Physiological Effects of MDMA Use :: Health Drugs Essays

Physiological Effects of MDMA UseMDMA has significant cardiovascular effects. This is reproducible with its norepinephrine releasing (Johnson et al. 1991 Rothman et al. 2001) and _2 adrenergic agonist (Lavelle et al. 1999) properties. MDMA dose dependently produces robust increases in union rate and downslope pressure (de la Torre et al. 2000a de la Torre et al. 2000b Grob et al.). percentage point cardiovascular effects occur between 1 and 2 hours after MDMA administration and largely subside within 6 hours of drug administration.A study suggested that the relationship between MDMA dose and cardiovascular effects was supralinear by de la Torre et al. (2000a) who reported unexpectedly high drug exposures (measured as AUCplasma for MDMA) and diastolic blood pressure increases in two volunteers given 150 mg MDMA. While pharmacokinetic data suggest MDMA has nonlinear kinetics, there is no benefit evidence of supralinear relationships between dose and blood pressure or heart rate. I n fact, there may be less increase in heart rate after higher doses. The tendency toward less heart rate increase with higher dose is consistent with a study using some(prenominal) conscious and anesthetized rats (OCain et al. 2000). In this rat study, 3 mg/kg IV MDMA decreased heart rate, while lower doses tended to increase it or offer it unchanged.Studies monitoring blood pressure found significant relationships between MDMA use and blood pressure. In 1 study, (Vollenweider et al. 1998) involving subjects without a history of MDMA use, one subject experienced hypertensive crisis from a dose typical of recreational use. The correlation of blood pressure is described, A two way ANOVA for systolic blood pressure revealed a significant main effect of drug F(1,2) = 41.09 p < 02 and a significant drug x time interaction F(3,6) = 11.31 p < 007. Significant changes occurred in the 0 to 75 minutes and 75 to 150 minutes interval (one way ANOVAs). Two way ANOVA for diastolic blood pr essure was not significant, but one way ANOVAs showed significant changes in the 75 to 150 minutes and the 150 to 300 minutes interval. Increases were in the target of 10 to 30 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure and 5 to 10 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure. (Vollenweider et al. 1998 pp.245_246) This study shows a similarity in changes in systolic blood pressure, and a lesser similarity in changes in diastolic blood pressure. The occurrence of hypertensive crisis suggests solicitude in potential use and study.

Drug Abuse Essays -- Illegal Drugs Addiction

Drug abuse is a widespread problem that impinge ons individual drug users the prime victims. But drugs also affect all of us, wherever we live and whatever we do. Drug abuse can cause serious physical and mental deterioration. The problem can tear apart the family structure and make it hard for learning. Difficulties on the job due to drug abuse make it hard for employers to run their businesses. Stealing form employers or from individuals to get money from for drugs causes disoblige and economic deviation to the victims. Arrests and jailing of drug users and dealers puts a strain on law enforcement officials and the criminal justice systems the cost to taxpayers is enormous. The millions of dollars spent on illegal drugs in the States encourage criminal activity and ribs the government of tax revenues.For all these reasons and many more the subject of drug about is extremely important. As a office of considering this vast subject, experts have classified the drugs according to their primary effects on the bay. Thus, the eight basic drugs classifications are antidepressants, anti-anxiety tranquilizers, anti-psychotic tranquilizer, cannabis, hallucinogens, narcotics, sedative/hypnotics, and stimulants.Antidepressant drugs are substances that improve a persons mood and are commonly used in the treatment of depression. Depression is a psychiatric problem that is characterized by a loss of interest in the most aspects of life, a slowing-down of activity, a feeling of worthlessness, and sometim...

James A. Michners: TEXAS :: essays research papers

In this magnificent historical novel, James A. Michner skillfully combines fact and fiction to present one of our most expansive and diversified states. Spanning nearly cardinal and a fractional centuries, Michner begins with the first Spaniards to explore parts of present day Texas, Cabeza de Vaca and Francisco Vasquez de Coronado and continues on to the emergence of Texas as one of our most powerful states.Michners pulmonary tuberculosis of historical fact is extremely accurate in his portrayal of events in Texas history. Particularly when he writes of the fight for Independence from Mexico. Michner only strays to fiction in an fire to illustrate to the reader what the lives of early Texans must have been like. His characters interact with actual historical figures and create very believable scenarios of the events depicted in his novel. One Scenario in particular is the Battle of San Jacinto. This is a historical event which ended in a decisive victory for the Texas Army and I ndependence for Texas. Michners depiction of this contest is very accurate except for two important points. In his novel, Stephen F. Austin is sent to destroy a ferry owned by a cause lover, Mattie Quimper. This was to prevent the Mexican Army, under the command of superior general Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, from crossing the river and give more time to the Texans to prepare for the inevitable battle. This incident is fictional, but it is similar-to another literal event. At San Jacinto, General Sam Houston sent one of his men to destroy a bridge crossing the San Jacinto River. This was to prevent reinforcements from joining Santa Annas forces, which were already on the Island. The second point which was fictional ,but was based on an actual event, was the capture of General Santa Anna. In Michners novel, a bumbling Yancy Quimper, comes across a half naked Santa Anna, who was trying to evade capture by hiding in the trees.Quimper, being a coward, nearly shoots himself in the pr ocess. This alerts another fictional character, Otto MacNab. MacNab takes Santa Anna into custody and presents him to General Houston. In actuality, a Texas Army Sergeant captured Santo Anna the day following the battle.Michner includes these fictional characters as part of a sub-plot designed to keep the reader interested in what is a purely military campaign. He remains true to historical facts and only adds fiction to color his amazing storytelling abilities.

Toni Morrison and bell hooks - Society and the Media :: Biography Biographies Essays

Toni Morrison and bell maulers - Society and the Media   There is a lot of misrepresentation of the black society as a whole in the media. The curtilage that this is true is because the mostly white society accepts this and prolongs s this misrepresentation in the media. Toni Morrison and bell hooks share some of the same ideas on sexism, racism and conformity. This American society is made up of mostly whites. The whites have an extreme effect on how the stereotypes of today relate with media.   Sexism is a current issue that happens everyday. It is supported with the stereotypes that range ready preconceived and we just go along with them. In hooks analysis of Lees movie she explores how Carolyn is the care take she is the render so that is her job. As hooks says. Sexist/racist stereotypes of gender identity in black experience are evident in the construction of these two characters. Although Carolyn is glamorous, beautiful in her afrocentric style, she is represent as a bitch goddess(hooks 103). She is the dominate on in the house hold because it is considered to be her job as the female. The father does not do much of anything to support her. He is not responsible for actions because he is an, artistic, non-patriarchal mindset he cannot be held accountable.(hooks 104). This is because the society say that it is O.K. for the man to do this and it should be accepted.   While Carolyn was salutary death Carolyn talks to her daughter and, Troy is given instructions as to how she must assume the caretaker role. Contemporary feminist thinkers are calling attention to the girlhood... No one in the film is concerned about the loss of Troys girlhood, though her brothers remain free to maintain their spirit of play(bell 104). So instead of the mother asking the father she goes to her ten-year-old daughter and instructs her that she is now the caretaker compared to her older brothers or her father. This is confusing, wouldn t the oldest take care of the youngest. I guess not, I think this is a prime physical exertion of sexism. Taking her girlhood away, because it is a womans job.

Essay --

The Bureau of Investigation was renamed the federal official Bureau of Investigation, in 1935. The FBI became well known by American culture during the rule of John Edgar clean. John Edgar Hoover is unquestionably the most famous federal agent in the history of the joined States. He turned an insignificant federal law enforcement agency with curb law enforcement powers into the most esteemed law enforcement organization in the world. The FBI was seen as a crucial part of Americas win in valet War II due to its efforts against espionage. In the 1950s and 1960s, Hoover increased the FBIs Cold War efforts to prevent the power of Communist supporters and spies in the United States. In the 1960s and 1970s, the FBI became known as the primary agency to protect the civil rights of all citizens within the South. The FBI continued to fight against espionage throughout the Cold War. This last led to the decrease in communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and earl y 1990s. The FBI likewise became manifold with many other highly publicized cases. In the 1970s and 1980s, the FBI investigated domestic terror groups on both the left and the right wings of the political spectrum. The FBI also regarded public corruption and organized crime as very important priorities during the 1970s and 1980s. Beginning in the 1980s all the way up to submit day the FBI has increasingly focused its attention on acts of terrorism. In the middle and late 1980s, several acts of terrorism were committed against Americans overseas. Terrorism remained in the spotlight during the 90s in response to numerous incidents, such as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York City and the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal B... ...s it correlates to the manufacturing, distribution, and supplying of legally produced controlled substances. They are responsible for the cooperation with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials on shared drug enforcement efforts and the bettering of these efforts by means of exploitation of impending interstate and worldwide investigations. They are also accountable for the cooperation with local, state, and federal agencies, and foreign governments in programs intended to reduce the accessibility of illegal abuse-type drugs for sale in the United States through non-enforcement techniques. In addition, they are responsible for every program related to drug law enforcement correspondents in foreign countries, and the relationship with the Interpol, United Nations, and other organizations on affairs regarding world-wide drug control programs (DEA).

Essay --

The Bureau of Investigation was renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in 1935. The FBI became salubrious known by American culture during the rule of John Edgar Hoover. John Edgar Hoover is unquestionably the most famous federal agent in the tale of the United States. He turned an insignificant federal truth enforcement agency with restricted law enforcement powers into the most esteemed law enforcement organization in the world. The FBI was seen as a crucial part of Americas win in macrocosm War II due to its efforts against espionage. In the 1950s and 1960s, Hoover increase the FBIs Cold War efforts to prevent the power of Communist supporters and spies in the United States. In the 1960s and 1970s, the FBI became known as the primary agency to entertain the civil rights of all citizens within the South. The FBI continued to fight against espionage throughout the Cold War. This ultimately led to the decrease in communism in the Soviet league and Eastern Europe in the la te 1980s and early 1990s. The FBI also became involved with many other highly publicized cases. In the 1970s and 1980s, the FBI investigated domestic terror groups on both the left and the right wings of the political spectrum. The FBI also regarded public corruption and organized crime as very classical priorities during the 1970s and 1980s. Beginning in the 1980s all the way up to present day the FBI has increasingly focused its attention on acts of terrorism. In the core and late 1980s, several acts of terrorism were committed against Americans overseas. Terrorism remained in the spotlight during the 90s in response to numerous incidents, such as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing in New York City and the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal B... ...s it correlates to the manufacturing, distribution, and supplying of legally produced controlled substances. They are responsible for the cooperation with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials on shared drug enforcem ent efforts and the bettering of these efforts by means of exploitation of impending interstate and international investigations. They are also accountable for the cooperation with local, state, and federal agencies, and foreign governments in programs mean to reduce the accessibility of illegal abuse-type drugs for sale in the United States through non-enforcement techniques. In addition, they are responsible for every program related to drug law enforcement correspondents in foreign countries, and the relationship with the Interpol, United Nations, and other organizations on affairs regarding international drug control programs (DEA).

American Dream in Great Gatsby Essay

The Idea that Pervades Society The American woolgather is the longing of success that factor a happy family and equal chance to go from rags to riches, by dint of hard work. This idea is scene in a lot of places. On the picture by Margaret White, the poster proclaims Worlds Highest tired of Living-thither is no way like the American Way. Or the headline of the newspaper story is The American Dream, the subtitle is Doing Well by Doing Good. Examples of the American dream are almost invisible when looking at average Americans.In the photograph, there are hungry people carrying buckets. None of them are white and none of them look remotely happy in front of the camera. This shows how non everyone can live the American Dream especially if they are barely getting by. Immigrants besides failed to reach the American dream for reasons like non world able to speak English and lack of resources. Having a happy family is not easy either. There is lots of conflict at home over the din ner table and no time for American adults to have fun once they have tykes. It is unreal to expect fun when there is housework, bills to pay, and more.Although it sounds good, it is a negative force in our society because it is just too good to be true. The American dream means equal opportunity to go from rags to riches. Sometimes, aggression whitethorn be necessary to get this equal opportunity due to circumstance. At the time, most southern blacks could not share a water fountain, a beach, a bus seat, a school room, or a voting booth with southern whites. (Moser, and Watters) This barrier to well-behaved rights meant that some were considered inferior and could not succeed because they were separate from the average American.This shows that the American dream is unrealistic for blacks. Langston Hughes states how America should be a land where Liberty is laureled with no counterfeit patriotic wreath, But opportunity is real, and life is free, Equality is in the air we breath e. (Hughes) However, he later asserts that America never was America to me, And I swear this oath-America impart be (Hughes) This reiterates how this equal opportunity will be there in the future. Thus, showing how the American dream is currently unrealistic for them. Immigrants who were not American tried to go from rags to riches as well.Education was free. That subject my father had written about repeatedly, as comprising his chief hope for us children, the amount of American opportunity, the treasure that no thief could touch, not even misfortune or poverty. (Antin) This shows his belief in the equal opportunity in America. In the end, many of this people did not fully realize the dream and may have ended up in a worse financial situation than before. The Antins wound up losing everything after the storm on Crescent Beach. They could not achieve the success that the American dream entitled.Her father was master of no art, of no trade that even his precious learning was no av ail, because he had only the most antiquated methods of communicating it. (Antin) They did not expect this would matter but being immigrants put them at a disadvantage. It is clearly not achievable for the poorer Americans and immigrants who probably worked very hard but live in an oppressive society that set background over hard work. You need to be a white American gentleman to succeed like Tom who lives in East Egg. The American dream means a happy family with a nice house and all the amenities of civilization.However, how can a family be happy when there is so much work to be done at home? A good home life for a family of four took about 60 hours of nurturing work per week in 1982. That work may have been more fleshlyly arduous in the past, but never more complex than now. (Hayden) Today, its nowhere near that amount but it is still quite a load. On top of that, people are picky meaning that part of homemaking involved beholding that each family members myriad personal need s are fully met. For example, Home cooking requires meals prepared to suit the personal likes and dislikes of family members.(Hayden) How can the American dream be achieved when you worry so much about homemaking? The idea of a happy family ceases to exist because of this. Even rich people with all the amenities like the laundry machine, dishwashers, refrigerators, and stoves still have a lot to worry about. Rich people still need to worry though about their kids education and choose to private school their kids. However, this puts more pressure on families, cutting them off from the diversity and connectedness of the proverbial village.Poorer families without the same resources to enrapture their children to school worry even more about this. There are exorbitant rates for the top state universities and federal aid is hard to pass off by. The journal of health and Social behavior published her findings that adults with children experience depression and unhappiness in greater num bers. Our expectations that children guarantee a life filled with happiness, joy, excitement, limitment, satisfaction, and ostentation are an additional source of stress for all parents.This shows that happiness is hard to achieve and many are dissatisfied because of the times when they have housework to do. A lot of the times, Mothers in their sphere do not have many people to talk to except for other women. Or it may come from husbands and children who finally notice when their wives and mothers break down. (Hayden) For example, Daisy in the Great Gatsby had a hard time dealing with Tom, who had a bad temper. You did it, Tom, she said accusingly. I drive in you didnt mean to but you did do it.Thats what I get for marrying a brute of a man, a great big hulking physical specimen. (Fitzgerald 16) During this incident, Tom intentionally broke Daisys finger for no reason. Daisy was very upset about having to put up with this. This shows how not everyone is happy all the time. lat er on at the end, Daisy was so upset about Toms mistress and almost left Tom for Gatsby. She states, Why, -how could I love him-possibly? (Fitzgerald 139) This is in answer to Gatsby telling her to state that she never loved him. In this case, him refers to Tom, who now desperately wants her back.Even if a family is wealthy or poor, there is so much sledding on at home that people are likely to be unhappy. Although it sounds good, there are lots of problems in life preventing the American Dream from happening. all day, there is housework, kids to take care of, and bills to pay. This makes home life frenetic all the time. Unless you can afford a housekeeper and somehow have a perfectly content family, you should not wish for the American Dream. The American dream is the longing of success that means a happy family and equal opportunity to go from rags to riches through hard work.A lot of people decided to immigrate here in pursuit of this dream. Many of them were disappointed whe n it ended in failure although they worked hard. The American dream was simply out of their reach like with Mary Antins father. Therefore, the American Dream has a negative impact on our society because of its false promises that cannot be achieved by the overwhelming majority. So until you can guarantee equal opportunity, limited house work, and no home conflict the American dream will cease to exist.

Describe the Effects of the Expansion of Race and Ethnicity on United States Society Essay

Describe the effects of the expansion of race and ethnicity on United States society. Because I was brocaded around the military community, I have been exposed to many different races and cultures. When I married, we were a military family for approximately eight additional years. After my divorce, I entered into the business world full time and encountered not only different races and cultures, but also different religious practices around the holidays. I have incessantly upheld to the belief that we should accept people for whom and what they are.Not by the color of their skin, or where they come from, the language they speak, or their religious beliefs. I find learning nigh races, cultural differences very interesting and intriguing. I strive to not being quick to make assumptions and judgments about people different than myself. At first, I was guileless and just thought everyone was like me. It was a real eye opener. What I learned about my own cultural history is that I come from a varied background, and that I am thankful to be an the Statesn.Regarding trends with immigration and how the face of the U.S. lead look in 2050, unchecked with illegal immigration the US will be weaker and overrun with a slew of individuals who require assistance and very possibly on going subsidy. With controlled and legal immigration of individuals who can make a significant contribution to society, it could strengthen our population base and lessen those who are dependent on the government for assistance.The best way the country can arrange for the changing race and ethnicity of its current and future citizens is to create new immigration laws that could help everyone embrace these cultures. I do believe that as immigrants that live, function here, they should give way taxes just as Americans. Also I believe that while Americans should be respectful of a races culture, immigrants should seek to assimilate and embrace America as well as learn the language so they can fu nction and contribute positively to society. Lastly, but not at all least, we aim to make sure our children are being educated about other races and cultures. This will benefit everyone and teach tolerance and acceptance.

Marketing Research Project

This is a proposal of grocerying search project that is conducted by group A. Ben & Jerry is chosen as our search place company. In the first part of this proposal, you can find detailed background information of Ben & Jerry, which gives a rough description of its four P (price, promotion, place and people). In addition, it also covers several issues ab come forth the European ice thrash about market. The next part of this proposal is mainly discussing marketing management problems.You can find out Ben & Jerrys symptoms, suspected causes of its marketing management problems, Ben& Jerrys actions and its consequences. Besides that, we listed several questions to help us analyze customers buying behavior and the main methods we will utilise in order to finish our survey. The schedule and sampling plan will give you a full picture of our project progress. Ben & Jerrys trade search Background Proposal 3 Plan of Approach BACKGROUND Market and Brand of Choice For the Marketing Researc h project 2005/2006 we chose to do our marketing inquiry within the ice cream industry, in the Netherlands.The Ice Cream industry in the United States developed rapidly nowadays they have started to expand their market to other continents such(prenominal) as Europe and Asia. We can find so many international ice cream swords in Europe, especially in the Netherlands such as Haagen Dazs, Ben & Jerrys, and Australian. Among the various international brands that are popular around the world, we are roughly interested in Ben & Jerrys. We have noticed that Ben & Jerrys is one of the most popular brands one can discover around big cities.Furthermore, we decided to go for Ben & Jerrys because we will benefit by doing research in The Netherlands since Ben & Jerrys is under the Unilever, which is part of the Unilever Group owned by the Netherlands-based Unilever N. V. and UK-based Unilever PLC, which is also one of the biggest consumer product company. Ice Cream Market Issues Sales of impu lse ice cream are set to register positive time value growth of 5. 5% during 2003, reaching a value of EUR 216. 8 million stimulated by acceptable weather at the beginning of the summer season and dynamic impulse in terms of new product development and advertising.In volume, sales are pass judgment to increase by 2%, indicating a marked preference for the higher value innovations introduced by leading manufacturer Unilever. Much of the growth are predicted to be driven by dairy-based impulse ice cream, which is the most popular product in the Netherlands with sales accounting for nearly 70% of total volume. Ben & Jerrys Market Research Background Proposal 4 Plan of Approach Furthermore, the champion portion dairy ice cream is expected to register higher value growth in 2003, at 8. %, which lead to improving the performance of previous years due to a combination of better weather and intense brand and product promotion. Important Issues about the Brand Ben & Jerrys are using spec ial characteristics for their brand that are simple to pronounce, recognize, and remember. The cow and green surroundings bed their logo is depicting their sentiency of quality and benefits. Ben & Jerrys tries to acknowledge their customers that they always use natural and fresh milk, always keep clean and green environment while producing their ice cream.To promote and to prove their mission, Ben & Jerrys uses special slogan like From Cow to Cone, Lick Global Warming, Organic Ben & Jerrys, and 50 Ways to Promote Peace. Since Ben & Jerrys target market is ranging from kids to elderly people (Family), they have to ensure that there is an existence of brand awareness in specific segments. For kids, they would be more interested in the ice cream packages or paper with their favorite cartoons, such as Disneys characters or Warner Bros.For adults and elderly people, they would take into consideration more about the nutrition facts, taste, and dispirited-fat ice cream. Thus, it will b e more interesting for them to see Organics, low sugar, or low fat Ice Cream. Ben & Jerrys are using brand extension to develop their brand. They have produced thousand of ice cream flavors under the stir of one successful brand, which of course is Ben & Jerrys. They have extended its brand to organic ice cream, original ice cream, scoops menu, bars original ice cream, single original ice cream, and single novelties with different choice of taste in each product.

Between Technology and Criminal Justice

I. Introduction As information plays a vital role in the advancements of deplorable justice system, technological changes be closely related to the best conduct of distressing justice. The very efficiency of system can be integral to the quality of justice it provides. to a greater extentover, the mly public exposure of information through new technologies too has larger impacts on criminal justice system. At present, technological development has become more complex and it has granted birth to new types of databases which are qualitatively different.The purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of technological advancements pertaining to the communication capabilities of criminal justice system. It would the merits and demerits of major databases such as AFIS, Live Scan, Facial Recognition, and Iris Scan briefly and compares them in their strengths and weaknesses. II. Technology, Database and Criminal Justice Over the years, information engineering has become a key comp onent of the criminal justice systems as it has unprecedentedly enhanced the communication capabilities of database available for the conduct of criminal justice.Not only the inquiry bodies such as police only when also courts and presidencys as decision making agencies too make use of advances information and communication technologies in their pursuit of criminal justice. Blitz (2004) has argued that the creation of databases for built-in population itself is illegal and categoric all(prenominal)y asserts that it is not merely the continuing observation of activities that undercuts privateness, but to an even greater degree, the ongoing recording of these activities.Importantly, criminals too have been apply sophisticated technology not only for cyber crimes but also for inflicting severe crimes over several realms of social life. Technologically sophisticated databases such as GPS tracking bracelets, biometric scanners, online offender indexes, and DNA databasesgive the gove rnment power to control dangerous persons without relying on any exertion of physical control (Murphy, 2008). Automated Fingerprints Identification Systems (AFIS) enables the checking of criminal history records of a person just a matter of minutes.It has been argues that the ability of AFIS systems to search millions of records in minutes and present candidates to the latent print examiner borders on the incredible (Komarinski, 2005). AFIS is technologically sophisticated mainly in three counts quantity wise-the extent of fingerprints could be cross checked, quality wise- the extent of correctness of the information and time wise-the extent of time saving and otherwise related benefits involved. AFIS can be helpful not only in identifying criminals but also the victims of crime.Following the World business Center attack, it is with the help of AFIS, the latent print examiners were able to identify over 300 victims, bringing closure and comfort to their families. This would not ha ve been possible without AFIS technology (Komarinski, 2005). It is also helpful for identifying people with memory disorders or who are dead. Moreover, it could be as intense as possible to integrate the entire biometric details of all the people in the world.Also, it is possible to link AFIS systems easily with other databases too. AFIS can also be utilise in avoiding welfare cheating and the right tryst of government services for the right people. As AFIS systems grow in spectacular speed, a latent print found at crime site could be compared against all the known people and if not matching, could be stored for future match. Iris Scan is highly advanced as which are per perceived to have a higher accuracy rate than traditional facial recognition programs.Also, Iris scan enables the documentation of ones identity without even his/her identity as it is legal in most countries to snap the image of a person in public. It also could be potentially used for imposing residency and movem ent restrictions that declare original areas off limits to particular individuals who have conditional paroles, barring notices or stay away orders. However, it gives the possibility of the misuse of Iris Scan databases for segregating ethnic minorities or other dissident groups.A technology like Live Scan or Iris Scan can be an easy tool for governments and big corporations to breach the privacy of innocent individuals and authoritarian regimes could well use them for surveillance of the entire population. Also, such databases and techniques could be hacked by criminal elements and used for terrorizing the whole world. Murphy (2005) has pointed out that government strategies virtual contol could be more dangerous than physical control as still the courts unduly focus on the physical world as the applicable metric against which all restraints are judged.As a result, technologies of restraint are imposed without necessary procedural safeguards. The unaccountability of the possible uses of databases by the governments too is a matter of fright concern. In other words, a technological development such as Iris Scan enables the government and security agencies to monitor the entire population amounting to detain people in a prison without walls. In comparison, it could be argued that Iris Scan could be considered as the best available database could be used fro criminal justice.It does not involve any physical touch for the obtaining of date and it could be taken without the consent of a person. Moreover, Iris Scan could be well used to obtain the sample even from an unwilling person without using force. III. Conclusion The technological advancements have helped the conduct of criminal justice faster, accurate and less procedurally complex. More than punitive measures, database could be used also for affirmative actions such as victim identification, welfare distribution, cheat prevention etc.However, it opens up new possibilities for abuse as well such as thos e by authoritarian regimes and commercial interests in monitoring the population. Reference Blitz, M. J. (2004). Video Surveillance and the Constitution of Public Space qualified the Fourth Amendment to a World That Tracks Image and Identity. Texas Law Review. 82 (6). pp. 1349-85 Komarinski, P. (2005) Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS). Burlington. Elsevier Academic Press. Murphy, E. (2008). Paradigms of Restraint. Duke Law Journal. 57 (5). pp. 1321-45

Initial Public Offering Paper Essay

The focus of this paper is to examine and research the financing issues that an presidency must face when going public. The aggroup has selected Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. as the organization which has had an initial public offer in the last three years. The learning team will address registration, disclosure, and compliance issues and cost of issuance. In addition, the team will examine the impact on ownership control and return as well as the source and application of funds.Financing Issues that an Organization Faces When Going PublicAn Initial Public Offering (IPO), is extremely expensive for organizations. It is common for a junior-grade business to pay between $50,000 and $250,000 to organize and publicize an offering. According to Paul G. Joubert, author of The Portable MBA in Finance and Accounting, IPO claims between 15 and 20 percent of the proceeds of the sale of stock (IPO Forum, 2008). Some other costs associated with going public include lead underwriters commissi on, expenses for legal and invoice services, printing costs and filing costs with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Organizations may have ongoing expenses for legal, accounting and filing services (IPO Forum, 2008).Issues Impacting Dividend Policies and Constraints on Dividend PaymentsA steadfastly must examine all financing and investment issues before determining the proper payout of dividends for their organization. Some organizations opt to pay out smaller cash dividends to constraint earnings for in store(predicate) expansion. It is ideal for an organization to start with smaller payouts, and continue with conservative dividends per sh be. This payout conclusion is a result of the organizations capital budgeting decision.a nonher(prenominal) option for payout of dividends is to finance a large portion of their capital expenditures. This will free up cash that the organization can pay out to shareholders. This payout decision is a result of the decision to borr ow for the organizations growth (Brealey, Myers, and Marcus, 2007).ChipotleChipotle Mexican Grill, INC. is a fast-casual restaurant. It offers customers the quality food they would receive in a restaurant with fast-food style quickness. The first opening was in 1993 by the founderand CEO Steve Ells. They serve very few things but claim to provide thousands of options. Their base choices are burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, and salads. Chipotles culture is Food With Integrity which involves using unprocessed, seasonal, family-farmed,.naturally made, added hormone free, organic, and artisanal, in the words of Chipotle.com. Chipotle claims there products to better, all the way from dairy to meat. They only bribe from farms in which the animals are treated humanely and naturally raised. This philosophy has allowed Chipotle to grow from one location in 1993 to 670 in 2007 as well as compete in the fastest growing industry in restaurants (Chipotle, 2008).Registration, Disclosure and Comp liance IssuesChipotle filed a form S-1/A with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on December 23, 2003. twain securities were registered under the filing as follows Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, offered by the registrant and Class A common stock, par value $0.01 per share, offered by the selling shareholder.( Form S-1/A ,2005) Common stock offered by the registrant is at a Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price of $1 trillion dollars and a registration fee of $11,770. The Proposed Maximum Aggregate Offering Price of the common stock offered by the selling shareholder is $49.5 million (over allotment selling to the underwriters, if any, factored in to total) with a registration fee of $5,296.50. A total of 78,78,788 shares is included in the IPO and broken down by 60,60,606 from Chipotle Mexican Grill, INC and 18,18,182 from McDonalds Ventures, LLC as the selling shareholder. Chipotle intends to count their common stock on the New York air E xchange under the symbol CMG and selling price is between $15.50 and $17.50 per share. (Form S-1/A ,2005)Disclosure is the release of relevant information. (Disclosure ,2008) In Chipotles SEC filing they fall upond the prospectus statement, fiscal data, and future plans. Through there prospectus statement Chipotle makes it clear that they are set apart(predicate) from other chains by serving Food with Integrity.However, there are risks involved in investing, they are as follows the number of new stores promptly existence established, lack of independent operating history, ability to continue to grow and profit, andhealth and safety concerns regarding the ingredients used among others. Although the risk factors are in place, Chipotles financial data provides more assurance of returned profit on investment. In their Rapidly Improving Financial Performance section of the SEC filing they state a 130% increase in revenue in 2004 of 470.7 million up from 2002 and 49% up from 2003.And, average sales in new restaurants after 90 trading days increased 24.9% a total of $303,390. From 2002-2004 Chipotle overt a total of 237 stores. Their increased financial growth is attributed to word-of-mouth sales and quicker murder of Chipotle culture in the area of the new restaurant. Also, more people are aware of Chipotle, thus increasing average opening sales.( Form S-1/A ,2005)The future plans of Chipotle is to expand operations and sales by opening new stores. They forecast opening a total of 75 stores in 2005 of which 58 were already opened at the time of the SEC filing. In order to expand sales they plan to implement an online method of ordering and increasing fax lines to accommodate heavier business without causing service to suffer. And, create new food options with existing ingredients. Through filing the SEC Chipotle is in compliance with the securities act of 1933 through rule 457 by following registration fee rules. (Compliance, 2008)Cost of IssuanceA company fil ing an IPO must select underwriters in order to issue their stock. The underwriters purchase the stock and sell it at a slightly higher price than what they bought it for. They are responsible for all shares allotted, not including over allotment, and are not reimbursed for shares not sold at initial offer price. Chipotles underwriters areMorgan Stanley & Co. IncorporatedSG Cowen & Co., LLCBanc of America Securities LLCCitigroup Global Markets Inc.J.P. Morgan Securities Inc.Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & SmithIncorporatedA.G. Edwards & Sons, Inc.RBC Capital Markets CorporationSunTrust Capital Markets, Inc.Wachovia Capital Markets, LLC(Form S-1/A ,2005)Chipotle Mexican Grill, INC. did not disclose the cost of issuance in the SEC filing.Impact on Ownership Control and ReturnChipotle had filed their IPO October 25th, 2005. Seeking $121.4 Million, Morgan Stanley and SG Cowen & Co., LLC they auctioned their shares. Clarifying some of the details behind its exceedingly anticipated stock offering, Chipotle estimated its market value to be as high as $121. 4 Million, Chipotle will remain majority owned by McDonalds Corp. (Chipotle.com, 2008).On its first day as a public company, Chipotle stock rose exactly 100%, closing at $44.00 per share. On September 8, 2006 McDonalds Corp. announced it had started an offer for its shareholders to exchange McDonalds stock for shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill. The exchange allowed McDonalds shareholders to acquire Chipotle shares at a 10 percent discount. The offer is cap at a level of 0.9157 Chipotle shares for each McDonalds share exchanged owned by McDonalds Corporation. On October 13, 2006, McDonalds Corp. completed a tax-free patronage of class B common stock in Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSECMG), for its own common stock. McDonalds Corp. has now fully divested its investment in Chipotle.Source and diligence of FundsWhen it comes to an IPO, the initial funds come from an investment banking firm referred to as an underwr iter. The underwriter provides the financial advice to the company, buys the stock from the company, and then resells it to the public. Depending on the size of the IPO and number of stocks being offered, the company may have one underwriter or multiple underwriters. Before the stocks can be sold, they must be registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The unproblematic responsibilities of the SEC are to enforce federal securities laws and to regulate stocks and the stock market. The company must also decide whether to trade the stocks on either the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ. This would be the secondary and future source of funds.When Chipotle decided to go public, they had two underwriting companies as their primary underwriters Morgan Stanley and SG Cowen & Co. LLC. Chipotle originally planned to sell 6.3 million shares at $15.50 to $17.50 per share but ended up changing at the last minute to 6.3 million shares at $22 per share. In the end the offe ring raised approximately $133M in primary capitalto fund new store growth.In conclusion, organizations must take into consideration many another(prenominal) financial issues and decisions when going public. Many of these financial issues will be ongoing, and have to be taken into consideration when determining dividend payout to shareholders.Reference(s)Brealey, R., Myers, S., and Marcus, A. (2007). Fundamentals of corporate finance. (5th ed.). University of Phoenix practise Edition e-text New York, NY McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Retrieved February 9, 2008 from University of Phoenix, rEsource, FIN325-Financial Analysis for Managers II Web site.Chipotle (2008) Chipotle.com Investor Relations. Retrieved on February 10, 2007 from,http//phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=194775&p=irol-homeProfile&t=&id=&Compliance (2008) Compliance Definitions. Retrieved on February 10, 2008 from, http//www.investorwords.com/5468/compliance.htmlDisclosure (2008) Disclosure definition. Retrieved on February 11, 2008 from,http//www.investorwords.com/1469/disclosure.htmlForm S-1/A (2005) Chipotle Mexican Grill. INC SEC Filing. Retrieved on February 10,2007 from, http//phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=194775&p=irol-sec&secCat01.1_rs=241&secCat01.1_rc=10Initial Public Offering Forum. (n.d.). Initial public offering. Retrieved February 11, 2008 from http//www.referenceforbusiness.com/small/Inc-Mail/Initial-Public-Offerings.html

Starbucks/Itunes Partnership

Final Project Kargonn Cotts South University Abstract When it comes to IT breeding Planning, it is very import to lay out the details of individu all in all(a)y bea of this pedigree. The IT discipline Planning give is when to decide on the IT Infrastructure which encompasses the engine room and equipment required from the front end to the backend of the system. In this case, that will involve first gear with the node as they enter a Starbucks store, crop the Apple iTunes medicine store, browse, and purchase and whencece download music back to the customers device.This will include the technology and equipment required from the customer, Starbucks and iTunes to collide with the transactions all complete. Along with the final causening for the successful completion it is necessary to plan for when troubles will occur. This includes planning for the points in the process where the failure(s) lot occur and what resolution for each failure will be, along with who will be r esponsible for the resolution. It is important to understand what the long term effects of the failure could mean to the business. One very good carriage to document this instruction is with an Information lam Diagram.This will depict the resources involved in the flow of information throughout the process. Mobile Technology is expanding daily. It seems to be angiotensin-converting enzyme(a) of the fastest growing kinds of technologies in the news today. With the advancements in Personal Area Ne dickensrks (PAN) and Wireless rile Protocols (WPA) unstable devices of today loafer be developed that are more secure than ever. They substructure be more entrance feeible than ever before and provide hurrying and more accurate data transfer. The wasting diseases for the mobile devices arrest begun to expand into more and more areas of daily life. The iPhone mobile phone developed by Apple, Inc. s one of the most popular and bestselling mobile phones on the market today. In orde r for the iPhone to be at the head of the industry several(prenominal) of the most important scientific features are required. The protocol for connecting wirelessly to access points must be of the highest character reference. The protective covering of the joining between access points must be the best it possibly substructure be. And finally, the security from the device itself must be effective to respectableguard any mo internetary transactions and data. Information Flow (Part I) ITunes has made it very easy to log on and create an forecast with them.Creating an account is free. All you need to do is log on to http//www. itunes. com . There is a thoton you backside click on to log on and another you can click on to register. Click on the button to register. You will need to enter your email address, First and Last Name, Billing take aim and character reference Card Information. Your email address will be used if ITunes needs to contact you about your account for any solid ground. Your Name and landress, along with your Credit Card information will be used to bill for any items you purchase from the ITunes store. Using banking services for micropayments is very expensive.ITunes is able to avoid the high salute be apparent movement of the volume of business they conduct. They are able to negotiate a transaction fee with the credit card issuers and banks that cost them very petite(a). Figure 1. 1 is the Information Flow Diagram which will show the process for registering with iTunes and then ordering music for downloading. Customer accesses iTunes store online to purchase music. Customer clicks on Registration Button, and then enters Registration Information. iTunes verifies Credit Card information from Bank. Sends Customer stop. Bank verifies Credit Card information for iTunes.Customer searches for item(s) to purchase. Click buy, confirm. iTunes sends payment information to customers bank. Once proof is received the download process is ini tiated. Bank deducts payment amount from customer account and sends it to iTunes account. Music is downloaded to Customer. iTunes retrieves the correct music from the database. Database of music stored in . mp3 format ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP I = Internet Service Provider Figure 1. 1 Information Flow Diagram Customer accesses iTunes store online to purchase music. Customer clicks on Registration Button, and then enters Registration Information. Tunes verifies Credit Card information from Bank. Sends Customer confirmation. Bank verifies Credit Card information for iTunes. Customer searches for item(s) to purchase. Click buy, confirm. iTunes sends payment information to customers bank. Once confirmation is received the download process is initiated. Bank deducts payment amount from customer account and sends it to iTunes account. Music is downloaded to Customer. iTunes retrieves the correct music from the database. Database of music stored in . mp3 format ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP ISP IS P I = Internet Service ProviderFigure 1. 1 Information Flow Diagram After acquire music for download from ITunes, sometimes the download can be interrupted or will fail for various reasons. These download instructions are directly from the http//support. apple. com/kb/ht1725 website Restart the download with the following steps. Resuming downloads from a computer 1. Open iTunes. 2. Choose bloodline Check for Available Downloads. 3. Enter your account name and password. 4. Click the Check Downloads button. 5. Click the cartoon or Resume All button, or the resume arrow to resume the download.You can manually resume the download on your device with the following steps. Resuming downloads from an iOS device 1. From the Home screen, tip off the iTunes icon. 2. For iPhone/iPod touch, tap More Downloads. For iPad, tap Downloads. 3. Enter your account name and password. 4. Click the OK button. 5. Click the Resume, Resume All, or button to start the download. Business role Case (Part II) Beginning on October 2nd, 2007, Apple and Starbucks began their music partnership. This partnership involved Starbucks supplying the T-Mobile Hotspot Wi-Fi network to its customers as it already had been doing.This network allows customers at participate Starbucks to automatically connect to the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store where they can browse, search and preview millions of metrical compositions in stock(predicate) on iTunes. Customers manageing to participate would need to realize their iPod touch, iPhone, PC or Mac with them to Starbucks. The customers hurl the ability to just sit and comprehend freely to music. If they find a song or an album they are interested in purchasing they can easily buy and download the items directly to their device. Both the Apple Corporation and Starbucks reach from this opportunity in more than one way.Because both(prenominal) corporations have excellent reputations, forming a partnership makes good business sense. Starbucks Coffee Compan y was founded in 1971 and is committed to ethically sourcing and roasting the highest quality Arabica coffee in the world. (Starbucks) The idea of supplying the extra perks that iTunes stands in a social setting where people gather with friends is a wonderful concept. Starbucks customers that may not formerly have used iTunes might become customers because of the free access to the trial of iTunes previews and features.This would increase iTunes customer base and sales revenue. This would also increase the number of customers returning to Starbucks for the resolve of iTunes usage. ITunes users that had not previously frequented a Starbucks might start to, for the get of iTunes access. And they might bring their friends along. This in turn would increase Starbucks profits. In October, 2007, Starbucks and iTunes offered Song of the Day, allowing customers to download a handpicked song every day for a month. Six million songs were downloaded.Realizing the huge probable with an aud ience hungry to discover new music and merriment theme, Starbucks and iTunes worked to dispirither to create an ongoing version of the program. In April, 2008 Starbucks announced a new program with iTunes called Pick of the Week. The program offered coffeehouse customers a favourable new music and music videos each week. Each Tuesday Starbucks 7,000 US based stores would stock a download card redeemable on the iTunes Store (www. itunes. com). The available music or video of the week was hand-picked by the Starbucks Entertainment team and iTunes. Starbucks) As of August, 2011 new pass from the partnership between Apple and Starbucks allows customers to now get paid apps free at the coffee chain. Physical cards are available with redeemable codes printed on them. This offering is a way for Apple to offer customers who normally alone download free apps, a chance to try out some of the paid apps for free. If Apple can impress customers enough with the quality of the paid apps, they have the opportunity of turning some of them into customers who buy apps in the future. (Etherington). The Business Use Case diagram in Figure 2. shows the interaction at Starbucks from the customers point of view. The Starbucks and customer interaction is a physical one. Then there is the customer interaction with iTunes. Starbucks Cafe Starbucks Cafe ITunes Music Store ITunes Music Store Search items Search items Enjoys Starbucks refreshments while browsing iTunes Enjoys Starbucks refreshments while browsing iTunes Browse items Browse items Starbucks/iTunes Customers Starbucks/iTunes Customers View recommended items View recommended items Customer authentication Customer authentication Add to brandping cart Add to shopping cartDownload to customer Download to customer Payment Processing Payment Processing Add to wish come Add to wish list Figure 2. 1 Business Use Case Diagram- Apple and Starbucks IT Information Planning (Part III) The IT Information Planning stage is a very imp ortant one for a business in terms of how successful they will be. The planning that goes into the infrastructure of a company can have a long term effect on the bottom line. If the backbone of the IT structure isnt built soundly, with adequate flexibility for growth and adaptability, it can affect the way the system can be built upon for years to come.Apple/iTunes Technology Infrastructure The Apple/iTunes music store is a wide popular music and video distribution service. In general, owners of iPods, iPads and computers can download music after purchasing the item from the iTunes store. The music is in an MP3 format. ITunes itself is a browser, but only for the Apple iTunes Music Store. Web browsers such as Microsoft Internet Explorer and Firefox are excluded from access. The only authorized way to transfer media files to the iPod is by use of the iTunes program. ITunes also serves as a media diarrheaer for audio, video (MP3/MP4 variants) and Internet radio stations.Starbucks Inf rastructure Starbucks coffee house is where the customer will come to enjoy refreshments and listen to music either with or without friends. With an iPod, iPhone or a PC, the customer will be able to connect wirelessly to the Apple iTunes store. Starbucks has been using the Wi-Fi network from T-Mobile to service all of its hotspots. This was prior to ledger entry into the partnership with Apple/iTunes. That was not changed when the partnership began. This is an important piece of information which must be included in the Information Flow Diagram.Information Flow Diagram As can be seen from the Information Flow Diagram in Figure 3. 1 different pieces of information are required at various steps in the flow to make a transaction possible. In this simplified example, a customer enters a Starbucks store. Upon entering they connect to the T-Mobile Wi-Fi hotspot that Starbucks currently has a contract with to provide their wireless internet connection. Next the customers device will be p opulated with a list of the 10 most recently played songs in the cafe. This information is kept updated on a continuous loop by iTunes.Every time a new song is played the recently played playlist is updated. The customer can then request to preview a song from the list. This long is retrieved from the iTunes MP3. db and returned for preview. If the customer chooses to they can then select the song for download. At that point the song is downloaded to the customers device and their account is charged a fee for the transaction. There are several points in the process where a failure in the transaction could occur. It is important to plan ahead for the possible fail points to plan for prevention if possible, castigation if necessary and damage control.The first point of failure is if there is a difficulty with the connection between the users device to the T-Mobile hotspot. Unless it is a problem within the users device, Starbucks would be the first line of customer assistance to try to troubleshoot the problem. If it is a broader issue and a problem has occurred with the access point it would be up to T-Mobile to correct the cause of the problem. Another possible failure point that would be of key importance is the download to the customers device. If the download is interrupted it can be restarted in several ways.If the problem is with one of the physical storage units iTunes would be responsible to have a backup plan to repair/replace the database or other piece of equipment. T-Mobile Wi-Fi Access point T-Mobile Wi-Fi Access point Starbucks Cafe Starbucks Cafe iTunes Music Distribution iTunes Music Distribution Connect to T-Mobile Wi-Fi hotspot Connect to T-Mobile Wi-Fi hotspot Automatically plays songs at Starbucks and updates the playlist of the run low 10 songs played. Automatically plays songs at Starbucks and updates the playlist of the last 10 songs played. Retrieves and plays songs in Cafe from MP3. b Retrieves and plays songs in Cafe from MP3. db s upplicate music to preview Request music to preview Retrieves list of last 10 songs played Retrieves list of last 10 songs played Song retrieved from MP3. db and downloaded to customer device Song retrieved from MP3. db and downloaded to customer device Selects song for purchase Selects song for purchase MP3. db MP3. db Figure 3. 1 Information Flow Diagram- iTunes and Starbucks Revenue Model (Part IV) Apple/iTunes Revenue ModelThe customer requirements for iTunes are to be able to listen to the last 10 songs played at the Starbucks they are visiting.If the customer finds a song they would like to buy, they want to be able to select purchase by clicking on a button and have the song downloaded to their mobile device. The customers account will be billed by the method stored on their account profile for the amount of the purchase. The cost to the customer is $. 99 for a single song. Apple receives $. 29 as profit from this. The competitive advantage for iTunes is that they offer the o nly music being played at Starbucks. ITunes is also the only music compatible for direct download for iPhone and iPod. The clientele are the customers at each situation Starbucks billet.This means the music must be chosen by locality to maximize profits. Starbucks Revenue ModelFor Starbucks in this partnership, the customer requires the usage of the T-Mobile Wi-Fi access. This allows them to have access from the Starbucks stead to the iTunes store. This is the wireless protocol access plan used to securely connect the customers mobile device to the iTunes store making the possibility of purchasing and downloading music or other content both easy and secure. In a deal with Apple, Starbucks receives eleven percent of the net profits each attract on the songs downloaded.The competitive advantage for Starbucks is that they have the name and reputation of the Apple/iTunes store behind the music system they are partnered with. This can be a draw for more customers to their coffee shop for the music experience alone. This adds to the current client base increasing the clientele. Benefits All AroundThere are many benefits to be had by both companies in the partnership. Both companies can benefit indirectly. Starbucks has increased coffee and other refreshment sales due to the increase in customers. ITunes has been able to bring in new customers by offering free songs of the week.This has let customers who may never have started out buying get a discretion and decide to buy music. The suppliers to the Starbucks stores also benefit indirectly, as Starbucks does more business they need to order more supplies and that continues on down the supply chain. Location Changes EverythingFor a Starbucks located in the Brewery district in Columbus, OH the choice of music played would be very different than what is played in New York City in Manhattan. Should Apple choose to just play the same song list at all of the Starbucks locations it partners with, there would be a large loss of potential revenue.Song choice by location makes a huge difference for the clientele as to whether they will be interested in purchasing a song or not. Other potentiality PartnershipsThe type of partnership that has worked so well with Apple and Starbucks could work equally well with some other types of businesses. I think that any type of business that caters to a rather quiet environment where a soothing music background would add to the enjoyment could benefit from this kind of arrangement. In particular two of the businesses I had in mind are Laundromats and certain types of Restaurants.For the Laundromat business I see no reason that adding music to the mix wouldnt make for a much more enjoyable experience. I think an extra benefit to iTunes would be that someone doing race might want a little pick me up by way of purchasing a new favorite tune during the rather slow process of doing such a chore. For the Laundromat, one that offered free Wi-Fi and iTunes availabilit y would seem far more attractive than just a mundane, boring Laundromat. It would be a much more pleasant way to spend a few hours. On the restaurant front, it would be nice for a small diner to offer the same type of service.I much see people who are eating alone. When they dont have someone to converse with, it would make for a nice way to enjoy the meal. They could browse their favorite genre of music and then choose a song to download. This may take a little different song choice excerption than the Starbucks selection does. I do think this possibility is something to consider. Revenue Model (Part V) Apple/iTunes Revenue ModelThe customer requirements for iTunes are to be able to listen to the last 10 songs played at the Starbucks they are visiting.If the customer finds a song they would like to buy, they want to be able to select purchase by clicking on a button and have the song downloaded to their mobile device. The customers account will be billed by the method stored on t heir account profile for the amount of the purchase. The cost to the customer is $. 99 for a single song. Apple receives $. 29 as profit from this. The competitive advantage for iTunes is that they offer the only music being played at Starbucks. ITunes is also the only music compatible for direct download for iPhone and iPod. The clientele are the customers at each particular Starbucks location.This means the music must be chosen by locality to maximize profits. Starbucks Revenue ModelFor Starbucks in this partnership, the customer requires the usage of the T-Mobile Wi-Fi access. This allows them to have access from the Starbucks location to the iTunes store. This is the wireless protocol access plan used to securely connect the customers mobile device to the iTunes store making the possibility of purchasing and downloading music or other content both easy and secure. In a deal with Apple, Starbucks receives eleven percent of the net profits each quarter on the songs downloaded.The competitive advantage for Starbucks is that they have the name and reputation of the Apple/iTunes store behind the music system they are partnered with. This can be a draw for more customers to their coffee shop for the music experience alone. This adds to the current client base increasing the clientele. Benefits All AroundThere are many benefits to be had by both companies in the partnership. Both companies can benefit indirectly. Starbucks has increased coffee and other refreshment sales due to the increase in customers. ITunes has been able to bring in new customers by offering free songs of the week.This has let customers who may never have started out buying get a taste and decide to buy music. The suppliers to the Starbucks stores also benefit indirectly, as Starbucks does more business they need to order more supplies and that continues on down the supply chain. Location Changes EverythingFor a Starbucks located in the Brewery district in Columbus, OH the choice of music pla yed would be very different than what is played in New York City in Manhattan. Should Apple choose to just play the same song list at all of the Starbucks locations it partners with, there would be a large loss of potential revenue.Song choice by location makes a huge difference for the clientele as to whether they will be interested in purchasing a song or not. Other Potential PartnershipsThe type of partnership that has worked so well with Apple and Starbucks could work equally well with some other types of businesses. I think that any type of business that caters to a rather quiet environment where a soothing music background would add to the enjoyment could benefit from this kind of arrangement. In particular two of the businesses I had in mind are Laundromats and certain types of Restaurants.For the Laundromat business I see no reason that adding music to the mix wouldnt make for a much more enjoyable experience. I think an extra benefit to iTunes would be that someone doing La undry might want a little pick me up by way of purchasing a new favorite tune during the rather boring process of doing such a chore. For the Laundromat, one that offered free Wi-Fi and iTunes availability would seem far more attractive than just a mundane, boring Laundromat. It would be a much more pleasant way to spend a few hours. On the restaurant front, it would be nice for a small diner to offer the same type of service.I often see people who are eating alone. When they dont have someone to converse with, it would make for a nice way to enjoy the meal. They could browse their favorite genre of music and then choose a song to download. This may take a little different song choice selection than the Starbucks selection does. I do think this possibility is something to consider. Starbucks Customers Starbucks Customers Starbucks Cafe Starbucks Cafe Starbucks CafeT-Mobile Wi-Fi AccessiTunesArtists supply music to iTunes databases Artists supply music to iTunes databases Figure 5. 1 Supply Chain Diagram- iTunes and Starbucks Executive SummaryStarbucks is the ideal location for the partnership with Apple/iTunes for the music partnership. One of the reasons for this is that Starbucks locations already offered free Wi-Fi access which allowed iPhone users to be able to connect to apple. com and the iTunes Store. The wireless service provided at Starbucks is from T-Mobile. The Hotspots offered are 802. 1x authentication standards and WiFi Protected Access (WPA). This is better than the required basic WEP encoding (Landesman, 2011). The WPA protocol is used to make the connections from customer to access points to the iTunes store and back in reverse for a secure, fast transaction.The security is an important requirement for all parties concerned. This protects the customers monetarily and also their identification information. The security also protects iTunes corporate concerns allowing them to authenticate their customers and accurately process the payments fo r the transactions. The iPhone is one of the ideal mobile devices to download music at Starbucks locations for several reasons. Beyond the obvious reason that the iPhone was created by Apple and the iTunes Music store also belongs to Apple. As purchased, the iPhone can securely connect to guest Wi-Fi networks. The ease of connection is a great customer benefit.The WPA2 Enterprise with 128-bit AES encryption provides users the highest level of data tax shelter. The iOS installed on the iPhone enables it to securely access corporate services and protect important data. IOS provides wet encryption for data in transmission, proven authentication methods for access to corporate services, and hardware encryption for all data at rest. IOS also provides secure protection through the use of passcode policies that can be delivered and enforced over the air (Apple, 2011). References Apple. (2007, September 5). Apple and Starbucks Announce Music Partnership. Retrieved from http//www. pple. co m/pr/library/2007/09/05Apple-and-Starbucks-Announce-Music-Partnership. html Apple. (2011). Deploying iphone and ipad certificate Overview. Apple, Inc. Retrieved from http//images. apple. com/iphone/business/docs/iOS_Security. pdf Apple. (2011). Deploying iphone and ipad Wi-Fi. Apple, Inc. Retrieved from http//www. apple. com/iphone/business/integration/http//images. apple. com/iphone/business/docs/iOS_WiFi. pdf Bishop, T. (2011, February 15). Starbucks Mobile payments catching on 1 million so far. Retrieved from http//www. techflash. com/seattle/2011/02/starbucks-a-million-mobile-payments. html Dominus, S. 2006). The Starbucks Aesthetic. The New York Times. Retrieved from http//www. mktgsensei. com/AMAE/Retailing/Starbucks%20and%20Culture. doc (2004, February 2). change the Future of Wi-Fi Public Access. Wi-Fi Alliance. Retrieved from http//www. wi-fi. org/files/wp_2_Future%20of%20Wi-Fi%20Public%20Access_1-2-04. pdf Ee, L. (2001). Essential components of e-commerce education Suppl y chain and logistics management. In A. Herrmann and M. M. Kulski (Eds), Expanding Horizons in Teaching and Learning. Proceedings of the 10th Annual Teaching Learning Forum, 7-9 February 2001. Perth Curtin University of Technology. ttp//lsn. curtin. edu. au/tlf/tlf2001/ee. html Etherington, D. (2011). Now you can get an app with your grande chailatte. Retrieved from http//gigaom. com/apple/now-you-can-get-an-app-with-your-grande-chai-latte/ Hirano, K. , Nakantani, Y. , McCarty, S. (2007). Applications of Mobile Research in Japan. WAOE. ORG. Retrieved from http//waoe. org/president/ubiquity. pdf (2010, April 13). How Much Do Music Artists Earn Online? Information is Beautiful. Retrieved from http//www. informationisbeautiful. net/2010/how-much-do-music-artists-earn-online/ Ian. (2011, July 27). Difference between mp4 and m4v.Retrieved from http//www. differencebetween. net/technology/difference-between-mp4-and-m4v/ iTunes How to resume interrupted iTunes Store downloads. Retrieved fr om http//support. apple. com/kb/ht1725 Jordan, J. M. (2007, February). Beyond Servicization The Rise of Digital Hybrids, Retrieved from http//www. smeal. psu. edu/cdt/pubs/white-papers/beyond-servicization-9. 07. pdf Landesman, M. (2011). Using your laptop at starbucks Is it safe?. Retrieved from http//antivirus. about. com/od/wirelessthreat1/a/starbucks. htm Levere, J. L. (2004, July 27). Wi-Fi Service Expands Its Reach. The New York Times.

Lack of Responsibility Kills Essay

When it comes to the battle between obesity among Ameri shtups and tumultuous diet chain companies, fast food f tout ensembles firm for the wiz to blame. For many years, big food companies conduct been constantly under attack from health advocates and consumers for the contribution of gro net incomeg waistlines, chronic diseases and lack of exercise in the United States. Of mannikin, it is easy to blame fast food corporations disposed(p) the ubiquity, proximity convenience and low cost of food options available. But who really is the one to range the finger at? We, the consumers, atomic number 18 fully responsible for what enters our mouths. No individual should sue any restaurant bon ton from getting fat from wash uping their food. A decline in forcible activity and a rise in more sedentary lifestyles have made it more difficult to balance food intake with energy drop offing in the last generation, pull up stakesing to wakeless raft. It wouldnt be such a big deal if the problem were precisely aesthetic.But excess weight takes a terrible toll on the human body, signifi hobotly increasing the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, gall-bladder disease, degenerative joint disease and many forms of cancer. The total medical tab for illnesses related to obesity is $117 billion a year. According to the Surgeon General, and the Journal of the American Medical Association report in March, poor diet and physical inactivity could soon overtake tobacco as the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.And again, Americans deal the problem but do not count to deprivation to change. In the TIME/ABC poll they rated obesity along gradient heart disease, cancer, AIDS and drug abuse as among the nations most pressing public health problems. Consumers attitude toward fast food has changed since there is a wide categorisation of factors at work ranging from fewer sit- knock down meals, much more snacking, more latchkey kids who ma ke their own food decisions without supervision. Consumers, as well as pargonnts (kids ar in addition falling victim to the obesity rates), need to eng ripen in personal state when it comes to consuming an abundant amount of fast food instead of put the obesity blame on fast food franchises.Obesity and fast food chains were never an issue back in the day Americans seem to have taken avail of the easy availability and cheap prices of many unhealthy foods. The human lifestyle and diet 4,000 years ago seem to have changed dramatically over the years where our ancestors ate and drank in the healthiest way affirmable as nomadic hunter-gatherers. 50%-80% of food came from plants, and 20%-50% came from animals (The World is Fat 18). continuing disease, diabetics, obesity, heart disease and even cancer were unk straightawayn. In the 1950s, less than 100 million Americans were gravid and round individuals. People utilize to have to do mundane activities that were extensive just to live their everyday lives like take ining food from scratch, walking most places and doing most things by hand rather than using scientific machines to do it for them. Food wasnt easy to get if you were poor.Walking somewhere was still common regardless of appliances such as dishwashers and ovens, and in 1960, only close 13.3 percent of people in America were heavy, according to the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics. And things havent been moving in a promising direction. Just two decades ago, the incidence of overweight in adults was well under 50%, while the rate for kids was only a third what it is today. From 1996 to 2001, 2 million teenagers and young adults joined the ranks of the obese. People ar clearly worried. A TIME/ABC News poll released June 2004 shows that 58% of Americans would like to lose weight, nearly twice the percentage that felt that way in 1951. But only 27% say they are trying to slim down and two-thirds of those arent following any specific plan to do so. Americans sock and strive for impression and bigger portioned sized foods thats fast and easy to attain, that is where fast food corporations come in place. Americans now are fetching advantage of the bigger, cheaper and faster foods that it has find a national problem. So, where do we draw the line between self-control and responsible business practice? For the past 10 years, McDonalds and other fast foods chains have been victimized with numerous lawsuits because they either got consumers fat, hypnotized kids or bribed with deals and promos (Fast Food 19).In 2003, the United States district court for the gray District of New York responded to a complaint filed against McDonalds by a class of obese costumers (Fast Food 18). In 2011, sixty-four year old Martin Kessman filed a lawsuit against the fast food company, White Castle and was seeking unspecified financial damages against the fast-food chain, claiming that his local White Castle is in violation of the American s With Disabilities affect because the seating could not accommodate a customer of his size, keep in mind this man ate at White Castle on a regular nates. These frivolous and unnecessary lawsuits against corporations show the ignorance of many irresponsible Americans who cannot control their eating habits. It is not right to sue a fast food company based on the fact that consumers knowingly and voluntarily consumed the foods from McDonalds knowing that the foods McDonalds serves were in fact high in cholesterol, fat, salt and sugar.Consumers voluntarily spend over $100 billion annually on fast food per year. (Fast Food 8). The famous documentary, Supersize Me, shows Morgan Spurlock consuming McDonalds every day, 3 days a week. This of course led him to gain a significant amount of weight and develop some health complications. Spurlock makes his point by a way of exaggeration, he tells us something that we already know, fast food is bad. Of course it will be bad because he ONLY con sumed fast food and nothing else, he did not eat anything healthy and did not exercise, all of this was done voluntarily. Should consumers eat fast food on a daily or even a weekly basis? The answer is simply no. Today Americans eat an extra 300 calories per day than in 1985 (Buzzle). When this trend occurs we get overweight Americans, and that is exactly what we are transaction with. 500 million Americans are now obese and an additional 6 or 7 million are morbidly obese (Chew on This 209).With this comical amount of unhealthy people, you would think there would be a solution. And there is, lawsuits. Americans decide to turn to their lawyers for their ignorance and blame corporations for something that is obviously done by their own will. Consumers are too ignorant and blind to understand what its their mouth. We cannot deny that people are eating more and are getting fat, but that does not invoke that fast food franchises are the culprit. Kids today are suffering severely and fal ling victim to obesity because of many unhealthy diets that are being practice in their own home. Parents bring home the importance of food safety, quality and nutrition. When this habit continues to occur it leads to kids becoming teens who make poor choices who in turn leads to obese adults and a lifetime of health problems. Children in the United States are gaining more weight than ever before. Theyre eating too much high-fat, high-sugar food and are spending less time being physically active.In 1989-1996 kids caloric intake became 80-230 extra calories per day (Food Inc. 225). The diets of American children dont meet nutritionary recommendations. In 1997, American children obtained about 50% of their calories from added fat and sugar while 1% of them resemble portions of food pyramid (Fast Food 29). At this early age kids can show early signs of health problems and of course obesity. A quarter of kids age 5-10 show premature warning signs for heart disease such as high cholest erol and high blood pressure with unhealthy eating habits, physical inactivity and obesity (Food Inc. 229). Weight problems that develop during childhood can lead to weight-related illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. So, is parents lack of debt instrument for their childrens food habits the one to blame? Of course, one thing kids will unfortunately experience is variety. With all the fast food chains serving the same stuff no matter where in the US.Parents with obese kids are struggling with a horde of problems when it comes to their childs weight. They range from a lack of education about nutritional food, not knowing how to cook and limited money to buy healthier food, to longer working hours and marketing campaigns for junk food aimed at kids. But the more sedentary and lazy lives children now have are also creating huge problems. Type 2 diabetics actually increase in children when a study conducted in Cincinnati should that type 2 diabetic s went up tenfold from 1982 to 1994. 75% of junior school children preferred to stay at home than go to their nearby park (Child obesity Why do parents allow their kids get fat). Watching TV was one of the most popular activities, with 89% saying it was how they liked best to spend their time away from school, according to researchers Lightspeed. In July, scientists from University of Montreal claimed that by the age of ten, toddlers had added inches to their waistlines each week they spend an extra hour in front of the television. Parents need to, from the start, control the eating and overall lifestyle of their children.It is grievous for the future of the children to get used to such a risky addiction. Not only are we and our children eating more, but we are also exercising less. miss of exercise is another factor to lack of responsibility. Fewer American adults today work in jobs that require physical labor. People drive to work in cars, rather than walking or biking they tak e elevators instead of stairs they use vacuum cleaners rather than brooms and they cut the lawn with riding rather than push mowers. all of these simple changes reduce the amount of energy used to perform the tasks of daily living. A common office worker today walks only about 3000 to 5000 step in their daily activities. In contrast, in the Amish community where driving automobiles and using electrical appliances and other modern conveniences are not allowed, a typical adult takes 14000 to 18000 steps a day.The overall incidence of obesity in the group is only 4%. With 46.9% of the population meeting Physical Guidelines for aerobic/cardio physical activity (Exercise and Physical Activity). The problem for individuals is that willpower is not enough. We live in an environment where theres food every half mile. Its tasty, cheap, convenient, and you can eat it with one hand. We, the consumers, need not only to cut back on calories and fast food, we need to get active in any possible way we can to increase our health. Although simpler sounding on words then it is to actually pursue, exercise is Americans biggest challenge. Imagine a 7-year-old boy named magic trick who, his whole has been given to-go fast food meals as his daily dinner at home. John has always been overweight for his age. As John has entered his teens years, he has become a hectic straight A student who studies constantly but never has time to make his own meals at home.John drives to local fast food joints and spends about $70 per week on his in-between-studies meals. Although, he has never worried about the way he looked and no matter what it has never occurred to him to want to change his eating habits, he continues to eat fast food on a regular basis. He consumes about 1,200 calories more than he is suppose to. at a time being a grown adult with a settled job and cozy suburban home, he continues to eat unhealthy. No exercise is ever corporal into his daily routines. He enters a McDonalds and stares blankly at the menu and clearly sees the sign that McDonalds has introduced a new Premium Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken Strips but John chooses to ignore it because he thinks going to McDonalds for a salad is like asking a prostitute for a hug. It just doesnt make sense. He orders a Big Mac meal that costs him around $9.25 and around 1,130 calories (including drink), this does not bother John because this simple meal tastes great and satisfies his hunger and appetite (keep in mind John ate this meal in-between lunch and dinner so he has eaten more calories with breakfast, lunch and dinner).Oh, and why not make it supersized for 2 dollars more, he wont be hungry till 2 hours later. John continues this routine for about two more months he obtains extremely timeworn and out of breathe just walking down the stairs of his home. He also has major pains in his hips and knees only to think this is due to age. As the shortness of breath and joint pains begin to intensify, Jo hn finally decides to go to the doctor to get a check-up. His result, John is morbidly obese and has essential osteoarthritis, which is the reason for the joint pains. He also has a respiratory problem that causes his shortness of breath. John is outraged at how he could develop such a health problem. He blames McDonalds for giving him such a horrible and negative effect on his health. He plans to sue the fast food company. Does John win his case? No, he does not. With his irresponsible lack of a healthy diet or exercise, he does not have a fair case against McDonalds. His overweight and health issues are due to his irresponsible lack of awareness to his body and his lifestyle. McDonalds is not the one to blame he had the choice to eat unhealthy.No one is forcing him to consume fattening foods. The real culprits in his obesity problems (as well as many other obese Americans) are lack of personal responsibility and its henchmen, gluttony and sloth. What really causes obesity besides the overconsumption of food? Genetics is one factor. Some common forms of obesity are probably the result of variations within a large number of heritable genes between families. Obesity risk is 2-3x higher for a person with a history of obesity as oppose to individual with no family history. Genetic studies have shown that the particular set of weight-regulating genes that a person has is by far the most important factor in determining how much that person will weigh (The Real Cause of Obesity).The heritability of obesity, which shows how, many genes is a factor to obesity versus other factors is the same as the heritability of height. Also, many psychological disorders can lead to obesity as well. The basis of eating disorders and obesity usually lies with mixtures of psychosocial and environmental attributes. Individuals who suffer from psychological disorders (e.g. depression, anxiety, and eating disorders) may have a tortuous time managing control of their consumption of foo d, exercising an adequate amount, and maintaining a healthy weight. Those with weight problems can use food as a relieving mechanism, particularly when they are sad, anxious, stressed, lonely, and frustrated. In many obese individuals there appears to be a random cycle of mood disturbance, overeating, and weight gain. When they feel distressed, they turn to food to help them feel better which in turn leads to obesity (Psychological Risk Factors of Obesity).The culprits responsible for Americas progressively expanding waistline have little to do with the usual suspects popularized by the media. many an(prenominal) Americans believe Fast Food is the main culprits for obesity because of the clever tactics and unknown ingredients they use to get costumers to buy and their food and make them scatty more later. Fast food companies outnumber actual restaurants because it is affordable, easy to attain, big portioned and pleasant-tasting. With the United States being the most obese nation , it has also become the nation that craves flavor and variety. Many turn away from greens because of its unappealing taste and lack of flavor. Fast Food companies produce food with flavor and hunger satisfying taste. Many become angry because of the effective advertising done on TV, ads, giveaways and deals. But what really angers consumers most are the chemicals they put in their food that makes it so delicious and irresistible.Polyfluoroalkyl phosphate pesters, PAPs, are chemicals that line fast-food packaging to make it grease- and waterproof, this leads to a number of health problems including cancer and liver disease. Dimethylpolysiloxane, a type of silicone, is added as an anti-foaming agent to McDonalds chicken nuggets. This is the same ingredient that is used in breast implants and silly putty. Sodium Phosphate, which acts like a foam agent to many types of meat, is constantly used in many fast food joints. Dyes (red and yellow) behavioral attributes. Along with the mystery chemicals that go into fast food for its flavor, companies also supersize or increase the portions of their meals. During 1970s, marketing film director of McDonalds corporations, David Wallerstein, determined that consumers would by more of a food item if sold in larger sizes and costs werent high. Portions increased from since 1980s to about 5x larger, which includes the drinks and side orders (Buzzle).A supersized coke, big mac and fries takes about 7 hours to burn with walking, now imagine people actually eating this without any exercise. Weve been supersizing what we eat and thats what consumers cant get enough of. Many blame fast food for numerous health problems as well asthma, strokes, type 2 diabetics, cancer, and cardio vascular disease. I myself have fallen victim to fast food, for example when I go on road trips with the family, we have no time to sit down and have a proper breakfast since we have to get on the road right away. We stop by a McDonalds because their brea kfast is cheap and supple since we can eat it in the car. Also, it is no coincidence that fast food chains are everywhere where there are colleges and schools as well. College educated people or not poorly educated Americans are the most rapid growth in BMI between 1970 and 1990 (Fast Food 20). Obesity in college students in 1970 increased to 163% with many students claiming that with so much hectic studying and no time to eat, fast food is close by and quick to eat.So, it is no joke as to why people would blame fast food for their health troubles, since it is easy to attain and delicious but with many deadly ingredients. Personal responsibility is all it takes to decrease obesity. We live in a supersized world but as they say bigger is not always better. Fast food companies should not be blamed for obesity and instead be blamed on the consumers for lack of self-control. Fast food may look delicious but if people are aware of the health problems that are in the food, why do some co ntinue to consume it regularly. Many need to take responsibility for their actions instead of taking it out on the companies by filing ridiculous lawsuits. No one forces us to eat a burger. It is not fast food that kills it is lack of responsibility that kills.

Interview Qaisra Shahraz

Aquaria Sahara visited many practices in India and gave talks on her ii books. Her trip was made possible by her Indian publishers Penguin. I chanced to choose her work and I found It Interesting. Later my colleague and the co -editor of this book Professor A. R. Sidewalk suggested that we could Interest many peck to contri furthere es joints on the art and craft of Aquaria Sahara. The response simply overwhelmed us. In almost no duration we received the consent of a great many colleagues in India and elsewhere in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, europium and the unite States to write for this volume. Most of them save kept their word.We are indeed grateful to them for their interest. Out of so many post-colonial Indian and Pakistani authors writing In side, what, In your pollen. Is special about Salsa Sahara as a remarkable fiction generator? Of the postcolonial writers it is only Indian writers who hog all limelight. The Resides, the Gosh, the Despise. The fact is a constituent o f new and fire writing is emerging from unlikely places. From Pakistan, from Bangladesh. And whatever be the mage of Pakistan in the media, Western and Indian, an interesting thing is that a lot of new writers are emerging from Pakistan.Most of this writing Is very governmental which Is not surprising since Pakistan faces problems which are essentially of political nature. However, there are some writers who focus attention on issues of a divers(prenominal) nature. Aquaria Sahara is one such writer. She has charted a different territory. Issues of identity-rural, regional, gender -are her basic concerns. How has she contri exactlyed to the dis get over on the gender Issue with specific reference o Pakistani inn, specially in view of her organism based in the UK/West?Most writers maintain their link with their country of origin. Pakistan never disappeared from Aquaria Ashrams imaginative space. As a woman who has lived her life In deuce countries her writing is only enriched by her experience. The diasporas Identity has Its possess advantages. In her case It Is not lack of something but rather the an open eye. In her work she shows the limitations of twain Western and non-western womens liberation movement. Does Aquaria Sahara typify the Feminist perspective? She goes farther than that. She redefines feminism for Pakistani society.Call it Islamic feminism, Islamic feminism or by whatever name she does not mindlessly indulge in Islam and Muslim bashing which is the motive in lots of ,what has been called, oppressed womens novels. Her target is rather the agrarian system, some oppressive customs in Kinds and the subversion of Islam to serve ones own interest. What is Aquaria Ashrams attitude to patriarchy which is rife in Pakistani Culture? She has a very comminuted view of some patriarchal institutions. Some of her characters are self-consciously feminist. Professor darkness Sultana, for instance.Even Karri Banjos supposedly meek capitulation to a pat riarchal institution can be read as a criticism of patriarchy. In this instance she shows both the power and the evil nature of patriarchy. What are your comments on Aquaria Ashrams understanding and depiction of Pakistani village life and Islamic culture? For a person who has more often than not lived in cities Aquaria Sahara shows remarkable understanding of rural life. The character of Kanji, Skulls and Amanita bib and others are products of rural set-up. While construe her novels I was myself transported back in cartridge holder and place.I was thinking of a woman in Titular,( my native place in Attar Pradesh) who passed invitations by word of mouth, fixed matches and spread gossip in her own inimitable ways. I was reminded of the institution of village match maker, a task which is now done on the net. The close- entwine community, oppressive customs, force of gossip, the distrust of the corrupting ways of the city-?these are all beautifully captured by Sierras narrative, es pecially in Typhoon. Sierras language is very different from other Indo-Anglican writers like Rushed, Koran Ideas Iranian Ideas for instance.Could you elucidate? Of course it is different room what Rushed calls citified slope. Others have Jokingly referred to the fortification of English. Aquaria has her own share of non English words because she is translating an entire culture. Words like Zeta and Kismet add a richness to English vocabulary. I especially liked the papacy style of Sahara in Typhoon. It is her choice of words and English structures which is responsible for the promiscuous pace of the beatified Woman and the fast and furious pace of Typhoon the contrast in the pace of the ii books is so remarkable.How do you think this volume of Critical Essays on Aquaria Ashrams craft will intricate to lit and cultural studies? I must confess that the multiplicity of perspectives offered by the contributors has far exceeded my initial understanding of her work. The contributors have analyses her work from all critical angles possible-? pedagogical. The varied backgrounds of the contributors-?British, American, Arab, African, German, Indian and Pakistani-?add some more dimensions to the critical discussion on Sahara.What are some of the main conclusions of the critical scholarship on Aquaria Ashrams work. This is certainly not the concluding word on Aquaria Ashrams work. It is Just the beginning. Other critics, most certainly students of literature, can take this work send and explore ideas treated by the contributors to this volume. Some critical opinion quotes on Aquaria Ashrams work. China Aquaria Sahara, a Pakistani-born English writer and scriptwriter, is such a wonderful story teller that readers can hardly put her stories megabucks once they begin them.Reading her deeds is like starting a Journey with her unforgettable characters to Pakistan and gaining a profound insight into their lives, in particular the poignant lives of Pakistani women. L iving in the I-J since she was 9 years old, but deeply rooted in her own Pakistani culture, she bridges the understanding amongst the East and the West. to a greater extent importantly, through and through and through her excellent novels The Blessed Woman and Typhoon, she clarifies many Westerns stereotypical misconceptions about the Islamic cultures. I accept that Ms.Ashrams fascinating works will soon be introduced into China so that they will reach an in time wider readership and arouse the academic interest among Chinese academia, besides in view of the fact that China also has a large population of Muslims. Tinting Going, Associate Professor of English, Southwest University of Science and Technology( Managing) and translator of Holy Woman and Typhoon, China Germany My reading of Aquaria Ashrams The Holy Woman and Typhoon offered me my first real insight into the lives of women in Pakistani villages and into the types of story which symbolism rural and urban society in tha t country.It was a revelation and I read both books back to back. The Holy Woman in particular has rightly attracted global attention through its non-partisan portrayal of the ambivalent relationship teen Islamic culture and Western consciousness as seen through the eyes of a woman. It is a very significant book indeed and Aquaria Ashrams is a voice of intermediation which should be more widely heard. Robert Scrimshaw, KulturwissenschaftlichesKolleg, University of Constant, Germany. India transmutable.The migrant imagination produces texts that cross geographic, national, ethnic, and even linguistic boundaries and make connections with the bygone and the present. Aquaria Sahara who describes herself as a British Muslim of Pakistani origin retains her sensitive understanding of Pakistani society and culture, ND in living away from it, benefits from the distancing perspective which enables her in her fiction to nuance characters, situations and events negotiate with recital and memo ry Juxtapose and examine old traditions and new sensibilities.She weaves flavors of life and the sense of living into the texture of her writing. apiece of her stories becomes a metaphor for complex exploration of identity formations and self- definitions. In her remarkable novels The Holy Woman and Typhoon and in her short stories, fictive imagination and historical inscription blend significantly to produce reared texts that invite deep engagement and innovative strategies of reading. Tune Musketeer, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Hydrated, India.Indonesia As a citizen of a country with the biggest Muslim population in the world, I found Aquaria Ashrams works as an eye opener about the diversity of the world Muslims. And I think I am not alone in this opinion, since we witnessed how her two novels, The Holy Woman and Typhoon got a very good response from the Indonesian readersthats why we plan to republish the two in a product line that we call Gold Edition ( novels).I do think that the Indonesian readers got the same enlightenment, that even when we are united as Muslims, we might grow on a different soil of culture that very much influences our interpretation about Islam. And because of that, we need more and more shaping dialogue, not only between the Muslim world and the West (non Muslim world), but also between world-Muslims itself to bridge differences to gain understanding between cultures. Mrs..Payments Innings, Chief Executive Officer, Mizzen Publishing House Indonesia Morocco Aquaria Sahara is a voice of light whose piercing scream faces the dark continent of ultra blindness and patriarchal and ideologic manipulation. Her feminist writings vehemently uncover the weight of the patriarchal order in an ideologically- biased Pakistani Islamic context, un becloud the misuse of Islam in depriving women of their human and versed rights and, consequently, invite a complex post-colonial and post-harem critical perspective on womens predicaments in the Arab-Islamic sphere as a whole.Ashrams feminist commitment calls for an urgent re-consideration of sexual politics and womens involvement in dismantling various areas of masculine animation and building up a modern and gender-democratic Muslim society. Hosannas Cirri, Professor, School of Humanities, Pakistan Aquaria Sahara is one of the most important category English fiction writer of Pakistani origin. Her fiction writing has created its own distinctive place by virtue of its quality and relevance to the contemporary issues.She has an extraordinary skill of raising some delicate and fundamental questions related to women issues in oecumenic and in particular about those women who are struggling to discover their individual identity in a polarize world. She presents some important aspects of the infiltration of values between different civilizations through her powerfully conceived characters. though her characters and setting may represent a certain class or section but her themes overpoweringly remain universal and humanism formulates the basic fiber of her fiction.Karma Charisma Squid, editor (English), Pakistan Academy of Letters, Islamabad, Pakistan Turkey The works of Aquaria Sahara, Actual Caddy (The Holy Woman) and Tiffany (Typhoon), have attracted attention with their striking themes and contemporary topics in Turkey. When Ms. Sahara visited our country in 2005 for *Istanbul Book Fair, I got the hence to know her better. I saw that although writers, scientists or intellectuals from the East live in the West, they dont lose touch with their own culture.Aquaria Sahara is one of those intellectuals, who has the ability and experience to interpret the East truly. She is a writer who can deftly read the East while she lives in the West. In this respect, I can say that her novels are important examples to be analyzed academically. Since they were published in our country at a time when discussions were ongoing on the theme of the cl ash of civilizations, they have also been reliable ND useful sources of data for those who interpret the West differently from the East.We hope that Ms. Sahara, who deserves to be praised in terms of her literary insight, will go on writing books which will take their place among Eastern Classics books with their insightful themes. Burk Fuzzy kabuki, Chief Editor Para Publishing House, Istanbul, Turkey Aquaria Ashrams writing, which has delighted and inspired readers all over the world for the past two decades, is finally receiving the scholarly attention it deserves.This exciting new aggregation of articles surveys the diverse range of themes and issues treated in Ashrams work feudalism and modernity female sexuality, romance and divorce religious faith and the wearing of the veil the Pakistani homeland and its Diaspora and pays tribute to the emotional depth and moral complexity of her gathered from across the earthly concern -? will be of especial interest to non-Muslim read ers wishing to understand more about the historical and political context of Ashrams work.Just as Aquaria Ashrams writing has touched the lives of many thousands of general readers around the world, so will this collection most surely win her new fans within the academic community. Lynn Pearce, Professor of Literary Theory and Womens Writing, Lancaster University, I-J United States of America I was caught by the drama, the romance, the traditions, the shibboleths and the descriptions of town, village, house and home in her novels The Holy Woman and Typhoon.I could see so well the settings and characters Aquaria Sahara described so vividly. She let me into and behind the scenes so far from those in western homes but still of common human interest. I hope to read the further adventures of her protagonists Ann Nicholson, Radio Host/Producer, smallish Rock, Arkansas, USA