinematography during the bombing in the restaurant Maya and Jennifer were eating at was brilliant. The transition was truly surprising one moment Jennifer was talking to someone over the phone, and then the next, the restaurant was already in pieces and people were dying. Maya’s expression of pure shock and terror was perfectly captured the camera. The editing of the movie headed by William Goldenberg was realistic, and the bombings were so unpredictable, I was surprised and scared out of my seat. Mostly, the ambush operation in the last 30 minutes of the film was so professionally shot it could pass up as an actual footage. It’s the little moments that make this film alive. After the phone call from Maya’s supervisor, stating that tonight will be the ambush, we witness the bonds of the â€Å"canaries† – the way they goofed around and gambled, yet still looked out for each other. Viewers always have the impression that soldiers are brute men who would sacrifice anything and anyone for their purpose, but this scene actually gives the impression t hat they’re men too who treasure the bonds they have. The only comical relief during the movie was provided by Dan’s sarcasm and personality. Ironically, this attitude always comes up during the supposedly-heartbreaking torture scenes which made it particularly hard for me to sympathize with Ammar (Reda Kateb). Another highlight of his role was when Dan fed the monkeys in a CIA site. I remembered the previous scene when Ammar said that Dan was an animal, and as the monkeys stole the ice cream from Dan, I saw how it was similar to their situation. Dan takes and takes from Ammar, but eventually, Ammar gets the best of him when he doesn’t provide information. As I contemplated about the film after watching it, I think the reason why it seemed so bland and dry is because it lacked the action that viewers are used to see in fictional CIA films. The super cool CIA combat and the shooting scenes where the CIA agent never gets shot weren’t present in the movie. Instead, the movie consisted of CIA operatives who commit mistakes and ultimately get killed, like Jennifer (Jennifer Ehle); we meet heartless CIA agents like Dan (Jason Clarke) who would torture a man endlessly to get the information he needs. We see unsexy Maya, an ordinary-looking woman who wears identical suits every day, who got carried away by emotions after Jennifer’s death and during her confrontation with Joseph Bradley (Kyle Chandler), and who was almost killed once in an attempt at her life. The film was made up of one-dimensional characters who got frustrated when they cant do anything. I wanted to know the characters more but there was zero character development. There werent even any scenes about Mayas past, like why and how was she recruited out of high school? Did she ever get in touch with Jennifers family after her death? This lack of character personality development and the blankness of her facial expressions in most of her screen time made me wonder why Jessica Chastain is praised for her role in Zero Dark Thirty. I’ve recently watched Les Miserables and if Jessica Chastain were to be nominated in the same category as Anne Hathaway for an Oscar, then Chastain could just say that she dreamed a dream of winning an Oscar. I won’t say that she did not deserve her Golden Globe award, but I never thought she’d be nominated for it either. Her portrayal as the angry young Bin Laden-obsessed CIA agent was so stereotypical she started as the nervous , awkward new CIA operative and then ultimately became the â€Å"motherfucker,† as she puts it, who found Bin Laden’s location. Maya always had this expressionless face, as if trying very hard to capture a CIA agent’s demeanor. In fact, I only began to sympathize with Maya upon the death of Jennifer. Her endless pursuit of Bin Laden became more personal from this point, proving that nothing motivates like revenge. I think that the scene where Maya shook her head and then cried actually concludes the plot well because it showed her human side and the drive that has been pushing her all along. She quotes in one scene that her friends got killed because of the hunt and she believes that she has been spared for a reason. This gives justice to her emotions in the end, where she finally breaks down as the realization that she has reached her goal after almost a decade yet the friends she had made along the way were already gone. She is no longer the new, awkward CIA recruit, rather, Maya has become the CIA operative who resorted to all means possible to take down Osama Bin Laden. With the methods that the m ovie’s characters practiced, there has been much speculation whether the film is pro-torture or not. The director and the writer of the film presented these â€Å"enhanced interrogation techniques† as a part of the pursuit. So for me, it’s not a pro-torture movie but at the same time, it’s not anti-torture either. If Zero Dark Thirty were pro-torture, then the viewers should have seen how Ammar gave information after being tortured, but he did not. Instead we see that the key piece to the puzzle for finding Bin Laden was actually served to Dan and Maya over lunch, not during torture time. And if the movie were anti-torture, then there shouldn’t have been any torture scenes in the movie leaving Reda Kateb, who played Ammar, with zero talent fee. The film showed that Maya was convinced that the location of Bin Laden’s courier, Abu Ahmed, is crucial to the pursuit not because there was information revealed during the torture sessions, rather, it’s the detainees’ refusal to give up any information about the courier that connects the dots for Maya. Therefore, the film depicts numerous, albeit controversial, practices used in America’s pursuit for Osama Bin Laden. It shows that torturing Jihad-driven detainees or buying a man a Lamborghini as bribery weren’t the ultimate keys for solving the puzzle that led to Bin Laden. No single method can perfectly encapsulate the sum of the efforts of the people behind the manhunt for Bin Laden. The totality of their hard work and passion was what the filmmakers strived to partake, so for me, the movie isn’t raising any notions on being pro or against these methods. Zero Dark Thirty relays the fact that we tread different paths in life with a great number of sacrifices along the way. Though this movie doesn’t live up to its tagline â€Å"The Greatest Manhunt in History,† is still a perfect example of humanity’s journey towards his goals. Americans would continue to preserve their seat of power, while the Muslims would continue to do anything to reach Jihad. I wanted to be awed by this film and I wanted to feel the characters emotions, but the film gave me neither. The lack of emotion in Zero Dark Thirty makes me think that the budget for this should have been allocated to a film with a different perspective, like a documentary, and not as a film with actors and actresses playing roles they fail to give color to.

Free Essays - The Hounds of Tindalos :: Hounds

Textual Analysis The Hounds of Tindalos             The Hounds of Tindalos is a short science fiction story containing many and varied elements that have been long associated with the genre of science fiction. This essay will identify these elements, examining their placement within this short text and also the interchange of these elements with the characteristics of other genres, more specifically, horror. Belknap Long, the author, was clearly intent of incorporating the elements of horror within the genre of science fiction and this amalgamation of these two genres was a popular combination employed by future horror and SF writers. Perhaps the inclusion of horror within the SF genre is a comment in itself about perceptions of SF held by writers, the elements of horror being a cautionary warning to those in the science world. Long’s main character is Halpin Chalmers, a self proclaimed â€Å"rebel and champion of originality and lost causes†. From the start it is clear there are present within this text some elements of the SF genre that seem to be in just about every SF story, beginning with the main character. Many writers have as their main characters people who are non-conformists, who wish to boldly go where no one has gone before and who are willing to take seemingly illogical and irrational risks in the hope of furthering makinds’ scientific discoveries. Chalmers is no exception in this as he willingly partakes in an ancient Chinese drug that is a known powerful hallucinogen in a bid to go back in time. There is of course the proverbial â€Å"wet blanket† in the shape of the narrator, known only as Frank, who believes his friend Chalmers to be quite mad, but who never-the-less agrees to aid his friend in his bizarre experiment despite the risks he is taking. Frank represe nts all those characters in SF stories who are the skeptics, the non believers, who have a solid faith in the science of the present, and who consider characters like Chalmers to be eccentric and bizarre.       The setting of The Hounds of Tindalos is in the late 1920’s and the location is Central Square. Chalmer’s apartment room is where most of the story takes place. The room is in keeping with Chalmer’s character as a rejector of modern science and one who is still entranced with the historical side of science and history preferring â€Å"illuminated manuscripts to automobiles and leering stone gargoyles to radios and adding machines†.

Big Picture Questions Essay

1) The experience of empire for conquered peoples was broadly similar whoever their rulers were, Does the material in this chapter support or challenge this idea? It supports and challenges the idea to a certain extent. 2) In thinking about the similarities and differences among the empires of the early modern era, what categories of comparison might be most useful to consider? 3) Have a look at the maps in this chapter with an eye to the areas of the world that were not incorporated in a major empire. Pick one or more of them and do a little research as to what was happening there in the modern era. I chose the region of Borneo which is besides the Philippines. I believe the territory must have been led by an empire who did not want to be over thrown by the bigger empires such as Portuguese, French and English, so they would rather not be involved with their trade and other activities. 4) Looking back: compared to the world of the fifteenth century, what new patterns of development are visible in the empire-building centuries that followed? 1) To what extent did Europeans transform earlier patterns of commerce, and in what ways did they assimilate into those older patterns? Europeans for the first operated on a global scale, forging new trade networks across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans They also facilitated the full integration of fur-supplying regions into wider trade networks. But in other ways the Europeans assimilated older patterns, as in the Indian Ocean, where they sought to dominate previously established trade routes, and they continued to trade many of the same products 2) How should we distribute the moral responsibility for the Atlantic Slave trade? Is this an appropriate task for historians? Yes, this is an appropriate task for historians, but perhaps the responsibility should be disbursed by what region a historian is most familiar. 3) What lasting legacies of early modern globalization are evident in the twenty-first century? Pay particular attention to the legacies of the slave trade. 4) Looking back: Asians, Africans, and Native Americans experienced early modern European expansion in quite different ways. Based on Chapters 13 and 14, how might you describe and explain those difference? In what respects were they active agents in the historical process rather than simply victims of European actions? Asians, Africans, and Native Americas were all victims of European actions, but in all in different forms. Africans were used as slaves and to their own convenience. Whereas, Natives were victims in the form that they were pushed out of their territories. Asians were threatened by the dominance of Europeans for two centuries. The English wanted to improvise on Christianity, but the Asians fought back. Although, these cultures were highly discriminated their customs helped form America today. For example the Asians taught English men’s daughters to make profit of their earnings. In addition, Native Americans taught the English about how to harvest and crops. Finally the African Americans brought their customs of foods and certain labors.

Development of Axum and Meroe in Northeastern Africa Essay

66. Comparative Analysis: Compare the development of Axum and Meroe in northeastern Africa with the development of the Maya and of Teotihuacan in Mesoamerica. In both the development of Axum and Meroà « in northeastern Africa possessed the ores and fuels needed to produce iron on a large scale. They traded along the Nile River to Egypt, and their goods such as gold and ivory reached ports all along the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Southern Africa, and quite possibly as far as India and China. Axum was a very powerful state. It controlled a huge number of ports, such as Adulis along the Red Sea coast, and it participated in the commerce of the Indian Ocean, where its export goods included ivory, slaves, and crystal. They also traded with Alexandrian Egypt, and eventually with Rome, Byzantium, and India. Teotihuacan was a powerful political, military, economic and cultural center that influenced the whole of Mesoamerica. Teotihuacan is one of the world’s oldest and most impressive archaeological sites. The wealth of Teotihuacan was based largely on the amount they had on the trade of obsidian, a coarse green glass occurring in volcanic rock. In common with the other Mesoamerican civilizations, the Maya had measured the length of the solar year to a high degree of accuracy. They produced extremely accurate astronomical observations; their charts of the movements of the moon and planets were used to predict eclipses and other celestial events such the time between conjunctions of Venus. The ancient Maya had diverse and sophisticated methods of food production. It was formerly believed that shifting cultivation agriculture provided most of their food but it is now thought that permanent raised fields, terracing, forest gardens, managed fallows, and wild harvesting were also crucial to supporting the large populations of the Classic period in some areas. 67. Historical Analysis: â€Å"While long-distance trade across Afro-Eurasia predates 500 C.E., it grew in importance between 500 and 1500 C.E.† What key developments make this statement true? In between 500 and 1500 C.E Afro-Eurasia’s trade increased and altered consumption patterns and encouraged peoples across the zone to specialize in producing particular goods for market rather than being self-sufficient. They followed religions such as Buddhism and Islam and it spread along the trade routes. During this period, there were a lot of epidemic diseases, and they spread along the trade routes. Some regions developed stronger states in part because of increased commerce along the trade networks. These regions were East Africa, West Africa, and Southeast Asia. There were also a lot of technological advances during this time. This included the development of larger ships and the magnetic compass in China. This also helped increase trade.

Chatting Worsens Students’ Writing Skills

Chatting Worsens Students’ Writing Skills How Texting and Chatting Are Ruining Students’ Grammar It is obvious that children have started writing much worse. It is a typical picture on a bus, on a train, or at school children or teenagers surfing the net on their phones or chatting. Writing a message has become a matter of a second. As a consequence, long complex sentences are something modern students cannot cope with. Writing a complete sentence observing syntax and punctuation, using correct grammar and making no mistakes in spelling has become a challenge. The words like sorta or kinda have entered childrens speech. The traditional methods of learning to write do not longer work with modern kids. Using letters Instead of Words It would take a while for an inexperienced adult to decode these: C u @ 9! Hw r u? C u l8r! These phrases demonstrate the principles of the language of texting. Shorthand serves the basis. The examples of children using shortened words and phrases are too many. Would is simplified to wud while fine is expressed the following way: f9. So, it is quite predictable that students do not have the slightest idea about the principles of grammar and word skills. This type of, let us say, writing is not time-consuming, so students get accustomed to it quite easily as they are constantly using it. Thus, getting down to writing some tests, essays, or any kind of assignments, they fail to switch from the shorthand language and use shortened words in academic writing. Acronyms Are Entering Dictionaries You will be both surprised and confused to find some acronyms in dictionaries. ASAP or LOL have become so commonly used that they and a lot of similar are making their way to an accepted standard of the language. LOL, OMG and FYI have been introduced into the Oxford Dictionary and soon other acronyms will become dictionary entries. The trend makes a lot of people embarrassed as it is not clear now what and how we should teach our children proper grammar usage. Steps to Make to Improve It is a shame to be considered the generation of those who cannot write even the simplest words correctly replacing Standard English with the text message language. To improve the situation we have to start now. It is obligatory to take up reading as a hobby or a habit in order to enrich our vocabulary and learn how to use grammar structures properly. What we must be aware of are the consequences of the widespread usage of shorthand language and acronyms which might be quite attractive and funny at first eventually having an undesired impact on the culture of writing. Being caring and considerate teachers and parents, we must do our best to guide the children through the process of learning to write properly.

Snowy Owl Facts

Snowy Owl Facts Snowy owls (Bubo scandiacus) are the heaviest owls in the United States. They are notable for their striking white plumage and their extreme northerly range which includes tundra habitat throughout Alaska, Canada, and Eurasia. While they are relatively rare, they are often spotted in winter when they hunt in windswept fields or dunes. Fast Facts: Snowy Owl Scientific Name: Bubo scandiacusCommon Names: Arctic owls, great white owls, white owls, Harfangs, American snowy owls, snowy owls, ghost owls, tundra ghosts, ookpiks, ermine owls, Scandinavian nightbirds, and highland tundra owlsBasic Animal Group:  BirdSize: Body: 20 to 28 inches; wingspan: 4.2 to 4.8 feetWeight: 3.5–6.5 poundsLifespan: 10 yearsDiet:  CarnivoreHabitat:  Northern United States, parts of Canada; migration takes them to parts of Europe and AsiaPopulation:  200,000Conservation  Status:  Vulnerable   Description The plumage of an adult male snowy owl is mostly white with few dark markings. Females and young owls have a sprinkling of darker feathers that form spots or bars over their wings, breast, upper parts and the back of their head. This speckling offers superb camouflage and enables juveniles and females to blend well with the summertime colors and textures of the tundras vegetation. During the nesting season, females are often are heavily soiled on their underside from sitting on the nest. Snowy owls have bright yellow eyes and a black bill. Vicki Jauron, Babylon and Beyond Photography / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Snowy owls range from the western Aleutians in Alaska to northeastern Manitoba, northern Quebec, Labrador, and the northern United States. They are primarily tundra birds although they sometimes also inhabit grasslands. They venture into forests only on very rare occasions, if ever. During the winter, snowy owls often move southward. During their migration, they are sometimes seen along coastlines and lake shores. They sometimes stop at airports, possibly because they offer them the wide-open habitat they prefer. During the breeding season, which snowy owls spend in the Arctic, they nest on small rises in the tundra where the female carves out a scrape or shallow depression in the ground in which to lay her eggs. Snowy owls rely on prey populations that fluctuate significantly over time. As a result, snowy owls are nomadic birds and go wherever there are ample food resources at any particular time. During normal years, snowy owls remain in the northernmost parts of Alaska, Canada, and Eurasia. But in seasons when prey is not abundant in the northern stretches of their range, snowy owls move further southward. Occasionally, snowy owls move to regions that are farther south than their normal range. For example, during the years of 1945 through 1946, snow owls made a widespread, coast-to-coast incursion into the southern stretches of Canada and the northern parts of the United States. Then in 1966 and 1967, snowy owls moved deeply into the Pacific Northwest region. These incursions have coincided with cyclic declines in the lemming population. Diet During the breeding season, snowy owls survive on a diet that consists of lemmings and voles. In parts of their range where lemmings and voles are absent, such as the Shetland Islands, snowy owls feed on rabbits or chicks of wading birds. Behavior Unlike most owls, snowy owls are primarily diurnal birds, usually active during the day, from dawn to dusk. Sometimes snowy owls do hunt at night. It is important to remember that within their Arctic range, snowy owls experience long summer days and hunting at night simply isnt an option as there are few or no hours of darkness. The opposite is true in winter when day length shortens and hunting during daylight hours is reduced or eliminated as the sun remains below the horizon for long stretches of time. Outside the breeding season, snowy owls make very few vocalizations. During the breeding season, snowy owls are a bit more vocal. Males make a barking kre or krek-krek call. Females produce a loud whistling or mewling pyee-pyee or prek-prek sound. Snowy owls also produce a low-pitched hoot that carries through the air for long distances and can be heard as much as 10 kilometers away. Other sounds snowy owls make include hissing, bill snapping and a clapping sound believed to be created by clicking the tongue. Reproduction and Offspring Normally, snowy owls lay between five and eight eggs per clutch. But in good years when prey such as lemmings is abundant, they lay as many as 14 eggs per clutch. Female snowy owls lay their 2.2 inch long eggs at two-day intervals so that the young emerge from the egg at different times. Mud-brown hatchlings emerge from their eggs at about the size of a newly-hatched chicken. Hatchlings in the same nest are of differing ages, with some having hatched as much as two weeks apart. Snowy owl chicks weigh only about 45 grams at birth, but they grow rapidly, gaining about three grams each day. They mature over the course of two years, at which point they weigh approximately 4.5 pounds. Javier Piva Flos/Getty Images   Conservation Status There are approximately 200,000 snowy owls in North America. Despite conservation efforts, these unique owls are now considered to be a vulnerable species. While breeding areas are usually far away from human interference, climate change is impacting the snowy owls Arctic habitat; the number of these birds is on the decline. Relatives of the Horned Owl Until recently, snowy owls were the only member of the genus Nyctea but recent molecular studies showed snowy owls to be close relatives of the horned owls. As a result, taxonomists have moved snowy owls to the genus Bubo. Other members of the genus Bubo include the American horned owls and the Old World eagle-owls. Like other horned owls, snowy owls have ear tufts but they are small and usually kept tucked away. Sources â€Å"Basic Facts About Snowy Owls.†Ã‚  Defenders of Wildlife, 10 Jan. 2019, defenders.org/snowy-owl/basic-facts.â€Å"Snowy Owl.†Ã‚  Audubon, 21 Mar. 2019, www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/snowy-owl.â€Å"Snowy Owl.†Ã‚  National Geographic, 24 Sept. 2018, www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/s/snowy-owl/.

Economic Theory of Marketing Control and Business Essay

Economic Theory of Marketing Control and Business - Essay Example It is pointed out that franchising has certain benefits. Firstly, it allows distinctive competency, then quick expansion, uniform operation-standardisation, and lastly, same food experience (Funding Universe, n.d). Admittedly, McDonald’s has adopted franchising as a way of expansion. In this franchising, the parent company sells the right to distribute its products and to use its trade name to smaller businesses around the world. McDonald’s organisational culture is the culture the parental company transmits to its franchisees. The company operates according to four values; quality, service, convenience, and value. Though the company has enforced these basic values into all its franchisees, the franchisees are allowed to incorporate local culture into their marketing and products (McDonalds. Com, 2011) Another point is that the company hires local people for its regional operations so that they become able to make the company a good image in the local community by adopt ing locally accepted working culture, salaries, products and communication. There are two points that deserve attention here; firstly, the company seeks to offer the same product offerings around the world, and secondly, it intends to offer the same food experience for all customers. There are various reasons that prompt the company to go global. They are to gain more brand and shareholder value, to have more sources of income and growth markets, to lessen its dependence on the home market, to leverage the existing corporate technology, supply chains, knowledge and intellectual property, and to find better acceptance in the home country by being global. Thus, as cited in Ghosh et al (n.d), presently, McDonald’s holds 19% of the global fast food market followed by Doctor’s... As the paper discusses  McDonald’s has adopted franchising as a way of expansion. In this franchising, the parent company sells the right to distribute its products and to use its trade name to smaller businesses around the world. McDonald’s organisational culture is the culture the parental company transmits to its franchisees. The company operates according to four values; quality, service, convenience, and value. Though the company has enforced these basic values into all its franchisees, the franchisees are allowed to incorporate local culture into their marketing and products.From this research it is clear that McDonald’s holds 19% of the global fast food market followed by Doctor’s Associates with 10%, and Yum Brands with 9%. Other important players are Wendy’s, Burger King, and Dominos. The remaining market is held by companies which are local in nature. It seems that McDonald’s has adopted two strategies since 2003 to keep up with t he changing international market. The first strategy is to introduce new foods and concepts as opposed to loyalty to traditional foods. As a pat of this strategy, the Premium Chicken Sandwiches and Angus Beef Burger took birth. In addition, there was the addition of premium salads. The second major strategy was to focus on increasing sales at its existing restaurants instead of starting new ones. As a part of it, the company remodelled its many restaurants, increased working hours, and raised the options on menus.