General Motors and United Auto Workers Union Case Study

General Motors and United Auto Workers Union - Case Study Example However, there is more to be done if GM is to avoid bankruptcy, or emerge from a reorganization process as a financially sound company. This paper will examine the options that the UAW, GM, and their management have, and make recommendations in regards to managing the hourly pay issues at GM. The UAW's hourly pay is broken down into three main categories and several sub-categories. As of December 2008, the total compensation was comprised of the hourly pay of $30 per hour, premium payments of $10 per hour, and current and future benefits of $33 (Sherk). Premium payments include overtime pay, shift premiums, and vacation and holiday pay. Benefits include health and life insurance, disability, unemployment benefits, and pension payments. The health and retirement benefits paid to retirees is considered a current compensation expense, and according to Sherk, "Since there are more retired than active employees this makes it appear that GM employees earn far more than they actually do". Reducing the hourly compensation to the $50 goal will require that GM and the UAW look at all these areas in an effort to find cost saving opportunities. A central key to saving labor costs is reducing the size of the workforce. Currently GM has established a 'buyout' program that compensates the employee with up $45,000 cash immediately (Bunkley 2). In return, the employee severs all ties with GM, and the cost of current and future benefits is reduced to zero. While the recent round of buyouts resulted in 7500 workers leaving GM, 14000 remain at GM who are eligible for the program. However, GM terminated the program in early April 2009 and has made no plans to reinstate or continue it. The money saved through the buyout program is critical because it saves in the short term as well as the long-term future benefits such as health insurance and retirement pensions. Two thirds of the eligible workers declined the arrangement, but GM could increase the incentive in an effort to increase that number. Further voluntary reductions in the workforce will allow GM to restructure its product lines in an environment of higher productivity with fewer employees. The fact that the workforce reductions are voluntary maintains good employee relations as well as Union/Management cooperation. A GM that is reduced in size will allow them to focus on the product lines that have the most potential for sales growth. GM has made some pro-active moves in this direction by announcing the closing of 13 plants, phasing out the Pontiac brand, and cutting 21,000 hourly jobs (GM to Phase Out Pontiac Brand). Ford, who has reduced hourly compensation to about $55 per hour has pursued a similar strategy and said that "the figure would continue to decline as more workers took buyouts and as the new-vehicle market recovered, allowing increased production" (Bunkley 2). An extension of the buyout program by GM, an added incentive for taking advantage of it, and the increased productivity would put GM on par with Ford at $55 per hour. Further reduction in the hourly pay could be accomplished by more closely limiting the

Personal Case Study Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Personal Paper - Case Study Example Role conflict can come in various forms. Role conflict usually comes in the form of status, role, and expectation. There are a number of academic researchers that have been carried out with regard to role conflict. This paper aims at discussing how academic research relates to role conflict. There is always a variance in opinions when it comes to how role conflicts should be handled. However, what is certain is that the manner in which you manage role conflict determines how it will affect your organization. Regardless of the roles played or the individuals involved in a conflict both sides are always negatively affected by the conflict. Berko, Aitken & Wolvin asserts that when interdependent individuals or groups happen to have views, opinions, values, and goals that are conflicting it will be hard for them to work for a common course (Berko, Aitken & Wolvin, 2010). People who ignore role conflicts have a higher possibility of failing as compared to those who acknowledge their existence and work towards solving them. To make sure that role conflicts are put under control roles of the various individuals and groups that are interdependent should be defined. This will help everyone understand the boundaries of their roles and the importance of their role to the common purpose. When choosing or allocating roles you should make sure that people or groups are given the roles that they are best in. This will be in the bid of making sure that everyone is comfortable with the roles that they are supposed to play (Settles, Sellers & Damas Jr, 2002). This will mean that by the end of the day everyone would have played their roles and since the common course is dependent on the individual roles the common course will be achieved. However, Beaucham and bray asserts that letting people and groups play the roles that they are best in will reduce the possibility of there being complaints from the other individuals or groups involved in the course (Beauchamp &

How A Sniper Gun Works Criminology Essay

How A Sniper Gun Works Criminology Essay ONE SHOT ONE KILL is how Sniper Gun works. The term Sniper was first used in 1824 in the sense of word Sharpshooter. The main purpose of this gun is to destroy valuable targets at extended range. In most of the cases, target means human beings (enemy soldiers, armed terrorists and criminals). The range of such weapon is between 100 to 1000 meters and it is especially used in military and special operations. Basically there are three types of sniper rifles: Military, Police/Law Enforcement and Special Task Sniper Rifles. Some of the best Snipers in world are M24, USA; Dragunav SVD, Russian; Heckler and Koch XM-8, Germany and Vidhwansak AMR, Indian. Main objective of this review is to provide an insight about types of sniper guns, their construction, mechanism and how we can make them better using Laser, Infra red, GPS system, Sniper detectors and Laser guided bullets to make sniper a complete solution for Army. Introduction It has been hundred years now and Sniper is still the favorite toy of Army. This is because of the design and capabilities of this weapon system and specialized scopes, butt stocks and bipod arrangements making sniper more dangerous. However, proper training and experience can differentiate sniper from true sharp shooter men. Sniper is now the ultimate finisher, a true modern-day ninja which makes its own way few miles away. Sniper rifles come in a powerful array of automatic and bolt-action styles and makes. Most of the snipers are modified with specialized telescopic sights offering the best in accuracy-inducing ergonomics. Sniper rifles have more recently been fielded in the highly-lethal point fifty calibers round which is capable of penetrating engine blocks and can left the human bodies covered in body armor. It is the best soldier as it has unique advanced in recoil, specialized ammunition and highly technical sight. Usually have this image of a sniper working alone behind ene my lines, a sniper is only made better by the use of a spotter and together they make a sniper team following the target through his own scope and calling out adjustments in trajectory and wind age as needed. This working in unison provides a most powerful and lethally hidden element to any war. Consequently, it does not take too much experience to be trained in being a sniper type element on the opposite side. It then becomes a case of the hunter becoming the hunted [1]. History of Sniper Use of Sniper goes back to as early as Sixteenth Century; snipers first victim was Takeda Shingen in Japan. In Britain Sir Lord Brooke, senior parliamentarian was killed during English Civil War by sniper. Similarly this weapon was also used in American War OF Revolution. The first Rifle Regiments was formed by British Army during Napoleonic War. Use of such weapon than started becoming the need of army as it was highly accurate and was modified easily according to its need. During American Civil War US Sharp shooters who were trained under Colonel Hiram Berdnam killed more enemy than any other Union Army with their point fifty two caliber sniper rifle. In the same war Sg.Ben Powell sniped Major General John Sedgwick at a distance of 798 yd during battle of Spotsylvania Court House. This weapon was then used for assassinations due to its high range aim by criminals. Twentieth century changed the outlook of sniper. These guns were the main weapons in WORLD WAR I and II. Junior Lieuten ant Vasily Zaytsev (World War II) credited of killing 225 German soldiers during the Battle of Stalingrad. Gunnery Sergeant Carlos Hathcock has achieved 93 confirmed kills but believed to also have over 200 unconfirmed kills in Vietnam War. He held the record of longest confirmed kill at a distance of 2,250  m (2,460  yd) (made with a scoped M2 Browning machine gun) for 35 years until 2002. Canadian soldier Corporal Rob Furlong, formerly of (Operation Anaconda, Afghanistan) holds the record for the longest-ever recorded and confirmed sniper kill at 2,430  m (2,657  yd) using a point fifty caliber (12.7  mm) McMillan TAC-50 rifle. Boon of science and technology has changed the outlook of Military Weapons and these weapons are transforming to new level by every birth [2, 3]. Basic Construction Main parts of sniper gun Main parts of sniper gun are: Barrel and Receiver Bolt with Bolt Support Safety Lever Assembly Magazine Butt Upper Band Assembly Hand Guard L.H.Assembly Hand Guard R.H.Assembly Sight Leaf Assembly Front-Sight Base and Body Assembly These can be further divide into various parts which are shown in Figure 1 and enlisted in Table 1 [4]. Figure.1 Table 1: Various parts of sniper gun Sr no Components Sr no Components 1 Bolt Support 21 Front Sight Body 2 Firing Pin 22 Front 3 Cover 23 Pusher 4 Guiding Rod 24 Front Sight Base 5 Guiding Bushing 25 Barrel 6 Bolt 26 Upper Band Assembly 7 Extractor Pin 27 Band Axle Pin 8 Firing Pin Stud 28 Oil Seal Assembly 9 Extractor Spring 29 Hand Guard 10 Extractor 30 Upper Band with Spring 11 Return Spring 31 Magazine Body Assembly 12 Sight Leaf Slide 32 Magazine Spring 13 Sight Leaf 33 Magazine Cover 14 Hand Guard, L.H 34 Sight Leaf Assembly 15 Pusher Spring 35 Follower 16 Gas Tube Latch 36 Receiver 17 Gas Chamber 37 Accidental Shot Safety Device 18 Gas Piston 38 Firing Trigger Mechanism 19 Gas Tube 39 Cover Axle Pin 20 Gas Regulator 40 Butt Assembly MECHANISM OF WORKING Sniper mainly works on the following mechanism: a. Firing and Trigger Mechanism b. Cover and Retracting Mechanism Working of Sniper is very simple and basic; it is a self reloading weapon. This reloading depends upon the energy obtained from powder gas which arc channeled from barrel bore to piston gas. Upon firing, a certain amount of the powder gases following the bullet flows through the port in the barrel bore wall into the gas chamber, exerts pressure upon the front wall of the gas piston and throws back the piston with pusher and, consequently, the bolt support into the rearward position. As the bolt support travels rearward, the bolt opens the barrel bore; the Cartridge case gets removed from the cartridge chamber and ejected out of the receiver. The bolt support compresses the return springs and cocks the hammer; i.e. engages it with the auto-safety cocking cam. The bolt support and the bolt return to the front position under the action of the retracting mechanism; as a result, the bolt feeds the next cartridge from the magazine into the cartridge chamber and closes the barrel bore, whil e the bolt support disengages the auto-safety sear from the hammer. The hammer gets cocked. The bolt gets locked, after it has been turned to the left and its locking lugs engaged with recesses of the receiver. To fire a shot, it is necessary to release the trigger and press it anew. After the trigger has been released, the rod modes forward and its hook engage the sear and, if pressed, the rod hook turns the sear and disengages it from the hammer cocking cam. The hammer actuated by the mainspring turns round its pin and strikes the firing pin. The latter travels forward and impinges the primer. Thus, a shot is fired. With the last cartridge fired and the bolt returned to the rearward position, the magazine follower lifts the bolt catch; the latter engages the bolt to stop the bolt support in the rearward position. Thus, it is necessary to load the rifle anew. The rifle has a gas regulator, which serves to change recoil speeds of moving parts. Under conditions of proper servicing with the parts lubricated, the gas regulator is set at division a. On firing during a long time without cleaning and lubricating and heavy soiling of the rifle, stoppage may occur incomplete recoil of the moving parts. In this case the regulator is set at division. b. To change the regulator from one positions to another use the rim of the cartridge case or the cartridge [4]. PRESENT SENARIO OF SNIPER Science and Technology has lead to the development of new prototype advance weapon system. Some of the best snipers with their specifications in the world are given in Table 2. Table 2: Comparison of different types of Sniper guns [5-58]. Name Of Sniper Gun Type In Service Variants Weight Action Effective Range Feed System Istiglal Anti-Material Rifle(5-13) Anti-materiel rifle 2008-present 12.7x108mm 44.0 lbs (20.0 kg) Recoil-operated, rotating bolt 3,000  m (9,843  ft) 10-round detachable box magazine FAMAE FD-200(14) Designated Marksman Rifle 2000-present NA 5.10  kg Gas operated 800 m SIG 542 compatible magazines 7.62 Tkiv 85 (15) Sniper rifle 1984-present NA 7  kg (15.4  lb) Bolt action 800  m (875  yd) 5-round magazine, loaded with 5-round charger clips Accuracy International Arctic Warfare (16) Sniper rifle 1982-present NA 6.5  kg (14.3  lb) Bolt-action 850  m/s (2,790  ft/s) 10-round detachable box magazine Accuracy International AS50(16) Anti-materiel rifle, Sniper rifle 2006-present 1 AS50 27 lb (12.2 kg) Direct impingement 1,500 m 5 or 10 round detachable box JNG-90 (17-20) Sniper rifle 2008-present NA NA Rotating bolt 1000 m NA KNT-308(21) Sniper rifle 2008-presnt NA NA bolt action 1000+ m 5-round detachable box AMP Technical Services DSR-1(23-27) Bolt action rifle 2000-presnet DSR-1 Subsonic (7.62x51mm NATO) 5.9  kg (unloaded) without scope) Bolt-action 800  m -875  yd 5 round detachable box magazine Brà ¼gger Thomet APR(28) Sniper rifle 2005-present APR308P, APR308S, APR338 7.1-8.2kg Bolt-action, manually operated 1000-1038 yd 10-round detachable box magazine Armalite AR-50(29) Bolt action rifle 1997-1999 Armalite AR-30 (smaller caliber) 15.5kg Bolt action NA 1 bullet AWC G2 (30-31) Sniper Rifle 1990s-present G2, G2A, G2FA NA Gas-Operated, rotating bolt NA 20 round magazines Barrett M82 (32) Anti-materiel rifle 1989-present M82A1, M82A1A, M82A1M, M82A2, M82A3, M107 13.5-14kg Recoil-operated, rotating bolt 1,800  m (5,906  ft) 10-round detachable box magazine Blaser 93 Tactical (33) Sniper rifle 1993-present Blaser LRS 2 Blaser Tactical 2 5kg Bolt action NA 5-rounds detachable box magazine Bor rifle (34) Sniper rifle 2007-present Alex Tactical Sport Alex-338 6.1kg Bolt- action 800m 10-round detachable box magazine CheyTac Intervention (35) Sniper rifle 2001-present NA 14kg Turn bolt 2000m 7-round detachable box CZ 700 sniper rifle(36) Sniper rifle NA 6.2kg Bolt Action NA 10-round detachable box C3A1 (37-39) Sniper rifle 1972-2003 NA 7.2kg Manually operated bolt action 800m 5 round detachable box Timberwolf (40) Sniper rifle 2005-present NA 7.1kg Manually operated bolt action 1500m 5 round detachable box Desert Tactical Arms Stealth Recon Scout(41) Sniper rifle 2008-present NA 5.2-5.6kg Bolt action NA 5-7 round detachable box WKW Wilk(42) Sniper rifle 2005-present NA 16.1kg Manually operated rotary bolt action 3000m 7 round detachable box VKS Sniper(43) Sniper rifle 2002-present NA 7kg NA 600m 5 round detachable box United States Marine Corps Designated Marksman Rifle(44) Sniper rifle 2001-present NA 4.0-4.5kg Gas operated, rotating bolt. Semi automatic 600-800m 5,10, and 20 round detachable box United States Navy Mark 12 Mod X Special Purpose Rifle(45-47) Sniper rifle 2002-present 4.5kg Gas operated, rotating bolt. Semi automatic 600 yards 20 or 30 round STANAG magazine United States Army Squad Designated Marksman Rifle (48) Sniper rifle 2004-present NA 4.5kg Gas-operated (direct impingement) 660yard 20 or 30 detachable box T93 sniper rifle(49) Sniper rifle 2005-present NA 5kg Bolt action Over 800m 5 round internal magazine M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System (50-52) Sniper rifle 2008-present NA 6.5kg Gas-operated, rotating bolt 1000m 10 or 20 detachable box Heckler Koch HK417 (53) Battle rifle NA Assaulter Recce (16 barrel standard and accurized) Sniper (20 barrel accurized 3.87-4.23kg Gas-operated, rotating bolt NA 10 or 20 detachable box FN Special Police Rifle (54) Sniper rifle 2004-present A1, A1a, A2, A4, A3 G, A5 M 4.9-7.5kg Bolt action NA 7.6251 mm (.308 Winchester):4-round detachable box magazine or 5-round internal box magazine .300 Winchester Short Magnum: 3-round internal box magazine Dragunov SVU (55) Sniper rifle 1994-present SVU-A 3.6kg Gas operated, rotating bolt NA 10 or 20-round detachable box magazine Vidhwansak Anti Material0 Rifle (56-57) Anti-material rifle 2007-present NA 25kg Manual bolt action 1800m Magazine ADVANCEMENTS IN SNIPER Sniper Location Gunshot Detection Systems Snipers have become the second greatest cause of fatalities in combat in present wars. Troops are often most vulnerable in stationary environments, such as when on perimeter or a Forward Operation Base (FOB). Until recently, sniper detection and location systems were employed primarily on vehicular and static installations, when manning guard towers, or out at mobile checkpoints. Two versions of gunshot locators were discussed here. Both are being addressed by the US military, in an attempt to improve response effectiveness and reduce vulnerability to attacks by sniper and small arms ambushes. Gunshot locators also improve the war fighters situational understanding in emergency situations, particularly when responding to ambush situations. The Boomerang acoustic shooter detection system was developed by BBN to provide warning over sniper threats. Today, over 1,000 Boomerang systems are operational worldwide and procurement of 8,000 additional systems is currently underway. Initially, the system was installed on vehicles, but the most recent enhancements, a static installation kit and portable system, complements the Boomerang to cover more modes of operation. Boomerang automatically provides immediate indication of hostile fire or sniper attacks and localizes the shooters position, allowing rapid, informed and coordinated response. The system can be installed on an individual vehicle (manned or unmanned), at a checkpoint, or be scaled up for full perimeter security of a forward operating base. The ability to identify insurgent firing locations quickly eliminates random patrol deployments and exposure to unknown hostile fire. (Figure)[58]. The static installation kit is contained in a man-portable package, providing rapid installation in temporary or fixed sites. It is equipped with interfacing, to enable interoperability with remote weapon stations and EO/IR sensors currently fielded in theater. Furthermore, several Boomerang sensors can be integrated and networked, to provide better and more precise coverage of fixed sites. Gunshot alerts can be integrated and presented into situational awareness pictures, such as the Blue Force Tracking. Acoustic processing is not the only solution for gunshot detection. Gunshot signature can be identified, located and processed even faster using electro-optical means. Two Israeli systems are providing such capabilities Rafaels Spotlight M and IAI/Eltas Short-Wave Infrared (SWIR) are sensors-based and a Transient Event Detection (TED) system, developed by a new subsidiary called OptigO. They are designed to cover a wide area, triggering an instant alarm and threat location when a si ngle shot is fired [58]. LASER Guided Bullet A small caliber laser-guided bullet having a self-contained guidance system is disclosed including on-board laser sensors and navigational circuits capable of detecting a laser target signature, determining the deviation of the bullet from an optimum projectory along which the bullet would impact a hostile target, and generating an electrical signal to piezo electric steering control surfaces to effect a change in the course of the bullet. The guided bullet utilizes a plurality of symmetrically arranged laser sensor elements which are positioned about a longitudinal axis of the bullet. The laser sensor elements function to transmit optical radiation from the laser target beam to photo detector elements housed within the bullet. The electrical signals from the photo detector elements are then amplified and processed by semiconductor logic circuits to produce the functions required by the steering control surfaces to translate the bullet to the optimum trajectory. Electrical power for the guidance system is provided by a miniature lithium polymer battery which is interconnected with the navigational circuits to produce the functions of the system. The guided bullet is fired from a precision, smooth bore weapon using a conventional expanding gas cartridge and is effective at ranges up to 3,000 meters and beyond. A bullet guidance system for guiding an in-flight bullet along an optimum trajectory along which said bullet would impact a laser identified target, said system comprising: laser beam detecting means contained within said bullet and being capable of receiving laser beam energy reflected from said target and converting said energy to electrical impulses; logic circuit means contained within said bullet having means therein responsive to receipt of said impulses for determining the deviation of said bullet from said optimum trajectory and for generating corrective signals in response to said impulses; steering control means having means therein responsive to said corrective signals in a manner to actuate said steering control means so as to deflect air flow about said bullet, said control means including at least deployable flap means being outwardly extensible from said bullet to deflect air flow about said bullet to impart a correctional momentum to translate said bullet to said optimum trajectory, said bullet being fired from a precision, smooth-bored weapon thereby not imparting axial spin to said bullet in the manner of a rifle; and power supply means contained within said bullet being inter connectable to said logic circuit and said steering control means to provide sufficient electrical power to produce the functions required by said system [59]. 6.3 Next-Generation Cant-Miss Snipers Snipers are already deadly accurate, pinpointing targets from a thousand meters away and more.   But a heavy crosswind can throw off even the surest shot.  This is why the military has started a largely-secret, crash program to build laser gun sights that compensate for the environment giving snipers lethal precision at 2000 meters range, in winds up to 40 miles per hour.   If it works out as planned, Defense Department researchers think the scopes will boost a snipers kill-rate by ten-fold, or more, and let snipers engage and pull the trigger in less than one second. Today, the agency notes, a 10mph wind could produce a miss even at 400 meters while in other cases the deviation could be much worse, exceeding 3 meters at 1200 meters range. The first method (to grossly, grossly oversimplify), is to shoot out a series of thousands of laser pulses, creating a profile of the eddies in the local atmosphere as the light bounces back.   The second involves using use a high-speed cam era to take an image of the target.  The eddies distort the phase of the light in that picture.   The scope, through a series of algorithms, can take those into account for the sniper team. Algorithms for the second approach have already been developed and field tested at University of Marylands Intelligent Optics Laboratory, Pentagon documents show, helping target objects 2300 meters away [60]. Super Sniper: Next Wars Secret Weapon Its probably not the game changing, secret weapon of the war. But it could help win the next one: a stealth sniper scope for invisible assassination.   Battles are increasingly about taking out a few select enemies, not large numbers of foes. Such device allows you to locate, target and kill a subject. Heat haze ordinarily throws off snipers. But SRVS changes heat haze from an obstruction into a means of enhancing the view. An effect called turbulence induced micro lensing means that every instant the heated air acts as a series of lenses; at a given moment you may be able to look right through them and see a magnified view of the scene beyond. The trick is to use digital technology to identify the lucky regions or lucky frames when a clear view appears and assemble them into a complete picture. The end result is a portable device 35 centimeters long and weighing two kilogram with an unprecedented capability. This sniper scope can beat the diffraction limit, which defines the best that any other optical device can do in conditions of severe heat haze, no less. Specifically, the SRVS will be good enough to positively ID individuals at sniping range: a. With an aperture not to exceed 6 cm, demonstrate that full scale facial images meeting ANSI INCITS 385-2004 can be correctly identified by trained observers (90% correct identification) at a distance of 1 km (representing a 3x improvement over current performance). b. Demonstrate better-than-diffraction-limited super-resolution imaging at a speed of not less than 1 Hz where human subjects moving at 1 m/s can be correctly identified by trained observers (90% correct identification) at a distance of 1 km. The spooky aspect of the SRVS is that even if the target is looking right at you, they wont see a thing because of the heat haze. A sniper using one of these will be a truly invisible assassin, with the ideal technology for picking off high-value targets. The prototype is supposed to be ready for early 2011, with finished units being delivered to Special Operations units in 2011 end. There are currently a number of anti-sniper systems (a.k.a. sniper detection systems, a.k.a. gunfire detection systems) that have been designed and developed for use by military infantry personnel [61]. CONCLUSION Sniper is the term of excellence in the Army. Howitzers accurately fire in excess of 28 kilometers, tanks kill out to four kilometers, helicopters gunship missiles kill out to eight kilometers. The maximum range of infantry small arms engagements, however, has shrunk significantly over the past century. Some of the standard infantry rifles of World Wars I and II had sights that ranged out to more than 2,000 yards (1800 meters), and infantry soldiers trained to engage area targets even out to those ranges. But with the adoption of the smaller caliber, higher velocity .223 bullets as the infantry standard for many nations, the maximum training and hence effective range of infantry small arms has dropped off to 300 meters or less. Such advancements can give rebirth to new definition of Sniper which will change the whole outlook, and rest will be HISTORY. Such sniper will able to detect, blow the target well beyond 3000 meter range and will be most effective in counter terrorism. Thus we can prevent another 26/11- Mumbai attacks and save life of innocents.

Epic of Gilgamesh and Book of Genesis of the Holy Bible Essay -- Epic

Epic of Gilgamesh and the Book of Genesis    History tells us that since we have been able to write, our human race has had the habit of recording historical tales, or stories.   Most of the first stories were tales of heroic men, scouring their land in search of some noble prize.   These stories are known as epics, and they give us an excellent idea of the lifestyles and basic thought processes of early humans.   Along the lines of these epics are the accounts told in the Bible, especially those in the Old Testament.   As with the epics, these legends give us some spiritual idea of the beginning of time and the accounts of early man.   If we compare the stories and characters of the first epic, The Epic of Gilgamesh, with those of the first chapter of the Bible, Genesis, we not only discover some striking similarities, but also some notable differences.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If there is one thing that all early accounts revolve around, that is the idea of a divine being or, in other words, god.   Early humans were extremely religious, holding the belief that their very lives were in the hands of their god.   This holds true for both the people of biblical times as well as those of the epic era.   However, even as both groups believed in a supreme being, they harbored different feelings and beliefs about the subject.   In the epic, many gods are mentioned and worshiped, such as Ninsun and Shamash.   These gods can give birth to mortals, and can communicate with these mortals, usually through dreams.   In Genesis, there is mention of only one God, a being that created the earth and skies, as well as huma... ...nces; in the Bible it rained for forty days, and in the epic only seven.   In Genesis, Adam and Eve try to become god-like by eating the forbidden fruit.   In the epic, Gilgamesh attempts to be a god by gaining everlasting life.   In both cases, neither succeed.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Epic of Gilgamesh and the Book of Genesis are two of the earliest accounts of human civilization.   In their own way, they set an example of how the population of the past lived.   They also set guidelines for the way that we could live our lives.   By reading of the commitment that Abraham made and the mistakes that Gilgamesh and Adam made, we can shape our own lives.   Through the differences and similarities, both accounts hold as much value for the people of today as they did for the people who wrote them.

Montage and New Wave Film Essay

The differences between soviet montage and French new wave cinema are interesting and many. Both genres of film seek to create contrast between adjacent shots via discontinuity editing, but subtle differences in their editing styles allow this contrast to produce very different results. In French new wave editing is used to both draw the audience in, and push them away, it draws the audience’s attention and inspires distaste. Soviet montage on the other hand uses editing not as a method of controlling the audience’s focus, but as a way to create ideas. An analysis of the editing in the Godard’s â€Å"Breathless† and Eisenstein’s â€Å"Battleship Potemkin† will highlight these different effects. In â€Å"Breathless†, the first use of editing to keep the audience’s attention is in the scene where Micheal shoots the cop. In this scene Goddard makes use of editing to twist and distort time. The audience hears the cop tell Micheal â€Å"Stop, or i’ll kill you† in a calm voice at nearly the same time that Micheal cocks the gun. Immediately thereafter we jump cut to Micheal firing the gun and jump cut again to the police office falling to the ground as he is shot. From a narrative point of view it is understood that these events do not take place so close to each other. The events happen in much too quick a succession to mimic reality. The jump cuts elapse time in an odd uncomfortable manner. It can be argued that this is jarring, and distasteful, but it is exactly this jarring and distaste that makes this scene so fascinating. Rushing through the event which is clearly the inciting action of the film (flying in the face of CHC) yields a certain fascination with this scene that typical CHC could not hope to match. An effect similar to the one described above is present in the scene where Micheal and Patricia track down Micheal’s money in the taxi. This exemplifies the use of new wave editing to focus the audience’s attention on the visual. In this scene, the visual difference between shots is minimal. If one were to imagine it without the jump cuts it would be long and monolithic but the prolific use of jump cuts counters this would-be-dullness. Once again the jump cuts elapse time and quickens the pace of the scene artificially. The audience hears Micheal barking orders at the drive in succession that is faster that he speaks in the story, and they understand that this artificial fast precisely because of the jump cuts and he obviousness in which they are presented. In this way Goddard is able to present a potentially long and dull car ride in the story much faster in the plot. Unlike the previously discussed scene, this scene does not quicken the pace past the point of comfort, it is intentionally fast paced and helps to excite the audience. First lets take the Odessa Steps scene from â€Å"Battleship Potemkin†. This scene feels almost as if it is a CHC film. Shots are spliced together smoothly and invisibly. The audience is never jarred by

“Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn Essay

In the book Ishmael, Daniel Quinn argues claims about our culture and beliefs through Ishmael, the gorilla. He somewhat effectively argues his claim, I say somewhat because he doesn’t adequately use all three parts of an argument: ethos, pathos and logos. Quinn’s intended audience is very clearly every Taker/human that is living everyday without really realizing the destruction of the environment and society around them. His rhetorical purpose is to show these people what they’re doing wrong and not necessarily tell them how to fix it, but telling them how they should inform everyone and essentially start a revolution. He does this because the world is very quickly being destroyed by humans because of our lack of energy to do something about it. Quinn puts into perspective how the world is slowly being ruined through the character of Ishmael. The reason I don’t think Quinn’s argument was extremely effective is because he didn’t use very much ethos. In the beginning he used Ishmael’s captivity in the zoo then the menagerie to give Ishmael some credibility with being able to observe humans from the outside of our world. Ishmael also taught himself how to understand humans which gives him some credibility as being very smart. Quinn does mention a few books Ishmael read to further his knowledge about humans, one being the Bible, but that is about all the ethos he uses. He doesn’t use any ethos while arguing throughout the book to back up his claims which is where I see most of his faults. Daniel Quinn mostly uses logos to support his claims throughout the book. On almost every page there was logical evidence to back up his claim he was currently making. He did this a lot through stories he told that put many things we see every day in a different perspective hence making us think about it in a very different way. For example, my favorite story was the one about the creation of man and he ends with â€Å"then man appeared† (Quinn 53). Ishmael says the same thing with â€Å"finally jellyfish appeared† (Quinn 56). He did this to show that creation did not end with man like we previously thought. Throughout the book Quinn uses very few examples of pathos. He mostly tells stories that made me feel guilty, for example on page 80 he discusses how we’ve â€Å"poured our poisons into the world† (Quinn 80) and he goes on to say there is almost no way for the world to recover because we’ve damaged it so much. This makes me feel very guilty and angry to the CEO’s and people that have come before me because they haven’t done anything to stop it. There have been people to try but no one has ever stopped drilling for oil and driving giant semi-trucks that are destroying the earth. Quinn doesn’t use pathos often, but the few times he did it was very effectively used. Daniel Quinn presents Ishmaels arguments in a very philosophical style and it feels as though the student, who is never named in the story is the reader. I could really see myself as the student, when he was confused I was often confused as well and I think that is why Quinn never gave him a name because it made it easier to put yourself in that position since we are essentially learning as the student is. I think Quinn’s argument needed more pathos and ethos to be truly effective. He uses mostly logos which is very effective for this type of argument, but there is not much emotion or credibility to back up the logical statements he is making. At times I was angry at society and humans in general because of the destruction and I think if there was more of that pathos it would have been much more effective of an argument for me.