Wednesday, October 30, 2019

North Korea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

North Korea - Essay Example According to estimates by The United States Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of North Korea is 24.8 Billion U.S. Dollars which works out to a Per capita GDP of approximately $1,800. However it I expressly stated that these are merely estimates based on incomplete data. With this incomplete data in hand one can draw a few conclusions. Firstly the economy has trades primarily in raw materials such as mining products, agriculture and fisheries. Secondly the company spends a tremendous amount of money on military expenditures which not only is a direct draw on state financial resources (Which could also be directed towards economic development) but it also removes a significant number of people who could spend their time performing more economically valuable activities. According to Hardin (2009) over the last decade there was a small influx of private enterprise within the country which ultimately ended up employing about half of the working popu lation. However, the article went on to argue that the government implemented policies that greatly restricted the freedoms of these markets because of a perceived lack of control over these forces. It was argued by Sang-Hun (2009) that this specific action represents a kind of ‘shock therapy’ to crack down on black market trading that undermines the control of the government.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Is it appropriate to describe Virgil Aeneid Essay Example for Free

Is it appropriate to describe Virgil Aeneid Essay The Aeneid as written by Virgil is the great epic of one man who followed his destiny. He was both aided and hindered in his travels by the gods who watched his movements with great interest. But Aeneas was a hero, he understood what he was fated to do, what destiny needed fulfilling and despite great set backs, of war and loss, Aeneas forges on to complete his task of founding Rome. The Aeneid is in certain respects a poem of tragedy, of what must be lost to regain anything more and in the first books of the poem this loss is focused on. The destruction of Troy, the ruin of a city and of the honorable men within, a city that held against the sons of Atreus for ten years but finally was brought down. Aeneas personal losses in his wife and father, necessary though the former may have been, to allow Aeneas to begin a new family line, it was a painful loss. The death of a parent is not to be taken lightly and Aeneas is distraught over his fathers passing, but regardless of this all he pushes onwards, showing a sense of duty, reaching forever outwards to the goal of Rome, nudged on by the gods who champion him. His piety is unquestionable and proven again and again, this obligation to the gods, his family, and his city. Book four is the episode that encounters Dido, Queen of Carthage, who has suffered tragedy in her own forms, my husband was murdered and our home broken up by my brothers murderous act. Dido whose city and person offer Aeneas what he so longs for. He has craved settlement, to be still in a city he can make his own, to find peace. There seems little other reason for Aeneas to linger in Carthage save that therein he finds a much-needed calm to prepare himself. An audience waits also for Aeneas to gather himself together and set sail, as the gods do, but there is a steady calm in the everyday life of Carthage that is as lethargic and enjoyable to an audience as to Aeneas. The introduction of a romance is a way for Virgil to return Aeneas to the reality of a man and not yet a great hero who is still swayed by temptation. This episode in Carthage exposes a greater view of Aeneas, he is shown as a man but also his understanding of his mission his made obvious and his devotion to his destiny overrides his demands as a man and he is able to remove himself from the comfortable life in Carthage, true commitment to the task set out before him. Book four follows Dido and Aeneas as they experience this relationship and the hiatus in Aeneas plans. They are encouraged from many sides, Didos sister suggests, With the Trojans as our comrades in arms, what heights of glory will not we Carthaginians soar to! , and Juno, growing aware of the love Dido harbors for Aeneas goes to Venus and together they too conspire to bring the two together. How Dido and Aeneas later perceive their connection comes into question as to whether Aeneas was justified in his leaving but also in the tragedy of the story. They were brought together in a cave and Dido began to see her relations with Aeneas as a marriage, though he was not of the same mind. He seems to feel little by the way of obligation towards her, theirs was a political connection, one that allows him power over Carthage and fame throughout Africa. She perceives their bond as a permanent one, the beauteous Dido deigns to have her name linked with his. Perhaps it is in this self deception that lies tragedy, a woman who refuses to see what has been laid before her, to understand the prophecies recited to her by Aeneas that prove he must push on to Italy and that she does not lie in this destiny. By not acknowledging this information she leads herself to her own demise. Virgil had a good understanding of the need for great passion in his poem, the scenes with Nisus and Euryalus are paid long attention by the poet, he draws out their pain as well as their joy for the audience, using the tragic death of the characters to swing the emotions of an audience to and fro, to give a rest between the search of a hero for his destiny and show a level of more personal pain and feeling. The culture Virgil wrote from respect emotion and was enthralled by it, with other great authors producing love poetry, Propertius, Ovid, All his works fully shared the romantic ethos of his culture. (S. Farron. ) Virgil joined the ranks of these poets with The Aeneid, the romantic and destructive love characters possess fascinated Virgil and these episodes appeal to audiences, the culture and Virgil himself. Enabling the poet to include in his poem a contemporary understanding of romance and to allow his audience to exercise a need for cathartic explosion of emotion, swinging between great joy and great hurt. The emotions of Dido and Aeneas in book four are felt by the audience as well as their positions and backgrounds are known to the audience. There is an understanding between Virgil and his spectators, that he will tell a good tale and bring to an audience all emotions and display to them a range of characters. He constructs a situation for Aeneas to display his dedication, simultaneously forming a set of circumstances that make way for tragedy, for drama in the early parts of the poem. Virgil has been required in his epic to draw out Aeneas journey so that he may grow into a hero who was great enough to found Rome, along this journey he must be tested by grief and prove his capabilities as a leader. The first few books of the Aeneid have covered the excitement of war and constant movement, Aeneas cannot linger too long, and audience would weary of him and Virgil thus generates a commotion, the death of Dido, a tragedy that has been formed for these purposes. The nature of tragedy is called into question with the Dido-Aeneas affair. What troubles brought Aeneas to Dido, what caused him to leave, the culture of the ancient Romans, the misunderstanding of the characters, what each has encountered in their lives previous to their meeting and what their parting does to each of them. These subjects all lead to the end of the affair between Dido and Aeneas and to later conflicts but therein lies the tragedy and whether this particular chapter in the Aeneid qualifies as a tragedy. For tragedy has many formats but doubtless the end is the cruel and undeserved death of a character who perhaps merited more from a life, a poet or an audience. The nature of tragedy, as laid out by the Greek tragedies, is one that was used by Virgil. He understood Aristotle in his suggestion that tragedy consists of two emotions, By means of pity and fear effecting a catharsis of such emotions. Virgil builds for the listener the emotions of Dido, her lament takes precedence through thee final pages of the book and fear for her, her own fear, and great pity is created in the audience. These elements of the story aid the idea of tragedy in the book, tragedy that is a disastrous event ending in loss and distress. The Greek plays by Euripides and Aeschylus lay down an example of what tragedy is, what was perceived by the ancient peoples as terrible loss, and these ideas carried through into the Roman era. Tragedy cannot be easily defined, whether a situation is or is not a tragedy by definition cannot be determined through by examination but through emotion, what is felt by the audience, the characters who surround the tragic character. It is difficult to say what is tragic as there are no clear divisions in the understanding of the genre and emotions except what is experienced by the audience. Tragedy is a mood, that lights on an audience hearing of a characters unfortunate fate, though it does not belong to the listener is felt by him regardless. Upon reading the incident between Dido and her lover there is great shock left in the mind of the audience, how can Aeneas have allowed this, how can Dido who was so staid have done this to herself? It is the shock that remains as the an audience encounters the following books, not quite able to get Dido out of mind as Aeneas carries on with his journey that suggests tragedy, it lingers around the poem and in an understanding of Aeneas, for his character and behavior played such a role herein. There are in the Greek plays elements that define a tragedy. The emotions of a tragic play include pity, compassion between characters, grief, pain-at a destructive incident occurring to one who does not deserve it, fear, anger, stress, confusion. A list of emotions that are laid before an audience experienced by both audience and characters, but not positive emotions, deep felt sorrow, but passionately felt. If the Greek tragedies help characterize tragedy and all of its meaning better then Dido and her position in book four can indeed be classified as a tragedy, a short one in regards to a play but heartrending nonetheless. With regards to the physical structure and meaning of tragedy, the odes and chorus that occur in the template plays of the Attic Greeks. These do not exist in this book; it was not designed to mimic a tragedy in its forms but in its emotions. Virgil chose to focus on Dido and play for his audience a scene of great pain, not long and drawn out but a scene of sorrow slotted in between so many others but more poignant and personal to an audience, the loss of love being accessible in the minds of a romantic culture. The tragedy of the piece remains without the traditional structure. Death has a key role in tragedy, most tragedies contain death, if not of the protagonist then of the supporting characters. Oedipus is the focus of his own horror story but it is his wife/mother Jocasta who dies first though the tragedy lies more in Oedipus fate than hers, in the Orestia the deaths of Agamemnon and later Clytemnestra are as much tragedy as the dismal lives of their children. This suggests that perhaps it is not the death or the deceased that is tragic but the misery in the lives of those who live. This would note then that the gory death of Dido is not quite tragedy, for she most likely mourned by those close to her but not by Aeneas. The tragedy of this character is not in those around her but in the life she lived that was not always easy and a death that was public, without glory, and a terribly sad end for a queen, a life cut short that could have been lived longer and successfully. There are to tragedy many pieces, from the structure to the emotions; the same lies in the Aeneid book four. It is the story of the end of a good woman who loved deeply a man out of her reach, fated to greater things than her. Virgil drew from the Greeks before him and fashioned a poem into tragedy drawing on the emotional pieces of conventional tragedy to enhance his own tragic heroine. Her ending is terribly tragic due to the futility of her passing. She was a young woman, a queen, who would have found suitors elsewhere. She was a victim of the gods whim, her own fate and Aeneas, but she was to die at her own will, for whatever reasons, be they Virgils literary desires, the whim of a god or fate. Book four becomes tragic because it finishes with death. Any love that does not happen for any reason is a tragedy. Tragedy is defined by the audience who witness the events, to me, book four of the Aeneid is tragic for its loss of hope and a life. Bibliography Brasher, W. R. The Gorgons Head University of Georgia 1977 Farron, S. Virgils Aeneid a Poem of Grief and Love E. J. Brill 1993 Frye, P. Romance and Tragedy University of Nebraska Press 1908 Kitto, H. D. F. Greek Tragedy Routledge 1939 Monti, R. The Dido Episode and the Aeneid E. J. Brill 1981 Stanford, W. B. Greek Tragedy and the Emotions Routledge 1983 Valency, M. Tragedy New Amsterdam, 1991 Virgil, C. Day Lewis Translation The Aeneid Oxford University Press 1952.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Toward a Dynamic Conception of ousia :: Aristotle Aristotelian Legacy

Toward a Dynamic Conception of ousia This paper is an initial attempt to develop a dynamic conception of being which is not anarchic. It does this by returning to Aristotle in order to begin the process of reinterpreting the meaning of ousia, the concept according to which western ontology has been determined. Such a reinterpretation opens up the possibility of understanding the dynamic nature of ontological identity and the principles according to which this identity is established. The development of the notions of energeia, dynamis and entelecheia in the middle books of Aristotle’s Metaphysics will be discussed in order to suggest that there is a dynamic ontological framework at work in Aristotle’s later writing. This framework lends insight into the dynamic structure of being itself, a structure which does justice as much to the concern for continuity through change as it does to the moment of difference. The name for this conception of identity which affirms both continuity and novelty is "legacy." Th is paper attempts to apprehend the meaning of being as legacy. There is perhaps no idea in the history of western ontology with a more powerful legacy than Aristotle’s conception of ousia. Traditionally construed, "ousia" stands for the primary, foundational principle of being. It can be said that ontology has historically been ousiology – the search for ultimate foundations. In this quest for ultimates, the ousia names the absolute arche, the foundational principle that reigns over and orders all being. The political tone of this formulation is intentional; it is designed to frame the ontological question concerning the meaning of ousia in ethico-political terms. The impetus behind this strategy is to suggest that western ontology has been largely determined by an authoritarian tendency that seeks to establish a single ultimate principle in order to secure a firm and certain foundation. On the one hand, this authoritarian tendency may be traced back to Aristotle, for ousia is precisely such a hegemonic principle; on the other hand , Aristotle also suggests another conception of ousia, one that can be drawn upon in the attempt to resist this authoritarian tendency. In what follows, I trace both the authoritarian and this resistant conception ousia in Aristotle. Aristotle’s Authoritarian Ontology To apply the political term "authoritarian" to an ontological account may at first seem to be a simple category mistake. However, this first impression fails to recognize that many of the terms that have come

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Bmw Case

What was BMW’s motivation behind the idea of producing the films? BMW’s motivation behind the idea of producing the films was one to simply communicate, and focus on â€Å"what makes a BMW a BMW†. In fact, there was no product launch to advertise and BMW was able to use this time to shift its strategy from ‘push’ to ‘pull’. The goal of this advertisement was to â€Å"produce the most exciting, fun thing people had ever seen come out of their computer†. In terms of numbers, this campaign was used to maintain growth and sales, which had been growing excessively since 1992: from 60 000 units sold to 180 000 units (exhibit 1). In terms of target, BMW wanted to attract younger generations while still keeping its current target audience. This would enable the brand to increase the already high brand loyalty (44. 7%, Exhibit 8a), by getting customers from a younger age, and therefore following them throughout their lives. In terms of image, the goals of this campaign were to strengthen the company’s brand image in luxury segment, and differentiate it from other competitors. Who was the target market for the BMW Films campaign? With its campaign, BMW was hoping to reach customers between the ages of 25 to 44 who were new to the luxury car market, without affecting their current customer base, being 46 year old male, married with no children with a median income of about $150 000. This target audience was therefore well educated, two thirds were very active males engaged in sports and other activities. BMW wanted to target people who wanted a perfect product, stylish and which offered great driving experience. Last but not least, the target was highly attracted to technology, as the â€Å"Internet was used by 85% of customers before buying a BMW†; the films on the Internet therefore targeted perfectly these people. How successful has the campaign been? Why or why not? There are two ways of defining a successful campaign: the effectiveness and efficiency. In terms of effectiveness, it is important to compare the results according to the initial goals. Overall, the campaign was really successful: BMW sales increase by 12. 5% compared to 2000. Concerning viewers, films were viewed 11 million times in the first four months, and were seen by 1 981 049 people in total. The short films were recommended by 94% of the people who registered on the website, showing how incredible and successful the buzz was. Last but not least, two million people registered on the site after viewing the films and 60% signed up to receive newsletters and other information. In terms of numbers, this campaign was therefore obviously very effective: it was a tremendous buzz and gave the brand a â€Å"cooler† and younger image. Concerning target audience, in comparison with the overall goals, BMW was very successful here again. In fact, the median age of the people who registered on the website was 31, exactly in the target market goal. Moreover, the higher segments of viewers were in the range of 25 to 34 years old (35%) and between 35 to 44 years old (22%). These segments include both young people targeted by BMW and its current target market. 63% of viewers were educated and 68% of profile visitors owned non luxury makes, and were therefore new to the luxury segment. Here we can clearly see that all target objectives were reached by BMW. In terms of strategic goals, the company was also successful: it perfectly produced â€Å"the most exciting, fun thing people had ever seen†, and focused their message on what makes a BMW a BMW. Here is what a viewer said: â€Å"BMW lets the directors do whatever they want and they’re not constantly shoving the BMW logo in your face or anything†. Here again, BMW reached its entire strategic goal. Overall, the campaign was extremely effective in terms of achieving goals and communication to customers. Although effective, it is important to calculate the efficiency of this campaign. In order to do so, it is necessary to calculate the Cost per Thousand (CPM), and compare it to an ad airing during the super bowl. The calculations are detailed in Appendix 1. I have focused my analysis on the movies which aired on the internet, their costs of production and number of viewers, to compare it to the super bowl commercials. Overall, even without considering the costs of publicity (trailers on TV, print advertising) which reached $14 million, the CPM is way higher than for super bowl commercials ($ 7571 against $ 31. 25 respectively). Therefore, the efficiency of the BMW film series was low, as costs were way higher compared to the audience reached. In conclusion, this BMW campaign was very effective but not efficient. BMW should now focus on an â€Å"encore†. I believe that the company should create a DVD to give to dealerships in order to reach potential customers and already existing customers who didn’t view the movies. In addition to that, BMW should produce three to four new films with Clive Owen. This would enable BMW to answer the demands and desires of their customers, without disappointing them. When using A Brand New World, I believe that BMW was really able to create brand strength and not only brand awareness. This campaign really enabled the company to create an emotional attachment with both its customers and potential customers. Appendices Appendix 1: Cost per Thousands comparison |BMW FILMS ON WEBSITE |AD DURING SUPERBOWL | |Cost of production/ ad |$ 15 000 000 |$ 2 500 000 | |Circulation |1 981 049 |80 000 000 | |Cost Per Thousand (CPM) |$ 7571 |$ 31. 25 | Appendix 2: Target effectiveness, Example of non BMW owners reached [pic]

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Computer and Internet Effects on Society

In today’s society the world could not function 10 minutes without the technology it has readily available for its inhabitants. The world today is too depended on the convienience that these products of future abilities offer. They make entertainment, work, social networking, education, and communication so much easier. However, there are some significant negative effects like, eye sight problems, social problems, and general laziness issues. The question is, do computers and internet benefit or devastate society.Computers and internet has advanced humanity in various ways. One way includes typing papers. Before computers were invented people had to use typewriters which were much slower and if the writer made a mistake, he or she would have to cover it up with white ink rather than â€Å"backspacing†. Another example of something that computers and the internet have changed, is the way people are entertained. Not only can a person play games on a computer, but they can also watch movies, socialize, find new people, listen to music, and create extremely awing works of art.Also before computers and the internet, the only way of gaining knowledge was literally through others; speeches or reading articles, books, magazines, or any other printed document. Now, computers and the internet makes all of this incredibly convenient. In today’s society people more than likely could not even function without the internet, let alone gain knowledge because more and more kids are reading less and less books due to the internet. In most ways computers are beneficial to society, one major way is through that of the work force.In general, a computer makes typing, which is needed by nearly every profession in one way or another, easier to do. Computers are much faster than old typewriters and obviously faster than hand writing anything. Another reason why they make typing more convenient is the backspace key. Back when it was the typewriter, if a person made a mistake while typing they had to take out the paper and put white ink over the mistake. Or if it was a giant mistake, the writer would then have to take a completely new piece of paper and start anew.Also, instead of looking up how to spell word in the dictionary or knowing how to spell every word in the English language, if the writer were to misspell a word on the computer, it would show an derror on the scree, therefore reducing mistakes as well. In saying this, computers save a vast amount of paper due to not writing directly on the paper itself. Another way computers benefit the work force is through email. These instant messages go from person to person, or from one person to a quantity of people.This, compared to writing out one letter, or even making multiple letters, saves time and is more convenient. Again this method will save paper which in turn helps save the environment. Yet another great example of how computers and internet benefit the work force is through online communication. A specific example of this is video calls. A person who needs to go across the world to present something to a business partner for example, could easily just setup a video call and presen right from his or her own office to another computer somewhere else.This gaain is convenient in saving traveling time and saving money the person would have to spend to travel to wherever was needed. Furthermore, another benefit is a job itself. With today’s technology people have designing careers that need a computer to make, view, or edit photos and movies. They can take a picture with a camera, upload it to a computer, and begin their own form of artwork on the photo. In general there are countless ways that computers effect the work force. Another major benefit computers have to offer is that they improve everyday normal living.One way they do this is by helping people manage their financials. With a computer, a person can open a spreadsheet, create a budget, and manage that budget over time. This could help a person save money in the long run. Also, computers come with on board calculators so there is no need of getting one yourself. Another way computers make everyday life better is that in all appliances, microwaves, ovens, televisions, washer and dryers etc. , and handheld devices, mp3’s, phones, or any other media device, all have what’s called â€Å"embedded systems† which is like a mini on board computer.Without these systems our laundry would take longer to clean, our food would be harder to prepare, and entertainment like movies, shows, or music, might not even exist. Also, people can go onto the internet to research a product before they buy it. This would save time and money because instead of going to the store to ask customer support about a product, a person can look up online what the product has to offer. Order it if they would like, and someone else can deliver it for them. â€Å"Although these tasks can be do ne without a computer, the invention makes doing such tasks much easier. An example of this is something previously mentioned, entertainment. People are able to access millions of websites that offer movies, short videos, games, or music. Because these are so easy to get to people can entertain themselves as much as they would by going out to the movies or going to an arcade. Something else that computers make easy is making cards. There are computer programs that help a person setup any type of card they need, which would save money rather than going out and buying one from a store. Yet another ability computers make easier is communicating with people.People are able to go online and get on video chat and talk to someone across the world with no problem. If a family member is on vacation and would like to talk with you more than over the phone, he or she could just open up a computer and be face to face with whoever they’d like. Also, online gaming provides a vast opportuni ty to talk with people. The chat boxes that these games provide hosts hundreds, or even thousands of people at a time, all able to talk with each other. Along these same lines lies online chat rooms.People can get on one of these websites and talk with people from around the world, this function is sometimes used for online dating as well. If these ways of communication are not available then there are always emails. These are like notes passed to one another but instead of across the room, it’s to wherever the sender would like. â€Å"Communication with others is growing as an application of computers by children, particularly as more homes and schools gain access to the internet. † A fourth way computers and internet impact society is through education.Computers are becoming less and less expensive so schools are able to afford more and more of them. Computers can help kids learn by having software that teaches them the needed information for a class. Also, with the internet, kids have millions of sources to gather for any necessary research papers or projects. There are online textbooks, so if a kid forgets his or her book at school, they can access the exact same information online. Another example is that online games that educate are very helpful to learning children.