Rubin Carter Essay Example for Free

Rubin Carter Essay In today’s society it is quite possible for people to be accused and punished for committing a crime they didn’t actually do. It would be nice to think our judicial system is 100% accurate but unfortunately that is not the case. Innocent people are convicted of crimes they didn’t commit more often than a lot of people would like to admit. In some cases people who were later on found to be innocent have actually been put to death. A couple examples of this would be Ruben Cantu and Carlos DeLuna. Ruben Cantu was convicted of a capital murder and investigators found out about 12 years after his death that he didn’t commit the murder and was falsely accused. Later on detectives found out that he wasn’t even there the night of the murder. Carlos was another person who was accused of a crime he didn’t commit. Police didn’t find out till 20 years later that Carlos DeLuna was innocent and had nothing to do with a teen stabbing in Texas. It was Carlos Hernandez, a man who even confessed to committing the crime many times that was in fact guilty. Those are just two examples of our judicial system not being accurate at all. Just because somethings may point to a person doing a crime doesn’t mean that the person actually did and there needs to be more research and evidence to back all this up especially if people are being sentenced to life sentences in prison. Rubin Carter who was accused of committing a triple murder was in fact innocent, after almost 20 years of being behind bars. Rubin who was also a middleweight boxer other known as â€Å"The Hurricane† was arrested for the murders of three people downtown in the Lafayette which is a New Jersey bar. The night of the triple murder it was said that Patty Valentine the one who walked in on the three victims being shot had told police and detectives that she saw the car the shooters had gotten into it. Alfred Bello who was at the scene of the crime during all of this said that he was only there for robbing the cash and he had told police he saw the shooter approaching the bad and he was just in fact an eye witness. The description of the car Patty Valentine gave matched Rubin Carters car, which is what made him a suspect in the first place. Although he pleaded his innocence the detective who was in charge of the case had a grudge against Rubin since early childhood and framed him for the crime according to Rubin, which resulted in him going to three life terms in prison. While in prison Rubin decided to write an  autobiography about his life to take out his frustration and despair. His book called â€Å"The Sixteenth Round†. His novel seemed to have gotten a lot of attention from people and that’s what got it published. It also caused Bob Dylan to write a song in his name. After 19 years of being in jail a young boy by the name of Lesra Martin reads Rubin’s book and gets so moved by the case that he convinces his foster family of Rubin’s innocence. He then decides to write Rubin a letter while he’s in prison telling him what his book meant to him and how much he believed in everything Rubin Carter was saying. The young boy Lesra finally ends up meeting him by visiting him in jail and they establish a friendship that you would never expect between a teenage boy and someone convicted of murder. Lesra Martin then puts in motion a new appeal which would eventually set Rubin free. One thing that shows Rubin’s innocence of this triple murder case is the fact that Rubin was quote on quote â€Å"On top of the world†. He had a very high chance of becoming a heavy weight boxing champion as well as millions of dollars being in his grasps so why would he throw that all away just to be thrown into jail for three life term sentences. This was something that he has always dreamed about doing and from watching this film and learning about this trial that went on I don’t believe he would just give something like that up. To be heavyweight boxer it takes a lot of training and motivation as well as a lot of other traits and attributes to be successful, it’s not something you just get over night. Why would somebody work so hard for something like that just to have to give it up? Others may say that because of his fighting skills and violence that may cross his mind often may of lead him into doing such a violent crime but that is definitely not en ough evidence to accuse someone of doing such a crime. Another thing that helps shows that he was not guilty was just the way he treated the people that worked endlessly to get his freedom. He didn’t want to bring anyone down with him and didn’t want anyone to go out of their way for him especially if he knew it wasn’t going to get him anywhere in the end. He showed a lot of mental strength while being in prison and seemed pretty positive despite what was happening. The way he ignores everyone who accuses him, just accepts everything how it is and accepts that he has to do  the time even though he is innocent really shows the character of him and may not scientifically prove his innocence but definitely lessens him. This last reason doesn’t necessarily prove Rubin was innocent but shows how easy it was for him to be an easy target for this crime. The place and the time that all this occurred was a very racist time and a lot of people would agree that a black person was more likely to be accused of a crime then a white person. Rubin was framed by racist detective, police and prosecutors. His boxing career, his background, and the colour of his skin made him the perfect target of this crime and that is why he was involved in the first place. The jury of this trial was all white which is unfair at that time because of the amount of racism that went on in that time. A couple other things I’d like to add that really shows Rubin carter’s innocence was that the night of the murder one of the victims that was in the hospital actually got to identify the suspect. This was Rubin, they asked the victim to tell the police if it was him who murdered the people and shot him. The victim told the detectives that it was not Rubin who committed the murder but because of the state that the victim was in (blind in one eye and very hard seeing through the other) they did not take his word for it and Rubin Carter was still said to be guilty. This is a very unfair judgment Rubin was also put through numerous test and lie detector tests and passed all of them. Overall from looking at all the pieces of evidence that show Rubin Carters innocence and looking at the reasons why Rubin was accused and convicted in the first place really does prove that he is not in fact guilty. Just because he was black and the description of the shooter was black was not a good enough reason to make him a prime suspect. Either was the car description a valid reason. There were other people who could have been suspected but because of his skin colour it was a very racist assumption. For such a serious crime with really long consequences they needed to put a lot more time into the trial and get more evidence to prove the case. Rubin was just a black middleweight boxer who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time which led to such critical consequences.

Industrial Analysis About Burger King Commerce Essay

Industrial Analysis About Burger King Commerce Essay In this assignment we are required to research about the new cafeteria on Burger King out to the market. This research will include the Legal, Ethical, Cultural and Industrial analysis about burger King and also the Porters Five Forces. It also includes some strategies about SWOT and PESTEL that are all being written in the report as a part of this assignment. Also in this report it show the weakness of Burger as a business to others and other business take advantages this because Burger King is one of the main competitors in the fast food industry and also the market. The opportunity it has and can take on and the threats it has. Also includes the introduction and history of Burger King and its position in market throughout till present. To conduct the research and to gather the relevant information, various sources have been referred. INTRODUCTION In this individual assignment we have been assigned to carry out a report on Burger Kings. And on this assignment we are required to carry out reports about Burger Kings on evaluating research as follows: Legal Ethical such Cultural Industry SWOT PESTEL Burger King is planning to launch a cafeteria in competition with McCafe of McDonalds. For that Burger King must carry out the Market Research for the purpose of their marketing strategies to launch their new cafe. Burger King needs to evaluate legal, ethical, cultural, and industry issues which are relevant to Burger King towards conducting marketing research and launching of their cafe. MAIN BODY BACKGROUND C:Documents and SettingsOEMDesktopBurger-King-Logo1-295300.jpg The Burger King is also said/ called in another name which is BK in short. Burger King is one of the fast food restaurant and food that are consumed by the people of New Zealand in the 21st century. According to the Wikipedia page that it was founded in 1953 in Jacksonville, as the Insta-Burger King. Keith j. Kramer and his wifes uncle were the founders and owners of this company. Insta-meat was the equipment around which the first store was opened. After this they started making hamburgers. (Wikipedia, 17 July, 2012 last modified). In launching a new cafà © in competition against McDonald, Burger King will have to research or gather information about the introducing the product. Bibliography Wikipedia. (2012, july 17). Wikipedia (burger king). Retrieved 07 24, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burger_King LEGAL ISSUES Burger king as one of the fast and busy restaurants locally and international has to make sure that it has all its resources to succeed in what it can do best and thats to serve good quality food to customers and make profit. In this Burger King has to make sure that everything is in order to ensure health and safety of people all over in New Zealand who consumes the Burger King products, every country has its own system to ensure that health and safety standards are met and followed by food industry. In this issues Burger King has its own way like rules to make sure that everyone is safe and secure from the product that are been consumes by the people. From below sentences and paragraphs are some criteria that Burger King is registered on: Food Act Law 1981 Burger King as a fast food restaurant (business) that sells food to the people will fall under this act. This will concern that all product that has been sold by Burger King are safe and can be consume like: Foods are not contaminated. Make sure that food are consumable by consumers in New Zealand The Food Regulations Act 2002 Under this act Burger King has the rights to sure that no one else are selling their products at any cost. This can either if its like an articles that has been in the: Storage Cooking The way its been prepared. HR Safety The HR safety ac t commits on the jobs and workers safety under the act of Safety and Health Act of 1970 on which it looks for work safety and health protection for labours by looking at the safest and healthful working conditions throughout New Zealand as a nation. So Burger King will to follow this Act they want to continue running the business. Fair Trading Act 1986 Under this act it can be said that it protects the consumers against or to avoid us from misleading or treated in a bad manner towards the business on selling goods and services to the consumers. It also applies to every business from the government so that consumers have some information about the product. Consumers Guarantee Act In this act it is all about the goods and services quality. It prevents consumers from buying poor or less quality on goods and services that do not reach its original standard (quality) so that consumers are not just wasting their money on bad quality of goods and services. Labour Laws Under this laws it will show that all workers are treated fairly, work on the right hours (not overworking and getting paid less) and also that labour do get help and support from the business. Industry Act This act gives and provides rules and regulations towards the employees and employers relations and also to prevent any dispute between the two parties. Copyright Act 1994 On 1994 copyright act, it protects the workers and it automatically applies as soon as possible as the business is put in design on which is been decided like logos that has been print and stored. It is also said that it is not right to copy any piece of work without a licence Trade Practice Act 1974 The increasingly competitive nature of todays business environment has meant that business practices involving misleading and deceptive conduct, price fixing, boycotting and market sharing are not only associated with large corporations. In todays highly competitive business environment, more and more small businesses are engaging in business practice, both intentionally and unwittingly, that contravene the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cwlth) (TPA). ETHICAL ISSUES Health Burger as fast food restaurants will have to make sure that it provides good quality products to it every customer by providing a healthy food to its customers in any way good way. This will be one of the main aims of any business (fast food) in New Zealand. So if Burger Kings Is trying to launch a new McCafe they will have to make sure that there are going to provide a healthy product to its customers. Social Responsibilities A social responsibility is also an ethic thing to do by Burger Kings if it tends to launch a new MaCafe. This can make work easy if the business like if the business provide some service to its society like Billboards or Notice Boards that will be usable like putting up Notice from people like Garage sales and many more things or even providing parking and toilets for disable people. Cultural Diversity It is very important that Burger Kings know its people (consumers) culture as a whole. This is because people are not offended by any source like advertisement through media that can hurt the people feeling. It (business) will have to show loyalty and respect to its consumers in a polite manner in order to succeed as a business. Employment Opportunities (Disable) Providing employment to disable people is a great way to promote the business. This is because they will feel that they are not alone. Helping in workplace and not much workload to them. Green Helping the environment is a good way to show responsibilities to the community and towards the people. Like recycling the old oil into the red bin for renewal instead of dumping it on the ground or drain and also separating rubbish which can be recycled like bottles, papers and plastic. . CULTURAL ISSUES Community, Organisation, Gender and Religion Burger King will have to work with its community (helping in a way) to be safe from or to grow with its community. They will also have to accept the different people, ages and culture that will be surrounding the business. This will make sure that they can help/ secure or serve any customers that will consume their products where if its a female or male or no matter what nationality they are from in showing of respect to themselves and also towards the business. Food (Halal, Vegetarian or Others) Burger King has many different types of menu that are available towards the customers to choose from. For example: the burgers sold can either have meat on it like chicken or beefs due to the customers wants or it can also provide vegetarian burgers to those whom does not eat meat like Hindus and even some Muslim that does not consumes bacon and also provide drinks fries and desserts to customers. So selling some Halal food is not a bad idea to attract customers into the business because some people like Halal food. Coming up with many menus for the business to different kinds of people is a good way to promote business sales also to satisfy the customers and to make profit and it will also be a good way to introduce the launching of the new MaCafe. Support Local Community Supporting local communities like a game that brings the people together to know each other. Putting boards to people to use or notice to other people on what is happening in the society. Helping in providing disable car parks and also the toilets. INDUSRIAL ISSUES New Zealand is one of the countries that people consume or eat a lot from Fast Food restaurants like K.F.C, McDonalds, Dominos, Pizza Hut and Burger King. This is because it is very fast to get the food and sometimes cheap for customers to buy due to some sales in the business or promotion that the business have in a period of time. The Fast Food industry in New Zealand helps a lot in the economic so it is a great opportunity to open or launch a new Cafeteria not only for making profit or for the economy but it also will provide employment. Burger King is not only a local but it s an International Business with franchises making it a great competitors in the market with on the help to other industry like Farming on which the meat, vegetables or other product that can bought to (supplier: Tegel) from that its put into a product and selling it to customers, (it a win-win situation) SWOT Strength Burger King as one of the busiest Fast food restaurants in New Zealand by selling lots of burgers is one of the advantages it has from any other restaurants. It serves as many of its customers just on burgers like patty burger or Mushroom burgers which are not available on any other restaurants. Apart from this , it also has dishes like side dishes like Apple pie, Sunday and others which are most bought by customers. All this, is also due to its location of headquarters and also the location of its 11,500 fast food restaurants in just 70-72 countries all over the world in which it include America, Brazil, Asian countries, Canada and also in New Zealand and many more other countries. Weakness One of the weaknesses that Burger King has is the Advertisement it has compare to other fast food restaurants advertisement (competitors) do. One of the main reason is due to some Religion like Muslims people are really not a big or huge fan of Burger King due to the knowledge that they have like they are not really confident to try the Burgers because they are not sure if it Halal or sometimes they get the wrong order in which bacon are presented it which is against the Religion and culture they had. And also the sales are not really that high compared to some fast food restaurants like K.F.C, McDonalds due to lack of Marketing that would be one of the disadvantages they had. Opportunities Due to the weakness of advertisement that Burger King has, one of the opportunities that Burger King do is to increase/ improve the sales of producing sales through advertisement in order to increase sales. And also that they can open new Branches in any part of New Zealand like in Cities, towns or somewhere where populations are high and where people are busy at all times like West Auckland. This is because when people are busy like running late to work, they can just order from Burger King or in the morning Breakfast. Also one of the opportunities it also had is that Burger King can launch or develop new products in the business to increase its sales. Threats One of the main threats that Burger King faces a lot is its competitors from other fast food restaurants like Wendys, McDonalds and also K.F.C since these organisation also are known as fast food restaurants thats deals with the selling of Burgers also. If there will be a inflation in the New Zealand economy it can make the sales to decrease due to people not willing to buy from fast food restaurants which will put them on a tough spot due to taxation also while other business can take advantages of this in advertisement on which is one of the weaknesses that Burger King has already. Also one the of the threats that they faces is the changing of customers behaviour to eat/ consume healthier food nowadays. PESTEL Political This includes the laws and regulations from its policies that is usually used in a effective way that will or has to be related to the business. New Zealand as a country that has a lot of fast food restaurants will have its own policy that will be different from some other countries. So Burger King will have to follow this even if it includes the launching of the new cafeteria. This is done to everyone/ business to followed on which is made by its Government. Before launching the new cafeteria to the market Burger King will have to know all these rules and regulations made by the government (KEEP-UP-TO-DATED). Economic Burger King as a business will always have a good that will last in a long given period of time (long time goal). So they are also contributing to the Country economy as a fast food industry. One of the main goals that Burger King will have is the increase of sales or to make as much profit as possible. But this will depend on the stability of the country economy as a whole. If it is poor, it can be said that some business will be affected because the amount of tax levied to the. Before launching the new cafeteria Burger King will have a research first to see if its good or bad depending on the economy. Social Burger King is one of the world recommended Fast Food restaurants around the world. So this means that it serves different people and also has different people working on the business across the globe. Burger King will make sure that it has a very good background on it towards the government, tourisms, people or other business and even it community. As in food Burger King will have to take considerations about the culture of different people and also the background they have. Technology Technology is one the main advantages that most business used nowadays to run the business in order to make profit. There are always new technology in advance used in a period of time before another technology is made which has a good feature and quality that will replacing the old ones in todays world. Burger King as fast food restaurants will have technology not only to only make work fast, light or easy but also in a way to compete with others in the market but also in another way it can be a disadvantages to other like through employment will not be an increase. Environmental A one of a large organisation in the world it will have to take responsibility of its surrounding. This is because they use a lot of materials to make it menus in the business like papers, rollers, packaging. They have to all this so it does not affect the environment and what can be done to prevent it if occurs. For this not only it is helping the environment but also to other business to do the same with their own business so the natural environment of the country can be still conserve. Legal Burger King deals with the fast customer service as it a fast food restaurant. But also at the same time it has to make sure that everyone working are safe and also the product are safe and healthy to customers to consume. New Zealand government has a set of departments that requires the legal act of any type of business in the country to follow. So before launching the new cafeteria the business will make sure that has the legal act in the new cafeteria. Porters Five Forces C:UsersimmanuelDocumentsimages.jpg Source: http://www.12manage.com/methods_porter_five_force Threats for new entrants When there is a new business entering the market it will be a threat to other business in the market already. There will be more competitors it will have to face in the market so Burger King will also face the same thing. Because it a low barriers of entry which is easy to enter when starting a business in New Zealand. Threats of Substitute products Every fast food restaurants will also have a substitute product it the market for its suppliers or buyers. This can be due to the customers taste. So Burger King will to have the ability to change if these does happen or develop of new products in the business to meets it customers needs Bargaining of power Suppliers. The business will make sure that it has a good relationship with its suppliers at all times. The supplies will make sure that it can substitute a product fast if required but it has to be similar to the products. The business will make sure that the suppliers are a large company to it is able to change if required. Bargaining of power Buyers It mostly deals with the customers whom have the power on want to purchase in the business according to the needs that they want and not the business. Burger King will make sure that it is able to change to substitute the products if customers has change its habits. They will also make sure that the price is affordable to the buyers to buy or spent their money. Competitive Rivalry Burger King is a large business in the fast food industry. It serves lots of customers in a day or at night. So it will face some large competitors in the make like McDonalds in sales. It has a low cost of changing its product in the market if needed and a high customers loyalty. CONCLUSION In conclusion or to sum up. Launching a new cafeteria into the market is a very good move to the contribution to the New Zealand economy and also for the business itself. This is also good for the business to compete with or against its competitors in the market and it can be one of its main strength in the future. But before launching a new cafeteria, burger King as fast food restaurants will have to do some researches on this. Like the country economy or the rules and regulations that been laid by the government. Or what are some ways that will affect the business and the problem solving.

Innovation And Technology Management Media Essay

Innovation And Technology Management Media Essay Ever since cameras were developed, it had evolved into many different types. This report will be focusing on the improvement of different types of camera, from film to digital used by consumers. A few case studies of camera makers will also be included to show how innovation affects each company. A camera is a device that captures images and the images were stored in the device or transmitted to another location. These images may be still or moving images. Still images means photograph while moving images can be videos or movies. The term camera was from the word camera obscura which was an early mechanism used to project images. Camera obscura is an optical device which can project surrounding image on a screen and used in drawing and for entertainment. Camera obscura consists of a box with an opening in one side. The light from an external scene passes through the hole and strikes a surface inside causing an image of the scene being reproduced but was turned upside down, with the color and perspective being preserved. The image will then be projected onto a piece of paper and traced which produced a highly accurate representation of the scene. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/26/Camera_obscura_box.jpg/220px-Camera_obscura_box.jpg Figure 1: Drawing of camera obscura A camera may work with the light of the visible spectrum or with other portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. It generally consists of an enclosed hollow box with an opening in one side for external light to pass through and a recording or viewing surface for capturing the light at the other side. Most of the cameras will have a lens being placed at the front of the cameras opening which is used to gather the incoming light and focus all or part of the image to the recording or viewing surface. The sizes of the opening are mostly controlled by using a diaphragm mechanism but some of them will use a fixed size opening. Most of the cameras today use an electronic image sensor for storing photographs on flash memory. Before that, from the 20th century, photographic films were used For a typical still camera, it takes a photo at a time when the user presses the shutter button unless the user uses continuous fire mode. As for a typical movie camera, it continuously takes 24 film frames per second when the shutter is pressed and holds on until the shutter is released. Some movie camera works by pressing the shutter button once and the second time will stop it. http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcThEehclSMeXPhA1DEisnDoFw1w5_YCT5-6TFcNfv5q30kXSs-p-g http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTxh6ovUrXMGAZPP7tlsthvgrJ5jiMvKJD8swHykuo80AdRgOGT Figure 2: Digital still camera Figure 3: Digital movie camera Until today, cameras has evolved from the camera obscura and continued to change through many generations of photographic technology, including daguerreotypes, calotypes, dry plates, film and different types of digital cameras. Background In the past, camera obscura was used by people for drawing or viewing purposes. In 1827, the first permanent photograph was made using a sliding wooden box camera which used the concept of camera obscura to build. Although camera obscura was already available before 1827, there was no way to preserve the images produced by it apart from manually tracing the images. The preservation of the images was made possible after the invention of photographic lapel processes. These preserved images were then being called as photographs. The earliest cameras were of room sized, which were able to accommodate one or more people inside. By Niepces time, the camera technology had gradually evolved. Cameras became more compact, making portable handheld cameras which were suitable for photography possible. Although cameras technology had been keep improving, a camera in its barest form is still simply a light tight container that used a lens with iris, a shutter that has variable speeds and contains a sensitive piece of media. The media is either film or a digital sensor. http://www.photographica.nu/cameracol/dall273.jpg Figure 4: sliding wooden box camera Types of cameras Currently there are different types of camera in the market. The different types of consumers cameras are as following: Digital camera, a camera that takes video or still photographs by recording images on an electronic image sensor Remote camera, a camera placed by a photographer in areas where the photographer generally cannot be Movie camera, a type of photographic camera which takes a rapid sequence of photographs on strips of film Pocket instamatic camera, a series of inexpensive, easy-to-load camera Single-lens reflex camera, a camera that typically uses a mirror and prism system that permits the photographer to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured Twin-lens reflex camera, a type of camera with two objective lenses of the same focal length. Video camera, a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition Camera phone, a mobile phone which is able to capture still photographs and video Mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera, a type of digital system cameras equipped with an interchangeable lens. Technology Developments Film Camera When the first camera was invented, it used an engraving which was placed onto a metal plate coated in bitumen and then exposed it to light. The shadowy areas of the engraving will block the light while the whiter areas allowed the light to react with the chemicals on the plate. When the metal plate was placed into a solvent, an image will appear. The photograph required eight hours of light exposure to create and after appearing, it would soon fade away. In 1839, a more convenient and effective method of photography was developed. Daguerres process fixed the image onto a sheet of silver plated copper. The silver surface was polished and coated in iodine to create a surface that was sensitive to light. The plate was then putted in a camera and exposed for a few minutes. After the image was painted by light, the plate was bathed in a solution of silver chloride. This process created a lasting image which would not change even if exposed to light. With this process, daguerreotype cameras were created. The cameras used in the daguerreotype process were made by opticians and instrument makers. The camera had a sliding box design with lens placed in the front box and a smaller box was slid into the back of the larger box. The focus was controlled by sliding the rear box forward or backwards. When the sensitized plate was placed in the camera, the lens cap would be removed to start the exposure. In 1879, the dry plate consisting of a glass negative plate with a dried gelatin emulsion was invented. The dry plates could be stored for a period of time. With this dry processes, hand held camera was now possible as it absorbed light very quickly. In 1888 the box camera which uses dry plate was introduced. The box camera was a wooden, lighted tight box with a simple lens and shutter that was factory filled with film which allows for 100 shots. The photographer pushed the shutter to produce a negative. Once the film was used up, the camera with the film still in it was mailed to the factory where the film was removed from the camera, processed and printed. The camera was then reloaded with film and returned. In 1889 flexible roll film was invented. The film has a base that was flexible, unbreakable and could be rolled. Emulsions coated on a cellulose nitrate film base made the mass produced box camera a reality. In the mid-1914, 35 mm camera was invented. The camera used 35 mm roll film which was developed based on the flexible roll films. In the early 1940s, color films were brought to the market. These films used the modern technology of dye-coupled colors in which a chemical process connects the three dye layers together to create an apparent color image. In 1948, the first Polaroid camera was sold to the public. The camera allows the photographer to create an instant photograph. The disposable camera was introduced in 1986. It was a single use camera which allowed the photographer to take photo until the film was used up. After which the photographer will send the film for processing and the camera would be disposed. Digital Camera Need to group into sub sections of point and shoot (or known as compact digital cameras), Video cams, digital SLR and include camera phones here. For each section, show examples through the use of pictures. In 1981, the first consumer camera was produced by Sony. It takes still photographs by recording image on an electronic image sensor. Digital and film cameras shared an optical system, typically using a lens with a variable diaphragm to focus light onto an image. In 1986, the first sensor used to detect megapixels was invented by Kodak. In the same year, a prototype for an analog electronic SLR camera which was able to store images digitally was created by Nikon. In early 2000, the first digital SLR directed at consumers was released by Fujifilm. In 2008, mirrorless interchangeable lens camera emerged. Unlike a digital SLR, it does not have a mirror based optical viewfinder. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Leica_M9_Framework.jpg/220px-Leica_M9_Framework.jpg Figure 4: Mirrorless interchangeable lens camera Camera Handphone In 2000, the first camera phone was developed by Sharp. The phone had 0.1 megapixels sensor and 256 color display. In 2003, Samsung introduced the first 1 megapixels camera phone. In the same year, Casio introduces the first 2 megapixels phone. In 2004, Samsung introduced the first 3.2 and 5 megapixels phone. In 2005, Samsung introduced the first 7 megapixels phone. In 2006, Samsung introduces the first infrared camera phone and the first 10 megapixels camera phone. At this time, more than 50% of the world handphone had camera in it. http://c2499022.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/samsung-sch-b600-10-megapixel-cellphone.jpg Figure 5: Samsung 10 megapixels phone In 2007, the first 5 megapixels camera phone with 3x optical zoom was introduced by Samsung. In 2008, Digital Imaging Systems announced first 9 megapixels camera phone and Samsung introduced first 8 megapixels camera phone. In 2009, Samsung introduced first 8 megapixels camera phone with touchscreen and LG launched the slimmest 8 megapixels camera phone. In the same year, Samsung also introduced first 12 megapixels camera phone with 3x optical zoom. In 2010, the first 14 megapixels camera phone was introduced by Altek and Sony ericsson introduced the first 16 megapixels camera phone. At this time, more than 81% of the worlds cell phone had camera in it. In 2012, Nokia introduced the first 41 megapixels camera phone. Nokia 808 Pureview Figure 6: Nokia 41 megapixels camera phone Cases Studies Introduction The purpose of this section is to clearly illustrate that having good innovation and technology strategy management techniques are of paramount importance to sustaining any business. The authors will analyze how major companies such as Canon remain prosperous in the market, while also analyzing the fall of a once hugely successful giant in the imaging business, Kodak. Case study of Kodaks Rise and Fall Rise of Kodak: Kodak was one of the major leading brands and pioneers of the camera making business. Founded in 1880, its rise to dominance of the imaging industry came after its introduction of color films and Instamatic camera to the market in the 1960s.The companys near monopoly of film businesses continued in the 1970s as sales skyrocketed to a point where it had 90% of film and 85% of camera sales in the United States of America according to a 2005 case study for Harvard Business School. (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/22/john-naughton-kodak-lessons). Fall of Kodak: By the 1980s, the emergence of a serious competitor in Fujifilm and Kodaks dominance in the US market was undermine after Fujifilm gained a share of the market by offering lower-priced film and supplies as well as adopting very aggressive marketing which included winning sponsorship rights to be the official film of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, an opportunity which Kodak ironically passed up. During the 1990s, although Kodak tried to maintain itself as a healthy business by diversifying to other areas of business (including medical ,pharmaceutical (http://www.csub.edu/kej/documents/economic_rsch/2012-04-23.pdf),printers for both consumer and commercial use as well as chemical manufacturing.), these businesses were all bought and not developed in-house leading to income being shared (http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2012/01/how-fujifilm-survived). Eventually when sales from film developing and printing went into sharp decline nearing year 2000,earnings from these additional businesses simply do not scale up to the revenue gained from its core business which relied on film. In addition to the above, the development of digital photography technology and Kodaks own hesitancy of making the switch from film photography to digital photography proved to be one of the major causes of its eventual demise. This is clearly depicted as even though Kodak was a pioneer of digital cameras (Kodak first introduced it in 1975), the product was dropped as there was fear that it would threaten its core photographic film business which was hugely successful then. Sales and revenue soon begun to go into a decline with the arrival of the digital age and a change in core business model was made ultimately. Kodak soon introduced a range of digital cameras, inkjet printers as well as became one of the first to launch a photosharing website (www.ofoto.com) between the 1990s and 2000s to cope with the need to transform with the digital age. While efforts were made to transform and keep up with the digital photography, its business model and technology strategy was still flawed as Kodak still revolved around the idea of printing photos. For instance, in spite of being pioneers of photosharing online, Kodaks website merely served as a vessel for providing a service for online ordering of prints. (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162-57363629/why-kodak-failed-and-how-to-avoid-the-same-fate/) In addition, the authors observed that despite innovating in the correct direction enjoying huge success with its line of digital cameras in the early 2000s, Kodak failed to anticipate the dynamics of digital photography and had no alternatives when consumers are no longer interested in photo printing but, sharing photos online in social media websites such as Flickr, Instagram and Facebook. Kodak being overly diversified, adopted the wrong technology strategy and did not exploit and capitalize early on a core digital camera technology Kodak pioneered, while investing heavily in developing technology for taking pictures in mobile phones and other digital devices. As a result, this allowed other companies such as Canon, Nikon and Sony to overtake and innovate further to produce hugely successful lines of digital cameras which eventually dominate the digital photography market. Furthermore, Kodaks success with digital cameras was short-lived towards 2010 when smartphones technology advanced and begun to include powerful cameras which are just as capable as the pocket digital cameras that Kodak was manufacturing. The following figure illustrates how camera phones such as the iPhone have gained a strong foothold in the market share of most popular cameras amongst consumers. Conclusion In a nut shell while aligning our observations to the concepts of technology management, there were multiple reasons contributing to the downfall of the once powerful giant in imaging market, Kodak. But this cannot be attributed entirely to the failure of incorrect technology forecasting or a lack of innovation. In fact, a report did circulate among the leaders of Kodak depicting the eventual permanent shift from film to digital by 2010 in 1979. It can also be observed from the earlier part of this chapter that Kodak was not at a shortage in the area of innovation. Consequently, the authors believe that it was not doing the correct technology road mapping which allowed other brands of digital cameras and camera phones to overtake them in the imaging market, leading to its ultimate demise and bankruptcy. This can be broken down into following: -The over reliance on a single product for revenue (film) -Lack of in-house expertise when diversifying into other areas of business -Slow transition from film to digital age -Despite early success, failed to forecast that digital cameras would eventually have low profit margins as more companies entered the market in mid-2000s, along with the emergence of camera phones -Slow transformation from a then overly diversified chemical manufacturer to a company mainly focused on imaging Had Kodak been able to identify and develop technology alternatives before making a better technological investment decision such as perhaps investing in SLR technology or social media websites which allows photosharing such as Flickr, Kodak might have been able to avoid their present predicament. This therefore emphasizes the importance of technology road mapping, as not having alternatives for a set product needs within different timeframes can have detrimental effects on businesses overtime. Case study of Canon Background In this section the authors will analyze how Canon, a company much like Kodak in terms of innovation and diversification of businesses, manage to still stay as one of the major leaders imaging market while facing the same challenges of having to make the switch from film to digital photography and decline of photo printing. Technology Strategy and Forecasting Canon introduced Japans first ever 35-mm focal-plane-shutter camera at a time when all high-quality cameras originated form the Europe, in 1935. Immediately after its founding and similarly to Kodak, it saw the importance of diversification and acted promptly with the introduction of Japans first indirect X-ray cameras, office equipment (calculators) and notably Japans first plain paper copying machine in 1970. As a result, the company adopted the management slogan of cameras in the right hand, business machines in the left and by then the company had already globalized (branches were set up in Europe and New York) successfully as exports took up 50 % of the total sales. Unlike Kodak, Canon continued to emphasize on the importance of in-house expertise by unceasing innovation of technology with the aim of becoming the best in all major business areas, be it in imaging (both medical and consumer) or multifunctional copiers technologies. This is achieved through constant innovation efforts such as setting up collaboration with Kyoto University in joint research projects. Shortly in 1976, Canon introduced the worlds first SLR with embedded micro-computer (AE-1), delivering powerful performance and along with its good ergonomics, propelled it into worldwide popularity among amateur and professional photographers alike, marking the start of its strong foothold in the share of the imaging market besides other current majors such as Nikon and Sony up till now. Besides being a leader in imaging industry, Canon also invested greatly on innovation in the technology of printers for both business and personal use. Its multifunctional copier division was notably very successful enabling it to hold the highest market share in the industry for the last 2 decades. Conclusion While Kodak had started to slip into decline because of its over reliance on film, Canon adopted good technology strategy and demonstrated good technology road mapping by making the best technology investment decisions with focused, continual innovation on camera technology (notably SLRs) and multifunctional copier technology. Hence Canon embraced the decline of films, photoprinting and the gradual replacement of compact digital cameras by smartphones through gaining a strong position in market areas of amateur and professional photography with their innovation in digital SLRs. The figure above shows its dominance in digital photography alone with smartphones. Along with ever changing times, Canon continued to strengthen product competitiveness in major business areas which also includes multifunctional copiers. In conclusion, while Canon had many business areas, Canon were not over-diversified like Kodak and one major difference leading to Canons success in diversification was because of the in-house expertise and technology management Canon had in dedicated business areas, an implication that income would not be shared with other companies as these business areas were not bought. Conclusion Future predictions of camera industry Global Camera Industry The world photographic products market has generated sales of over $55 billion in 2010, according to MarketLine. Cameras are leading the market with a sale close to $35 billion which is more than 60% of the overall market. Growth is expected to be accelerating at a rate of more than 3% every year, bringing the whole market up to over $65 billion by 2015. This consists of cameras, optical instruments, video cameras and other photogenic equipment. Digital photography continues to take over the sales of traditional cameras and films. And this is expected with the upcoming future of the industry Market Outlook However, with technological advances companies will need to continue investing in research and development of new technologies to stay in industrys cutting edge. There will be demands of new technologies of the consumers. As mentioned previously, Canon embraced the decline of films and photoprinting by the innovation of digital cameras. With online photo sharing/storing websites like Flickr, Google Plus or even Facebook, the generation of films and photoprinting is almost over proven by what has happened to Kodak. However smart phone cameras are slowly replacing the digital cameras. (Many often people are taking photos with their iPhone or Samsungs smartphone.) The percentage of photos taken with cameras and smartphones are declining and rising individually. Smartphones now have cameras of great qualities and functionalities in terms of programs known as apps and they will slowly continue to eat into the camera market. This has been shown by the appearance of smartphone picture uploading apps or social media like Instagram, Path, Facebook and many others more. But this may not necessarily remove digital cameras totally off the market. With constant technological advances, cameras with high performance capacity will become cheaper to produce. It will become a cycle that what used to be expensive and high-end products becomes the old technology and is cheaper to produce due to the advances. So low end cameras is becoming something with more advanced features. The consumer video camera market too is declining. Consumers are using their smart phones or DSLR to shoot videos. The video camera market will only move in the higher end markets (video producers, film makers) in the near future. Conclusion From our case studies above, it shows how Kodak and Canon tried applying technology management in their company to produce innovative product to the consumer market. However economic and social factors too play a part in innovation. By looking at Canon, few reasons why they were successful in the imaging market were because of their constant innovation on SLRs , coupled with the fact they were always targeting the market share of photography hobbyists, both in entry levels and professional level photography. However even though incorporating technology and innovative management into a organization does not guarantee 100% success. It depends on many factors such as the society, economic, the current market situation or even any other external factors. Kodak had tried displaying technology and innovation management in the corporation, however they have failed. Their over reliance on a single product for revenue (film), the lack of in-house expertise when diversifying into other areas of business and their slow transition from film to digital age these were the few factors that has caused their downfall of today. Our predications for the next 10 years: à ¢-  3D still and moving pictures will become standard in the next 5 years à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cameras will have more on-board processing software that perfects the final image without the need for a computer à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Images to be printed on and saved to wafer-thin electronic paper called e-paper. Recently showcased by LG this flexible, full colour display is the wave of the future, and could be used in so many different products including e-readers. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Immediate upload of your image once taken to your favourite internet site with Bluetooth connection for cameras http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/userfiles/file/digital_imaging_1990-2010.pdf Figure 1: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camera_obscura Figure 2 3: http://www.sony.com Figure 4: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirrorless_interchangeable-lens_camera Figure 5: http://www.unwiredview.com/2007/01/09/10-megapixel-samsung-sch-b600-phone-nears-worldwide-launch/ Figure 6: http://www.nokia.com/global/products/phone/808pureview/specifications/

Compare and Contrast: The Difference Between the United States and Chi

According to Chinese bureau of statistics, some 70% of student who come to the United States from 1978 to 2010 stayed in The United States. The hard choice of whether stay in The United States or come back to China makes more and more Chinese people concentrate on a basic question: what is the difference between The United States and China. Although both The United States and China are world’s major economies, in terms of living and working, The United States has advantages over China in relationship between people, work relationship, and getting information. People in the United States show more trust to each other than people in China do. In the United States, returns of product can be made without receipt. However, in China, to return a product a receipt is required. Shop assistants want to make sure that consumers really bought product from their shop. They take it for granted that all consumers are not honest. According to Peter Hessler, a journalist of New Yorker magazine, after car accidents, American drivers will exchange telephone number for further negotiation. . Chinese driver naturally assume that people will not answer the phone call that calls them to pay money. Instead of telephone numbers, most of the times, drivers exchange cash to resolve the car accident. Chinese driver naturally assume that people will not answer the phone call that calls them to pay money. The difference between windows between the United States and China also indicates the â€Å"trust† difference. Generally, people in the United States live in house with no guard bars fixed inside or outside windows. In contrast, most of Chinese people who live on the first or second floor block windows with guard bars inside or outside the window in case ... ...ticles/2008/12/25/1229998632678.html [Accessed 12 August 2011]. Jiao Guobiao, 2004. Censorship in China. [online] Available at: http://www.international.ucla.edu/asia/article.asp?parentid=18567 [Accessed 10 August 2011]. BBC News, 2002. Bush’s â€Å"evil† comment stirs critics. [online] Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/1796034.stm [Accessed 2 August 2011]. Macworld, 2011. Reports: Foxconn to close Apple iPhone factories in China: Apple device manufacturer ends suicide payments. [online]Available at: http://mobile.macworld.co.uk/ipod-itunes/news/index.cfm?newsid=3226585 [Accessed 2 August 2011] Kuhn, R. (2010) How China’s Leaders Think. Singapore: Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte. Ltd.. Hessler, P. (2010) Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory. Translated from English by Li Xueshun. Shanghai: Shanghai Yiwen Publishing

Free Merchant of Venice Essays: Anti-Semitism :: Merchant Venice Essays

Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice    Though many view Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice as anti-Semitic, careful examination shows that the playwright actually develops the opposing point of view. These views can be easily established through a careful reading of the plays dialogue, character comparisons, and more subtly through indirect thematic developments by the playwright showing that on both simple and complex levels, Shakespeare attacks the anti-Semitic attitude that has been prevalent in society for centuries.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The words of the play actually challenge anti-Semitism. In one of his most eloquent moments Shylock addresses this prejudice when he verbalizes the equality of all men in Act III, Scene 1. He [Antonio] hath disgrac'd men, and hinder'd me half a million; laughed at my losses, mock'd at my gains, scorn'd my nation, thwarted my bargains, cool'd my friends, heated my enemies; and what's his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, heal'd by the same means, warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?    The revenge motif in the play stems from the undeserved ill treatment first of Shylock by Antonio and then Antonio by Shylock. On simple levels Shakespeare shows bigotry and prejudice in all its ugliness through the use of anti-Semitic attitudes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare dispels the premises of anti-Semitism by establishing marked similarities between Shylock and his antagonists in the play. Antonio and Shylock are both business men intent on making money who have allowed this pursuit to become their entire focus. In the cited speech, Shylock indicates his hatred is born of the hatred shown towards him by others (particularly Antonio). Since there is no sound justification for Antonio's attitudes, he serves as a vehicle for establishing the hollowness of prejudice formed without basis. This is reasonably obvious even to the casual reader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In a more subtle manner Shakespeare, through the use of the caskets, presents a truism with regard to the contrasts between outward appearances and inner reality leading to the prevailing idea that one must look beyond the surface.

Bukowski Self-Exploration in Bluebird

Many times, the changes and transformations in the main character are shown as being caused partly by the world around him, sometimes making the main character even a victim of society. 1 Something causes the character to become morally prepared or emotionally wrecked and cut off, usually due to something that has happened in his life. These protagonists watch the world around them and feel disconnected from it, and act out with â€Å"taboo† themes, like violence or incest or taking drugs or anything that sort of pushes the line because the world they live in has disturbed their minds in some way. 3 Finding life empty and without value, the main character does things to numb the pain, like drinking too hard, or having a lot of meaningless and casual sex, or anything else that both cuts off his emotions and also test him feel pleasure and distraction for a minute. This is called escapism, as in indulging in meaningless distractions to forget about the root problems in someone's life. But the main character often actually has a conscience, or at least a deeper sense of self, and that part of him is in conflict with the way he is behaving outwardly, so this is where the pain and despair comes from and which we see in transgressing fiction, whether it is in novels or in poems. 3 The themes of transgressing fiction are all over Bouzouki's work. 1 His writings mostly cover the second half of the twentieth entry, and he drew on Los Angles as a source of inspiration. Since he spent most of his life in Los Angles, he identified with the city darkness and grittiness. 6 A lot of the transgressing fiction qualities in Bouzouki's poems are in his escapism from reality. He writes about drinking and women and gambling, and he lived his life chasing women, drinking and gambling. 5 Through this behavior, the characters escaped from their problems. And through writing about it in poetry, Bouzoukis expressed his temptation to escape from his problems by briefly having thos e indulgences. 5 Bouzoukis grew up during the Great Depression.California was expensive, and his father was unemployed. So there was a lot of frustration and insecurity at home, and his father was physically, verbally and emotionally abusive to Bouzouki's mother. 2 His father was also emotionally and physically abusive towards Bouzoukis, something that his mother did not stop. 2 This made Bouzoukis an introverted, insecure, and socially anxious teenager. 2 He had no confidence because he was being traumatized at home and felt that he wasn't good enough compared to everyone else at school. During this painful period of his youth, Bouzoukis started is lifelong habit of excessive drinking. His drinking only got worse as life went on. 2 He started his writing career after World War II began and never made enough money off of his writing, so he had to do Jobs on the side all the time. Hard Jobs, like working in a factory. 5 He could not make a lot of money off of his poems because not en ough people were buying his poetry. 5 He was failing to break in and make it big and found it hard to believe in himself and in the world.He became very cynical and depressed about what the publishers were looking for (they only wanted to cater to a market†) and did not believe that anyone had a fair chance. As if things weren't bad enough, considering that he had no money, no close relationship with his family, and on top of that no success in getting his writing published, during this time Bouzoukis also almost died from a stomach ulcer. 5 He was desperate for companionship and someone to show him the love he never had growing up, and so married another poet without thinking it through first, and divorced her two years later. For a long time after that he was not able to seriously form an honest and healthy relationship, o he was always lonely and always having affairs with women to briefly fulfill his needs. 5 He continued this behavior even after he began to enjoy some suc cess in the sass's. 5 He only married again a decade later, and he eventually died of cancer. 5 All in all, Bouzoukis led a pretty troubled, difficult and sometimes lonely life, and had a lot of issues going on with him that he expressed in his poetry. 4 Poetry was an outlet for his creative talent as well as his pain. Through poetry, he expressed his disillusionment with the world, his sense of loneliness and not being able to conform r be understood, and his need to escape from the feelings inside him, in a realistic way. 4 By realistic I mean he wants to show the truth without sugarcoating anything. In his poems, he shows his true self struggling to become free of the cage that his fake self traps it in. A good example how Bouzoukis expresses his inner self through realist, transgressing poetry is one of his last poems, published only about two years before he died: â€Å"Bluebird. . 1 â€Å"Bluebird† is a great poem because it is very sobering and a little depressing, bu t captures the main struggle that Bouzoukis seems to have aced for most of his life: confronting his inner self, being brave enough to accept himself for who he is instead of escaping from it with alcohol, women, gambling, and other distractions. The bluebird is his inner, true self that is trying to set itself free. He describes it as: â€Å"there's a bluebird in my heart that / wants to get out. 1 But the narrator (who is really the poet describing himself) says he is going to keep the bluebird hidden, and he'll hide it by distracting himself from it with alcohol and everything else. This is proven in the lines: â€Å"there's a bluebird in my heart that ants to get out but I purr whiskey on him and inhale cigarette smoke and the whore's and the bartenders and the grocery clerks never know that he's in there. † 1 He is burying the inner voice, the secret alternative personality or true personality within him, with alcohol, cigarettes, and women.He is afraid to let his true self show, because he's built everything in his life on lies and putting on a brave front that isn't who he really is. What is the bluebird then? It's all the toxicity of his trauma – the depression and failure and sadness – but also the person he can be if he really accepts all those problems instead of running away from them. But he is afraid to accept that side of himself. Bouzoukis has built up all these fears and barriers after a lifetime of running away from his problems.Now Bouzoukis has too much to lose to try and face these fears and problems, because his career and his fame and his success depend on squashing his pain and depression, or in other words, the bluebird. To illustrate this problem, he asks: â€Å"l say, stay down, do you want to mess me up? You want to screw up the works? You want to blow my book sales in Europe? † 1 This verse clearly shows how much his fears and denials of his inner voice, the bluebird, is tied to his desire to save the l ife he has worked so hard to build without ever really acknowledging his past, his hurt, and who he truly is.It's worth noticing that he uses the word â€Å"tough† 1 to describe how strong he is against the bluebird. This means he views it as a threat, even though it is not. He is not in total and complete denial of his inner self, however. Just selectively in denial. He calls himself â€Å"clever† 1 and says: â€Å"l only let him out at night sometimes† 1 of the bluebird. In the darkness and loneliness of the night, when nobody is there to see and he can be his true self in private.This fear of showing the â€Å"real you† to someone would likely have been an important concern for someone who realized that his poetry wasn't selling easily when he first started out, likely because publishing is after all a business and publishers want poems that are in keeping with the trends in style, language and themes that would appeal to their customers. We all have t o remember that life is a business and you can't always afford to be your real self. That is why the narrator ells the bluebird that by letting it out, he might ruin his career. Why?Because the narrator – in other words, Bouzoukis – made a lot of money by partially figuring out what poetry editors wanted to read and selling it to them. This all leads to the fear of not expressing who you really are, and conforming to society. The narrator is being the person that other people subconsciously want him to be, and he knows that. His struggle is that he sees no value in this fake persona apart from societal acceptance. When he does eventually let the bluebird out, he does not ever truly accept it in public – only in private. There is also a sense of loneliness. He is isolated from society because he thinks nobody would understand and accept the bluebird. And since the bluebird is his true inner self, he cannot share that with the world because it seems so foreign and strange to them. He has nobody to talk about this with. The imagery is really powerful because of the way the images are arranged one after another and also because the language of the poem is so direct, simple, and straightforward. 1 He Juxtaposes the image of the bluebird trying to break free with al the signs of vice around it -whiskey, cigarettes, etc. This helps the reader subconsciously make an immediate comparison between the innocent, natural bluebird, which is clean and untouched, with all the things that can drown that clean, natural inner self, like alcohol. 1 Through the images, the simple language, and the discussion of his inner self versus the mask he puts on for the world, the narrator is an effective transplant of Bouzoukis himself, who had a lot of unresolved problems concerning his family. His self-exploration in â€Å"Bluebird† is a transgressing poem since it deals with his inner ormolu as he breaks out of a social norm – the norm of pretending to be someone hoys are not.

The Yankee Stadium’s History

Any discussion of the history of New York City without a history of the New York Yankees would be like describing Pavarotti without mentioning his voice. And any discussion of the Yankees without including Yankee Stadium would be farcical. And when you get right down to the nitty-gritty of historical realities encompassing the Yankees and Yankee Stadium you have to include Babe Ruth. The Babe, the â€Å"Bambino,† the â€Å"Sultan of Swat,† was the reason the Yankees built Yankee Stadium, and that is why they call it â€Å"The House That Ruth Built.† The Yankees are beyond any reasonable doubt the premier team in Major League Baseball. They have been in the World Series 39 times since the American League was fashioned in 1900 – and they have won 26 of them. The teams tied for second most World Series Championships are the Cardinals and Athletics with 9. The Yankees have been in New York since 1903; previously they were in Baltimore known as the Baltimore Orioles. They started out in New York as the Highlanders, playing at Hilltop Park (today, the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center sits where Hilltop Park was located). They played in the Polo Grounds (sharing it with its home team, the National League New York Giants) from 1913 to 1920. The Yankees became popularly known as the â€Å"Yankees† around 1904; and when the New York Herald reported on April 15, 1906, â€Å"Yankees win opening game from Boston, 2-1,† it was more or less official they were no longer the Highlanders. Meanwhile, tracing the origins of Yankee Stadium properly includes a brief recounting of how Babe Ruth got to the Yankees; he was the spark that lit the fire that put Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. By 1919, a strong rivalry had existed between the Boston Red Sox and the Yankees for several years. A young Boston pitcher who was also an unbelievable slugger, Babe Ruth, hammered the Yankees on many occasions, including Opening Day at the Polo Grounds on April 23, 1919. According to The New York Times (4/24/1919), â€Å"Babe Ruth won the game for the Red Sox in the first inning when, with Jack Berry on first base, he slammed out a lucky home run†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Final score, Red Sox 10, Yanks 0. There had been some doubt as to whether the phenomenal Ruth would even play for Boston in 1919; Ruth had been a hold-out in the spring, following a sensational season as a pitcher and slugger, and a magnificent World Series for Boston in 1918, in which he won two games (hurling 13 scoreless innings in one game) and gave Boston power at the plate. It was to be Boston's last World Series victory until 2004. In the spring of 1919, Ruth was holding out for $15,000 a year, according to a New York Times story (3/19/1919): â€Å"Ruth†¦wants $15,000 for one year or will sign a contract calling for $10,000 a year for three years.† The headline in The New York Times on December 27, 1919 read, â€Å"Ruth Talks Of Retiring†; the story said Ruth is â€Å"‘through with major league baseball' unless the management of the Boston American league Club is prepared to meet his demand for $20,000 a year.† The New York Times reported on March 22, 1919, that â€Å"Babe Ruth Finally Signs with Boston,† for a reported $27,000 for three years. Boston owner Harry H. Frazee's previous best offer had been $8,500, the Times reported. Contrasted with today's dollar value $27,000 would be worth around $540,000; and even though $27,000 doesn't sound like much compared to the $2.5 million original cost of building Yankee Stadium – or to the salaries today's players draw. (To wit, Derek Jeter's 2003 salary was around $15,000,000; he came to the plate 482 times; do the math and see Jeter earned around $30,000 per at-bat). But to the average New Yorker in 1920, Ruth's salary was a huge quantity of money. Hundreds of thousands of American boys were fighting in Europe in WWI (thousands of them dying), and 650,000 Americans had died recently due the influenza epidemic. Times were rough, to say the least. Meantime, after Ruth clubbed 29 homers in 1919, an October 12th Times article hailed him as the â€Å"mastodonic mauler†; New York obviously was in awe of this superstar. And then, to the great surprise of Gotham, the one of the biggest sports events of the century hit the headlines of The New York Times with the clout of a Ruthian grand slam (1/6/1920): â€Å"Ruth Bought by New York Americans For $125,000, Highest Price in Baseball Annals.† The story reported that Ruth's acquisition gave the Yankees â€Å"the hard-hitting outfielder long desired.† After coming to terms with the Yankees, for $40,000 on a two-year deal, the Yankee owner Colonel Jacob Ruppert soon took out a $150,000 insurance policy on the Babe, unprecedented at that time. And interestingly exactly one year to the day after the Times story hailing Ruth's arrival in New York, the Times headline (2/6/1921) rang: â€Å"Yankees To Build Stadium In Bronx.† In the article, Yankee owners Colonels Jacob Ruppert and Tillinghast L. Huston announced they had purchased 10 acres â€Å"on the east bank of the Harlem River,† between 157th and 101st Streets, from the estate of the late William Waldorf Astor. â€Å"On this terrain there will be erected a huge stadium, which will surpass in seating capacity any structure hitherto built for the accommodation of lovers of baseball,† the Times' article continued, in typical dramatic style, albeit there was no byline so the author was unknown. Excavation was to begin â€Å"in a few weeks and building will be expedited by every means known to human effort,† the article explained. The Yankees did not announce what they paid for the ten acres, but the Times had it â€Å"on good authority† the tab was $500,000, and the estimated cost of the projected stadium was $2 million. The â€Å"running time from Forth-second Street by subway is only about 16 minutes,† the story continued, and by â€Å"elevated train it will take about 2 minutes more to reach the Yankee's stadium than is necessary to get to the Polo Grounds.† The process of street-closings â€Å"will offer no obstacles,† the Times explained; and the stadium was projected to be â€Å"triple-decked,† which was made necessary â€Å"by the expectation of even greater patronage than that of the last season.† The obvious reference was to the fact that Babe Ruth is not only the greatest home run hitter in the game, but he was the biggest box office draw in all entertainment venues at that time. Prior to the decision to build the stadium on its present site, the Times (2/6/1921) reported that â€Å"until a few days† prior to February 5, 1921, Yankee owners â€Å"were inclined to favor the site of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum, between 136th and 138th streets, near Broadway.† The stadium was to hold 75,000 fans eventually, though at first it would only hold 50,000 (5,000 of them bleacher benches); yet â€Å"when the cost of building materials becomes more nearly normal,† the Times explained, the capacity will be increased to the higher figure. This â€Å"massive and most attractive structure has been designed to adorn the new playing field of Babe Ruth and his pals,† the story went on. â€Å"Concrete and steel of the finest quality available will be used†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Before any building could begin, and before contractors were to be hired to do the building, the approval from City Hall had to be obtained. And while New York City Mayor John F. Hylan first hedged on the decision for the city to â€Å"release its interest in the bed of Cromwell Avenue† in the Bronx, which ran directly through the site, he eventually signed off on the deal. However, the sub-headline on March 18, 1923, in the Times badgered the mayor a bit by shouting that â€Å"Mayor Hylan Holds Up Decision on closing of Street Running Through Site.† â€Å"I am not going to put my signature on the official document,† the mayor said in the Times, â€Å"until I find out whether everything is regular.† The â€Å"Sinking Fund Commission† had already signed off on the street's demolishment, and worried that the mayor's delay â€Å"might prevent the Yankees from playing in their new stadium in 1923,† the article indicated. Meantime, within a couple weeks, the mayor did sign off on the closing of two streets, which â€Å"came as a personal triumph for colonel Jacob Ruppert, President of the Yankees, who had labored for more than a year to obtain the necessary permission for the closing of the streets,† the Times reported in late March, 1922. [Note: the dates on the New York Times' archival documents do not always reflect the precise date of publication.] Not only did New York political bureaucracies have to be hurdled by Ruppert, the Astor family lived in England, and since it was their property that was the site used for the stadium, their consent was imperative. After official approval, the Times' headline â€Å"Yankees Call For Bids on Stadium† had a little editorial slant in the sub-headline, â€Å"If Contractor Are Rational In Prices Work Will Begin at Earliest Possible Date.† The date on this article can't be correct (it is 1/4/1922), so it must have been in late February. â€Å"Excavation, grading, masonry, sewers and downspouts, reinforced concrete, lathing and plastering, ornamental metal work, tile work, terrazzo floors, carpentry, toilets, roofing, sheet metal, steel sash, painting and wood bleachers† all went out to bid, the Times reported. And it did seem like there was a limited amount of capital available for the huge project, because the newspaper article mentioned that bids â€Å"for the steel work have already been obtained,† and â€Å"they were fairly satisfactory†¦ranging from much below the prices of a year or two ago, but rather higher than had been hoped by the men who have to put up the money for this project.† The colonel did not plan to â€Å"get what they considered the worst of it financially† in case the bids â€Å"proved to be beyond the bounds of reason,† the story explained. Ground was to be broken around the first of March. The White Construction Company of 95 Madison Avenue was selected as contractor of the stadium, the Times reported shortly after receiving city permission to go ahead. Work was to begin â€Å"on what will be the greatest baseball plant in the world† within a week, and the Osborn Engineering Company of Cleveland was chosen as overseer of general construction; the stadium was projected to be completed by September first, at that time. The number of seats available for fans, which had changed several times, in this article (â€Å"Yanks Pick Firm To Build Stadium†) it was listed at 60,000. A â€Å"double shift of workmen† will be employed, and the Osborn company predicted in the Times that â€Å"it will smash all records in the matter of speed.† The actual construction of the stadium of course received a great deal of coverage in The New York Times. One story (4/1/1923) – headlined, â€Å"Yanks' Stadium Big Engineering Task,† pointed to the massive construction effort being put forth, in order to meet an incredibly tight deadline, and listed the materials that would go into the stadium. To wit: Thirty-thousand yards of concrete (from 45,000 barrels of cement, 30,000 yards of gravel and 15,000 yards of sand); 2,500 tons of structural steel and 1,000 tons of reinforced steel; 2 million board feet of lumber for bleachers and forms; 600,000 â€Å"linear feet† of lumber for the grandstand seats; 4 miles of pipe for railings in box seats, reserved seats and bleachers; 500 tons of iron for stadium seats; and about 500 workmen were brought in to put it all together. In a story in the archival Times dated May 4, the cost of the stadium changed again, this time to $3 million, and the attendance capacity became 85,000. But all the inconsistencies notwithstanding, the Times' story with the most pizzazz of all the archival coverage of Yankee Stadium was published April 19, 1923: â€Å"74,200 See Yankees Open New Stadium; Ruth Hits Home Run.† While 25,000 were turned away from the sold-out house, those in attendance were treated to this: â€Å"In the third inning, with two teammates on the base lines, Babe Ruth smashed a savage home run into the right field bleachers.† This shot by Ruth was made all the more dramatic because he had been quoted as saying he would give â€Å"a year of my life† to smack a round-tripper on opening day in the new stadium. The 74,200 attendance figure that was reported by the stadium was, Times' readers learned on the 20th, â€Å"merely an estimate† by Yankees business manager Edward Barrow. In fact, only around 52,000 paid to see the game, plus several thousand were admitted with passes. But the Times – obviously feeling somewhat duped – reported that the 74,200 figures â€Å"were accepted without question and were published in hundreds of newspapers in this country and in various places around the world.† In addition to baseball, many sporting events have taken place in Yankee Stadium over the years, including: boxing matches with stars like Jack Dempsey (Muhammad Ali defeated Ken Norton on July 24, 1923); indeed over 30 championship fights have taken place at the stadium, according to the Yankees' Web site; NFL games with the New York football Giants between 1956 and 1973; Army-Navy football games, religious conventions (including two visits by Popes). Lights were installed at the stadium in 1946, and in the winter of 1966-67, the stadium got a $1.5 million update, consisting mostly of fresh paint. Starting in 1973, the stadium was torn down almost totally, and rebuilt; during that period, the Yankees moved to Shea Stadium for two seasons. The stadium has been the playground for American sporting icons like Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, and many more.