In Support of Hybrid Cars Essay -- Gasoline Electric Hybrid Automobile

To hybrid or not to hybrid, that is the question Hybrid electric cars are the wave of the future. At this point, the human race does not really have a choice anymore: we must act now to prevent further warming of our planet. With global warming graduating from theory to fact, and in the wake of some of the most devastating storms our civilized world has ever seen, I strode into a nearby Honda dealership to see what kind of advancements are being made in the Hybrid electric vehicle field. Keeping in mind what a typical college student might be looking for in a car: pleasing aesthetics, affordability and low maintenance cost, I present you my findings on the Honda Civic LX, compared with the Honda Civic Hybrid model. When the salesman came over to answer any questions and offer the obligatory test drive, I eagerly accepted. The first car I drove was the gas powered LX Civic, starting around $16,000. This car was equipped with a manual transmission, a four cylinder engine, and all the other basic options you would expect to find on a mid priced Honda: power windows, power locks, floor mats, CD player, anti-lock brakes, and optional sun roof. The minute I climbed into the car, I felt the comfortable feeling of being at my mother's house. Not because the Civic has an antiquated feel, but because this is a car that has been the shining star of the small sedan competition for such a long time. Everything on this car just feels like it is in the right place. I reach for the radio during the ride and I am just in reach of all the controls. I roll down the window and can't help but crack a smile as I maneuver around a pothole with ease. The ride is so very smooth, especially for a small car. I round a corner of a not busy s... ...000 mile limited warranty and a 5 year or 60,000 limited warranty, just like every other Honda. Its battery pack comes with an 8-year/80,000-mile warranty. If you have any problems with the car you can bring it here to the dealership or to any mechanic that is trained in HEVs." I look at him plainly. I was expecting him to tell me something more complicated, or to only answer half of the question. But there it is plain as day. You can bring your HEV to the dealership where you purchased it to be worked on. I sit in a sort of meditative stance, not knowing if to purchase the hybrid or the gasoline powered car. Noel senses my fence sitting, and comes in with the knockout punch, "You know Zack, did I mention if you buy a HEV you can qualify for a $2,000 federal tax deduction?" Armed with this information, I tell Noel I will be back one day to purchase my hybrid.

Free Euthanasia and Doctor-Assisted Suicide Essay - Assisted Suicide :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

Euthanasia The purpose of this essay is to inform readers clearly and coherently enoughof the terms and issues in the euthanasia debate that they can make sense of the euthanasia question. Descriptions are in relatively simple, non-technical language to facilitate learning. The definition of euthanasia is simple: "Easy, painless death." But the concept of euthanasia proposed by adherents of the euthanasia movement is complex and has profound consequences for all. Because the subject involves the discipline of medicine (diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, medical ethics and so on) as well as the discipline of law, the general public will have difficulty understanding it without some knowledge of these matters. We begin with the definition of terms: * Euthanasia: traditionally, an easy, painless death. Now used to mean "mercy killing," "assisted suicide," or "involuntary euthanasia." * Voluntary euthanasia: death administered to one who asks for it. In practice, truly voluntary euthanasia requests may be very rare, since the patient rarely gives informed consent because the alleged consent is influenced by depression, improperly treated pain or other factors that are not controlled but could be controlled. * Involuntary euthanasia: death administered without the recipient's consent, commonly known as "mercy killing," as in the case of children or incompetent adults. * Active, direct or positive euthanasia: direct killing of the patient by administering lethal drugs or other direct means of ending life, or by withholding or withdrawing ordinary means of sustaining life such as food and water, protection from exposure and so on. * Passive, indirect or negative euthanasia: ambiguous. Can be the decision by patient, parent or guardian and physician to withhold or withdraw extraordinary means of sustaining or prolonging life, such as deciding against high-risk surgery for a patient dying of cancer or kidney failure. When the intent is not to cause death but rather to reject extraordinary treatment, this results in the acceptance of death or continued life, whichever occurs, but it is not true euthanasia. The terms "passive," "indirect" or "negative euthanasia" should not be used since they play into the hands of euthanasia advocates by confusing legitimate actions with euthanasia, thereby desensitizing people to the fact that euthanasia is killing. More importantly, passive euthanasia is sometimes defined by others as the withholding of lifesaving treatment with the intention and result of causing the patient's death. This is the equivalent to active, direct euthanasia.

Imt Case of Study Tech Essay

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Background of the Study Evolution of Fort Wayne Plant The Fort Wayne plant facility, originally from WILMEC, was constructed in mid-1960’s specifically to manufacture the type of custom machine called a â€Å"large vertical†. In 1985, WILMEC moved its â€Å"medium horizontal† production capability to Fort Wayne, Indiana. After 5 years, GE Inc. abandoned its custom machine business and sold it to WILMEC’s. GE’s production equipment was then moved to WILMEC’s Fort Wayne plant, however, the GE technology is very different from the 2 custom machines which WILMEC produces, it is called â€Å"large horizontal†. With the 3 machine types, Fort Wayne continued its production until in mid-1995 WILMEC’s sold all of its custom machine engineering, manufacturing and sales operation to IMT. The Fort Wayne Plant transitioned from a busy single-product, focused factory to a factory that was nearly closed (due to a lack of orders) and employed only a few hundred workers. It then evolved into a facility that supported three technically different products (large-horizontal, large-vertical, and medium-horizontal custom machines) that had originated from three different factories with three different engineering design systems. In mid-1993, IMT closed the Cleveland site and transferred the engineering and marketing staffs to either Fort Wayne or Chicago. As the Fort Wayne plant evolved to support multiple product lines, numerous informal procedures emerged to handle day-to-day situations. These undocumented processes worked despite the incompatibilities among the three different technologies, which used three separate drafting systems as well as unique manufacturing processes. Very little capital had been invested to upgrade the operations during the last several years of WILMEC’s ownership. Not until IMT had completed the purchase of the technology and the factories in 1995 had a major capital upgrade program even been considered. Low margin and capital budget limits had prevented significant upgrades. In early 1996, the plant was reorganized into three product lines. Each of the three machine types was considered a separate product line and profit center. The Hardware Platform of the IS Division The IS division uses IBM mainframes: †¢IBM model S/390- The current mainframe †¢IBM AS/400- inherited from General Engineering during the acquisition. The MIS personnel attempted to facilitate these mainframes, transferring data between the two systems. However this was not easily achieved due to information security issues. Since 1996, the heaviest use of the mainframe was from the computer-aided drafting (CAD) and engineering users. Its usage was approximately sixty-five percent (65%) of the current mainframe and about fifty-four percent (54%) of the S/390’s CPU capacity. Statement of the Problem In this study the major problem is how to find a good decision and direction for IMT Information Systems without the need of exerting too much effort and money in the hardware platform or system’s upgrade. Cited below are some of the specific problems of the case study: †¢How will the company balance the need for technological changes to continue accomplishment of routine task? †¢What are the problems encountered by the current IS environment? Objectives General Objective The objective of the study is to propose a new and latest hardware platform that will suit best on the applications needed by the Fort Wayne’s Information System. Specific Objectives †¢To improve the software used by the company for several years. †¢To evaluate the managerial issues of computing, including the centralization and decentralization of computing. †¢To make an assessment of which of the three (3) given options by Browning are more appropriate for the company to use. CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY Research Design The study used qualitative research at the beginning of the design process to uncover innovations. This results with the advantage of being useful when budgetary decisions have to be taken into account. This research design is also useful even if you know little about the topic. It uses plain observation as a main source of data. Naturalistic observation was used since the objective is to examine each department for root causes of problems. Sources of Data The study acquires data simply through observations, existing studies and documentations. Research Instruments Since the research design has limited means to gather data, the only research instrument used in developing the entire system was the case itself and some readings from the internet. Data Gathering Procedure Data were gathered through data mining, which is much easier than the survey and interview techniques. The proponents simply took time in going to the school library and surfing the net collecting various information from books, websites and other documentations which is required to begin and to finish the study. CHAPTER 3 DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS In this chapter, the data acquired through the examination of the different subunits under the Information System’s (IS) division are further discussed. Figure 2.1 Data Flow among Functional Areas of IMT CMCI’s Information System Figure 2.1 presents the flow of significant data among the different subunits under the IS division. From the different division the following findings below were notably considered: †¢Marketing – This unit uses a mainframe negotiation program written in COBOL where results from the technical description of specification for a new machine of a customer were interpreted and has a Query System used to analyze data from ongoing negotiations as well as contracts won or lost. †¢Admin and Finance – The purchase order, accounts payable and accounts receivable were the three (3) systems, which were custom developed by GE’s MIS staff on the AS/400. †¢Engineering – This subunit was responsible for handling three (3) separate design systems for the three (3) types of custom machine that Fort Wayne produces. †¢Drafting – At Fort Wayne, CAD applications ran on the IBM mainframe and consisted of eighty-five (85) seats of CAD. (A â€Å"seat† was one hardware CAD setup with a high-resolution screen, keyboard, function button box, and a pointing device that functioned like a mouse.) The development of the automatic drawing progress was very convenient with both CAD and the custom machine design program on the same platform. †¢Manufacturing – When all the drawings for a custom machine were completed, the BOM (Bill of Material was manually transferred from the drawings into the BOM database system, called DBOMP. With the three (3) types of custom machine, DBOMP could not handle the large drawing numbers and no one at Fort Wayne knew the DBOMP code well enough to make changes. In this case, the MIS group was backlogged in supporting the rapid changes that were occurring at the Fort Wayne Plant. †¢Test – Test information was written on a form that was interpreted and copied from the customer’s specification in marketing and engineering. Test department had several PCs connected to LAN. †¢Human Resources – There were no plans to connect the LAN with Fort Wayne’s mainframe due to security corners over the confidentiality personnel records residing on the HR’s computers. Besides, the HR organization was not even considered a local support issue because its applications were supported from the corporate MIS group in New York. After acquiring the findings above, the group cited specific problems encountered on some of the subunits of the IS, and they were as follows: 1.The Admin and Finance is the only subunit which is not under the current mainframe of the Fort Wayne. The systems for this department are developed in the IBM AS/400 mainframe. 2.At the Manufacturing Department, when a computerized system failed to provide needed functionality, paper systems were created to support the information needs. This is due to the large number of drawings in CAD that DBOMP could not handle. 3.PCs in the Test Department are connected to the mainframe but only used occasionally. Furthermore, electronic test result data were not shared on the mainframe but remained in the test department LAN only. Below are three (3) major options presented by Charles Browning: 1.Centralized Computing. Commit to staying with the current mainframe for all important applications such as the CAD and the DBOMP though it would be a long-term venture. Discourage the use of UNIX work stations and eliminate the AS/400 and place the Admin and Finance along with the other department systems in one mainframe. 2.Workstation Computing. A strategy that will discard the mainframe, make significant investments in the UNIX workstations, PCs, servers and LANs and will architect a full client/server environment. Install high-speed network to link all computers via LAN and install gateways to bridge between networks. One database would serve the entire UNIX network system. And CAD and other major applications will be shifted off the mainframe to dedicated UNIX workstations. But the process is expected to take approximately 10 years before mainframes could be downgraded and migrated to workstations. 3.Watch Carefully. Do not act yet. Wait and see what develops and decide only as circumstances force key issues. This means that each decision would be made in response to immediate demands and on lowest risk and least expensive alternative at decision time. CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Summary The case study was conducted to propose an intelligent strategy for the Information Systems Department of the Fort Wayne Plant, which is a subsidiary company of International Machine and Tool (IMT-USA). The IS division made several proposals of incremental solutions for the needs of their system, however, they could not acquire the specific solution which will show them what modifications should be done and how would it be done. The proponents examined different units under the IS departments and searched for the root problems existing in the division. The third option, â€Å"Watch carefully. Do not act yet.† was chosen by the group as the best among the options presented and strategically developed the plans to solve the problems. Conclusions After the study has been conducted, the proponents concluded that to be able to plan a working solution for an existing system. A careful observation and examination of functionality of units under the system must be done in order to trace the root causes of problems and to provide direct solutions to it.

Health Cruises Homework Essay

1. What is the minimum number of passengers Health Cruises must sign up by November 20th to break even? *Fixed costs = $220,000 (Ship rental and crew) + $65,000(initial advertisement expense) +$10,000(administrative expense) = $295000 *Contribution per unit = $1500 -$200 = $1300 *Breakeven point (in units)= 295000/1300 = 226.92 : At least 227 passengers should sign up for Health Cruises by November 20th. 2. Should Health Cruises go ahead with the cruise since 200 people have signed up by November 14th? Why or why not? : Though I concede that Health Cruises do not reach the break-even point and is very likely to make loss at this situation, I suggest them to keep running this trip from a long term perspective. The company should not consider only financial issue in operating business and miss an opportunity to make huge profits and create new spectrum of service. If Health Cruise efficiently proceed this trip and offer fine quality of service to these 200 passengers, this package cruises would go famous through word of mouth and gain effective advertising effect. Also, the company can better understand the operating system of its product and reconstruct its business and financial system to make profit. Therefore, instead of losing enormous amount of fixed costs by cancelling this whole cruise, I believe Health Cruises should present its product regardless of its current financial stat us. 3. The advertising agency has proposed two alternative campaigns to help fill the boat. One will cost $6000 and the other would cost $15,000. Which would you suggest? *Breakeven point including = 295000+6000/1300 = 232 another ads cost $6,000(in units) * Breakeven point including = 295000+15000/1300 = 239 another ads cost $15,000(in units) : I suggest the corporation to choose the campaign that costs $15,000 since, as calculation shown above proves, it has higher possibility of bringing enough number of passengers to exceed breakeven point in units and earn profit. 4. Should Health Cruises consider cutting its prices for this trip? Why or why not? What other factors could impact the go/no-go decision in addition to the break even? : The corporation should not cut its price for this trip because considering the fixed and variable costs its current price which ranges from $1500 to $2200 seems reasonable and at this point where this trip is the first product presenting and only 200 passengers signed up for it, we cannot guarantee that enough number of passengers would come to make profit even if we drop the price. Moreover, Health cruises should consider other internal and external factors to make this trip successful such as other ways to reduce its fixed and variable cost, its competitors’ prices and products and nation’s economic status.

Salem witch trials and the crucible Movie Review

Salem witch trials and the crucible - Movie Review Example At the time when the idea of the â€Å"Crucible† was born in 1652, communism and racism had dominated most nations of the West. Towards the end of the 17th Century, the conception of Satanism and healing in God had masked the minds of most inhabitants of the world. This was also the period of great political change and conflicts among the landlords. Coincidentally, this was the century that ushered in the occurrence of the abnormal psychology, in particular, Hysteria. When Salem Witch Trial was first shot in the year 1692, it followed these trends of the ancient world and reflected the contemporary society in that light. During that time, the belief that witches had the supernatural powers to cause adverse harms to the human beings had been spread across the continent of Europe, New England in particular. Besides, the low class Puritan community was still going through a bitter aftermath of the war between France and British which occurred in the year 1689. Tension and trauma was still lingering in the minds of most residents of the ancient Salem village. The British war was not the only cause of fear in thi s solitary village; there was also an outbreak Smallpox which was not readily curable by that time. The lonely villagers of Salem also lived in a persistent fear of the attack from the neighboring communities. For the Salem inhabitants, this really a dark age from which only the extraordinary intervention of God could safely exit them The two movies, Salem Witch Trial and Crucible, were shot during this very time in history when human permittivity and racism formed the basis of life. These two movies vividly portray how witchcraft was alleged and severely punished by the cruel society. In Salem Witch Trial, young children who suffer from hysteria happened to envision very wild imaginations of witchcraft. Their parents, in reaction to these imaginations, point fingers at the suspects before establishing the

Elements of the Legal System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Elements of the Legal System - Essay Example The adversarial type is always seen on films and read in novels. The adversarial model works in two types of criminal cases: First are the celebrated cases, where famous people are involved, or cases that are horrifying and beyond the normal type of crime. Second are the serious felonies, which include serious misdemeanors that are done by strangers. The consensual model is a model classified as more effective because there is good cooperation from both the defense and prosecutor. In this model, the two attorneys from both sides share the same understanding of the crimes and punishments. These attorneys think that arguing over the case will only slow down the court proceedings of the case when their main purpose is to make the process faster and finish the throng of cases as quickly and effectively as possible. Crime Control vs. Due Process Models. Crime control model is the assurance of public protection. This type of model believes that all criminal suspects are guilty; thus, their cases should be dealt quickly in the courts or in any other legal branches. The legal process of this model with the criminal suspects is characterized like that of a conveyer belt where all cases and the suspects pass by in the conveyer belt quick and fast. â€Å"Crime control and consensual models complement each other since crime control gives importance to quickly and efficiently convict criminal suspects to ensure the public their safety† (Barkan, 2009). The consensual model gives importance of the same goal but only because to ensure of the continuous and uninterrupted court proceedings. In contrast, due process model is a model that protects and ensures the suspected criminal from the likely abuse of the government of its power. This model take into consideration that the suspected criminal or defendant is innocent of the charges thrown at him. In a democratic country, both the innocent and the guilty deserve to have proper court proceedings and ensure of their indivi dual freedom. The adversarial model and the due process model â€Å"complement each other† since the former model stresses on challenging the evidences of the two parties while the latter highlights on protecting the rights of the suspected offender (Barkan, 2009). Lawyers The significance of the function of a defense attorney is to talk and act in behalf of the defendant. A defense attorney understands the fair process of the criminal justice system. A defendant is in need of every legal advice and counsel throughout the court proceedings, and a defense attorney is the one that gives such. A defense attorney also â€Å"represents the defendant after the he or she is taken into custody†¦to give advice and to make sure constitutional rights are not violated during pretrial procedures† (â€Å"The Adversary Justice System,† n.d.). The prosecuting attorney does not give advices the same way a defense attorney does. A prosecutor’s responsibility is making sure that parties involved in the trial are conscious and be aware of legal measures. Prosecuting vs. Defense Attorney. The prosecuting and the defense attorneys both lay their sides to the judge and to the jury, and during the trial proceedings of the case both are involved. The prosecuting team goes first in presenting evidence that proves the conviction of the defendant followed by the defendant who is going to present his or her

Symbolism in Desiree's Baby by Kate Chopin Essay

Symbolism in Desiree's Baby by Kate Chopin - Essay Example ave a child who grows to appear with a heritage as a ‘quadroon’, the happiness of their marriage is shattered and Desiree disappears into the bayou as Armand destroys the evidence of their love. In the end, a letter reveals that it is Armand who had a mother with the heritage that gave their child the appearance of a ‘quadroon’, not Desiree. The story of Desiree’s Baby written by Kate Chopin uses symbolism to show the way in which prejudice and slavery affect her characters and in order to discuss the nature of race, gender, and love in a compelling story with a surprise ending that challenges conceptions. Because there is doubt about the origins of Desiree, there is a fear by the Valmondes, the people who took her in as she was left on their doorstep, that she will have a mixed race heritage. As she is loved by them, they do not care, but they fear for her life as a wife of a rich plantation owner who has many slaves. Although he implication of this is that she will be unacceptable as a wife for Armand who claims to not care because he loves her so much. Chopin writes that â€Å"Armand Aubigny riding by and seeing her there, had fallen in love with her. That was the way all the Aubignys fell in love, as if struck by a pistol shot† (Chopin 219). When she bears him a child who appears to be of mixed race, his heart turns on her and he drives her from their home. The discussion that Chopin introduces is based upon the difficulties of identity and race as it was interpreted in the time contemporary to her writing. Armand loves her as long as he has no knowledge of her genetic history, but when he believes he has discovered that she has an ancestor that might be ‘black’, he turns on her and rejects this aspect of her identity. The imagery that Chopin evokes as he falls in love with Desiree evokes a violent and explosive idea through the â€Å"pistol shot† (Chopin 219). This is a foreboding of how the relationship will end as his powerful attraction to her